ReachPlus Alerts Basic - FAQ's
Frequently Asked Questions about ReachPlus Alerts(Basic). We have tried to address almost all the basic FAQ's so hope you will find your answer's for a greater ReachPlus experience.
ReachPlus Alerts(Basic)
Technical Features
Technical Features
- Completely IP based addressing eliminating the need for keeping track of domain names and user names
- Full multi-threaded processing where all messages are sent in parallel as compared to one after the other
- Timeout feature allowing control over excessive loading of the network in case of user unavailability. Setting a timeout value also helps sending messages quickly on a local network
- Ability to export message logs in to a standard text file which can be further used in MS Excel.
- Ability to change incoming alerts' fonts, colors and sizes with the optional ReachPlus Popup Alerts (Basic) client
- Ability to detect a URL in a text message and automatic conversion to a clickable link for the recipient.
ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Server
Will the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Server run on my Win95/98/SE/ME machine?
ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Server will only run on a Windows NT, Windows 2000 or Windows XP class machine.
How many characters can I send using ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) server?
If using ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Server and Client, the limit is 1600 characters in a message. However, our customers tell us that they could send close to 2000 characters. Without the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client, the limit is approximately 800 characters.
I purchased a retail version of ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) , installed it and now it asks for a license file. Please help!!
Once you download the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) suite or receive the media, please email sales@tekAlign.com to request for a license for your purchase. In the email please also specify which IP address the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) server is installed on. We will send you a license file that you have to copy to your <ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) install directory> /data/ directory to get it activated.
Why does ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) use ping?
When sending messages, some of the hosts might be offline. In order to detect if a host is offline or online, ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) uses ping. If a given host is found offline, ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) does not attempt to send the message to that host which results in faster transmission of messages. You can also set ping timeouts for machines outside your network.
What does the "Force Popup Window on Client" option mean?
ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client can display new messages either by popping up a new window or in the form of a balloon tool-tip. (The balloon tool-tip is supported on Windows Me, 2000 and XP only). ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client users can choose to turnoff the viewing of messages in the form of a popup window. The administrator can override this setting by using the "Force Popup Window on Client" option for urgent or important messages.
What are Groups?
Groups are ways of organizing IP addresses into manageable and simple lists. So one group, for example, contains all the administration people in a building, while another group contains IP addresses of all the Sales and Marketing teams. The group can also contain (INTERNET/ EXTRANET or INTRANET) IP addresses external to your network and even complete Class-C IP addresses!
Does ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Server support different fonts and colors?
Yes it does! Apart from the ability to send different fonts, and colors, font sizes are also supported. You will, however, need to have the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client running on the client computers to use this feature.
What are Alerts?
The administrator can save frequently sent messages in the form of alerts. Alert slots saves notification times by storing the most frequently sent messages and with one click one can send an emergency message.
What is the "Method of Transmission" in the options screen?
By default, in order to ensure message delivery, ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) tries to send the message to ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client installed on the host. If ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client is not installed on the host or is not running, the message is sent via the Messenger service of Windows. This default behavior can be modified in the 'Message' tab on the 'Options' dialog.
Can we use a different name for the "From" field of the message?
Yes you can!
The Schedule window allows for logging of results. Where is the log file stored?
The log file is stored in the 'logs' folder which is located in the application's install directory.
What information is logged by the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Server?
Date and time of message sent, the recipient's IP address and the method of message that was sent (via ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) or default Windows messenger service).
I am having problem sending alerts to machine outside my subnet or across my router. Please help!!
ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) uses TCP for message delivery. The demo ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client uses port 61098 to receive alerts and the port cannot be changed. The release ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client listens on port 61099 but can be changed on the server and client side to any port that you wish. Please make sure that the server is able to connect to these client ports across your router and on the INTERNET.
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ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Server will only run on a Windows NT, Windows 2000 or Windows XP class machine.
How many characters can I send using ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) server?
If using ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Server and Client, the limit is 1600 characters in a message. However, our customers tell us that they could send close to 2000 characters. Without the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client, the limit is approximately 800 characters.
I purchased a retail version of ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) , installed it and now it asks for a license file. Please help!!
Once you download the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) suite or receive the media, please email sales@tekAlign.com to request for a license for your purchase. In the email please also specify which IP address the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) server is installed on. We will send you a license file that you have to copy to your <ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) install directory> /data/ directory to get it activated.
Why does ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) use ping?
When sending messages, some of the hosts might be offline. In order to detect if a host is offline or online, ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) uses ping. If a given host is found offline, ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) does not attempt to send the message to that host which results in faster transmission of messages. You can also set ping timeouts for machines outside your network.
What does the "Force Popup Window on Client" option mean?
ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client can display new messages either by popping up a new window or in the form of a balloon tool-tip. (The balloon tool-tip is supported on Windows Me, 2000 and XP only). ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client users can choose to turnoff the viewing of messages in the form of a popup window. The administrator can override this setting by using the "Force Popup Window on Client" option for urgent or important messages.
What are Groups?
Groups are ways of organizing IP addresses into manageable and simple lists. So one group, for example, contains all the administration people in a building, while another group contains IP addresses of all the Sales and Marketing teams. The group can also contain (INTERNET/ EXTRANET or INTRANET) IP addresses external to your network and even complete Class-C IP addresses!
Does ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Server support different fonts and colors?
Yes it does! Apart from the ability to send different fonts, and colors, font sizes are also supported. You will, however, need to have the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client running on the client computers to use this feature.
What are Alerts?
The administrator can save frequently sent messages in the form of alerts. Alert slots saves notification times by storing the most frequently sent messages and with one click one can send an emergency message.
What is the "Method of Transmission" in the options screen?
By default, in order to ensure message delivery, ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) tries to send the message to ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client installed on the host. If ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client is not installed on the host or is not running, the message is sent via the Messenger service of Windows. This default behavior can be modified in the 'Message' tab on the 'Options' dialog.
Can we use a different name for the "From" field of the message?
Yes you can!
The Schedule window allows for logging of results. Where is the log file stored?
The log file is stored in the 'logs' folder which is located in the application's install directory.
What information is logged by the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Server?
Date and time of message sent, the recipient's IP address and the method of message that was sent (via ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) or default Windows messenger service).
I am having problem sending alerts to machine outside my subnet or across my router. Please help!!
ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) uses TCP for message delivery. The demo ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client uses port 61098 to receive alerts and the port cannot be changed. The release ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client listens on port 61099 but can be changed on the server and client side to any port that you wish. Please make sure that the server is able to connect to these client ports across your router and on the INTERNET.
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ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client
What platforms does ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client run on?
Windows 9x and Windows ME, Windows NT, 2000 and Windows XP.
Will you ever develop a ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client for Linux, Solaris, MAC OS etc.?
We might! Send us an email at sales@tekAlign.com mentioning what client platform you would like.
ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client displays the Popup window, even though I have unchecked the Popup Window option.
See "What does the "Force Popup Window on Client" option mean?" above.
Does ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client support message history?
Yes it does. It saves all the messages received with a date, time-stamp and who sent the message.
Will the Server queue the message if my machine is offline?
No the server does not queue messages. If a machine is offline, no retires are made by the server.
If I am not running the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client can I still receive messages?
Yes you can! If you are running Windows NT 2000 or Windows XP, ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) server switches to default windows messenger service to send messages. For Windows 95/98/ME machines, they need to run 'WINPOPUP.exe' to receive messages if not using ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client.
How much does the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client cost?
It comes free with the demo or the full release ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client.
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Windows 9x and Windows ME, Windows NT, 2000 and Windows XP.
Will you ever develop a ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client for Linux, Solaris, MAC OS etc.?
We might! Send us an email at sales@tekAlign.com mentioning what client platform you would like.
ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client displays the Popup window, even though I have unchecked the Popup Window option.
See "What does the "Force Popup Window on Client" option mean?" above.
Does ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client support message history?
Yes it does. It saves all the messages received with a date, time-stamp and who sent the message.
Will the Server queue the message if my machine is offline?
No the server does not queue messages. If a machine is offline, no retires are made by the server.
If I am not running the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client can I still receive messages?
Yes you can! If you are running Windows NT 2000 or Windows XP, ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) server switches to default windows messenger service to send messages. For Windows 95/98/ME machines, they need to run 'WINPOPUP.exe' to receive messages if not using ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client.
How much does the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client cost?
It comes free with the demo or the full release ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client.
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Common Questions
How much does the license cost?
The ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) license cost is based on the number of hosts on the network. Please email sales@tekAlign.com for licensing and purchase information.
What is the latest release of ReachPlus Alerts(Basic)?
Its ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) 2.2 build 608
What are the differences between ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Demo and ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) full version?
Both are the same in terms of features and functionality except, you can run the demo only 15 times and is restricted in sending alerts to 254 hosts.
My ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Server does not work with my demo ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client?
Please note that the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Server (retail version) is not compatible with the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client demo version and vice versa. Please upgrade all the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) clients you have installed to the release version. ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client (retail) is free for download here.
If I type a URL in the message will it automatically appear as a clickable link for the recipient?
Yes!!
I get errors while installing ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client with a message about "16 bit MSDOS sub-system or virtual device driver error"?
This is a known problem with Microsoft windows. To fix click on the links below:
» Windows XP Fix
» Windows 2000/NT4.0 Fix
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The ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) license cost is based on the number of hosts on the network. Please email sales@tekAlign.com for licensing and purchase information.
What is the latest release of ReachPlus Alerts(Basic)?
Its ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) 2.2 build 608
What are the differences between ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Demo and ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) full version?
Both are the same in terms of features and functionality except, you can run the demo only 15 times and is restricted in sending alerts to 254 hosts.
My ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Server does not work with my demo ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client?
Please note that the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Server (retail version) is not compatible with the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client demo version and vice versa. Please upgrade all the ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) clients you have installed to the release version. ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) Client (retail) is free for download here.
If I type a URL in the message will it automatically appear as a clickable link for the recipient?
Yes!!
I get errors while installing ReachPlus Alerts(Basic) client with a message about "16 bit MSDOS sub-system or virtual device driver error"?
This is a known problem with Microsoft windows. To fix click on the links below:
» Windows XP Fix
» Windows 2000/NT4.0 Fix
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