The Problem with “Distributed” RF Computing

We’ve all been through the “centralize / de-centralize / centralize” cycles over the past several years. Today’s cycle is centralization, thanks in large part to the power available on host systems. Another factor is the reduced cost of managing those servers vs. the cost and problems of trying to manager multiple (sometimes hundreds) of dedicated servers.

So why are you still de-centralizing your RF environment – the hardest set of computers to manage? Well that’s exactly what you’re doing using telnet on the device – it’s another computer independently accessing your host while being mobile, subject to disconnects, and used in the most harsh environments. Yet it still needs to be managed. What’s that costing your company?

So even if you primary application is running on a central host, you are distributing the telnet computing to all of those mobile devices. How’s that working out for you?

Consolidate and re-centralize you RF computing using Stay-Linked.

Stay-Linked runs on your centralized telnet host, and the RF devices only remote-control the host screen back on that host. The telnet session never leaves the computer room.

That makes it much easier to manage every connection to the host – whether that’s RF devices in the warehouse, cellular devices anywhere in the world, or desktop PC connections. And the only communications between the Stay-Linked client in the field and the host in the computer room is encrypted, secure and reliable. You lose all those benefits using that decade-old telnet running on all those de-centralized systems. What’s that really costing your company???

Try Stay-Linked and see how much easier, more reliable, and less expensive support can be.

How to Make the “RF PAINS” Go Away!

This scenario has happened hundreds of times:


A distribution center just received a shipment of wireless computers. They’ll be used for inventory control. The access points are in place, the host applications are running, and the guns are ready to use.

After a while, though, problems start to pop up. The guns freeze up, so that workers have to wait while their IT guy gets a problem resolved. When a battery dies unexpectedly, a warehouse worker’s scanned data is lost…but nobody knows just when the data stopped getting through. Complicated proxy server software needs to be set and re-set; controllers need to be tweaked. Questions arise: is this a network problem, a device problem, or a software problem?

Eventually, the head of IT calls the sales rep who sold the equipment. The pain has become unbearable, the loss of productivity has become too great. What, Mr. Sales Rep, are you going to do to eliminate our pain? Now the sales rep feels pain, too—the pain of losing a customer.

Then someone remembers Stay-Linked. Stay-Linked terminal emulation software is quickly downloaded and installed—the 30-day trial is free, so it’s worth a shot. Suddenly, the pain goes away. Productivity is restored.

Don’t install terminal emulation software that’s going to cause pain. Don’t just check the box and get the default emulator—because sometimes free isn’t really free.

Stay-Linked works where others don’t. Move up to Stay-Linked.

When are RF Devices Like Cell Phones?

ANSWER: When you have problems with connections that cause frustration and inefficiency, but you just put up with poor service from your provider. So you just reconnect (redial) and try again. And again.

Then, you need to restart the host session (if the host hasn’t locked you out), sign back in, navigate through menus back to the screen you were on, enter the applicable order / customer / quote number if you remember, and hope you didn’t lose anything when the session ended. (Sound familiar?)

SOLUTION: Run Stay-Linked on your RF and cellular devices and you’ll never lose your host session again.

You may still have occasional network or cellular interruptions – that’s the nature of RF and cellular service. But your server session will still be there when you get back. No need for those other steps you do today. Simple!

Try THAT using any other emulator – even with their proxy server or controller “patches.” They just aren’t capable of doing what Stay-Linked does by design – protect your host session NO MATTER WHAT!

Check out why Stay-Linked just works better. Eliminate the frustration and improve the inefficiencies.

Pragma Systems and Stay-Linked – Unbeatable!

For a limited time, Stay-Linked and Pragma Systems are offering a Best-of-Breed combination for free.

If you use a Windows server as your telnet host, Stay-Linked will give you an unlimited, enterprise version of the Pragma Telnet or Pragma SSH server with the purchase of 20 Stay-Linked licenses. (Of course limitations apply! One free server per customer. That’s all.) That’s a $1,400.00 value – FREE!

ATTENTION SAP CONSOLE USERS:
The Pragma Server can run virtually unlimited users simultaneously. Unlike the softworks servers that can only handle about 20 users, Pragma Servers don’t even breathe hard with hundreds of user connections at once. Think of all the hardware you could repurpose if you didn’t need them to support all that old-school telnet/SSH technology!

Just contact your equipment or software reseller for an evaluation. Or you can go to the Stay-Linked evaluation request page directly.

Once you try Stay-Linked – especially with the Pragma’s Servers – you’ll never want to use those old free emulators, servers or “controllers” again. Over 95% of people who try Stay-Linked buy Stay-Linked. And the bundled Pragma server just make the solution better.

Network Issues? SL to the Rescue!

Stay-Linked was designed with built-in diagnostics to help identify and resolve network issues. With comprehensive logging by both our server and clients components, we know when there is an issue.

  • We identify when packets are dropped by the network
  • We can see what the server and client sent
  • We see what was received
  • We can perform “Trace Routes” from the client
  • We can do echo tests to show the user what happens with each keypress
  • And many more…..

If your network reliability – either wired or wireless – isn’t quite reaching the mythical “99.9999%” reliability, we can help identify the most likely network component that’s causing the problem. BUT, with Stay-Linked, many of our customers stop trying to correct that last illusive network bug. With Stay-Linked it may not matter because your sessions NEVER drop.

Stay-Linked’s UDP protocol makes it all possible. With TCP, if there’s a network issue, you’re going to feel it at the other end of the RF network. Whit Stay-Linked it may not matter anymore!

Visit the Stay-Linked website to download a free trial. If you have network issues, give us a call and let us help solve them!

And remember, Stay-Linked now come pre-loaded at the factory on several devices. See a list of the Stay-Linked Ready manufacturers on our website.

iSeries (AS/400) is a Specialty

Stay-Linked was designed to take full advantage of the IBM mid-range systems’ (known as System i, iSeries, AS/400) capabilities and functions. Only Stay-Linked takes full advantage of – and provides special controls for – iSeries device naming, user profile mapping, auto signon, screen-based API interfaces, follow the cursor screen movement, and many additional iSeries-only functions.

The Stay-Linked host-based server process runs as a subsystem on the iSeries using JAVA. And anyone in the iSeries world can tell you that the IBM mid-range systems run JAVA better than any other system in the world!

Try Stay-Linked for emulation to your iSeries on you desktop computers, RF devices, and on WLAN / Cellular portable devices.

No more “varying devices off / on” with Stay-Linked because we make sure the session never ends! (Unless you want it to using our new timeout option in v9.1 of Stay-Linked. Inactive sessions can be terminated gracefully on your iSeries.)

Go to the Stay-Linked website to download and try Stay-Linked for 30 days.

Yet Another Deal Saved by Stay-Linked….

In a message from a Manufacturer’s Channel Manager to Stay-Linked’s Technical Support department…

“We received confirmation on Friday afternoon that (Customer) is going with us. Thanks so much for your support. They are starting out with XXX units – but many more to come. And, we now have a very good story to tell. Thanks again for all your help – this was truly lost (to Manufacturer) – you guys turned it around for us.”

What the Channel Manager DIDN’T say was that they won the business away from a competing manufacturer that supplies a “Free” client-side telnet application. Clients quickly see that the “Free” telnet is like trying to use Microsoft “Office-Lite” – you might get some functions you need, but you’ll never get the REAL BENEFITS.

Visit the Stay-Linked website to see why so many companies are switching to Stay-Linked Emulation.

And be sure to check the links on our Blog to see “The Stay-Linked Difference”.