Topic: User/group directories and dial-on-demand

[Steve Hiner]

Is the 3.0 version of e-smith going to support user directories and/or group directories rather than just public?  I am interested in having shared group directories but I don't want them to be public on the Internet - I will need read/write access to the files for all of the internal users.  Also, does the 2.x version or the 3.0 version support dial-on-demand for the internet access?  Does it support scheduled dial-out to pick up email (I didn't see this in the system configuration or the browser based management console.  I realize that you don't support dial-up but I am putting this together for a Church and they can't afford a full time connection (neither do I want to deal with the security issues of hosting the site - I am a volunteer and I already have a full time job).

[Kim Morrison]

DIAL ON DEMAND (MODEM) SERVICE - ESTABLISHING A PPP CONNECTION:   When your e-smith server and gateway contacts your ISP to get on the internet, your ISP must provide a PPP connection to the e-smith server and gateway.  Most ISPs have a simple user name/password login sequence to establish that PPP session.  Our software supports this simply straight out of the box. Occasionally, an ISP will require a more sophisticated authentication sequence.  Our software won't support that out of the box, though it can be made to do so with some modification.

[Kim Morrison]

DIAL ON DEMAND (MODEM) - EMAIL HANDLING: The second issue with dial on demand is the protocol your ISP uses to store email while you are not connected to the internet and then and forward it to you when you connect in.  Version 2.03 of the e-smith server and gateway will only support the ETRN command.  If your ISP handles email for dial-on-demand users using the ETRN protocol, you'll be all set with version 2.03.  In version 3.0 (to be released in a few weeks), we still recommend using the ETRN command. but we also support multi-drop.  Multi-drop is not optimal but all ISPs can do it.

[Kim Morrison]

FILE-SHARING DIRECTORIES / INFORMATION BAYS: In version 3.0, we are giving the customer a great deal of discretion in setting up directories, which we are calling "information bays" or ibays.  Ibays can contain any kind of data (e.g. a web site, internal files, FTP site, etc). The admin determines the security on the ibays (whether they are internal or public, security restrictions, passwords, etc.).  They're pretty cool.

[Kim Morrison]

SUPPORT CONTRACTS ON DIAL-ON-DEMAND: I'm pleased to announce that e-smith will be extending our support contracts to cover   dial-on-demand installations of the e-smith server and gateway. As mentioned in the previous posting, the ISP with whom you arrange   connectivity must provide a simple user/password login sequence and we recommend that the ISP also support email handling via the ETRN   command.

[Kim Morrison]

STEVE: Thanks for your posting.  The following four entries are responses to your post.  Good luck with your installation.  - Kim