Working from Home - Actinic Business & Actinic EPOS Network

[Bun]

Thank you......that would be very much appreciated

[pmsupport]

Hi Bun,

I have asked our development team if it is ok to use Actinic EPOS link over a VPN.

I have been advised that EPOS Link should work over VPN properly. VPN
is not necessary for EPOS Link, but it would supply a more secure
environment. Please note this has not been tested though.

Thanks

[Bun]

Hi Bun,

I have asked our development team if it is ok to use Actinic EPOS link over a VPN.

I have been advised that EPOS Link should work over VPN properly. VPN
is not necessary for EPOS Link, but it would supply a more secure
environment. Please note this has not been tested though.

Thanks

Hi Paul,

Thank you for your quick reply. If VPN is not a requirment has Actinic got any instructions on how this could be set-up?

Kind regards

[pmsupport]

Hi Bun,

If VPN is not a requirment has Actinic got any instructions on how this could be set-up?

EPOS link should work with direct TCP/IP connection over the Internet.

To do this go to Actinic EPOS Link | Configuration | Actinic EPOS Branch Server. In this field enter the public IP address of the PC you are trying to link to. You can find out your public IP address by going to http://whatismyipaddress.com/.

Then click "Test Connection" to see if the connection is established.

It the connection fails it may be a firewall on the PC at home blocking EPOS link. Also ensure that your router firewall at home is allowing the port specified in Actinic EPOS Link | Configuration.

[Bun]

Hi Bun,



EPOS link should work with direct TCP/IP connection over the Internet.

To do this go to Actinic EPOS Link | Configuration | Actinic EPOS Branch Server. In this field enter the public IP address of the PC you are trying to link to. You can find out your public IP address by going to http://whatismyipaddress.com/.

Then click "Test Connection" to see if the connection is established.

It the connection fails it may be a firewall on the PC at home blocking EPOS link. Also ensure that your router firewall at home is allowing the port specified in Actinic EPOS Link | Configuration.

Hi Paul - Didn't have much luck connecting via TCP/IP, but did manage to connect to the VPN I've set up. I'm guessing my next set is to get to the data base in EPOS at the shop premises? As I'm presuming that's were the stock level that I'll be reading from is held?

[calljj]

Hi Bun,
EPOS link should work with direct TCP/IP connection over the Internet.

To do this go to Actinic EPOS Link | Configuration | Actinic EPOS Branch Server. In this field enter the public IP address of the PC you are trying to link to. You can find out your public IP address by going to http://whatismyipaddress.com/.

Then click "Test Connection" to see if the connection is established.

It the connection fails it may be a firewall on the PC at home blocking EPOS link. Also ensure that your router firewall at home is allowing the port specified in Actinic EPOS Link | Configuration.

Although above in theory is a solution, it should be noted that many users will not have a fixed IP address provided by their ISP (Internet Service Provider, i.e BT, TalkTalk, AOL e.t.c), especially if working from home, and more often than not on most business connections also. Therefore with a changing IP this would not be a reliable solution.

Should you wish to have a fixed IP provided by your ISP you should contact them, however there is often a quite hefty charge for this.

Is it possible to enter a domain name instead of an IP address in the configuration of the Actinic Link? If so then you could use a service that monitors your ip and resolves domain name, removing this issue, using a dynamic updater client to resolve the DNS to your dynamic IP. A domain name only costs £3.99 a year and would be a much cheaper alternative and sites such as http://freedns.afraid.org/ do the dynamic for you.

Sounds complicated but really not that hard to implement

[Bun]

Hi Paul - Didn't have much luck connecting via TCP/IP, but did manage to connect to the VPN I've set up. I'm guessing my next set is to get to the data base in EPOS at the shop premises? As I'm presuming that's were the stock level that I'll be reading from is held?

So....I've managed to connect to the VPN I set up. Would I be right in thinking that if I share the EPOS CHECKOUT folder located on the computer in the shop premises with this VPN that this would update my stock levels in Actinic Business at home?

Is anyone else running a set-up like this?

[Bun]

Hi Bun,



EPOS link should work with direct TCP/IP connection over the Internet.

To do this go to Actinic EPOS Link | Configuration | Actinic EPOS Branch Server. In this field enter the public IP address of the PC you are trying to link to. You can find out your public IP address by going to http://whatismyipaddress.com/.

Then click "Test Connection" to see if the connection is established.

It the connection fails it may be a firewall on the PC at home blocking EPOS link. Also ensure that your router firewall at home is allowing the port specified in Actinic EPOS Link | Configuration.

Hi Paul - I'm afraid I couldn't connect using the method outlined above. We got the IP address of the computer I wanted to link with using the link you gave above......even turned off the firewall here just to make sure it wasn't that that was not allowing the connection.....still no joy. Any suggestions?

[pmsupport]

So....I've managed to connect to the VPN I set up. Would I be right in thinking that if I share the EPOS CHECKOUT folder located on the computer in the shop premises with this VPN that this would update my stock levels in Actinic Business at home?

You should not have to share the Checkout folder. As long as when you click "Test Connection" you get the message "Connection to branch Server is OK" the stock levels in EPOS and Ecommerce are now being shared.

Hi Paul - I'm afraid I couldn't connect using the method outlined above. We got the IP address of the computer I wanted to link with using the link you gave above......even turned off the firewall here just to make sure it wasn't that that was not allowing the connection.....still no joy. Any suggestions?

As calljj mensioned you will need a fixed IP for this method. Also, ensure the router at home is allowing the port specified in Actinic EPOS Link configuration.

[Bun]

You should not have to share the Checkout folder. As long as when you click "Test Connection" you get the message "Connection to branch Server is OK" the stock levels in EPOS and Ecommerce are now being shared.



As calljj mensioned you will need a fixed IP for this method. Also, ensure the router at home is allowing the port specified in Actinic EPOS Link configuration.

Hi Paul,

Initially I had Actinic EPOS also installed on this computer here at home (just so I could test drive it before I installed it at the shop premises) I have now removed Actinic EPOS from my home computer and have installed it at the shop premises. I can no longer connect using Actinic EPOS link, I guess it was allowing me to do this before because they were both on the same machine and paths were sorted out during Actinic EPOS setup?

The IP address through Hamachi (https://secure.logmein.com/products/hamachi/vpn.asp) I'm presuming is fixed.

How do I get at the port settings to make sure it is allowing this on port 4370 the default port in Actinic Business?

[pmsupport]

Hi Bun,

How do I get at the port settings to make sure it is allowing this on port 4370 the default port in Actinic Business?

To make sure your PC is allowing this port you need to access the routers configuration settings, the default IP address of a router is usally http://192.168.1.1, but this may have been changed.
Once you have access to the routers configuration settings, you can activate port redirection for port 4370, but this will depend on the type of router you have, sometimes you have to allow individual applications to pass through the router. I would suggest checking the instructions for the router you are using.

[pmsupport]

Hi Bun,

I would suggest checking the instructions for the router you are using.

I have just found this very handy website which may help you set up port forwarding on your router, it may be worth having a look at this if you are having problems:

http://www.portforward.com/

[Bun]

Hi Bun,

To make sure your PC is allowing this port you need to access the routers configuration settings, the default IP address of a router is usally http://192.168.1.1, but this may have been changed.
Once you have access to the routers configuration settings, you can activate port redirection for port 4370, but this will depend on the type of router you have, sometimes you have to allow individual applications to pass through the router. I would suggest checking the instructions for the router you are using.

Hi Paul - I connect to the internet from home using a straight connection (cable modem) there is no router involved at this end. At the shops end we connect to the internet via a router then a cable modem.

Do you think it's at the shops end were I need to be focussing my attention?

[Shaker21]

Hi
I dont know if this is any help

I am running V8.5.1 Ecommerce on 1 computer in our office at the shop and I am running EPOS 2.92 in our shop. they are networked and we are using EPOS/Ecommerce Link.

In my home office I connect VIA Remote Desktop Connection to both computers. and can do anything on both PC's at work eg transfer data, work on the website on V8,

Regards Steve

[pmsupport]

Hi Bun,

Do you think it's at the shops end were I need to be focussing my attention?

I think you should focus on the PC at home as there may be something blocking EPOS link from connecting to the computer at home.

Another thing you may need to do is give each pc on the VPN will it's own IP address, to use EPOS link you may have to issue fixed IP's to the Pc's you want to use the link though (ie. not leave it to DHCP to dish out the IP's addresses)