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- Revised: June 21, 1994
- Release 05
-
- --------------------------------------
- WINDOWS AND TCP/IP FOR INTERNET ACCESS
-
- by
-
- Harry M. Kriz
- University Libraries
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
- Blacksburg, VA 24061-0434
- hmkriz@vt.edu
-
-
- --------
- ABSTRACT
-
- Internet, the global network of computer networks, is arousing
- enormous popular interest. In part, this interest is being driven
- by the availability of free or inexpensive shareware software for
- Microsoft Windows. It is now technically simple for a personal
- computer to become a host on the internet. The casual user can
- find, retrieve, and view information gathered from around the
- world without having to learn complicated computer commands. In
- this paper, I describe the principal functions and services
- available via the internet. Then I outline the technical
- background and terminology needed by the beginner who wants to
- make his PC a host on the internet. Finally, I describe several
- Windows software packages and programs that facilitate using
- internet services. All the software is freely available over the
- internet.
-
-
- ------------
- INTRODUCTION
-
- Internet, the world-wide network of computer networks, has
- captured the imagination of the general public. A year ago, the
- internet was barely mentioned in the popular computing magazines.
- Now it is the topic of articles in national news magazines, local
- newspapers, and grocery-store tabloids.
-
- Awareness of the internet has spread primarily by word-of mouth.
- Computer pundits were not discussing the internet in Spring 1993
- when I first began investigating the internet in my work as a
- librarian. Indeed, most pundits seem to have acquired internet
- access only in the Spring of 1994. Thus, computer magazines have
- not been helpful for those wishing to learn about the internet.
-
- Now in June 1994, there is something of a feeding frenzy of
- interest in the internet. Bookstores are flooded with guides to
- the internet. Software vendors are rushing to market with
- collections of software designed for navigating the resources on
- the internet. It is almost as if the crest of the internet wave
- has passed. Pundits who did not have access to the internet last
- year are already writing negative opinions about the difficulties
- of navigating internet resources, and about the uselessness of
- those resources.
-
- Complaints about the internet are many. Certainly it can be
- difficult to find information and resources on the internet. A
- great deal of information is unvalidated, non-authoritative, or
- otherwise questionable. Some resources should not be available to
- children. Some would argue that some of the information should
- not be distributed even to adults.
-
- It is important to remember that the internet is not a service.
- Rather, it is a means of gaining access to services and of
- retrieving information and other objects that can be represented
- electronically. In considering complaints about the internet, one
- might draw an analogy between the internet and New York City.
-
- New York is big, complicated, and disorganized. The city's myriad
- resources can be hard to find. Some of what happens or what is
- available in New York should not be seen by children. For those
- wishing to navigate the complexity of New York, there are guide
- books, phone directories, magazine articles, and individuals with
- expert knowledge about areas of particular interest. One can
- navigate the complexity of the city by subway, taxi, and bus. One
- can even hire a private guide to conduct a tour of the city.
-
- The internet can be compared to the streets of New York City. The
- services available on the internet have their analogies in the
- city's libraries, department stores, bookshops, art galleries,
- street vendors, and street-corner zealots passing out literature
- or lecturing the passing crowds. It is safe to assume that
- somewhere on the streets of the city there will be found
- information and services of interest to almost anyone. However,
- finding that information might take some time for someone who is
- new to the city and its resources. Similarly, somewhere on the
- internet there also will be found information and services of
- interest to almost anyone.
-
- Traveling the internet requires only a few basic tools. First is
- a computer with a network connection to the internet. Such
- connections are common at universities, and becoming more common
- in businesses. If a direct network connection is not available,
- an alternative is to connect to the internet through the
- computer's serial port by dialing up a terminal server that
- offers a SLIP connection (Serial Line Internet Protocol). Either
- of these connections can be used with a variety of commercial or
- shareware software to make your local computer a host on the
- internet and to access services and information from the entire
- earth. This paper will emphasize the use of freeware and
- shareware versions of software running under Microsoft Windows.
-
-
- -----------------
- INTERNET SERVICES
-
- The internet services of interest to most people consist of four
- basic functions. These are electronic mail (e-mail), internet
- news, file transfer between computers (FTP), and remote login to
- another computer (telnet). Access systems like Gopher and World
- Wide Web now supplement these basic internet functions by
- assisting the user in browsing and searching the internet for
- relevant information in a user-friendly manner.
-
- Until recently, internet functions were accessible primarily
- through character-based interfaces using a variety of complex
- command sets. Thus, in 1992 and 1993, best-selling books on the
- internet contained page after page of screen displays or command
- sequences captured from UNIX-based systems executing basic
- internet functions.
-
- Affordable internet software for Windows has become available
- only since Spring 1993. Prior to that time, Windows users were
- dependent for internet access on expensive, proprietary,
- commercial products in which each vendor's offerings were
- mutually incompatible with every other vendor's offerings.
- Publication of the Winsock applications programming interface
- provided a way for individual client software (such as a telnet
- or FTP client) to be compatible with every vendor's networking
- products. As a result, beginning in 1993 there was a blossoming
- of freeware, shareware, and commercial internet software for
- Windows.
-
- Of special interest has been the development of Windows
- interfaces to the World Wide Web, such as Cello and NCSA
- (National Center for Supercomputing Applications) Mosaic. The Web
- was developed by the high energy physics community to distribute
- technical papers and other forms of data. WWW is now widely
- viewed as a means for educators, businesses, and hobbyists to
- distribute multimedia information to a world-wide audience.
- Graphical WWW clients enable publication of data over the
- internet in a manner which allows the user to view text, color
- graphics, sound, and video in a manner that approaches the
- usability, and surpasses the functionality, of a printed
- magazine.
-
-
- ******
- E-MAIL
- Electronic mail is probably the most widely used internet
- function. A commonly used configuration requires that a user have
- an account on a POP (Post Office Protocol) mail server. The
- e-mail client software accesses the server and downloads any
- incoming messages to the user's PC. Mail composed at the user's
- PC is transmitted to the internet through the mail server.
-
- *************
- INTERNET NEWS
- Internet news, also known somewhat incorrectly as USENET news, is
- a conferencing system made up of thousands of topical conferences
- known as news groups. Those familiar with electronic bulletin
- board systems will compare internet news to echo conferences.
- Others will draw an analogy to mailing lists such as listserv on
- BITNET. The user reads the news by using client software to
- subscribe to a selection of news groups. When the client software
- accesses an NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) server, the
- server downloads to the client a list of subjects for all unread
- messages stored on the server for the selected group. The user
- can then select any message for reading, post a response to the
- message to the group, or reply directly to the original poster of
- the message. The client software maintains on the user's PC a
- list of all available groups on the server, along with records of
- which messages have been read or skipped over. Only the messages
- selected for reading are actually downloaded to the user's PC.
-
- ***
- FTP
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol) allows the transfer of files between
- any two computers of any type. Thus, files can be transferred
- from PC to PC, PC to mainframe, PC to Mac, PC to UNIX machine,
- and vice versa. Any kind of computer file, whether it be a text
- file or a binary file representing software, graphics images, or
- sounds, can be sent. Of course, whether the file is usable on the
- receiving machine depends on the nature of the file and the
- availability of software to make use of the file.
-
- ******
- TELNET
- Telnet enables the user of a PC to login to a host computer at
- another site on the internet. The user's PC then acts as a dumb
- terminal attached to the remote host. Such access usually
- requires that the user have an account on the remote host. For
- instance, a student or faculty member at one university might
- have an account on a computer located at another university. An
- increasing number of commercial services are becoming available
- via telnet, including services such as the Dow Jones News Service
- and the Lexis/Nexis service. In addition, some services are
- available without charge. For example, hundreds of libraries in
- all parts of the world allow free remote access to their
- computerized catalogs and to some specialized databases.
-
- ******
- GOPHER
- Gopher is a system that enables the user to find files and other
- internet services by navigating a system of menus and submenus.
- As a corollary, it provides a means for information providers to
- publish information on the internet in a discoverable manner.
- Prior to the development of Gopher at the University of
- Minnesota, information on the internet was located by asking
- friends and strangers where to look.
-
- The first step in using a Gopher client is to point the client at
- the address of a known Gopher server. The client then retrieves
- that Gopher's menu of topics. Typically, many of the topics on a
- Gopher menu are pointers to yet other menu items on other Gopher
- servers. The fact that each item in the sequence of selections
- might come from different Gopher servers in widely scattered
- parts of the world is completely transparent to the user. The
- Gopher client software presents the many different Gopher servers
- as if they represented a single application on a single machine.
- Navigating such menus can lead the user to skip from one Gopher
- server to another, literally retrieving information from servers
- scattered around the world in just a few minutes.
-
- Items on Gopher menus can be of many different data types in
- addition to menus listing choices of topics. When an item such as
- a text, graphics, or sound file is selected, the Gopher client
- transfers the file to the user's PC. Then, as an option, it may
- load the file into an appropriate "viewer" selected by the user.
- A simple text file could be loaded into Windows Notepad. A
- graphics file in GIF or JPEG format might be loaded into LVIEW, a
- popular freeware graphics viewer for Windows. A binary program
- file would simply be downloaded into a designated directory for
- use at some other time. Finding relevant Gopher menu items is
- facilitated through the use of Veronica, which is a database of
- the text of Gopher menus. Most Gopher servers will include
- Veronica access as a menu selection.
-
- **************
- WORLD WIDE WEB
- World Wide Web (WWW) is a system that enables users to find and
- retrieve information by navigating a system of hypertext
- documents. In a hypertext document, selecting a highlighted word
- or phrase causes a new document to be retrieved and displayed.
- Thus, WWW leads the user to skip from one document to another,
- retrieving information from servers scattered around the world.
- This contrasts with the simple menu displays used by Gopher.
-
- Viewing a WWW document with a Windows graphical client such as
- Cello or Mosaic is much like reading a magazine. Information is
- displayed with typographic fonts and color graphics, and
- supplemented by sound that can be played by clicking an icon
- embedded in the document. Clicking on a highlighted word or
- phrase in the document retrieves yet another document.
-
-
- -----------------
- TECHNICAL DETAILS
-
- It is helpful to know some internet terminology when working with
- your local network specialist or internet service provider to
- make your PC a host on the internet. The two most common modes of
- internet access are through a direct network connection or
- through a SLIP server.
-
- A direct network connection involves installing a network
- interface card (NIC) in your PC. Most likely this will be an
- ethernet card. This card in turn is connected to your
- organization's local area network. Wiring usually consists of
- coaxial cable (as in thin-wire ethernet) or twisted pair
- telephone wiring (as in 10Base-T ethernet). The local network in
- turn must be connected to the internet, and it must be capable of
- handling TCP/IP data packets.
-
- TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is the
- method by which data on the internet is divided into packets of
- bytes. Each packet is delimited with header information that
- includes the destination address where the packet is to be routed
- when it is transmitted over the internet. The local network and
- your PC may also be using other network protocols simultaneously
- with TCP/IP. For instance, your PC may already be connected to a
- network using Novell, LANtastic, or Windows for Workgroups
- network protocols.
-
- ***************
- SOFTWARE LAYERS
- Several layers of software are involved in implementing a direct
- network connection. A commonly used method is to first install a
- piece of software called a packet driver that deals directly with
- the network interface card. This is loaded under DOS from the
- AUTOEXEC.BAT file as a TSR (terminate and stay resident) program.
- A packet driver should be included with the software that comes
- with the card. If the manufacturer of the card does not supply a
- packet driver, free packet drivers are available in the Crynwr
- Packet Driver Collection as described at the end of this
- document.
-
- The next layer of software is the TCP/IP driver, which can be
- implemented in a variety of ways. Until recently, this was often
- another DOS TSR program loaded from the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
- Increasingly this layer of software is implemented as a Windows
- dynamic link library (DLL) or as a Windows virtual device driver
- (VxD), which does not require any modification of the boot files
- on the PC. This driver, which implements TCP/IP functionality for
- the system, is referred to as the TCP/IP protocol stack. The
- driver may be written to work with a specific network card, or it
- can be written to interface with a packet driver. In the latter
- case, a single TCP/IP driver can be used with any network card
- for which an associated packet driver is available. Thus, the
- packet driver specification eliminates the need for software
- vendors to customize their TCP/IP protocol stack for every
- network card on which it is used. When using a packet driver with
- Windows applications, another DOS TSR referred to as a virtual
- packet driver may be required to interface between the Windows-
- based TCP/IP protocol stack and the DOS-based packet driver.
-
- When a direct network connection is not available, internet
- TCP/IP software can be used over serial lines to connect to a
- SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) server that provides a
- connection to the internet. SLIP does not require the drivers
- used for a direct network connection. The Trumpet Winsock
- shareware package to be described later has all SLIP functions
- internal to the TCP/IP driver, which is configured through a
- Windows dialog box.
-
- SLIP is less transparent to the user than is a direct network
- connection. The user first obtains an account on a SLIP server.
- Connecting to the internet involves dialing the SLIP server using
- normal serial communications software and establishing a SLIP
- connection. Once the connection is established, TCP/IP software
- running on the PC can be used just as if the PC was connected
- directly to the internet through a network card. SLIP users are
- well advised to settle for nothing less than transmission at
- 14,400 bits per second. Internet services such as World Wide Web
- transmit a great deal of data, especially when images or sound
- are being used. Slow modems and slow connections will discourage
- anyone but the most dedicated user from exploring the
- possibilities of the internet.
-
- TCP/IP client applications work at the top of the layers of
- software so far described. Clients run independently of whether
- the computer has a direct connection or a SLIP connection to the
- internet. TCP/IP applications frequently are referred to as
- clients because they access a corresponding server (a daemon in
- UNIX terminology) on another machine. An FTP client, for
- instance, is the application on the user's machine that accesses
- the FTP server running on a host computer located elsewhere on
- the internet. Until recently, each TCP/IP client had to be
- written to interface with a particular vendor's TCP/IP protocol
- stack. Clients that worked with one vendor's TCP/IP driver would
- not work with a driver from another vendor. This restriction was
- eliminated with the development of the Windows Sockets
- Application Programming Interface, otherwise known as the Winsock
- API, or more simply Winsock. Winsock works in the layer between
- the TCP/IP client and the TCP/IP protocol stack.
-
-
- -------
- WINSOCK
-
- "Winsock" is the buzzword that dominates discussion about TCP/IP
- and Windows. All of the software to be described here is based on
- Winsock. The implementation of Winsock is transparent to the
- user, but it is helpful for the end-user to know how it supports
- Windows applications.
-
- Winsock (short for Windows sockets) is a technical specification
- that defines a standard interface between a Windows TCP/IP client
- application (such as an FTP client or a Gopher client) and the
- underlying TCP/IP protocol stack. The nomenclature is based on
- the Sockets applications programming interface model used in
- Berkeley UNIX for communications between programs.
-
- When you launch a Winsock compliant client like HGopher, it calls
- procedures from the WINSOCK.DLL dynamic link library. These
- procedures in turn invoke procedures in the drivers supplied with
- the TCP/IP protocol stack. As described earlier, the TCP/IP
- driver communicates with the computer's ethernet card through the
- packet driver.
-
- The WINSOCK.DLL file is not a generic file that can be used on
- any system. Each vendor of a TCP/IP protocol stack supplies a
- proprietary WINSOCK.DLL that works only with that vendor's TCP/IP
- stack.
-
- The advantage of Winsock to the developer of a client is that the
- application will work with any vendor's Winsock implementation.
- Thus, the developer of an application such as a Gopher client has
- to understand the Winsock interface, but he does not have to know
- the details of each vendor's TCP/IP protocol stack in order to
- make his client application compatible with that stack. Winsock
- also eliminates the need for an application developer to include
- his own TCP/IP protocol stack within the application program
- itself as an alternative to making his application work with a
- particular vendor's protocol stack. The use of protocol stacks
- internal to the client results in conflicts when two clients try
- to access the single packet driver that is communicating with the
- network card. The ability to create applications compatible with
- any vendor's Winsock compliant protocol stack has resulted in a
- blossoming of Winsock compliant shareware applications since the
- summer of 1993.
-
- The Winsock standard offers advantages to the end-user. One
- advantage is that several Winsock applications from different
- vendors can be used simultaneously. This is a marked improvement
- over earlier packet driver applications in which each application
- contained a built-in TCP/IP stack. Such applications cannot share
- the packet driver except through the added complexity of a packet
- multiplexer such as PKTMUX. A second advantage to the user is
- that any Winsock compliant application will run with any vendor's
- TCP/IP protocol stack and accompanying WINSOCK.DLL.
-
- Unfortunately, some commercial vendors of TCP/IP clients are not
- yet taking advantage of Winsock capabilities. There are still
- TCP/IP clients that require dedicated access to the packet
- driver, and clients that will run only with the TCP/IP protocol
- stack supplied by one particular vendor. Fortunately, the clear
- trend is for all commercial vendors to make their applications
- more usable and portable through the use of the Winsock standard.
-
-
- ---------------------
- SOFTWARE DESCRIPTIONS
-
- Once the required networking hardware is installed and an IP
- address is assigned, or once a SLIP account is obtained on a
- server, the user needs to install a TCP/IP protocol stack and a
- selection of TCP/IP clients. The remainder of this paper
- describes such software.
-
- For each application, I briefly outline the installation
- procedures. I do this primarily to illustrate the simplicity of
- using Windows for internet access. Please be sure to read any
- text files included with each package in order to complete the
- configuration and to learn about all functions of the software.
-
- I have installed all the software described here for many of my
- colleagues in the Virginia Tech Libraries. With some practice I
- have found that I can install a complete suite of TCP/IP
- applications in about half an hour. Some individuals who read the
- previous versions of this document were up and running in less
- than an hour after obtaining the software. They expressed their
- delight at the ease of networking with Windows.
-
- **********************************
- DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITED WARRANTIES
- I am not an expert on anything. I am just an enthusiastic
- end-user of these products in my daily work. Some of these
- products are in alpha or beta versions at this writing. Despite
- this, most are as stable and reliable as any commercial
- application. In some cases, the alpha or beta designation may
- arise from the fact that features are still being added by the
- authors. Indeed, some of these products have gone through several
- releases in the past few months as developers responded via the
- internet to feedback from users who reported bugs or requested
- new features.
-
- I have used all of the client software with a direct connection
- to an ethernet network using a Western Digital or SMC ethernet
- card with the Trumpet Winsock shareware TCP/IP protocol stack and
- WINSOCK.DLL. In addition, I have used most of the clients with
- FTP Software's commercial package PC/TCP version 2.2. In the
- latter case I obtained the most recent version of FTP Software's
- WINSOCK.DLL file by anonymous FTP from ftp.ftp.com in directory
- /support/winsock under the name winsock.exe (a self-extracting
- ZIP file). The Trumpet and FTP products both use a packet driver
- interface to the network card. I have also used most of the
- clients on a Windows for Workgroups network using the Final Beta
- version of Microsoft's add-on TCP/IP package. This package is
- available by anonymous ftp from ftp.microsoft.com in the
- directory /peropsys/WFW/tcpip/vxdbeta under the file name
- MTCB3.EXE, a self-extracting archive file. I also have used most
- of the client software through a SLIP server using the Trumpet
- Winsock. Both a dialup connection to the SLIP server and a
- connection through an IBM/ROLM digital switch (modemless
- connection) were used at various times.
-
- As discussed above, the client software described here should run
- with any TCP/IP protocol stack that offers Winsock support. If
- your PC is already using a network operating system that does not
- include Winsock support, you should check with your vendor to
- find out if Winsock support is available. If Winsock support is
- not available from your vendor, then it may be possible to
- install the Trumpet Winsock TCP/IP protocol stack over your
- existing network drivers using a small program known as a packet
- driver shim. Instructions for this configuration are included in
- the Trumpet Winsock documentation.
-
- The information about version numbers, file sizes, and dates was
- verified on June 21, 1994.
-
-
- ***************
- TRUMPET WINSOCK (TCP/IP protocol stack and basic clients, )
- (including telnet, FTP, ping, Archie )
-
- Comment: You need this package (or some other TCP/IP protocol
- stack that supports Winsock) before you can use any of the client
- software described later. Trumpet Winsock does not require any
- additional network software. It's TCP/IP functions can be
- installed over other network software such as Novell or Windows
- for Workgroups using a packet driver shim. Instructions for such
- installations are included in the ZIP file.
-
- Author: Peter Tattam, Trumpet Software International
-
- Fee: $20 shareware fee. TSI has extended the free trial
- period until the final release of version 1.0B,
- which is in beta testing at this time.
-
- Version: 1.0 Revision A
-
- File name: twsk10a.zip February 3, 1994 120,569 bytes
- (includes the TCP/IP protocol stack)
- winapps.zip November 30, 1993 131,516 bytes
- (includes basic clients)
-
- Available by anonymous FTP from:
- ftp.utas.edu.au in directory /pc/trumpet/winsock
- or by Gopher from
- info.utas.edu.au under menu item
- UTas FTP Archive/pc/trumpet/winsock
-
- Installation:
-
- 1.) Create directory C:\TRUMPWSK and unzip TWSK10A.ZIP and
- WINAPPS.ZIP into this directory.
-
- 2.) Install software drivers.
-
- Ethernet network:
-
- a.) Install packet driver for your ethernet card.
- The entry in my AUTOEXEC.BAT file is:
-
- C:\ETHERNET\8003PKDR.EXE /B:240 /R:D000 /I:10 /E:61
-
- b.) Install WINPKT.COM virtual packet driver included in
- TWSK10A.ZIP. The entry in my AUTOEXEC.BAT file is:
-
- C:\TRUMPWSK\WINPKT.COM 0x61
-
- SLIP:
-
- No special drivers are needed because SLIP support is
- built into the Trumpet Winsock TCPMAN.EXE program.
-
- 3.) In Program Manager, create a program group named Network.
- Use File Manager to drag and drop the EXE files in
- C:\TRUMPWSK into the Network program group.
-
- 4.) Edit the PATH statement in AUTOEXEC.BAT to include
- C:\TRUMPWSK. This enables Winsock applications to find
- WINSOCK.DLL when they are launched.
-
- 5.) Reboot the computer and start Windows.
-
- 6.) Launch TCPMAN from the Network program group.
- Select Setup on the menu bar. Enter your IP address,
- gateway address, and nameserver address as assigned by
- your local network administrator. (Some SLIP servers do
- not use permanent IP addresses. Instead, the SLIP server
- assigns a temporary IP address at the start of the
- session. In this case, enter 0.0.0.0 as a dummy IP
- address.) If you are using ethernet, enter the software
- interrupt used by the packet driver. If you are using
- SLIP, check the SLIP check box and enter the appropriate
- COM port number in the SLIP port box. Exit from TCPMAN.
- The file TRUMPWSK.INI will be created in the C:\TRUMPWSK
- directory.
-
- 7.) Launch any Winsock compliant application. TCPMAN.EXE will
- start automatically if it is not already running. (If you
- are using SLIP, you must first connect to the server and
- start a SLIP session. This can be done with the dialing
- function in TCPMAN.) Several clients are included with the
- Trumpet Winsock, including TELW.EXE for telnet, FTPW.EXE
- for FTP, WINARCH.EXE for searching Archie databases,
- PINGW.EXE to ping another machine on the network, and
- HOPCHKW.EXE to trace the path through the internet used to
- reach a particular host.
-
- Note: The WINSOCK.DLL file for the Trumpet Winsock remains in
- the C:\TRUMPWSK directory. Some vendors may require that their
- WINSOCK.DLL be copied to the C:\WINDOWS directory. If you have
- used Winsock software from another vendor, but now want to try
- the Trumpet Winsock, be sure to remove the other vendor's
- WINSOCK.DLL so that it will not interfere with the Trumpet
- Winsock implementation.
-
- Tip: The WINARCH client for Archie searching that is supplied in
- WINAPPS.ZIP defaults to searching the Archie server at archie.au.
- You can access a different Archie server by using a command line
- argument. For instance, to use the Archie server run by AT&T, use
- the command line winarch.exe -archie=ds.internic.net.
-
- SLIP usage: Trumpet Winsock includes a simple dialing function.
- You can connect to your SLIP server by manually issuing the
- dialing commands. You can also write a script that will dial and
- start your SLIP session automatically. When your SLIP session
- starts, TCPMAN will use the address assigned by the SLIP server.
-
- PITFALL: After dialing with TCPMAN.EXE and establishing the SLIP
- session, you must press the <ESC> key to escape from dialing mode
- and to re-enable the SLIP function in TCPMAN.EXE.
-
- If you want to dial your SLIP server automatically, but you do
- not care to write your own dialing script for TCPMAN.EXE, a
- utility named DIALER provides a convenient means of dialing the
- phone and automatically starting the SLIP session. DIALER can be
- set up to automatically issue the commands and passwords needed
- to start the SLIP session. DIALER version 2.0A is available by
- anonymous FTP from:
-
- ftp.demon.co.uk
- /pub/ibmpc/windows/utilities/dialexe.zip
- (May 27, 1994, 31,072 bytes)
-
-
- *******
- HGOPHER (Gopher client)
-
- Comment: Version 2.4 of HGopher was the most recent shareware
- version. However, HGopher has been sold to FTP Software Inc.,
- which expects to issue a commercial version in the near future.
- Thus, version 2.4 is no longer available from its author. He
- still distributes Version 2.3 of HGopher, which is quite
- functional and will continue to be available as shareware. It
- will no longer be maintained or enhanced. Copies of version 2.4
- may still be found at some anonymous FTP sites or at some Gopher
- sites.
-
- Author: Martyn Hampson
-
- License: Public domain. Mr. Hampson suggests you donate
- $10.00 to your favorite charity if you like HGopher.
-
- Version: 2.3
-
- File name: hgopher2.3.zip October 21, 1993 190,057 bytes
- (Yes, that is not a valid DOS name. You will have to
- change it to something else when you download it.)
-
- Available by anonymous FTP from:
- lister.cc.ic.ac.uk in directory /pub/wingopher
- or by Gopher from
- gopher.ic.ac.uk under menu item
- Networking/HGopher Information Center/The Hgopher distribution
- and Viewers
-
-
- Installation:
- 1.) Create the directory C:\HGOPHER and unzip hgopher2.3.zip
- (under whatever name you saved it) into this directory.
- 2.) Create a new program item in the Network program group for
- the program C:\HGOPHER\HGOPHER.EXE.
- 3.) Launch HGopher.
- 4.) Supply the addresses and other information in the dialog
- boxes for the menu selections Options Gopher Set Up and
- Options Network Set Up. For some types of information
- distributed via Gopher, you will need to configure the
- viewers using the Options Viewers dialog box. For example,
- you need to tell HGopher which telnet client to use, and
- which program to use for viewing JPEG or GIF image files.
- The HGOPHER.INI file and bookmark files are kept in the
- C:\HGOPHER directory.
-
-
- *******************
- TRUMPET FOR WINDOWS (internet news reader and POP mail client)
-
- Comment: To read internet news, you need access to an NNTP
- (Network News Transfer Protocol) server. To use the mail
- functions, you need an account on a POP (Post Office Protocol)
- mail server. (I have not tested the mail functions in this
- application because I prefer to use PC Eudora for mail.)
-
- Author: Peter Tattam. Trumpet Software International
-
- Fee: $40.00 shareware fee. TSI has extended the free
- trial period until the final release of version
- 1.0B, which is in beta testing at this time.
-
- Version: 1.0 Revision A
-
- File name: wtwsk10a.zip August 28, 1993 167,601 bytes
-
- Available by anonymous FTP from:
- ftp.utas.edu.au in directory /pc/trumpet/wintrump
- or by Gopher from
- info.utas.edu.au under menu item /pc/trumpet/wintrump
-
- Installation:
- 1.) Create the directory C:\WINTRUMP and unzip WTWSK10A.ZIP
- into this directory.
- 2.) Create a new program item in the Network program group for
- the program C:\WINTRUMP\WT_WSK.EXE.
- 3.) Launch the program.
- 4.) Supply the address and other information in the dialog
- boxes for the menu selections File Setup and File Network
- Setup. NEWS.PRM and other configuration files will be
- created and stored in C:\WINTRUMP.
-
- PITFALL: The list of available news groups on your news server
- is stored by Trumpet in the file NEWS.GRP. At times, Trumpet
- fails to fully update this file with new groups available from
- the server. You can force Trumpet to create a new and complete
- list of available groups by erasing NEWS.GRP before starting
- Trumpet.
-
-
- *********
- PC EUDORA (full featured mail client)
-
- Comment: You will need an account on a POP mail server to send
- and receive mail at your PC. QUALCOMM sells a commercial version
- of Eudora for both Windows and the Macintosh.
-
- Author: Jeff Beckley and Jeff Gehlhaar, QUALCOMM, Inc.
-
- License: Shareware version is free
-
- Version: Shareware: 1.4
-
- File name: eudora14.exe December 16, 1993 275,600 bytes
- (self extracting archive file)
-
- Available by anonymous FTP from:
- ftp.qualcomm.com in directory /quest/windows/eudora/1.4
-
- Installation:
- 1.) Copy the file EUDORA14.EXE to the directory C:\PCEUDORA.
- 2.) Execute EUDORA14 from the DOS prompt to unarchive the
- program files.
- 3.) Create a new program item in the Network program group for
- the program C:\PCEUDORA\WEUDORA.EXE.
- 4.) Launch the program.
- 5.) Select Special Configuration from the menu bar and supply
- the required information.
- 6.) Select Special Switches and set characteristics as
- desired.
- 7.) Create mailboxes and nicknames to taste.
- 8.) The file EUDORA.INI and other configuration files will be
- created in the C:\PCEDUORA directory.
-
- Note: A revised version is in beta testing at this time. It is
- available by anonymous ftp from ftp.qualcomm.com in directory
- /quest/windows/eudora/1.4/beta under the file name eu142b16.exe
- (June 8, 1994 198,354 bytes)
-
-
- *******
- WS_FTP (FTP client)
- WS_PING (ping client)
-
- Author: John Junod
-
- License: Public domain
-
- Version: 94.04.24 (WS_FTP)
- 94.01.23 (WS_PING)
-
- File names: ws_ftp.zip April 25, 1994 73,642 bytes
- ws_ping.zip January 27, 1994 59,373 bytes
-
- Available by anonymous FTP from:
- ftp.usma.edu in directory /pub/msdos/winsock.files
- Those who want to experiment with a beta copy of a newer
- version of WS_FTP can download ws_ftp.zip.beta from the
- directory /pub/msdos.
-
- Installation:
- 1.) Create the directory C:\WS_.
- 2.) Unzip WS_FTP.ZIP into this directory.
- 3.) Unzip the file WS_PING.EXE from its ZIP file into this
- directory also. (Full source code for WS_PING is included
- in the ZIP file with the name WSPI_SRC.ZIP. Source code
- for the current version of WS_FTP is not distributed.
- However, source code for the 93-12-05 version of WS_FTP
- can be downloaded from directory /pub/msdos/winsock.files
- under the name ws_ftp_s.zip .)
- 4.) Create new program items in the Network program group for
- the programs C:\WS_\WS_FTP.EXE and C:\WS_\WS_PING.EXE.
- 5.) Launch the programs.
- 6.) The WS_FTP.INI file remains in the C:\WS_ directory. A
- file named WINSOCK.INI is created by WS_PING in the
- C:\WINDOWS directory.
-
-
- ***********
- NCSA MOSAIC for Microsoft Windows (World Wide Web browser)
- (and Gopher client )
-
- Comment: An exquisite display of World Wide Web documents,
- including full color graphics and sound mixed in with text. Users
- should note the alpha version designation and use caution about
- saving work in any other running applications before launching
- Mosaic. As in previous versions, simply launching and then
- exiting from Mosaic permanently reduces by 3% to 5% the Windows
- user.exe resources on my machine. Launching Mosaic and exiting
- several times can lead to conditions that require you to restart
- Windows.
-
- Mosaic is a 32-bit application and will run under Windows NT,
- Microsoft's advanced workstation operating system. Most users
- will be using Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups, which are
- 16-bit applications. To use Mosaic with these systems, you must
- first install Win32s version 1.1.5 or later. This addition to the
- Windows operating system enables current version of Windows to
- run 32-bit code that is not Windows NT specific.
-
- Authors: Ryan Grant, Briand Sanderson, Darian Woodford
-
- License: Free
-
- Version: 2.0 alpha 5
-
- File name: wmos20a5.zip June 17, 1994 272,435 bytes
- win32s.zip May 12, 1994 1,269,110 bytes
-
- Available by anonymous FTP from:
- ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu in directory /PC/Mosaic
-
- Installation:
- 1.) Install Win32s following the instructions in the ZIP file.
- The files will be installed in the directory
- C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\WIN32S.
- 2.) Create the directory C:\MOSAIC and unzip WMOS20A5.ZIP into
- this directory.
- 3.) Create a new program item in the Network program group for
- the program C:\MOSAIC\MOSAIC.EXE.
- 4.) Copy the file MOSAIC.INI to C:\WINDOWS. (You can put
- MOSAIC.INI in a different directory if you use a DOS
- environment variable to point to the correct directory.)
- 5.) Edit the INI file following instructions in the file
- INSTALL.TXT.
- 6.) Launch the program.
-
- NOTE: You can avoid the added complexity of installing Win32s
- and the substantial demands it places on your PC by reverting to
- Mosaic version 2.0 alpha 2. This version is still available from
- NCSA's FTP server in directory /PC/Mosaic/old. Alternatively, you
- can use the WWW browser Cello as described below.
-
-
- *****
- CELLO (World Wide Web browser and Gopher client)
-
- Comment: This Web client may be more stable than Mosaic, but it
- lacks Mosaic's convenient bookmark menus. Users of Diamond
- Stealth video cards report problems with the mouse cursor, which
- virtually disappears when the mouse is moved. The listserv CELLO-
- L is busy with messages about CELLO development and about
- shareware for creating HTML documents for use on Web servers.
- Instructions for subscribing to CELLO-L are included in the Cello
- Help file.
-
- Author: Thomas R. Bruce
-
- License: Free
-
- Version: 1.01a
-
- File name: cello.zip March 17, 1994 328,429 bytes
-
- Available by anonymous FTP from:
- ftp.law.cornell.edu in directory /pub/LII/Cello
-
- Installation:
- 1.) Create the directory C:\CELLO and unzip CELLO.ZIP into
- this directory.
- 2.) Create a new program item in the Network program group for
- the program C:\CELLO\CELLO.EXE.
- 3.) Launch the program.
-
-
- *****
- WFTPD (FTP server)
-
- Comment: I had not imagined I would want or need to use my PC as
- an FTP server. However, I have found this product useful on a
- couple of occasions to transfer files from an IBM mainframe to my
- PC. This is far easier than trying to FTP to the mainframe from
- my PC. Even colleagues new to Windows and networking are
- beginning to find it useful to run their PC as an FTP server in
- order to exchange files with their colleagues. Note that
- WinQVT/Net, which is described later, has an FTP server function
- also.
-
- Author: Alun Jones
-
- License: $15.00. The unregistered shareware version displays
- a message to anyone accessing the server that the
- owner is unable or unwilling to pay the shareware
- fee. The shareware version is limited to five file
- transfers per session.
-
- Version: 1.9c
- Note that previous versions had a serious security
- bug and should not be used.
-
- File name: wftpd19c.zip June 14, 1994 131,178 bytes
-
- Available by anonymous FTP from:
- ftp.cica.indiana.edu in /pub/pc/win3/winsock
-
- Installation:
- 1.) Create the directory C:\WFTPD and unzip WFTPD19C.ZIP into
- this directory.
- 2.) Create a new program item in the Network program group for
- the program C:\WFTPD\WFTPD.EXE.
- 3.) Launch the program.
- 4.) Complete the information in the Security dialog box to
- establish security control using access passwords and
- restricted home directories for those you authorize to
- access your PC. The file WFTPD.INI will be created in the
- C:\WINDOWS directory.
-
-
- ------
- TELNET
-
- The glaring deficiency in the Winsock pantheon of internet
- clients is the absence of a good stand-alone telnet client. Here
- is a brief description of some alternatives I have tried.
-
-
- ****
- TELW
-
- Comment: TELW.EXE is included with the Trumpet Winsock package
- in the WINAPPS.ZIP file. It is the first client that shareware
- users are likely to try. It is a minimal client with no
- configuration possibilities. It can be useful at times as a
- terminal/telnet viewer in HGopher.
-
-
- **********
- WinQVT/Net
-
- Comment: WinQVT/Net is an integrated package that includes
- telnet, FTP, FTP server, mail, and news reader clients. These
- client applications are normally launched from a console window.
- The telnet client is probably the best shareware Winsock telnet
- client available. You can select terminal emulations and
- customize the keyboard. The resizable telnet window includes
- scrollback and session logging. A deficiency is that telnet
- cannot be launched independently of the console window. However,
- if WinQVT/Net is already running, then an instance of the telnet
- client can be launched from another application by invoking the
- TNSTART.EXE program that comes with WinQVT/Net. This makes it
- possible to use this telnet client as the terminal/telnet viewer
- in HGopher.
-
- Author: QPC Software
-
- License: There has been discussion in alt.winsock and other
- news groups about the difficulty of getting any
- response to e-mail and fax messages from the author
- of WinQVT/Net. Paying the license fee may be
- difficult as a result.
-
- Version: 3.97
-
- File name: qvtws397.zip 288,373 bytes
-
- Available by anonymous FTP from:
- biochemistry.bioc.cwru.edu (closed to public 9-5 weekdays)
- or by Gopher from
- biochemistry.cwru.edu under menu item
- CWRU Biochemistry FTP Archive/qvtnet
-
-
- *******
- TRMPTEL
-
- Comment: This is my favorite telnet client at the moment. It can
- be used as a terminal/telnet viewer with HGopher or with Mosaic
- and Cello. It is a very early release of a client that can be
- expected to become excellent in the near future.
-
- Author: Peter Tattam
-
- License: Free beta version
-
- Version: 0.06
-
- File name: trmptel.exe April 28, 1994 68,608 bytes
-
- Available by anonymous FTP from:
- petros.psychol.utas.edu.au in directory /pub/trumpet/trmptel
-
-
- ****
- EWAN
-
- Comment: EWAN (Emulator Without a Good Name) is a promising new
- Winsock telnet client. It also can be used as a terminal/telnet
- viewer with HGopher or with Mosaic and Cello.
-
- Author: Peter Zander
-
- License: Free
-
- Version: 1.0
-
- File name: ewan10.exe June 15, 1994 129,155 bytes
-
- Available by anonymous FTP from:
- ftp.lysator.liu.se in directory /pub/msdos/windows
-
-
- ***********
- NCSA TELNET
-
- Comment: NCSA telnet is a standard in the DOS and Macintosh
- environments. The Winsock client is under development. A
- spokesman for NCSA has posted messages to the internet saying
- that the existing client was thrown together quickly, and it is
- not supported. A student has been hired to write a new version of
- the client, but it was said he had to learn TCP/IP and Windows
- programming. I have not found this client useful, but others may
- wish to experiment with it. No doubt NCSA will produce an
- excellent telnet client in the future.
-
- License: Free
-
- Version: beta 3
-
- File name: wintelb3.zip October 21, 1993 55,834 bytes
-
- Available by anonymous FTP from:
- ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu in directory /PC/Telnet/windows
-
-
- *******
- QWS3270
-
- Comment: Telnet clients usually emulate a VT100 terminal or one
- of its variations, the standard for connecting to a UNIX host.
- However, telneting to an IBM mainframe requires emulation of an
- IBM 3270 terminal. QWS3270 provides the necessary functionality.
- I was especially pleased with the easily-configured 4 color
- capability that makes it easier to distinguish protected,
- unprotected, and highlighted text on a VM screen.
-
- Author: Jim Rymerson
-
- License: Free
-
- Version: 3.1e
-
- File name: qws3270.zip June 9, 1994 70,526 bytes
-
- Available by anonymous FTP from:
- ftp.ccs.queensu.ca in directory /pub/msdos/tcpip
-
-
- -------------------------------------
- OTHER SOURCES FOR WINSOCK INFORMATION
-
- It remains true that the best guide to the internet is the
- internet itself. The best software for navigating the internet is
- freely available on the internet.
-
- Considerable information about the Winsock API, along with some
- application programs, is available at: sunsite.unc.edu in
- directory /pub/micro/pc-stuff/ms-windows/winsock.
-
- The anonymous FTP sites that I list as sources for programs are
- the sites designated by the authors as their home sites. These
- sites will always have the latest version of the software.
-
- In addition, copies of the software may usually be obtained by
- anonymous FTP from ftp.cica.indiana.edu in /pub/pc/win3/winsock.
- However, it is the case that this directory at CICA will not
- always contain the current versions. Check the directory
- /pub/pc/win3/pending.uploads for text files that may describe new
- versions of programs that are still in the uploads directory and
- not distributed to their final directory location. Unfortunately,
- a recent policy change at CICA prevents anonymous users from
- viewing the uploads directory. Dates on the files at CICA may
- disagree with the dates on the files at the home sites. Note that
- CICA is the main internet site for Windows applications. It is
- usually busy, and you may have difficulty connecting. There are
- several other internet sites that provide mirror copies of the
- Windows collection at CICA. These are listed in the message
- displayed if you are denied access to CICA. The list of mirror
- sites is included in the file README in the /pub/pc/win3
- directory. When using CICA, it is helpful to download the file
- INDEX (ascii) or INDEX.ZIP from /pub/pc/win3. INDEX contains
- one-line descriptions of each file in the collection.
-
- The news groups alt.winsock, and comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc
- carry discussions of the Winsock specification and Winsock
- compliant applications, as do the groups in the
- comp.os.ms-windows.networking hierarchy. Trumpet Winsock and
- related clients are discussed in several news groups in the
- trumpet hierarchy.
-
- Information about specific clients may be found in groups devoted
- to that class of client. For instance, HGopher is discussed in
- alt.gopher and in comp.infosystems.gopher. Cello and Mosaic are
- discussed in the sections of the comp.infosystems.www hierarchy.
-
- The BITNET listserv WIN3-L@UICVM carries discussions about all
- topics relating to Windows, including Winsock applications. Some
- news servers carry this listserv under the news group name
- bit.listserv.win3-l.
-
- A comprehensive list of FTP'able Winsock applications is
- available from Larsen Consulting and Sales, Phoenix, Arizona,
- USA. To get a copy of the list, send an e-mail message to
- lcsinfo@lcs.com with the Subject: FAQ. Nothing else should be in
- the message.
-
- A FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) about TCP/IP on PC-compatible
- computers written by Bernard D. Adoba is posted monthly on
- comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc. A copy can be obtained by anonymous
- FTP from rtfm.mit.edu in directory
- /pub/usenet-by-hierarchy/comp/protocols/tcp-ip/ibmpc
- under the decidedly non-DOS filename
- comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc_Frequently_Asked_Questions_(FAQ).
- The version dated May 4, 1994 is 145,270 bytes. I downloaded this
- ASCII file to my PC and saved it under the filename IBMTCP.FAQ.
- It is also available under the name ibmtcp.zip from
- netcom2.netcom.com in directory /pub/mailcom/IBMTCP.
-
- An introduction to SLIP is available by pointing your Gopher
- client at gopher.vt.edu. Look down the menus through
- Computing Center.../Experimental file system/nyman/whatslip.txt.
-
- The Crynwr packet drivers collection is available by anonymous
- FTP in the well-known Simtel20 collection, as well as through a
- variety of other methods. The primary publicly available site for
- Simtel files is at oak.oakland.edu. The packet drivers are in the
- directory /systems/ibmpc/simtel/pktdrvr:
- pktd11.zip November 22, 1993 435420 bytes
- pktd11a.zip November 22, 1993 326152 bytes
- pktd11b.zip November 22, 1993 344847 bytes
- pktd11c.zip December 14, 1993 81834 bytes.
-
-
- An early version of this document (dated February 9, 1994) was
- published in the "Toolkit" section of the March 14, 1994 issue of
- "Global Network News." GNN is part of the "Global Network
- Navigator," a World Wide Web publication of O'Reilly Associates.
- Articles in GNN are aimed at the reader with a general interest
- in the internet and networked information. You can read GNN by
- pointing Mosaic or Cello at http://www.wimsey.com/gnn/gnn.html.
-
- The latest version of "Windows and TCP/IP for internet access" is
- available by anonymous FTP from nebula.lib.vt.edu in the
- directory /pub/windows/winsock under the name wtcpip**.zip.
-
-
- ================================================================
- I thank each of you who sent me personal messages following the
- postings of earlier versions of this evolving document. I have
- now received e-mail about this document from individuals on seven
- continents. Thanks to AJO at McMurdo Station for sending me a
- message from Antarctica.
-
- I am gratified to have been able to help many of you, and I
- appreciate the suggestions and information you have sent me. My
- efforts in producing this document can be only a small and
- indirect repayment of the debt I owe to the developers who
- produce this software and to the many internet users who are so
- willing to share information.
-
- Please send error reports to me at hmkriz@vt.edu. I would be
- grateful for suggestions for improvements and additions to this
- document. Thanks again to everyone who replied to my beginner's
- questions over the past year. I greatly appreciate your patience,
- and your willingness to share your knowledge.
- =================================================================
-