How To Use the Built-in LapLink Remote Access Server in the 200LX, V1.0 September 2, 1994 Craig Payne, CIS ID 72672,3706 The new Hewlett Packard 200LX palmtop replaces the 100LX's home-grown "redirector" with remote file access software from Traveling Software - the authors of the LapLink line of file transfer programs. Built into the ROM of the 200LX is a collection of programs which make up LapLink Remote Access (LLRA). If you copy the correct files from the 200LX to another DOS-based computer and correctly configure them you can access your palmtop's files as if they existed on a disk drive in your desktop computer. The on-line help and the manual say that you must buy the 200LX Connectivity Pack to use the built-in software. But this is only partially true. Enough of LLRA is included to allow the disk drives on the 200LX to appear as drives on another DOS-based computer. And (although I have not tested this) the version of LapLink Remote in HP's Omnibook sub-notebooks is also compatible with the code in the 200LX. What can't you do without buying more software? As far as I can tell you can not add the drives of another computer to those on the 200LX. In other words you can't access a phone book file on your desktop computer from the Phone application running on the 200LX. What is missing is a DOS program that is the equivalent to the System Manager-compliant "LapLink Remote Access Server" application that appears as an icon in the Application Manager's screen. I think that either the 200LX CPack or the Omnibook software can provide this capability to the 200LX but I don't have that software to test. Anyway what I have done below is quote a message from Ed Heller that he posted on the HP Handhelds forum on Compuserve (GO HPHAND). The message describes which files to transfer to your "other" computer and how to configure them. >>> I DIDN'T DO THE HARD WORK, ED DID <<<< So thank him some time. You can reach him on his girlfriend's account: Sheryl Hansen 71163,2606. Thanks are also due to Peter Evans (CIS ID 100033,173) for some additonal information. And thank Al Harrington becaused he got an answer to the question.... IS IT LEGAL??? Below is a quote of a message from Al Harrington on the HP Handhelds forum on Compuserve (GO HPHAND): <<< Begin Quote >>> #: 155487 S11/100/200LX General ! 02-Sep-94 14:53:11 Sb: #155416-Danger in auto backups Fm: Big Al Harrington 73323,1600 I called Traveling Software and spoke to customer service. The software on the 200LX is licensed for one-pair of computers. Using her words, "wouldn't do you much good with only one computer." So, legally you can use the files from the 200 on your desktop. <<< End Quote >>> Anyway, with the legal stuff out of the way lets move on to Ed's message. My additions are marked with "Craig". After that I provide some addition notes of my own. <<< Begin Quote >>> ! 03-Aug-94 15:54:41 Sb: #144578-200LX Laplink Fm: Sheryl Hansen 71163,2606 I have gotten the 200LX to connect to my PC with the LapLink files included in the 200LX ROM. Two items are required: 1) A HP 100LX type serial cable, of course, and 2) a way of initially getting the files from drive D: to your PC. HP provides no documentation on how to do this, but after playing with it for for an hour or so, I got it to work. I haven't spent much time using it, but I haven't seen any problems so far. It seems to work better that DCS95/DC95 for me. Here is what I did: 1. Add the following line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file on the 200LX, "CALL D:\BIN\LLRAS.BAT". This line needs to be before you start Sysmgr. 1.5 (Craig - reboot the 200LX to create C:\_DAT\LLRA???\TSI.INI) 2. Copy the following files from the 200LX to a single directory on your PC. How you do this is up to you. I used DCS95/DC95 from the HP95 Connectivity Pack. (You could also use the built-in Data Comm application and any terminal emulator that supports a file-transfer protocol such as XModem, YModem, ZModem or Kermit - Craig) D:\BIN\LLRA.BAT D:\BIN\LLRA1.EXE D:\BIN\LLRA2.EXE D:\BIN\LLRA3.EXE D:\BIN\LLRA4.EXE C:\_DAT\LLRA???\TSI.INI (you can also use D:\BIN\TSI.INI - Craig) 3. Edit the TSI.INI file ON YOUR PC as follows: In [General], change the ComputerName= to something else (eg Compaq). In [Redirector], change Enabled= to Yes. I removed the IR section since I wouldn't be using it. Other changes are probably required if you aren't connecting to the COM1 port on your PC. 4. Edit the LLRA.BAT file ON YOUR PC as follows: Change all file paths from D:\BIN to where ever the files are located on your PC. 5. Reboot your 200LX to run the batch file on D:. 6. Connect your 200LX to the PC via the serial cable. 7. Enter the AppMgr on the 200LX and start the LapLink Remote Access program. 8. On your PC, change to the directory where you copied the LapLink files and type "LLRA". In 5-10 seconds you _should_ hear beeps from both your PC and 200LX to indicate that a connection has been made. The display on the 200LX will also indicate that a connection is active. 9. On your PC, type "LLRA /M" to display the drive mapping. Now you have access the the 200LX drives from your PC. 9.5 (You may have to increase or add the "lastdrive=" command to your CONFIG.SYS on your desktop to see all the 20LX drives - Craig) 10. To unload Laplink from your PC type "LLRA /U". These are the steps I took to get it to work for me. Not all of them may be required. Likewise, additional steps may be required for your system. Note: My PC was was not logged into a network, I wasn't running Windows, and no shell programs were loaded. Just straight DOS. I would be interested in hearing from others who have tried this, either successfully or not. I don't think we will get much help from HP on this because they have to sell 200LX Connectivity packs at $100+. Good luck, Ed Heller (on my girlfriends account) <<< End Quote >>> The four "resident" (TSR) programs that make up LLRA use this much memory: llra1 8k llra2 64k llra3 24k llra4 19k - optional Stac compression engine enabled by "llra /c" A number of option switches are supported and passed on to the actual programs by the LLRA.BAT batch file. llra3 responds to the most interesting switches: LapLink Remote Access Ver 2.11a Copyright (c) 1993, Traveling Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Usage: LLRA = Install LapLink Remote Access using TSI.INI. LLRA /pPATH = Path to LLRA support files (like TSI.INI). This option is needed only when TSI.INI is located in a directory other than the one containing LLRA1.EXE. LLRA /? = This screen. LLRA /off = Turn communications Off, but do not remove the TSR. LLRA /on = Turn communications On for the TSR already in memory. LLRA /nc = No Compression. LLRA /c = Use Compression. LLRA /u = Uninstall LapLink Remote Access. LLRA /m = Show drive/printer map. LLRA /x = Install LapLink Remote Access and activate port x. x = 1 = COM1 5 = LPT1 2 = COM2 6 = LPT2 3 = COM3 7 = LPT3 4 = COM4 By default compression is disabled and LLRA4 not loaded. On a slow CPU like the 80186 in the 200LX using compression would probably slow the transfer down. <<< end of file >>>