Two NICs, Two Ascendis, One Computer...

[CallerDude]

Hi, all. Hi, Bill. I have an older thinclient machine with two IDE flash chips in it. It has Windows XP on it, with the Enhanced Write Filter installed, so no writes are saved on the flash chip (hard drive) with Ascendis Caller ID installed on it. I have an older version of Ascendis installed on the second IDE flash chip. This chip does allow writes. This chip is the one where I run the Ascendis server.

Each chip/drive gets one modem, and controls one line. The main line in the house and its modem are plugged into the write-allowed chip, with the server, so that when calls come in, they are saved. If we lose power, no big deal, as the log stays put. At this point, I would like to add a server to my other line. Near as I can tell, this involves a few things:

1) Install a PCI NIC in the computer (piece of cake)

2) Tell Ascendis Number Two to use this NIC...how do I do that?

3) Can different versions of Ascendis co-exist on the same drive?

I think this should work, but I am not sure.

Any thoughts?

[Bill Root]

Hi CallerDude,

Ascendis Caller ID version 2 doesn't support multiple instances running at the same time on one computer. I suspect this is why you're using an older version of ACID for the other instance. It's unusual to want to partition your call data so that two instances are required, but I can imagine situations where it might be worth the effort. Normally I would recommend using two computers or one or two virtual machines to accomplish this, but I imagine an older thin client computer would lack the resources to do so.

To answer your questions:

2) Tell Ascendis Number Two to use this NIC...how do I do that?

In the ACID 2 Options window, click the "Network" tab, then make sure "Show advanced settings" (at the bottom of the window) is checked. On the "Server" sub-page change "Bind address" to the desired NIC address.

3) Can different versions of Ascendis co-exist on the same drive?

Probably, if you mean version 1.x and version 2.x. They use different data folders, can use different program folders, and I think they use different methods to determine whether another instance is running, so I think this will work. No guarantees, though, but I wish you luck!

If you mean ACID 2.x and ACID 2.y, then they can't both run at the same time, although two such installations could exist if one uses an ini file to relocate the data folder.


Finest regards,
Bill Root
Ascendis Software LLC

[CallerDude]

Hi CallerDude,

Ascendis Caller ID version 2 doesn't support multiple instances running at the same time on one computer. I suspect this is why you're using an older version of ACID for the other instance.

Bingo! That is exactly why. On an old VIA C3 thinclient, running a full blown virtual machine just isn't feasible; as a computer hobbyist with a ton of extra PCI LAN cards...

I have two phone lines in the house, and rather than having one program say "Line 1" and "Line 2," I prefer to have them running separately, so that they appear in different lists.

In the ACID 2 Options window, click the "Network" tab, then make sure "Show advanced settings" (at the bottom of the window) is checked. On the "Server" sub-page change "Bind address" to the desired NIC address.

Okay, I installed the second NIC successfully; Windows XP picked it up no problem (hooray!)

Line 1 = 192.168.1.104 = Ascendis 2 = Port 80 = Original Server

Line 2 = 192.168.1.105 = Ascendis 1 = Port 80 = New Server

If I type 192.168.1.104 on a computer on my LAN, it successfully pulls up the Line 1 Ascendis 2 HTML page. However, if I type in 192.168.1.105, instead of pulling up the log for Line 2, it also pulls up the log for Line 1.

I think the problem is something simple. When I try and set the port on Line 2 = 192.168.1.105 to Port 80, it will not let me, saying the port is in use. This is false, as it is port 80 on 192.168.1.104 that is in use, while port 80 on 192.168.1.105 is free and clear.

This is a conflict which should not exist, and I am hoping the resolution is simple?I should be able to set up a server on a separate IP address.

EDIT: Okay, I found the source of the problem with respect to the conflict. The

Line 1 = 192.168.1.104 = Ascendis 2 = Port 80 = Original Server

installation was binding to ALL addresses on the machine, since it was set to 0.0.0.0, which included both NICs, the NIC on the motherboard which had always been there, and the PCI NIC which I added today. I manually set the NIC for each one, so

Line 1 = 192.168.1.104

and

Line 2 = 192.168.1.105

which is great. Now, they are both happy using Port 80 on their respective NIC.

However, when I type 192.168.1.105 on another computer on the LAN, I get an "Error 404 Document Not Found" belch from my browser.

I'm not sure what to troubleshoot next. Is there a certain place the Webroot directory exists in Ascendis 1.9.2.0 or can I change it at will?

Or is there something else I am missing...?

I can ping both NICs from another computer on the LAN with no issues.




EDIT:

As an experiment, I copied the "Webroot" directory from the first install of Ascendis and copied it inside the second install of Ascendis, where I told the registry to look for it. Now, the server works and can be accessed by IP address from a different computer. However, something is wrong. In the first install, the "Calls" log shows an entry like this:

Doe Jane (555) 555-1234 5/28/2011 11:32:07 AM 2 Yes 5763

when I access the second server, I get this:


Doe Jane (555) 555-1234 ###CallBegan### 2 Yes 1956


So we are very, very close. If I click "Newest Call" the date and time appear correctly. Is there some simple setting I am missing...?

[Bill Root]

EDIT: Okay, I found the source of the problem with respect to the conflict. The

Line 1 = 192.168.1.104 = Ascendis 2 = Port 80 = Original Server

installation was binding to ALL addresses on the machine, since it was set to 0.0.0.0, which included both NICs, the NIC on the motherboard which had always been there, and the PCI NIC which I added today. I manually set the NIC for each one, so

Line 1 = 192.168.1.104

and

Line 2 = 192.168.1.105

which is great. Now, they are both happy using Port 80 on their respective NIC.

Great, that was my first thought.

However, when I type 192.168.1.105 on another computer on the LAN, I get an "Error 404 Document Not Found" belch from my browser.

Can you tell who generated the page? Can you look at the source or the headers to verify it was ACID?

I'm not sure what to troubleshoot next. Is there a certain place the Webroot directory exists in Ascendis 1.9.2.0 or can I change it at will?

In ACID 1.x you can't change WebRoot through the UI. I don't recall whether you can change it in an ini file. It looks like WebRoot defaults to

Code: Select all

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Ascendis Software\Caller ID\WebRoot

Do you have the appropriate files there?


Finest regards,
Bill Root
Ascendis Software LLC

[CallerDude]

I went to the directory in "Documents and Settings" and found the WebRoot subdirectory there. I copied it over the one in the second / Version 1 install, and the time and date appear correctly!

Both installs exists outside the disk space the Enhanced Write Filter protects (i.e., the Windows installation), so the log should persist *if* it is written where the registry entry directs it to.

However, it doesn't seem to be working. I have Version 1.9 installed here:

E:\One

and I changed the registry entry in HKCU\Software\Ascendis Software\Caller ID\WebServerRoot

to

E:\One\WebRoot

I think it is still saving to

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Ascendis Software\Caller ID\WebRoot

which is on the main volume, protected by the EWF, and therefore does not get saved between reboots.

[CallerDude]

?confirmed. It is not saving the log where I want. Is there a registry entry I can tweak to direct the log to save where I want it to, instead of "Documents and Settings?"



Alternately, would it be possible to download version 2.3.0.0 that does use a .INI file, a version which has been tweaked to run simultaneously with another?

I don't think that should be necessary, as I have a feeling that, like before, the answer is something simple.

EDIT: As am experiment, I went to

"C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Ascendis Software\Caller ID\WebRoot" and copied out the contents as a backup. Then, I deleted the files inside. When I started Version 1.9, it automatically recreated the files there, instead of following the registry entry I changed telling it to write the log to E:\One\Webroot.

Is there another entry/direction I am missing that is still telling the program to write to Documents and Settings, or is the program just being stubborn?

EDIT: The .INI trick worked! I copied the .INI file from the first install and then blanked the contents except for the very first line. Now it uses the directory I specify. Excellent!

There is one last question, and it is a networking question. Right now, the computer's name in Windows is "caller." If I type "caller" in my browser on a computer on the LAN, it gets translated to 192.168.1.104 and pulls up the Ascendis server. Is there a way to assign a different name to the NIC with IP address 192.168.1.105? I would like to be able to type in something in English, like "second" and have it translated to 192.168.1.105.

The only way I know how to do this is on every single machine on the LAN edit the hosts file to manually redirect "second" to 192.168.1.105. However, since I am using DHCP, this might change.

Is there a way on the Caller ID computer/thinclient to assign a second name to the second NIC?

[Bill Root]

I went to the directory in "Documents and Settings" and found the WebRoot subdirectory there. I copied it over the one in the second / Version 1 install, and the time and date appear correctly!

Both installs exists outside the disk space the Enhanced Write Filter protects (i.e., the Windows installation), so the log should persist *if* it is written where the registry entry directs it to.

However, it doesn't seem to be working. I have Version 1.9 installed here:

E:\One

and I changed the registry entry in HKCU\Software\Ascendis Software\Caller ID\WebServerRoot

to

E:\One\WebRoot

I think it is still saving to

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Ascendis Software\Caller ID\WebRoot

which is on the main volume, protected by the EWF, and therefore does not get saved between reboots.

There is no setting for WebRoot in ACID 1.x. If you change the data folder setting, WebRoot will probably move with it.

[Bill Root]

There is one last question, and it is a networking question. Right now, the computer's name in Windows is "caller." If I type "caller" in my browser on a computer on the LAN, it gets translated to 192.168.1.104 and pulls up the Ascendis server. Is there a way to assign a different name to the NIC with IP address 192.168.1.105? I would like to be able to type in something in English, like "second" and have it translated to 192.168.1.105.

The only way I know how to do this is on every single machine on the LAN edit the hosts file to manually redirect "second" to 192.168.1.105. However, since I am using DHCP, this might change.

Is there a way on the Caller ID computer/thinclient to assign a second name to the second NIC?

There is no way in ACID to map names to IP addresses. The system's name mapping is used. You could
1) Use Hosts files on each computer, as you determined
2) Set up a DNS server on your local network

I used #2 for awhile, but it was very trouble prone, so I eventually gave up and went to #1. (Someone with intimate DNS experience could probably handle it easily, but I'm not sure how to tie it in with your DHCP server.) I setup the router to use static IP addresses based on MAC address. That way the Hosts file only changes when a machine is added.

Finest regards,
Bill Root
Ascendis Software LLC

[CallerDude]

I wound up editing the hosts file on the machines and using staic IP addresses. It works as I wanted it to now, and I am very pleased. I backed up the thinclient once the changes were made, put the lid back on, and cleaned up.

Thank you so much for offering support on this software. Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!



~Bryan