SysManSMS FAQ

We have collected a number of common questions and answers in our Frequently Asked Questions database below.

If you cannot find an answer to your question here, please submit a support request.

GSM Modems are industry type devices, and may not fully support some of the new SIM cards created for modern mobile phones. If you during installation of the SysManSMS Server see such problems, the Server will stop, and a typical error code in the SysManSMS.log file will be:

ERR-120-1 Can't get number of SIM locations in unit

You should first of all try to upgrade your SysManSMS Server to the latest release. If this does not help, you may have a unsupported SIM card.

After installing SysManSMS Server on Windows Server 2012 you may encounter a message saying that “Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 cannot be installed…” when setting up the tray menu tool.

Windows Server 2012 requires you to install .NET Framework 3.5 using the Server Manager GUI, or the DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) command. The latter is the simplest solution. Open a command prompt with elevated rights (right-click and select “Run as Administrator”), and run the following command:

dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFX3 /all /Source:d:\sources\sxs /LimitAccess

This will install the .NET Framework version 3.5 on your Windows Server.

Note that the SysManSMS Service itself does not require .NET Framework and you can run SysManSMS without installing .NET Framework 3.5.

To have a incoming SMS on your server execute a list of programs or commands, you must create a Windows script file (.BAT) The name of this file (for example DOIT) will be the key to start the script from a mobile. The additional text will be available for the programs in your script as one of the parameters. Consult the SysManSMS User and Developers Guide for details on each program or server command you like to be executed.

Let’s create a script in the servers Programs folder called DOIT.bat

In our example, server’s number is 12345678, and the mobile’s is 87654321

 
REM Save DOIT.BAT in your servers Programs folder
REM
REM Sending the SMS "DOIT NUMLIST1" will execute the following commands:
REM

REM parameter %1 will contain mobile number that started this procedure
REM parameter %2 will contain the text sent from the mobile
REM parameter %3 will contain the time the message was sent from mobile

REM Make sure your BAT process has correct folder for the program to execute
C:
cd \Program Files\SysManSMS\CMDclient

REM Use the CMDclient to send a command to a mobile or the server itself
SysManSMS_CMD.exe "12345678" ":VCFWD %1"

REM Make sure your BAT process has correct folder for the next program
cd \Program Files\SysManSMS\GSMserver\Programs

REM Execute a program from servers Programs folder
seti.exe %1 %2 %3

This is how your server log will look like after script execution:

06-Jul-2012 10:30:06 Message received from +4787654321  (S:12/07/06 10:29:16)
06-Jul-2012 10:30:06 Mobile user [+4787654321] started process [DOIT] successfully
06-Jul-2012 10:30:07 * New SMS network request detected, now processing client [CMDclient.FT92]
06-Jul-2012 10:30:10 Message 150 to 87654321 sent OK (TXT), delivery status not requested
06-Jul-2012 10:30:10 * New SMS network request detected, now processing client [SDK.seti]
06-Jul-2012 10:30:13 Message 151 to +4787654321 sent OK (TXT), delivery status not requested
06-Jul-2012 10:30:13 Message received from +4712345678  (S:12/07/06 10:29:24)
06-Jul-2012 10:30:23 Message 152 to +4712345678 sent OK (TXT), delivery status not requested
06-Jul-2012 10:30:23 Mobile user [+4712345678] changed Voice Call Forwarding to [+4790030920]
06-Jul-2012 10:30:23 Mobile user [+4712345678] executed command [VCSET] successfully
06-Jul-2012 10:30:25 Message received from +4712345678  (S:12/07/06 10:29:37)
06-Jul-2012 10:30:25 WARNING - Mobile user [+4712345678] failed to start default process [default.exe]
06-Jul-2012 10:30:25 Message exported to text file c:\SysManSMS\OUTPUT\FT92_InfoPage.txt

In the Number File Editor (user group handling) you can select messages to any specific number to be HOLD (queued) for some hours. This is very useful, for example during nights. But this function does not work across dates.

To hold messages during night, you may specify HOLD 00-07, which will queue any message request from midnight until 07 in the morning. At 07 all queued messages will be sent.

HOLD settings across midnight (for example 19-07) is not supported in current versions.

In SysManSMS Server you got several techniques to limit sending out SMSs. First of all you got a SMS Storm control which limits the maximum number of SMS’s one mobile can receive per day. You may also set up different filters to search your texts and then either STOP, SEND, CONVERT or APPEND texts, if match found.

SysManSMS Server has an administrative notification service where you can have a small status message sent to you, either as sms, e-mail or both. This happens at midnight while the cleaning process runs. To enable this notification, use the Configure Server menu found inside the SysMan Desktop Menu icon.

In addition to this, you may setup as many repeating messages you like, sent either to one number or to a specified Number File (User group). You may repeat hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, every week, 2. week, 3rd week or 4th week.
Setting up such repeating messages is easily done from the Desktop WINclient, found in SysManSMS Desktop Menu icon.

The secure SysManSMS Server is a perfect fit to safely forward SMS messages from RSA Authentication Manager, without sending secret information out to the Internet. RSA sends url’s which can be directed to your local SysManHTTP client module, which again uses the SysManSMS Server (SMS Gateway) for a direct GSM Network delivery.

Another solution would be to create your own PHP script to do the same. Below you will find a sample code to setup your IIS Server to receive RSA HTTP requests and write message files into SysManSMS Server’s INPUT Folder.

The SysManSMS architecture allows remote client programs to send messages over the LAN to one or multiple SysManSMS Servers on the same network. The most common interface is to execute command lines with the SysManSMS Integration client (Iclient).

Below you will find some rules you have to follow in a remote client/server environment setup

We assume your SysManSMS Server is up and running, and are able to send/receive messages.

SysManSMS architecture uses port 139/445 (NetBios/Named Pipes)

Make sure your security settings on PC’s or Firewalls does not stop the above ports.

Use the SysManSMS SETUP (from the SysMan USB stick or downloaded from this website) to install the client components

Make sure you select “Client Installation”, and also enter the SysManSMS server’s IP address or name.

Open a command line Window, got to …\SysManSMS\Iclient

Execute the following command to test sending from a client:
SysManSMS_Iclient.exe “::” “This is my first test from a remote client”
This line will send the above text to all members of your default Number File on the server

If this works fine, then setup your application to execute the same line automatically from application

Please Note:

The client must execute from a domain user account, alternatively you must use same username/password on both the SysManSMS Server and the client executing process. Default user account for SysManSMS Server is Local System Account.

If problems executing from your application, check the following:

  1. View the …\SysManSMS\Iclient\SysManSMS_Iclient.log file
  2. If you have a entry in this log for the same time as your application executed the command line, the settings in your application is OK, and a problem is on the SysManSMS side. If the manually execution from a command line window worked fine, your problem is most likely connected with account privileges and access rights.
  3. If you do not have any entries in the log at the time of execution, you have a setup problem in your application. Carefully follow the applications documentation on how to execute a command line program.

SysMan makes available information and hints on how to setup the most common application. Please visit the Solutionsweb page.

You have 3 sources for statistical information:

First of all the, on the Right-Click Desktop Status Menu, you have access to Quick Status that shows you how many SMS’s sent and received since last midnight. From the same menu you can access the full SysManSMS HTML Status page which shows you the same, but also includes a total count since last restart of the server.

You also got a file in

…\SysManSMS\GSMserver\OUTPUT called computername_SysManSMS.csv

that contains some statistical counters to be used from other applications.
The last possibility you got, is to turn on the Accounting file. This is written to same local OUTPUT folder, and is called Accounting.csv. You turn it on and select accounting options, in the Accounting.ini file found in the GSMserver folder. You may read more about accounting in the User and Developers Guide.

SysManSMS Server has been tested and supports around 40 different GSM Modems. Some modems has limitations on GSM protocol support, and some are missing full character set support. The populare SysManSMS Watchdog function is supported on a few selected devices sold by SysMan.  For latest updates, see Device Support List.

For the SysManSMS Server to run stable you will need a good GSM signal. You may check the signal either in the SysManSMS HTML Status page, the Quick status, or in the SysManSMS.log. It should in average read between 15 and 31. Normally the GSM Modem will use different GSM Base stations, and automatically switch between them dependent on the traffic. For this reason the signal can vary, and you can even loose the signal for a period. If this happens, the SysManSMS Server will wait for the GSM Modem to become ready, and then reconnect. To help a pure signal situation, you can either install an external antenna (maximum 10-12m away), or you can install a serial over IP solution or switch to a LAN based modem. This can be placed anywhere on your LAN, and gives you more flexibility. If the LAN fails, the SysManSMS Modem Watchdog will send you alerts. If the SysManSMS Server disconnects from the GSM Network, you may set it up to notify you via e-mails.

The SysManSMS Server works very well with virtual server products like Hyper-V, VMWare and others.

The best option would be to use a modem with built-in LAN interface, such as the “SysMan 2G/3G/4G LAN modem with Watchdog”. This modem can be purchased from SysMan directly or through resellers.

If you have a serial modem, you should use a Serial-over-IP solution like the Moxa nPort 5110.

If you have a USB modem, you should use a solution like anywhereUSB.

 

If new installation, or if the SIM card has been replaced when using GSM Modems from Wavecom or Sierra Wireless, you may see that the SysManSMS Server stops after running just for a few seconds. (The green desktop menu arrow blinks a few time, then turn into solid red circle) The servers log file (SysManSMS.log) will have the following entry:

ERR-100-9 Error contacting or init the GSM device
ERROR - PIN code or PUK code failure - Check SIM card

Most likely this is caused by the SIM card locker slide not properly in place. Please see this TechNote for GMS Modem installation instructions.

If this is checked to be OK, you may have a PIN or PUK code problem. With power off, remove the SIM card and install it in a standard mobile. Check the PIN code, and we also recomend to disable the PIN checking.

Normally the SysManSMS Server will activate the license automatically over the GSM Network, within 1-2 Minutes. If this for some reason does not happen, you will have to activate the license over the Internet. Please read about how to manually activate your license. If you still have problems activating the license, please contact SysMan.

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