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- DOCUMENT:Q99745 02-NOV-1993 [W_NT]
- TITLE :Tuning NWLINK Registry Parameters
- PRODUCT :Windows NT
- PROD/VER:3.10
- OPER/SYS:WINDOWS
- KEYWORDS:
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------
- The information in this article applies to:
-
- - Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1
- --------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- NWLink is an implementation of the IPX/SPX protocols popular in Novell
- NetWare networks. An additional module, NWNBLink, provides support for
- the Novell implementation of the NetBIOS protocol. This article is
- divided into the following sections:
-
- - NWNBLink Parameters (Microsoft Extensions to Novell NetBIOS)
- - NWNBLink Parameters (Novell NetBIOS or Microsoft Extensions)
- - IPX/SPX Parameters (Network Interface Cards/Token Ring)
- - IPX/SPX Parameters (Global)
-
- CAUTION: Although you can modify all the parameters listed here in
- Registry Editor, the default values should rarely need to be changed.
- Any changes you make to these parameters can easily affect the
- performance of NWLink.
-
- Note: All parameters are listed in the following format:
-
- <name> : <data type> : <default value> (valid range, units)
-
- In Registry Editor, if no value is present, assume the default is
- being used. If you cannot find the parameter, you need to manually add
- it (choose Add Value from the Edit menu).
-
-
- NWNBLink Parameters (Microsoft Extensions to Novell NetBIOS)
- ============================================================
-
- Registry path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
- \NWNBLink\Parameters
-
- The Microsoft Extensions to Novell NetBIOS are provided to enhance the
- performance of the traditional Novell NetBIOS protocol. NWNBLink can
- automatically detect whether or not it is talking to a Novell NetBIOS
- implementation that does not understand these extensions; if it is
- being misunderstood, NWNBLink falls back to the standard Novell
- NetBIOS protocol currently in use in Novell networks. Significant
- performance gains can be realized if the extensions are used (for
- example, if the NetBIOS conversation occurs between two Windows NT
- computers).
-
- AckDelayTime : REG_DWORD : 250 (50-65535, milliseconds)
- -------------------------------------------------------
-
- Determines the value of the delayed acknowledgment timer.
-
- AckWindow : REG_DWORD : 2 (0-65535, frames)
- -------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the number of frames to receive before sending an
- acknowledgment. AckWindow is used as a clocking mechanism on networks
- in which the sender is networked on a fast LAN, but the receiver is
- networked on the other side using a slower link. By automatically
- forcing acknowledgments, the sender can keep sending frames
- continually. If both the sender and receiver are located on a fast
- link, you can set AckWindow to 0 to turn off sending an acknowledgment
- to the sender. Alternatively, NWNBLink can be set to dynamically
- determine whether to use the AckWindow parameter based on the setting
- of AckWindowThreshold.
-
- AckWindowThreshold : REG_DWORD : 500 (0-65535, milliseconds)
- ------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the threshold value for the round trip time that defines
- when AckWindow is ignored. The round trip time is an estimate of how
- long it takes for a frame to be sent and received from a workstation.
- NWNBLink determines this estimate and uses it as a basis for
- determining whether it is necessary to send automatic acknowledgments.
- If AckWindowThreshold is set to 0, NWNBLink relies on the AckWindow
- entry.
-
- EnablePiggyBackAck : REG_DWORD : 1 (0 - False or 1 - True)
- ----------------------------------------------------------
-
- Allows the receiver to piggyback acknowledgments. Piggybacking
- acknowledgments can occur when the receiver has detected the end of a
- NetBIOS message. When the sender and receiver are not participating in
- two-way NetBIOS traffic, you should set EnablePiggyBackAck to false.
- An example of one-way traffic is a stock update application, where a
- server constantly sends NetBIOS messages to clients, but the client
- does not need to respond.
-
- If EnablePiggyBackAck is true but there is no back traffic, NWNBLink
- will wait the number of milliseconds determined by AckDelayTime before
- sending the acknowledgment, then it will turn off support for
- piggybacking acknowledgments. If the workstation at some point starts
- sending as well as receiving data, NWNBLink will turn support back on
- for piggybacking acknowledgments.
-
- Extensions : REG_DWORD : 1 (0 - false or 1 - true)
- --------------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies whether to use NWNBLink extensions discussed in this
- section.
-
- RcvWindowMax : REG_DWORD : 4 (1-49152, frames)
- ----------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the maximum number of frames the receiver can receive at one
- time. The value specified by RcvWindowMax is sent to the sender during
- session initialization to give the sender an upper bound on the number
- of frames that can be sent at one time. (Related parameters:
- AckDelayTime, AckWindow, AckWindowThreshold, EnablePiggyBackAck, and
- RcvWindowMax.)
-
- NWNBLink Parameters (Novell NetBIOS or Microsoft Extensions)
- ============================================================
-
- Registry path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
- \NWNBLink\Parameters
-
- The following parameters can be used to configure Novell NetBIOS or
- Microsoft extensions.
-
- BroadcastTimeout : REG_DWORD : 1 (1-65535, half-seconds)
- --------------------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the time between sending find-name requests. This value is
- not affected if Internet is set to 1. (Related parameter:
- BroadcastCount.)
-
- BroadcastCount : REG_DWORD : 3 (1-65535, times)
- -----------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the number of times to send a broadcast. This value is not
- affected if Internet is set to 1. (Related parameter:
- BroadcastTimeout.)
-
- ConnectionCount : REG_DWORD : 5 (1-65535, times)
- ------------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the number of times to send a connection probe. A connection
- probe is sent by the initiator of a session if a connection could not
- be made to the remote computer. (Related parameter:
- ConnectionTimeout.)
-
- ConnectionTimeout : REG_DWORD : 2 (1-65535, half-seconds)
- ---------------------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the time between sending connection probes when initiating a
- session.
-
- InitialRetransmissionTime : REG_DWORD : 500 (1-65535, milliseconds)
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the initial value for the retransmission time. (Related
- parameter: RetransmitMax.)
-
- Internet : REG_DWORD : 1 (0 - False or 1 - True)
- ------------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies whether to change the packet type from 0x04 to 0x14 (Novell
- WAN broadcast).
-
- KeepAliveCount : REG_DWORD : 8 (1-65535, times)
- -----------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the number of times to send a session-alive frame before
- timing out if there is no response. (Related parameter:
- KeepAliveTimeout.)
-
- KeepAliveTimeout : REG_DWORD : 60 (1-65535, half-seconds)
- ---------------------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the time between sending session-alive frames. (Related
- parameter: KeepAliveCount.)
-
- RetransmitMax : REG_DWORD : 8 (1-65535, times)
- ----------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the maximum number of times the sender should retransmit
- before assuming that something is wrong with the link. (Related
- parameter: InitialRetransmissionTime.)
-
- IPX/SPX Parameters (Network Interface Cards)
- ============================================
-
- Registry path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
- \NWLink\NetConfig\Driver01
-
- These parameters are specific for each binding of NWLink to each
- network adapter. Currently, only one card is supported.
-
- AdapterName : REG_DWORD : <Adapter name>
- ----------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the name of the adapter NWLink will use. This parameter is
- set when you choose a network adapter to bind NWLink using the Network
- icon in Control Panel.
-
- BindSap : REG_DWORD : 8137 (hex)
- --------------------------------
-
- Specifies the Ethertype if the frame format is Ethernet II. The
- Ethertype field is only relevant if Ethernet II frames are to be sent
- or received. You can choose the frame type using the Network icon in
- Control Panel. For more information, see the PktType parameter.
-
- EnableFuncaddr : REG_DWORD : 1 (0 - False or 1 - True)
- ------------------------------------------------------
-
- When true, this parameter specifies that the IPX functional address is
- enabled if the adapter is a Token Ring card. If false, the IPX
- functional address is not added. The IPX functional address is
- C00000800000 (hex). Novell has been phasing out the use of this
- address, but it is still used in some places. It is up to the
- application to take advantage of the IPX functional address. In most
- instances, the broadcast address (FFFFFFFFFFFF hex) is used.
-
- MaxPktSize : REG_DWORD : 0 (0-65535)
- ------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the maximum frame size the network adapter should be allowed
- to transmit. If this number is 0, NWLink will get this information
- from the adapter driver. This parameter allows the administrator to
- make the maximum transmit size smaller than the driver allows. A
- scenario in which you might want to change this entry is in an
- environment in which the network adapter on one side of a conversation
- is on a link that has a larger frame size than the link on the other
- side. For example, if the sending station is linked to a 16 MBPS Token
- Ring and the receiving station is linked to an Ethernet network.
-
- NetworkNumber : REG_DWORD : 0 (network number in hex)
- -----------------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the network number to be used for this adapter. If it is 0,
- NWLink gets the network number from the network as it is running. This
- parameter is set using the Network icon in Control Panel. IPX network
- numbers are 4 bytes (8 hex characters) long. An example of an IPX
- network number is AABBDDFF. You should not have to enter a specific
- value because NWLink will determine it for you. Make sure to get the
- network number for your IPX subnet from the network administrator if
- you want to enter a specific number.
-
- PktType : REG_DWORD : 1 (0-4)
- -----------------------------
-
- NWLink supports Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, and Arcnet topologies. The
- PktType parameter specifies the packet form to use. The valid values
- are:
-
- 0 (Ethernet II)
- 1 (Ethernet 802.3)
- 2 (802.2)
- 3 (SNAP)
- 4 (Arcnet)
-
- If your adapter is an Ethernet adapter, choose between 0 and 3. If the
- adapter is Token Ring or FDDI, choose option 2 or 3. If you are using
- an Arcnet adapter, choose option 4. If the adapter is a Token Ring or
- FDDI adapter, values 0 and 1 will work the same as value 2. (Related
- parameter: BindSap.)
-
- RipAgeTime : REG_DWORD : 5 (1-65535, minutes)
- ---------------------------------------------
-
- IPX maintains a routing information protocol (RIP) cache in order to
- locate machines on a remote network. The RipAgeTime entry informs IPX
- how many minutes to wait before requesting a RIP update for an entry.
- This timer is reset when a RIP announcement is received for an entry
- that is in the RIP cache.
-
- RipUsageTime : REG_DWORD : 15 (1-65535, minutes)
- ------------------------------------------------
-
- IPX maintains a RIP cache in order to locate machines on a remote
- network. The RipUsageTime entry informs IPX how many minutes to wait
- before an entry in the RIP cache will be deleted from the cache. This
- timer is reset when a packet is sent to the remote machine.
-
- SourceRouteBcast : REG_DWORD : 0 (0 or 1)
- -----------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the source route to be used when transmitting a packet to
- the broadcast MAC address (FFFFFFFFFFF hex). If this value is 0, the
- packet is transmitted to the single-route broadcast (0xC2, 0x70). If
- the value is 1, the packet is transmitted to the all-routes broadcast
- (0x82, 0x70). (Related parameters: SourceRouteDef, SourceRouting, and
- SourceRouteMCast.)
-
- SourceRouteDef : REG_DWORD : 0 (0 or 1)
- ---------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the source route to be used when transmitting a package to a
- unique MAC address that is not in the source routing table. If the MAC
- address is in the source routing table, the route in the table will be
- used. If this value is 0, the packet is transmitted to the single-
- route broadcast (0xC2, 0x70). If the value is 1, the packet is
- transmitted to the all-routes broadcast (0x82, 0x70). (Related
- parameters: SourceRouteBcast, SourceRouting, and SourceRouteMCast.)
-
- SourceRouting : REG_DWORD : 0 (0 - False or 1 - True)
- -----------------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies whether to use source routing. This parameter is only used
- if the adapter is Token Ring. If there are no source routing bridges
- on the Token Ring, disable this entry to disable all of the source
- routing logic. (Related parameters: SourceRouteBcast, SourceRouteDef,
- and SourceRouteMCast.)
-
- SourceRouteMcast : REG_DWORD : 0 (0 - False or 1 - True)
- --------------------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the source route to be used when transmitting a packet to a
- multi-cast MAC address (C000xxxxxxxx). If false, the packet is
- transmitted to the single-route broadcast (0xC2, 0x70). If true, the
- packet is transmitted to the all-routes broadcast (0x82, 0x70).
- (Related parameters: SourceRouteBcast, SourceRouteDef, and
- SourceRouting.)
-
- IPX/SPX Parameters (Global)
- ===========================
-
- Registry path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
- \NWLink\Parameters
-
- The following parameters are global for the entire NWLink transport.
-
- ConnectionCount : REG_DWORD : 10 (1-65535, times)
- -------------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the number of times the probe is sent when SPX is trying to
- connect to a remote node. If no response is received after the probes
- are sent, an error occurs. (Related parameter: ConnectionTimeout.)
-
- ConnectionTimeout : REG_DWORD : 2 (1 to 65535, half-seconds)
- ------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the time between connection probes when SPX is trying to
- connect to a remote node. (Related parameter: ConnectionCount.)
-
- KeepAliveTimeout : REG_DWORD : 12 (1-65535, half-seconds)
- ---------------------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the amount of time the local side should wait before sending
- a probe to the remote side to verify that the SPX connection is still
- alive. (Related parameter: KeepAliveCount.)
-
- KeepAliveCount : REG_DWORD : 8 (1-65535, times)
- -----------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies how many times to send a keep-alive probe before timing out
- if there is no response. (Related parameter: KeepAliveTimeout.)
-
- RipCount : REG_DWORD : 5 (1-65535, times)
- -----------------------------------------
-
- When the RIP protocol layer is trying to find a route on the network,
- this parameter specifies how many times to send a request before
- giving up. (Related parameter: RipTimeout.)
-
- RipTimeout : REG_DWORD : 1 (1-65535, half-seconds)
- --------------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the timeout between RIP request packets being sent out when
- the RIP protocol layer is trying to find a route on the network.
- (Related parameter: RipCount.)
-
- WindowSize : REG_DWORD : 4 (1-10, SPX packets)
- ----------------------------------------------
-
- Specifies the window to use in the SPX packets. SPX uses the
- Allocation field of the SPX packet to tell the remote node how many
- receives are available for receiving data. The WindowSize entry
- specifies what value to put in the SPX Allocation field.
-
- Additional reference words: 3.10
- KBCategory:
- KBSubCategory: INTROP
-
- =============================================================================
-
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- PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS
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-
- Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1993.