ShareWare OnLine 2/ShareWare OnLine Volume 2 (CMS Software)(1993).iso/network/blts493.zip/WIN31.TXT

Text File | 1993-04-14 | 18KB | 362 lines

LANtastic Network Operating System Compatibility Bulletin
Product Reviewed:  Microsoft Windows version 3.1
Classification:  Multi-tasking/Windowing Environments
Date:  3/15/93
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Compatibility Statement:
Microsoft Windows 3.1 is compatible with LANtastic NOS v4.xx.

Product Overview:
Windows 3.1 builds upon Microsoft's popular graphical user interface in many
ways.  It includes faster overall performance, enhanced Program Manager and
File Manager functionalities, sound and multi-media capabilities, and better
support for diverse LAN environments.

Product Installation Notes:
1.  The Windows 3.1 SETUP program is now able to detect the LANtastic
network environment during installation.  For this to work correctly, LANtastic
must be running and the LANtastic directory (normally C:\LANTASTI) must be in
your DOS PATH when you start SETUP (type PATH with no arguments at the
DOS prompt to check the current setting).  The steps below detail the two ways
you can install or upgrade Windows 3.1 on a LANtastic network.

-> IMPORTANT: Never run SETUP from within a Windows DOS prompt Window,
-> you must exit completely from Windows first.

A.  Local SETUP, installing from the Windows diskettes at each workstation:
When performing a local SETUP, follow the same process as if you were
installing Windows 3.1 on a stand-alone machine.  For most PCs this is as
easy as inserting SETUP Disk 1 into the floppy drive, changing to that drive,
and typing the SETUP command.   From there, follow the on-screen
instructions for installation.  If LANtastic is detected, SETUP will display
"LANtastic Network Operating System version 4.xx" in the "Network:"
selection on the System Configuration screen.  If no network is detected, exit
SETUP and ensure that the LANtastic software is running before continuing
with the Windows 3.1 installation.

B.  Network SETUP, Windows 3.1 Multi-User Installation
Microsoft designed the Multi-User installation of Windows so that all the
workstations on a network could share a single copy of Windows located on
a central server.  This type of installation would typically be used on networks
that either contain diskless workstations or on workstations where there is not
enough hard drive space to install Windows on each PC.  We recommend
that you install Windows to your local hard disk if there is enough space to
do so, as Windows will run much faster from a local drive versus a network
drive.  The steps below detail how to create a Windows "shared directory," or
Administrative Setup, on the server that will contain all of the files from
Windows diskettes.  These files will be accessed by each user who runs
Windows from a network drive.  Once you have finished the Administrative
Setup, you will create an individual "user" directory for each workstation to
use when running Windows.  Please read the Multi-User installation section
in your Windows manual before proceeding with these directions.

    1.  Before running SETUP on the machine that will be the shared server,
    delete any existing Windows installation from that machine and remove
    the Windows directory from the DOS PATH.  Then, at the server, run
    "SETUP/A" from the floppy disk labeled "Windows disk #1."  This process
    unpacks all the necessary files from the diskette to a single directory
    on your server's hard disk.  During the Administrative Setup, these
    files are marked as "read-only" so they can be shared between all users.

    2.  If the server itself will be used as a Windows workstation, then you
    will need to create a "user" directory for it.  First, ensure that the
    network software is running and that the LANtastic directory (normally
    C:\LANTASTI) is in your PATH.  Then, change to the Windows shared
    directory, (designated in step #1) and type "SETUP/N".  SETUP will
    prompt you for the name of the user directory that you want to create.
    For example, enter "C:\WINSERV" as the server's user directory and then
    complete the setup answering all prompts accordingly.  Once you're
    finished, reboot the server (be sure that no one is actively using the
    server before rebooting).  When the machine is back on line, run "WIN"
    from the "WINSERV" directory.

    3.  On the workstation, start the network and NET USE an available drive
    letter to the server's resource which contains the Windows shared
    directory.  Note that  you will need to NET USE this same drive letter
    to that resource each time you bring up the workstation so that Windows
    will be able to access the files it needs from the server.  Check your
    PATH to make sure that it includes the LANtastic directory.  Then,
    switch to the network drive, change to the directory you created with
    the Administrative Setup and run "SETUP/N."  You will be prompted for
    the user directory name,  which must be a unique name. This directory
    may be stored on either the redirected drive or the workstation's local
    drive.   Reboot the workstation once SETUP is finished and run Windows
    from the user directory on the server.

    4.  Note that the SETUP program may automatically add SMARTDrive disk
    cache to your AUTOEXEC.BAT (and possibly to CONFIG.SYS also).  If you
    are running Artisoft's LANCache utility, you must disable one of the
    caches or risk data corruption.  To disable SMARTDrive, locate the
    following line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file and REMark it or delete it:

    C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV.EXE

    Also, check in CONFIG.SYS and delete any references to SMARTDrive it
    contains.

    Refer to the "Using LANCache with Microsoft Windows" section in the
    LANtastic NOS Reference Manual for more information on configuring
    LANCache for use with Windows.

    To disable LANCache utility, open your STARTNET.BAT (or other batch
    file that starts the network) and REMark delete the line that looks
    similar to:

    C:\LANTASTI\LANCACHE

    See the Microsoft Windows User's Guide for more information on running
    SMARTDrive.

Product Execution Notes:
1.  Your DOS PATH= statement in the AUTOEXEC.BAT should not include any
redirected drives that loop back to your local server.  For example, if your
server name is WIN_SERVER, then the following NET USE statement is an example
of a loopback redirection:

     NET USE F: \\WIN_SERVER\C-DRIVE

If your PC locks up at the Windows logo screen when Windows is starting up,
this is the most likely reason.  To resolve this, you should remove any loopback
paths from your PATH= statement or cancel the redirection before starting
Windows and reconnect the drive once Windows is running.

2.  If you are running Windows 3.1 on a machine that also functions as a print
server, perform the following steps to speed up printing:

     a.  At DOS, run the NET_MGR program and select "Shared Resource
     Management" from the Main Functions menu.

     b.  Select the printer resource (e.g. @PRINTER), select the Chars/Second
     field and change it to 10000.

     c.  Hit the ESC key twice to return to the Main Functions menu, then choose
     the "Server Startup Parameters" selection.  Set Printer Tasks to 1, even if
     you have more than one printer physically attached to this machine.  Exit
     from NET_MGR and reboot if you changed the Printer Tasks setting.

3.  With Windows 3.1, you can send print jobs to any of the standard print
devices (e.g. LPT1-3, COM1,2) when running over LANtastic.  However, if the
printer you are sending jobs to is a network printer, carry out the following
steps to streamline printing:

     a.  From the Main Group in Windows, select Control Panel and then Printers.
     If the "Use Print Manager" box is checked, click on the box to turn it off.
     This will eliminate double spooling of jobs, since both Windows and
     LANtastic have print spoolers.

     b.  From that same window, click on the "Connect" button and uncheck the
     "Fast Printing Direct to Port" box that appears in the Connect window.

     c.  Also in the Connect window, put the value 900 in the "Device Not
     Selected" box, and change the "Transmission Retry Timeout" to 950.

Compatibility Notes:
1.  If Windows 3.1 replaces a Windows 3.0 installation and you run Windows in
Standard mode, you may receive an error message regarding NetHeapSize.
Windows will display an informative message on startup requesting that you
reduce this setting.  Generally, this is because the [standard] section of the
SYSTEM.INI file contains this line:

NetHeapSize=64

Change this value to 63 to eliminate the informative message.

2.  SETUP will not be able to configure a permanent swap file if the LANtastic
SERVER program is running.  To remedy this, have all users log out of your
server and remove SERVER from memory. You can then run SETUP or change
the virtual memory settings from the 386 Enhanced option within Control Panel.
Remove SERVER by running the command below at the DOS prompt (NOT
within a Windows DOS prompt window).

SERVER /REMOVE

Note that this command will shut down your server and log out any active users.
No other users may log in or use your system until you re-run the server
program.  If the above command returns the message "ERROR: not safe to
REMOVE, Interrupts re-hooked," you must temporarily comment out the
SERVER command from your STARTNET.BAT file and reboot the machine
before configuring the swap file.

3.  SETUP inserts the following line in the [386Enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI
file during the configuration process when it detects it is installing on a
LANtastic network:

EMMExclude=D800-DFFF

This prevents Windows from using the default RAMBASE address of the Artisoft
Enhanced 2Mbps (E2Mbps) adapter.  You may remove this line if you are using
Artisoft AE-2, AE-2/T, AE-3, or  AE-1 adapters since they do not use a
RAMBASE address.  If you do have the E2Mbps adapter, verify the address it
uses and change the values on the EMMExclude line to match them if
necessary.  On 386 and higher machines, you should also confirm that the
E2Mbps adapter range is excluded from access by your 386 expanded memory
manager (e.g. EMM386.EXE).   If you are using adapter cards other than
Artisoft's, check the adapter documentation to confirm whether the card uses a
RAMBASE address.


Troubleshooting:
The following information is provided to assist you in solving the most common
problems that LANtastic users encounter.  The symptom of a particular situation
is presented with its solution immediately following.

Symptom:
Printer prints slowly when print server is running Windows.

Solution:
Change the "Characters Per Second" for the printer resource to 10000.  To do
this, start NET_MGR and select "Shared Resource Management" from the main
functions menu.  Choose the printer name from the resource list and change the
"Characters Per Second" setting.  After changing this setting, press ESC to
return to the main functions menu and select "Server Startup Parameters" from
that menu.  Make sure the "Printer Tasks" setting is 1, then press ESC until you
reach the DOS prompt.  If you changed these settings, reboot your server  so the
changes can go into effect.  Once the server is back on-line,  start Windows and
make sure that "Print Manager" and "Fast Printing Direct to Port" are both
disabled.  (These are both located under "CONTROL PANEL, PRINTERS".)

        *                       *                       *
Symptom:
Computer locks up and starts "bleeping" when I load Windows in Enhanced
mode on a server.

Solution:
Remove all loopback drive redirections from this server.  For example, if your
server is called SERVER1 a loopback redirection would be:
NET USE C: \\SERVER1\C-DRIVE, or
NET USE F: \\SERVER1\C-DRIVE

        *                       *                       *
Symptom:
Frequent LAN disconnects from all servers or disconnects when you try to start a
DOS application on a network drive from within Windows.

Solution:
Make a new entry in the SYSTEM.INI file that looks like this:

[lantastic]
network_irq=15

The network_irq setting must be set to the hardware interrupt request (IRQ)
number that your network adapter is using.  For Artisoft adapters, the defaults
are IRQ 15 if you are using the AEX.EXE driver, IRQ 3 if you are using the
AE2.EXE driver, and also IRQ 3 if your are using the LANBIOSx.EXE drivers.
Check the driver command line in your STARTNET.BAT or other batch file that
brings up the LAN to see if you are using an IRQ other than the default.  You
may also use the Microsoft Diagnostics (MSD.EXE) program's IRQ Status option
to discover which IRQ your adapter is using.  You should exit Windows before
running MSD so that it will be able to collect correct information about your
computer.  See the Windows 3.1 User's Guide for more information on
MSD.EXE.

            *                       *                       *
Symptom:
I can't print from Windows, it gives me the error "Printer not ready or out of
paper."

Solution:
Open the Windows Control Panel, select the Printers icon and make sure that
the Print Manager box is not checked.  Click on the "Connect" button and
uncheck the Fast Printing Direct To Port box if it is checked.

        *                       *                       *
Symptom:
With Windows loaded in Enhanced 386 mode, the network becomes
inaccessible.   My machine either bleeps or locks up when accessing a network
resource.

Possible solutions:
1.  Exit Windows and run SETUP at the DOS prompt in the Windows directory.
Make sure the NETWORK selection has been set to "LANtastic".

2.  Edit the SYSTEM.INI file in the Windows directory.  In the "[386enh]"
section, make sure the "Network=" line is written as follows:

NETWORK=*VNETBIOS, C:\LANTASTI\LANTASTI.386

3.  If you're using the 2Mbps adapter, or a 3rd party network adapter that
requires a shared RAM address, check to make sure you have a line in the
SYSTEM.INI file [386Enh] section that excludes the RAMBASE address for the
adapter.  For example:

EMMEXCLUDE=xxxx-yyyy

where xxxx-yyyy designates the RAMBASE address range for your network
adapter.

4.  Make sure there are no other adapters in the system that use same IRQ as
your network card.  For example,  If you have your network card on IRQ 3, then
it will conflict with your COM2 port.  This symptom is usually more apparent
when you are running Windows than when you are in DOS.

        *                       *                       *
Symptom:
Computer locks up with the screen blank while loading Windows.

Possible Solutions:
1.  Add this line to the SYSTEM.INI file, in the "[386enh]" section.

EMMEXCLUDE=A000-FFFF

2.  If you installed a 3rd party video driver for Windows, change it back to
"VGA".  This will allow you to check for a possible software or hardware
conflict.

        *                       *               *
Symptom:
During installation of LANtastic For Windows, I get the error message: "Call to
undefined dynalink."

Solution:
You are using LANtastic for Windows version 4.0.  You will need to download
the "WINSTZIP.EXE" file from our Bulletin Board System (602-293-0065) or from
our CompuServe Forum (GO ARTISOFT).  This is a self-extracting compressed
file that will give you a new WINSTALL.EXE program to replace the one from
your original LANtastic for Windows disk.  Alternately, you can contact Artisoft
customer service for an upgrade to LANtastic for Windows version 4.1.
(LANtastic For Windows version 4.0 was designed for use with Windows 3.0)

        *                       *                       *


Symptom:
I receive: "Error incorrect DOS version" while trying to load Windows.

Solution:
Edit or type out your CONFIG.SYS file and check the setting on the "FILES= "
line.  If it is 25 or less, edit CONFIG.SYS and set it to a higher value.  We
recommend a minimum of 50.  Also check the value of the BUFFERS setting, it
should be at least 16.

        *                       *                       *
Symptom:
When trying to load Windows in 386 Enhanced mode on machine running "DR
DOS" version 6.00, I get the error: "Insufficient memory to initialize Windows
in Enhanced mode".

Solution:
Download the file "DRDOS600.EXE" from our BBS or CompuServe.  Copy it to
the LANTASTI subdirectory and run it to create a new "LANTASTI.386" file.
Once it is done, copy the new file to the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.

        *                       *                       *

Version History:
12/16/92: Windows 3.1 tested for compatibility with LANtastic v4.0.
3/15/93:  Windows 3.1 tested for compatibility with LANtastic v5.0.

Vendor Information:
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond  WA  98052-6399
Phone: [phone]

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ARTISOFT, Inc. Makes no warranties as to the completeness or accuracy of this
document.  LANtastic is a trademark of ARTISOFT, Inc.  Brand names,
company names, and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective companies.
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