Remote Access Commands Scripting Addition
In Mac OS 8.5, the former OT/PPP control panel and Remote Access control panel are combined into a single Remote Access control panel which can make both PPP (point-to-point protocol) and ARAP (Apple Remote Access protocol) connections. The scripting interface formerly provided by separate scripting additions for each control panel is now combined into a single Remote Access Commands scripting addition. Because this is a scripting addition, its commands can be used outside of a ‘tell’ block as if they were built into AppleScript itself. Remote Access 3.1 comes with a pdf manual, Remote Access User’s Manual, which includes in Appendix D a description of the provided sample scripts, a command reference and a list of error codes. Chapter 5 of Ethan Wilde’s book, AppleScript for the Internet: Visual QuickStart Guide, also includes several sample Remote Access scripts.
You can do almost everything with the new Network Setup Scripting application (installed by Mac OS 8.5 in the Scripting Additions folder) that you can do with Remote Access Commands, and more. The Remote Access Commands scripting addition can be regarded as present mainly for backwards compatibility with the many legacy PPP and Remote Access connection scripts that are publicly available. However, scripting with Remote Access Commands can be slightly easier, because you do not have to create, verify or specify an Open Transport configuration; the ‘RA connect’ command simply uses the currently active Remote Access configuration, while allowing you to provide whatever optional parameters you want to override the current settings. Also, it appears that Remote Access Commands offers one feature not present in Network Setup Scripting, namely, scripting control over connection logs using the ‘PPP save log’ and ‘RA save log’ commands. But for more complex environments, Network Setup Scripting is preferred because it provides additional facilities, such as control over alternate phone numbers, redialing, use of the DialAssist control panel and turning on the ‘answers calls’ property if you have ARA server installed. Also, of course, Network Setup Scripting provides a common interface not just for Remote Access, but also for Infrared connections, AppleTalk and TCP/IP, and for configuring modems.
Note that Apple Remote Access 3.1 does not update the server component of Apple Remote Access 3.0, and Mac OS 8.5 installs only the client, in any event. It is possible to run ARA 3.0 server under Mac OS 8.5 with ARA 3.1 client, if you follow Apple’s special installation instructions (basically, install the ARA 3.0 server component first, then install ARA 3.1).