LANSource Technologies, Inc.
221 Dufferin Street, Suite 310A
Toronto, Canada M6K 3J2
Ph: 800-677-2727
Fx: 416-535-6225
Web site: www.lansource.com 

Price: $499.99 (price for a two- modem network license/five fax user license). Note: Individual components can be purchased separately.

RATINGS (0-5)
Installation: 3
Documentation: 2
Features: 4
GUI:4
Overall:  C+

*Note: These ratings average those for the individual components. Individual grades are as follows: FAXport: B-; WINport: C+; RASport: B

LANSource's FAXport, WINport, and RASport help you consolidate network resources. That is, these three software products can reduce the number of modems and telephone lines you need to send/receive faxes and establish Internet connections. Thus, these products can reduce your modem costs as well as your monthly phone bills.

FAXport
FAXport -- like Omtool, LanFax, and RightFAX -- allows you to set up a dedicated fax server. Such a server can enable faxing from several clients, and lets you avoid dedicating modems and phone lines to individual clients. Once connected to the LAN or WAN, clients can fax straight from their hard drive into FAXport's queue. FAXport takes care of issues such as finding the next available modem and deciding what to do if the other party's line is busy. With FAXport keeping an eye on things, no one has to stand by the fax machine, wasting valuable time.

WINport
Not every employee needs to be on the Internet at the same time (or at all, for that matter). That's the premise that WINport counts on to improve the efficiency of modem use. WINport, like FAXport, aims to avoid having a modem and line connected to every client. Instead, WINport lets you set up a dedicated data server -- a modem pool, really -- that users may access based on their security level.

RASport
RASport, which is free with a purchase of WINport, improves remote access server connections because it lets you avoid having to rely on a dedicated modem. Instead, you can set up a single modem pool that will be shared by FAXport, WINport, and RASport. This setup translates into increased efficiency.

The Components: Standalone Or In Combination?
FAXport, WINport, and RASport can be bought and implemented separately, or they can be combined to create an all-inclusive solution. Unfortunately, there is no name for the all-inclusive solution. Referring to the individual components all the time, even if you're using all of them in combination, becomes tiresome. Imagine using Word for Windows, Excel, etc., and not being able to refer to Microsoft Office!

But why make an issue out of a name, or rather the lack of a name? Ordinarily, we wouldn't. However, in this case, we have to wonder whether the lack of an all-inclusive name betokens a lack of interest, on the part of LANSource Technologies, in making the product comprehensible to users.

The documentation was, in a word, terrible. For example, the installation instructions were scattered about among four separate manuals. Unless the documentation is improved, users who attempt to install multiple components will experience, as we did, more than a few false starts, and a lot of frustration.

We certainly hope LANSource makes the product a lot more user-friendly, because it does work well once it is up and running. In addition, the product's low introductory price makes it ideal for the SOHO user. (Price is subject to the license agreement, which ultimately determines the number of users that can connect to the server.)

INSTALLATION
We began by deciding which computer should be the server. Once that was decided, we could start installing the appropriate software on that computer. This first installation step creates, among other things, a directory in which all client software is to be installed. Clients access this directory through a LAN or WAN, and then install the appropriate software on their machines.

This isn't a simple process. Unfortu-nately, it wasn't made any easier by the vague installation prompts. For example, Figure 5 shows a prompt giving the server a choice between installing FAXport, WINport, or both. But what about RASport? In fact, RASport is not mentioned in any prompts during installation.

There are written instructions, but these are buried in chapter 7 of the Server: Setup Guide. Turning to chapter 7, we found that we should have followed a RASport setup sequence. The checklist states that RASport should be installed before WINport or FAXport! Why does this information appear in chapter 7 if RASport is the first thing that should be installed?

But we digress. To return to the issue of client access, we would like to point out that LANSource installs a re-director that in turn installs a virtual modem. This allows the client to communicate with the server's modem pool.

DOCUMENTATION
Unfortunately, a user's experience with a good product can be spoiled by poor documentation. At least that was our experience with FAXport, WINport, RASport.

The instructions are spread across four manuals. LANSource, instead of creating an all-in-one manual, provides a separate manual for each component. We suppose organizing the documenation this way was a cost-saving measure. Now, we wouldn't have too much of a problem with multiple manuals if the manuals were well organized. But they weren't.

We were installing the FAXport portion of the software on one of the CPUs that we designated as a client. As such, we followed the instructions in LANSource's FAXport: User's Guide. Chapter two illustrates how to install the software and connect to the server. The explanation was clear enough. So what's the problem?

After connecting to the server for the first time, we received a User Properties pop up window that asked us to define user profiles. We weren't sure how to proceed. Unfortunately, chapter 2 ends after connecting to the server is explained. So the prompts that are begging for input must be explained in the following chapter, right? Wrong! Not only is the explanation not in the next chapter, it's not in the book.

The fields are not intuitive, either. When we had difficulty configuring this screen, we called customer service (not an 800 number). "It's in the manual," the technician told us quickly. "In fact, you'll find how to configure that screen in chapter five. In the Server: Setup Guide."

"But we're installing client software," we replied. "Why do the instructions abruptly end like that? And why on earth would they continue in the server setup guide?"

"Uh...I don't know," answered the technician.

Unfortunately, we encountered other oversights, including:

• Unlabled diagrams.
• Irrelevant diagrams.
• Back of a "quick install" section.
• Failure to consistently explain instructions in a step-by-step manner.

This last oversight drove us to distraction. LANSource repeatedly scrambled their directions, sometimes presenting the final step first, the first step second, and the middle steps last, almost as an afterthought. For example, Figure 8 shows a FAXport Send dialog box. Page 4-2 of FAXport: User's Guide says that if the user wants to schedule a fax, the user should click on scheduling. The manual should have told the user to click on the details button which then gives the expanded dialog box. From here the user should click on scheduling to schedule a fax.

The bottom line is that the installation is sufficiently complicated that the operator is forced to refer to the manuals or customer service. It would be nice if LANSource could rework the manuals to make them coherent and readable.

FEATURES
Documentation and installation notwithstanding, LANSource's three-in-one product does the job, and has a good selection of features for the money. The features include:

• Desktop faxing through a dedicated fax server.
• Internet and BBS connections through a modem server.
• PAS functionality without the need for dedicated lines.
• Support of virtually all network protocols (TCP/IP, UDP, IPX, NetBIOS/ NetBEUI, etc.).
• Ability to fax-enable Visual Basic or MS-Access applications with FAXport's enhanced APIs for DDE and OLE automation.
• Six levels of security access (for 32-bit installation).

OPERATIONAL TESTING
We installed the server software on a Windows NT machine, and then we set up a client on a Windows 95 machine, which we connected to the server through our LAN.

Once these preliminaries were out of the way, we began faxing documents. We found that faxing was as easy as printing to the FAXport driver. We also liked the log feature, which informed us of the status of the faxes we sent to the server.

It would have been nice, however, if a status indicator box were displayed every time a client sent a fax to the server. As it stands, the client has to manually start FAXport and check the Receive Log to determine the status of the sent fax. But this is a minor point. The important thing is that we had no difficulty faxing a document from the desktop to a fax machine.

We had similar results with WINport. Internet and BBS connections were no more difficult than having the modem installed in the client. We want to stress that once it is installed and configured, the product is indeed transparent. The complete absence of any modem sounds is the only indication to clients that they are operating through a dedicated server.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Let's face it: Most software comes with poor documentation. However, most software installations are fairly simple, and operators seldom have to refer to the manuals. When software installations are complicated -- say, the operator has to deal with a multi-stage installation across multiple machines -- good documenation becomes very important.

In the case of FAXport, WINport, RASport, installation is complicated, and the documentation doesn't rise to the occasion. Either the installation needs to be made more intuitive or the manuals need to be overhauled, or (preferably) both.

Poorly written manuals and non-intuitive installation processes discourage potential users. It would be a shame if potential users decided to give up on LANSource's product simply because the documentation and installation proved daunting. The product does work well. It deserves better documentation and improved installation.

CONCLUSION
LANSource's three-in-one product delivers reduced modem and line costs by setting up a modem/fax server that clients can connect to through their LAN or WAN. The idea is that not every employee will need a modem at any given time, and that some employees may need only one type of functionality (faxing or modem use). The product's low introductory price makes it ideal for the SOHO user.