These instructions are divided into two parts; the instructions for preparing the Legalmaster Host station(s) and the instructions for preparing the Legalmaster Remote station(s). Let's begin by defining a few concepts.
Host vs. Remote
We use the term Host to refer to those computers that you use to perform the basic functions of Legalmaster: printing bills and other reports, entering payments, viewing account status screens, etc.
A Remote station, on the other hand, is a computer that you use to do no more than to enter time and cost transactions. Those transactions will ultimately be sent to the Host.
These two terms, Host and Remote, hearken back to the days before networks, when the Host software ran on one computer and Remote software ran on a number of other computers, data being passed back and forth on floppy diskettes. The terms are now more conceptual; it is quite common that a single networked computer acts as both a Host and a Remote station, even simultaneously!
Legalmaster Remote communicates with the Host machine in two manners. First, it exports batches of fee and cost transactions to a floppy, local, or, more commonly, network drive so you can then import these batches into your Legalmaster Host program. Second, it (optionally) imports master file data from the Host system for purposes of validation. If your Host and Remote software are sharing the same server, then the Remote users may view the validation files without you having to do anything extraordinary.
If you are running the Remote version of Legalmaster'66 or later, you may also view all of your time entries, regardless of their age as long as your Host software and Remote software are sharing the same server.
These instructions assume that your Host is running Legalmaster'61 or a later version.
Pervasive
Legalmaster
uses a piece of file management software called Pervasive. Both the
Host and the Remote station(s) must be using the same version
of Pervasive.
Both
the Host and the Remote stations must use the same 32-bit version of Pervasive.
Validation Files
Validation files are data files from the Legalmaster Host that can be used by the Remote stations for the purposes of looking up client, case, and employee information, including billing rates. Remote stations can be configured to run without Master Files for Validation but in doing so you are missing a valuable feature that Remote offers. Using validation insures that your employees are less likely to make data entry mistakes during transaction entry.
Preparing Master Files for Validation
The Validation option permits a Remote user to look up client names, matter descriptions, billing rates, narrative description codes, etc. from Legalmaster's Host data files while entering fees and costs.
If your Remote stations reside on the same network as does your Host Legalmaster data, as is the case for 90% of our clients, then you will be able to validate against the Host master files and needn't perform this step.
You may also skip this step if you have no interest in validating at the Remote stations.
This is easiest with a flash (thumb) drive.
Start Legalmaster. From Legalmaster's main menu go to, "Interfaces" and then "Remote Data Utility" and then "Copy Validation Files."
Indicate the drive in which you have inserted your flash drive.
You will need the flash drive during the next group of instructions, Preparing the Remote Station, so make sure to have it available.
As mentioned above a couple of times, we require that both your Host computers and your Remote computers have access to the same version of Pervasive. If you're running client/server or work-group Pervasive, install the 32 bit Pervasive client at this workstation.
Again, this section is only for those of you who want to use the work-station version of Pervasive at your remote stations. Since Legalmaster Remote is a 32-bit Windows application, it requires that you use a 32-bit Windows version of Pervasive.
Legalmaster Remote software requires access to three folders and under some circumstances uses a couple more.
While you may name these folders anything you wish, here are our default suggestions.
If you're running Remote on a network, create a folder off the root of some drive and name it LMREMOTE. If you're running stand-alone, do the same on a local, usually C, drive.
Create three folders under LMREMOTE. Name them LMRMPROG, LMRMDATA and RMEXPORT.
LMRMPROG stores your Legalmaster Remote program files.
LMRMDATA stores the fee and cost transaction data that you enter from your Remote workstations.
When a Remote user has finished entering data and wants to send them to your Legalmaster host, he exports them to RMEXPORT. The host user subsequently picks them up from there.
Go to the Download Remote page of our website and unzip LMWINREM.ZIP and SPELLING.ZIP into your LMRMPROG folder.
You should have received a file named REMTONE.TXT, usually by e-mail. Copy it into your LMRMPROG folder.
Again on the Download Remote page of our website, find the file called REMINST.ZIP and copy it into any folder on the local drive (C) of the workstation. Right-click on it and Run as Administrator.
You'll be asked to supply the answers to six questions. This step does not actually install the software. You actually did that in step #3 above. This step merely writes settings into your computers Registry that allow the software to run. It is consequently important that you have rights to modify your Registry. If the browser fails to see your network drives, then
To
allow an elevated program, that is, a program run as administrator,
to see network drives
In
the registry go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Policies/System
and
create a
DWORD
entry EnableLinkedConnections and assign it a value of 1
You'll
probably have to reboot the workstation for this change to take effect.
Location of your Remote programs. This, of course, is the full path to LMRMPROG.
Location of your Remotely entered data. This is the full path to LMRMDATA.
Location of your export folder. This is the full path to RMEXPORT.
Location of your validation files. This is the folder that contains your Legalmaster client and matters. If you're running Remote on the same server as you're running your Legalmaster host, then this folder is your host data folder, whose default name is LMWDATA.
Location of your Legalmaster host program folder. If you're running Remote on the same server as you're running your Legalmaster host, then this folder is your host program folder, whose default name is LMWPROG.
Your workstation ID (WSID). Every station must be assigned a unique Workstation ID. It must be precisely two characters long, letters or digits. Your Remote WSID's and your host WSID's are completely independent of one another.
There is also a check box regarding the creation of an INI file. Check it if you use terminal services software such as Citrix.
You must install Pervasive and perform steps 5 and 6 at each Remote workstation.
1) Install the same version of Pervasive that's on your other Remote workstations.
2) Perform steps 5 and 6 as above, that is, run REMINST as described immediately above.
This step is only necessary in the rare circumstance that your Remote workstations do not share a server with your Legalmaster Host.
If you want to have your Remote station display client names, case descriptions, employees, billing rates, narrative codes etc., the Remote station clearly must have access to the Host master files. If this access isn't direct, then a copy of the master files must be placed within reach of the Remote station. This is a two step process: back up the data at the Host and restore them at the Remote.
Backing up the validation files at the Host is an option off of the Interface/Remote menu in Legalmaster. This results in the relevant files being "zipped" (using a product called PKZIP) onto a flash drive.
Then restore the validation files at the Remote station. This can be achieved in one of two ways:
Select the "Restore Master Files for Validation" option located on the FILE menu within Legalmaster Remote for Windows. To use this function, you must have first created the folder to which you will restore these files. Then, with the flash drive you created at the Host machine, follow the on-screen instructions.
Extract them into a subdirectory of your choice using Explorer, PKUNZIP, or WINZIP.
If you previously selected not to validate data at the Remote station, but you have since changed your mind, here are the steps to go through.
Ensure that your validation files are accessible to the Remote station. That means either that the Remote is on the same network as the Host or that you have already restored the validation files to a location within reach of the Remote.
Select FILE/SETTINGS to get you to the Remote for Windows setup screen.
Choose "YES" to "Validate data against Master Files."
Indicate the full path where you have restored these files to at the bottom portion of this screen.
a) Under the heading "Location of Validation Files", click on the button that says "Add" to add your folder.
b) You must give this folder a name in the description field provided.
c) Find the drive and path where your Validation files are located.
d) Click on the button that says "Save" to save this new Validation folder.
Click on the button that says "Save" once more to close the setup screen and implement this change.
You are now ready to use Legalmaster Remote for Windows.
Start Legalmaster Remote for Windows by double-clicking on its icon.