CometAnywhere General Information

Introduction

A few years ago, when Signature Systems began developing network-compatible versions of Comet, the company recognized that there were three types of networks:

• Local Area Networks
• Wide Area Networks
• The Internet

Initially, Signature concentrated development work on Local Area Networks. Comet became LAN-compatible, and Signature developed a CometServeNLM, a Novell server-based file system and security system. This work continued with the development of CometServe32, a server-based file system for Microsoft networks.

Meanwhile, Signature added Wide Area Network capabilities to Comet with CometAnywhere. Here's how it works:

CometAnywhere consists of two types of machines: a host system and one or more remote systems.

• The host system is a Comet98 or Comet2000 machine that has one or more remote console sessions configured. A CometAnywhere password is required to enable this feature.

  Note: The host system does not need to be a "dedicated" machine. It can be any Comet98 or Comet2000 system, including a machine that's used for local Comet applications (and even other Windows applications).

• The remote system runs the "front end" of Comet and establishes communication with the host system via a Wide Area Network or over the Internet.

• All Comet application processing is done on the host system. The remote system is simply a virtual workstation.

Thus, it is possible to build a CometAnywhere network where one machine does the processing and others perform the input/output.

CometAnywhere uses TCP/IP to transmit data packets between the host and remote systems. TCP/IP is the de facto standard protocol for Wide Area Networks and the Internet. (For this reason, CometAnywhere does not run over Microsoft's dial-up networking feature, as that feature does not support TCP/IP.)

CometAnywhere on a Local Area Network

To illustrate the point, consider the simplest network of all: two Windows machines connected in a LAN in a peer-to-peer arrangement. Here's how CometAnywhere would work:

1. One of the machines would run Comet98 or Comet2000. This is the host system. This machine is configured with at least one remote console session.

   The following programs are required on this system:

   Program	Description	Who launches it
   COSW.EXE	The "front end" program	Launched by the user
   COSC.EXE	The license validation and communication program	Launched by COSW.EXE
   COSH.EXE	The Comet "kernel"	Launched by COSC.EXE

2. The other machine, the remote system, simply launches the "front end" program (COSW.EXE) with the /net startup option. This option notifies COSW.EXE to establish connection with a Comet host system.

Please note that the Comet kernel does not run on the remote system. The remote system simply runs the "front end" of Comet.

There are two ways to use the /net option:

1. If you use /net by itself, COSW.EXE prompts you for the IP address of a host system. The prompt is a combo box that lists the IP addresses (and/or domain names) of Comet host systems you've previously signed on to (if any). This feature makes it easy for you to connect to multiple host systems.

2. Alternatively, you can include the IP address as part of the /net option, as follows:

   COSW.EXE /net:255.255.255.255
   

   (where 255.255.255.255 is the IP address of the host system). The /net option also recognizes an Internet domain name parameter; see below for more information.

To establish multiple remote sessions:

1. Configure multiple remote console sessions on the host machine
2. Make sure that those sessions are available (not in use by another remote machine)
3. Launch COSW.EXE multiple times on the remote system

Next, consider a 5-node Windows peer-to-peer network. You could run Comet98 or Comet2000 on one of the machines and designate it as the host system. You could then run the COSW.EXE startup program (with the /net option) on the other four nodes and designate them as remote systems.

CometAnywhere on a Wide Area Network

Since the host system sends just "terminal traffic" to the remote system, communication is very efficient, even over an analog phone line. We think this topography presents many opportunities for CometAnywhere.

CometAnywhere on the Internet

A remote system could be located anywhere in the world. The remote system would connect to the Internet using an ISP dial-up account or full-time Internet connection, then launch COSW.EXE with the /net startup option (as in the earlier example) and provide the IP address or domain name of the Comet host system. The two systems would remain connected as long as:

1. the host system was running the Comet kernel
2. the host system remained connected to the Internet
3. the remote system was running COSW
4. the remote system remained connected to the Internet

Using CometAnywhere via the Internet can be a very efficient way to conduct business from afar. There are currently no per-minute charges for long distance Internet connections, because the ISP's connect to each other over leased lines.

The computer industry has several terms that describe this capability. We think that Extranet is the most accurate. An Extranet is "a collaborative network that uses Internet technology to link businesses with their suppliers, customers, or other businesses that share common goals" (source: www.whatis.com).

Consider some applications:

• You could link your branch offices to your main office via the Internet

• You can also provide a good way for your traveling sales people to dial into a Comet system (via the Internet) from their laptops

• You could provide new services to your customers, including on-line catalogs, order entry and confirmation systems, reservation systems, insurance quotations systems, etc. -- all accessible over the Internet

In setting up a CometAnywhere system over the Internet, you will incur two types of communications charges:

1. The cost of the dedicated connection from the Comet host to an ISP

2. The cost of a dial-up Internet account for the remote systems (typically $20 per month or less)

Please note the following points:

• A Comet host system is an ordinary Comet98 or Comet2000 machine with one exception: its configuration includes remote console sessions.

• A Comet host system can communicate with multiple remote systems. The host would have to configure multiple remote console sessions, one for each simultaneous remote instance of COSW.

• The notion of multiple screens on a remote system is controlled by the host system. For example, in order for a remote user to have triple screen capability, there would have to be three available remote console sessions on the host. Each remote console session is licensed separately.

• A remote system can simultaneously communicate with more than one Comet host system. For example, a remote user in Chicago could control Comet sessions on host systems in San Francisco, New York, and Sydney - all while running local console sessions on their machine in Chicago. For each CometAnywhere link, the remote user would have to launch COSW.EXE and supply the IP address of a host system.

• The Comet host software runs on Windows 95/98/NT/2000. Likewise, a remote system runs on Windows 95/98/NT/2000.

• CometAnywhere creates a new term for the Comet environment: the Comet Application Server. This phrase accurately describes the topography and purpose of a Comet host system.

• We think the most likely location for a Comet host is as a client node within a LAN. Presumably, the LAN will include a file server running the Comet NLM File System and Security System. The LAN will most likely include other Comet single-user nodes. The Comet host system will include a blend of local console sessions, remote console sessions, and background sessions.

  Note: Using CometAnywhere on a client node, while storing your data files on a file server, provides a de-facto firewall for your system. An Internet user would have to run COSW.EXE to access the Comet host system, and it's unlikely that a hacker would either have a copy of this program or be able to alter it in such a way as to get to the file server.

  Here's an example that demonstrates how a remote CometAnywhere system would reach a Comet host. For the sake of this example, suppose that the host system's IP address is 205.50.50.50 (a make-believe address). Here's how a remote user would reach this host:

  1. Dial into your ISP.
  2. Launch COSW.EXE using the /net:205.50.50.50 option.
  3. Run some Comet programs on the host system.
  4. When you're done, type EXIT.
  5. Disconnect from your ISP.

• If you want to run CometAnywhere over the Internet, you have the option of applying for a domain name for your system. A domain name provides an easy-to-remember name that is associated with your IP address.

  A number of computers within the Internet have a record of all current domain names. These computers are called domain name servers. When a request is sent to a domain name, a domain name server provides the exact IP address where the request is routed.

  From a remote system, you can reach a Comet host in any of the following ways:

  Startup command	What happens
  COSW.EXE /net	Remote system dialog box prompts for IP address.
  COSW.EXE /net:205.50.50.50	Remote system establishes communication with Comet host at the specified IP address
  COSW.EXE /net:domainname.com	Remote system contacts a domain name server, finds IP address of domainname.com, and establishes communication with the Comet host at that IP address

Security

• Comet encrypts every data packet that travels between a Comet host system and a CometAnywhere remote client. The encryption algorithm is robust and the encryption key is changed with each host-to-remote session. Thus, it very unlikely that transmitted data will be readable by anything other than the Comet host and CometAnywhere remote systems.

• Comet offers an optional machine-specific security scheme that identifies each CometAnywhere remote client by a unique "session identification number." The manager of the host system can create a list of authorized session ID's and use this list to control access to the host Comet system. If a remote user's machine ID doesn't match a value on the master list, they are not allowed to access the Comet host system.

  For details of this security scheme, see the Comet Machine-Specific Security documentation.

Summary

Signature Systems deliberately modeled this pricing strategy after Netscape and Microsoft. These companies give away free copies of their Internet browsers (for remote users), and charge for their server (host) software. It seems logical that Signature should give away free copies of the "Comet browser" (i.e., the CometAnywhere front end program).

Whether you're implementing a Wide Area Network or Internet-based network, we think you'll find CometAnywhere to be a very smart decision.