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March 10th
1997

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CHAPTER 10

Network Hardware Drivers



This chapter includes a complete detailed description of each driver platform or standard. You should read only the sections on the platforms you will be using, for example, if you are using Ethernet cards, read the section on Ethernet Networks. In addition, if you wish to connect a laptop machine to your Ethernet-based network using the parallel port, you should also read the Parallel Port Networks section.

Arcnet Networks

This section gives a detailed explanation of how to install and configure an Arcnet-based network. You may require the Arcnet Cards User's Manual that is supplied with your Arcnet cards.

Before you can install ARCNET.COM, you must firstly set the following parameters in your DOSNET.INI file. All of these parameters are explained in detail in Chapter 17 "THE DOSNET.INI CONFIGURATION FILE".


     DOSNET.INI      Under Heading  
     parameters                     

    MachineNode=        [Setup]     
       Port=           [Arcnet-x]   
        IRQ=           [Arcnet-x]   
        DMA=           [Arcnet-x]   
    RetryCount=        [Arcnet-x]   

The x in [Arcnet-x] refers to the Arcnet card number. Normally, you only have a single Arcnet card installed in each machine, so x would represent the number 1 ([Arcnet-1]).

If you have two or more Arcnet cards installed, then x represents 1, 2, 3 or 4, depending on the number of Arcnet cards you have installed.

Once you have configured your Arcnet cards and set the parameters in your DOSNET.INI file, you can load the NETsOFT LAN Arcnet driver at the DOS command line by typing the following:


cd\dosnet
dosnet
arcnet

You may also include the Arcnet command in your NETSTART.BAT batch file.

Configuring your Arcnet cards

Before you can install the Arcnet cards in your machines, there are a number of hardware settings that you must configure:

Node Address. DMA Memory Segment. I/O Port Address Interrupt Request Line. ETS Setting The Topology

The node address

Arcnet cards have a 1-byte node address. This means that you can have a maximum of 255 possible addresses. The node address is set using dip switch settings that normally protrude through the rear expansion slot of your machine. This is to simplify changing the node address.

The address used by the Arcnet card must be the same as the station address used by NETsOFT LAN. This is assigned by setting the MachineNode= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file to your selected node address.

As the Arcnet driver loads, it reads the node address from the Arcnet card. If this address does not match the address used for the MachineNode= parameter, the Arcnet driver will display the correct dip switch setting for your Arcnet card's node address.

In Brief - Node addresses

  • Do not use node address 0 (all switches in the off position), as this is reserved for broadcast messages on Arcnet. In addition, most Arcnet cards are disabled by setting the node address to zero.

  • The node address must be within the range of 1 through 255 inclusive.

  • No two machines may have the same node address (each node address must be unique).

  • The node address used must be the same as that specified for the MachineNode= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading of [Setup].

  • When choosing your node addresses, use low address values. For example, set your main server's node address to 1, or if you have 10 machines using Arcnet cards, then use node addresses 1 through 10. This will improve the performance of your hardware by about 5%.

Arcnet DMA memory address

Each Arcnet card has a minimum of 2k RAM built-in. This is called a direct memory access (DMA) memory buffer. The location of the DMA memory may be changed using the jumpers or dip switches on the Arcnet card.

When selecting the DMA memory address (also known as the memory segment), you must make sure that the address does not conflict with other devices in memory. For example, shadow RAM, ROM, or the EMS page frame.

Below is a table showing the most common DMA memory segment addresses. Most Arcnet cards can use all of these addresses. Also shown is a Range column showing where the DMA memory ends.


 DMA Address       Range

    D000h          D07Fh
    D400h          D47Fh
    D800h          D87Fh
    C000h          C07Fh
    C400h          C47Fh
    CC00h          CC7Fh
    E000h          E07Fh

The default DMA memory address used by most Arcnet cards is D000h. This address is recommended because it rarely conflicts with other RAM or ROM.

In Brief - DMA memory segment

  • The DMA memory segment must not conflict with other RAM or ROM resources.

  • The DMA memory segment has a limited address range. If you cannot use any of the available addresses, try changing your systems configuration to make space for your Arcnet cards DMA memory segment.

  • If you use a memory manager, such as QEMM386.SYS or EMM386.EXE, you must exclude the Arcnet cards DMA memory segment from the memory manager's memory pool. This can be done by using the chart above to specify the start-and-end addresses that the memory manager should not use. This is normally done in the CONFIG.SYS file. For example:

    DEVICE=EMM386.EXE X=D000-D07F

    As you can see the X= parameter must be added to the memory manager's command line to exclude memory areas from the memory pool.

  • The address you select for the DMA memory segment must be the same as that used for the DMA= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading [Arcnet-1].

Arcnet I/O port address

The NETsOFT LAN Arcnet driver controls and communicates with Arcnet cards through an I/O port address. This address is normally configured (or selected) using the jumpers on the Arcnet card.

When you select the I/O port address (also known as the I/O Base Address), you must make sure that it does not conflict with any other device's I/O port address.

Below is a table showing the most common I/O port addresses. Most Arcnet cards can use all of the addresses shown. Also shown is a Range column showing the range of addresses used:


   I/O Port        Range
   Address

     260h           26Fh
     290h           29Fh
     2E0h           2EFh
     2F0h           2FFh
     300h           30Fh
     350h           35Fh
     380h           38Fh
     3E0h           3EFh


The default I/O port address used by most Arcnet cards is 2E0h. This address is recommended because it rarely conflicts with other device I/O port addresses.

In Brief - I/O port address

  • The I/O port address must not conflict with other device's I/O port addresses.

  • The I/O port addresses have a limited address range. If you cannot use any of the available addresses, you may need to re-configure or remove another device in your system.

  • The address you select for your I/O port address must be the same as that used for the Port= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading [Arcnet-1].

Arcnet interrupt request line

Arcnet cards are interrupt-driven, this means that they inform the system by way of an Interrupt Request when a network card event occurs (such as receiving a packet of data). The interrupt request line used by the Arcnet card is normally configured (or selected) using the jumpers on the Arcnet card.

When you select the interrupt request line (also known as the IRQ), you must ensure that it does not conflict with any other device's interrupt request line.

Arcnet PC/XT IRQ's

Below is a table showing all of the available interrupt request lines (IRQ's) on a PC or an XT (8 bit slot) machine. Also shown in the table is the normal purpose of the IRQ, and whether or not it may be used by an Arcnet card.
IRQPurposeAvailability of use by an Arcnet card
0System TimerMust not be used.
1KeyboardMust not be used.
2ReservedMay be used.
3Serial Port 2May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM2 port.
4Serial Port 1May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM1 port.
5Hard DriveMay be used if you do not have a Hard Disk installed.
6Floppy DriveMust not be used.
7Printer 1May be used, because LPT1 does not require an IRQ

The default interrupt request line used by most Arcnet cards is 2. This IRQ is recommended because it does not conflict with other device's interrupt request lines.

Arcnet PC/AT IRQ's

Below is a table showing all of the available interrupt request lines (IRQ's) on an AT or a 386 (16 bit slot) machine. Also shown is the normal purpose of the IRQ, and whether or not it can be used by an Arcnet card.
IRQPurposeAvailability of use by an Arcnet card
0System TimerMust not be used.
1KeyboardMust not be used.
2ReservedMust not be used.
3Serial Port 2May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM2 port.
4Serial Port 1May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM1 port.
5Printer 2May be used, because LPT2 does not require an IRQ.
6Floppy DriveMust not be used.
7Printer 1May be used, because LPT1 does not require an IRQ.
8Real Time ClockMust not be used.
9PC NetworkMay be used.
10ReservedMay be used.
11ReservedMay be used.
12ReservedMay be used.
13Co-ProcessorMust not be used.
14Hard DiskMay be used if you do not have a Hard Disk installed.
15ReservedMay be used.

The default interrupt request line used by most Arcnet cards for a 16 bit Arcnet card is 9. This IRQ is recommended because it does not conflict with other device's interrupt request lines.

In Brief - Interrupt request line

  • The selected interrupt request line (IRQ) must not be in use by another device.

  • IRQ's 8 through 15 are only available on 16 bit slot machines. Your Arcnet card must be a 16-bit card in order to use these high IRQ's.

  • The best values to use are 2 on a PC/XT, and 9 on a PC/AT.

  • The interrupt request line you select must be the same as that used for the IRQ= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading [Arcnet-1].

Arcnet Extended Time-out Setting (ETS)

Most Arcnet cards have an Extended Time-out Setting (ETS). Normally, you should not change this setting. The ETS setting controls the hardware timing delay used by the Arcnet card. All Arcnet cards on the network must have the same ETS setting.

This setting may be changed using the jumpers on most Arcnet cards. Below is a chart showing the available ETS settings:


 ETS Response
   Time (S)

      78
     285
     563
     1130

The default extended time-out setting used by most Arcnet cards is 78.

In Brief - Extended Time-out Setting (ETS)

  • All Arcnet cards on the network must use the same ETS setting.

  • In most cases, the best ETS setting to use is 78.

  • If you have a large Arcnet network, select a longer ETS setting.

Arcnet bus and star

There are two types of Arcnet cards, bus topology and star topology. The cards you select depend on your cabling layout and distances. Once selected, all of your Arcnet cards should use the same topology (i.e. do not mix star and bus cards on the same network unless you are using an active HUB).

Some Arcnet cards support both bus and star. These cards have additional jumpers that allow you to select the topology. If you have these cards make sure you set them to the same topology or the network will not work correctly.

In brief - Arcnet bus and star

  • Set all your cards to the same topology, (i.e. bus or star).

Installing two Arcnet cards in a machine

NETsOFT LAN allows up to four Arcnet cards to be installed in a single machine. The main reason for wanting to do this is to connect a star topology with a bus topology network (assuming you do not have an active HUB).

To do this, there must be a Router machine. This machine has two Arcnet cards installed. One is connected to the star network and the other is connected to the bus network. On the Router machine, you simply load the Arcnet driver twice and NETsOFT LAN does the rest.

Using this basic principle, you can connect Ethernet based networks to Arcnet based networks.

Ethernet Networks

This section gives a detailed explanation of how to install and configure an Ethernet based network. You may require your Ethernet Cards User's Manual that is supplied with your Ethernet cards.

There are a number of different Ethernet cards on the market. NETsOFT LAN supports most of these Ethernet cards, using either the ETHERNET.COM, SMC.COM drivers or a driver standard such as the Microsoft/3COM Network Driver Interface Specifications (NDIS), FTP Software's Packet Driver Specifications (FTP) or Novell's Open Datalink Interface standard (ODI).

This section discusses Ethernet hardware configurations in general. It may be possible to configure your hardware using a software set-up program. If not, you will have to configure it using the jumper settings on the Ethernet cards.

Once you have configured your Ethernet cards, you may load the Ethernet drivers. Because there are a number of different standards associated with Ethernet, each standard will be discussed separately.

Configuring your Ethernet cards

The following sections detail configuration settings that are common to all Ethernet cards. Some parameters may not be applicable to your particular Ethernet cards.

Node Address.

DMA Memory Segment.

I/O Port Address.

Interrupt Request Line.

The node address

Ethernet cards have a 6-byte node address. NETsOFT LAN converts this 6 byte node address to a single-byte node address. The Ethernet driver uses the MachineNode= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file, as the Ethernet card node address.

In Brief - Node addresses

  • You can set the node address by changing the MachineNode= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading of [Setup].

  • The node address must be within the range of 1 through 255 inclusive.

  • No two machines may have the same node address (each node address must be unique).

Ethernet DMA memory address

Some Ethernet cards have a shared memory mode. This memory is called a direct memory access (DMA) buffer. The location of the DMA buffer may be changed using the jumpers or dip switches on the Ethernet card.
NOTE If you are using NE1000 or NE2000 compatible Ethernet cards, you may ignore the DMA memory address settings, as these cards do not have a DMA memory address.
When selecting the DMA memory address (also known as the memory segment), you must ensure that the address does not conflict with other memory resources. For example, shadow RAM, ROM, or the EMS page frame.

Below is a table displaying the most common DMA memory segment addresses. Most Ethernet cards can use all the addresses. Also shown are two Range columns displaying where the DMA memory ends for Ethernet cards with 16k and 64k of memory respectively:


 DMA Address   Range for 16k   Range for 64k

    C000h          C3FFh           CFFFh
    C400h          C7FFh           D3FFh
    C800h          CBFFh           D7FFh
    CC00h          CFFFh           DBFFh
    D000h          D3FFh           DFFFh
    D400h          D7FFh           D3FFh
    D800h          DBFFh           E7FFh
    DC00h          DFFFh           EBFFh
    E000h          E3FFh           EFFFh
    E400h          E7FFh            N/A
    E800h          EBFFh            N/A
    EC00h          EFFFh            N/A

The default DMA memory address used by most Ethernet cards is C800h. This address is recommended because it rarely conflicts with other RAM or ROM.

In Brief - DMA memory segment

  • The DMA memory segment must not conflict with other RAM or ROM resources.

  • Some Ethernet cards have a limited range of DMA memory segment addresses. If you cannot use any of the available addresses, try changing your system's configuration to make space for your Ethernet card's DMA memory segment.

  • If you use a memory-manager, such as QEMM386.SYS or EMM386.EXE, you must exclude the Ethernet card's DMA memory segment from the memory manager's memory pool. You can do this by using the table above to specify the start-and-end addresses that the memory-manager should not use. This is usually done in the CONFIG.SYS file. For example:

    DEVICE=EMM386.EXE X=C800-CBFF

    As you can see, the X= parameter must be included on the memory manager's command line to exclude memory areas from the memory pool.

  • The address you select for the DMA memory segment must be the same as that used for the DMA= parameter, under the heading of [SMC-1] in the DOSNET.INI file if you are using SMC Ethernet cards.

  • If you are using the NDIS standard, this value must also be specified in the PROTOCOL.INI file. Your Ethernet cards User's Manual (and diskette) will detail the actual settings in the PROTOCOL.INI file required by your NDIS driver.

  • If you are using the ODI standard, this value must also be specified in the NET.CFG file. Your Ethernet cards User's Manual (and diskette) will detail the actual settings in the NET.CFG file required by your ODI driver.

Ethernet I/O port address

Ethernet software drivers control and communicate with Ethernet cards through an I/O port address. This address is normally configured (or selected) using the jumpers on the Ethernet card.

When you select the I/O port address (also known as the I/O Base Address), you must make sure that it does not conflict with any other device's I/O port address.

Below is a table showing the most common I/O port addresses. Most Ethernet cards can use most of the addresses shown in the table. Also shown in the table is a Range column showing the range of addresses used:


   I/O Port        Range
   Address

     200h           21Fh
     220h           23Fh
     240h           25Fh
     260h           27Fh
     280h           29Fh
     2A0h           2BFh
     2C0h           2DFh
     2E0h           2FFh
     300h           31Fh
     320h           33Fh
     340h           35Fh
     360h           37Fh
     380h           39Fh
     3A0h           3BFh
     3C0h           3DFh
     3E0h           3FFh

The default I/O port address used by most Ethernet cards is 300h. This address is recommended because it rarely conflicts with other device's I/O port addresses.

In Brief - I/O port address

  • The I/O port address must not conflict with other device's I/O port addresses.

  • Some Ethernet cards have a limited range of I/O port addresses. If you cannot use any of the available addresses, you may need to re-configure, or remove another device in your system.

  • The address you select as your I/O port address must be the same as that used for the Port= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file under the heading [Ethernet-1] for NE1000 or NE2000 compatible cards or under the heading [SMC-1] for SMC Ethernet cards.

  • If you are using the NDIS standard, this value must also be specified in the PROTOCOL.INI file. Your Ethernet cards User's Manual (and diskette) will detail the actual settings in the PROTOCOL.INI file required by your NDIS driver. This is usually specified using the IOBASE= keyword for NDIS drivers.

  • If you are using the ODI standard, this value must also be specified in the NET.CFG file. Your Ethernet cards User's Manual (and diskette) will detail the actual settings in the NET.CFG file required by your ODI driver. This is usually specified using the Port keyword for ODI drivers.

Ethernet interrupt request line

Ethernet cards are interrupt-driven, this means that they inform the system by way of an Interrupt Request when a network card event occurs (e.g. such as receiving a packet of data). The interrupt request line used by the Ethernet card is normally configured (or selected) using the jumpers on the Ethernet card.

When you select the interrupt request line (also known as the IRQ) you must ensure that it does not conflict with any other device's interrupt request line.

Ethernet PC/XT IRQ's

Below is a table showing all the available interrupt request lines (IRQ's) on a PC, or an XT (8 bit slot) machine. Also shown in the table is the normal purpose of the IRQ, and whether or not it can be used by an Ethernet card.
IRQPurposeAvailability of use by an Ethernet card
0System TimerMust not be used.
1KeyboardMust not be used.
2ReservedMay be used.
3Serial Port 2May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM2 port.
4Serial Port 1May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM1 port.
5Hard DriveMay be used if you do not have a Hard Disk installed.
6Floppy DriveMust not be used.
7Printer 1May be used, because LPT1 does not require an IRQ.

Ethernet PC/AT IRQ's

Below is another table showing all the available interrupt request lines (IRQ's) on an AT or a 386 (16 bit slot) machine. Also shown is the normal purpose of the IRQ and whether or not it can be used by an Ethernet card.
IRQPurposeAvailability of use by an Ethernet card
0System TimerMust not be used.
1KeyboardMust not be used.
2ReservedMust not be used.
3Serial Port 2May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM2 port.
4Serial Port 1May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM1 port.
5Printer 2May be used, because LPT2 does not require an IRQ.
6Floppy DriveMust not be used.
7Printer 1May be used, because LPT1 does not require an IRQ.
8Real Time ClockMust not be used.
9PC NetworkMay be used.
10ReservedMay be used.
11ReservedMay be used.
12ReservedMay be used.
13Co-ProcessorMust not be used.
14Hard DiskMay be used if you do not have a Hard Disk installed.
15ReservedMay be used.

The default interrupt request line used by most Ethernet cards is 3. This IRQ may conflict with your COM2 port's interrupt request line, so you may need to change it from IRQ3 to another.

In Brief - Interrupt request line

  • The selected interrupt request line (IRQ) must not be in use by another device. You may need to change the default from IRQ 3 to another, if you have a second serial port.

  • IRQ's 8 through 15 are only available on 16-bit slot machines. Your Ethernet card must be a 16-bit card to use these high IRQ's.

  • The best values to use are 2 on a PC/XT, and 9 on a PC/AT.

  • You must change the DOSNET.INI file parameter IRQ=, under one of the following headings (depending on which Ethernet standard you are using):

    [Ethernet-1][FTP-1][NDIS-1][SMC-1]

  • If you are using the NDIS standard, this value must also be specified in the PROTOCOL.INI file. Your Ethernet cards User's Manual (and diskette) will detail the actual settings in the PROTOCOL.INI file required by your NDIS driver. This is usually specified using the INTERRUPT= keyword for NDIS drivers.

  • If you are using the ODI standard, this value must also be specified in the NET.CFG file. Your Ethernet cards User's Manual (and diskette) will detail the actual settings in the NET.CFG file required by your ODI driver. This is usually specified using the Int keyword for ODI drivers.

Ethernet standards

There are several different Ethernet standards. Each standard has advantages and disadvantages, these are discussed briefly to begin with and then in more detail.

Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS)


Disadvantages

NDIS drivers tend to be slower than other drivers. They also require more memory (from 10-20k memory) and are cumbersome to install as they must be loaded from your CONFIG.SYS file.

The reason these drivers are bulky and slow is that the NDIS specification is rather complex. In addition, most of the code for these drivers is written in 'C' instead of machine code. These drivers tend to spend more time conforming to the NDIS specification, than in actually communicating.

Advantages

The main advantage of the NDIS standard is that it is supported by all Ethernet card manufacturers. The NDIS standard was jointly designed by 3COM Corporation and Microsoft Corporation.

FTP Software's PC/TCP Packet Driver Standard


Disadvantages

Packet Drivers are not supported directly by most manufacturers and may be hard to obtain for your particular Ethernet cards. Most packet drivers in the public domain are incomplete and do not work correctly.

Advantages

Packet Drivers are easy to install and require only about 4-5k of memory. If you plan to use the packet driver standard, try to obtain the driver developed by your network card's manufacturer, as these drivers will have been fully tested. These drivers also tend to be very fast as they are generally written in machine code.

The PC/TCP Packet Driver specification was developed by FTP Software, Inc.

SMC LMAC/UMAC Driver Specifications Standard


Disadvantages

This driver standard provides support for Western Digital or SMC's own Ethernet cards only. The drivers use approximately 8k of memory.

Advantages

This single driver is jointly developed by SMC and the designers of NETsOFT LAN. SMC develops the LMAC (Lower Media Access Control layer), and the NETsOFT LAN designers develop the UMAC (Upper Media Access Control layer). The two layers are then linked forming a single driver.

The main advantage of this standard is that SMC has fully tested the Lower MAC with all of their Ethernet cards.

Another good reason why NETsOFT LAN supports this standard is that the same driver will support the entire range of SMC's Ethernet adapters (more than 40 in total).

SMC also supply FTP, ODI and NDIS drivers with their Ethernet cards.

Novell's Open Datalink Interface (ODI)


Disadvantages

There are no disadvantages with the Novell ODI standard.

Advantages

The main advantage of the ODI standard is that it is supported by all Ethernet card manufacturers. The Multi Link Interface Drivers (MLID's) are written in machine code and tend to require about 4k of memory. The modules within the standard (LSL.COM and MLID drivers) may be loaded and unloaded on demand. The ODI standard was designed by Novell Corporation.

NETsOFT LAN's Advanced Transport Specifications (ATS)


Disadvantages

Regarding the ETHERNET.COM driver, the single disadvantage with this driver is that it supports only NE1000, or NE2000 compatible network cards. As most Ethernet cards have an NE1000, or NE2000 compatible mode, this is not really a major disadvantage.

Advantages

The ETHERNET.COM driver is faster than its counterparts, as it has been specifically designed to take full advantage of NETsOFT LAN's ATS standard. This driver requires about than 2k of memory (a fraction of its NDIS counterpart). This driver is also the easiest to install. You simply type ETHERNET.

All of the drivers supplied as part of the NETsOFT LAN operating system use the ATS standard as this standard is capable of talking directly to hardware and managing third party protocol stacks at the same time, as well as its invisible routing capabilities within the same system or network.

The ATS standard was designed by the designers of NETsOFT LAN.

Mixing Ethernet standards

With NETsOFT LAN, you can mix any of the above standards on the same network. This means you may have a mixture of old and new Ethernet cards, using different standards. NETsOFT LAN converts all of these standards to its own Advanced Transport Standard (ATS).

The Advanced Transport Standard conforms to the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard. Below is a chart showing the frame type that the NETsOFT LAN Advanced Transport Standard uses, when sending packets across the Ethernet hardware:


  Ethernet 802.3 Frame        Number Bytes
         Fields

   Destination Address             6

     Source Address                6

       Type - 4147                 2

          Data                  46-1500

NETsOFT LAN's Advanced Transport Standard ignores or chains (passes to the next protocol stack) any packets that are not of type 4147h (the frame type value may be changed in the DOSNET.INI file).

This means that NETsOFT LAN is capable of co-existing on the same wire (Ethernet cable) as other Ethernet network operating systems. It is assumed by NETsOFT LAN that any other protocol stacks (network systems) ignore NETsOFT LAN's Ethernet packets.

NETsOFT LAN's Ethernet installation

This section applies to Novell NE1000, and NE2000 compatible Ethernet cards. The NETsOFT LAN Ethernet driver (called ETHERNET.COM) automatically detects which type of card you are using.

Before you can install ETHERNET.COM, you must firstly set the following parameters in your DOSNET.INI file. All of these parameters are explained in detail in Chapter 17 "THE DOSNET.INI CONFIGURATION FILE".


     DOSNET.INI        Under Heading
     parameters

    MachineNode=          [Setup]
       Port=            [Ethernet-x]
        IRQ=            [Ethernet-x]

The x in [Ethernet-x] refers to the Ethernet card number. Usually, you have only a single Ethernet card installed in each machine, so x would represent the number 1 ([Ethernet-1]).

If you have two or more Ethernet cards installed, then x represents 1, 2, 3 or 4, depending on the number of Ethernet cards you have installed.

Once you have configured your Ethernet cards and set the parameters in your DOSNET.INI file, you may load the NETsOFT LAN Ethernet driver at the DOS command line by typing the following:


cd\dosnet
dosnet
ethernet

You may also include the Ethernet command in your NETSTART.BAT batch file.

Standard Microsystems Ethernet installation

This section applies to SMC and Western Digital Ethernet cards. The NETsOFT LAN SMC Ethernet driver (called SMC.COM) automatically detects which type of card you are using.

Before you can install SMC.COM, you must firstly set the following parameters in your DOSNET.INI file. All of these parameters are explained in detail in Chapter 17 "THE DOSNET.INI CONFIGURATION FILE".


     DOSNET.INI        Under Heading
     parameters

    MachineNode=          [Setup]
        DMA=              [SMC-x]
    DMAPageSize=          [SMC-x]
      DMASize=            [SMC-x]
        IRQ=              [SMC-x]
       Port=              [SMC-x]
      SlotNum=            [SMC-x]

The x in [SMC-x] refers to the SMC Ethernet card number. Usually, you have only a single SMC Ethernet card installed in each machine, so x would represent the number 1 ([SMC-1]).

If you have two or more SMC Ethernet cards installed, then x represents 1, 2, 3 or 4, depending on the number of SMC Ethernet cards you have installed.

Once you have configured your SMC Ethernet cards and set the parameters in your DOSNET.INI file, you can load the NETsOFT LAN SMC Ethernet driver at the DOS command line by typing the following:


cd\dosnet
dosnet
smc

You may also include the Ethernet command in your NETSTART.BAT batch file.

FTP Software's PC/TCP Ethernet installation

This section applies to users wishing to use the FTP Software's Packet Driver standard. To use this standard, you require the Packet Driver that is supplied with your Ethernet card. This may be found on your Ethernet card's software driver diskette.

Packet drivers are integrated into the NETsOFT LAN operating system by linking the FTP.COM driver to the packet driver (FTP.COM is the Upper MAC Layer and the Packet Driver is the Lower MAC Layer). The linkage procedure is done automatically by the FTP.COM driver.

To load packet drivers with NETsOFT LAN, you should always load the packet driver before the FTP.COM driver (which may only be loaded after the basic network has loaded).


Loading Packet Drivers  

      DOSNET.COM
        PKTDRVR
       FTP.COM

To configure your packet driver, you may require your packet driver's User's Manual. Most packet drivers require that you set the following parameters on the packet driver's command line:

Packet Driver's Software Interrupt Number

The packet driver's software interrupt number must be within the range of 60h through 80h inclusive (32 interrupts). The packet driver uses this interrupt to communicate with NETsOFT LAN. The default Interrupt number is 60h. If you are running software that uses Interrupt 60h, you may need to use a different software interrupt number.

I/O Port Address

This is the I/O port address that is used by the Ethernet network card.

Interrupt Request Line

This is the interrupt request line that is used by the Ethernet card, and has the same value specified for the IRQ= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading [FTP-1].

Other Command Line Parameters

Some packet drivers may also require that you use other parameters on the packet driver's command line. These will be detailed in the Packet Drivers User's Manual.

Before you can load FTP.COM, you must firstly set the following parameters in your DOSNET.INI file. All of these parameters are explained in detail in Chapter 17 "THE DOSNET.INI CONFIGURATION FILE".


     DOSNET.INI        Under Heading
     parameters

    MachineNode=          [Setup]
        IRQ=              [FTP-x]

The x in [FTP-x] refers to the Ethernet card number. Usually, you have only a single Ethernet card installed in each machine, so x would represent the number 1 ([FTP-1]).

If you have two or more Ethernet cards installed, then x represents 1, 2, 3 or 4, depending on the number of Ethernet cards you have installed.

Once you have configured your Ethernet cards, and set the parameters in your DOSNET.INI file, you can load the Packet Driver, and then FTP.COM driver at the DOS command line by typing the following:


cd\dosnet
dosnet
pktdrvr 0x300 0x03 0x60
ftp

You must replace the word pktdrvr with the actual filename of your packet driver, and specify the actual command line parameters for the packet driver.

You may also include the FTP.COM and Packet Driver commands in your NETSTART.BAT batch file.


NOTE The FTP.COM driver may display various error messages. These are all self-explanatory.
The FTP.COM driver only supports class 1 Ethernet Packet Drivers.

The FTP.COM driver only supports drivers that meet the Packet Driver Specifications Version 1.07 and higher (The current version is 1.09).

Microsoft/3COM NDIS installation

This section applies to users wishing to use the NDIS standard. To use this standard, you require the NDIS driver that is supplied with your Ethernet card. This may be found on your software driver diskette.

Before you can install the NDIS drivers, you must first copy your NDIS device driver and PROTOCOL.INI files from the driver diskette to the \DOSNET sub directory on your hard disk. You can copy these files using the following commands at the DOS prompt:


c:
cd\dosnet
copy a:\path\filename.DOS
copy a:\path\protocol.ini

You must replace \path\filename with the actual path and file name of your NDIS device driver.

There are five steps involved in the installation of an NDIS driver with NETsOFT LAN.

Configure the PROTOCOL.INI file.

Load the PROTMAN.DOS device driver.

Load the NDIS device driver.

Load NETsOFT LAN.

Load NDIS.COM.

PROTOCOL.INI

The PROTOCOL.INI file is supplied with your NDIS driver. It uses the same basic structure as the DOSNET.INI file. It also contains a header section, and a number of keynames and parameters. These parameters tell the NDIS driver which hardware settings the driver should use.

Below is a sample PROTOCOL.INI file that is supplied with the Microsoft NE2000.DOS NDIS device driver. This driver is available from Microsoft's bulletin board service.


   Sample PROTOCOL.INI file
 Microsoft NE2000 NDIS Driver

[NE2000]
IOBASE = 0x300
INTERRUPT = 3
DRIVERNAME = MS2000$

This sample file contains only four lines. The header is [NE2000]. It uses the keyname IOBASE= to specify the I/O port address used by the card. It uses the keyname INTERRUPT= to specify the Interrupt request line used by the card.

Finally it specifies the driver's DOS device name, which is MS2000$. Your particular PROTOCOL.INI file will include parameters and names specific to your particular Ethernet card.

PROTMAN.DOS

This file is the Microsoft/3COM Protocol Manager. It must be loaded from your CONFIG.SYS file before your Ethernet card's NDIS driver by using the following command:

device=\dosnet\protman.dos /i:\dosnet

The /I:\dosnet parameter must specify the directory name that contains the Protocol Managers overlay file PROTMAN.EXE.

PROTMAN.EXE

This file is the overlay file that is used by the PROTMAN.DOS Protocol Manager to read the parameters from your PROTOCOL.INI file, and pass them to your NDIS driver.

NE2000.DOS

This file is the actual NDIS device driver itself. Your NDIS driver's name will be different. All NDIS device drivers have an extension of .DOS or .OS2. You must use the driver with the extension .DOS.

The NDIS device driver must be loaded from your CONFIG.SYS file after the PROTMAN.DOS Protocol Manager device driver by using the following command:

device=\dosnet\protman.dos /i:\dosnet

device=\dosnet\ne2000.dos

NDIS.COM

This is the NDIS link driver. This driver will link to your particular NDIS device driver, completing the NDIS protocol installation.

Before you can load NDIS.COM, you must firstly set the following parameters in your DOSNET.INI file. All of these parameters are explained in detail in Chapter 17 "THE DOSNET.INI CONFIGURATION FILE".


     DOSNET.INI        Under Heading
     parameters

    MachineNode=          [Setup]
        IRQ=              [NDIS-x]

The x in [NDIS-x] refers to the Ethernet card number. Usually, you have only a single Ethernet card installed in each machine, so x would represent the number 1 ([NDIS-1]).

If you have two or more Ethernet cards installed, then x represents 1, 2, 3 or 4, depending on the number of Ethernet cards you have installed.

Once you have configured your Ethernet cards, and set the parameters in your DOSNET.INI file, you can load the network (e.g. DOSNET.COM), and then NDIS.COM at the DOS command line.

The following shows an example CONFIG.SYS file and NETSTART.BAT file:


 Sample CONFIG.SYS file parameters for the NDIS
                    standard

files=20
buffers=20
device=\dosnet\protman.dos /i:\dosnet
device=\dosnet\ne2000.dos

  Sample NETSTART.BAT
         file

cd\dosnet
dosnet
ndis

Novell ODI installation

This section applies to users wishing to use the ODI standard. To use this standard, you require the LAN driver (also known as the MLID driver) that is supplied with your Ethernet card. This may be found on your software driver diskette.

Before you can install the ODI drivers, you must first copy your ODI MLID device driver and NET.CFG files from the driver diskette to the \DOSNET sub directory on your hard disk. You can copy these files using the following commands at the DOS prompt:


c:
cd\dosnet
copy a:\path\filename.com
copy a:\path\net.cfg

You must replace \path\filename with the actual path and file name of your ODI MLID device driver.

There are five steps involved in the installation of an ODI driver with NETsOFT LAN.

Configure the NET.CFG file.

Load the LSL.COM link support layer.

Load the MLID device driver, e.g. NE2000.COM.

Load NETsOFT LAN.

Load ODI.COM.

NET.CFG

The NET.CFG file is supplied with your ODI driver. It uses the same basic structure as the DOSNET.INI file. It also contains a header section, and a number of keynames and parameters. These parameters tell the ODI driver which hardware settings the driver should use.

Below is a sample NET.CFG file for a Novell NE2000.COM MLID device driver.


     Sample NET.CFG file
   Novell NE2000 ODI Driver

Link Driver NE2000
     Frame Ethernet_II
     Int #1 3
     Port #1 300

This sample file contains only four lines. The header is Link Driver NE2000. It uses the keyname Frame to specifiy the frame type (which must be Ethernet_II for NETsOFT LAN).

It uses the keyname Port to specify the I/O port address used by the card. It uses the keyname Int to specify the interrupt request line used by the card.

You can edit the NET.CFG file using a text editor program such as EDIT.COM supplied with DOS, by typing the following at the DOS command line prompt:

EDIT \path\net.cfg

LSL.COM

This file is the Novell Link Support Layer. It must be loaded before your Ethernet card's MLID device driver using the following command:

LSL

NE2000.COM

This file is the actual MLID device driver itself. Your MLID driver's name may be different. All MLID device drivers have an extension of .COM or .EXE.

The MLID device driver must be after the LSL link support layer program by using the following command:

LSL

NE2000

ODI.COM

This is the ODI link driver. This driver will link to your particular MLID device driver, completing the ODI installation.

Before you can load ODI.COM, you must firstly set the following parameters in your DOSNET.INI file. All of these parameters are explained in detail in Chapter 17 "THE DOSNET.INI CONFIGURATION FILE".


     DOSNET.INI        Under Heading
     parameters

    MachineNode=          [Setup]
       BOARD=             [ODI-x]

The x in [ODI-x] refers to the Ethernet card number. Usually, you have only a single Ethernet card installed in each machine, so x would represent the number 1 ([NDIS-1]).

If you have two or more Ethernet cards installed, then x represents 1, 2, 3 or 4, depending on the number of Ethernet cards you have installed.

Once you have configured your Ethernet cards, and set the parameters in your DOSNET.INI file, you can load the network (e.g. DOSNET.COM), and then NDIS.COM at the DOS command line.

The following shows an example NETSTART.BAT file:


  Sample NETSTART.BAT
         File

cd\dosnet
lsl
ne2000
dosnet
odi

Parallel Port Networks

The parallel port driver is designed to connect a laptop, through its parallel port, to an Ethernet or Arcnet based network. It may be integrated in to any of the hardware platforms or even used on its own.

If you wish to connect two machines using a parallel cable, simply run the parallel cable between the two machines and load the parallel port driver on each machine.

If you wish to connect a laptop to an Ethernet or Arcnet based network using the parallel ports, simply connect the laptop's parallel port to one of your Ethernet or Arcnet based machine's parallel ports, and run the parallel driver on the laptop, and on the connecting machine.

Before you can install PARALLEL.COM, you must firstly set the following parameters in your DOSNET.INI file. All of these parameters are explained in detail in Chapter 17 "THE DOSNET.INI CONFIGURATION FILE".


     DOSNET.INI        Under Heading
     parameters

    MachineNode=          [Setup]
       Port=            [Parallel-x]
        IRQ=            [Parallel-x]

The x in [Parallel-x] refers to the parallel port number. Usually, you have only a single Parallel port installed in each machine, so x would represent the number 1 ([Parallel-1]).

If you have two or more parallel ports installed, then x represents 1, 2, 3 or 4, depending on the number of parallel ports you have installed.

Once you have configured your parallel ports, and set the parameters in your DOSNET.INI file, you may load the NETsOFT LAN parallel driver at the DOS command line by typing the following:


cd\dosnet
dosnet
parallel

You may also include the parallel command in your NETSTART.BAT batch file.

Configuring your Parallel ports

Before you can use your parallel network, there are three settings that must be configured:

Node Address.

I/O Port Address.

Interrupt Request Line.

The node address

Parallel ports do not use node addresses, unlike network cards. NETsOFT LAN assigns a logical node address to each machine that is connected by the parallel ports. This address may be assigned by setting the MachineNode= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file to your selected node address.

In Brief - Node addresses

  • The node address must be within the range of 1 through 255 inclusive.

  • No two machines may have the same node address (each node address must be unique).

  • To set the node address, simply change the MachineNode= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading of [Setup].

Parallel I/O port address

The NETsOFT LAN parallel driver controls and communicates with parallel ports through an I/O port address. On most parallel ports, this address is fixed. On some parallel ports, this address may be configured (or selected) using the jumpers on the parallel port card.

When you select the I/O port address (also known as the I/O Base Address), you must ensure that it does not conflict with any other device's I/O port address.

Below is a table displaying the most common I/O port addresses. Most parallel ports use one of these addresses:


   I/O Port
   Address

     378h
     278h
     3BCh

The default I/O port address depends on the type of machine, or display card, you are using.

In Brief - I/O port address

  • The I/O port address must not conflict with other device's I/O port addresses.

  • The address you select for your I/O port address must be the same as that used for the Port= parameter in theDOSNET.INI file, under the heading [Parallel-1].

  • The parallel port driver usually locates the I/O port address automatically.

Parallel interrupt request line

The parallel ports, when used with NETsOFT LAN are interrupt-driven. This means that they inform the system by means of an Interrupt Request when a parallel port event occurs (e.g. such as receiving a packet of data). The interrupt request line used by the Parallel port is normally fixed.

On some parallel ports, you can configure the interrupt request line. If you can select the interrupt request line (also known as the IRQ), you must ensure that it does not conflict with any other device's interrupt request line.

Parallel PC/XT IRQ's

Below is a table displaying all of the available interrupt request lines (IRQ's) on a PC or an XT (8 bit slot) machine. Also shown in the table is the normal purpose of the IRQ, and whether or not it may be used by a parallel port.
IRQPurposeAvailability of use by an Parallel Port
0System TimerMust not be used.
1KeyboardMust not be used.
2ReservedMay be used.
3Serial Port 2May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM2 port.
4Serial Port 1May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM1 port.
5Hard DriveMay be used if you do not have a Hard Disk installed.
6Floppy DriveMust not be used.
7Printer 1May be used.

The default interrupt request line used by most parallel port cards is 7. This IRQ is recommended because it does not conflict with other device's interrupt request lines.

Parallel PC/AT IRQ's

Below is a table that displays all of the available interrupt request lines (IRQ's) on an AT, or a 386 (16 bit slot) machine. Also displayed is the normal purpose of the IRQ, and whether or not it may be used by a parallel port.
IRQPurposeAvailability of use by an Parallel Port
0System TimerMust not be used.
1KeyboardMust not be used.
2ReservedMust not be used.
3Serial Port 2May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM2 port.
4Serial Port 1May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM1 port.
5Printer 2May be used. Normally for LPT2.
6Floppy DriveMust not be used.
7Printer 1May be used. Normally for LPT1.
8Real Time ClockMust not be used.
9PC NetworkMay be used.
10ReservedMay be used.
11ReservedMay be used.
12ReservedMay be used.
13Co-ProcessorMust not be used.
14Hard DiskMay be used if you do not have a Hard Disk installed.
15ReservedMay be used.

The default interrupt request lines used by most parallel ports is 7 for LPT1, and 5 for LPT2. These IRQ's are recommended because they do not conflict with other device's interrupt request lines.

In Brief - Interrupt request line

  • The selected interrupt request line (IRQ) must not be in use by another device.

  • The default values are normally 7 for LPT1 and 5 for LPT2.

  • The interrupt request line you select must be the same as that used for the IRQ= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading [Parallel-1].

Serial Port Networks

The serial port network is designed to connect a laptop through its serial port, to an Ethernet or Arcnet based network. It may be integrated into any of the hardware platforms, or even be used in isolation.

If you wish to connect two machines using a serial cable, simply run the serial cable between the two machines, and load the serial port driver on each machine.

If you wish to connect a laptop to an Ethernet or Arcnet based network using the serial ports, simply connect the laptop's serial port to one of your Ethernet or Arcnet based machine's serial port, and run the serial driver on the laptop and on the connecting machine.

Before you can install SERIAL.COM, you must firstly set the following parameters in your DOSNET.INI file. All of these parameters are explained in detail in Chapter 17 "THE DOSNET.INI CONFIGURATION FILE".


     DOSNET.INI        Under Heading
     parameters

    MachineNode=          [Setup]
       Port=             [Serial-x]
        IRQ=             [Serial-x]
       Speed=            [Serial-x]

If you are using a single serial port as a network card, then x is [Serial-1]. If you are using two or more serial ports as network cards, on the same machine then x is equal 1 through to the number of serial ports you are using as network cards (within a single machine).

Once you have configured your serial ports and set the parameters in your DOSNET.INI file, you can load the NETsOFT LAN serial driver at the DOS command line by typing the following:


cd\dosnet
dosnet
serial

You may also include the serial command in your NETSTART.BAT batch file.

Configuring your Serial ports

Before you can use your serial network, there are four settings that must be configured:

Node Address.

Baud Rate.

I/O Port Address.

Interrupt Request Line.

The node address

Serial ports do not use node addresses, unlike network cards. NETsOFT LAN assigns a logical node address to each machine connected by the serial ports. This address may be assigned by setting the MachineNode= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file to your selected node address.

In Brief - Node addresses

  • The node address must be within the range of 1 through 255 inclusive.

  • No two machines may have the same node address (each node address must be unique).

  • To set the node address, simply change the MachineNode= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading of [Setup].

The baud rate

Serial ports send and receive data in bits, rather than bytes. The baud rate is the speed at which the serial ports send and receive data. The higher the baud rate, the faster the data transfer.

Most serial ports can operate at a maximum speed of 115,200 bits per second (BPS). Each machine that uses the serial ports must use the same baud rate as the connecting machine.


NOTE On some machines, you may not be able to operate at 115,200 bps due to hardware designed errors in the serial ports. On these machines, you will have to run at slower speeds, or install a serial port card that can run at 115,200 bps.
Below is a table showing the most popular speeds used for serial ports. It must be noted that the serial port driver can operate at all speeds, from 1200bps through 115,200 bps. Also shown in the table is the speed value you must use for the Speed= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file:
  Baud Rates       Speed=

   115,200           1
    57,600           2
    38,400           3
    28,800           4
    9,600            12

The default baud rate is 115,200 bps. If your serial port does not work at this speed, try using 57,600.

In Brief - The baud rate

  • Usually, the fastest baud rate should be used. This is usually 115,200 bps. Set the Speed= parameter to 1 for this speed.

  • Both machines connected by the serial cable must use the same baud rate.

  • To change the baud rate, simply change the Speed= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading of [Serial-1].

Serial I/O port address

The NETsOFT LAN serial driver controls, and communicates with serial ports through an I/O port address. On most serial ports, these addresses are fixed. On some serial ports, these addresses may be configured (or selected) using the jumpers on the serial port card.

When you select the I/O port address (also known as the I/O Base Address), you must ensure that it does not conflict with any other device's I/O port address.

Below is a table showing the standard serial port addresses for COM1 through COM4. If you have installed additional serial ports, your serial port address may differ:


   I/O Port       Used for
   Address         device

     3F8h           COM1
     2F8h           COM2
     3E8h           COM3
     2E8h           COM4

Each serial port has its own default address. On some serial ports, these addresses may be switched around.

In Brief - I/O port address

  • The I/O port address must not conflict with other device's I/O port addresses.

  • The address you select for your I/O port address, must be the same as that used for the Port= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading [Serial-1].

  • The serial port driver usually locates the I/O Port address automatically.

  • NETsOFT LAN supports up to four serial port drivers per machine.

Serial interrupt request line

The serial ports, when used with NETsOFT LAN, are interrupt-driven. This means they inform the system by means of an Interrupt Request when a serial port event occurs (e.g. such as receiving a packet of data). The interrupt request line used by the serial port is normally fixed.

On some serial ports, you can configure the interrupt request line. If you can select the interrupt request line (also known as the IRQ), you must ensure that it does not conflict with any other device's interrupt request line.

Serial PC/XT IRQ's

Below is a table displaying all of the available interrupt request lines (IRQ's) on a PC or an XT (8 bit slot) machine. Also shown in the table is the normal purpose of the IRQ, and whether or not it may be used by a serial port.
IRQPurposeAvailability of use by a Serial Port
0System TimerMust not be used.
1KeyboardMust not be used.
2ReservedMay be used.
3Serial Port 2May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM2 port.
4Serial Port 1May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM1 port.
5Hard DriveMay be used if you do not have a Hard Disk installed.
6Floppy DriveMust not be used.
7Printer 1May be used.

Serial PC/AT IRQ's

Below is another table displaying all of the available interrupt request lines (IRQ's) on an AT, or a 386 (16 bit slot) machine. Also shown is the normal purpose of the IRQ and whether or not it may be used by a serial port.
IRQPurposeAvailability of use by a Serial Port
0System TimerMust not be used.
1KeyboardMust not be used.
2ReservedMust not be used.
3Serial Port 2May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM2 port.
4Serial Port 1May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM1 port.
5Printer 2May be used. Normally for LPT2.
6Floppy DriveMust not be used.
7Printer 1May be used. Normally for LPT1.
8Real Time ClockMust not be used.
9PC NetworkMay be used.
10ReservedMay be used.
11ReservedMay be used.
12ReservedMay be used.
13Co-ProcessorMust not be used.
14Hard DiskMay be used if you do not have a Hard Disk installed.
15ReservedMay be used.

The default interrupt request lines used by most serial ports are 4 for COM1 and 3 for COM2. These IRQ's are recommended as they do not conflict with other device's interrupt request lines.

If you wish to use more than two serial ports with NETsOFT LAN, you must use a separate interrupt request line for each serial port.

In Brief - Interrupt request line

  • The selected interrupt request line (IRQ) must not be in use by another device.

  • The default IRQ values are normally 4 for COM1 and 3 for COM2.

  • The interrupt request line you select must be the same as that used for the IRQ= parameter, in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading [Serial-1].

Wide Area Networks

This section explains how you can use your standard Hayes-compatible modem, or fax/modem, as a network card. This allows you to connect two or more local area networks, forming a wide area network.

Once connected, you can access remote site servers as if they were local network servers using standard DOS commands. This eliminates the need for dedicated communication software. The commands used to initiate wide area communications are a subset of the NET command. These are all explained in Chapter 3 "THE NET COMMAND".

Before you can install MODEM.COM, you must firstly set the following parameters in your DOSNET.INI file. All of these parameters are explained in detail in Chapter 17 "THE DOSNET.INI CONFIGURATION FILE".


     DOSNET.INI        Under Heading
     parameters

    MachineNode=          [Setup]
       Port=             [Modem-x]
        IRQ=             [Modem-x]
       Speed=            [Modem-x]
       Init1=            [Modem-x]
       Init2=            [Modem-x]
       Init3=            [Modem-x]
       Init4=            [Modem-x]

The x in [Modem-x] refers to the modem number. Usually, you have only a single modem installed, so x would represent the number 1 ([Modem-1]).

If you have two or more modems installed, then x represents 1, 2, 3 or 4, depending on the number of modems you have installed.

Once you have configured your modem and set the parameters in your DOSNET.INI file, you may load the NETsOFT LAN modem driver at the DOS command line by typing the following:


cd\dosnet
dosnet
modem

You may also include the modem command in your NETSTART.BAT batch file.


Note If your modem machine is re-booted during communications, it does not necessarily mean that your communication session has ended (i.e. the line is still open). The modem driver detects this condition, and continues normal communications after booting.

Configuring your Modems

Before you can use your modem wide area network, there are four settings you must configure, as follows:

Node Address.

The Baud Rate.

I/O Port Address.

Interrupt Request Line.

The node address

Modems do not use node addresses, unlike network cards. NETsOFT LAN assigns a logical node address to each machine connected by a modem. This address may be assigned by setting the MachineNode= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file to your selected node address.

In Brief - Node addresses

  • The node address must be within the range of 1 through 255 inclusive.

  • No two machines may have the same node address (each node address must be unique).

  • To set the node address, simply change the MachineNode= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading of [Setup].

The baud rate

Modems send and receive data in bits, rather than bytes. The baud rate is the speed at which the modems send and receive data. The higher the baud rate, the faster the data transfer.

Most modems operate at very slow speeds (between 2400 and 9600 bps). Both the local modem and remote site modems must be set to use the same baud rate.

Some modems (most newer modems) can use different DTE and DCE rates. The DTE rate is the speed which the computer communicates with the modem. The DCE rate is the speed the two modems communicate with each other.

If you have one of the modems (usually identified as having a throughput of 14,400 bps or higher), select the highest DTE baud rate available, usually this is 57,600 bps. This speed may be selected by setting the Speed= parameter to 2 (i.e. 115,200 ÷ 2 = 57,600).

On some 2400 bps modems and fax/modems you may be able to use a DTE rate of 9600 bps (i.e. Speed=12). For these modems you should include the appropriate initialisation strings for the Init2= and Init3= parameters in the DOSNET.INI file under the heading [Modem-x].

Below is a table displaying the most popular speeds used for modems. It must be noted that the modem driver can operate at all speeds from 1200 bps through 115,200 bps. Also displayed below is the speed value that you must use for the Speed= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file.


  Baud Rates       Speed=

 Auto-detect         0

    1,200            96
    2,400            48
    4,800            24
    9,600            12
    14,400           8
    19,200           6
    28,800           4
    57,600           2

The default baud rate is normally 2400. This is because DOS initialises the serial ports to 2400 baud during the boot-strap.

In Brief - The baud rate

  • Use the highest speed common to both modems.

  • Both machines (local-site and remote-site) must use the same baud rate unless you have a newer high speed modem.

  • To change the baud rate, simply change the Speed= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading of [Modem-1].

Modem I/O port address

The NETsOFT LAN modem driver controls and communicates with modems through an I/O port address. These addresses are fixed on most modems, and may be configured (or selected) using the jumpers on the modem.

When you select the I/O port address (also known as the I/O Base Address), you must ensure that it does not conflict with any other device's I/O port address.

Below is a table displaying the standard modem addresses for COM1 through COM4. Your modem's I/O port address may differ.


   I/O Port       Used for
   Address         device

     3F8h           COM1
     2F8h           COM2
     3E8h           COM3
     2E8h           COM4

Each modem has its own default address, depending on which serial port it is connected to. On some modems and serial ports these addresses may be switched around.

In Brief - I/O port address

  • The I/O port address must not conflict with other device's I/O port addresses.

  • The address which you select for your I/O port address, must be the same as that used for the Port= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading [Modem-1].

  • The modem driver usually locates the I/O port address automatically.

  • NETsOFT LAN supports up to four modem drivers per machine.

Modem interrupt request line

Modems, when used with NETsOFT LAN, are interrupt-driven. This means that they inform the system using an Interrupt Request when a modem event occurs (e.g. such as receiving a packet of data). The interrupt request line used by the modem or serial port is normally fixed.

On some modems and serial ports, you can configure the interrupt request line. If you can select the interrupt request line (also known as the IRQ), you must ensure that it does not conflict with any other device's interrupt request line.

Modem PC/XT IRQ's

Below is a table displaying all of the available interrupt request lines (IRQ's) on a PC or an XT (8 bit slot) machine. Also displayed below is the normal purpose of the IRQ, and whether or not it may be used by a modem or serial port.
IRQPurposeAvailability of use by a Modem or Serial Port
0System TimerMust not be used.
1KeyboardMust not be used.
2ReservedMay be used.
3Serial Port 2May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM2 port.
4Serial Port 1May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM1 port.
5Hard DriveMay be used if you do not have a Hard Disk installed.
6Floppy DriveMust not be used.
7Printer 1May be used.

Modem PC/AT IRQ's

Below is a table displaying all of the available interrupt request lines (IRQ's) on an AT, or a 386 (16 bit slot) machine. Also displayed is the normal purpose of the IRQ, and whether or not it may be used by a modem or serial port.
IRQPurposeAvailability of use by a Modem or Serial Port
0System TimerMust not be used.
1KeyboardMust not be used.
2ReservedMust not be used.
3Serial Port 2May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM2 port.
4Serial Port 1May be used if you do not have, or use, your COM1 port.
5Printer 2May be used. Normally for LPT2.
6Floppy DriveMust not be used.
7Printer 1May be used. Normally for LPT1.
8Real Time ClockMust not be used.
9PC NetworkMay be used.
10ReservedMay be used.
11ReservedMay be used.
12ReservedMay be used.
13Co-ProcessorMust not be used.
14Hard DiskMay be used if you do not have a Hard Disk installed.
15ReservedMay be used.

The default interrupt request lines used by most modems and serial ports are 4 for COM1 and 3 for COM2.

These IRQ's are recommended because they do not conflict with other device's interrupt request lines. If you wish to use more than two modems or serial ports with NETsOFT LAN, you must use a separate interrupt request line for each modem or serial port.

In Brief - Interrupt request line

  • The selected interrupt request line (IRQ) must not be in use by another device.

  • The default IRQ values are normally 4 for COM1 and 3 for COM2.

  • The interrupt request line that you select must be the same as that used for the IRQ= parameter in the DOSNET.INI file under the heading [Modem-1].

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