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March 10th
1997

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CHAPTER 12

NetBIOS



The NetSoft LAN NetBIOS

NetSoft LAN's NetBIOS is one of the smallest (if not the smallest), complete NetBIOS support program available. It requires approximately 6k of memory.

The NetBIOS works across all NetSoft LAN platforms. Even if you are using the serial ports to connect two machines, or doing complex inter networking, NetBIOS will work across the board (including across a Modem using NetSoft LAN's Modem Driver).

What is NetBIOS

NetBIOS stands for "NETwork Basic Input/Output System". Its name suggests that it is a BIOS for Networks, which is exactly what it is. The word BIOS also suggests that it is contained on a ROM chip on the network card hardware.

NetBIOS was designed to be used over an Ethernet or Token-Ring based network, but it may be used on any platform with NetSoft LAN.

NetBIOS software

NetBIOS is a network communications interface that allows applications to talk to each other, without knowing any specific network details. For example:

A program can assign a name called FAX-MACHINE on a computer that has an internal fax/modem, and another name on another computer simply called FAX.

The NetBIOS application can then send a fax to the local name FAX, and NetBIOS sends that information across the network card and cable to the real fax machine computer (known as FAX-MACHINE). The fax may then be transmitted from that machine by the server fax software.

Most NetBIOS applications are network-oriented, as NetBIOS provides program-to-program communications within a single computer, or across multiple computers on a network.

Common programs that require NetBIOS are Electronic Mail (EMAIL), and Network Printing (Spooling).

NetSoft LAN and NetBIOS

NetBIOS relies on whatever NetSoft LAN driver(s) are loaded for NetBIOS low-level communications. This means that unless you require specific NetBIOS compatibility, there is no point in loading the NetBIOS driver supplied with NetSoft LAN.

netbios


NetBIOS Facts

Most software (including DOS & Windows) does not require NetBIOS to function on the network.

Most network software packages specify that they require NetBIOS compatibility when, in fact, they do not.

Do you need NetBIOS

Most network card manufacturers do not supply a NetBIOS driver with the network cards as it is not usually required. It is likely that you will never require the use of NetBIOS when using NetSoft LAN.

If you are unsure as to whether or not you require NetBIOS, you can test your software. Simply run your so-called NetBIOS application program, without the NetBIOS driver loaded. If the program displays a message stating that "NetBIOS or NetBEUI is not loaded", and the application does not function, then you must load NetSoft LAN's NetBIOS driver.

If the application works without NetBIOS loaded, you do not require it. Hence, it is merely a waste of memory to load it.

Loading NetBIOS

To load the NetBIOS module, type the following at the DOS prompt command line:

cd\dosnet

netbios

If you need to change the default NetBIOS configuration settings, such as the number of Names, Commands or Sessions, you may do so by changing the settings in the DOSNET.INI file, under the heading of [NetBIOS].

If your software communicates with another machine (as in our FAX example above), you will be required to load the NetBIOS driver on all machines that your software needs to access.

Usually, this would be on two machines (a client and a server). You do not need to load the NetBIOS driver on inter-connecting or routing machines (regardless of your configuration), only on those that run your NetBIOS application software.

For a complete explanation of the NetBIOS settings, see Chapter 17 "THE DOSNET.INI CONFIGURATION FILE".

The NetBIOS Pop-Up Menus

To aid the development of NetBIOS application software, NetSoft LAN's NetBIOS includes a pop-up diagnostics menu that allows you to see what is happening inside the NetBIOS, while your software is running.

To use this option, you must change the NetBiosMenu= parameter to the value of 1 in the DOSNET.INI file under the heading of [NetBIOS]. By default, this option is disabled.

netbiosThe NetBIOS menu is accessed through the DOS-NET Main Menu, using the network pop-up keys. These are usually CTRL+ALT+Right Shift keys. From the DOS-NET Main Menu, select View NetBIOS Setup.


NetBIOS statistics menu

netbiosTo view the NetBIOS statistics table, select NetBIOS Statistics.

This menu is split into three sections:

The first section details information about the network card;

The second section details error statistics, transmission and reception counts;

The third section details information about the Buffers, Names and Sessions.


NetBIOS name table

This menu is the NetBIOS Name Table. It displays all of the names assigned to this station (NetBIOS Names only). To view this table, select View Name Table.

NetBIOS session table

netbiosThe last menu shows the session table. This table details the session links between two NetBIOS machines.



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