IBM Access Connections 4.12 Discussion Thread

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#31 Post by **jdhurst** » Fri May 05, 2006 7:31 pm

I have always just allowed AC 4x to assign all the MAC addresses to my one single Default Wired Connection. It doesn't get seem to get lost. ... JD Hurst

zyphria · #32 Post by **zyphria** » Sat May 06, 2006 3:07 am

Anyone happen to know why the heck AC always shares my wireless connection?

#33 Post by **jdhurst** » Sat May 06, 2006 6:26 am

zyphria wrote:Anyone happen to know why the heck AC always shares my wireless connection?

What do you mean? Network connections inside a PC typically are not shared. Your router may be insecure. ... JD Hurst

t-omen · #34 Post by **t-omen** » Sat May 06, 2006 6:40 am

I have two almost identical Ethernet-profiles; one for work and one for home. Older version of AC let me choose wich is the default on which location; at home I got 'home ethernet'-profile and at work 'work ethernet'-profile. Now this setting is at lost. Anyone know how to set/enable this..?

davidspalding · #35 Post by **davidspalding** » Sat May 06, 2006 11:43 am

jdhurst wrote:I have always just allowed AC 4x to assign all the MAC addresses to my one single Default Wired Connection. It doesn't get seem to get lost. ... JD Hurst

My problem, hehe, is that I'm really using the AC app the way it's intended to ... My "work" profile sets a default printer and intranet home page for IE/Firefox (AC does that well), then my "home" profile sets a different default printer, different home page, launches the company VPN app,.... then any of the "cafe" profiles turn on the Windows firewall (company doesn't license a 3rd party one

) , launches VPN, and turns off all file/printer sharing, internet connection sharing, blah blah blah.

Now, the home and cafe ones use wifi, but the home one also needs to recognize my Linksys router MAC address. So when AC says "okie'dokie," and then reassigns that MAC to my "work" profile when I come in on Monday, and I end up trying to print to my home LAN printer, ... well AC loses it's gleam and luster.

One of a few gripes. On my newly rebuilt work lappie, switching from Ethernet to Wifi, AC turns OFF the Cisco Aironet350 PC Card, and then locks up hard until I remove the card. Probably the order in which I installed apps ... happens in 3.82 and 4.00 ... didn't happen before. (sigh) (Stimpy voice) Happy happy, joy joy....

joprodse · #36 Post by **joprodse** » Wed May 10, 2006 2:08 pm

I installed AC 4.12 a few days ago, but I uninstalled it right after I'd noticed an increase in bootup an shutdown time... Without AC installed my pc boots in 49 sec. With AC Installed bootup time increased to 2min 12sec!!! Shutdown time was before AC 15sek and with AC 1min 4sek...

Am I doing anything wrong with this app or is this a thing you have to learn to live with?

boofoo · #37 Post by **boofoo** » Wed May 10, 2006 9:28 pm

Sometimes this slowdown results from a conflict with the Windows Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC) service, though which state (Auto or Disabled) is preferred depends on the OS (2000 vs XP). Try searching the forums and you'll find answers/advice on this.

borez · #38 Post by **borez** » Thu May 11, 2006 3:57 am

Just to check, is anyone managing to set a profile (with LEAP, manual logon) onto a wireless network that is not SSID broadcast?

I can't seem to connect my office network this way... But with the default Intel Proset drivers, I can.

davidspalding · #39 Post by **davidspalding** » Thu May 11, 2006 10:52 pm

Only noobs are turning off SSID broadcast - it offers zero security benefits against the amateur hacker/wardriver, and it makes authorized connections less reliable.

But let's not argue it here, plenty of threads on it at broadbandreports.com's wifi security forum.

cogitordi · #40 Post by **cogitordi** » Fri May 12, 2006 6:15 am

I have a T40 and it is unfortunately burdened with M-Windows. Using Sysinternals Process Explorer, I see the Access Connections service AcSvc is gobbling about 25% of my CPU.

ACWLIcon is taking another 18%.

The Access Connections UI, if I am foolish enough to launch it, sends AcSvc over 50%.

Is anyone else seeing numbers like this?

borez · #41 Post by **borez** » Fri May 12, 2006 7:47 am

davidspalding wrote:Only noobs are turning off SSID broadcast - it offers zero security benefits against the amateur hacker/wardriver, and it makes authorized connections less reliable.

But let's not argue it here, plenty of threads on it at broadbandreports.com's wifi security forum.

Hi there,

It's really dumb for them to turn off SSID, but that's the way my campus network is - so I have no choice here.

I'll be probably heading back to ProSet..

krazykritter · #42 Post by **krazykritter** » Fri May 12, 2006 10:17 pm

Help says you have to activate Wireless WAN under Tools however Wireless WAN is grayed out. I've uninstalled and reinstalled Access Connections without any success.

I can select Wireless WAN as a connection type when creating a profile. When I do that I have to specify my connection manager for the PC Card. I also have to make the data connection in the SE SW

According to the log the Sony Ericsson GC82 was included several updates ago. I would like to get rid of the SE SW if possible and just use one program for the WLAN and WWAN. The Help indicates that I can send SMS and such just as I would with the SE SW so I wouldn't have an need for the SE SW.

Anyone have an suggestions to get the WWAN section fully functional?

bill bolton · #43 Post by **bill bolton** » Fri May 12, 2006 10:59 pm

krazykritter,

You may know what you are talking about, but quite a bit more context is needed for others to understand what your concern is here regarding WAN wireless in AC!

Cheers,

Bill

krazykritter · #44 Post by **krazykritter** » Fri May 12, 2006 11:07 pm

bill bolton wrote:krazykritter,

You may know what you are talking about, but quite a bit more context is needed for others to understand what your concern is here regarding WAN wireless in AC!

Cheers,

Bill

Seems clear to me the functionalaity is greyed out under tools. How do I enable it?

bill bolton · #45 Post by **bill bolton** » Sat May 13, 2006 12:36 am

krazykritter wrote:Seems clear to me

the functionalaity is greyed out under tools. How do I enable it?

You install a ThinkPad device driver for WAN wireless device that you want to use.

vital-analitix · #46 Post by **vital-analitix** » Sat May 13, 2006 7:29 am

Another piece of software that I tested and then reverted from.

I still have 3.71 running (wish I could find the original download, have searched the IBM website and the only ones I can find are 3.53, 3.82 and 4.12) and everyt time I upgrade I start to loose connections. 3.71 has proven (for me at least) to be the most stable of the lot.

#47 Post by **GomJabbar** » Sat May 13, 2006 9:55 am

The version of Access Connections that came pre-installed on your ThinkPad should be in the following directory. You can reinstall it by double-clicking on setup.exe. If you do reinstall it, make sure to uninstall any older versions first. A good reboot is probably in order too.

C:\IBMTOOLS\drivers\CONWIZ\

krazykritter · #48 Post by **krazykritter** » Sat May 13, 2006 10:29 am

bill bolton wrote:You install a ThinkPad device driver for WAN wireless device that you want to use.

I guess that's the problem the card is installed and it's still not enabled. The only driver I've ever had is the one SE provides. If IBM has their own I've never seen it.

davidspalding · #49 Post by **davidspalding** » Sat May 13, 2006 11:28 am

borez wrote:It's really dumb for them to turn off SSID, but that's the way my campus network is - so I have no choice here.

And BTW, that's what I meant, I didn't intend to imply you were at fault. But your campus' net-admins probably don't realize that white hat wifi tools, and even some that come with professional wifi adapters, allow to scan for wireless LANs, regardless of the SSID broadcast.

davidspalding · #50 Post by **davidspalding** » Sat May 13, 2006 11:38 am

Tie that kangaroo down, boy

:

bill bolton wrote:
krazykritter wrote:Seems clear to me

the functionalaity is greyed out under tools. How do I enable it?
You install a ThinkPad device driver for WAN wireless device that you want to use.

It took me a couple of reads, but Krazykritter's post became clear to me. I think.

He's using a third party WWAN device (Sony Ericsson (SE)), and it has its own software. He'd like to use AC for it, since AC now has support for the Verizon WWAN devices that some Z's and T60s are coming with. But Access Connections, an increasingly bigger pill to swallow for some of us, doesn't want to play with the SE device.

I can empathize with his dilemma. My work T41 connects wirelessly on a Cisco Aironet 350 Cardbus adapter via WPA, but only with the three-way installation of AC (optional, but handy), Cisco's Aironet Client Utility, and Windows Authentication support. At least in my case, the Cisco installer is smart enough to configure ACU to let AC control connections, and acts as a middleman driver/control client.

#51 Post by **GomJabbar** » Sat May 13, 2006 12:23 pm

davidspalding wrote:He's using a third party WWAN device (Sony Ericsson (SE)), and it has its own software. He'd like to use AC for it, since AC now has support for the Verizon WWAN devices that some Z's and T60s are coming with. But Access Connections, an increasingly bigger pill to swallow for some of us, doesn't want to play with the SE device.

Negativo. I use it with my Sony Ericsson GC83 card.

davidspalding · #52 Post by **davidspalding** » Sat May 13, 2006 1:56 pm

I'll bet you have the answer he needs ... he mentioned using a GC82.

krazykritter · #53 Post by **krazykritter** » Sat May 13, 2006 3:31 pm

GomJabbar wrote:
davidspalding wrote:He's using a third party WWAN device (Sony Ericsson (SE)), and it has its own software. He'd like to use AC for it, since AC now has support for the Verizon WWAN devices that some Z's and T60s are coming with. But Access Connections, an increasingly bigger pill to swallow for some of us, doesn't want to play with the SE device.
Negativo. I use it with my Sony Ericsson GC83 card.

Great so are you stuck using the SE Wireless Manager or are you able to only use AC? If you use AC only how did you get Wireless WAN ungreyed out from undertools to "Activate" WAN as Help says.

#54 Post by **GomJabbar** » Sat May 13, 2006 4:38 pm

Access Connections launches SE Wireless Manager (which I also have installed). I just set up a profile in Access Connections for use with the SE card. AFAIK, you still need to have the SE Wireless Manager software installed, although it would probably work with other SE card WAN software such as Cingular's Communication Manager.

EDIT: I choose the option to Connect using the WAN Connection Utility. I have the following in the text box: C:\Program Files\Sony Ericsson\Wireless Manager\GCXXManager.exe

#55 Post by **jdhurst** » Sat May 13, 2006 5:43 pm

Inasmuch as my SE card is not always in the machine, I just use the SE software. Also, I have so many Access Connections profiles that I disabled all but the most common two from any automatic connection. So it works for me to use the SE software when I use the card, and use AC otherwise. ... JD Hurst

vital-analitix · #56 Post by **vital-analitix** » Tue May 16, 2006 2:11 am

GomJabbar wrote:The version of Access Connections that came pre-installed on your ThinkPad should be in the following directory. You can reinstall it by double-clicking on setup.exe. If you do reinstall it, make sure to uninstall any older versions first. A good reboot is probably in order too.

C:\IBMTOOLS\drivers\CONWIZ\

thanks for the reply but I run the machines mean and lean.

The version that came with the machine was 3.22 (I think) and I upgraded afterwards. Because for me the time to restore is crucial (!) (every second counts big $$$$!) I trim as much as possible of the bloat. meaning the IBM install stuff, the XP install stuff gets all removed from the OS partition. Inclusive upgrade directories where the 3.71 would have been.

Ah well, time to get a couple new laptops I suppose, at the moment I am investigating which ones to get.

Marinus

davidspalding · #57 Post by **davidspalding** » Tue May 16, 2006 10:23 pm

I actually just went BACK to 3.82 on my work lappie. AC wasn't controlling the Cisco CB21AG at all, and upgrading from 4.0 to 4.12 didn't do anything. So I uninstalled 4.12, rebooted, then installed 3.82. Voila! AC 3.82 sees (in the "use best available network" table for profiles) and controls (via AC), and shows status (via the system tray wireless icon) the CB21AG. Case closed.

But 4.12 is sufficient for my T43. If I had to connect to different Ethernet LANs, though, 3.82 would be back. Kinda sad, really, the AC dev people are breaking what was an otherwise fine app.

JWadle · #58 Post by **JWadle** » Wed May 17, 2006 10:48 pm

I've just upgarded from AC4.11 to AC4.12 on my T43p, but the two problems I had with v4.11 are still there:

(1) Location switching does not recognize saved MAC addresses to select profiles automatically

(2) AC will not run my VPN as set up in the profiles. I have to run it manually.

These two features worked corectly in AC3.8x but not since v4.x.

Can anyone help?

Thanks - John

davidspalding · #59 Post by **davidspalding** » Thu May 18, 2006 4:16 pm

I noted the same problem with 4.0 and 4.12 -- VPN launching from the VPN tab was haphazard (only started using last few days). And MAC addresses were moved around like train cars in THOMAS tales, as I mentioned before.

benbeara · #60 Post by **benbeara** » Wed May 24, 2006 2:48 am

I recently updated my system with the ThinkVantage Software Installer, noting that a new release of Access Connections was available.

The other day I needed to look at my TCP/IP settings and when I opened up my Network Connections (via Control Panel), the default "Local LAN Connection" is gone! The only thing I have there is "Internet Connection" under the Internet Gateway header. When I check its Properties, it gives me a completely different box that I'm not familiar with.

The strange thing is that my ethernet and wireless connections still work. I've added a new profile under Access Connections is fine. However, if I need to access WINS or any other settings, I can't because I have no idea where to locate them now.

Here is what I see under Network Connections now:

Group Heading: Internet Gateway

Name: Internet Connection
Type: Internet Gateway
Status: Connected
Device Name: Internet Connection

I'm afraid to revert back to a previous version of Access Conncections as I can't be without my notebook in case it gets royally screwed up. However, I need to access my TCP/IP settings.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

System: T42 - 2373-KGU
OS: Windows XP Pro

IBM Access Connections 4.12 Discussion Thread

Default connection profile

CPU usage is grotesque

Wireless WAN

AC4.12: Still No Ethernet Location Switching or VPN?

Local LAN Connection is Gone!

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