LapLink, Inc.
Steve Messerre was the presenter at SPCUG's May meeting (instead of CEO Mark Eppley) and gave us a lively demonstration of LapLink's new PCsync. LapLink has changed a great deal since the days when it was basically used to transfer data over a cable from one DOS computer to another DOS computer.

The company now produces LapLink, LapLink Gold, and PCsync. Steve made it clear that LapLink isn't just local cables anymore; "it is any cable connection." It now includes both USB and parallel cables, and "stretches all the way to the net." Steve set up two computers, each one running PCsync.

On one screen, PCsync shows four windows in default mode. The Explorer windows at the bottom of the screen are the local computer. The top window is the remote computer. When Steve connected and turned the computers on and ran PCsync, it automatically found the other computer and logged in. He was able to drag a five-megabyte file, compressed, zipped, from his local computer and drop it, uncompressed, unzipped, on to the other one: "Connect to cable, drag and drop." You see what is going on in both computers at the same time on the local machine.

Transferring and Syncing Files
But there is more. Smart Exchange makes it possible to detect changes in a document and compare them with changes on the remote to make sure that two documents are the same, even to incorporate the changes in the two versions at the same time by uploading to the remote, or downloading to the local, even if the two computers are in different parts of the building.

In the process of revising similar documents on the different computers, PCsync, with its Speed Sync, opens and checks both versions and sends only the changes to the other side by finding the differences in the two documents. Steve explained that part of his job is to bring this technology to cell phones and other handheld devices.

Migrating with PCMover
Another feature of PCsync is its ability to migrate files, even "your computer's personality." For example, when you buy a new computer or a new hard drive, how do you transfer all the material from the old one to the new one? Zip drives and floppy disks are only for the desperate and those who have lots of hours to kill. With PCsync and a USB cable, the job becomes much easier. It can be done with a serial cable, if one is working with older machines—"it is ugly, but it works," says Steve; in other words, slow. You can migrate desktop, network, and OS settings; browser settings (bookmarks and favorites for IE 4.0 and Netscape 2.0 and later versions); Outlook Express settings (contacts, calendar, and other things for OE 4.0 or later).

After you move the settings, Steve explained ("things like who you are, your name, user's name, e-mail, identities, log-in identities; it's all the things you sit around configuring, but not the registries; all the stuff you have to tweak to complete the processing, to get all your applications running the way had them set up before"), you move directories and all the files in your system. For the new computer, PCMover moves all your media files, music files, and documents. You still have to install the applications because one of the problems with applications is the various DLLs and bunches of registries; another problem is moving from one operating system to another: i.e., from Windows 98 to ME or worse to Windows XP. Reinstalling the applications works much better.

Accessing the Internet: Surf Up
With Surf Up, you can, running IE 4.0 or Netscape 6.0 or later, access and share your computer's PCsync shared folder from any remote PC. You can retrieve files, documents, or MP3s quickly and easily. While connected to the Internet, you can transfer and sync files on the shared computers just as you can on your LAN, and files are zipped and unzipped in the same way. Steve demonstrated by connecting to his machine in Seattle and downloading some MP3 files. It operates through a direct, dynamic connection. In order for the system to work, it has to address the computers publicly from the net, and must have a real IP address, not a private one. NAT numbers are private, isolated from the outside world like, Steve explained, your own extension inside your PBX. Others within your exchange can call you directly, but people from outside need to call the public number before they can call your extension: your extension is a NAT number. If your computer is behind a router, it has its own internal IP address, its own NAT. Steve explained that routers, like a local PBX, protect internal networks and allow each computer to have its local address without interfering with other computers in the outside world that might have a similar address. Behind the router, the number of addresses possible is much higher. LapLink is working on PCsync so that it can connect two computers through the router.

Currently, there is a way to get to a computer that is behind a router. Computers can communicate through LapLink's website and Surf Up. You will have been invited by e-mail to share folders on a remote PC with IE 4.0 or Netscape 4.0 or later. On the Surf Up page on the Web site, you type the name of the remote computer—exactly—and you will be connected. LapLink's server affirms that Surf Up can connect. If the test is successful the remotes IP address is displayed, then you click to complete the connection. The service is free, and comes with the puchase of PCsync.

Steve also demonstrated using PCsync with a portable device that communicates through a wireless connection and a browser. He connects also with a wireless modem to his home computer and other devices.

Moving Music: MusicMover™
MusicMover is a playlist and file transfer utility for MP3 files. It can organize all your music files and then transfer them to another computer or share them with friends who are also running PCsync. It can scan all your hard drives to see what is there, catalog your files, and build a complete library of the material in your system. You can select the music by title, performer, type; build playlists and files of music and transfer them over the network, the Internet, through serial or USB cables, and create new CDs with your CD-R using something like Easy CD Creator.

LapLink
Many people in the audience brought up questions about LapLink. For example, you cannot dial up through a modem with PCsync; you need to make the connection first through a dial-up program and then connect with PCsync. LapLink will dial up and connect.

Steve was not at the meeting to discuss LapLink, but since many have used it in the past, they wondered if they could do similar things with PCsync that LapLink provided in the past. Steve's answer, of course, was no, that LapLink Gold is the solution to their desires. He indicated that the two programs are completely different entities, that they perform different functions and do not relate to each other nor communicate with each other. LapLink is the more extensive of the two and is presented as a "complete communication tool kit" that allows dialing up, doing modem call backs, is secure, has remote control which allows you to connect to applications and to run them: a much more complex tool for everything you need to do to connect. And it doesn't work with DOS anymore. To be able to do all the things that you want in the way of connecting and moving files about, you would probably end up buying both.

Moving a 500 MB file to another PC:
Method - Speed Transfer - Time
56K modem - 56 Kbps - 34 hours
Floppies - Variable - 7 hours
LapLink serial - 400 Kbps - 3 hours
Zip disks - Variable - 2 hours
LapLink USB - 5+ Mbps - 14 minutes