On the web: • email: • Fax: 614-875-7761
3rd Quarter2004
- What can INFONETICS do for you?
- INFONETICS heading to the Bahamas in November!
- Roope excels on the links
- WEB SITES, WEB SITES, WEB SITES!
- Get Your Ding Back!
- Missing Windows Hosts File
- INFONET-LX Networking Suite Introduced
- WindowsXP, Service Pack 2
- Implementing County/City Sales Tax Jurisdiction
- Meet F5 P. Compute
From The President's Console
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77613rd Quarter 2004
We've assembled a number of great articles here for your enlightenment and enjoyment.
From our hardware support department, you'll want to check out the Get Your Ding Back, and Missing Windows Hosts File articles. These issues have recently surfaced as two of the most frequent, but very easy problems to deal with.
We're introducing our new INFONET-LX networking suite in this newsletter. This software, nearly a year in development, offers a number of terrific enhancements over its predecessor, the venerable TinyTERM based INFONET/TTP.
With much thanks to the state of Ohio, our software support department has resurrected and expanded on our instructions on how to configure multi jurisdiction sales tax. And finally, for entertainment, I recommend you read Jim's "Meet F5 P. Compute" article as it takes a lighthearted look at all the functions performed by the Price/Compute key.
Of course, we've got a couple of new customers to welcome to the family; Tripp at ADF Welding & Medical fSupply in Rome, GA and Dick & Janet at Force Technologies in Wynne, AR. As always, we're glad you've placed your confidence in INFONETICS.
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77613rd Quarter 2004
What can INFONETICS do for you?
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77613rd Quarter 2004
For some time now INFONETICS has been targeting outbound calls that we commonly refer to as Customer of the Day (COTD) calls. These calls are a chance for us to touch base with customers to whom we have not spoken in a while, follow up on issues we might have addressed in the past, and listen to what our customers have to say.
Over the years of COTD calls we've heard a number of terrific suggestions. One such suggestion was that INFONETICS look into organizing traveling INFOGROUP users group meetings in various parts of the country. Another idea was the suggestion to use the Internet as a means of connecting branch offices to the main server. INFONETICS blazed the way in perfecting new, inexpensive connectivity options RITA and RITA+VPN. And years ago, a terrific customer suggested we explore ways of faxing directly from their INFONETICS system. This suggestion led to one of our most popular modules; INFOFAX. We'll shamelessly adopt any good idea offered up by our customers and pursue it as if we thought of it ourselves.
This is exactly the sort of feedback that INFONETICS was looking for when we started the COTD program. Not only do we want to share our ideas and innovations with you, we would like to know how we can better serve you. Every INFONETICS software innovation is driven by suggestions from our customers, but it should not stop there. We also strive to find ways for you to take advantage of all the wonderful ideas and features that we've come across over the years. Have an idea for your web site; call INFONETICS. Want to know how to use laser forms with your INFONETICS system; e-mail us. Curious about bar code scanning; send us a fax. We are proud to be your computer company and we truly value your input.
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77613rd Quarter 2004
INFONETICS heading toRoope excels onthe Bahamas in November!the links
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77613rd Quarter 2004
The next opportunity to see INFONETICS in action on the road is at the Independent Distributor Cooperative (IDC) annual convention in the Bahamas. The IDC conference runs from November 3-7 and features a large number of INFONETICS customers; 35 to be exact.
As a buying group that is made up of primarily small to medium sized independent welding supply and industrial gas distributors, the IDC and INFONETICS just seem to be a match made in heaven. We are proud to serve the IDC as the predominant software vendor amongst its members.
Marketing Specialist Jeff Roope recently experienced success away from the office on the golf course.
Last Spring while serving as an assistant coach with the women's golf team at Otterbein College Jeff helped guide the Lady Cardinals to a second straight league title. The accomplishment has helped to solidify Otterbein's position as the top NCAA Division III team in Ohio.
More recently Jeff experienced success of his own on the course winning a title in the Greater Columbus Amateur Golf Championship. His two day total of 156 was good enough to win by three strokes.
Move over Tiger!
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77613rd Quarter 2004
WEB SITES, WEB SITES, WEB SITES!
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77613rd Quarter 2004
If you didn't know before then you know now. INFONETICS does web sites!
Whether you are just looking for a simple presence on the web or looking to add secure selling over the Internet as a way to add value for your customers INFONETICS can help. Visit our web site at infonetx.com and click on the "websites" button to get links for a variety of different web sites that we have developed and/or host.
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77613rd Quarter 2004
Get Your Ding Back!
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77613rd Quarter 2004
Did you get a new INFOTERM or PC with Windows XP recently? Have you noticed that the error ding from INFONETICS is no longer heard? This is most likely due to the XP default ding file. It is possible to get your old ding back, and here is how you do it.
First, click "Start" button, then "Control Panel". Open "Sounds and Audio Devices". Next, click on the "Sounds" Tab at the top of the Sounds Property window. On this tab you will see a list of events in the bottom half of the window titled "Program events:"
Highlight the event named "Default Beep". In the field called "Sounds:" you should see the words "Windows XP Ding". Click the small down arrow to the right of the "Windows XP Ding". This will open a list of alternate sounds. Find and select the file named "ding". The "Sounds:" field should now simply read "ding". You can click on the small right arrow (play), to the left of the "Browse" button, to test your new Windows Ding.
Now click "Apply", and "OK". Close Control Panel, and you're done.
You can use this same process to change any of the windows system sounds.
Be aware that installing windows "Themes" also have the potential of changing the Windows default ding. If you have installed a Windows theme you can use this method to restore the original ding.
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77613rd Quarter 2004
Missing Windows Hosts File
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77613rd Quarter 2004
INFONETICS INFOTERMs, and PCs use their Windows "hosts" file to locate your INFONETICS server when connecting from INFONET/TTP (aka TinyTERM) or INFONET-LX (aka Putty). This is usually a seamless process unless something has modified and/or replaced your "hosts" file. Note; Spy-Ware programs have been known to change and/or remove this "hosts" file from PC's. Following are some instructions on how to repair this situation.
Symptoms of a missing "hosts" file include an error message when launching INFONETICS of "Unknown hosts INFONETICS". In order to resolve this error you just need to tell your PC what IP address your INFONETICS server is at. This involves editing the Windows "hosts" file with a text editor. This file is stored in different locations depending on which version of Windows you are running. First, click on "Start" menu, then choose "Run". For Windows 95/98/ME enter "edit c:\windows\hosts" as the command name to open. If running Windows 2000/XP enter "edit c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts". Click OK to start the program.
Alternately, some INFONET/TTP & INFONET-LX configured systems already have a program pre-configured for you. Click on "Start" menu, then "Programs", then "INFONET" or "INFONET-LX" menu. Select "Edit Windows Hosts File" from the INFONET menu (if available). NOTE; Do not use notepad as your file editor, because it adds a ".txt" extension to the end of files it works on.
Once the "hosts" file has been opened, you should now be looking at a blue window which should contain lines resembling this image.
There maybe other lines in the file but only the one referencing INFONETICS needs to be present. The IP address of 128.202.0.1 may be different if your network uses a nonstandard IP scheme, or if you are using RITA to access the server from a remote location. If you do not see a line like the above just create one with the proper IP. Click on "File", then "Save" to commit your changes. You should now be able to connect without any errors. Close any existing INFONETICS sessions, and start up a fresh session as a test.
If your Windows "hosts" file gets changed on multiple occasions, then you most likely have some sort of virus or spyware playing havoc with your system. Consult our June 2004 newsletter article entitled "Spy-Ware, Mal-Ware, Ad-Ware, Junk-Ware" for information on removing Spy-Ware from your system.
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77613rd Quarter 2004
INFONET-LX Networking Suite Introduced
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77613rd Quarter 2004
A new version of the popular INFONET suite of PC to Unix networking software has been released by INFONETICS. The new INFONET-LX suite brings the following enhancements to PC connectivity. The new software suite, based on an open software implementation of the terminal emulator known as "PuTTY", by Simon Tatham, has been extensively rewritten and enhanced by INFONETICS's own Greg Sidelinger.
INFONET-LX features a new, dramatically simpler installation procedure. It comes bundled as a normal Windows "Install" file, which can be downloaded from sent via e-mail, or even copied to your INFONETICS server and shared to all PC's via a diskette or the networked I: drive. Even a novice can be walked through the installation process, by simply clicking "next" and entering an appropriate Serial Number, in ten minutes or less.
Three significant enhancements have been included that address the use of "local" ports on an INFOTERM(PC).
This new version now supports a wider variety of physical connections for "local" printing. While INFONET/TTP (TinyTERM) had been limited to traditional DOS serial and parallel ports, the new INFONET-LX (PuTTY) version supports those standard connections plus virtually any Windows Print Spooler port, including USB, WIFI, network and Infrared just to mention a few. Please note; this does not guarantee that all models of printers will function correctly with INFONETICS software. However, it does dramatically extend the variety of ways that compatible printers can be connected to the INFOTERM(PC).
INFOPAGE imaging to compatible laser printers connected via a "local" connection is fully supported by INFONET-LX. This means that you can print your INFOPAGE invoices, rent bills and statements, including custom graphic forms/images, on inexpensive laser printers attached directly to your INFOTERM(PC) without deploying a full-blown print server.
Uploading of Panasonic and/or Symbol handhelds thru the local serial ports on an INFOTERM(PC) is another new feature the enhanced INFONET-LX suite offers. This significantly advances the flexibility of handheld uploading suiting a much wider number of scenarios.
Security in the form of encrypted communications is another dramatic advantage of the new INFONET-LX software suite.
Utilizing the "ssh" protocol, all communications between the INFOTERM(PC) and the INFONETICS Linux server are encrypted thus ensuring the safe transmission of keystrokes and data between the devices. This factor has become increasingly more important as more and more remote, Internet based connections are put into use. The traditional "telnet" protocol, while not as secure as "ssh" is also supported by INFONET-LX, and necessary for communications to our older line of SCO Unix servers.
INFONET-LX runs on all versions of Windows, including Windows '95, '98, '98SE, Millennium, 2000 and XP. There is even a version for RedHat Linux for those of you who've made the jump to Linux as your desktop Operating System.
It is important to note that the INFONET-LX suite no longer contains the Network File System (NFS) client that had been part of the earlier INFONET/TTP suite. This NFS client was responsible for providing network (I: drive) file access to our older SCO Unix line of servers. Similarly, the ability to communicate via a serial connections, rather than TCP/IP network connections, is not available in the newer INFONET-LX suite. INFONETICS will continue to support Windows '98 and INFONET/TTP (TinyTERM) as long as possible to maintain compatibility with these older servers.
Upgrades from existing INFONET/TTP licenses to INFONET-LX are available at no cost. Simply call INFONETICS for replacement serial numbers and assistance with download/installation.
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77613rd Quarter 2004
Implementing County/City Sales Tax Jurisdiction
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77613rd Quarter 2004
New sales tax regulations in the state of Ohio go into effect in Jan. '05 which require reporting taxes based on the county/city rather than just for the state as a whole. Following is a guideline of how to set up tax rates for different local tax jurisdictions within a state and have them automatically applied at the point of sale.
1. Edit Chart Of Accounts: The first step will be creating some new G/L account numbers in your chart of accounts for these new local jurisdictions. Use separate G/L account numbers for each new county/city jurisdictions in order for the amounts to be tracked separately on your sales tax reports and/or invoice journals. You'll need G/L codes for each exemption classification state requires be tracked, usually just Taxable & Exempt. It is recommended that all the sales tax G/L account numbers be liability accounts and take advantage of the "similar account" feature by keeping the first four digits the same.
2. Edit cmStat File: The next thing you would do is set up the new codes in the cmStat file in the
Customer Management Menu (must be logged on as root). The coding scheme you use is critical and will be used again within the sales tax part records. Typically one uses two characters for the state, two for county, and two for the city. For example OHFR__ would be for Ohio sales tax in Franklin County. If the city of Columbus accesses an additional local sales tax, we'd use OHFRCO.
3. Edit Inventory Part File: Next, setup new part numbers in the Inventory Part File. Use your current "$TAX??????Y" & "$TAX??????N" part numbers to clone from. Change the inside six characters (??????) to match the State/Tax codes chosen above, and the description to reflect the county/city name. For example $TAXOHFR__Y would be for OHIO/FRANKLIN SALES TAX. Finally, enter the tax rate for this locale as the list price and all three cost fields.
4. Edit icWhse File: When sales are picked up at each of your stores, the sales tax of the jurisdiction your store is located in
must be used instead of the customers delivery location. Therefore, you may need to change each of your warehouses State/Tax jurisdiction.
Visit tax.ohio.gov/online_services/thefinder.stm for help determining each Ohio county/city tax jurisdiction and applicable rates.
When your order is marked as a cash counter or charge counter (sales category 1 or 3), the system will apply the jurisdiction of your warehouse location.
When a delivery is marked as anything else, typically cash delivery or charge delivery (sales category 2 or 4), it will look to the Customer Master File to get the delivery jurisdiction for the customer.
5. Edit Customer Master File: Next, you need to adjust each customer's master record with the correct State/Tax Jurisdiction. You may want to print a "Customer Address Listing" limited to the appropriate State field (OH through OH~~~~) so you can get a listing of all
affected customers. A more automatic method would be to use Establish State Codes restricted by the Zipcode for affected locales and entering the appropriate code in the New State Code field.
6. Edit oiKey4 File: This file is identical to the "Edit cmStat File" in the Customer Management Menu (see directions above), but located in the Order Invoicing Menu. You can go right down the list of all counties you entered in the cmStat file and enter them here also.
7. Edit ccTaxs File: This file is likewise identical to the "Edit cmStat File" but is found in the Cylinder Control Menu. It controls the jurisdictions & rates for cylinder rental and lease renewal invoices.