----------------------------------------------------------------------- Installing and Configuring the NMPı on a Windows for Workgroups Network ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This document is a short installation guide to installing the NMPı on a Windows for Workgroups network. We have attempted to make the installation instructions in this document as brief as possible without leaving out important operational details. If you require further information on the installation of your NMPı ----------- Assumptions ----------- Some of the procedures outlined in this document require you to edit files with an ASCII editor, such as DOS' EDIT or Windows' NOTEPAD. Some procedures may require you to copy files or perform other light DOS or Windows tasks. This document assumes that you are reasonably familiar with these types of computer tasks. If you feel you need a little refreshing or instruction in the previous topics, please refer to the DOS and Windows User's Manuals or on-line HELP. ----------------------------------- NMPı Installation and Configuration ----------------------------------- For a network that utilizes only WFW networking for all network services (see INTRODUCTION below) perform the following steps. The PC that where the installation is performed should be in DOS or should be in a DOS window in Windows. 1. Insert the NMPı Program & Utilities diskette in the appropriate diskette drive on the PC with the modem that will serve as the NMPı communication server. After inserting the diskette change to that drive and type INSTALL. 2. The installation program will ask if this is a First Time Installation or an Upgrade to an Existing Installation. Choose First Time Installation. 3. The installation program will ask for a network type. Choose NETBIOS Compatible Network (Datagram Services) if you are using the NetBEUI protocol. Choose NetWare Lite if you are using the IPX/SPX protocol. 4. The installation program will ask where to install the files. a. First it asks for the destination of the NMPı program files. Choose the default location which is C:\NMP2. b. Next the installation program asks for the location of the USER files. Specify a location that is accessible to all users. If this PC's drive is not shared over the network or if there is no location that is accessible to all users, simply specify a local directory, like C:\NCSI. c. Next the installation program asks for the location of the SUPERVISOR files. Specify the SAME LOCATION as the NMPı files. If C:\NMP2 was chosen for the NMPı program files, choose the same location. The installation program now copies the files from the diskettes to the specified destinations. 5. The installation program asks you to hit ENTER after copying the files. Hit ENTER. It next asks if you would like to choose the LONG procedure or the SHORT procedure. Choose the SHORT procedure. If you choose the LONG procedure there will be additional port parameters that can be adjusted. Refer to the NMPı User's manual for further information. 6. The installation program next wants to know which COM port the modem is attached to. In general this is COM1 or COM2. If you know the COM port, specify it by highlighting the correct entry and pressing ENTER. If you do not know the COM port the modem is attached to, try looking at the cable from the modem to the computer. At the point the cable attaches to the computer will be a connector with either 9 pins or 25 pins. The 9 pin connector is approximately 3/4 to 1 inch wide by about 1/2 inch thick. The 25 pin connector is approximately 1 3/4 to 2 inches wide by about 1/2 inch thick. If the connector is nine pin, the modem is PROBABLY connected to COM1. If the connector is 25 pin, the modem is PROBABLY connected to COM2. Some computers do not necessarily use a 9 pin connector for COM1 and a 25 pin connector for COM2, but the connector should always be either 9 pin or 25 pin. If a custom COM port is used for COM3 or COM4, you will need to refer to your COM card documentation for the IRQ and I/O address of the custom COM port. In general COM3 uses IRQ 4 & I/O 3E8h, and COM4 uses IRQ 3 and I/O 2E8h. Specify these numbers in the Custom COM Port setting in the installation program. If you test the NMPı and it doesn't work and you suspect the COM port setting, simply change it to the other setting and try again. 7. The installation program asks if you would like to TEST THE NMP2 NOW. Choose NO. The program will then exit. -------------------------------------------------------- Configuring the NMPı Server and NCSI Client Workstations -------------------------------------------------------- On both the NMPı server workstation and the NCSI client workstations, make the following changes 1. In the workstation that will host the NMP, go to the WINDOWS directory. If there is no file named WINSTART.BAT, create one. If one already exists, edit it. Insert the line NMP. Insert a second line, NCSI -w. This will start the NMP and NCSI when Windows is loaded. NCSI services will only be available to Windows applications. If you wish to use NCSI services with an application in a DOS session under Windows, do not load NCSI from WINSTART. Refer to the text file on Windows and NCSI, and determine how to load NCSI on your system. Edit SYSTEM.INI and find the line that says COMnAutoAssign=value, where n is the COM port the modem is attached to, and value is some number, and change the value from whatever it is to 1. For example, if your modem is on COM1, find COM1AutoAssign=value and change it to COM1AutoAssign=1. If it already says COM1AutoAssign=1, leave it alone. 2. In the WINDOWS directories of workstations that will use the NMP, create or edit WINSTART.BAT. Insert NCSI -w. This will start NCSI when Windows is loaded. Again, NCSI services will only be available to Windows applications. If you wish to use NCSI services with an application in a DOS session under Windows, do not load NCSI from WINSTART. Refer to the text file on Windows and NCSI, and determine how to load NCSI on your system. 3. Edit SYSTEM.INI and change the line NetHeapSize=12 (or whatever the number happens to be) to NetHeapSize=45. 4. In WFW, click on the Network Setup icon and click on the Drivers button. Highlight the MS-NetBEUI protocol and click the Setup button. Change the maximum NCBS from 12 or 13 to 60. Change the maximum Sessions from 12 or 13 to 60. 5. If you wish to use the NMP with Windows applications that do not specifically support NCSI, you may wish to set up NCSIport at this time. Refer to the text file for NCSIport and follow the setup instructions. 6. Exit WFW and reboot. Everything should operate normally at this point. Start WFW and use your NCSI compatible application. You should be able to use the NMPı without difficulty. ------------------------------------- A Word about Third Party Applications ------------------------------------- Most commercial applications support NCSI. Even though NPC has worked closely with applications designers over the years, programmers are free to implement NCSI support in a variety of ways. Most applications that support NCSI put the NCSI-connection selector in the same spot as the COMn port selectors. For example, if a list is presented of available connection devices, it might look like this: COM1 COM2 COM3 COM4 NCSI/NASI INT14 The NCSI/NASI selection is the correct choice (NASI is the name of the software NPC licensed to Novell). Generally after choosing NCSI or NCSI/NASI, a dialog box will appear asking you to configure the ports or services you want to connect to. The "ports" or "services" are the names given the NMPı server ports. If it has not been changed, the NMPı port is called PORT (strangely enough). You can check your port names by using the utility CLIST and typing CLIST /A in DOS while the server is running. Some applications, like BTTY, make you type commands to connect to ports. In BTTY the command to connect to a port called PORT would simply be: CONNECT PORT -------------------- Advanced Information -------------------- ----- The client workstation interface, NCSI (Network Communication Services Interface), needs to be loaded on every workstation that requires access to the communication server. NCSI does not need to be loaded on the NMPı communication server unless it needs to use it's modem also. There are several ways to load NCSI on a WFW workstation. For further information, consult the text file on Windows and NCSI. ----- The PROTOCOL.INI file in the \WINDOWS sub-directory contains information for binding protocols to the network adapter installed in a workstation. It is necessary to bind NETBEUI to LANA0. In the [NETWORK.SETUP] section there will be several entries that start with LANA and then a number, like LANA0, LANA1, etc. After LANA0 there will be an = sign and then some network adapter indication and at the end of the line the protocol bound to that LANA. MS$NETBEUI should be bound to LANA0. If it is not, swap it with another binding protocol. In the [NETBEUI] or [MS$NETBEUI] section add a line LANABASE=0 if one does not already exist. If a LANABASE entry already exists make sure it is equal to 0. ----- Error 58 The network has responded incorrectly. This message occurs when using the NET START NETBEUI command and the WFW network is configured to include support for IPX/SPX Compatible Transport with NetBIOS or TCP/IP. To solve this problem run NETWORK SETUP from within WFW and remove the IPX/SPX Compatible Transport with NetBIOS protocol or TCP/IP, or do not do a NET START NETBEUI and load NCSI via WINSTART or in a DOS session. Exit WFW and reboot the PC for the changes to take effect. ----- Occassionally the COMnAutoAssign=1 operates differently than anticipated. Changing this value modifies when (or if) Windows will inspect physical COMn port hardware. If you experience trouble, change the setting to COMnAutoAssign=0. ------------------------ Introduction to the NMPı ------------------------ The Network Modem Program, Second Generation, or NMPı, allows you to use a modem connected to one workstation from another workstation on a LAN. The NMPı consists of two primary parts: the NMPı communication server; and the Network Communication Services Interface (NCSI) client program. The NMPı is the communication server software. It is run on the PC that has the modem that will be shared by the other workstations. NCSI is the client software. NCSI is run on each workstation that wants to use the shared modem. If there is someone using the workstation with the modem, and they too want to use the modem, then they too will need to load NCSI. NCSI and the NMPı operate as a team. The NMPı handles the modem side, and NCSI handles the client workstation side. NCSI and the NMPı talk to each other using the network. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction to the Windows for Workgroups Network Operating System ------------------------------------------------------------------- Windows for Workgroups (WFW) can be used with many different network operating systems (NOS). When WFW is used with it's own built-in networking capabilities only, it is a NetBIOS type of network. WFW networking is quite similar to Microsoft's LAN Manager, another NetBIOS type network. Most NetBIOS types of networks have certain features in common. In general, a NetBIOS type of network requires some configuration for proper performance. WFW, when utilizing it's own integrated networking, is no exception. You can tell if a WFW network is running using it's own integrated NOS (and no other NOSs) by checking which programs execute before WFW loads. When WFW is installed, it adds the line NET START to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file on that workstation. The NET START command partially starts the WFW NOS. After the NET START command is issued generally WFW is started by the command WIN (just like regular Windows). Typing WIN starts the rest of the networking and the graphical portion of Windows. If the default installation has been changed a user might actually manually type NET START and then WIN instead of NET START being automatically issued in AUTOEXEC.BAT. Keep in mind that some installations start WFW networking by issuing the command NET START WORKSTATION, NET START NETBEUI, or NET START FULL instead of simply NET START. When WFW is used in conjunction with another NOS, like NetWare or LAN Manager, different programs are executed in addition to NET START. For NetWare 3.11, IPX and NETX are run. For NetWare 3.12, LSL, MLID, IPXODI, and NETX are run. for NetWare 4.x, LSL, MLID, IPXODI, and VLM are run. For LAN Manager, normally a NET START WORKSTATION is done and then a LOAD NETBEUI. --------------------- Trademark Information --------------------- NMPı is a trademark of Network Products Corporation. NCSI and Network Modem Program, Second Generation are registered trademarks of Network Products Corporation. Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. NetWare is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc.