Do they make hardware modem sharing devices?

[Gantry]

I have to replace an ancient modem sharing PC with something new. The old PC (running Artisoft modem share) is too old to use anymroe and is running DOS. Instead of getting a whole new PC, setting up windows, and running a software-based modem sharing solution, I was wondering if they had a hardware solution....

Keep in mind by "modem sharing" I mean having multiple workstations use one modem for items such as faxing and AOL access. I do not intend for this device to share one internet connnection, but share one modem at different times (via com-port redirection or something like that)...

Thanks in advance for the help...

 

[dakata24]

you can get the SMC7004ABR Barricade 4 Port 10/100 Broadband Router. it's a broadband router, but also has a com port for external dialup modem or isdn modem.

 

[Lord Evermore]

I'm not sure if you'll find exactly what you mean. I'd never even heard of any device like it before.

The Barricade won't "share" the device. The serial port is used as a backup Internet connection, in the same way that the primary broadband port is used.

Looking online, it appears that there are various software solutions, but no hardware solutions. It might be difficult to implement something like this, since you'd have to use some sort of cable to connect the device to each computer, and somehow control the device between them all without conflicts. Then you run into issues with cable length limits if you use a serial cable to run the connection, or expense if it uses a USB chipset to connect to everything.

Why is the old system "too old to use"? Unless the hardware fails, it would seem that you're actually using a primitive version of exactly the device you're looking to find, sort of like a prototype. And failed hardware can be replaced. Even if it can't, DOS doesn't care much what kind of hardware you run it on; just swap the hard drive into a new machine (or image it onto a new drive in a new machine).

 

[Gantry]

<<< The Barricade won't "share" the device. The serial port is used as a backup Internet connection, in the same way that the primary broadband port is used. >>>

Exactly, I need a device for dedicated access by one user at a time...

<<< might be difficult to implement something like this... >>>

I was hoping they made a hardware device in the same vein as a print server or fax server - tiny box with a built-in modem & ethernet connection. You then would use client software on each PC (just like a jetdirect or faxserver) to redirect the COM ports and the device itself would manage connections and restrict access. I don't think it would be too difficult to make and the reason there probably aren't any is that the demand is low. I was hoping one of the modem routers out there had this functionality as well...

<<< Why is the old system "too old to use"? >>>

I should have explained this better - the software is from the early-to-mid nineties and the client software will not work on anything but Win9x (or Win3x). They are adding some new win2000 clients soon. And since the hardware is so old (early Pentium system), I would be hesitant about installing windows on it and using newer software...

 

[bwass24]

The device you are describing is something that's been around in the communications world for many years. It's called a terminal server. Basically it's a box that has 2 ports--one for the serial device (a modem in your case) and an ethernet port. Look at Lantronix for tons of choices.

 

[Gantry]

Thanks a ton bwass, that is exactly what I am looking for!. The one I purchased is a Lantronix UDS-10, which looks like a serial version of an HP JetDirect 170x. Tiny little box with one Ethernet port and one serial port for hooking up a modem. Includes Windows COM-port redirection software on the CD. Much better solution than adding win9x & modem sharing software to an old PC....

And Lantronix & Digi call them device servers, not terminal servers. At least on the low end. Thanks all for the help...

 

[dsparks]

3com makes a Hardware modem with an integrated 4 port hub (that you can uplink to another hub) with a built in dhcp server and web-based management.

Picked one up for a customer for ~$150. Working flawlessly for over 18 months now. Link

 

[bwass24]

Gantry...They USED to be called Terminal Servers but some time ago people (like me) started to find unintended but very useful ways to use them. Basically, these things were used to connect a dumb terminal to a modem so you could dial up into a big host computer. They are used today in large networks as console servers. (Most big Unix machines don't have any video hardware so you control them through a device connected to their console port, which is a special serial port.) If you have a network with tons of servers you can assign an ip address to each of the ports and then telnet directly to the physical port remotely. Similarly, the thing you dial into when you dial into your ISP is basically a big, intelligent terminal server.

You won't go wrong with any of the Lantronix boxes. Good luck.