I use a laptop at home and when I travel. When I’m at home, I run WD on it and it stays connected to the Internet, but I have a second laptop that I connect to the Internet and leave running when I go out of town for more than a couple days. I’d like to install WD on the second machine, as well. Only one machine would ever be running WD at a time. Does anyone know if this is allowed? Also, if so, I’d like some suggestions on what would be a good way to copy and re-install the WD installation from my primary machine to my secondary one. (I don’t mean what type of media, etc., but which files, and do I have to run set-up again, that sort of thing…)
If possible, I’d like to be able to just copy the database files from the main computer to the backup computer when I switch to it, too. (I would need to do this if it’s been longer than 8 days, since that’s all the data my logger will store. Plus, anyway, I don’t want WD retransmitting all that data to Wunderground, etc.)
Installing WD on two machines would mean you need two licenses. You should pick a machine for using it and stick to that. If you want a client on your primary notebook and use it from time to time, you should use the free client that is designed for that purpose.
In my opinion, you are better off having WD on a machine that is not your primary machine so that you can use the primary as you need to, rebooting it, shutting it off at night etc, without interferring with the use of WD collection of the data etc.
As for moving the existing machine, what I did was backed up the entire WD directory and the wdisplay.ini on drive C to a CDrom, then installed as new on the new machine. When I was done, I restored on top of the new install, the old machines information and it took on the personality of the old machine. This brought over the license key etc… without any problems.
I didn’t reconnect the weatherstation until I had it done.
Hmmm - if this is the case, I’ll have to go back to WeatherLink. When I work at home doing computer programming, it has to be on my primary computer, which has to be the one I take with me when I leave, because that’s what I’m leaving home for. I’m not going to buy another computer just for WD, and since I live in the boonies and have to use satellite-based Internet services, I can’t easily use multiple computers with it. At least, if I did, I’d have to buy a much more expensive computer just for WD because it would also have to be the Internet routing machine, relocate all of my networking hardware and equipment, ad infinitum ad nauseum. Much simpler for me to have a lower quality online weather reporting presence. I don’t mind buying a second copy of WD, even if it’s not reasonable to do so, because I think WD is so reasonably priced to begin with. But having to change the way my whole operation works is not an option.
just thinking off the top of my head here - if you did buy a 2nd copy of WD so you had one to run on each laptop - have you the ability to connect an external storage device to each of these laptops? You could tell WD to save its data and log files on this external drive and just plug it in to whatever laptop you wish to run WD on - if the drive letters are the same in theory this should work (WD would have a WDISPLAY.ini file on each machine - just you would need a shared location for the data and log files? webfiles could be stored on that too.
Never tried it myself - as I say - just thinking off the top of my head.
[quote author=mchalkley link=topic=7043.msg47218#msg47218 date=1105318466]
(stuff deleted) I’m not going to buy another computer just for WD, and since I live in the boonies and have to use satellite-based Internet services, I can’t easily use multiple computers with it.
that’s true - the averages/extremes for example - I guess the uptodate .ini would have to be copied across at the time the laptops were being changed or whatever.
Some interesting ideas here - I appreciate the suggestions. I don’t really know if the router idea will work on Direcway or not. I’ve been told that their system won’t allow it, but it’s not something I’ve researched. Sounds like I need to, though. For now, though, I’ve still got to figure out how to get the backup computer arrangement going in the next 48 hours, or my station reporting stops for 2 weeks…
A router will work. Most routers allow you to clone the mac address of your network card, so Directway would have no idea whether your computer or router was connected first. And, if you have no problem connecting the second laptop then that’s not even an issue. MOST broadband ISP mearly state that they don’t SUPPORT using a router, which means any tech problems with the router and you’re on your own.
That’s the reason I asked about which system he has -
You can not use a router with the DW6000 system. The only way to make a router work is to disable the router functions and use it as a switch, or just use a switch.
And with the DW4000 system, you must use Internet Connection Sharing on the host computer.
With a wired network, you will have no concerns about signal strength like with a wireless network. However, the tradeoff is you’ll have to run wires to every computer you want to share your DIRECWAY connection with. You’ll need a hub or a switch (one port per computer), which you’ll connect to your DW6000 with an Ethernet cable. Then you’ll connect each computer to the hub using an Ethernet cable. Each computer needs an Ethernet port. Almost all newer computers come equipped with a Network Interface Card (NIC), but if yours does not have one, you’ll have to install one.
So, Directway does not have an issue with home networks.
I don’t have DirecWay (Skycasters) anymore but will try to answer your questions. No, I did not use the clone address with my setup. Skycasters provided me with a static IP. My WAP is where I converted the static IP to internal 192.168 address, so if you use a similar setup you should be able to retain your current address scheme.
Some ISP’s won’t recognize multiple MAC addresses coming from a single site, so that is the purpose of having a router clone a MAC address. By cloning the MAC address of one of your local PC’s, the ISP thinks that it’s dealing with only one PC - even though there are multiple IP devices (PC’s, printers, cameras, etc.) on the other side of the router.
In my case, I normally have two PC’s connected to RR (although that changes when my sister and her husband visit with 2 laptops). One PC is running XP Pro, is set with a static IP address, and is set up as my web server using the version of IIS that comes with it. The other PC’s get their IP address from the DNS server that is part of the router. As far as my ISP is concerned, all internet traffic coming from my house is coming from the same PC (MAC address).
For security purposes, I have my router’s firewall set up so that any HTTP requests coming from the outside, are directed to the web server. Any HTTP, FTP, Telnet, etc. requests initiated from within the local LAN, are handled by the router, which keeps track of where those requests came from so that the responses are redirected back to the proper PC.
I’m sure that some of the network administrator’s that are members of this BBS can do a better job of telling you how to configure your setup than I can.