Workgroup Companion Notes ========================= The Workgroup Companion was an add-on for DeskMate that provided basic networking capability in DeskMate applications. To configure it, you run WGSETUP.PDM. Three network types are supported: null modem cable, TandyLink, and 3Com 3Plus. The Companion seems to come with drivers for the first two. TandyLink is a proprietary Tandy network that runs at 400kbps. You need TandyLink cards and cables for it. 3Plus was an Ethernet-based network that was sold by 3Com; it was similar to Microsoft LAN Manager but incompatible. (One source I have says that Microsoft originally purchased 3Plus from 3Com and based LAN Manager on that code base.) Here is some information on the DeskMate Workgroup Companion, excerpted from _Getting the Most Out of DeskMate 3, Second Edition_, by Michael A. Banks: What is Workgroup? ------------------ DeskMate Workgroup Companion is a DeskMate companion program that links two or more computer via a network such as TandyLink or 3Com. Computers linked in this fashion are said to be "networked." More specifically they compose a "local area network," or LAN. Networked computers can share software resources (applications and files on other computers in the network) and hardware resources (printers, modems, etc.). In effect, other computers in a local network of this type can become an extension of your own in terms of resources they have available, and vice-versa. One computer in a network is designated as the main "server." The server is the central clearinghouse for the other computers in the network, which are designated as "workstations" or "clients." Client computers can function as servers in various capacities, to share their own resources with the main server and with other client computers. What Can Workgroup Companion Do for You? ---------------------------------------- The kind of local network just described is ideal for large (or small) office environments where there are several computers and the users need to share various data files and programs, since it eliminates having to physically copy files or transfer them between computers. Networking computers can also eliminate the need to have a printer or other peripheral connected to each computer. Workgroup Companion also provides extras that can increase the efficiency of any group working environment. Workgroup Companion software handles all the chores of communicating with other computers on the network, and allows you to not only use your own DeskMate applications (some are enhanced by Workgroup Companion), but to also access, edit, and print files that are stored on other computers in the network, run programs from other computers, send and receive electronic mail messages to and from client computers for specific individuals using client computers, and post and read public messages available to anyone on the network. Workgroup Companion Applications and Accessories ------------------------------------------------ Among Workgroup Companion's enhanced applications are the following: o Shared Address Book and Phone List. o Shared Calendar. o Central messaging center. o A bulletin-board style public message database. o An electronic mail system that includes such features as return receipts, forwarding, and more. o The ability to enable a client computer to provide printer and file services, and to direct printed output to other computers rather than to a printer. o "Central," a special telephone message center application. o Realtime, interactive conversation among users on the network via a Talk application. Workgroup's enhanced accessories include shared alarm, phone list, and a realtime conferencing feature for private or broadcase messages to and from other users. What You Need to Use Workgroup Companion ---------------------------------------- To link two or more computers with Workgroup Companion, you must have the following: o MS-DOS, version 3.2 or later. o DeskMate version 3.02 or later. o Two or more MS-DOS computers, each with at least one floppy disk drive and a minimum of 640K RAM. (One of the computers must have a hard disk with a capacity of at least 20 megabytes.) o An installed network, using serial ports, a TandyLink board, or a 3Com Etherlink series board, as well as linking cables. Two computers can be linked via serial ports; TandyLink accommodates up to 32 computers; and 3Com can handle a network of up to 100 computers. Other requirements (monitors, mouse, modem, etc.) are as described for DeskMate 3 in Chapter 3. An IBM graphics-compatible printer, and a graphics card that supports Tandy 16-color graphics, Hercules, or CGA graphics is recommended. An optimum system would replace the above-recoommended software and hardware components with MS-DOS 3.3, 80386 computers, 3Com 3+ Network, a VGA monitor and card, and an LP 1000 Laser printer. If your computer operation is growing, requires that computer users share files and applications, and could benefit from electronic mail and other enhancements that networking computers provides, DeskMate Workgroup Companion is for you!