Hi,

I'm running a windows NT 4.0 network as do must of my customers.
I use windows Remote Access Services, customarily referred to as
RAS, to establish a connection to a customer that is running my
VFP 7.0 application. The data files reside on the customer's network.
I use a 56K hayes modem to call the customer. His computer answers
and requires me to login. I have a user name and password that I
send to the customer's RAS to login. Once logged in I fire up my
application which is located on my computer and my program set up
all relevant table in their respective work areas on my computer
using a fully qualified path to the customer's data. The work areas
contain the table's alias which makes using the different table easy.
Then I can run my VFP 7.0 application using its VFP 7.0 native GUI
to talk to the customer's native VFP database. This works just as
if the DBC with its table were on my local network. The customer
has a shared printer, so if I need to print a report for them, I
do so in the usual manner by select the customer's share printer
as the target of the report. This avoid the need to use any third
party tools like PDF.

The problem is speed. A 56K modem is painfully slow using this method.
I have recently gone to a cable modem that gives me a 50 to 100
more speed than a 56K modem. It is my understanding that the
cable modem speed will increase again by 3 with the release of
a new cable modem transmission standard. A new cable mode would
be needed to take advantage of this new standard. Being able to
make a RAS connection to my customers using a cable modem would
solve several problems for me.

1) I could access the customers tables using a high speed internet
connection with my current application without any re-writes. I could
use the internet as the communication medium. The speed increase
would allow me to access VFP data natively just like I do in my
locale network.

2. This would allow me to use the traditional NT 4.0 operating system
to control security and access to my customer's data. For me this
would be superior to Microsoft's emerging scheme that requires a
Microsoft passport ID and cookies, I think.

3. I would be able to print report in native VFP 7.0 without the
need for any third party software.

Does anyone know if there is currently a method to use RAS with
an alway on internet cable modem connection? I assume that the
source and the target would need a static IP address as oppose
to a telephone number. Also, the target's RAS would need to listen
to a particular port for incoming calls so it could initial a
login request. Does anyone know of the common port that is now being
used for RAS? Is the windows NT 4.0 operating system capable of
handling RAS over a DSL of cable modem connection? It seen like
this sure would solve a lot of problems. If this is currently
difficult to do, I'm thinking about adding it the UT wish list
for VFP 8.0.