Chapter 14 - Introduction to Networking Configuration

Article
02/20/2014

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This chapter provides an overview of Microsoft Windows 98 networking and network configuration. It includes a discussion of compatibility and operational improvements introduced with Windows 98, and streamlined steps for network configuration.

Overview of Windows 98 Network Configuration

The Windows 98 operating system includes built-in networking support, including built-in support for popular networks and an open, extensible networking architecture.

If you are performing a clean install of Windows 98 (that is, if you format the hard disk and then install Windows 98), what Setup installs depends on whether you have a network adapter card and whether you choose to accept the default Dial-Up Networking component.

If you have a network adapter card, Setup installs Dial-Up Networking (unless you choose not to), the network card, Microsoft Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and Client for Microsoft Networks.
If you do not have a network adapter card and you let Setup install Dial-Up Networking, Setup installs Dial-Up Networking and Microsoft TCP/IP, and Microsoft Family Logon.
If you add virtual private networking (VPN) to either of the configurations listed in the previous bullets, then Setup also installs a second dial-up adapter and the network driver interface specification wide area network (NDISWAN) protocol for the virtual private networking adapter. The second dial-up adapter appears in the Network option in Control Panel as Dial-Up Adapter #2 (VPN Support).
If you do not have a network adapter card and you do not let Setup install Dial-Up Networking, no network components are installed.

When you are upgrading from Windows 95, in most cases Setup retains the components from your original network configuration. However, Setup does not always retain the Novell NETX and VLM real-mode clients. For more information, see Chapter 17, "Windows 98 on Third-Party Networks."

Note In the Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit, NETX is used to refer to the Novell NetWare workstation shell for NetWare version 3.x; VLM (Virtual Loadable Module) is used to refer to the workstation shell for version 4.x.

When you are upgrading, Setup also adds Dial-Up Networking, and if no network protocol was present in Windows 95, Setup adds Microsoft TCP/IP. If you have a network adapter card, and no previous network client was installed, Setup also adds Client for Microsoft Networks.

You can add any Windows 95 or Windows 98 – compatible network client after you run Setup. You can also upgrade to Windows 98 from Windows 95 or Windows for Workgroups if you have any of the following networks already installed and running.

Artisoft LANtastic version 7.0 or later
Banyan Enterprise Client version 7.32 or later (32-bit client)
Banyan VINES version 7.1 or later (16-bit client)
Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) PATHWORKS 32
Microsoft networking — Microsoft LAN Manager, Windows for Workgroups 3.x, Windows 95, and Windows NT
Novell NETX, VLM, and Novell Client for Windows 95/98
IBM Networks Client for Windows 95
Solstice NFS Client version 3.1 or later

For information about upgrading real-mode clients, see Chapter 17, "Windows 98 on Third-Party Networks."

The built-in networking components include support for a wide range of network transports (such as TCP/IP and IPX/SPX), industry-wide communications protocols (such as remote procedure calls [RPC], NetBIOS, and named pipes), and existing network device standards (such as network driver interface specification [NDIS] and Open Datalink Interface [ODI]). Because of the extensible architecture, other network vendors can add network connectivity enhancements and application support, and you can mix and match components at every layer. For more information, see Chapter 29, "Windows 98 Network Architecture." See also Chapter 15, "Network Adapters and Protocols."

Note For information about how to install other network components during Setup, see Chapter 3, "Custom Installations."

The following list summarizes the benefits of networking features that are new in Windows 98.

Secure access to remote servers with virtual private networking (VPN). Virtual private networking is a new technology by which you can securely connect to a remote server by tunneling through an intermediary network. In essence, you can use a network such as the Internet or your intranet as a substitute for your network wire. For example, you can make a virtual private networking connection to a Windows NT RAS tunnel server on your LAN, or you could make a dial-up connection to the Internet, then use virtual private networking to connect to a tunnel server on the Internet. The tunnel server can then grant you access to any public or private network that is connected to it. For more information, see Chapter 19, "Remote Networking and Mobile Computing."

Windows Sockets 2 application programming interfaces (APIs). The Windows Sockets 2 APIs support Quality of Service (QoS), by which an application can request or require certain network characteristics for a specific network connection. For example, a video application might request that a certain amount of bandwidth be available for a video transmission, and that all the packets it sends travel at a constant rate.

Enhancements to TCP/IP. Windows 98 provides several enhancements to TCP/IP. It provides an automatic private Internet Protocol (IP) addressing feature that enables TCP/IP clients on small LANs to automatically assign themselves IP addresses when no dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server is available. It also provides performance enhancements for certain types of high-speed, high-bandwidth networks. Additionally, it supports IP multicasting, enabling a Windows 98 client to join IP multicast groups. For more information, see Chapter 15, "Network Adapters and Protocols."

Enhancements to network driver interface specification (NDIS), including support for connection-oriented media. Network driver interface specification 5 drivers add to the functionality provided by NDIS 3.1 drivers. For example, by using NDIS 5 drivers, Windows 98 can support a wide range of network media, including Ethernet, fiber distributed data interface (FDDI), token-ring, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), and wide area network (WAN) technology. Additional features include NDIS power management, support for QoS, and support for a single INF file format across Windows operating systems. For more information, see Chapter 15, "Network Adapters and Protocols.

Simpler logon with Microsoft Family Logon. With Windows 95, you logged on to the computer using Windows Logon. Windows 98 provides a new option called Microsoft Family Logon. If user profiles are enabled and Microsoft Family Logon has been configured, the Microsoft Family Logon prompt will list all users that have been configured for that computer, enabling users to simply select their names from a list rather than having to type it in. For more information, see Chapter 18, "Logon, Browsing, and Resource Sharing."

Distributed File System (DFS) support. Windows 98 supports the Windows NT Distributed File System. This allows a user to access the content of several servers from one Windows NT share point. For more information, see Chapter 16, "Windows 98 on Microsoft Networks."

Client support for Novell Directory Services (NDS). With the optional service Microsoft Service for NetWare Directory Services, Client for NetWare Networks provides the ability to log on to NDS and integrates the NDS logon with the Windows 98 logon. The logon prompt for NDS contains the name of the user object and password and enables the user to set the NDS tree and workstation default name context. For more information, see Chapter 17, "Windows 98 on Third-Party Networks."

Distributed application management with Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM). The Distributed Component Object Model extends the Component Object Model (COM) to allow components of a distributed application to communicate over the network securely and transparently. With DCOM, application developers can create location-independent distributed applications using a language of their choice. Network administrators can then deploy those components on Windows 98 computers, Windows NT Server computers, and Windows NT Workstation computers anywhere in the network. For more information, see Chapter 29, "Windows 98 Network Architecture."

Planning for MS Networking

Microsoft recommends using the 32-bit, protected-mode networking components wherever possible. With protected-mode networking components, all configuration settings are stored in the registry, so you do not have to maintain configuration files such as Autoexec.bat, Protocol.ini, or Net.cfg. The protected-mode networking components also allow you to take advantage of such related benefits as:

Performance and reliability.
Peer resource sharing capabilities.
Use of system policies for administrative control, remote administration of the registry, and use of network agents such as the Simply Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent included on the Windows 98 Resource Kit compact disc.

If you must run a real-mode client, networking settings are required in Autoexec.bat, and a Netstart.bat file might be required to start the network during system startup. Configuration settings are maintained in Protocol.ini or a similar file, depending on the particular network.

If you are upgrading from a real-mode network client, in most cases Windows 98 Setup retains your original network configuration. When Setup detects existing network components, it installs the appropriate supporting software automatically and moves the configuration settings to the registry, wherever possible.

Configuring Networks

Setup installs the default network configuration described at the beginning of this chapter. You can also install and configure networking support after installing Windows 98 by using the Network option in Control Panel. In the Network option, you can set properties for the following:

Configuration of network clients, adapters, protocols, and services.
Identification of the computer on the network.
Access control, to specify the security used when other users access this computer over the network.

In the procedures presented in the following sections, it is assumed that Windows 98 and the appropriate networking hardware have already been installed on your computer. You might also need to install or configure various supporting components, such as security, mobile networking components, agents for remote administration software, and support for user profiles and system policies.

Installing Networking Components

This section summarizes how to install networking support by using the Network option in Control Panel after Windows 98 is installed. Specific issues for installing various network components are discussed in other chapters of the Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit. The following procedures describe the general steps that are required for installing networking components.

The following procedure describes how to install a driver for a legacy network adapter card.

Important You should not add Plug and Play – compatible network adapters manually. Instead, you should let Windows 98 detect the network adapter. If the Select Device box prompts you to select a network adapter, click the Have Disk button and type in the location of your network adapter drivers.

To install a driver for a legacy network adapter after Windows 98 is installed

In Control Panel, double-click Add New Hardware, and then run the Add New Hardware Wizard. Be sure to answer Yes when asked whether Windows 98 should search for your new hardware.

Tip You can configure network properties either from the Network option in Control Panel, or by right-clicking the Network Neighborhood icon on the desktop, and then clicking Properties on the context menu.

To install networking components after Windows 98 is installed

In Control Panel, double-click Network, and then click the Configuration tab.
Click Add.

In the Select Network Component Type dialog box, double-click the type of component to install, as described in Table 14.1.

Table 14. 1 Network component types

Component	Description
Client	Installs client software for the types of networks the computer is connected to. You can use either a 32-bit network client (which needs no real-mode components) or older real-mode networking clients. There is no limit to the number of 32-bit network clients you can install, but you can have only one real-mode network client installed at a time. Some clients are supported only as primary network clients. For information, see Chapter 17, "Windows 98 on Third-Party Networks."
Adapter	Installs drivers for the network adapters in the computer. However, the recommended method for installing a new legacy adapter is to use the Add New Hardware option in Control Panel. For Plug and Play network adapters, you should let Windows 98 detect the network adapter. Then, if the Select Device dialog box prompts you to select a network adapter, you should click the Have Disk button and type in the location of your network adapter drivers. You can configure the type of driver to use (such as enhanced-mode NDIS, real-mode NDIS, or ODI), specify the resources for the adapters you are using (such as I/O, interrupt request [IRQ], and transceiver type), and define other options for the adapter. For information, see Chapter 15, "Network Adapters and Protocols."
Protocol	Installs network protocols and sets related options. For information, see Chapter 15, "Network Adapters and Protocols."
Service	Installs peer file and printer sharing services and other types of network services, such as Service for NetWare Directory Services, Microsoft Remote Registry, and Network Monitor. For information, see Chapter 23, "System and Remote Administration Tools."

In the Select dialog box, select the name of the component manufacturer and the name of the specific component.
Click OK.

Note Most network components require that you shut down and restart the computer after installing them.

You can also install and configure networking components by using custom setup scripts or system policies. For information, see Chapter 3, "Custom Installations," and Chapter 8, "System Policies."

Setting Computer Names and Workgroups

Windows 98 requires that you define a workgroup and computer name for each networked computer, independent of the type of networking software you use. You can also change the computer name or workgroup after Setup is complete.

To specify the computer name, workgroup, and description for a computer

In Control Panel, double-click Network, and then click the Identification tab.

Type the values for the computer identification settings as described in Table 14.2.

Table 14. 2 Computer identification settings

Setting	Description
Computer name	The computer name must be unique on the network. It can be up to 15 characters long, with no blank spaces. The computer name can contain only alphanumeric characters, as well as the following special characters: ! @ # $ % ^ & ( ) - _ ' { } . ~
Workgroup	The workgroup name does not need to be unique, but it uses the same naming conventions as the computer name. For information about using Wrkgrp.ini for specifying the workgroup that can be selected, see Chapter 3, "Custom Installations."
Computer Description	This information is displayed as a comment next to the computer name when users are browsing the network while viewing it in Details mode.

Caution Because computer and workgroup names can contain the special character %, and Msbatch.inf uses the special character % to indicate variables, Windows 98 does not behave as you expect if you use variables in Msbatch.inf for computer and workgroup names. For more information about this problem, see Knowledge Base Article 170846, "Computer or Workgroup Name Not Set Properly Using Msbatch.inf."

Installing and Configuring WinPopup

You can use WinPopup to send a message to one person or to a whole workgroup. WinPopup can also display a message from someone else on your network or from a printer on a Windows NT server when your print job is done. With WinPopup, you can send and receive messages and alerts from LAN Manager, Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT, and Windows 98 servers and clients.

On a NetWare network, you can also use WinPopup to send messages in the following cases:

If you are running a NetWare-compatible client, you can receive pop-up messages from the server you are attached to. You can also receive messages from other users running Novell-supplied network clients if the message is sent to you on the server using NetWare utilities.
You can use WinPopup to send a message to a user on a computer running Client for NetWare Networks or a Novell-supplied client if that user is attached to your preferred server. However, you can send messages to bindery users only, not NDS users.

Note If you are running both Client for NetWare Networks and Client for Microsoft Networks, and if the message reaches the specified computer or user through Windows 98 networking, the message is not also sent through the NetWare server.

WinPopup is installed automatically with either Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks or Client for Microsoft Networks. You can configure it to start automatically every time the user starts the computer, or you can start it manually.

To configure WinPopup to start automatically on a client computer

Place Winpopup.exe in the Startup folder on each computer that you want to receive messages.
In the WinPopup dialog box on each computer, click the Messages menu, and then click Options to specify choices for how WinPopup will present messages.

To start WinPopup manually

In the Start menu, click Run, and then type winpopup.

Starting Your Network During System Startup

If your computer uses 32-bit, protected-mode networking components exclusively, you do not need statements in Autoexec.bat or other startup batch files to start the network when you start the computer. The installation of the correct protected-mode network client, protocol, and network adapter driver, as shown in the Network option in Control Panel, is all you need to ensure that networking is available whenever you start Windows 98.

If your computer uses any real-mode components for the client, protocol, or network adapter driver, you must include commands to start the network in Autoexec.bat or a batch file that is called from Autoexec.bat. This is because real-mode components must be inserted properly in the startup sequence to be available to other parts of the system.

For real-mode components on NetWare networks, the Net.cfg or similar file is used to start and configure networking during system startup. The user or network administrator must maintain this file. For Microsoft networks, the net start statement in Autoexec.bat is used to start any real-mode networking components.

The Protocol.ini file stores settings for real-mode networking components. The only sections that might be read are [Protman$], [netcard], and [Ndishlp$]. For information about the content of Protocol.ini, see Chapter 16, "Windows 98 on Microsoft Networks."

Using Scripts to Automate Tasks

Windows 98 includes the Windows Script Host, a language-independent scripting host for 32-bit platforms. With Windows Script Host, scripts written with the Visual Basic Scripting Edition or JScript scripting engine, or any other language that provides a Microsoft ActiveX scripting engine can be executed directly on the Windows desktop or command console.

Windows Script Host supports several functions that make it easier to configure networking features on your user's computers, such as mapping drives and printers, launching applications, modifying registry keys, and managing your users' environment.

For more information about Windows Script Host, see Chapter 23, "System and Remote Administration Tools." See also https://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter.

Troubleshooting Basic Networking Configuration

This section provides basic troubleshooting information for installing network components and solving connectivity problems. The section describes general factors to check and then describes in more detail how to check specific elements of your networking configuration.

For additional information about troubleshooting for particular networks, see Chapter 16, "Windows 98 on Microsoft Networks," and Chapter 17, "Windows 98 on Third-Party Networks." For information about general troubleshooting procedures and the supporting tools provided with Windows 98, see Chapter 27, "General Troubleshooting." See also online Help.

When troubleshooting network installation and connectivity problems, start by verifying the network operations status prior to and during the error condition. To evaluate the network problem, consider the following questions:

Did the network work before? If so, what has changed? If any hardware or software has been added or removed, reset the original network hardware or software, and try again.
Have any protocols been added or removed? In the Network option in Control Panel, check protocol settings, protocol bindings, and the compatibility of the protocol with the network.
If you installed a new network component, did it install correctly? Are there duplicate network components or conflicting devices? Check the Microsoft System Information utility to find problem devices and device conflicts. If you find problems, you can change your settings from within Device Manager. For more information about Microsoft System Information, see Chapter 27, "General Troubleshooting."
Are the network adapter settings correct? Check network adapter settings in Device Manager. Consult the documentation for the correct settings. Reset the adapter settings to the correct values if necessary. Restart the computer and try again.
Has any network adapter been moved or added? Are other nearby network connections working? Check the adapter connection, and check any other working adapter.
Has any network cable been moved or added? Check cables, connections, and terminators.
Are the network connections alive? Look at the status lights on the back of the network adapter or on the media attachment unit. If the status lights show activity, the connection is live. If the status lights show no activity, disconnect and reconnect the network cable and check for activity. If the lights on the adapter are off, try a different network outlet.
If the network was provided by another vendor, was it installed previously and working? If not, reinstall the other vendor's network. Verify that the network operates correctly. Reinstall Windows 98.

Tip You can quickly view, print, and save information about all your network components by using the Microsoft System Information utility. For more information about Microsoft System Information, see Chapter 27, "General Troubleshooting."

The following sections describe in more detail how to check specific elements of your network configuration.

Note On a clean installation, Windows 98 does not configure Client for Microsoft Networks to log on to a Windows NT domain. If you want Client for Microsoft Networks to log on to a Windows NT domain, follow the instructions in the procedure "To check the logon setting," later in this chapter.

Check domain or server validation.

Verify that the network domain or server is validating the user account. If the logon is not validated, connections to required servers cannot be made, logon scripts will not run, and so on. If the network domain or server does not validate the account, perform each of the following procedures.

To check the logon setting

In Control Panel, double-click Network, and then click the Configuration tab.
Double-click the network client (for example, Client for Microsoft Networks or Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks).

Click the Properties button and then do the following:
- For Client for Microsoft Networks, verify that logon validation is enabled and that the correct domain name is shown.
- For Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks, verify that the correct server is specified as the preferred server.
If you are running Service for NetWare Directory Services, double-click Service for NetWare Directory Services and verify that the correct tree and context are specified.

To check the user and workgroup names

In Control Panel, double-click Network, and then click the Identification tab. Check the computer name and workgroup name.

Also check basic logon requirements. For example, verify that the user password and the domain or preferred server account are correct, and test basic network functionality, such as viewing or connecting to other servers.

You can also make Windows 98 display a dialog box that lists the server that validates a Windows 98 client logging on to a Microsoft Windows NT or LAN Manager domain. To do so, use Registry Editor to add a DWORD value named DomainLogonMessage to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \Network \Logon

Set the data value for DomainLogonMessage to 1.

For more information about this procedure, see Knowledge Base Article 150898, "How to Display Domain Logon Confirmation in Windows 95."

Check connections to network resources.

Double-click Network Neighborhood on your desktop and determine whether domains, workgroups, and workstations appear. If they appear, try connecting to a server or workstation. If they do not appear, verify that at least one server exists on the local network and that client services and protocols are installed. If no resources appear in Network Neighborhood but all connectivity appears to be working, attempt to access a network resource by mapping to it using the Map Network Drive dialog box or by choosing Start/Run from the taskbar and typing in the universal naming convention (UNC) syntax of the resource (\\computername\sharename). If you can connect, browsing is an issue. Also, check cable termination.

Tip You can access the Map Network Drive dialog box either by right-clicking the Network Neighborhood icon and then selecting Map Network Drive, or by selecting Map Network Drive from the Tools menu in Windows Explorer. You can also make the Map Drive button appear on the Windows Explorer toolbar by clicking the View menu and then clicking Folder Options.

If you cannot connect to the server or workstation you want, review the error messages. At the command prompt, use the net use command (as described in Chapter 18, "Logon, Browsing, and Resource Sharing") to verify that you can connect to at least one server and workstation. If you cannot connect to any server or workstation, check workgroup assignment, domain assignment, domain logon, and basic network operations.

If you still cannot connect, determine whether you can connect to a server from another computer. If this does not work, it probably indicates a problem with the server you are trying to connect to, or with the cabling or routing to that server.

If you are connecting to resources on a Windows 95 or Windows 98 server running file and printer sharing, verify that the file and printer sharing service appears in the list of installed network components on the server to ensure that peer resource sharing is enabled. Also verify that the correct settings for the browsing method are configured in the properties for the file and printer sharing service on that server. Finally, verify that something is being shared on the server. For information, see Chapter 18, "Logon, Browsing, and Resource Sharing."

Check network adapter and protocol configuration.

The following procedure summarizes how to check settings for network adapters. For more information about configuring network adapters, or for detailed troubleshooting steps for protocols, see Chapter 15, "Network Adapters and Protocols."

Note On networks with a bus topology, if the network adapter is not properly terminated both on the client and on the server, the Windows 98 networking component might not initialize during system startup. Make sure the network segment is terminated properly.

To check network adapter settings

In Control Panel, double-click Network, and then double-click the entry for the network adapter in the list of installed components.
Click the Advanced tab, and verify that each entry in the Property area has an appropriate value specified in the Value area. For information, see your hardware documentation.
Click the Driver Type tab, and then verify that the appropriate driver type is selected. (If you are using a protected-mode network client, the default is an enhanced mode NDIS driver.)
Click the Bindings tab, and verify that each protocol is checked. If a protocol is not checked, it is not providing network functionality using that adapter.
In Control Panel, double-click System, and then select the Device Manager tab.
Expand the Network adapters tree, click the adapter you wish to check, and then click Properties.
Click the Resources tab, if it exists, and verify that the configuration type, I/O address range, and interrupt request (IRQ) are correct. Device Manager will also report any device conflicts and enable you to resolve those device conflicts by changing your settings. For information about the settings required for your specific adapter, see your hardware documentation. For information about using Device Manager, see Chapter 24, "Device Management."

Check real-mode network components.

To check basic network communications, at the command prompt you can use the net diag command with a second computer connected to the same local network segment. As a diagnostic tool, net diag can assist you in troubleshooting network connectivity problems by establishing a diagnostic server and then verifying that the local computer can connect to this server.

Note In order for net diag to work, you must be running either the Internet Packet Exchange (IPX) or NetBIOS extended user interface (NetBEUI) protocol.

To establish a diagnostic server on a second local computer

At the command prompt, type:

net diag
When a message appears showing you the protocols in use, press the first letter of the protocol indicated in the message to specify the protocol to test.
When a message appears prompting you to specify whether a diagnostic server exists, press N.

To verify that the diagnostic server is detected

On the computer you are trying to troubleshoot, at the command prompt, type:

net diag
When a message appears showing the protocols in use, specify the same protocol to test as that of the diagnostic server established in the previous procedure.

A message should appear stating that the diagnostic server has been detected. If a message appears stating that no diagnostic servers have been detected, there may be a problem with the network adapter, configuration, or cables.

To remove and reinstall the protected-mode drivers in Windows 98

In Control Panel, double-click Network, and make note of each installed component.
For each component, click the component, and then click Remove.
Install the components by following the procedure "To install networking components after Windows 98 is installed" in "Installing Networking Components" earlier in this chapter.

Caution Removing your network components causes you to lose network connectivity. You will not be able to reinstall your network components over the network. Make sure you have your original installation media available before removing your network components.

Additional Resources

For more information about	See this resource
Basic information about networks and network adapters	Networking Essentials, Second Edition
Advanced networking information, information about networking with Windows NT Server, and information about deploying large networks	Microsoft Windows NT Server Networking Guide in the Microsoft Windows NT Server Resource Kit (for Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0)