Automating SAH Connection Thru AOL Dial-Up

How to Automate Your Connection to SETI@Home Using AOL Dial-Up and a
User Controlled Internet Connection Timer

**********

Overview:

An Internet connection timer (Achronet) is used to initiate a hang up
timer (WinOff) and a reboot timer (Poweroff) to automate the
connection to SETI@Home through an AOL dial-up connection.

**********

Goal:

To maximize my SETI@Home (http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu)
throughput by automating my AOL Internet dial-up connection.

**********

Problem:

I'm running SETI@Home v3.08, AOL 8.0 and Win98SE. Periodically,
SETI@Home needs to connect to the Internet to download a new data unit
for processing. This is not a problem if I happen to be at my
computer. However, if it happens while I'm away, the download has to
wait on my return, which may take hours or days thus wasting
processing time. I would like to automate this process by using
SETI@Home's "connect automatically whenever needed" feature to allow
unattended downloads.

My dial-up connection is through America Online. I can cause AOL to
start automatically when needed by SETI@Home by enabling "Internet
Options|Connections: Always dial my default connection". However, once
connected, AOL will not disconnect and free my phone line. AOL Tech
Support informs me that their disconnect timer only functions if the
number I dial reaches 75% of available capacity. When below that
threshold, the connection appears to be indefinite (mine has run 24
hours without disconnecting). AOL does not currently have a disconnect
timer that the user can control.

I tried modifying the modem init string in AOL setup to trigger the
modem's built-in inactivity timer, but automatic AOL traffic resets
this about every 30 seconds.

**********

Solution:

I located three pieces of freeware that allow me to solve this
problem:

Achronet v2.0 (Freeware by Phil Wright)
http://www.home.acenet.net.au/phil_w/achronet/
Achronet is an Internet connection timer that also allows you to start
programs when you connect or disconnect from the Internet.

AMP WinOFF 4.10 (Freeware by Alberto Martinez Perez)
http://www.ampsoft.net/
WinOFF is a system shut down utility that has a timer, a modem hang up
feature, and command line support.

Poweroff v3.0 (Freeware by Jorgen Bosman)
http://users.pandora.be/jbosman/applications.html
Poweroff is system shut down utility that has a timer and full command
line support.

**********

My Configuration Settings:

Achronet
Run|Run On Connection|File Path: C:\Program Files\WinOFF\WinOFF.exe
Parameter: -quiet
Run|Run On Disconnection|File Path: C:\Program Files\Poweroff
v3.0\poweroff.exe Parameter: reboot -warn -warntime 20 -force

WinOFF
Shut down programming|Shut down system in: 15 minutes
Shut down programming|Shut down mode: Hang up modem
Options|Other options|Start with windows: Deselect
Options|Other options|Disable modem features and warnings: Deselect

Poweroff
None, this is run by command line within Achronet.

**********

Notes:

1. Install Poweroff and WinOFF before configuring Achronet. Achronet
configuration lets you browse to them.

2. Poweroff doesn't come with an installer. After unzipping, move it
to c:\Program Files or anywhere else you like and manually create
whatever shortcuts you desire.

3. When configuring WinOff, be sure to deselect the "start with
windows" option. You only want WinOFF to be started by Achronet, not
as part of Windows startup.

4. The "-quiet" parameter in the first Achronet Run line is required
to make WinOFF start automatically with the previously saved WinOFF
settings.

5. The Achronet timer settings don't matter since Achronet is only
being used to start WinOFF, which has the modem hang up timer.

6. Use at least a 20 second delay in Poweroff (-warntime 20) to ensure
that AOL has a chance to respond to the modem hang up. This is
required to keep your Internet Properties|Connections setting from
changing from "Always dial my default connection" to "Never dial a
connection". AOL automatically changes this setting from Always to
Never when connected and then changes it back to Always when it
closes, or in this case, after a reboot.

7. WARNING - Poweroff is being used with the -force parameter to force
shut down of all running programs. This is required to enable a reboot
with the AOL windows still open. Unsaved data in any running programs
may be lost. This has not been a problem for me, but you should be
aware of it.

8. On one of my computers (the one I use most), I had a problem where
Internet Properties|Connections "Always dial my default connection"
was changed back to "Never dial a connection" automatically every time
I rebooted. I solved this by running Lavasoft Ad-aware 6.0
(http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/) to remove the spyware
that had accumulated on this computer.

9. When WinOff is running, Windows Start|Shut Down is disabled. You
will need to either use WinOff to shut down, or exit WinOff to
re-enable Start|Shut Down.

10. If your shared network printer starts acting squirrelly after
implementing this method, see my post at
http://groups.google.com/groups?dq=&...ing.google.com
or search Google Groups for "HP932C Dials Modem When Printing".

Fred
Huntsville, AL

"Fred" wrote in message
om...

Problem:

I'm running SETI@Home v3.08, AOL 8.0 and Win98SE.

Yes, I can see how running Win98SE is a problem - it is a joke for
an OS.

Alternative solutions:

1. Use Windows 2000 or XP

2. Find a decent ISP ;-)

3. Use caching software such as SETIStash, SETIDriver etc, available
he http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/l...html#links_win

"Fred" wrote in message
om...

Problem:

I'm running SETI@Home v3.08, AOL 8.0 and Win98SE.

Yes, I can see how running Win98SE is a problem - it is a joke for
an OS.

Alternative solutions:

1. Use Windows 2000 or XP

2. Find a decent ISP ;-)

3. Use caching software such as SETIStash, SETIDriver etc, available
he http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/l...html#links_win

Tom wrote:
"Fred" wrote in message
om...

Problem:

I'm running SETI@Home v3.08, AOL 8.0 and Win98SE.


Interesting and nicely detailed work-around.


Yes, I can see how running Win98SE is a problem - it is a joke for
an OS.

Alternative solutions:

1. Use Windows 2000 or XP

Or much better still, one of the many flavours of Linux... I can
recommend Mandrake Linux for one (;-))


Good luck,
Martin


--
---------- Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today.
- Martin - Teach him how to fish and he won't bother you for weeks!
- 53N 1W - - Anon
----------

Tom wrote:
"Fred" wrote in message
om...

Problem:

I'm running SETI@Home v3.08, AOL 8.0 and Win98SE.


Interesting and nicely detailed work-around.


Yes, I can see how running Win98SE is a problem - it is a joke for
an OS.

Alternative solutions:

1. Use Windows 2000 or XP

Or much better still, one of the many flavours of Linux... I can
recommend Mandrake Linux for one (;-))


Good luck,
Martin


--
---------- Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today.
- Martin - Teach him how to fish and he won't bother you for weeks!
- 53N 1W - - Anon
----------

"Martin" wrote:

Or much better still, one of the many flavours of Linux... I can
recommend Mandrake Linux for one (;-))

Mandrake Linux works with AOL? Awesome.

"Martin" wrote:

Or much better still, one of the many flavours of Linux... I can
recommend Mandrake Linux for one (;-))

Mandrake Linux works with AOL? Awesome.