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TAZ-E User Guide
Temporary Autonomous Zone for Exchange
Corporate P2P Working Zone powered by La Deuxième Tête S.A. (L2T)
(Latest revision
: 07.06.2002)
Table of content
1 What is TAZ-E ?
1.1 The
concept of a distributed temporary private zone
1.2 Features
1.3 Requirements
2 Quick start
2.1 Launching
TAZ-E Agent
2.2 Creating
and joining a TAZ-E
2.3 Checking
the TAZ-E folder presence and content
2.4 Looking
for the present people and greeting
2.5 Automatically
retrieving and updating the files added in the TAZ-E
2.6 Sharing
a file
2.7 Working
on a file and unlocking it
2.8 Leaving
and checking the retrieved files
3 Setting the proxy configuration
4 Choosing a login
4.1 Registering
a login (optional)
4.2 Entering
the login
7 Being in a TAZ-E
7.1 Publishing
a file
7.2 Understanding
the file transfer information
7.3 Talking
to other people
8 TAZ-E Backup
8.1 Backup
Use Case
8.2 Synchronization
Use Case
1 What is TAZ-E ?
TAZ-E stands for Temporary Autonomous Zones for Exchange. This new P2P based solution is designed to allow the creation of one-off, temporary and network-independent zones of file-sharing and real-time content synchronization.
Each zone is multi-user and operates as a virtual private network with user authentication. So, first agree with your friends / coworkers on a Zone name and password and go ! The first user creates the TAZ and the others just join in.
Each user can post files and chat. Any posted file can be edited by one user at a time. All users can update their computer with the latest version of each file at a mouse click.
1.1 The concept of a distributed temporary private zone
The idea behind TAZ-E is to create a distributed zone of privacy, where trusted users can simply exchange data. The fact that the zone is distributed means that there is no central data storage, although abstractly we can say there is only one data, shared by everybody.
This can be achieved through the use of smart distributed algorithms, which transparently enable people to have the same data, resolving problems such as non routable IPs and bad connections.
The picture below illustrates the link between what happens in reality (over the network), and the abstraction shown in the TAZ-E Agent’s user interface :
A simple example using the TAZ-E
1.2 Features
· Privacy : admission to the TAZ-E is subject to a password check, to ensure only trusted people are allowed in.
· Ease of use : in a single click you can send a file in the TAZ-E, enabling everybody to have a synchronized copy of it. In a single look you know what are all the files of the TAZ-E, and the transfers in progress.
· Synchronization : TAZ-E Agent implements a powerful mechanism of file locking/unlocking to allow safe modifications to the file in common. When a file is unlocked, all user’s version are automatically synchronized.
· Decentralization : since there is no central data storage, you can absolutely forget the temporary zone after you leave it. It simply ceases to exist. Thus you do not have to deal with annoying ‘afterwards’ problems, such as : “I want to delete that account, what was the URL again ? What was my password again ?”.
· Flexibility : TAZ-E is designed to cleverly adapt to the instantaneous topology of the temporary sub-network made of all the users at a given time. It also can handle Squid, SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 proxy servers with and without authentication, go over problems such as non routable IPs, manage heterogeneous type of connections (example : 33.6K modem and DSL) and distinguish users connected in LAN (ie. the software will take advantage of local connections).
1.3 Requirements
· Pentium 400 MHz with 64 MB RAM.
· Windows 98, ME, NT4 (SP5), 2000 or XP.
· An Internet connection (LAN, DSL, Modem etc.)
2 Quick start
This tutorial will help you to quickly learn how to use the TAZ-E Agent. You will need to follow this tutorial with a friend running TAZ-E Agent on own his computer. Both of you need an Internet connection.
2.1
Launching TAZ-E
Agent
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· Place the TAZ_Agent.exe file on your desktop (download it at http://taz-e.com/ if you don’t have it). · Double-click on its icon to launch it. |
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2.2
Creating and joining
a TAZ-E
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· Follow the wizard’s instructions until you arrive on the frame called ‘What do you want to do?’ · You have to agree your friend or co-worker about who will create the TAZ-E. · If you are to create the TAZ-E, choose the option ‘I want to create a new TAZ’ and click Next. In the TAZ field, enter a name such as ‘tutorial’ and click on Next. · Otherwise, (if you are not the one who has to create the TAZ-E), choose the option ‘I want to join an existing TAZ’ and click Next. In the list on the left, choose the name ‘tutorial’ and click on Next. |
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2.3
Checking the TAZ-E
folder presence and content
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· Check your desktop (or in the directory where your TAZ_Agent.exe file is located), for a new directory called tutorial_(5h10m57s_pm), where tutorial is the name of the TAZ-E you provided and the time in parenthesis is the hour when you joined the TAZ-E. · This directory is the one where all the shared files in the TAZ-E will be put. |
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2.4
Looking for the
present people and greeting
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· Check who is in the TAZ-E by looking in the list of names in the Users frame (the one on the bottom left). · When the other user has arrived, you can greet him/her by writing in the Chatroom frame’s edit box. Once you have typed in your message, click on the Write button or press return. · Your message appears just above. His/her own reply messages will appear in the same frame. |
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2.5
Automatically retrieving
and updating the files added in the TAZ-E
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· Make sure the Auto update button on the top of the interface is pushed down. If not, just click once on it and your agent will automatically get all the files added in the TAZ-E. |
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2.6
Sharing a file
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Click on the · Select the file you wish to add to the TAZ-E. · Click on OK. The file is transferred to your friend. You will also receive the files he is going to share. Note : You can also drag-and-drop the files directly in the TAZ-E window to share them. |
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2.7
Working on a file
and unlocking it
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·
Select the file you have just added in
the TAZ-E and double-click on it or click on the Open button.
The document is opened, and the icon of the file with a key ( · Once you have finished to work on the file, click on the Unlock button. This will update the file in all the clients that are running in Auto update mode. |
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) next to it
indicates that it is locked by you (other people in the TAZ-E cannot
edit it until you click on the unlock button).
2.8
Leaving and checking
the retrieved files
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· Use the chatroom frame to tell your friend that you are leaving. · Click on the File menu (in the top menubar), choose the submenu Quit. · Go in the directory created by TAZ_Agent.exe and check that all the exchanged files are there. |
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The step-by-step tutorial ends here. In the rest of this user guide, more features about the TAZ-E Agent will be described.
3 Setting the proxy configuration
If you are connecting the Internet through a proxy, then you have to fill in your proxy settings. If you do not know what those settings are, you should get the assistance of the person in charge of your network.
The proxy configuration frame is accessed from the connection wizard appearing on the software starting. Use the Back button to make it appear, unless you are on the ‘Welcome to TAZ connection wizard’ frame (in which case you must click on the Next button).
Note : if your computer does not connect to the Internet through a proxy, you can directly click on the Next button to choose a login.
Filling the general proxy information
i. If you are behind a proxy, check the box I have a SOCKS4, SOCKS5 or Squid proxy server. The Address and Port fields and the box Authenticate by password should get enabled.
ii. Enter the name or the IP of the proxy server you use in the IP field, and the port of connection in the Port field. For example, if your proxy server is located at 192.168.1.2:8080, enter 192.168.1.2 in the IP field and 8080 in the Port field.
Filling the proxy authentification information
i. If your proxy requires you to provide a login/password, check the box Authenticate by password. The User and Password fields should get enabled.
ii. Enter the login and password given by the person in charge of your network in the Login and Password fields.
Once this has be done, you can click on the Next button to choose a login.
4 Choosing a login
When connecting to a TAZ-E, you need to have a login, which is the name under which you are known as to other users. A login cannot be used by several people at the same time, thus an error message will appear if you choose the same login as somebody else.
You can create a profile in order to register your login. That way you are sure nobody is going to use it.
4.1 Registering a login (optional)
When launching the software, follow the wizard’s instructions until you arrive to the frame called ‘Profile creation’, or if it begins with the ‘Enter your login’ frame, click on the Back button.
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The profile
creation window
Registering the login
i. Select the option Yes, I want to create a profile and click on the Next button.
ii. In the Login field, enter the login you wish to register. This is the name under which you will be visible to other people.
iii. In the Password field, enter the password you wish to associate with your login (so that other people can not use your login).
iv. Enter again your password in the Confirmation field, to make sure you did not mistyped it in the first place.
v. Enter your e-mail address in the E-mail field. This will only be occasionally used to post news about TAZ-E (new releases etc). Click on the Next button, which will bring the second profile creation frame.
Filling the profile
i. Enter your first and last name in the First name and Last name fields.
ii. Enter your company name in the Company field.
iii. Enter your occupation in the Status field.
iv. If you have questions or suggestions, you can type them in the Question / Suggestion field.
4.2 Entering the login
When launching the software, follow the wizard’s instructions until you arrive to the frame called ‘Enter your login’ or, if you were registering your login, simply click on the Next button. The following window then appears :
The login selection window
Entering the login
i. If you have previously registered your login, the Login and Password fields are already filled in. Otherwise, enter your login in the Login field and, if this is a registered login, the password matching this login in the Password field.
ii. Check the option Remember password if you want the software to remember your login and password so that you do not have to type them every time. Do not check it if other people have access to your computer and you do not want them to be able to use your registered login.
iii. Click on the Next button.
To create a TAZ-E, you must choose the option ‘I want to create a new TAZ’ in the connection wizard, and then click on Next.
The TAZ-E create/join window
The frame ‘Create a new TAZ’ then appears :
The ‘Create a new TAZ’ window
Here are the various fields for this window :
· TAZ : The name identifying the TAZ you want to create.
· Password : The password associated with the TAZ you want to create. The users wishing to join your TAZ will have to provide this password. Note that you do not have to provide one, in which case there will not have access restrictions to your TAZ.
· Confirmation : The confirmation for the password given in the previous field, to ensure you did not mistyped.
· Description : This description will appear to the user in the list of the current TAZs when they ask to join an existing TAZ.
6 Joining a TAZ-E
To join a TAZ-E, you must choose the option ‘I want to join an existing TAZ’ in the connection wizard, and then click on Next.
The TAZ-E create/join window
The frame ‘Join an existing TAZ’ then appears :
The ‘Join a new TAZ’ window
This frame contains on the left side a list of the currently opened TAZs and on the right side the description of the currently selected TAZ.
Those are the displayed details :
·
Creator :
The TAZ creator’s login.
·
Creation date :
The date and time at which the TAZ was created.
·
Password :
Whether a password is required to join the TAZ.
·
Description :
The description entered by the TAZ creator.
7 Being in a TAZ-E
Once the connection parameters have been entered and checked by the authentication module, you enter the TAZ-E and the main window appears. Here a description of the main window, per zones :
A screenshot from the TAZ-E Agent main window
i.
The menubar : contains the various
TAZ-E menus.
ii.
The toolbar : provides a quick
access to useful commands.
iii.
The files frame, which shows the
files shared in the TAZ-E and the transfer information.
iv.
The users frame, which shows who
is in the TAZ-E.
v.
The chatroom frame, that allows
you to talk with other people in the TAZ-E.
vi.
The statusbar, which provides help
and various informations.
7.1 Publishing a file
Once a file is added to the TAZ-E, it is automatically retrieved by all the users. Here are the different ways to add a file in the TAZ-E :
Adding a file using the menubar
i. Go to menu File and choose the submenu Add a file. A standard file selection window appears.
ii. Select the file you wish to add to the TAZ-E and click on OK.
Adding a file using the toolbar
i.
Click on the 
button
in the toolbar. A standard file selection window appears.
ii. Select the file you wish to add to the TAZ-E and click on OK.
Adding a file using drag-and-drop
i. Open a standard Windows Explorer window.
ii. Drag-and-drop the file you wish to add to the TAZ-E from Windows Explorer to your TAZ-E’s window.
Note : if you attempt to add a file that has the same name as one already in the TAZ-E, a window will pop up to ask you to enter a new name for the file you want to add.
7.2 Understanding the file transfer information
The files frame is a list of item organized horizontally which shows what are the files shared in the TAZ-E and corresponding the transfer information. Here is a description of the fields related to the transfer information :
· Filename : Name identifying the file in the TAZ-E. Double-click it if you want to launch the matching file.
· Publisher : Name of the person that published this file.
· Status : General status of the file over the network. Can be one of the following values :
o <empty> : This file is synchronized and is not being transferred to anyone.
o OUTDATED : Your agent knows that this file is out of date and thus needs to be downloaded (you may need to click on the Update button or on the Auto update button).
o SYNCIN : Your agent is retrieving the latest version of this file.
o SYNCOUT (n) : Several agents are synchronizing on your version of the file, which is the latest. The number n shows how many transfers are in progress for this file.
o REMOVED : This file has been removed from the TAZ-E by its owner.
o LOCKED : This file is locked by somebody else, you cannot edit it.
o OPENED : This file is opened by you and cannot be edited by the other users until you click on the Unlock button.
· Progress : Shows the current progress of the transfer(s), in percent. Not shown if the file’s status is <empty>.
· Speed : Shows the mean transfer speed in kilobytes per second (KB/sec). This speed is calculated since the beginning of the transfer. Not shown if the file’s status is < empty >.
· Remaining time : Estimates the time until the transfer’s end, in hours, minutes and/or seconds. Not shown if the file’s status is <empty>.
· Transferred / total : Shows the transferred size in kilobytes (KB) on the left of the slash (‘/’) and the total size of the transfer in kilobytes on the right. Note that the total size is the original size of the file multiplied by the number of transfers for this file (example : if your file sizes 100KB and they are 4 transfers for it, the value appearing in field Transferred / total will be xxx / 400KB).
· Size : Shows the file’s size in kilobytes (KB).
· Connection : This information reports whether the transfer is Direct or passing through a intermediary.
7.3 Talking to other people
The chatroom frame
TAZ-E enables you to talk with the people of your TAZ-E. The chatroom frame is located in the bottom right corner of the window. When you type in a sentence, everybody in the TAZ-E will receive it, and can answer to you.
i. Click on the textbox next the Write button in the chatroom frame. The cursor should be blinking in this box.
ii. Type in your text.
iii. Click on the Write button on hit the Return key.
8 TAZ-E Backup
TAZ-E Backup is a special type of TAZ-E with added features, dedicated to file backup and file synchronization over several devices of one single registered user. The TAZ-E created with the TAZ-E Backup agent is a strictly private zone and bears the name (login) of its creator.
8.1 Backup Use Case
The registered user is given a certain (limited) amount of disk space on a remote server on which he/she can upload, download any data with respect to the upload limit.
The server operates as a TAZ-E user that would be always online and using the auto-update mode.
The user also has the possibility of removing any file from the backup zone.
8.2 Synchronization Use Case
Another use case of the TAZ-E Backup is to synchronize data over several personal devices : for instance, a user may transfer automatically data from his/her work PC to his/her home PC or PDA.
9 Feedback
Should you have any problem or question about TAZ-E, we would be glad to help as much as we can. To contact us, simply write to support@l2t.com. For business issues, please write to sales@l2t.com. We always try to reply as soon as possible.
Also note that the latest TAZ-E versions and news can be found on http://www.taz-e.com.
