If you've ever worked in a tech support position, you've probably learned to dread being assigned weekend help desk coverage. You're given a pager and have to carry a cell phone and lug a laptop around with you all weekend. It can certainly cramp your style. Fortunately, I discovered a more portable alternative, using my iPAQ Pocket PC and a few other items.

Your Pocket PC and a few other items

I used the following items in the system I'm going to describe. You won't be able to use the Sierra Wireless card described in point 2 with Casio or HP Pocket PCs. Additionally, the step-by-step instructions that follow may change slightly if you attempt this with another type of Pocket PC.

1. An iPAQ 3600 or 3100 series Pocket PC with a PC Card, Dual PC Card or CF Expansion Pack. (Note: I tested this scenario with a PC Card Expansion Pack. There are a number of different ways to connect to a corporate network. I will be describing only one of them.)
2. Sierra Wireless Aircard 400 Ricochet 128k card with the necessary Ricochet wireless service (recommended) or any 802.11b wireless LAN connection. I have tested this with the Cisco Aironet 340 family of products as well.
3. Microsoft Terminal Server client, downloadable for free from Microsoft (www.microsoft.com/mobile/downloads/ts-final.asp). [Note: I have not tested the Citrix ICA client, available at www.citrix.com/download/bin/license.asp?client=ce]
4.  JS Landscape or the Nyditot Virtual Display.
5. JS Landscape (www.jimmysoftware.com/Software/Landscape2/index.html)
6. Nyditot Virtual Display (www.nyditot.com).
7. (Optional) VPN Software from Movian (www.movian.com).