ActiveSync Replacement ?

[sjack...@comcast.net]

Does anyone know of a third-party replacement for ActiveSync ?

Microsoft has chosen to remove the ability of Windows Mobile 5 devices
and ActiveSync 4.x to sychronize files via any network: dial-up, wi-fi,
ethernet, etc., only allowing sync via USB, Bluetooth or IR. I have a
customer with a large number of handheld devices that are currently
syncing files via dial-up. Unfortunately, he can no longer procure
PocketPC or Windows Mobile 2.3 devices, only Windows Mobile 5 devices -
which can no longer sync.

[Jaap van Ekris]

Have you considered upgrading the Exchange server in order to allow wireless
synchronisation?

Jaap van Ekris

[sjack...@comcast.net]

Thanks for your response.

First, I'm not running Exchange Server. I'm only syncing some .CSV
files via ActiveSync 3.8 running on a Windows front-end box. These
files are then sync'ed via SMB with a back-end SCO Unix box running a
Progress 4GL application that processes the data in the files.

Each 'partnership' with a remote PDA has it's own directory on the
Windows front end, and the Unix app pulls and pushes files from these
folders. The remote handhelds dial-in to the Windows box a couple of
times a week to update/retrieve their files.

I've tried to get some information about Intellisync, Filesync, but
haven't been able to reach anybody at the company yet that knows about
the product.

[Paul G. Tobey [eMVP]]

"Syncing" might even be more than you need, then; it sounds like simple
uploading. How about just a Web server on the PC and sending/receiving the
file via IE on the device, when you want to do that? Of course, you could
code up a program to upload the file transparently to the user at suitable
times, if you'd like that better.

Paul T.

<sjack...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:1153242079.5...@75g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...

[sjack...@comcast.net]

Paul G. Tobey [eMVP] wrote:
> "Syncing" might even be more than you need, then; it sounds like simple
> uploading. How about just a Web server on the PC and sending/receiving the
> file via IE on the device, when you want to do that? Of course, you could
> code up a program to upload the file transparently to the user at suitable
> times, if you'd like that better.
>
> Paul T.

Thanks for your response.

The file transfer is 2-way, files uploaded and downloaded, hence the
'syncing'. The PDAs are each equipped with a modem card that the
operator uses to ActiveSync back to the Windows front-end when he/she
plugs the PDA into each charging cradle each night. They don't have to
have an internet account, just a phone line.

I suppose that I could write an application that the operator would
start, instead of ActiveSync, that would dial-up the Windows front-end
via a 'connection' and compare the directory contents between the PDA's
My Documents folder, and a connection specific folder on the front-end,
just like ActiveSync used to do. I guess that this could somehow be a
website running on the front-end that could be browsed to from the PDAs
- not too sure how to code that however... This is rather more than I
was looking to take on at this point in time...

How about doing file transfers via Terminal Services ? I see that the
WM5 devices now have a Terminal Services client. Is anyone aware of a
PDA app that does sync via FTP over a Terminal Services connection ?

The dialog is great - any other ideas ?

[Paul G. Tobey [eMVP]]

If you can establish a networking connection, you can do this a 100
different ways. Share the folders used for syncing, have the device map the
right one, and use ordinary local filesystem calls to do the comparison and
copying, as necessary, for example. Or write a socket-based program on the
PC and a corresponding one on the device to connect and exchange the data
directly, based on time/date information, if you like. Or, as I said, FTP
or HTTP. Or a Web service running on the PC or even the Unix box.

I'm pretty sure that you aren't going to find a separate sync program that
will do this. Even the add-on programs that you're already looking at are
built on top of ActiveSync, not as replacements. If it were me and I
couldn't access the database directly from the mobile devices, I'd use file
sharing and spend most of my time getting the network connection
established.

Since the server is already answering the phone, the network connectivity is
probably already there, if I understand what you're saying. RAS Server on
the desktop PC would work to establish a PPP connection and, from there,
it's the same as being connected with WiFi or wired Ethernet.

Paul T.

<sjack...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:1153245226.7...@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...

[sjack...@comcast.net]

Paul G. Tobey [eMVP] wrote:
> If you can establish a networking connection, you can do this a 100
> different ways. Share the folders used for syncing, have the device map the
> right one, and use ordinary local filesystem calls to do the comparison and
> copying, as necessary, for example. Or write a socket-based program on the
> PC and a corresponding one on the device to connect and exchange the data
> directly, based on time/date information, if you like. Or, as I said, FTP
> or HTTP. Or a Web service running on the PC or even the Unix box.
>
> I'm pretty sure that you aren't going to find a separate sync program that
> will do this. Even the add-on programs that you're already looking at are
> built on top of ActiveSync, not as replacements. If it were me and I
> couldn't access the database directly from the mobile devices, I'd use file
> sharing and spend most of my time getting the network connection
> established.
>
> Since the server is already answering the phone, the network connectivity is
> probably already there, if I understand what you're saying. RAS Server on
> the desktop PC would work to establish a PPP connection and, from there,
> it's the same as being connected with WiFi or wired Ethernet.
>
> Paul T.

Thanks again for the continuing dialog.

I'm somewhat familiar with socket programming, since my app on the PDA
talks
to the IrSock to communicate with both an IR printer, and our own
custom IrDA
data collection hardware. Of course, then I'd have to implement some
kind of
protocol on top of that to do the file detection and transfer, and
write an app on
both ends of the wire.

The sharing approach sounds simpler. I know that the network connection
is
established via RAS server on the PC because I can dial in, connect and
log in
with a User ID and password. I'll look into this approach. Thank you.