Welcome to DynamIP (home page: http://www.stanford.edu/~cmu/DynamIP.htm)
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Please use the help file "DynamIP.hlp" for detailed instructions on
how to get started with DynamIP (setup, trouble-shooting, etc.). Also,
DynamIP's home page contains a lot of useful information, especially
regarding the advanced features. If you have trouble installing this
thingy please have a look at the section "Installation Trouble Shooting"
at http://www.stanford.edu/~cmu/DynamIP.htm BEFORE you send me e-mail.

Below some bare bone information for advanced users only.

How to upgrade from an older version?
  Expand the ZIP file and copy all the files to the same directory
  where your old version is (maybe you want to store the old files in
  a temporary directory until you are sure that you want to upgrade).
  If you upgrade from a version older than v1.5 then the INI file will
  NOT be upgraded automatically. You have to enter all the info when
  you start DynamIP the first time. 
  V2.5 introduced a somewhat different treatment of file management. What
  used to be the "local file" is now called "template", and the temporary
  file (with a "_" appended to the file name) is now called the "local file".
  Because of this change it is important that you update the connection
  handles accordingly.

  old method:  - read LocalFile (e.g. "DynamIP.htm")
               - update dummies and save to tempLocalFile (e.g. "DynamIP.htm_")
               - upload to RemoteFile (e.g. "WWW/DynamIP.htm")

  NEW method:  - read Template (e.g. "DynamIP_.htm")
               - update dummies and save to LocalFile (e.g. "DynamIP.htm")
               - upload to RemoteFile (e.g. "WWW/DynamIP.htm")

  While this one-time change may annoy some users, it will make things much
  easier for those of us who want the keep the local copy of the web site in
  sync with the version on the server.

How do I get it to work?
  (again, please refer to the help file "DynamIP.hlp" for full details)

  1) Install Microsoft's ActiveX[tm] Internet Control Pack
     http://www.microsoft.com/icp/us/icpdown/icpdown.htm
     [available until MS removes them ;-)]).

  2) Make a new directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\DynamIP) and copy
     the ZIP file there. Unzip it and you'll get 9 files
          - DynamIP.exe        (that's the thingy)
          - DynamIP.hlp        (the help file)
          - DynamIP_.htm       (a sample template / web page)
          - DynamIPServer_.htm (a sample template / web page)
          - hailsound.wav      (a sample notification sound file)
          - joinsound.wav      (a sample notification sound file)
          - yougotmail.wav     (a sample notification sound file)
          - IPDB.txt           (a sample file for IPchat)
          - Readme.txt         (this file)

  3) Start DynamIP.exe (the INI file is automatically generated).
     Note: It seems that some people don't have all the necessary
           libraries installed. If you get a message telling you
           that some OCX file can't get loaded or registered then
           you should have a look at the DynamIP home page for more
           information.

  4) Configure the Dynamic IP address poster (not necessary if you
     don't want to use this feature). Also, you can edit the sample
     webpage DynamIP_.htm if you feel like personalizing it.

  5) Configure the POP mail checker (again, only if you want to use
     this feature). Please read "Important Warning and Disclaimer"
     at the end BEFORE you use this feature for the first time!

  6) Configure the PC clock synchronizer (if you want to use it).

  7) Configure IPchat (if you want to use it).

  8) Configure HTTPscan (if you want to use it).

  9) Configure the logging options from Setup | Options.
   
  That's it - you're ready to go.

Trouble Shooting
  Again, please refer to the help file "DynamIP.hlp" and check the
  DynamIP home page for the latest information (I update the site
  as new problems/solutions surface). If the help file seems hard to
  read you probably need the "Comic Sans MS" font which is available
  free of charge at
        http://www.microsoft.com/truetype/fontpack/win.htm

What else?
  It's quite possible that DynamIP has some (hopefully minor)
  bugs. If it bothers you then you should be able to delete
  DynamIP within a few milliseconds. Simply remove the whole
  directory and you're done (DynamIP does NOT add or change
  any Registry entries). It's free, so don't expect too much!
  If you like it, well, spare a stamp and send me a postcard
  (especially if you live in some exciting place!). My address is
           Christoph Mueller
           658 California Ave
           Palo Alto, CA 94306
  (so far more than 30,000 people have downloaded DynamIP and I have
  received exactly 7 postcards [thanks to all of you who sent me one])

Will there be updates/bug fixes?
  Don't count on it (I'll fix things as they bother me, but I'm not
  doing this for a living). Should you send me e-mail and expect a
  reply at all, please make sure your return address is valid and try
  to explain your problem in a manner that I can understand it and
  hopefully allows me to reproduce the problem. Send your bug reports
  and suggestions to "cmu@stanford.edu".

History
  v2.7 (24-NOV-96) new features: HTTPscan
                   improvements: IPchat supports MS NetMeeting
  v2.6 (30-OCT-96) new features: IPchat, Event Notification
                   improvements: default beep (if no sound card)
  v2.5 (12-OCT-96) improvements: DialOnDemand, StartupState, Template
                   and LocalFile treatment; bug fix: Clock Synchronizer
  v2.4 (14-SEP-96) improvements: ToolTips in Taskbar, POP disconnect
                   bug fixes (NT): Tray, Time Zone Info from Registry
  v2.3 (07-SEP-96) new features: AutoDisconnect, ToolTips,
                   Time Zone Information from Registry
                   several bug fixes (stability related...)
  v2.2 (30-AUG-96) several bug fixes and (internal) improvements
  v2.1 (25-AUG-96) new feature: PC clock synchronizer (NTP)
                   several bug fixes and improvements
  v2.0 (22-AUG-96) new feature: log file, file dialogs
                   bug fixes: memory leak, mail checker crashes
  v1.9 (19-AUG-96) new features: e-mail checker (up to 5 POP accounts)
                   with sound notification, AutoCheck, AutoSense
  v1.7 - v1.8      internal versions / not released to public
  v1.6 (16-AUG-96) bug fix in AutoRefresh
  v1.5 (08-AUG-96) new features: up to 5 handles, drag and drop, new looks!
  v1.1 - v1.4      internal versions / not released to public
  v1.0 (01-AUG-96) fixed AutoRefresh, new menu items
  v0.9 (28-JUL-96) new features: AutoRefresh, support for HTTP
                   and FTP server address; bug fix: RefreshIP
  v0.6, v0.7, v0.8 internal versions / not released to public
  v0.5 (26-JUL-96) added menu (finally!),
                   added tray capability (to reduce task bar clutter),
                   fixed another timing problem in disconnect ;-)
                   icon that hints at the state (on, busy, off)
  v0.4 (24-JUL-96) fixed timing problem in disconnect
  v0.3 (06-JUL-96) connect more stable, disconnect faster,
                   auto-minimize if going on/off-line successful
  v0.2 (28-JUN-96) added timeout feature
  v0.1 (27-JUN-96) quickly wrote this thing 'cause I needed it

IMPORTANT WARNING
     2 users have reported that DynamIP removes mail from their POP server
     (or wrecks the mail spool which is just about as bad). This is NOT a
     feature of DynamIP! I'm trying to track down the problem, but so far
     I don't even know why this happens. I suspect that the POP control from
     the Internet Control Pack (beta 2!) is having some "communication problems"
     with a certain type of POP server. If this is the case then it's very
     unlikely that I can do much about it short of waiting for the final
     release of the Internet Control Pack. For the time being I suggest the
     following procedure to make sure you don't lose any mail:
         1.Once you have DynamIP installed and configured properly,
           you should retrieve all your mail from your POP server
           using your e-mail client (Eudora, MS Mail, or whatever
           you use to get your mail). 
         2.Send a test message to yourself. 
         3.Run DynamIP's POP mail checker (repeat this until your
           test message gets reported by DynamIP). 
         4.Exit DynamIP. 
         5.Try to retrieve your test message using your e-mail client 
     If you can retrieve your test message in step 5 above then there's no
     danger of conflict between DynamIP and your POP server. If, however,
     you cannot retrieve your test message, then it's quite likely that
     something's not working the way it's supposed to and you should NOT
     use the POP mail checker.

     Again, this misbehavior is NOT a feature. DynamIP does NOT issue
     a delete command at any time (DynamIP connects to your POP server,
     gets authenticated, gets the number of messages, and then disconnects;
     DynamIP does not download headers or messages).

DISCLAIMER
     YOU USE DynamIP AT YOUR OWN RISK. (read again!)
     I wrote this little utility so that my friends can keep
     track of my whereabouts (IP-wise, I mean). This is not
     what I'd consider stellar software, but it serves my
     purpose. If it works for you, please go ahead and use
     it as you please. Should it not perform on your system
     as intended, then I'm afraid there's not much I can do
     about it (I have a lot of other obligations and writing
     software is pretty far down on my list of priorities).
     And you should definitely not even dream of coming up
     with any stupid liability issues. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE
     FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS. YOU install it, YOU run it, if
     something goes wrong it's simply YOUR fault.
