WinPool Released as Open Source

SnapGear Releases WinPool as Open Source

Developed by the SnapGear Integrated Products group, formerly Moreton Bay, WinPool is a modem sharing application running on Microsoft Windows servers that allows Windows clients to access a remote modem or other communications device as if it was connected to a local communications port (e.g. COM1: ). This elegant solution eliminates the need to place costly modems and phone lines at every workstation on the network. When users require access to fax, an ISDN Terminal Adapter, a remote network, or an online service they simply run the appropriate connection application and using TCP/IP are automatically connected to an available modem. Virtually any multimodem card on the market today is supported. Installation is straightforward with a server running on the computer with up to 256 devices to be shared, and a client application which runs on any of up to 256 client workstations. The client workstation then appears to have an additional communications port. The server must be running Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or higher. Any Windows 9x or Windows 2000 client will work.

WinPool is based upon a sockets model on TCP/IP with a lightweight "WinPool Protocol" bridging the client and server systems. Each client application creates a virtual device driver which faithfully replicates all functions of a local COM: port, translating the requests across the network to the server. The server manages the individual devices, and arbitrates access. This access control includes the ability to limit individual client time on dial-outs.

Previously a shareware version of WinPool was available but limited to one modem in the pool. Now WinPool is an open source project that is freely distributable under the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE and is one of the first open source projects targetted specifically for the Microsoft Windows API rather than more traditional open source platforms such as Linux. More significantly, the project is built using Microsoft Visual C++ development environments rather than GNU C/C++.

Further information can be obtained from The WinPool Project Home Page

Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Visual C++ are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

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