Macintosh / TIA

Frequently Asked Questions

- a Light-Hearted Guide to a Heavy Topic

by Bill Arnett
(billa@netcom.com)

Table of Contents

Introduction

This document's primary purpose is to get you up and running with TIA on a Mac. It also attempts to answer a few questions that may arise after you have it working, but if all goes well, once you get TIA working you can just forget about it and enjoy the Net.

It assumes you have a Macintosh and that you already have it connected to an ISP (Internet Service Provider, e.g. Netcom or your school or business) thru a modem. The ISP's machine must be running one of the many supported flavors of UNIX. You must have the ability to download files and execute them on the ISP's machine. (AOL, Compuserve, eWorld et. al. are not suitable.) It also assumes that you have the ability to copy binary files (i.e. Mac applications) from your ISP's machine to your Mac. (If you need more help on these topics, check the FAQs for comp.dcom.modems, comp.sys.mac.comm or comp.os.unix.)

This is also an experiment in WWW FAQ writing. This is an html document, intended to be viewed with a WWW browser such as Mosaic or lynx. If you have access to a WWW browser I suggest that you use it to view the online version which may be more up to date. If you're not sure if you have WWW just try entering 

    % lynx ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/bi/billa/tia/faq.html
at your shell prompt; or if you have a local copy of the file just say 
    % lynx filename
Since not everyone is able to use lynx, I've tried to make this document readable as a plain text file, too, although it's pretty ugly. You just have to ignore the html markup (the stuff between angle brackets like at the end of this sentence) except where a reference is being given.

Here's a reference to the online version of this document.

I know you're gonna put in a lot of those "references", but it looks gibberish to me. What does it mean?

(If you're using a WWW browser you didn't ask that question did you? just ignore the rest of this section.)

First read the reference ignoring the stuff inside angle brackets; this is what a WWW user will see and (if I've done my job right) will tell you what is being referenced. Then concentrate on the quoted string after the equal sign. That string is an "URL" (Uniform Resource Locator), the notation by which WWW entities are addressed. It has four parts: a protocol (e.g. "ftp") which determines which tool you must use to access the item; a host name ("ftp.netcom.com") which tells you which machine you have to connect to; a path ("/pub/bi/billa/tia/") which specifies where (a directory) on that machine to look; and finally, a file name ("faq.html") in that directory. Files referenced by ftp URLs can be copied to your account with the Unix ftp command as follows: 

    % ftp
    ftp: o ftp.netcom.com
    Connected to ftp.netcom.com.
    220 server FTP server (Version wu-2.4(2) Tue Jul 5 16:00:01 PDT 1994) ready.
    Name (ftp.netcom.com:billa): anonymous
    331 Guest login ok, send your complete e-mail address as password.
    Password:billa@netcom.com
    230-
    230-         Welcome to NETCOM On-line Communications Services, Inc.
    ...
    230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.
    ftp: cd pub/bi/billa/tia
    250 CWD command successful.
    ftp: get faq.html
    200 PORT command successful.
    150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for faq.html (24000 bytes).
    226 Transfer complete.
    local: faq.html remote: faq.html
    24000 bytes received in 8.0 seconds (3.0 Kbytes/s)
    ftp: bye
    221 Goodbye.
    %
For more information consult you man pages or your local Unix guru. Other common types of URLs are http and gopher. Gopher is pretty self-explanatory. Files referenced by http URLs can usually only be seen by WWW browsers, but you an always try to ftp them and read them as text (as in this case). Sometimes you'll see and URL with no protocol and host part; that means use the same protocol, host and directory as was used to get the document in which the reference occurs.

What's this "WWW" you keep talking about?

Oh boy, are you in for a treat! WWW is a TLA ("TLA" is a TLA meaning "Three Letter Acronym" :-) meaning "World Wide Web". It is just about the coolest thing to come into the computer world since bit mapped graphics. It's a huge globally interconnected set of documents containing pictures, sounds and text on every conceivable topic which you can access right from your Mac. You can easily add your own documents to the WWW. WWW is why you're going to all the trouble to read this FAQ!

What is TIA, anyway?

In order to get full access to the Internet (e.g. WWW) you need to make a TCP/IP connection from your Mac to the Net. Unless you're part of a large organization which can spend big bucks every month for net access, you probably have to use a dial-up connection to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) using a special protocol called SLIP (Serial Line IP). Some ISPs provide SLIP at a reasonable cost, but most want $1 or more per hour. Once you get into WWW that can easily be hundreds of dollars per month. Bummer.

Enter TIA! (Trumpets sound! Rockets burst!) TIA (The Internet Adapter) by Cyberspace Development, Inc. is an neat little utility that installs on your ISP's UNIX host in minutes, runs as a standard process on any user's shell account, and enables that user to utilize their shell account (essentially) as a SLIP account. All this for one low, low payment of $25. You no longer have to choose between food and Net access.

A few ISPs have banned TIA from their machines. Most tolerate it but don't like it. After all, it's taking money from their pockets (instead of from yours). If your ISP bans TIA, get a new ISP. If you ISP allows it, keep quiet and don't abuse your newfound abilities (e.g. by staying logged in 24 hours per day); you don't want to spoil the party. Don't ask you ISP's support staff to help you with TIA. You can get all the help you need here and from the newsgroup alt.dcom.slip-emulators.

Here is some more marketing information about TIA.

I wanna do it! I want it now!

Whoa there cowboy! You've got a bit of scrounging to do first. TIA's developers have generously provided for a 2-week free trial version of TIA to let you try it out before you plunk down your hard earned bread. To make the best of that, you should have everything else ready before you get your trial license. It will take a bit of effort to do all this, but trust me, it's worth it.

But first make sure you've got the right stuff. The minimum requirements for a SLIP connection are a Mac Plus, System 6.0.7, MacTCP 2.0.4, and 2MB RAM. I'd personally recommend at least a Mac II, System 7.0.1+Tuneup, and 4MB of RAM, but you can do it perfectly well with less. The major problem is the applications you want to run over the connection, not SLIP itself. You'll need System 7 to run WWW. TIA et al will work with any modem, but you'll be happier with the fastest one that your ISP can support (usually 14.4k). You also need an 8-bit clean connection and a hardware handshake modem cable.

The Right Cable

Here's a picture of a hardware handshake cable:
[HH Cable]
If you know which end of a soldering iron to hold you can save yourself $20 by making your own cable. On the other hand, if this looks to you like the wiring diagram for the Starship Enterprise, you had better just buy one; you can do serious damage to your Macintosh if you screw this up.

The Right Connection

There is a test you can perform to see if you have an 8 bit clean serial connection. Get a copy of the ascii test file ascii.bin and save it in your Unix account. Make a second copy of it for later comparison: 
 
   % cp ascii.bin ascii.bak
Now using Zterm or a similar terminal emulator, download the file ascii.bin to your MAC using zmodem in binary mode. (It is very important to specify binary mode for zmodem since by default zmodem escapes control characters.) Now upload the result file from your Mac back to the host again using zmodem in *binary* mode.

Once the process is complete compare the original file ascii.bak with the test file ascii.bin: 

 
   % diff ascii.bin ascii.bak
The files should be identical. If they are not then you do not have an 8 bit clean serial connection and SLIP (i.e. TIA) will not function properly. If you do not have an 8 bit clean connection please check your (client side) setup first (modem, cable, SLIP software settings) and if they check out as OK then contact your local sysadmin.

Another (simpler) test your UNIX system might support is the command 'sz -TT' which attempts to output all 256 ASCII code combinations to the terminal. You can issue this command and watch the results to see which codes get "eaten" by your setup.

One basic setting for you (or more likely the sysadmin) to check is the UNIX tty setting. The settings file (e.g., /etc/gettytab) should include a parameter (e.g., p8) to specify that the port is 8 bit.

On a Xyplex terminal server you may have to say "set session passall".

Ok, so what do I have to do first, Mom?

First read this entire document. Only after you've read it all should you try to actually do anything. No, there's no trick at the end saying that you can just type "xyzzy". But you'll find it easier to do it all if you know where you're going.

You may find it convenient to print this out on paper (paper? Yeah, you know, that stuff they make from dead trees). You're going to be rebooting your Mac a lot.

MacTCP

Next you need to get a copy of MacTCP. Aside from TIA itself, MacTCP is the only part of this is not freeware or shareware. There are several ways to get MacTCP. The easiest is to buy System 7.5, which is a pretty nice package anyway, but costs about $100. You can get MacTCP for only about $30 by buying a copy of Adam Engst's fine book "The Internet Starter Kit, Version 2" (Mac version) which comes with a floppy that includes MacTCP and a bunch of other things you're gonna need. TISK is a pretty good introduction to the Internet, too. Several other similar books are also available.

Make sure your MacTCP is version 2.0.4 or later. If you have an earlier version there is an updater available.

The most recent version of MacTCP is now 2.0.6 which includes several important fixes over 2.0.4. To upgrade download the updater and run it against a virgin copy of 2.0.4.

Other basic Mac software

In addition to MacTCP, you will also need: Make sure you copy this and everything else you download onto backup floppies. Unpack and expand the archives but don't try to actually install any of this stuff just yet. You need some more information first.

Get TIA trial version

Now that you've got all that stuff safely onto your Mac, it's time to get TIA itself. There are two components to TIA: a license file and a Unix binary. The binary is a unix application program that runs on your ISP's machine; there are several versions, you must get the right one for you ISP's flavor of Unix. The license file is just a text file containing a magic string that TIA checks when it starts up to make sure you've paid. Don't try to cheat by copying your buddy's license -- it won't work and anyway it's wrong.

First you need to get a trial license. Get a copy of the SINGLE USER ORDER FORM fill it in and mail it back (detailed instructions are included as part of the form). Cyberspace's mailbot will reply (usually very quickly) with a message containing your license code and some instructions. Just save the license in a file called ".tia" in your home directory. Now obtain and install the TIA binary as explained in the TIA Single Instructions from Cyberspace. If you know what machine type your ISP is running just ftp over to marketplace.com and get the right version (but you should read the above document anyway, it contains important legal and support info). If you're not sure, read the TIA Single Instructions and perform all the steps up to but not including "STEP 5. SETUP YOUR PC OR MAC SLIP...", you should read it all, but there are more detailed instructions tailored for Mac users here.

Make sure the TIA binary is installed somewhere on your path (or in your home if you don't know what a "path" means); rename it "tia" and make it executable 

    % mv sparc.sunos.tia tia
    % chmod 544 tia
If you're a Netcom customer, you don't need to get your own copy of the binary. Barry Nathan has generously agreed to keep the latest version in his home for all of us to share. Just make a link in your home to Barry's version: 
    % cd
    % ln -s ~barryn/pub/tia   tia
Of course, you still need your own .tia file containing your own license code.

Make sure TIA is working properly. When you run it it should respond: 

    % tia
    The Internet Adapter (tm) 1.04c for SunOS
    Copyright (c) 1994 Cyberspace Development, Inc.
    Trial license

    Ready to start your SLIP software.
To exit TIA, type five control-C's in succession, allowing at least two seconds between the first and last ones. If at first it doesn't die, just type some more control-C's.

Don't worry, this whole song and dance is really a lot easier than it sounds.

Host Information

When you configure MacTCP a little bit later, you're going to need some information about your ISP's machine and how you connect to it. Most of this is exceedingly dull and boring but it has to be exactly right (Mac users are usually insulated from these things, but this time you're gonna have to put up with it for a while; think of it as a confirming experience to renew your faith in the Mac). Your terminal emulator probably has the ability to record your session and save it in a file; use it. If not, just cut and paste the relevant information from your terminal emulator's window into a text file.

First of all, you need to record your login sequence. So log out, quit your terminal emulator, reset your modem (if necessary) and start all over with the session recorder on. You need to record all the prompts you get (including your shell prompt) and your responses to them (including your user id and password) and, of course, you need the phone number. Record all of this exactly; spaces and upper/lowercase matter.

Next, run TIA with the special flag to get it to show us the gateway and nameserver addresses: 

   % tia -address
   The Internet Adapter (tm) 1.04c for SunOS
   Copyright (c) 1994 Cyberspace Development, Inc.
   IP address of netcom8 (used as Gateway address):192.100.81.117
   Addresses of nameservers:
       127.0.0.1 localhost
       192.100.81.101 netcomsv
       192.100.81.105 mork
   %
Enter the "domainname" command and note the result: 
   % domainname
   netcom.com
   %
(Netcom customers can use the above.)

Finally, ask your buddies or your system administrator for the names of your POP, SMTP and NNTP servers. You'll need these to read mail and news. If you can't get a better answer, you can usually use "localhost" for the first two but not the third. (There is a workaround if you can't find an NNTP server which we'll discuss later.)

You should now know your:

Double check all these numbers! Needless to say, if you get one lousy digit wrong it ain't gonna work right and you're gonna be mystified and call me and I won't know it's wrong and we'll all be confused and frustrated. Again, it's probably a good idea to print all this out on paper so it will be handy when you need it.

Clean up your act!

One more thing before we get down to it. There are lots of things that can go wrong with all this. You don't need any extra complications. So disable (remove from your System Folder) all those nifty Extensions and Control Panels you've been collecting for the last decade. Keep ONLY your virus checker (you DO use a virus checker don't you?), the ones you got directly from Apple's system disks and those absolutely needed for your hardware (including Express Modem, if you're using it).

Especially troublesome are the various hacks used for FAXing (including Apple's) and old versions of MacTCP (and MacTCP DNR and MacTCP Prep). Trash MacTCP DNR and MacTCP Prep (MacTCP will recreate them later); disable the rest.

If you're using System 7.5, disable Apple Menu Options, too. Despite the fact that it's an official Apple released product, it's a turkey.

After you get TIA et. al. working you can put all your favorite INITs back. Then if something stops working, you'll know why.

Apple software versions

Make sure you have the latest versions of Apple's networking software for your machine. Apple sez: Despite Apple's advice, on my Quadra 840av with GeoPort Telecom Adapter, I use the following: 
   GeoPort Extension 1.2.1
   GeoPort Telecom 1.1.4
   GeoPort Telecom Adapter 1.4
   Express Modem 1.5.3
   Express Modem Tool 1.5.3
   Network Extension 7.1.3
   Fax Terminal 7.5 Compatiblilty 1.0
All these files can be obtained directly from the Apple Austin ftp site. These files are distributed as disk images. You need Disk Copy (or a similar utility like Drop*Disk) to use them.

Always Practice Safe Computing!

We haven't heard much about viruses recently in the Mac world. There's a good reason for that: almost everyone uses a virus checker. If you aren't using one then stop everything right now and get one. I recommend the freeware Disinfectant by John Norstad of NWU. There are several commercial packages which may have some advantages over Disinfectant, but Disinfectant has worked fine for me for many years -- why pay when a perfectly adequate solution is free?

If you previously didn't think you needed a virus checker, you were wrong. And you're doubly wrong now that you're going to be downloading things from all over the Net. You may not have had virus problems in the past but you're much more vulnerable when connected to the Net.

Reboot

Empty the Trash and restart your Mac. Wasn't that fast? Are you sure you really needed all those other INITs?

Install MacTCP and InterSLIP

Now drop MacTCP into your Control Panels folder and launch the InterSLIP Installer. It will create a number of files and then restart your Mac. During the restart, check that MacTCP and InterSLIP load properly (no big red X over the icon). When the Finder comes back up, examine your System Folder. Amidst your old familiar friends, you should see these new items: 
   System Folder
      Apple Menu Items
         InterSLIP Setup
      Control Panels
         InterSLIP Control
         MacTCP
      Extensions
         InterSLIP
      MacTCP DNR
      Preferences
         InterSLIP Folder
            Dialing Scripts
            Gateway Scripts
            InterSLIP Preferences
There will also be file "InterSLIP Docs" on your Desktop. (Save this for reading later.)

Move the file "DialTIA" that you downloaded earlier into the Dialing Scripts folder and the file "GateTIA" into the Gateway Scripts folder.

Trash "InterSLIP Control"; it's not needed. (MacTCP is often distributed along with a file called "Hosts" which you can also trash.)

InterSLIP scripts

You may have to slightly modify the two InterSLIP scripts to match your own particular environment. (Here's where we use some of the cryptic stuff you recorded earlier.) All the lines that may need to be changed are clearly marked.

In the DialTIA script there are five such places but unless you have a really funny Unix setup, you'll only have to change one: About 75% of the way down the file is a line that reads: 

    matchstr 1 30 "% "
If your shell prompt does not end with "% " then change the string inside the quotes to match the last two characters of your shell prompt. For example, if you shell prompt is "{netcomX:Y} " change the script to: 
    matchstr 1 30 "} "
(Don't forget the spaces.)

[ If last characters of your prompt vary you may have to change your prompt. You can do this by putting a line like: 

    set prompt = "% "
in you .login file in your home directory on your ISP's machine. ]

There are seven places in the GateTIA than may need changing. The first three check places for the first prompt given to you when you log in. In almost all Unix systems this is "login:" or "Login:" so the script just checks for "ogin:". If your prompt is different, for example "Enter user id:", then change the three lines near the top of the script from 

    matchstr 1 1 "ogin:"
to
    matchstr 1 1 "er id:"
The fourth place checks for the password prompt. If your system's password prompt is "Secret code:", for example, then change the line 
    matchstr 1 2 "assword:"
to
    matchstr 1 2 "code:"
The fifth and sixth places check for the shell prompt. Modify them exactly like the shell prompt in DialTIA.

The last place is near the end of the script. Here the script needs the name of the TIA binary. If you followed the instructions above, you don't need to change it. But if you're one of those headstrong know-it-alls that never follows instructions, you just made some more work for yourself: if, for example, you decided to name your TIA binary "tia_maria" change the line 

    write "exec tia\13"

to

    write "exec tia_maria\13"
[ Note: you do NOT put your user id or password in these scripts. They go in the InterSLIP setup dialog described below. The scripts use the cryptic notations "^5" and "^6" as placeholders for your real user id and password. ]

If you have a terminal server that gives you an extra prompt before the Unix login prompt, you'll need to get the enhanced gateway script which handles this case. It has two additional places that need to be modified to match your terminal server's prompt and your response to it. If your situation is even more complicated then you're just going to have to figure it out for yourself. Some more examples to work from can be found in the MacTCP directory at Adam Engst's TidBits ftp site.

MacTCP settings

Are you getting Mac withdrawal from all this boring text? Well, the worst is behind you now. But you're still gonna have to type in some of those funny numbers you collected.

Open the MacTCP control panel. At the top of the window are icons for the various methods by which your Mac might connect to the rest of the Universe. Click on the one labeled "InterSLIP". (Ignore the IP address box for now.) Click on the "More..." button to see the main configuration dialog. My MacTCP settings are: 

Obtain address: Server
Gateway address: 192.0.2.1
Class: C
Subnet Mask: 255:255:255:0
Domain Name Server Information:
     Domain       IP Address       Default
     netcom.com   192.100.81.101     (*)
     .            192.100.81.101
     .            192.100.81.105
[MacTCP settings]
To set the Gateway address first change Obtain Address to "Manual" then enter the IP address of your ISP's machine (which you got from running "tia -address"; if your ISP has several machines and you can't predict which one you will get then you can use "192.0.2.1"). Change Obtain Address back to "Server". Choose "C" from the Class popup menu. The Subnet Mask should be set correctly when you choose Class "C"; if not, move the little slider.

The DNS settings are critical. Enter your domain name in the first Domain box. Enter the IP address of your primary nameserver in the first IP Address box and check the Default button. Enter a single period in the second Domain box and the IP address of your primary nameserver again in the second IP Address box. Enter the IP addresses of any additional nameservers with periods in the corresponding Domain boxes. (Note the scroll bar: you can add several more entries if your site has lots of nameservers; but two or three is usually enough.)

Note that the entries in the Domain column are NOT the names of hosts and they are NOT the host names corresponding to the entries in the IP Address column. This dialog is not Apple's best effort.

For more information about MacTCP see:

InterSLIP settings

Finally, you're ready to configure InterSLIP. First run the "InterSLIP Setup" application (the Installer thoughtfully left it in your Apple Menu Items folder). Then create a new configuration settings file by choosing New from the File menu and giving it a convenient name like "netcomTIA". That name will appear in the bottom portion of the window. Double click on it. This will present a dialog box in which the real fun begins.

My InterSLIP settings are: 

Serial Port: GeoPort                   Gateway: GateTIA
Baud Rate: 57600                       User name: billa
Data Bits: 8                           Prompt for password: off
Stop Bits: 1                           Password:  guess-me
Parity: none
Hardware handshaking: on               IP Address: 192.0.2.1
Speaker: on                            Nameserver: 192.100.81.101
Dial Script: DialTIA                   RFC blah blah blah: off
Dial: Tone                             MTU size: 1500
Phone No.: 261-4700
Modem Init: AT&F
[InterSLIP settings]
Obviously, many of these need to be configured for your particular environment:
Phone No., User name and Password
obvious
Serial Port
The port your modem is plugged into (almost always Modem Port unless you're using a machine with an internal modem).
Baud Rate
For now, use the highest value your machine supports. (19200 may be a better choice for some Macs; see Trouble Shooting, below)
Modem Init
Most can use the default "AT&F". (See below for specific advice.)
Dial Script and Gateway
Select your modified DialTIA and GateTIA scripts.
Nameserver
Use the IP address of your primary nameserver as recorded above from the output of "tia -address".
The others should be set as above. Choose OK to close the dialog. You're done; that wasn't so hard after all, was it?

Reboot

Restart your Mac. (Old Timers call it "booting" instead of "restarting"; the term probably refers to the tool most commonly used for that purpose :-) You must reboot whenever you change MacTCP's settings.

The Moment of Truth

The moment of truth has arrived. If you have done all the above as described (and I haven't screwed up the instructions :-) then you should now be able to run TCP/IP applications on your Mac.

First try NCSA Telnet. Start it up and choose Open Connection from the File menu. Enter "localhost" in the Host/Session Name box and hit the Connect button (ignore the other box for now). In a few seconds, you should see a window with your standard login prompt. Log in. Welcome to the InterNet! You are now back to where you started from only Telnet is a lot slower than Zterm.

[ Telnet has an unreasonably large number of parameters and settings which interact in obscure ways with your terminal settings on your ISP's host. Fortunately, the defaults work most of the time. But if your session acts funny (double prompts, backspace not working, etc.) talk to your system administrator. Telnet settings are way beyond the scope of this FAQ. ]

If you don't get a telnet window or if telnet complains about the name then try entering the IP address of you ISP's machine. If that works then your MacTCP DNS settings are probably wrong; fix them, remove MacTCP Prep and MacTCP DNR and reboot. If IP addresses don't work either then you have something else more basic wrong. See Trouble Shooting, below.

Now try Anarchie. Select Get from the menu. Enter "ftp.einet.net" in the Machine box and "/einet/mac/macweb/" in the Path box; leave the others empty. Hit the List button. After a bit of flashing you should see a window with a list of the files in that directory. Double click on Macweb.latest.sea.hqx. You should get a status dialog that shows the progress of the download (pay attention to the "Bytes/Sec" indicator -- it should be about 1400 for 14400 baud modems; see below if your value is consistently lower). (If you don't get in to that machine, try another one like "ftp://coral.bucknell.edu//pub/mac/net/macweb.latest.sea.hqx"; ftp sites often get busy and refuse connections.) Unstuff the archive if necessary (Anarchie should have done it automatically).

Like that better than ftp on Unix? now you're beginning to get a taste of what all the fuss is about! But the best is yet to come:

Run MacWeb. Try to tear yourself away after a while and get some sleep. Don't forget to eat.

Reading Mail via TIA

This is an easy one. Its very easy to configure Eudora to run with TIA: Select Settings from the Special menu. The settings dialog has several sections which are selected by clicking on the icons at the left. In the first section entry your POP mail account, Real Name and choose MacTCP as the Connection Method. You POP mail account is just your user id followed by "@127.0.0.1" e.g. "billa@127.0.0.1". You can use anything as your "Real Name" but your correspondents will get tired of cutsy aliases real fast.

In the Personal Information section, enter your return address and username (the other fields should already be filled in. Your return address must be a valid email address or your friends won't be able to reply to your messages. It is usually your user id followed by "@" and your domain name. It should be the same address you've been using with your shell account, e.g. "billa@netcom.com". Your "Dialup username" is just the user id that you type at the login prompt.

In the Hosts section, enter "127.0.0.1" in the SMTP box.

I've made pictures of the Getting Started, Personal Information and Hosts settings for those of you who like such things.

[ Some say that the use of "127.0.0.1" (or "localhost") in this context depends on a bug in MacTCP. It's a debatable point. If you're worried about it you can just use your ISP's host name instead (e.g. POP: "billa@netcom5.netcom.com"; SMTP: "netcom8") or you can use TIA's -n option to set up another alias for the local machine. ]

Reading News via TIA

Normally, setting up your favorite newsreader is even easier than mail. Just enter your NNTP server in the appropriate place and away you go.

But for those of us whose fascist Internet providers (like Netcom) do not or will not provide access to an NNTP server, Cyberspace has generously provided a special news server (an "nntp daemon") that is customized for use with TIA. (As of this writing only a SunOS version is available.)

This only works with TIA version 1.0.4c or later. The two necessary files are available from Cyberspace in: the beta directory. The TIA binary must be installed as described above; nntpd must be in your path and must be executable.

[ Netcom users can just make links to the most recent versions that Barry Nathan has generously agreed to make available to the rest of us. At your netcom shell prompt enter: 

    % cd
    % ln -s ~barryn/pub/tia   tia
    % ln -s ~barryn/pub/nntpd nntpd
]

Then make a file called " .tiarc" in your home which contains the line: 

        -p:119 nntpd
You must restart TIA (not your Mac) for this to take effect (just disconnect and reconnect with InterSLIP). Start up TIA manually and observe its output to make sure you've got this all right. It should look like: 
    % tia
    The Internet Adapter (tm) 1.04c for SunOS
    Copyright (c) 1994 Cyberspace Development, Inc.
    Address:192.0.2.3 Port:119 is setup to run:nntpd
    Individual License

    Ready to start your SLIP software.
Finally, tell your newsreader that the NNTP server is "192.0.2.3". By far the most popular newsreader is NewsWatcher by John Norstad (of Disinfectant fame).

If your site has a large number of newsgroups (as netcom does) you may need to increase NewsWatcher's memory partition size ("Preferred size" in the Finder's Get Info box). Here are pictures of my NewsWatcher Server Addresses and Personal Information settings.

The Quickie Shell

Bored with logging in all the time? Wanna save some CPU cycles for your friendly ISP? Then use TIA's nifty -p option. Just put a line in your .tiarc file containing "-p" (this is IN ADDITION TO the one you may have set up above for news). Then tell telnet to connect to "192.0.2.3" and presto! you have a shell prompt sans login. (This is not a security hole, you logged in with the InterSLIP script and this new shell is part of that session.)

This works because the -p option tells TIA to interpret the telnet protocol itself and send the characters you type directly to a shell thus avoiding the extra overhead of a telnet process on your ISP's machine.

Pay Up!

Once you've got TIA working to your satisfaction, you must obtain a permanent license from Cyberspace. Mail in the license form again, this time requesting a permanent license and filling in the appropriate payment info. You'll get a new licence code to put in your .tia file.

IMHO, this is the best $25 I ever spent. Cyberspace Development is a tiny little company with obviously very weak marketing: I would have gladly paid $100 and still considered it a great bargain.

If you're new to the Internet, consider buying Adam Engst's fine book "The Internet Starter Kit Version 2" if you haven't already. It's full of useful information that may be hard to get anywhere else. Reading it will save you a lot of time searching for answers. It's less than $30 at most bookstores.

Some of the TCP/IP software for the Mac is free but much of it is shareware. If you use a shareware product you are morally obliged to pay for it. Shareware authors work very hard and provide a very valuable service to our community. So do The Right Thing. You won't go to jail if you don't pay but you may be reincarnated as a Denebian slime worm.

Frequently Asked Questions

This wouldn't be a proper FAQ file without some actual FAQs:
I'm a Power User. Do I have to read all the documents and README files that came with all this stuff?
No. But if you ask a dumb question and receive a "RTFM" reply you are automatically demoted to Newbie.

This is great! Where can I find more cool TCP/IP programs?
There are several dozen in the info-mac archive which is mirrored at ftp.hawaii.edu and many other sites. Get the mirror list to find the site nearest you.

Isn't it dangerous to type my password to telnet?
It is indeed. Even though it doesn't echo, the characters you type are being sent in the clear across the Net. Any determined hacker can break into your account this way. Of course, it's not very likely, but if you have anything really valuable on your account, don't send your password thru the Net. It *is* OK, however, to use telnet to your own ISP, i.e. to the machine on which your copy of TIA is running. In this case, your password is sent directly thru the phone to your ISP's machine and never gets out onto the Net.

Can I set up an ftp (or http) server?
No. This one of the few ways in which TIA is inferior to a real SLIP connection.

What else can't I do with TIA that I could with "real" SLIP?
You can't run a finger daemon because you don't have a genuine IP address; so you can finger but cannot be fingered. Likewise, you can't run talkd, so you can initiate a talk session from your end but others can't page you via talk or ntalk.
What's the difference between TIA and term?
term is an older shareware program which allows two Unix machines to establish a TCP/IP connection. It only works with UNIX; it's useless to Mac users.

We all know that SLIP sucks. I wanna use PPP or at least CSLIP!
We also know this is baloney. SLIP may be a hack but it works just fine, thank you. CSLIP is slightly more efficient but you have to do careful measurements to see the difference. PPP is a much nicer protocol and can handle other protocols besided TCP/IP (such as AppleTalk or IPX) but why do you care? You're just trying to use the Net, not implement it. TIA will support PPP in an upcoming release.

Does TIA give me free access to AOL, Compuserve, et. al.?
Of course not. You can telnet into AOL (and maybe some of the others) but you still have to log in and pay their connect time charges. But now that you have access the the Internet, who cares about the commercial services?

Where can I learn more about writing InterSLIP scripts?
Remember that document that InterSLIP Installer left on your desktop? Too bad you trashed it. It contains a (brief) description of the "CCL" language that InterSLIP uses.

Can I put back my other INITs now?
Sure. But don't call me if everything stops working.

What's the best way to get back to a shell on my Unix machine?
Use telnet. It's possible to log in with your terminal emulator, start TIA manually then quit the terminal emulator and start InterSLIP without using dial and gateway scripts but I don't recommend it. First of all, it just doesn't work with internal modems. Secondly, it introduces yet another variable into an already complicated situation. And it's more effort each time you start up. Go with the scripts and use telnet when you need a shell.

Is there a newsgroup where I can ask other TIA users for advice?
Yes. The TIA users of all flavors (with a heavy tilt towards Netcom) hang out at alt.dcom.slip-emulators. If you've got a question not answered here or a problem you can't figure out, try posting there. But woe unto him that asks a FAQ :-)

Can you recommend a modem initialization string?
First try "AT&F". If that doesn't work check this compilation of modem strings that others have reported to work with TIA and InterSLIP.

What are all those silly AT commands, anyway?
The best source of information is your modem's manual. But if you've lost it or are just pathologically adverse to reading on paper, here's a copy of Apple's Express Modem AT Commands document. But please note that all "Hayes-compatible" modems are NOT identical in their handling of these commands.

Is there anything special for Express Modem users to worry about?
Make sure you have turned it on in the Express Modem control panel. Make sure you have chosen the "Use External Modem" option in the Express Modem Settings section.

Should I use my modem's compression and error control features?
Initially, yes. It works fine for me. But many users with slower Macs have found that turning off compression improves throughput, sometimes dramatically.

Can I use RAM Doubler or Apple's virtual memory?
Initially, yes. RAM Doubler works fine for me. But reliable sources have confirmed that slower Macs (and PowerMacs) can be seriously impacted by either of these. If your transfer rates aren't what you expect (1400 cps with a 14400 baud modem), try it without virtual memory and/or compression.

What other secret command line options does TIA have?
See this preliminary document by TIA's developer.

Is there a way to monitor what's going on?
Peter Lewis's nifty MacTCP Watcher will let you see statistics on your TCP/IP traffic and perform some tests. If you have trouble, it can be a big help.

MacTCP Watcher says "Failed to find a Domain Name System name for this Mac..." But I'm sure I entered my DNS stuff right.
Don't worry about this. It's normal for TIA connections. It's just an indication that your Mac can't act as a server.
Will TIA work over a telnet connection?
Yes, but you may have to say 
             telnet -e '' -8 ip.address.of.server
to get an 8-bit clean connection.

Does TIA work with FreeBSD using Xwindows?
Matthew Deter (mld@netcom.com) wrote: " Yes. I've made it work. get the dialup.slip FAQ from the cdrom site, follow those directions, along with the TIA directions, and you're up and running. Took me about a couple hours, with zero SLIP knowledge when I started."

I'm already using MacSLIP. Is there a MacSLIP script I can use?
(I wouldn't have put in this question if the answer was "no" :-) See Mike Cohen's script (you may have to set MacTCP to Manual addressing and remove the BOOTP & ipfind command from the script to make it work with TIA).

How do I get InterSLIP to set my IP address from my server's message?
If the server's message looks like: "Address:192.203.176.128" then add the following code fragment at the appropriate point in your InterSLIP dial script: 
@label 40
!the following line is to get IP address from the remote SLIP server
matchexp 1 50 "[0-9][0-9]*\\.[0-9][0-9]*\\.[0-9][0-9]*\\.[0-9][0-9]*"
!if the above express (IP address format) was matched, it jumps to label 50
matchread 120
jump 99
!
@label 50
!set the IP address according the one you got from the SLIP server
setip "^0"

!now get the MTU size from the server
matchexp 1 60 "[0-9][0-9]*"
matchread 120
jump 99
!
@label 60
setmtu "^0"
exit 0

@label 99
exit -1
Can I make a gateway script to handle callbacks?
Depends on how good you are at InterSLIP scripting :-) Amanda Walker (amanda@intercon.com) offers the following general advice on how to write a callback gateway script: 
          - sign on, do whatever the gateway needs
          - wait for "NO CARRIER"
          - wait for "RING"
          - if you get "RING" in the appropriate amount of time
                  - send "ATA\13"
                  - wait for "CONNECT"
                  - continue signon process
          - if not, give up

How can I tell if my cable is a "hardware handshake" cable?
Examine the picture above. Get out your trusty continuity tester and make sure all the pins are wired as shown. If you don't know what a continuity tester is (or if you don't know what a pin is), you had better just buy a new cable.
One of my less fortunate friends has a PC. What can be done for him?
See Mark Stout's FAQ and M'Lou Voss's directory which contains some instructions.

Are there any other TIA FAQ files?
You don't like my FAQ?! Well then read the one from Cyberspace and the TIA Companion for the Macintosh by David Menges.

I'm so happy! TIA has solved all my problems. Is World Peace imminent?
Only if you pay your shareware fees.

Trouble Shooting

I can't even get a telnet window after entering a valid IP address
You're in trouble, all right. Try starting all over from the top. And be more careful this time.

Telnet works OK with IP addresses but not with names
Your MacTCP DNS settings are probably wrong. Check them, fix them if necessary and reboot. If you're sure you have the settings right and it still doesn't work then remove MacTCP, MacTCP Prep and MacTCP DNR and reboot. Reinstall MacTCP from floppies. Get the settings right this time. Reboot again. If it still doesn't work, you need go get a real human being to help you (try asking for help on the newsgroup alt.dcom.slip-emulators).

I'm really stuck; I've tried everything. What now?
Reset your PRAM: restart while holding down command-option-P-R; restart again and holding down command-option to rebuild your desktop. Reinstall your System from floppies (or CD-ROM) making sure you do a clean install.

Some users have reported trouble with appletalk and/or tokentalk that can be fixed by using the Apple system disks to uninstall tokentalk and appletalk.

TIA is slower than molasses in Minneapolis! What's going on?
There are several possible causes that have been confirmed:
RAM Doubler or VM
PowerMac users and users of 68030 and slower Macs (i.e. all but 68040s) may have performance problems when using RAM Doubler or Apple's VM.
Compression
PowerMac users and users of 68030 and slower Macs (i.e. all but 68040s) may have performance problems when using their modem's compression feature. Try adding "%C0" to the modem initialization string (or better yet check your modem's manual).
Activity indicators
INITs (e.g. CP Drivelight, Claris Power to Go) that display an on-screen indicator of disk or comm activity may cause problems.
DTE speed
Some users have observed better performance using InterSLIP's Baud Rate setting at 19200 than at higher values.
Bad cables
You must use a "hardware handshake" cable as described above. It is reported that a company called Celestin makes good HH cables; send email to celestin@pt.olympus.net or phone 206 385 3767. Make sure that Hardware Handshake is checked in InterSLIP's setup dialog.
Excessive retransmissions
Some have found that the problem is related to excessive retransmissions presumably due to transmission errors. This can be caused by a variety of factors including: bad cables (must be hardware handshake), noisy phone lines (complain to your telco) and slow computers. In some cases the problem can be ameliorated if not eliminated by decreasing the MTU size parameter (in InterSLIP Setup); try about 500.
Autodoubler
One user reports that removing AutoDoubler improved SLIP performance on his PowerMac.

TIA "stalls" on me.
Many people have reported that their connection just stops sending and receiving at random times. It's often possible to restart it by manually retrying the operation or using another application to force some more traffic to be sent. The cause of this is as yet unknown. Please let me know if you see this in a controlled circumstance wherein we can get some real information.

My newsreader says it can't find any articles
You must use version 1.0.4c or later of TIA and the special nntpd version 1.5.11t5 or later (you can check the version numbers by simply running tia and nntpd).
I'm having trouble using TIA with my Xyplex server.
One user reports: "Previously I had used the 'telnet' command from the terminal server to establish the connection to my host. I tried 'rlogin' this time and it works! Side note, in my case I couldn't connect to ANY host before, not even my own. BTW, my terminal server is a Xyplex, if it makes any difference."

You may also have to say "set session passall".

If I get a BUSY signal, the InterSLIP script won't redial.
Try adding more delay between redials.

Cyberspace

More information about TIA (The Internet Adapter) can be obtained directly from its creators at Cyberspace Development, Inc. via the Web or ftp or by simply sending an empty email message to tia-info@marketplace.com

Bryan Griffin has done a wonderful job implementing TIA. But equally if not more important is his excellent support of his customers. He has not only fixed the few bugs that have turned up but also implemented new features to make our lives easier. Thanks again, Bryan, good work!

Errors in this file

Despite my best efforts, the references in this file will get out of date from time to time. If you find that one of them doesn't work, please let me know. In the meantime, you may be able to retrieve the file you're looking for by examining the directory that the reference points to. If the file has a new version number you'll find it this way.

Please, please report any errors, bugs, typos, omissions or anything else you find wrong or misleading in this file. I really value your feedback.

Last updated 1994 December 5 by Bill Arnett (billa@netcom.com)