RE: Remote AS/400 support over the internet

Well, here are a couple of solutions which get you past the firewall using
port 80.  https://www.gotomypc.com/ It requires an "accomplice" inside the
firewall which could be your customer who needs the support.  We haven't
used the product, but we are going to evaluate it because of concerns we
have that a user could subscribe to the service without our knowledge, leave
their pc on, and have wide open access to our network from anywhere.  In our
case user could be staff or students.

A second option which we do use is
http://www.webex.com/home/services_oncall.html?Track=hometext We use WebEx
extensively for teleconferencing / whiteboarding etc.  It's great.  Someone
calculated we have saved over $30,000 in travel and meeting expense in four
months of using WebEx.  And our staff love because they are required to
travel much less.  Anyhow, one option is a remote support feature which
allows us to take control of a client PC for demo's, applying fixes, etc.
We can download and upload files and execute same on the remote PC.  Very
powerfull.  Since you can run anything on the clients PC you could start and
run a CA/400 or Telnet session and get your support access via port 80
again.

Not exactly what you wanted, but ...

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-midrange-l@midrange.com
[mailto:owner-midrange-l@midrange.com]On Behalf Of Mark Villa
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2001 10:37 AM
To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
Subject: Remote AS/400 support over the internet


I know there are -other- appropriate ways with respect for firewalls, VPN
for example, but this case is a narrow scope.

Scenario
=========
You have a HOST "A" and 100 machines in the field. They all have TCP
internet connections and firewalls. No remote systems  have on site
administration that you may call on.

HOST- System A talks to REMOTE System B just fine using SDLC over a modem.
On Host System A ports and any other admin chores are not an issue.

Now, REMOTE System B upgrades and decides they don't want to use dial-up
SDLC anymore.

REMOTE System B can telnet through the firewall to HOST System A just fine.

The PROBLEM:
=============
I can not figure out how to start pass thru or telnet sessions "FROM" Host
System A once System "B" has established TCP contact/sessions with HOST
System A, without performing admin at the 100 remote sites.

What I want to do is establish a 2 way path, like dial-up SDLC does,
initiated at REMOTE System B.

The real problem I am running into is not knowing their internet address
ahead of time for definition in HOST System "A" host table, for APPC over
TCP using *ANYNET on HOST System, that would not be an option, too much
admin. There has got to be an easier way.
Ideally I would say, okay Store #204, run this command using my IP address
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, this will allow me to start a session on your system and
look at your job log for you. This also keeps security /positive control
under the remote site umbrella.

I have seen reference to dynamic sessions, but, not sure enough to proceed
with investigating even more.


Thanks -very- much for any pointers. P.S. - a host package to answer this
would be okay, but any remote changes are not possible. This would mean it
is an ongoing chore with new stores, etc.


Mark Villa in Charleston

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