Thank you for trying ConMan: A Windows Network Connection Manager.

This is a pre-release alpha product.  As such it should not be used on systems containing unrecoverable critical data.  While its function is mostly non-intrusive (it writes to disk for its initialization file only), not enough testing has been done to date to determine how it will behave in varying environments.  So please exercise some caution and common sense while using this product.

Introduction:

The intent of this product is to provide a easy way for Windows users to access the features of their network without having to go through Microsoft's File Manager and Control Panel.  

The primary interface allows the user to easily make and break network connections.  It provides a list of the current connections and allows a user to store frequently used connection paths for quick access.  Secondarily, the interface provides access to the extended features that are built into some Windows network drivers.  


Use:

To use this product your network software must be loaded before you start Windows.  You must be running a Windows network driver that supports the Microsoft Windows Network interface specification (if it works with the File Manager and the Control Panel, you're okay).  You can run ConMan from the Program Manager by running it from the File/Run menu or by adding it to a group and double clicking on its icon.  Personally, I run it from the Tools menu in Metz TaskManager (or the ThreadZ TaskManager if you've upgraded).  ConMan will not load if your network is not running.  If this is the case, exit Windows and start your network software.  You will be greeted by a warning message, read it and click OK to run ConMan or Cancel to exit.  Your current network connections will be displayed on the right in the list box labeled "Current:".  If have no connections the list will be empty.  

The "Connect" button:
This button is used to connect to a network resource.  Select a device label from the "Redirect Device:" combo box.  The available drive letters are listed first followed by the available printer ports.  Enter a name of or path to the resource in the "Network Path:" edit.  If the resource requires a password, enter it in the "Password:" edit. Then click on the "Connect" button.  If the operation was successful, the device and resource name will appear in the "Current:" list box.  

The "Disconnect" button:
This button is used to disconnect from a network resource.  Select the resource you wish to disconnect from the "Current:" list box.  Then click on the "Disconnect" button.  If the operation was successful, the device and resource will be deleted from the list.

The "Add" button:
This button is used to add a network resource to the "Previous:" list.  Select the resource you wish to add from the "Current:" list box.  Then click the "Add" button.  If the operation was successful, the resource will be added to the "Previous:" list.  

The "Remove" button:
This button is used to remove a network resource from the "Previous:" list.  Select the resource you wish to remove from the "Previous:" list.  Then click on the "Remove" button.  If the operation was successful, the network resource will be removed from the "Previous:" list.

The "Browse" button:
This button is used to access the browse feature of you Windows network driver.  If "Browse" button is grayed, then this feature is not supported by your network driver.  The implementation of this feature varies from driver to driver.  The basic idea is to allow you to browse through a list or lists of network resources available to you on the network.  When you select a resource and click the OK button, the resource name will be inserted into the "Network Path:" edit.  Select a device label from the "Redirect Device:" combo box, enter a password if necessary then click the "Connect" button to connect to that device.  If the operation was successful, the device and resource name will appear in the "Current:" list box.  

Extended features:
Some Windows network drivers have extended functionality that you can access from system menu of ConMan.  From the system menu select "About Network...".  What happens next depends on your network driver.  If you're using msnet.drv, you will only get an about box.

Conclusion:
Well that's it for now.  This product works quite well with LanMan Basic and PC LAN using the msnet.drv.  The one Novell test site I have has problems from the beginning, but I don't think they're using the correct Windows drivers.  If somebody else can do some testing on Novell, I would be delighted.  

All feed back, good, bad or indifferent, is welcome.  Please tell me if it works, if its useful and if it makes sense.  It will be best to communicate through CompuServe.  My id is 72760,3023.

Bug List:
empty (for now)