Cannot Connect to Windows NT Using Windows CE Services

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows CE, versions 1.0, 2.0, 2.1
• Microsoft Proxy Server versions 1.0 and 2.0

SYMPTOMS

When you use Microsoft Windows CE Services (or Microsoft H/PC Explorer for Windows CE version 1.0) in Windows NT, you may not be able to connect to a Handheld PC (H/PC). You may receive one of the following error messages on the H/PC:

   Remote Service not started

   Critical Services cannot be started

   Remote Service Start failed

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) address of the H/PC is not in the Local Address Table (LAT) of the WinSock Proxy server.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this behavior, use the following steps:

1. On the desktop computer, start Internet Service Manager (ISM).

2. Configure WinSock Service.

3. Go to Service, Local Address Table, and add the addresses of the H/PC's (by default 192.168.55.100 and 192.168.55.101).

4. Stop and Restart the WWW and WinSock Service.

5. Restart the client computer.

MORE INFORMATION

The H/PC Explorer communicates with the HPC through TCP. The H/PC Explorer installation procedure installs the Microsoft Windows NT RAS Server for using the serial ports and assigns it to the static IP address range 192.168.55.100 to 192.168.55.102. When the HPC gets docked it dials into the Windows NT RAS Server and gets assigned the IP address 192.168.55.101. Thereafter the HPC establishes a TCP connection to the H/PC Explorer for logon. The H/PC Explorer then establishes a TCP connection to the HPC to do the actual data transfer.

When the WinSock Proxy Client is installed and the IP address range 192.168.55.100 to 192.168.55.102 is not specified in the LAT, the H/PC Explorer cannot establish the connection back to the HPC. Instead it sets up a control channel connection to the WinSock Proxy server and tries to reach the HPC on the Proxy Servers external network. This is how the WinSock Proxy works by design. To let the H/PC Explorer communicate with the HPC through the local RAS server just add the IP address range 192.168.55.100 to 192.168.55.102 to the LAT.