Setting the frame type

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Setting the frame type

The frame type defines the way in which the network adapter, in a computer running Windows, formats data to be sent over a network. To communicate between a computer running Windows and NetWare servers, you need to configure the IPX/SPX/NetBIOS Compatible Transport Protocol (NWLink) on the computer running Windows with the same frame type as the one used by the NetWare servers.

The following table lists the topologies and frame types supported by NWLink.

Topology Supported frame type

Ethernet

Ethernet II, 802.3, 802.2, and Sub Network Access Protocol (SNAP), which defaults to 802.2

Token ring

802.5 and SNAP

Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)

802.2 and 802.3

Note

  • On Ethernet networks, the standard frame type for NetWare 2.2 and NetWare 3.11 is 802.3. Starting with NetWare 3.12, the default frame type was changed to 802.2.

You can choose to automatically detect or manually configure the frame type. However, the frame type is automatically detected when NWLink is loaded. If multiple frame types are detected in addition to the 802.2 frame type, NWLink defaults to the 802.2 frame type.

If the frame type is manually configured, a computer running Windows can use multiple frame types simultaneously.

For more information about configuring the frame type, see Configure NWLink.

Important

  • Client Service for NetWare is not available on 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP.

  • Gateway Service for NetWare is included in Windows 2000 Server. It is not included in the Windows Server 2003 family.

  • Computers running operating systems in the Windows Server 2003 family cannot be IPX routers.