Database Users

GPRS push?

Hi all,
I'm brand new to mobile / pocket pc development, I just have a few networking related questios though.
I'm implementing my own blackberry style client/server for my brand new (got it yesterday) XDA IIi.
From what I've read the IP address of a mobile connected to GPRS will change every data session, so even though it has stayed 'online' all day it may have multiple IP addresses throughout the day. How do the blackberry style systems get around this? Is this todo with the IMS / SIP protocol ?
What I'm wanting is so that the mobile phone doesn't have to send any data to the server (apart from an initial hello) and then when mails come in the server can send directly to the mobile. Obviously with changing IP addresses this is impossible unless each time the IP changes the mobile tells the server, effectively you are not really pushing any more then it's more of a poll.
Also one more question on a non-development note, do providers charge for dropped packets or are they dropped normally before their routers so they simply never see them?
BTW I will be releasing the software I'm working on when done so don't fear
Thanks

bump ?
I guess not much known about GPRS / Blackberry workings ?

You can use WAP push to get in touch with the client on a Pocket PC Phone Edition. Have a look in the Phone API at msdn. I think you'll find something there...

Thanks! Totally forgot about checking MSDN ;P

This is possible, I do something similar. But it's difficult.
The IP assigned to your device is in private address space, using NAPT to contact Internet. Therefore you cannot contact the device IP in any way.
You can however open a connection from the XDA to any host on the Internet using TCP. Once this connection is open, it will remain open indefinitely. Or about 30 minutes if no data is transferred.
Once you have an open TCP connection, you can push data down the tunnel in either direction with very low latency. It is up to you to find a suitable protocol to run over your open tunnel.
Several things also need checking:
- Send some data every few minutes to keep connection open.
- Watch for stale GPRS connections. If this happens, remake the connection.
- Packets do get lost. Ensure all packets checked, resend if needed. You can use the TCP 'ACK' packet, or use your own acknowledgement protocol.
If you get it working, it works surprisingly well.
Hope this is of some use,
Ben Clewett.

VPN driving me mad!

Over the last year I have tried many times to set up my Windows Mobile devices to connect over VPN and then use RDP to manage my clients' sites. To date I have never managed to get it to work. My config is as follows :-
Within Start \ Settings \Connections \ Advanced \ Select Networks
Programs that automatically connect to the Internet use MY ISP
Programs that automatically connect to a private network "My Work Network"
a VPN is configured under "My work network" and the device can connect to this and using vxutil I can ping the server I wish to RDP to - 172.17.3.3
Supposedly the important bit is to add the exception under "Work URL exceptions", I have added 172.17.3.3 in here.
Once the VPN is established if I enter 172.17.3.3 within IE or Terminal Services CLient the VPN connection is still dropped.
If I enter this IP address without connecting the VPN first then the device will not connect the VPN automatically.
If I enter a non qualified domain name such as ids-vs then the VPN is connected but the name is never resolved.
Can anyone shed any light on this, if I could use a local lmhosts file on the device as with XP then I may be able to work around the above. It appears to me though as though the exceptions list is never processed. I did a hard reset last night just in case, but this has made no difference.
I cannot believe that the above can be so complex.
I am using a HTC Tytn and using t-Mobile in the UK.
Any help greatly appreciated since it is driving me totally mad!

I would love to figure that out.
I was trying to connect to my pc at home like this and suffered from all the same symptoms your having. In the end I gave up, mainly 'cause someone told me that I needed another type of data plan to have vpn (at the time I had the $29.99USD plan) in other words it might be your plan, or something to do with the proxies or something, I hope someone would find out what you need to do in order to get this to work.

It's strange, looking around the web there are loads of people that struggle with the setup, but most seem happy once they are told to add the server name or IP address in the exceptions list.
I have ruled out the data plan since I can establish the VPN connection and can see it authenticate on the other end, as well as being able to ping the server on the work network from the phone.
I have just opened a support call with Microsoft as well, but I am not holding out much hope since I think they will point me at HTC. Assuming HTC ever responded they will just point me back at Microsoft!

Well it would be cool if they could help you, I tried everything myself and zilch. I could also establish a connection but as soon as I would try to access a file on my pc it would disconnect. I would try to help you out experimenting on my side again, but I changed my router to a cheap piece of $h.. and now I can't access my pc via vpn..... I really need to get a decent router
This may sound stupid, but I could swear someone told me something about the speed of the connection. If the connection speed is too low then DNS would fail, although that wouldn't explain why we are able to establish a connection, but not access anything else.

OK, I have made quite a bit of progress :-
1) I was using a cab file to configure T Mobile settings on the phone. This was somehow configuring the exceptions list to be ignored. Hard resetting the phone, installing this CAB the problem remained. Hard Resetting the phone and setting up GPRS manually - everything worked.
2) There is a fault with Windows CE 5 routing over VPN - the subnet information is ignored. Hence for example, if your GPRS provider give you a NAT 10.x.x.x ip address and your corporate network uses 10.x.x.x then you can never route to your corporate network.

And what cab file is that? do you know if it's on the extended roms for the t-mo roms? Glad to see your making progress, keep it up.

It was a Cab file for the Tmobile settings. It either came from these forums or over at modaco, can't remember which.

VPN
I was able to successfully use the Movian VPN to connect to my work using my XDA2.Worked fine for 2 years. Apologies, but I can't help with the settings and my work migrated to an M-notes server so I was able to connect without a VPN.

Dynamic DNS (DDNS) for Pocket PC!!!

Hello!
I am looking for a Dynamic DNS updating software similar to the ones for PC. I found one made by TZO found here: http://www.tzo.com/index.html However I already have a free DDNS service from www.dyndns.com and I want to use that service on Pocket PC's running Windows Mobile 5. Is there any type of software out there that can do this? I primarily need it to perform VNC tasks on multiple mobile phones. Thanks!
- TKN

hi
not sure about any programs to do this, but if you could how would you connect to the phone? via GPRS/3G, wifi ?
just tested and you cant ping a PPC thats on GPRS/3G from the internet, might beable to if your on the same network but i dont think you could, most ddns clients i know of use the internet ip which is different to the PPC address
if wifi then the ports would need to be forwarded from the router to the PPC unless is on your own wifi network then you would be better of giving them all there own ip
you could get them to connect to a vpn when you need to connect to them, that might allow to connect to them, but not 100% sure
Regards
David

ICS & VPN with WM6

My searches on the web haven't yielded much help or information so I thought I would come to the experts...
I have a Treo 750 that I just "upgraded" to WM6 2 days ago. I noticed that DUN has gone away and was replaced by ICS. After configuring my laptop to use that instead of DUN I connected and was surfing the web. My problem now is VPN. I travel frequently (luckily I'm in the office until Jan.) and regularly used my phone to connect to the corporate network via VPN. I also work with a lot of other companies and have VPN access to their systems as well. Basically now I can open my Cisco VPN client, connect to a VPN gateway, authenticate, get assigned all the appropriate IP information, but cannot communicate on the network. What gives? Is there a solution to this? If not, what the heck was MS thinking when they did this!? My phone is basically useless for one of the major reasons I bought it...
Any help is appreciated!
thanks!

Ok, further searches found that DUN can be added back into WM6 via a cab that was posted here at the XDA forums. I installed it and the DUN service is now visible again. I unpaired by phone and laptop, re-paired, and included DUN. Now when I try to connect, I get the DUN connection box after the bluetooth connection is initiated but when I click DIAL I get the DIALING... prompt, followed by Error 678: The remote computer did not respond.
Anybody get this working on a Treo 750? Thoughts, ideas suggestions?

What is the ip address you are getting via the cisco vpn client
It maybe that it is in the same subnet as the ip address assigned to the pc from the wm6 ics. The ICS gives the address 192.168.0.1. and if your Cisco is also giving a 192.168 address then you will have two routes for the 192 address range thus giving you the problem when accessing hosts.
If this is the problem Im pretty sure you can change the address allocated via the ICS using a registry editor. If not you may be able to get work to use a different range for you on the cisco vpn.

Our corporate network is 172.x.x.x so it's nowhere near the 192.168.0.x assigned by the phone. When I look at the route in the VPN client I see 192.0.0.0, 10.0.0.0, and 172.0.0.0 so I am assuming 192 is my laptop, 10 is the phone, and 172 is the corporate network.
I'm guessing NATing is the problem. I've been reading that if I use a different APN (isp.cingular instead of wap.cingular) there is no NATing. I've tried both, and I've tried turning off and on the "force AT&T" proxy setting to no avail.
Tried the DUN cab hack that is floating around for WM6 also. The service is active again and I can also add Modem Link back in and my laptop sees my Treo as a modem but when I dial I get an error stating the remote computer did not respond. I'm guessing along with going from WM5 to WM6 AT&T also updated the radio so the old communications protocols don't work anymore?

Hello Sir,
I have exactly the same problem... I have successfully connected via VPN, however unable to communicate with any devices on that network... Then what is the use of VPN on the phone? I've tried searching online for answers, but no luck... People are having the same problem but no one knows how to solve it... I'll try and trouble shoot this problem more as soon as my exams are done...

Hi
Working successfully for me. I am using Imate jasjam wm6. Pc using cisco client connecting via ics on phone. I have telstra 3g connection tested ok on both telstra.internet (Nated ip) and telstra.extranet (real ip).
You are correct it may be an nat issue. Can you check that your transparent tunnelling is on as follows: right click on your connection entry in cisco client and select modify then transport tab. Check that enable transport tunneling is enabled ipsec over udp(Nat/pat).
The other thing to check is that the cisco vpn server aslo has transport over Nat on as well.
Also are you sure your corporate ip range is 172 or is that the range given by the cisco vpn to clients.

Transport tunneling is on (always was). I'll have to check with our network admin and check on the VPN server setting...I guess as long as I have connectivity back to the office, I don't need it that badly for all the customers I need to connect to at various times.
Yep, positive on the corporate IP. Right now it is 172.28.1.87 and I'm in the office.
Thanks for the help so far. Got any other suggestions on how I can troubleshoot further?

One other thought...should I modify the registry on the phone to assign a different IP address to my laptop? Would that help?

Same Problem
MX. I am having the exact same issue but with Securemote VPN. I've looked through the registry and found the assigned address, but I'm wary of changing anything until I can find some more information.
Anyone out there ever change the DHCP configuration for their phone?

Somewhat related question?
Im attempting to route my connection on my mobile through a laptop acting as a wan bridge, then uplinking it into the router. The issue Im having is that XP and WM6 both use the same IP Block. Ive read and read and cant find much to tell me how to change the WM6 IP BLock to something like 192.168.2.1 rather than the default 192.168.0.1
Does anyone have any pointers? Ive looked through the registry. There MUST be a simple way to change a default.
To clarify my setup, I am using ICS Via USB into a UMPC laptop running XP. The UMPC is set to share that same connection back out over Ethernet. The ethernet runs into my WAN Uplink on the router and then back out via wifi/rj-45
This setup works as I have done it using Wifi with other networks, and I can chose the "Lan3" to share under the advanced settings on the UMPC. The reason I dont just share out via Wifi from the start is that Wifi on my Kaiser and Raphael both make the device to hot to charge, thusly killing the battery within a couple hrs of sharing. If I share via USB , it stays pretty cool and still charges.
Anyone have any pointers?
I have already tried tricking XP into using the Lan on another block but as soon as you try to share the USB lan, it reverts back to the 192.168.0.1
The only way I can imagine is a registry modification or a program change in ICS.
Thanks Much!

Remote Desktop Help

So I want to use remote desktop on my TP2 to connect to my laptop at home. I've done all the requirements to allow to use this feature; I've enabled port forwarding in my router settings and I have enabled remote desktop on my laptop's Windows 7 system properties. And on my TP2 I enter my ip address for the "computer" field, my Windows 7 account user name in the "user name" field (I only have 1 account on my laptop and it is admin), and the account password in the "password" field. After all of this, my TP2 will still not connect to my laptop. At this point I am pulling my hair out trying to figure out what I am doing wrong. Can anybody help?

Does your computer has public IP Address?

Yes. I go to www.whatismyip.com and it displays my ip address. I've tried entering this address in the "computer" field as well and nothing.

you'll need to forward port 3389 through any router you may be using (check out portforward.com)
you'll also need to enable RDP connection on the machine through System>Remote.
there are 1001 guides you'll find with a quick google, its not a phone specific thing.
edit: ive previously found that the WM RDP client wont start a 'net connection itself. if you find the same, just do it manually through com manager or check ur mail etc.

Did you forward port 3389 to the internal ip address of your laptop?
Do you have a software firewall on the laptop that may be blocking access?

First try to figure out where the error occurs.
Try to connect to your pc, using an other pc ( from outside )
If it works, it must be a setting in your mobile device.
If pc also doesnt work, it should be a port problem, in that case, try using hamachi..
Oh, and check if you dont have a blocking program, or firewall .. like suggested above

Does my phone need to be connected to wi-fi in order to use remote desktop or will it just use my carrier's data service?

develop1 said:
Does my phone need to be connected to wi-fi in order to use remote desktop or will it just use my carrier's data service?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it will use any data connection available, no need to connect to wifi if you have data plan activated.
some tips:
1. you must have NAT (port forwarding) configured in your router
2. If your router has public IP address on WAN port, then point 1. is just sufficient if you are on some routed network, than you need to ask your provider, maybe you will be lucky
2.1. (here are network ranges used as private, only for identification)
from 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255
from 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255
from 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255
3. point 1. specification - enable NAT from WAN port to local IP address of your computer, specific port is TCP 3389. Also is good to make a reservation on DHCP server for this PC.
4. you need to enable remote desktop on your PC
4.1. computer properties - remote desktop setup - and its middle line on remote desktop settings
4.2. click "choose users" and check if your account is listed

Thanks alot to everybody's help! Your advise allowed me to get this things working, I really appreciate it. I had the port open and had remote desktop enabled on my computer but the thing that was killing me was I had the windows firewall on and my ESET Smart Security firewall on as well. Once I disabled them I was able to make the connection. What a head ache those firewalls gave me. I thank you all once again for your assistance.

I want to remotely access my PC from TP2, what software do I need to install on my phone?

sheharyar said:
I want to remotely access my PC from TP2, what software do I need to install on my phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The answer depends on what you have available to connect to. Your network (if any exists) and the machine/OS you want to connect to.
If you could let me know the following, I'll see if I can help:
How you machine's connected to the net. (for example, mines something like PC>Router>Cable modem>outside world).
The operating syustem in use on your PC. Specifically please, the edition and version is important to know. Mine's Windows 7 Ultimate, for example.
but, to cut a long story short: if you're not using a home edition of one of the recent windows OSs (XP and later), I'd suggest Remote desktop's the best way to go. There's a .cab knocking around here if you don't already have it on your phone and the PC end's described in the 'Configure Remote Desktop' and 'Configure Your Router' bits of this page: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/expert/northrup_03may16.mspx (ignore the other sections, they're not relevant unless you're running IIS)
enjoy

I have a WIFI Router installed, have a laptop with VISTA ULTIMATE and PC with XP Professional.
I am already able to RD my laptop from my PC.
I want to RDS my laptop from my phone via the same network/WIFI. I think it is pretty simple.
This is what I am doing
I have installed Remote Desktop Mobile
I have connected to WIFI
when I run Remote Desktop Mobile & enter my laptop's name, with username and password and click connect, connecting remains on top and is not connecting it. I am not in any domain, do i have to leave the domain name empty?

if you're not using a domain, leaving it blank's right.
Does it just time out on your phone?
Do you get the same if you try connecting via IP instead of your machine's name?

mad_tunes said:
if you're not using a domain, leaving it blank's right.
Does it just time out on your phone?
Do you get the same if you try connecting via IP instead of your machine's name?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am able to connect from my pc.
When I try to connect from my phone either by IP or computer name, it does not even time out, it just remains stuck at Connecting...
Nothing happens after 5 minutes, even no error message appears.

sheharyar said:
I am able to connect from my pc.
When I try to connect from my phone either by IP or computer name, it does not even time out, it just remains stuck at Connecting...
Nothing happens after 5 minutes, even no error message appears.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your laptop seems to be configured well ( you can access it using the pc )
So it must be a setting in the phone. You sure it is connected to wifi , maybe it stays on 3g ) Or maybe your laptop only allowes 1 ip to connect ( the pc's ip )

I am even able to connect to my laptop over internet as the port 3389 is fwd.
Do I have to configure anything on my phone other than installing that cab file?
Or maybe the cab file I've installed is corrupt or something, can someone please share the cab file?