For the SOHO market, the cost and technology issues of
high-bandwidth, multiple-user Internet connections often result in an uneducated or
improper purchase (or worse, no purchase at all). But the MidPoint suite, from
Connecticut-based MidCore, Inc., may be more than just another solution: We like these
products so much that some members of our staff are considering them for use in the office
and at home. The suite's primary jobs are teaming and sharing modems. Without using
Microsoft's multilink PPP (which is not commonly supported by ISPs), the software can team
up to eight modem connections of any type, including analog, ISDN, xDSL, cable modems,
dedicated lines, and the like. We tested the Companion version 3, which supports just two
users; the Gateway version supports up to 100 users. Coupled with the optional Satellite
package, each of the teamed modems can be located anywhere on the LAN, not just on one PC.
Modem sharing has been around for years, but MidPoint's best feature is its modem
teaming and "Download Doubler," which splits files into smaller pieces across
the available modems. This feature works using any browser connected to an HTTP 1.1
compatible Web or FTP site. Dual modem and file splitting technology is perfect for the
SOHO user who can't afford or doesn't want the technical hassle of ISDN, cable modems, or
T1. On a bigger scale, call centers could use this technology to have additional remote
offices at a lower cost; IP telephony software like Microsoft's NetMeeting can yield
smoother video, whiteboarding and file transfer; and basic IP voice and fax can be less
choppy and suffer a reduced latency.
INSTALLATION
MidPoint's server can run on any Windows 95 or NT platform and does not interfere with
other servers running on the same computer. All of the MidPoint software runs exclusively
on the host computer - nothing is ever installed on the client(s), regardless of which
operating system they use. The most important part of the installation process is
confirming that every computer's network and modem's connection functions correctly by
itself before attempting to configure the teaming software. Also, be sure that your ISP
supports multiple log-ons.
Installing the software is relatively simple. Users choose whether or not to set their
MidPoint software as a DHCP server, and whether or not to install version 1.2 of
Microsoft's Dial-Up Networking. There are also server inquiries for POP3, SMTP, NNTP, and
related information, along with various options for modem settings, plus a feature that
makes secondary lines automatically dial after the first line connects, all without any
user interaction.
Once the host software is installed, the system administrator configures users,
privileges, and content filters. Guest setup is run on every client, with a nice touch: If
another means of Internet access is available, qualified client users don't have to enter
the MidPoint pool, and may choose to use their own connection.
DOCUMENTATION
MidPoint's two-part online help file is excellent, but it has no printed companion. For
each section (user's guide and reference manual) there is a hypertext table of contents,
and we especially like how the writers have catered things to the appropriate SOHO
audience: everything is explained clearly and is written in simple English, except where a
more technical explanation is absolutely necessary. Even in these cases, technical terms
and concepts like DHCP are explained simply and concisely.
FEATURES
As mentioned above, the best feature of the Companion and the Gateway is modem teaming;
the modem-sharing feature is a close second. Even a single user can buy two 56K modems,
for example, and get a bandwidth of 112K, although in testing, this configuration gave us
an actual speed of 92K (46K for each modem). It's still much cheaper than an ISDN modem,
which at the slightly faster 128KBPS isn't worth the extra cash.
Another great feature is MidCore's failsafe function. If one of the modems drops its
connection, the software redirects current traffic to the remaining connections and
appropriately realigns the load balancing. After the dropped connection is re-established,
the software will again rebalance the traffic. It will also resume failed file downloads
if a connection is dropped, directly from the point where it left off.
Despite the obvious advantages for the SOHO market, MidCore advertises its products as
being perfect for schools, libraries, and similar institutions. Toward that end, there is
support for four-fold content filtering, including content control, PICS control, VCR
control, and site blocking.
The list of MidPoint's additional features, much like the Energizer bunny, just keeps
going and going
It doubles as a Telnet gateway, a proxy server, a RealAudio/Video
server, and a firewall. It is ISP-independent, and supports America Online and CompuServe.
It has remote administration access; network router support; two forms of activity
logging; support for multiple mail and news servers; and scheduling for off-line browsing,
downloading, and uploading, although the Download Doubler is asynchronous.
OPERATIONAL TESTING
To test Midpoint, we used the Boca Research "DynamicDuo" 112 Kbps dual-line
modem (which has dual lines and two 56K modems on one card) and Microsoft's NetMeeting
2.1. We chose Windows 95 as the testing platform because of its Plug-and-Play capability:
getting Windows NT to deal with two identical modems is possible and works fine, but the
process is much easier with 95's Plug-and-Play support.
Using two dial-up networking connections to a local ISP, we achieved an actual
connection speed of 46K for each modem, or 92K total. This figure and other bandwidth
monitoring features are obtained from MidPoint's status bar, accessed by right-clicking on
the bottom portion of the MidPoint window, which, upon installation, gives users the
option of letting it place itself into the StartUp folder.
We also tested the client functions, such as starting a Web browser, FTP client, and
e-mail client while the server was running but not connected to the ISP. Fortunately,
MidPoint works well with the Windows functionality that lets you associate network
software with an appropriate connection, so when we opened these programs, the MidPoint
software on the server automatically began dialing. The best part is that although
multiple connections are better, a single connection still works - so while the secondary
network connections dial, your network software is already functioning using the first
connection. Meanwhile, using NetMeeting, everything worked the same as it normally does,
only faster. It's the less glamorous capabilities of NetMeeting (like sending files while
videoconferencing) where the higher speed pays off.
An advantage of the MidPoint software running entirely on the server PC is that clients
don't require any interaction to work, and they can be using Macintosh, UNIX, O/S 2 or any
other platform, which means that this software gets an 'A' for its "nil"
learning curve. Even for the system administrator, except for setting up new accounts and
occasional content filtering maintenance, there's little involved to keep MidPoint running
smoothly.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Despite the simple GUI and excellent online help file, we'd like to see a printed
version, and the status indicators would be much easier to understand if they ran as a
separate minimized program instead of as a part of the server host. But our main criticism
of MidPoint software is MidCore's sales methodology: currently, it's for sale only over
the Web and through partners like Boca. We're told that the Teamer software itself
(without the modem sharing options) will be available over the Web for a mere $30, which
is a bargain for such powerful software. But we believe that the MidCore team would do
much better selling the modem Teamer as a shrink-wrapped product at CompUSA. Finally, we
hope that the software doesn't become a victim of its own marketing..
CONCLUSION
We're pleased to present MidCore with our Editors' Choice award. This product is
incredibly useful, especially the Gateway version, coupled with the Satellite option for
teaming modems across a LAN. Except for extremely non-technical offices, we wouldn't
recommend the 100-user version, but for non- to moderately technical offices with 2-50
employees, we highly recommend this product. It's an inexpensive, easy-to-use, and
feature-packed means of obtaining faster access to a WAN or the Internet without having to
understand (and pay for) issues like T1 access, and it seems to work equally well for an
office of 50 users or for an individual power user with two modems, two phone lines, and
one ISP.
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