Sending Nokia Ringing Tones and Graphics   

You can use SMS Gateway to send Ringing Tones and Graphics to Nokia handsets that support these special "Smart" message types. 

The first step is to compose the binary data that represents the Ringing Tone or Graphic you wish to send. There are a number of shareware and commercial utilities available to create the binary information, however most of these utilities also include an SMS header in the data they create, this is so a user can simply use a terminal program (such as Windows HyperTerminal) and "paste" the data through to a GSM Modem/Handset for sending.

As SMS Gateway is responsible for managing all SMS headers and communications with the GSM Modem/Handset, this header information needs to be stripped away so that just the actual message content remains. To assist with identifying the message data, an explanation of how the data is formatted is provided below.

A "Smart" message always consists of two components, a "NarrowBand Sockets (NBS)" header and an "Over The Air (OTA)" instruction. The NBS Header identifies the type of instruction that follows using a "Port" number, this is a similar concept to Ports in TCP/IP. The OTA Instruction contains the actual Ringing Tone or Graphic information. Below is a simple Ringing Tone message that contains both the NBS Header and OTA instruction, followed by an explanation of the fields.

06050415811581024A3A4004000D10A30430C2D4350000

NBS Header

OTA Instruction

So, every Ringing Tone or Graphic message will begin with "060504", followed by two port numbers, a list of common port numbers is below (there are many others defined):

Here are two sample messages, which you can send using SMS Gateway:

[Scatman Ringing Tone]
06050415811581024A3A5D4D8D85D1B585B80400B524718720428718
720428718A2644908289452422A26C49082894127184205D840AA250
4906289C52422A25049C810617610210A289912420A2504906289C52
422A25049A8908956102A89412418A2714908A894127204187187204
28718720428718A2644908289452422000

[Simpsons CLI Logo]
0605041583158300480e013FF00110005B0001E87FF802A801A50002
1C3FF80C4701010004087FF808010081001C043FF008150081001304
7E10183F0058803A847DF030490064802C9C7E501855002D80473C3A
D0082A805840421839B005010060C04930105005BE00422032201A10
076200 46600C4009E001BB003B900840042000960001080EA0

Once you have created the message data, you need to set fields in the SMS Header that tell the receiving device (Nokia Handset) that the message contains special instructions, so that rather than attempting to simply display the message on the screen, it will process it in the intended manner. The fields that need to be set correctly are:

SMS Gateway supports manipulation of all fields within the SMS header either on a per message basis, or as defaults for all messages. 

If using the SMS Messenger demonstration application, then you can easily set the required fields from the user interface, a screenshot showing how the "Scatman" Ringing Tone should be sent is provided below.

If using the Command Line Interface (CLI), then you can set the fields using the provided CLI switches and parameters. Below is the CLI command for sending the "Scatman" Ringing Tone:

sms_gateway -send -dest "0123456789" -dcs 21 -udhi -msg "060504
15811581024A3A5D4D8D85D1B585B80400B524718720428718720428718A264
4908289452422A26C49082894127184205D840AA2504906289C52422A25049C
810617610210A289912420A2504906289C52422A25049A8908956102A894124
18A2714908A89412720418718720428718720428718A2644908289452422000"

If you want to set SMS Gateway to send all messages as "Smart" messages, then you can set the required fields for all messages in the "Default Message Attributes" form, as shown below.

Further information about Nokia Smart Messaging can be found at: http://www.forum.nokia.com/main/1,6668,1_2,00.html

Sending vCards to Nokia handsets   

Sending vCards uses the same process as Ringing Tones and Graphics, so reading the Sending Nokia Ringing Tones and Graphics section first will provide background to the Nokia "Smart" messaging protocols.

[Sample vCard]
040402E2E2424547494e3a56434152440d0a5645525349f44e3a322e
310d0a4e3a536d6974683b4d696b650d0a54454c3b505245463a2b35
353531323334350d0a454e443a56434152440d0a

NBS Header

The OTA Instruction is simply a HEX representation of the ASCII vCard content, eg:

If using the SMS Messenger demonstration application, then you can easily set the required fields from the user interface, a screenshot showing how the sample vCard should be sent is provided below.

If using the Command Line Interface (CLI), then you can set the fields using the provided CLI switches and parameters. Below is the CLI command for sending the sample vCard:

sms_gateway -send -dest "0123456789" -dcs 21 -udhi -msg "040402
E2E2424547494e3a56434152440d0a5645525349f44e3a322e310d0a4e3a536
d6974683b4d696b650d0a54454c3b505245463a2b35353531323334350d0a45
4e443a56434152440d0a"

Further information about Nokia Smart Messaging can be found at: http://www.forum.nokia.com/main/1,6668,1_2,00.html

Do I need to have the Nokia Cellular Data Suite to use SMS Gateway with Nokia Handsets   

This depends on what handset device you use. Many lower cost Nokia handsets do not natively support the SMS protocols, so you need to use the Cellular Data Suite (CDS) to translate the proprietary x/BUS to the ETSI protocols. You use the CDS which creates a Virtual COM port, and this is used by SMS Gateway, rather than the actual port to which the handset is connected. 

More advanced Nokia handsets do not need the CDS, these include the 7110, 8850, 8250, 6210.

How many messages per minute can I send using SMS Gateway   

The throughput for Mobile Originate SMS, as used by SMS Gateway is approximately 1 message every 3-6 seconds, so the equates to around 10 messages per minute.

This throughput is not a limitation of SMS Gateway, but rather the GSM network. You can achieve greater throughput by running multiple instances of SMS Gateway, see Can I run multiple copies of SMS Gateway on a single PC for further info.

Can I use a standard telephone line modem or Internet connection with SMS Gateway   

No, SMS Gateway uses the GSM Mobile Originate (MO) and Mobile Terminate (MT) protocols for sending and receiving SMS messages, so it needs to communicate directly with a GSM network via a GSM "Modem" or handset. Examples of suitable devices are provided on the Hardware page of our web site.

The use of these protocols by SMS Gateway has the following advantages:

• Ability to receive SMS Messages on a PC as well as send
• Access to advanced SMS facilities such as UDHI and DCS fields for sending of "Smart" messages such as Ringing Tones and Graphics, and control of Message Waiting Indicators (MWI) for individual visual notifications of Voicemail, Fax and Email
• Fast message throughput, as there is no modem dialling time.

Can SMS Gateway run as a Windows Service   

Yes, SMS Gateway can be implemented as a Service under NT4.0 and Windows2000. This is achieved using the "Srvany.exe" and "Instsrv.exe" utilities provided in the Windows Resource Kit. You need to purchase the Windows Resource Kit for your operating system to gain access to these utilities.

The steps below detail how to implement a single SMS Gateway instance as a service, using the standard installation directories and drive letters on a Windows2000 Professional Operating System. If you have installed SMS Gateway on a drive other than "C:" or a directory other than "C:\Program Files\GPA_Technology\SMS Gateway", then you will need to change the fields below to match your system. If you are using Windows NT4.0, then you follow the same procedure.

Step 1

• Copy "Instsrv.exe" into your "C:\WinNt\System32" directory
• Copy "Srvany.exe" into "C:\Program Files\GPA_Technology\SMS Gateway"

Step 2

• Open a Windows Command prompt session in the SMS Gateway Working Directory, and enter the following command:
  instsrv sms_gateway "C:\Program Files\GPA_Technology\SMS Gateway\srvany.exe"
  
• This should result in a "SUCCESS" message, as shown below.

Step 3

• Launch the Windows Registry editor, with the following command:    Regedit /v
• Look for the "sms_gateway" entry under the following location: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services" and highlight it by selecting it with the mouse
• Create a new Key under "sms_gateway" called "Parameters" by selecting "Edit => New => Key" from the menu bar
• Select the newly created Parameters entry so that it is highlighted
• Create a new String entry by selecting "Edit => New => String Value" from the menu bar
• Name the new String Value "Application"
• Right click on the "Application" entry, and select modify
• Enter in the text box the fully qualified path of the SMS Gateway executable:
  C:\Program Files\GPA_Technology\SMS Gateway\sms_gateway.exe
• Select again the Parameters entry so that it is highlighted
• Create a new String entry by selecting "Edit => New => String Value" from the menu bar
• Name the new String Value "AppDirectory"
• Right click on the "AppDirectory" entry, and select modify
• Enter in the text box the fully qualified path to the directory containing the SMS Gateway executable:
  C:\Program Files\GPA_Technology\SMS Gateway

Once this is complete, the entries in the registry editor should appear as per below, if correct then close the Registry editor.

Step 4

You now need to create an account for the SMS Gateway service to run under. While you could use an existing account, it is good practice to dedicate specific account for such purposes.

• Open the Windows User Administration utility by selecting "Start => Settings => Control Panel => Users and Passwords" from the Windows Start Menu.
• Press the Add... button
• Type in a new User name, eg "SMS_Gateway". Optionally enter a Full name and Description for the account then press the Next > button
• Type in a password for the account, confirm the password, then press the Next > button
• Grant the account "Standard user" access
• Press the Finish button

./SMS_Gateway -send -dest +00000000000 -msg \"This is a test\"

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/gpatechnology/smsgateway/

After issuing this command, run SMS Gateway as normal.