How to make CGI work over a GSM/GPRS connection?

[dfa_employee]

I've compiled the G-Server as a stand-alone app.  It works fine.  You can access it from our intranet or the internet using a hardwired PC or a PDA using wireless.

I'm setting up an application to interact with a pc running G-Server and PDA internet explorer over the GSM/GPRS network.  I'm using a Siemens SX66 PDA running Pocket PC 2003.  The PC will serve as the server and interact with remotes using browsers which will communicate using the CGI vi's from the Internet Toolkit.

All scenarios work, expect for one.  I can use the PC internet explorer and interact with the server and all is well.  I can use the PDA over the wireless network and all is well.  I went to an outside source and connected to the server via the internet and it worked fine.  The end result needs to work over the cell network (GSM/GPRS).  Ultimately, it must work with PDA's and Blackberries but at this time I would like to see it do any CGI function through the cell network.  Also, I'm using Cingular and Nextel and both react the same, their engineers are researching the problem but neither have came up with anything yet.

The main page of the server is basically a login page.  After the user enters their password then presses okay the server calls a passwordverify.vi to valid the password.  On the PDA it wants to download a 85 byte passwordverify.vi file.  It doesn't matter what you do it doesn't respond to any choice available.  On the Blackberry, it gives an error number and says "unable to display web page", and it quits there.

Has anyone attempted to use the Internet Toolkit CGI functions over the cell network (GSM/GPRS)?  The server is working awesome except down this avenue.  Unfortunately, the customers we're dealing with will be using the cell network.

Thanks

Michael

[Carlos Ehrenzweig]

HI I'm not quite sure about what you're using for the loggin process but you may tray SQL server movile, and perhaps use a WAP page to display de Front panel, that may work with the blackberry. Other way I can think of,  is to use a simple MS access database for the logging process using an ActiveX controller in LV and  then use a .net ActiveX to control the Front Panel on the blackberry or the PDA.

Hope this works

best regards,

Carlos Ehrenzweig

"we don't see things as they are, we see them as we are"

car_evolution@hotmail.com

[Corny]

This sounds interesting,

Since it has been a while since you posted this message, please let me know if you managed to get it to work.

Have you tried using a PC with a GPRS modem and then trying to access your web server, using the same APN you tried with the PDA's? If you don't have a modem, you can easily connect your mobile phone.

Some importent notes using GPRS:

Sometimes there can be a lag when using GPRS, its packet switched. After my own experience with GPRS the max lag I've had between two GPRS devices on the public network can be up to 10 (even heard from others up to 20) seconds, but when the TCP communication is stable and you have a continious packet flow little lag occurs, but lag must be taken into consideration. since you do not have a continous flow to begin with, make sure you set correct timeouts at your server. Also remember GPRS is not perfect.

Maybe you need to adjust some timers at your server configuration?

You could also try to put the web server on the GPRS network and the same APN and try to see if communication works between GPRS to GPRS if you have the equipment laying around somewhere..

I have not used GPRS to access a G-web server, but have worked with both GPRS and CGI, and I would really like to hear if you managed to get this to work.