[Announcement] It's Arrived! Edit Actinic from your browser, via plugin

[OriginalTouch]

At first I thought that Actinet was not for me, a small company with relatively few users, as we have already purchased the multi-site, multi-user version of Actinic. One user is an administrator and other people are order processors.

However, there are times when people are out of the office and need to access and implement orders. We were thinking of purchasing another key for our laptop. However, at the moment, our PCs are locally networked and we were not sure if the laptop would be able to access the orders when out and about.

So Actinet may be an option:

My queries are:

For a non-tecchie hardware wise, how would a laptop on the road access the local network? I know it's been asked before, but we ARE the network admin! (Just using a Netgear hub) Permissions? What?

We would not necessarily need to implement the orders in the system on paper/Actinet immediately (ie update the orders/deliveries etc) as long as we see the orders and can get them out to the customers. However, at some point, we would need to do this later (as well as transfer to Quickbooks) - are the downloaded orders still available to download again at a later date through the local network to finish off the paperwork - or to transfer?

For multiple URLs, has the discount been decided?

As I have not investigated it yet, but it will be essential, if someone already has multi-user, multi-site Actinic, would that already work remotely with a laptop? If not, then would Actinet be a requisite for internet based access? If yes, is Actinet more value for money than an extra user key? And why?

Thanks, and good luck!

[pinbrook]

how would a laptop on the road access the local network?

WiFi if you are happy to keep searching for hot spots

or 3G Broadband would be my preference, you can get this from Vodafone, 3 or possibly O2 etc.

Personally I rate 3G broadband from Vodafone

[OriginalTouch]

Soory we are confused!

The laptop does access the internet via T-Mobile 3G (when we get a signal!)
The query was rather about then the internet accessing the local network that is behind the firewall of the Netgear hub.
And the issues of security?
No idea about permissions etc

[Darren B]

Sam if you want to do things like that then my advice to you is get a router that supports vpn connection, netgear do some, and you can use there software to create a connection from the laptop rather than buying more hardware for is

You can either have a new broadband router with them in or a network switch sitting behind your router, i prefer the second then my vpn site behind the normal firewall. and my network sits behind 2 hardware firewalls

D

[gabrielcrowe]

The project is complete, and released.

Its available to purchase on the website. we have in place credit card payments and paypal, for those of us that horde cash in paypal.

I'm also working on a comission system, so that web deisgners can bundle Actinet with an actinic site, and grab some extra cash when they build their sites.

http://www.interact-studio.co.uk/

[NormanRouxel]

Sam,

Read up on Virtual Private Networking (not an Actinic topic but a general networking capability). This allows you to connect a laptop to your internal LAN via the Internet.

Another way to do this is remote control. You leave your back-office system running and use remote control software to control it from a different system, which can again be a remote laptop). There are free solutions (e.g. VNC / RealVNC) which may be worth exploring.

UPDATE:

Gabriels Tips and Tricks page has a link to the Hamachi Log Me In VPN site, where a free lite version is available..

[fergusw]

another solution would be to open the office PC in question to web access via a secure port.

Your would need either a static IP for the office internet connection or Dynamic DNS for your connection.
If your office PC is on a network then you simply have to configure the firewall/router NAT to direct all httport requests to the relevant PC

e.g. You could set up a DNS entry for your domain as:

backoffice.mydomain.co.uk to route to the office static/dynamic IP address

then typing backoffice.mydomain.co.uk from the internet would allow you to access the Actinet web server service running on the local PC in the office.

Security is important in this way - password protection, secure ports etc

[gabrielcrowe]

For a non-tecchie hardware wise, how would a laptop on the road access the local network? I know it's been asked before, but we ARE the network admin! (Just using a Netgear hub) Permissions? What?

we like people to use hamachi. its simple to install on both your client machine (thats your laptop) and the server (thats the computer that actinet is installed on). then you type the name of the actinet machine in your laptops web browser and its showtime. Hamachi is encrypted and works anywhere where the internet is. for example, a cybercafe, or a train station.

We would not necessarily need to implement the orders in the system on paper/Actinet immediately (ie update the orders/deliveries etc) as long as we see the orders and can get them out to the customers. However, at some point, we would need to do this later (as well as transfer to Quickbooks) - are the downloaded orders still available to download again at a later date through the local network to finish off the paperwork - or to transfer?

Actinet shows you all the data that is in Actinic. Consider it a copy of the order viewer in Actinic, but without editing abilities.

For multiple URLs, has the discount been decided?

It gets cheaper up until about 5 urls. more information is here: http://www.interact-studio.co.uk/aca...multiuser.html

As I have not investigated it yet, but it will be essential, if someone already has multi-user, multi-site Actinic, would that already work remotely with a laptop? If not, then would Actinet be a requisite for internet based access? If yes, is Actinet more value for money than an extra user key? And why?

Its more value only if you can do without some of the more complex features that Actinet lacks at the moment. you can find the feature 'can do and cant do' here: http://www.interact-studio.co.uk/interact-actinet.html

A single Actinet key will cost you Ł300. this is unlimited users.
Acitnics own multiuser is over a thousand pounds, plus more cash per user.

for the people that have allready got themselves a key, and for us here, running our shops, there are plenty of glowing reviews.

[Darren B]

Hmmm i use Dynamic DNS for creating my VPN, well one is static the other dynamic, then i use a tight VNC through the VPN, i have mor ethan one VPN connection

Im always worried about, opening ports to the internet, but there is many ways to do it.

D

[los_design]

Hmmm i use Dynamic DNS for creating my VPN, well one is static the other dynamic, then i use a tight VNC through the VPN, i have mor ethan one VPN connection

Im always worried about, opening ports to the internet, but there is many ways to do it.

D

DNS, VPN, VNS....jeeze louise, they said I was bad with acronyms

sorry for drift...BOT you go boys

[Mark H]

Not acronyms, Daren - TLAs!

[los_design]

Not acronyms, Daren - TLAs!

another classic Friday faux pas....cheers Mark.

[Darren B]

DJ keep up, i might no sod all about php and stuff but networks i like playing with

D

[los_design]

DJ keep up, i might no sod all about php and stuff but networks i like playing with

D

**goes to naughty step for 2 mins**

[TraceyHand]

**goes to naughty step for 2 mins**

you'll need one of THESE