Page Gate Server / Model 2700 TAP Connectivity Issue

[gnome2008]

Dear TechSupport,

We are having the following issue, please advice:

1.) An alphanumeric page initiated from the Page Gate ‘Admin’ application is successfully processed by the Model 2700 paging terminal.

2.) An alphanumeric page initiated from the Page Gate ‘Web Page’ application is NOT processed by the Model 2700 paging terminal, although the Model 2700 acknowledges with ‘page accepted’ response to the Page Gate application through the TAP protocol.

Below are 2 log files, 1 for a successful TAP transaction between the Page Gate ‘Admin’ application and the Model 2700 terminal and another log file of the TAP transaction between the Page Gate ‘Web Page’ and the Model 2700 terminal.

PageGate Admin Log:
==============

3/3/2008 4:20:48 PM ========================================
3/3/2008 4:20:48 PM ========================================
3/3/2008 4:20:48 PM Start connection to carrier: kfmc
3/3/2008 4:20:48 PM Connect using TAP protocol
3/3/2008 4:20:48 PM Setting communication parameters
3/3/2008 4:20:48 PM Connected to carrier
3/3/2008 4:20:48 PM Waiting for protocol initialization
3/3/2008 4:20:48 PM Sent:<CR>
3/3/2008 4:20:51 PM Sent:<CR>
3/3/2008 4:20:52 PM Received:ID=
3/3/2008 4:20:52 PM TAP protocol detected
3/3/2008 4:20:52 PM Sent:<ESC>PG1<CR>
3/3/2008 4:20:53 PM Received:<CR><CR><ACK><CR>110 1.8114 Please proceed....<CR><ESC>[p<CR>
3/3/2008 4:20:54 PM Received:<CR><CR><ACK><CR>110 1.8114 Please proceed....<CR><ESC>[p<CR>
3/3/2008 4:20:54 PM Automatic TAP mode accepted
3/3/2008 4:20:54 PM ----------------------------------------
3/3/2008 4:20:54 PM Working on message to: 9999 from: TestSender
3/3/2008 4:20:54 PM Formatting message
3/3/2008 4:20:54 PM Message contained in single packet
3/3/2008 4:20:54 PM Message contained in single block
3/3/2008 4:20:54 PM Sending block
3/3/2008 4:20:54 PM Sent:<STX>9999<CR>TestSender:Test msg<CR><ETX>2?5<CR>
3/3/2008 4:20:55 PM Received:<CR>211 Page Accepted<CR><CR><ACK><CR>
3/3/2008 4:20:55 PM Block sent successfully
3/3/2008 4:20:55 PM Packet sent successfully
3/3/2008 4:20:55 PM SUCCESSFUL Stn:0 To:9999 Frm:TestSender Msg:Test msg
3/3/2008 4:20:55 PM Sent:<EOT><CR>


PageGate "Webgate" Log:
=================

3/3/2008 4:41:08 PM ========================================
3/3/2008 4:41:08 PM Start connection to carrier: kfmc
3/3/2008 4:41:08 PM Connect using TAP protocol
3/3/2008 4:41:08 PM Setting communication parameters
3/3/2008 4:41:08 PM Connected to carrier
3/3/2008 4:41:08 PM Waiting for protocol initialization
3/3/2008 4:41:08 PM Sent:<CR>
3/3/2008 4:41:12 PM Sent:<CR>
3/3/2008 4:41:15 PM Received:ID=
3/3/2008 4:41:15 PM TAP protocol detected
3/3/2008 4:41:15 PM Sent:<ESC>PG1<CR>
3/3/2008 4:41:16 PM Received:<CR><CR><ACK><CR>110 1.8114 Please proceed....<CR><ESC>[p<CR>
3/3/2008 4:41:17 PM Received:<CR><CR><ACK><CR>110 1.8114 Please proceed....<CR><ESC>[p<CR>
3/3/2008 4:41:17 PM Automatic TAP mode accepted
3/3/2008 4:41:17 PM ----------------------------------------
3/3/2008 4:41:17 PM Working on message to: 9999 from: TestSender
3/3/2008 4:41:17 PM Formatting message
3/3/2008 4:41:17 PM Message contained in single packet
3/3/2008 4:41:17 PM Message contained in single block
3/3/2008 4:41:17 PM Sending block
3/3/2008 4:41:17 PM Sent:<STX>9999<CR>TestSender:Test msg<SUB>M<SUB>J<CR><ETX>:=6<CR>
3/3/2008 4:41:18 PM Received:<CR>211 Page Accepted<CR><CR><ACK><CR>
3/3/2008 4:41:18 PM Block sent successfully
3/3/2008 4:41:18 PM Packet sent successfully
3/3/2008 4:41:18 PM SUCCESSFUL Stn:4 To:9999 Frm:TestSender Msg:Test msg

3/3/2008 4:41:18 PM ----------------------------------------


Thank you in advance!

[Tech Support]

That's a little bizarre... what does it look like on the Terminal side of things? Does the terminal show anything different between the two communication attempts?

The reason I ask is that there is no difference between the Admin queueing a message and the GetWeb queueing a message. Literally none. The Admin writes a line to the messages table, the GetWeb creates a file that PageGate reads in to create the line in the messages table.

[OzCom]

Additionally to Tech Supports answer - both logs show that PageGate received the correct SUCCESS code from the terminal as per the TAP spec. Hmmmm........................

_________________
Aaron D. Osgood
Streamline Communications, LLC
* Authorized Notepage, Inc. Development Partner and Re-seller
TEL: 207-518-8455
AOsgood@streamline-solutions.net
Creators of AutoPage Spillman CAD interface for PageGate

[Donb01]

But the second version did not send <EOT> after the Success message.

[OzCom]

Not sure - but I think he's direct connected to a terminal and using TAP -= not dialing a modem over the PSTN. I think the <EOT> signals the modem to d/c the POTS line

_________________
Aaron D. Osgood
Streamline Communications, LLC
* Authorized Notepage, Inc. Development Partner and Re-seller
TEL: 207-518-8455
AOsgood@streamline-solutions.net
Creators of AutoPage Spillman CAD interface for PageGate

[gnome2008]

Hello Everyoe,

The message both appears in the Terminal console, but it seems all the messages from all the module of PageGate, including the getAscii and webgate are not being forwarded to pager, only messages from the PageGate Admin are forwarded, and we are using a TAP connection.

Right now we temporarily swithched to the old model terminal, using a modem connection and it all work as fine.

But we really need to use the new model 2700 because our old terminal are not supporting pager numbers from 4000 and above.

And that's the reason we upgrade... Do you think PageGate 4.0 are not compatible with the model 2700?

[gnome2008]

And I got this tip from one of our colleague:


===
Reference to the log file of a successful TAP transaction between the Page Gate Server and the Model 2700 terminal, it is noted when an alphanumeric page is initiated from the Page Gate ‘Admin’ application, it is not sending any ‘control character’ (indicated by <SUB> / or HEX 1A).

As per TAP 1.8 protocol ‘SUB’ has written something about the ‘control character’ as per the below:

‘If a control character which would cause a protocol conflict must be transmitted within the packet, the originator must perform ‘transparency insertion’ to make the control character transparent to the protocol. This is done by converting the control byte to two bytes consisting of a SUB (Hex 1A) character followed by the printable ASCII character formed by adding Hex 40 to the ASCII value of the control character to be sent’.
- TAP PROTOCOL Version 1.8 pp. 6

From the above it seems that there is an issue of protocol conflict caused by control character insertion within the packet on pages initiated from the Web Page application.
===

[gnome2008]

I will try to post another message today and copy all the messages communication in the terminal and I'll post it here.

[gnome2008]

Hello Everyone.

We finally solved this issue by checking the “Drop non-printable characters” checkbox in the TAP protocol section in the PageGate Admin.

Thanks all for your time reading our issue.