Qm2000.net

[cruch]

I have received the QM2000.NET enclosure from pangolin few days ago.
This is the laptop-friendly version of QM2000.NET
Installing the QM2000.NET is easy. Just plug-and-play
Controlling the QM2000 card over network by connecting them together with standard 10/100 ethernet cables. Since I dont have an network switch, I used the crossover ethernet cable that was provided from Pangolin.

WOW...this is so nice and SO easy. Another great product from Pangolin.
Here is some pictures

[dave]

Nice

I just sent our second card off today to be netted

[allthatwhichis]

Alright, I don't get it... What IS it? I looked on Pangolin's site... Is it just a box that holds the QM2000 and you communicate with it via ethernet? Is this just to make the QM2000 portable?

[cruch]

just a box that holds the QM2000 and you communicate with it via ethernet

RIGHT!!

[buffo]

Alright, I don't get it... Is this just to make the QM2000 portable?

Or to allow you to use the QM-2000 board on a system that doesn't have a PCI slot to plug it into (like a laptop).

It's actually pretty cool when you think about it. And it's a lot cheaper (not to mention smaller and lighter) than a docking station. But yeah, it's a product that is aimed mainly at laptop users.

Adam

[cruch]

With QM2000.net you can controll up to 30 of theese with a laptop or what ever pc you want! ;D THAT is damn cool

[movinghead]

my card goes next week to Pangolin for a firmware upgrade and for a .net box

Also CAT5 cable is cheaper then ILDA cable. Furthermore you can extend the CAT5 cable simply with a switch.

My plan is using laptops and/ or servers with LD2000 and LivePRO and a Cisco Catalyst or 3Com switch. And placing the card max 5 meters away from the projector.

Network rocks

Later this year there will be software to change the IP address of the Board.

[buffo]

Ok - this next question is way out in left field, and more of an intellectual excercise than anything else since:

1) I don't actually own a QM-2000 board, and my QM-32 won't work with the .net box because it's not a PCI card.
2) I can't think of a reason why I'd need to actually use this functionality even if I had one.
3) It's probably just as easy for a user to carry the QM2000.net box with him than what I'm proposing...

But here goes:

Since once you connect the QM-2000 board to the .net adapter, you can control it from *any* computer that is conencted to the network (assuming that the computer has the Pangolin software loaded), what would prevent you from accessing the board remotely via the Internet?

I mean, from a purely academic standpoint, would it be possible for a business traveler to use his laptop and free Internet conenction in his hotel room in California to fire up Laser Show Designer on the laptop by conencting to the Pangolin board that he has plugged into his home network at his DSL-connected home in Texas? Why or why not? (Assume ideal network conditions: High bandwidth connections, low latency, and no other traffic problems.)

If the answer is YES, then this opens up all sorts of interesting possibilities. For example, Pangolin could *lease* QM-2000 boards via the Internet! (Not saying that they ever would, but it does seem to be possible...)

Adam

[DZ]

Ok - this next question is way out in left field, and more of an intellectual excercise than anything else since:

1) I don't actually own a QM-2000 board, and my QM-32 won't work with the .net box because it's not a PCI card.
2) I can't think of a reason why I'd need to actually use this functionality even if I had one.
3) It's probably just as easy for a user to carry the QM2000.net box with him than what I'm proposing...

But here goes:

Since once you connect the QM-2000 board to the .net adapter, you can control it from *any* computer that is conencted to the network (assuming that the computer has the Pangolin software loaded), what would prevent you from accessing the board remotely via the Internet?

I mean, from a purely academic standpoint, would it be possible for a business traveler to use his laptop and free Internet conenction in his hotel room in California to fire up Laser Show Designer on the laptop by conencting to the Pangolin board that he has plugged into his home network at his DSL-connected home in Texas? Why or why not? (Assume ideal network conditions: High bandwidth connections, low latency, and no other traffic problems.)

If the answer is YES, then this opens up all sorts of interesting possibilities. For example, Pangolin could *lease* QM-2000 boards via the Internet! (Not saying that they ever would, but it does seem to be possible...)

Adam

Great question, I'm thinking that it can be done, but you would have to setup a VPN connection to your home network. I think that latency would be a problem though. For some reason running LD over a wireless 54M network seems a bit buggy to me yet running it over a 10M wired network works ok, just a bit slow. Now running over a hotel's network somewhere, VPN'ing to your home network to the QM2K.net, well even on a good day you will probably be running less than 500K. I've yet to see a hotel network that is all that fast. Regarding the "lease" idea, that would be good only for demo'ing the software since obviously you would still need the QM's ILDA connection to actually run your projector. Although, maybe if you purchase an intro board, with the idea of "leasing" the pro capabilities now and then to build pro level shows that you would then run on your intro card may be a neat possibility.

David

[movinghead]

Hi Adam,

First must say functionality, my most reason is cable length and cable pricing, UTP or STP or FTP is not very expensive plus you can have long lines from 100 meters without signal los.

I have many locations where i have 50 to 80 meters between stage and control point.


The question (i'm also interested in that because my study is MCSE, CCNA, CCNP, CCDA, CCDP, Cisco Wireless Fundamentals, Cisco Security)

about accessing a QM2000 on the internet in the ideal situation can be possible.

The QM2000 comes with an IP address in presume in the private IP ranges 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x or 172.16.x.x which is related to the board serial number.
You say behind a DSL router, most of that homedevices have a basic firewall to protect you from unwanted traffic from the outside.

Basically you can't access the QM2000 on that way.

When you are in a hotel and using the outside IP address of your DSL router at home and try to connect you end up against your home firewall. You need to open ports.

I you want kind of function i suggest a VPN tunnel then its possible without opening a lot of ports. Also then you must have the credentials to set up a VPN tunnel. VPN uses encryption but gives overhead but in ideal situation / hardware it can be possible.

Basically if you have an open tunnel with no ports closed and you can ping the board (so you know that your route table is correct) you should be able to connect to the board.


If it is done by simply opening ports then it is possible to scan on open ports (if Pangolin uses a static one) and then you could control the board i think.
The IP address of the board must be in the same subnet as the inside network of the DSL router.

Regards,

Dwain