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NAsync.Doc for NIC Async Version 1.1i
Nov 12 1992
Copyright (c) Eighth Layer Systems 1990-1992.
All rights reserved.
Warning: The possibility of file corruption exists when using any software.
Please take whatever steps are required to protect vital files.
This documentation is formatted with 23 line pages. It contains
IBM PC type block graphics characters.
┌──────────┐
│ CONTENTS │
└──────────┘
RELEASE NOTES.................................................. 4
INTRODUCTION................Definitions........................ 5
Files Included..................... 7
NAsync Drivers..................... 9
NaComA Comport Agent............... 10
Na Control Utility................. 11
CONSIDERATIONS..............NIC Bridge......................... 13
Protocols.......................... 14
Serial Ports....................... 16
Modems............................. 21
SETUP/MAIN CONFIGURATION....MS Lan Manager 2.x................. 29
IBM Lan Server..................... 37
OPERATION...................................................... 39
TROUBLESHOOTING.........Traps.................................. 42
Lan Manager Problems................... 43
Modem Problems......................... 44
NASYNC PARAMETERS.............................................. 46
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................... 57
┌───────────────┐
│ RELEASE NOTES │
└───────────────┘
- The Install.Exe utility can be used to upgrade recent releases
of the software by installing over a previous version.
- Version 1.1i of the NAsync drivers incorporate some changes
which require that host and client PCs both be updated to
this new version.
- A number of error and exception conditions are now detected
and reported by the Na.Exe utility.
- A number of previously undocumented parameters are now documented.
See the NASYNC PARAMETERS section for details.
┌──────────────┐
│ INTRODUCTION │
└──────────────┘
─────────────
Definitions
─────────────
The term "LanRoot" denotes the directory under which all network
software is installed. For MS Lan Manager this is \LANMAN.DOS for DOS or
\LANMAN for OS/2. For IBM Lan Server this is \IBMLAN for OS/2.
NIC is a common network industry acronym for Network Interface Card.
This is the Ethernet, Token Ring or other adapter which connects PCs to a
network. NIC Async allows an asynchronous serial port to be used as a NIC.
MAC is an acronym for Medium Access Control. Network adapter drivers
are often referred to as MAC drivers.
NDIS is an acronym for the Microsoft/3Com Network Driver Interface
Specification. This is a software interface designed to allow multiple network
protocols to control network adapter drivers. NIC Async adheres to the NDIS
version 2.01 specifications.
NIC Async is symmetrical. Any IBM compatible PC, whether DOS or OS/2,
standalone or networked, workstation or server may initiate a call to, or
answer a call from, another NIC Async equipped PC. This creates the potential
for confusion about which machine is the "server". This document uses the term
"host" to denote the PC which has answered a call. The term "client" denotes
the PC which has initiated a call.
Note that a PC may be setup to allow both incoming and outgoing calls.
A connection between two PCs, however, will always be initiated by one of them
and answered by the other. Thus, the designation of each PC may depend only on
which PC initiated the call.
────────────────
Files Included
────────────────
The following files are included on the Install Disk:
\Readme .Doc NIC Bridge/Async introductory document
\NAsync .Doc This NIC Async document
\Tune .Doc Tuning document
\Readme .Bat DOS batch file for NicDoc.Exe
\Readme .Cmd OS/2 command file for NicDoc.Exe
\NicDoc .Exe NIC Bridge/Async DOS & OS/2 Documentation Viewer
\Install .Exe NIC Bridge/Async DOS & OS/2 Install Utility
\NicSetup.Exe NIC Bridge/Async DOS & OS/2 Setup Utility
\NicCfg .Exe NIC Bridge/Async DOS & OS/2 Configuration Utility
\NAsync .Nif NIC Async "NIF" file for IBM LS installation
\NAsync .DOS DOS NIC Async Driver for 386 & up
\NAsync .D86 DOS NIC Async Driver for 8086 & up
\NAsync .OS2 OS/2 NIC Async Driver for 386 & up on OS/2 1.2 & up
\NAsync .O86 OS/2 NIC Async Driver for 286 & up or OS/2 1.1
\NAComA .Exe OS/2 ComPort Agent
\Na .Exe DOS & OS/2 Command Line Utility
\MSLM\Protocol.AD DOS Protocol.Ini for NIC Async
\MSLM\Protocol.AO OS/2 Protocol.Ini for NIC Async
\MSLM\NAsync .ND DOS 386 NAsync.Nif
\MSLM\NAsync .ND8 DOS 8086 NAsync.Nif
\MSLM\NAsync .NO OS/2 386 NAsync.Nif
\MSLM\NAsync .NO8 OS/2 8086 NAsync.Nif
────────────────
NAsync Drivers
────────────────
The DOS and OS/2 drivers NAsync.DOS and NAsync.OS2 are the "engine"
of NIC Async. The vast majority of work is done within these drivers. They
appear to NDIS based protocols as regular Ethernet or Token Ring drivers.
The drivers are optimized for and require an Intel 80386 or higher
based PC. Support for PCs based on 80286 or lesser CPUs is provided by the
drivers NAsync.D86 for DOS and NAsync.O86 for OS/2. NAsync.O86 is also
required on OS/2 versions prior to version 1.2.
The NAsync drivers support two modes under OS/2: "Direct Port Mode"
and "OS/2 Filesystem Mode". Direct Port mode allows the driver to directly
control the serial port and is required under DOS. It supports standard IBM
AT type ports COM1 to COM4 on ISA PCs or IBM PS/2 type ports COM1 to COM8
on MCA PCs. Interrupt sharing on MCA PCs is supported only under OS/2.
OS/2 Filesystem mode allows the driver to access ports via OS/2 Com drivers
such as COM01.Sys, COM02.Sys or COM.Sys and uses the NaComA Comport Agent.
Up to nine instances of the NAsync driver may be loaded in Config.Sys.
Each instance will support one serial port.
──────────────────────
NaComA Comport Agent
──────────────────────
The OS/2 ComPort Agent NaComA.Exe does the work of communicating with
a serial port through the file system in OS/2. The use of this Agent is
optional under OS/2.
If you use a serial board such as those in the Digiboard line, the
board should come with drivers for OS/2. The agent is required for special
boards such as these.
The command "NACOMA *" will start up to nine instances of the OS/2
ComPort Agent in the background. This will service the maximum of nine NAsync
driver instances.
────────────────────
Na Control Utility
────────────────────
The control utility Na.Exe is a command line utility for the control
of NIC Async drivers. It provides options to dial, hangup, set parameters and
view statistics. It runs under both DOS & OS/2.
The command "NA" with no options provides the option listing shown
on the following page.
Note that a number from 1 to 9 may precede any Na option to specify
the driver number under control. For example, "NA 2 D" performs dial out on
the second NAsync driver loaded in Config.Sys, while "NA D" performs the same
function on the first driver.
Na control utility for NIC Async v1.1i.
Copyright (c) Eighth Layer Systems 1990-1992. All rights reserved.
Na may be invoked with the following options:
S to view Statistics
S+ to view detailed Statistics
D to Dial
H to Hangup
E+ to enable Encryption
E- to disable Encryption
C+ to enable Compression
C- to disable Compression
N number to set a new default phone number
P password to set a new default password
T to Test datalink
M to view Miscellaneous values
? to view these options
?+ to view rarely needed options
A NIC Async driver number may precede any option.
The range is 1 to 9. The default is 1.
┌────────────────┐
│ CONSIDERATIONS │
└────────────────┘
────────────
NIC Bridge
────────────
NIC Async may be used alone or in combination with NIC Bridge. Remote
user PCs always use NIC Async alone. When used alone on a server, it allows
remote access to that server only. A remote user will be able to access all of
the resources on that server but will have no access to other resources on the
network.
When installed in combination with NIC Bridge a remote user or remote
network will be able to access all resources on the local network. Further
information on NIC Bridge can be found in the NBridge.Doc file.
───────────
Protocols
───────────
The major difference between a real network connection and NIC Async
is the difference in speed. The low speeds used by modems can cause problems
for some protocols and applications. Some protocols, such as MS/IBM NetBEUI
can be tuned for low speed use. Other protocols, such as 3Com NBP, were not
specifically designed to be used at low speeds, but may be tunable for them.
Protocols which can be manually tuned, or that automatically tune
themselves for low speed operation are recommended. The list of such protocols
includes MS/IBM NetBEUI and various implementations of TCP/IP and XNS.
Some network applications, and particularly those that communicate
via NetBIOS, will not operate well or possibly at all, at low speeds.
NIC Async drivers are installed on servers and workstations as network
adapter drivers. Multiple copies of the NIC Async drivers may be loaded, one
for each serial port providing network access. Each driver loaded appears as a
seperate network adapter driver.
In many cases this imposes a requirement for mechanisms to deal with
multiple adapters. Both MS Lan Manager and IBM Lan Server provide support for
multiple network adapters. This support must also be provided by the network
protocols used by the network operating system.
Some NDIS protocols, such as MS/IBM NetBEUI, provide support for
"binding" to multiple adapter drivers. Some protocols, such as 3Com NBP,
support only one adapter driver but allow multiple copies of the protocol
driver to be loaded. Both of these protocol types can be handled by NIC Async.
Other protocols, such as MS TCP/IP, support only one adapter driver
and can be loaded only once. This type of protocol restricts the options
available. If this type of protocol is needed on a local network adapter it
cannot be made available simultaneously to a NIC Async adapter driver. This
type of protocol requires the use of NIC Async with NIC Bridge, bridging via
a dedicated network adapter.
──────────────
Serial Ports
──────────────
In "Direct Port" mode NAsync allows the use of COM1 - COM8. The
default values for I/O address and IRQ level for these ports are shown below.
The MCA values shown are the IBM standards for PS/2s. The ISA values shown
are the IBM standards for PCs, XTs and ATs for COM1-COM2 while COM3-COM4 are
defacto industry standards.
Note that the sharing of interrupts is only supported on MCA machines
running under OS/2.
ComPort: COM1 COM2 COM3 COM4 COM5 COM6 COM7 COM8
ISA I/O address 3F8 2F8 3E8 2E8 1E8 1E0 280 288
IRQ level 4 3 4 3 2 5 2 5
MCA I/O address 3F8 2F8 3220 3228 4220 4228 5220 5228
IRQ level 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Non-standard serial ports may be accommodated in "Direct Port" mode by
adding the following parameters to the [NASYNC_NIF] section of Protocol.Ini
AFTER the COMM_PORTNAME section:
; Range: 0x0 - 0xFFF8 where low 3 bits = 0
COMM_IOADDRESS = 0x3F8
; Range: 2 - 0x0F
COMM_INTERRUPT = 4
The baudrate values accepted by the NAsync driver are:
300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 28800, 38400, 57600 and 115200.
All of these baudrates are valid in the "Direct Port" mode of operation.
Use of the NaComa OS/2 Comport Agent however, limits valid baudrates
to those supported by the OS/2 Com driver. The standard OS/2 Com drivers
usually limit the maximum baudrate to 19200 baud. The standard OS/2 2.0 Com
driver allows a maximum baudrate of 57600 baud on 16550A equipped serial ports
only. Regular serial ports are still limited to 19200 baud.
The use of serial ports which use the 16550A buffered UART chip is
highly recommended, particularly at baudrates of 9600 and up in the DOS or
Windows environment. These buffered UART chips can greatly reduce or eliminate
the loss of characters due to "serial overrun".
Serial overrun occurs when interrupts are disabled for too long and
a new character of data is received before the previous character has been
processed. The MS Windows environment, EMM386.Exe, disk caches, TSRs, network
software, BIOS routines and DOS itself all contribute to the problem by
disabling interrupts for long periods of time. The use of high baudrates
aggravates this problem. At 9600 baud even the short period of 1 milli-seconds
of disabled interrupts can cause problems.
When characters are lost due to serial overrun, network packets have
to be re-transmitted. This causes greatly reduced performance at best or
network timeout errors and disrupted operations at worst.
The 16550A UART chip provides a 16 character receive buffer to reduce
the incidence of this problem. It effectively allows interrupts to be disabled
for 16 times as long as the more common 8250 and 16450 UART chips before
losing characters to serial overrun.
In addition to reducing the incidence of serial overrun errors, the
16550A UART can reduce the CPU load caused by high speed communications. The
chip can be configured to generate an interrupt when 1, 4, 8, or 14 characters
are waiting in the receive buffer. This allows a tradeoff to be made between
safety from serial overrun errors and the average overhead to receive each
character. The 16550A chip also provides a 16 byte transmit buffer which
allows up to 16 bytes to be transmitted during a single interrupt, rather than
16 seperate interrupts.
One potential problem exists when using the 16550A on PC and AT type
PCs. Most BIOS's will not be able to detect a serial port which uses this chip
when it's buffers are enabled. This problem is most evident on AT type PCs
running OS/2 1.x where on a warm boot the COM01.Sys driver is unable to detect
the existence of the port. One solution for this under OS/2 requires the use
of the NaComA.Exe OS/2 Comport Agent. When a "NA R" command is issued for a
NIC Async port, the buffers are disabled before the Agent terminates. This
command prior to a warm boot resolves the problem for ports used by NIC Async.
For other ports the command "MODE COMx:1200,,,,Buffer=Off" is equivalent.
Most PS/2's are factory equipped with the 16550A chip. Some early
models used the earlier bug-ridden 16550 which should be avoided.
The 16550A chip can be easily retro-fitted on most serial ports which
provide a 40 pin socket for the UART. It is available from a number of vendors
including Jameco Electronics and JDR Microdevices, for prices in the range of
$10.00 - $30.00. Both of these vendor also offer serial adapters which can be
fitted with these chips.
────────
Modems
────────
NIC Async is designed to be modem independent, but it does require
some modem parameters to be configured. This configuration should be done in
the NIC Async modem initialization string.
The modem initialization string is set with the Protocol.Ini parameter
MODEM_INIT in the [NASYNC_NIF] section. This string is sent to the modem
during the NDIS NetBIND and each time an outgoing call is terminated.
The default of MODEM_INIT = "AT&FQ0V1&C1&D2&W" is generic and should
be accepted by virtually any Hayes compatible modem. Non-compressing modems of
2400 baud and lower should work with this init string. It should however be
customized for most modern modems. Note that any added parameters should be
inserted before the final "&W" option.
The following pages explain the contents of the modem init string,
NIC Async requirements and recommended modifications to the init string.
MODEM_INIT = "AT&FQ0V1&C1&D2&W"
Q0 - Turns on modem result codes.
V1 - Enables verbose mode of modem result reporting.
&C1 - Configures modem to assert "Carrier Detect" (CD)
signal only when carrier is present.
&D2 - Configures the modem to hangup when "Data Terminal Ready"
(DTR) signal is dropped.
&W - Writes the new parameters to the modem.
Recommend option additions to the default modem init string:
- Turn on RTS/CTS flow control.
Turn off all other forms of flow control.
- Turn off all error control and compression.
Note: NIC Async has been successfully tested with NetBEUI
using V.42 error control. V.42bis compression however,
has caused timing problems for NetBEUI.
For initial setup with any protocol it is recommended
that all error control and compression be disabled.
- Disable baudrate switching / Enable baudrate locking.
Note: Some modems, usually high speed modems, always
maintain a constant baudrate from PC to modem.
Other modems, usually low speed Hayes compatible
modems, always change the PC to modem baudrate to
match the carrier speed.
To accommodate both modem types the parameter
MODEM_LOCKBAUD is provided. The default value
"YES" is for the former, while "NO" for the latter.
Further, when connecting, NIC Async enters a
"Verifying Data Link" state. It transmits test
packets and waits for a response from the remote.
If no response is received, the host and client
modify their MODEM_LOCKBAUD state at intervals
in an attempt to acheive a verified data link.
An extended "Verifying Data Link" state indicates
that MODEM_LOCKBAUD should be changed on the host,
client or both.
Some representative modem init strings are shown below.
Refer to your modem documentation for definitive information on
the options your modem supports.
; Hayes Compatible w/ Compression or Telebit
; &K3 enables RTS/CTS flow control
; &Q0 disables error control and compression
MODEM_INIT = "AT&FQ0V1&C1&D2 &K3&Q0 &W"
; Microcom
; \Q3 enables RTS/CTS flow control
; \N0 disables error control and compression
MODEM_INIT = "AT&FQ0V1&C1&D2 \Q3\N0 &W"
; US Robotics V.32
; &B1 enables baudrate locking
; &H1&I0&R2 enables RTS/CTS flow control
; &K0&M0 disables error control and compression
MODEM_INIT = "AT&FQ0V1&C1&D2 &B1 &H1&I0&R2 &K0&M0 &W"
NOTE: Many modems will not accept a command of greater than
40 characters. The "AT", spaces and the terminating
carriage return are not included in this count.
If, after sending the modem init string, NIC Async detects an active
CTS signal, it will use "Request to Send"/"Clear to Send" (RTS/CTS) flow
control. This is the most widely supported hardware flow control method and is
essential for high speeds. It allows the PC & modem to communicate at high
baudrates even when the modem to modem speed is lower.
When the modem is ready to accept data it should assert CTS. When the
modem buffer is full it should de-assert or turn off CTS. NIC Async controls
RTS in the same way to inform the modem when it is ready to receive data.
If your modem supports RTS/CTS flow control, add the appropriate
options to MODEM_INIT. This can generally be done with "&K3" on Hayes and
Telebit modems. Modems such as those from Microcom may require "\Q3".
US Robotics modems have worked well with "&H1&I0&R2".
NIC Async asserts the signal "Data Terminal Ready" (DTR) when
answering, initiating or maintaining a call. This signal is dropped when
the call is to be disconnected. Modems should be configured to hang up when
DTR is dropped. The default option "&D2" will normally do this.
Detection of either the "Ring Indicator" or "Carrier Detect" signal
(RI or CD) will initiate the answering of a call. NIC Async then sends the
MODEM_ANSWER string, which is by default "ATA". It will then wait for the
"Carrier Detect" signal to become active. Modems should be configured to
assert CD only when carrier is detected. The default option "&C1" will
normally do this.
If, for some reason, NIC Async does not detect incoming calls, set
"S0=1" in MODEM_INIT. The command "NA A" may also be used to manually answer
for troubleshooting.
For initial setup and testing, it is recommended that all modem error
control and compression be disabled. Adding &Q0 to the MODEM_INIT string will
often do this on Hayes and Telebit modems. Microcom modems may require \N0
while US Robotics modems may require &K0&M0.
NIC Async has been successfully tested with NetBEUI using V.42 error
control, but not with V.42bis compression. Compression causes NetBEUI to
suffer from timeouts due to buffering. If your modem supports error control
and/or compression you may wish to enable these features one at a time after
ensuring that your configuration is working.
┌──────────────────────────┐
│ SETUP/MAIN CONFIGURATION │
└──────────────────────────┘
────────────────────
MS Lan Manager 2.x
────────────────────
1) Install Lan Manager if it is not already installed. If this PC will
not use a local network adapter, do one of the following.
1a) Lan Manager 2.0:
- Select "OK" upon reaching the "Network Drivers" screen.
Do not select "Add driver". Disregard the warning that
Lan Manager will not operate properly.
1b) Lan Manager 2.1:
- Specify "No Driver" from the bottom of the list when prompted to
"Select Available Network Adapter Driver".
2) Install NIC Bridge/Async on the PC. With the NIC Bridge/Async Install
Disk inserted into the A: drive the command "A:\Install" will initiate
the installation procedure. When this is complete the PC should be
rebooted.
3) Run NicSetup.Exe and ensure that the General Configuration information
displayed is appropriate. Option 2 "Change General Configuration" may
be used to make any changes.
Select option 5 "Create MS Lan Manager Driver Import Disk" of the
NicSetup.Exe utility. This requires a floppy disk with at least
600 KBytes of free space.
4) Import the NIC Async driver by doing one of the following.
4a) Lan Manager 2.0:
- Run the Lan Manager Setup.Exe utility. From the main Setup menu
select "Actions", "Import Network Drivers". Insert the Import
Disk into a floppy drive and when prompted select the "NIC Async"
driver.
4b) Lan Manager 2.1:
- Run the Lan Manager Setup.Exe utility. From the main Setup menu
select "Configuration", "Network Drivers", "Add New Config",
"Other Driver". Insert the Import Disk into a floppy drive and
when prompted select the "NIC Async" driver. Select "Cancel" until
the main Setup menu reappears.
5) Ensure that all local Ethernet and Token Ring adapters have been
configured before doing one of the following.
5a) Lan Manager 2.0:
- From the main Setup menu select "Actions", "View/Modify" and
advance to the "Network Drivers" screen. Highlight "NIC Async" in
the "Network adapter cards" box and select "Add driver". Highlight
a protocol in the "Protocols" box and select "Add Protocol" for
all protocols to be used remotely. Repeat the "Add driver" and
"Add Protocol" selections for each serial port to be used. When
finished select "OK" and advance through the remaining screens.
Select "Actions", "Save" from the main Setup menu. Setup may now
be exited with the <F3> key.
The following page shows the "Network Drivers" screen for a
configuration with one Ethernet adapter and two async ports.
Note that local adapter drivers should be listed first in the
"Network configuration" box.
LM 2.0 Setup Network Drivers Screen:
┌─────────────────────────── Network Drivers ───────────────────────────┐
│ Network configuration: │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │3Com Etherlink II Adapter.................NetBEUI │ │
│ │ NIC Async.................................NetBEUI │ │
│ │ NIC Async.................................NetBEUI │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ Network adapter cards: Protocols: │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│ │3Com Etherlink II Adapter │ │NetBEUI │ │
│ │ IBM Token Ring Adapter │ │ NIC Bridge │ │
│ │ NIC Async │ │ │ │
│ │ SRTok │ │ │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────┘ └─────────────────────┘ │
│───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ < OK > <Add driver> <Add Protocol> <Remove> < Done > <Cancel> │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
5b) Lan Manager 2.1:
- From the main Setup menu select "Configuration","Network Drivers",
"Add New Config". Highlight "NIC Async" and select "OK". Select
the protocols to be used remotely. Repeat the "Add New Config"
selection for each serial port to be used. When finished select
"OK" and "Save".
Setup may now be exited with the <F3> key.
The following page shows the "Workstation Configuration" screen
for a configuration with one Ethernet adapter and two async ports.
Note that local adapter drivers should be listed first in the
"Installed configurations" box.
LM 2.1 Setup Workstation Configuration Screen:
┌─────────────────── Workstation Configuration ───────────────────┐
│ Installed Configuration(s): │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │3Com Etherlink II Adapter │ │
│ │ Netbeui │ │
│ │ NIC Async │ │
│ │ Netbeui │ │
│ │ NIC Async │ │
│ │ Netbeui │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ OK <Add/Remove Protocols> <Add New Config> │
│ <Remove Config> <Cancel> <Help> │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
6) Before rebooting the PC, the Protocol.Ini file may need modification.
This can be done with the NicCfg.Exe utility. Within NicCfg select
"Config", "Async 1". When each screen of options is appropriate press
the <Enter> key. Repeat for "Async 2" etc. for each serial port to be
used.
The MAC Type option should be set to Ethernet for all cases except
when NIC Async is being used with NIC Bridge in source routing mode.
The Network address value should be unique among all network addresses
in use on the network. Remember to set a DIFFERENT Network address on
the host and all clients.
Other options may be left at default or changed as appropriate for
your environment. Exit NicCfg with the <F3> key.
7) Run NicSetup.Exe again and select option 4 to tune NetBEUI and
the Lan software for low speed operation.
────────────────
IBM Lan Server
────────────────
1) Install Lan Server if it is not already installed.
2) Install NIC Bridge/Async on the PC. With the NIC Bridge/Async Install
Disk inserted into the A: drive the command "A:\Install" will initiate
the installation procedure. When this is complete the PC should be
rebooted.
3) Run NicSetup.Exe and ensure that the General Configuration information
displayed is appropriate. Option 2 "Change General Configuration" may
be used to make any changes.
4) Run the Lan Server LanInst utility. Install the NAsync driver in
C:\NIC11 as you would any other NDIS ethernet driver. The "NIF" file
C:\NIC11\NAsync.Nif can provide Lan Server with the information needed
to set NAsync parameters via the "Configure LAN Tranport" option.
Be sure to enable all adapters for use with Lan Server.
5) Before rebooting the PC, the Protocol.Ini file may need modification.
This can be done with the NicCfg.Exe utility. Within NicCfg select
"Config", "Async 1". When each screen of options is appropriate press
the <Enter> key. Repeat for "Async 2" etc. for each serial port to be
used.
The MAC Type option should be set to Ethernet for all cases except
when NIC Async is being used with NIC Bridge in source routing mode.
The Network address value should be unique among all network addresses
in use on the network.
Other options may be left at default or changed as appropriate for
your environment. Exit NicCfg with the <F3> key.
6) Run NicSetup.Exe again and select option 4 to tune NetBEUI and
the Lan software for low speed operation.
┌───────────┐
│ OPERATION │
└───────────┘
The NIC Async host should start and run normally. The Device driver(s)
should load from Config.Sys and display ID messages. Note that should a driver
cause problems booting a PC, installation of the driver may be aborted by
holding down the Alt-Key.
The NIC Async client should also start and run normally. After
the netbind has been done you can dial with "NA D". This should show a final
status of Open. The workstation service may be started and you should now
be able to login and proceed normally. Use "NA H" to terminate the session.
Note that the workstation service may actually be started before the
remote connection is established. MS Lan Manager and IBM Lan Server 3.0 will
also allow an unvalidated logon before dialing.
"NA C+" and "NA C-" enable and disable software compression, while
"NA E+" and "NA E-" enable and disable encryption. Both of these have been
found usable to about 57,600 baud on a 25 Mhz 386 DX, however this DOES use
up virtually all of the CPU power. This may not be a problem for a remote
DOS PC but local users of a network server will probably not appreciate the
loss of response time. If you intend to make use of compression or encryption
it is strongly recommended that you test your intended configuration to ensure
that the results are acceptable to you and your users.
The compression is optimized for "Byte Redundant" data such as text
and typical network control traffic. NIC Async does not offer the compression
ratios you can get with utilities such as PKZip. It is designed to compress
data per packet with as little overhead as possible. If you intend to transfer
already compressed files and compression is currently enabled, you can use
"NA C-" to turn compression off while connected. This sends a message to the
remote NIC Async PC to ensure compression is disabled in both directions.
Modem compression will do nothing for you if software compression
or encryption are turned on. This is due to the fact that both compression
and encryption essentially randomize the data, preventing the modem from
doing any useful compression.
The software compression in NIC Async is "smart" in that it won't
expand data & slow down as happens with MNP. There is, however, a higher load
on the PC attempting to compress. In general, unless encryption is needed, if
modem compression is available, it probably makes more sense to use it.
Encryption performed by NIC Async is basic "Data Encryption Standard"
(DES) in "Electronic Code Book" (ECB) mode. The 8 byte passwords available are
mapped to the 56 bit DES Keys. Basic ECB mode DES seems to be suitable for
most commercial work. Turning compression on with encryption increases the
"randomness" of the data and thus offers further protection.
┌─────────────────┐
│ TROUBLESHOOTING │
└─────────────────┘
───────
Traps
───────
It is expected that the majority of problems will be with either
protocol tuning or modem setups. Regardless, you may have a problem at some
point with an OS/2 Trap or similiar nasty bug. OS/2 device drivers are much
more likely than applications to bring OS/2 to a halt.
This software has been extensively torture-tested in many different
configurations at 115200 baud and lower. No unexplained traps or mysterious
failures have been observed in quite some time. Given the nature of software,
however, it's quite possible that you will experience something like this.
If you get any traps under OS/2 (or DOS, via Qemm for example) please
write down the register dump you receive. Unlike many OS/2 drivers, a system
trap in NAsync.OS2 will usually identify NAsync.OS2 by name. If a register
dump can be provided, the problem causing it can most likely be fixed.
──────────────────────
Lan Manager Problems
──────────────────────
Note that the DOS NetBEUI T1 parameter is reported by MS to be broken
in LM 2.0B through to LM 2.0C patch level 8 in such a way as to make slow
links impossible to use. This hasn't, however, been observed in testing.
Microsoft TCP/IP has been found to be incompatible with the DOS
Lanman.Ini WRKHEURISTICS tuning. Specifically, a DOS workstation running
MS TCP/IP will give "Incorrect Network Response" errors when both raw I/O
and opportunistic locking are disabled (WRKHEURISTICS bit 8=0 and bit14=1).
The solution in this case is to enable raw I/O by setting bit 14 to 0.
────────────────
Modem Problems
────────────────
The Na.Exe utility offers a VS option to view the NIC Async serial
buffers. You can use this to see the commands NIC Async sends to the modem
and the modem responses.
Sample output from the command "NA VS 48" is shown below. The second
parameter 48 specifies how many buffer bytes to display and may range from 16
to 4096. This example shows the modem initialization string and result.
Transmit Buffer:
2B 2B 2B 41 54 48 0D 41 54 26 46 51 30 56 31 26 +++ATH.AT&FQ0V1&
43 31 26 44 32 26 57 0D 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 C1&D2&W.........
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
Receive Buffer:
2B 2B 2B 41 54 48 0D 0D 0A 4F 4B 0D 0A 41 54 26 +++ATH...OK..AT&
46 51 30 56 31 26 43 31 26 44 32 26 57 0D 0D 0A FQ0V1&C1&D2&W...
4F 4B 0D 0A 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 OK..............
Na.Exe also allows changing the modem initialization string from the
command line. If the new modem init string is set while the driver is in the
"Closed" state, the new string will be sent to the modem immediately. The
command to do this is in the form: NA Q "AT&FQ0V1&C1&D2 &W".
All statistics and both serial buffers can be cleared with "NA VC".
This is useful when changing the modem initialization string to get a clearer
picture of how the modem has responded. For example the sequence:
NA VC
NA Q "AT&D255"
NA VS 48
Produces the output:
Transmit Buffer:
2B 2B 2B 41 54 48 0D 41 54 26 44 32 35 35 0D 00 +++ATH.AT&D255..
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
Receive Buffer:
0D 0A 4F 4B 0D 0A 2B 2B 2B 41 54 48 0D 0D 0A 4F ..OK..+++ATH...O
4B 0D 0A 41 54 26 44 32 35 35 0D 0D 0A 45 52 52 K..AT&D255...ERR
4F 52 0D 0A 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 OR..............
┌───────────────────┐
│ NASYNC PARAMETERS │
└───────────────────┘
The following pages detail Protocol.Ini parameters for the NAsync
driver. Defaults are shown. Parameter values shown in quotes are ASCII string
parameters. All other parameters are numeric. Numeric parameters preceded with
"0x" are hexadecimal values while all others are decimal values.
REQUIRED NDIS PARAMETERS:
; First driver is "NASYNC$", second is "NASYNC2$", etc.
; Range: NASYNC$ - NASYNC9$
; Only required parameter
DRIVERNAME = "NASYNC$"
MAC PARAMETERS:
; Sets network address of simulated adapter
; MUST be different for each driver on each PC
; Range: "000000000000" - "FFFFFFFFFFFF"
; MUST be exactly 12 hex digits
MAC_NETADDRESS = "123456789ABC"
; Sets Ethernet or Token Ring emulation
; Range: "DIX+802.3" or "802.5"
MAC_TYPE = "DIX+802.3"
; Maximum number of queued transmit requests
; Range: 1 - 50
MAC_MAXXMITS = 8
; Changes reported IRQ Level
; Included only for 3Com XNS which intercepts this IRQ
; and can cause overruns; set to 0xFF for 3Com XNS
; Range: 0x00 - 0xFF
MAC_REPORTIRQ = Interrupt for this port (4 for COM1)
COMM PARAMETERS:
; Communications port name
; Range: 4 - 64 characters, "COM1"-"COM8" in Direct Port Mode
COMM_PORTNAME = "COM1"
; Communications port baudrate
; Range: 300/600/1200/2400/4800/9600/19200/38400/57600/115200
COMM_BAUDRATE = 9600
; Communications port I/O Address for non-standard ports
; MUST appear after COMM_PORTNAME if present
; Range: 0x0 - 0xFFF8 where low 3 bits = 0
COMM_IOADDRESS = 0x3F8 (For COM1)
; Communications port IRQ Level for non-standard ports
; MUST appear after COMM_PORTNAME if present
; Range: 2 - 0x0F
COMM_INTERRUPT = 4 (For COM1)
; Modifies 16550A Uart detection
; Not normally needed
; Range: "AUTO", "YES" or "NO"
COMM_16550A = "AUTO"
; Controls removal of BIOS information about serial port
; Range: "YES" or "NO"
COMM_RBIOSINFO = "YES"
; Sets 16550A Rx Trigger Level
; High values minimize CPU usage,
; low values minimize serial overrun errors
; Range: 1, 4, 8, 14 or 0 for AUTO
COMM_RXTRIGGER = 0 (For OS/2)
COMM_RXTRIGGER = 1 (For DOS)
; Enables OS/2 File System mode
; Range: "YES" or "NO"
COMM_FSMODE = "NO"
MODEM PARAMETERS:
; Sets Hayes or Null modem type
; Range: "HAYES" or "NULL"
MODEM_TYPE = "HAYES"
; Modem initialization string
; Range: 0 - 50 characters
MODEM_INIT = "AT&FQ0V1&C1&D2&W"
; Modem dial string
; Range: 0 - 50 characters
MODEM_DIAL = "ATD"
; Modem answer string
; Range: 0 - 50 characters
MODEM_ANSWER = "ATA"
; Modem connect detection string
; Range: 0 - 50 characters
MODEM_CONNECT = "CONNECT"
; Modem command terminator, 0x0D = Carriage Return
; Range: 0x00 - 0xFF
MODEM_TERM = 0x0D
; Sets baudrate locking (YES) or baudrate switching (NO)
; Range: "YES" or "NO"
MODEM_LOCKBAUD = "YES"
TIMING PARAMETERS:
; Inactivity hangup timeout
; Range: 0 - 30 Minutes, default 0 = never
TIME_INACTTMO = 0
; Time to wait for Carrier after dialing
; Range: 0 - 2000 Seconds
TIME_WTCARROUT = 60
; Time to wait for Carrier when answering
; Range: 0 - 2000 Seconds
TIME_WTCARRIN = 60
CHARACTERISTICS PARAMETERS:
; Enables automatic dial/redial on packet transmission
; Range: "YES" or "NO"
CHARS_AUTOCNCT = "NO"
; Enables encryption as initial state
; Range: "YES" or "NO"
CHARS_ENCRYPT = "NO"
; Enables compression as initial state
; Range: "YES" or "NO"
CHARS_COMPRESS = "NO"
; Enables answer on dialin
; Range: "YES" or "NO"
CHARS_DIALIN = "YES"
; Password caller must supply when answering
; Range: 1 - 8 chars
CHARS_PWORDIN = "PASSWORD"
; Default outgoing password when calling
; Range: 1 - 8 chars
CHARS_PWORDOUT = "PASSWORD"
; Encryption/Decryption Key
; Range: 1 - 8 chars
CHARS_ENCRKEY = "PASSWORD"
; Enables password check when answering
; Range: "YES" or "NO"
CHARS_CHECKPW = "YES"
; Default phone number to dial
; Range: 0 - 50 chars
CHARS_PHONE = "P555-1212"
; Enables filtering of transmitted broadcasts
; Use only on servers without NIC Bridge
; Range: "YES" or "NO"
; Note: "YES" does not allow correct operation of MS TCP/IP
CHARS_FILTERBC = "NO"
┌──────────────────┐
│ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS │
└──────────────────┘
All trademarks are the property of their owners.
This includes, but is not limited to, the trademarks
of 3Com, IBM, Microsoft, and Hayes.
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