Documentation ShareISDN Server

Installation of the ShareISDN Server (for WindowsNT/2000/XP/Vista)

(You should uninstall any previous version of ShareISDN first. Please close the Control Panel before installation.)

Simply copy the file "SISSetNT.exe" onto the computer with the ISDN-Card, double-click it and follow the instructions.

You will need to have administrator privileges to install the Server as it is a WindowsNT service which can only be installed by an administrator. You will have to restart the System after the installation to start the ShareISDN Server. To configure the Server you will find a new Control Panel Applet called "ShareISDN Server". Because the ShareISDN Server, as a WindowsNT Service, cannot communicate directly with you, you should check the LogFile of the System for messages. To do so, press the "Error Log" button in the Control Panel Applet of the ShareISDN Server.

Configuration of the ShareISDN Server (for WindowsNT/2000/XP/Vista)

In most cases you will not need to change the configuration after the installation. The default configuration is:

- Listening on the TCP/IP-Port 6000 for connections with clients
- Allowing all clients to connect, no restriction
- Running in Demo Mode (No License Key)

To change these settings open the Control Panel Applet "ShareISDN Server" and press the "Apply" button to write the new settings into the Registry or press the "Apply and Restart" button to write the settings and to restart the ShareISDN Server service.

In detail, the settings have the following effects:

- Port Number
Enter the TCP/IP port from which the clients shall communicate with the server. If you discover that the service does not start again after you have pressed the "Apply and Restart" Button, you have probably entered a port which is currently in use. Simply choose another port.

- License Key
The demo mode will stop working after 30 days. You should order a License key for ShareISDN and enter it in the text field. After having pressed the "Apply" or "Apply and Restart" button the kind of license will be displayed next to the text field. If you switch from demo to the 5 or 10 client computer license the check box "All clients are accepted" becomes disabled and you have to enter the client computers names or IP-Numbers.

- Virtualize Controller
If you have more than one ISDN card or a card with two or four ports in your computer, you can forward outgoing calls to the next controller, if the previous one is busy. Additionally, incoming calls will be accepted on all controllers. This is especially useful if your ISDN application(s) only support and use one (the first) controller.

- Reject/Accept Clients
You will discover a check box called "All clients are accepted" in this area. If you set this check box, all other controls of this area will be disabled and you allow every computer to connect to the server. If you clear the check box you restrict the access to the server to only those computers which are listed in the list box above.
You can enter the name or IP-Number of a computer into the text field above the list box and press "Add" to add it to the list box. If you choose one name/IP-Number in the list box and press "Remove", it will be removed from the list box and the corresponding computer is no longer connected. It is recommended that IP-Numbers are used rather than names of computers as names have to be resolved. Of course, if you use a DHCP-Server with dynamic IP-Numbers it is useful to use names.
You can use the feature "All clients are accepted" only with the Demo and the Unlimited Licenses. If you have a "5 Client Computer License" or a "10 Client Computer License" the check box is disabled and you MUST enter the names or IP-Numbers of the client computers. You can only enter 5 or 10 computers, depending on the License purchased.

- Server Password
Enter a password here if you want to restrict the access to this server. If a client tries to connect to this server, it must provide the appropriate password. This setting only affects pure CAPI connections! Clients can build up RAS connections without having the password!
Leave this field empty to turn off this feature.

If you discover that you can't restart the service ("Service stopped" is displayed above the "Apply and Restart Service" button) check the LogFile for Error messages. To do so, press the "Error Log" button.

Connection Logging

The file "ShareISDNCons.csv" contains records of the ISDN connections as "Comma Separated Values". You will find this file in the Windows directory. You can easily process it with spreadsheet and database applications like MS Excel and MS Access.
The file can also be viewed with the Control Panel Applet, Button "Connection Log".
The maximum file size will be 400 kb (default, editable through Registry setting). If the file size exceeds the limit, it is renamed to "ShareISDNCons.old", and a new file is started. An already existing "ShareISDNCons.old" file will be deleted.

The columns of the file have got the following meanings:

• Date/Time
• Called Party Number
  
• Calling Party Number (if available)
  
• Client IP
  
• Duration (in Seconds)
  
• Type (Capi or RAS connection)
  
• Direction (in or out)
  
• Remarks (successful or not)

Uninstall ShareISDN Server (for WindowsNT/2000/XP/Vista)

Make sure that you have closed

• the EventLog
• the Control Panel Applet "ShareISDN Server" and the Control Panel itself

Launch the Uninstaller of ShareISDN Server via the Start Menu rather than from the "Add/Remove Software" Control Panel Applet because in that case you cannot close the Control Panel beforehand.
If, for some reasons, the Control Panel Applet "ShareISDN Server" couldn't be removed by the Uninstaller, simply delete the file "ShareISDNServer.cpl" in the folder "system32".