Arachne and LAN (Local Area Network)
Introduction to network adapters
Arachne uses something called packet driver interface to get
TCP/IP connectivity. In DOS, there are various standarts to communicate
with network adapter (eg. Ethernet card). If your card is shipped with
ODI driver, you can use freeware utility called ODIPKT.COM.
If you are using NDIS interface, try to find some utility to convert
NDIS interface to packet driver interface (eg. in Windows 95 DOS, if you
have chance to assign second IP address to your PC, try NDIS3PKT
driver).
NCSA Telnet compatibility
Arachne will work on every computer in LAN, where NCSA (or Clarkson
Uniuversity - CUTE) Telnet works. This doesn't mean, that you
need Telnet to run Arachne, as one user supposed! Imagine I am
telling you Arachne will work on every computer, where game Simcity
2000 works (which is by the way true).
Setup Arachne to use resident packet driver
and configure via BOOTP. If you don't want to use graphical setup, the
syntax of commands in ARACHNE.CFG is
Connection READY
IP_Address BOOTP
TCP_Config LANTCP.CFG
Note: Arachne package contains copy of Clarkson university TELNET
and FTP and sample CONFIG.TEL configuration file for them.
If you are already using them on your LAN, the easiest way is to
delete TELNET.EXE and FTP.EXE from Arachne package).
DOSLYNX/WatTcp compatibility
If you are already running DOSLYNX (or other WatTcp applications)
and have working DOSLYNX.CFG, try
to put to ARACHNE.CFG something like this:
Connection READY
IP_Address WATTCP
TCP_Config C:\DOSLYNX\DOSLYNX.CFG (or eg. C:\WATTCP\WATTCP.CFG)
Server installation
If you want to install Arachne on server (eg. drive S:), caching is
strongly recomended (eg. NWCACHE S+). You will need some directory
dedicated to each running copy of Arachne. If workstations
have some local disk space available (eg. drive C:) and each user has
his/her own home directory (eg. H:), try to setup
Arachne local settings like this:
| Cache path | C:\CACHE\ |
| Mail path | H: |
| Download path | A:\ |
| Cache index | C:\CACHE\cache.idx |
| History file | H:history.lst |
In this case, don't forget to create directory C:\CACHE! You can add
command "MKDIR C:\CACHE" to the top of ARACHNE.BAT, as well as
command for loading packet driver.
If the workstations use different SVGA cards, run Arachne always from local
directory (eg. C:\ARACHNE) because
Arachne always saves video card information (ARACHNE.PCK)
in current directory. But make sure that each ARACHNE.PCK uses the
same history file (eg. C:\ARACHNE\history.lst)
Note: Arachne can understand *.CNM files in Pegasus mail for DOS
(typical on Novell networks) mail directory, but the replies must
go through SMTP server.
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