The future of Internet networking
| r i d e w a y f r e q u e n t l y a s k e d q u e s t i o n s |
GENERAL INFORMATION
Q. What is RideWay?
A. RideWay is a SOCKS 4 compliant proxy server for Windows 95/NT which allows
multiple users from several Client PCs (Win 95, 3.1, Win NT, Macintosh, etc.) to simultaneously access the Internet using only one modem, phone line, and Internet access account. (Features)
Q. What is a Proxy Server?
A. A Proxy Server acts as a gateway between the internal users of a LAN and the Internet. All Internet traffic goes through the proxy server, effectively shielding (firewall) the rest of the LAN from the Internet.
Q. What is SOCKS?
A. SOCKS is a networking proxy protocol that enables hosts on one side of SOCKS server to gain full access to hosts in the other side of the SOCKS server without requiring direct IP reachability. SOCKS redirects connection requests from hosts on opposite sides of a SOCKS server. The SOCKS server authenticates and authorizes the requests, establishes a proxy connection, and relays data. SOCKS is commonly used as a network firewall that enables hosts behind a SOCKS server to gain full access to the Internet, while preventing unauthorized access from the Internet to the internal hosts.
Q. Why use RideWay?
A. RideWay will save you a lot of money. By
eliminating the need to pay for multiple phone lines, Internet accounts,
and modems, the cost-savings resulting from the utilization of RideWay are tremendous!
Q. What are some features of RideWay?
A.
- Provides simultaneous access to the Internet from any networked
computer using only one modem and phone line
- Acts as a secure firewall protecting your internal network from outside
intruders
- Denies access to specified sites
- Logs server information and generates customized reports for the
network
- Provides an easy-to-use interface for setting up the network and
customizing it for your needs
- Reduces on-line connection fees with the Dial-On-Demand feature
which automatically dials to the Internet when the first request is
received and disconnects after a specified period of inactivity
- Captures DNS settings in accordance with the DNS configuration of the
PC (makes setting up RideWay that much easier!)
- Provides diagnostic tools for trouble-shooting network connectivity,
examining traffic flow conditions, and looking up computer name and
Internet address information
Q. What kind of setup is needed to utilize RideWay?
A. At the minimum, you will need:
-A Windows 95/NT PC with access to the Internet
-A Network adapter card and TCP/IP installed on each computer which desires to simultaneously access the Internet.
Q. Does RideWay support all types of modems?
A. RideWay will work with analog modems (14.4 kps, 28.8, 33.6, 56 kps) and ISDN (64-128kps) modems as well! Also cable modems, available in some regions (offering up to 300 times the bandwidth available in a regular telephone line) will work with RideWay!
Q. Is RideWay easy to install and set-up?
A. Absolutely. Thousands of RideWay users, with virtually no experience with LAN and TCP/IP networking, have successfully downloaded and installed our software. We're also willing to help with general PC/networking issues (setup of TCP/IP, dialer, dial-up-networking) which are not related to RideWay itself. With our detailed step-by-step instructions and great technical support team, setting up RideWay is a breeze!
SETUP QUESTIONS (Also see Step-By-Step)
Q. What is a LAN?
A. 'LAN' is an acronym for Local Area Network. A local area network refers to a group of connected computers.
Q. What is TCP/IP?
A. TCP/IP stands for 'Transmission Control Program/Internet Protocol'. This is a computer 'language' available for almost every computer system and network type and is characterized by its 'open standards' allowing just about any 2 systems to talk to one another. Most Internet Applications (i.e. Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer) are Winsock compliant and need TCP/IP.
Q. I don't understand the references to "Server PC" and "Client PC"?
A. You can think of the Server PC as:
1) the Windows 95/NT PC with RideWay installed with an Internet Connection
You can think of the Client PC as:
1) the PC (Win 95, NT, 3.1, 3.11, unix, etc..) which will use the Server PC to connect to the Internet
Q. Do I need to install RideWay on each of the PCs in my LAN?
A. No. RideWay should be installed on one Windows 95/NT PC (Server PC) .
Other computers (Client PCs) on the LAN will then be able to utilize RideWay's many features.
Q. Does RideWay run on a Novell LAN?
A. RideWay will run on PCs running on any TCP/IP network. However it does not run on a
Novell. It can, however, run on a Windows 95/98 or NT machine on a Novell network that has a direct connection to
the Internet. If the Server is a Windows NT, it must be version 4.0. You will need to install TCP/IP client sotware for your Windows 3.1 PCs. If you contact
DGL, they will provide you with more information on the software you need and how to configure it...
Q. My LAN runs the IPX protocol. Can I also run TCP/IP at the same time?
A. Yes.
Q. I have a PC connected to the Internet via a SLIP connection, and I have a
UNIX box connected to the PC via an ethernet connection. Can I give the UNIX box Internet access
through the PC with RideWay?
A. Yes. TCP/IP will need to be configured for the two machines to speak to one another.
Also, your browser and any other Internet applications (e.g. telnet, e-mail, chat, news reader, etc.) on the
UNIX box will need to be SOCKS-Compliant.
Q. Do I have to uninstall previous versions of RideWay before re-installing it?
A. Yes, you should uninstall it from 'Control Panel'->'Add/Remove Program'. If you do not
uninstall it first, RideWay may not be able to run after the installation.
SETUP SPECIFICS
Q. I have 2 computers at home, but have not set up a LAN yet. How do I set it up?
A. Please refer to ITServ's Step-By-Step Instructions. Feel free to contact DGL if you have any questions.
Q. Do I need to modify my current dial-up account settings to work with RideWay?
A. No. RideWay allows you to use your existing dial-up account. However, to take full advantage of RideWay's features, it is recommended that you create Windows 95/NT's Dial-Up Networking entries to initiate calls to the Internet Access Provider.
Q. Does RideWay have the 'Dial-On-Demand' feature? Namely, can I have the Server PC dial out and make an Internet connection by making an Internet request from the Client PC?
A. Yes.
Q. I am having trouble getting the 'Dial-On-Demand' feature to work. Any tips?
A. RideWay's dialer control supports Windows 95/NT's 'Dial-Up Networking Environment'. You must connect to the Internet through a 'Dial-Up-Networking' entry in order for RideWay's Dial-On-Demand feature to work. Also make sure you disable the 'Automatic Connect' feature under the 'Dialer Control' menu.
Q. My client PC seems to connect to the RideWay server, but it gets disconnected shortly. Why is this?
A. There are most likely two causes for this problem.
1. The browser is set to proxy mode, but some proxy entries other than the SOCKS are filled out IPs; or
2. If the client is a Windows 3.xx operating system, the client PC's machine name is not defined in the TCP/IP Host file.
The solutions are as follows:
1. In Netscape Navigator, set the 'SOCKS Host' to the IP of the Server PC and set 'port' to 1080. Remember to leave all other proxy entries in blank; or
2. If indeed you are using Windows 3.xx, search for the Host definition or Host file associated with your TCP/IP package and enter your client PC host name (machine name) and this client PC's IP address. For example, if you are using NetManage TCP/IP for Windows, you should be able to enter these information in the Service tab within Custom icon; if you are using Trumpet, you have to search for the Host file and use an editor to add this line of information (please follow the line format shown in the file).
APPLICATION SPECIFICS
Q. Which Internet applications work with RideWay?
A. RideWay is a SOCKS 4 compliant proxy server for Windows 95/NT compatible with
all SOCKS 4 compliant browsers, email, ftp, news, and telnet packages such as Netscape Navigator 2.0 or higher.
Q. Specifically, which programs won't work with RideWay?
A. Currently, Internet Explorer's email and news functions are not SOCKS compliant, but will work with RideWay with a third-party shareware program installed on the Client PC. This also applies to other non-SOCKS compliant applications. SocksCap is a program available which will allow these non-SOCKS applications to work with RideWay (see SocksCap- Howto). Meanwhile, we're committed to providing non-SOCKS compatibility for RideWay in the near future.
Q. How do I make SOCKS compliant Internet applications work with RideWay?
A. For each application the configuration will be different. In general, you need to look for an option
to set either the 'Proxy' configuration or a 'SOCKS' firewall or host. You would input your Server PC's IP for the SOCKS address
and '1080' for the SOCKS Port. (See Enable SOCKS proxy for Internet Software for more information.)
Q. Which EMAIL applications supporting SOCKS 4 can I use with RideWay?
A. Netscape Mail
Q. Which TELNET applications supporting SOCKS 4 can I use with RideWay?
A. NetTerm, CRT
Q. Which CHAT applications supporting SOCKS 4 can I use with RideWay?
A. MIRC
Q. Which FTP applications supporting SOCKS 4 can I use with RideWay?
A. eFTP Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer
Q. How do I FTP from the Netscape Navigator browser?
A. If you wish to make an anonymous FTP transfer, simply use the following format "ftp://<site address>"
for the 'location' box. For non-anonymous FTP transfers, use the format "ftp://<username>@<site address>" and the browser
will prompt you for your password. For instance, to make an FTP connection to 'host.fictional.edu' with username 'example', enter
"ftp://example@host.fictional.edu" in the location box.
Q. How do I FTP from the Internet Explorer browser?
A. If you wish to make an anonymous FTP transfer, simply use the following format "ftp://<site address>"
for the 'address' box. For non-anonymous FTP transfers, use the format "ftp://<username>:<password>@<site address>". For instance, to make an FTP connection to 'host.fictional.edu' with username 'example' and password 'secret', enter "ftp://example:secret@host.fictional.edu" in the address box.
Q. How do I get Netscape Mail and Netscape News to work with Netscape Navigator on the Client machines?
A. The Email/ News Reader functions which come with Netscape Navigator work very well with RideWay. Once you have properly configured Netscape Navigator to run through the 'SOCKS Host' in 'Manual Proxy Mode', you will be able to browse, ftp, email, and read news from your Client PCs.
PRICING AND REGISTRATION
Q. What do I get for registering RideWay?
A. Registering RideWay removes all limitations from the
program, giving you the right to use the product for as long as you own it. Registered users
of RideWay are eligible for free upgrades (minor version releases), technical support via
email and web, and email update notices.
Q. How much does it cost to register RideWay?
A. The 8-user license is $399.00. The unlimited-user license is $499.00.
Q. How do I register RideWay?
A. Go to the registration area and follow the instructions from there. We process credit card orders on-line on a secure SSL server and also accept checks and money orders made payable to Damar Group, Ltd. Contact us if you have any questions.
Q. What is a "user" as referred to in the price table above?
A. A user refers to any PC which is set to "proxy" (i.e. manual proxy for Netscape) or "socks" mode
and connects to the Internet through the RideWay.
Q. Do Internet connections from the Server PC count as an additional "user"?
A. If the Server PC's Internet applications use the "proxy" or "socks" mode, then the Server PC does
count as an additional user. Enabling the "proxy" or "socks" feature for Internet applications allows the Server
PC to take advantage of useful features such as access control and log generating
Q. How do I upgrade my registered version to allow for additional users?
A. Users seeking to upgrade from the 8-user license to the unlimited license may do so for $200.00.
Q. I purchased RideWay and received a Registration Key. How do I register RideWay with
this license?
A. To register RideWay with the registration key you have received, you would follow the procedure below:
1. Run RideWay
2. Under the 'Help' menu, go to the 'Register RideWay' option
3. Fill in the 3 fields (exactly as spelled in our last email): User Name, License Type, License ID
4. Click on 'Ok'
Note: To register RideWay, you will need Version 1.0 or greater. If your version of RideWay has expired already, please download the latest version of RideWay.
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