Hall of Fame/HallofFameCDROM.cdr/lant/blts.arc/WIN300.TXT

Text File | 1991-03-11 | 20KB | 376 lines

TECHNICAL BULLETIN 2/22/91
Microsoft Windows 3.0, 3.0a

Windows 3.0, 3.0a (3.0X) have been tested in house and are
compatible with LANtastic 3.XX, however, Windows will not run in
enhanced mode on a LANtastic server. Attempting to do so many
result in a loss of network functionality, server disconnects or
lockups. We are currently working to provide the most reasonable
solution to this problem and will update this bulletin as
necessary. This bulletin should replace all other notes generated
from this office on Windows 3.0X to date. While claiming Windows
3.0X and LANtastic 3.XX are compatible, Artisoft is not responsible
for the compatibility of any other application(s) running within
Windows unless otherwise noted. The following information is based
on inhouse testing of Windows. If you are not a registered
LANtastic owner, your questions should be directed to our technical
sales staff at [phone]. Any questions or comments on this
bulletin may be forwarded by fax [phone] or mailed to:
Artisoft Inc., 575 E. River Road, Tucson, AZ., 85704, ATTN: Windows
Compatibility.

Installing Windows 3.0X on the Network
When installing Windows 3.0X on the LANtastic network operating
system (NOS), the network must first be installed and active. If
the SETUP program is run to install Windows initially, Windows will
be installed as a single-user product. If Windows is to be used
across the network, the following steps must be taken (summarized
from the Microsoft Windows User's Guide, Chapter 14: Networks and
Windows):
1. Log into the machine on which Windows will be installed (this
   machine will be referred to as the Windows Server), and redirect
   a drive designation to the directory where the shared copy of
   Windows should be installed (for our examples, we'll use
   W:\WINDOWS). Ie: net login \\server username password
   {Where server is the name of the network server, and an account
   for username with password (if applicable) has been configured
   on the server}
   net use w: \\server\windows {Where windows is a resource which
   has been created on server for the Windows program. The physical
   link path may be something like c:\windows}
2. At the DOS prompt, create a batch file which will convert the
   necessary files from the Windows diskettes (NOTE: any filename
   can be used for this batch file as long as it contains the .BAT
   extension). Ie:  copy con expall.bat
3. At the prompt, type the following information:
    a:
    for %%i in (*.*) do w:\windows\expand %%i w:\windows\%%i
    w:
   This creates a program which allows the pathnames of the source
   and destination of the Windows files to be entered.
4. Press <CTRL><Z> to close the batch file.
5. Insert the Windows disk #2 into the floppy drive A: and copy the
   expand.exe file into the shared directory. Ie: copy a:expand.exe
   w:\windows
6. Insert the first Windows disk into drive A: and run the expall
   batch file:  expall a:*.* w:\windows  This command runs the
   expall batch file, which copies and expands the files from the
   Windows disks to the Windows directory on network disk drive
   (w:\windows).
7. Repeat the previous step for the remaining disks.
8. Make all files in the windows directory read only by using the
   DOS ATTRIB. From the w:\windows directory, type ATTRIB +R *.*

Configuring Users to run Windows
Each user on the network (including the user running on the Windows
Server) must run the SETUP/N program to configure Windows for the
information specific to that user. This program creates a WIN.COM
file and unique configuration (.INI) files for each user and places
those files in the specified directory.
1. Each user must first log into the Windows server and redirect a
   drive designation to the directory in which Windows has been
   installed: net login \\server username password
   net use w: \\server\windows
2. From the redirected drive designation, type setup /n
3. Follow the prompts on the screen. When Windows prompts for a
   directory in which to place the user's Windows files, enter any
   path other than the one specified for the network Windows files
   (w:\windows). Ie: c:\winfiles   NOTE: The user on the Windows
   Server must also run setup /n and specify a unique directory. If
   Windows is installed on a diskless station, follow the steps as
   above, however, when asked for a path in which to install the
   user files, select a personal Windows directory on a network
   drive. Ie: w:\diskless
4. Windows then displays an initial configuration menu. If the
   selections shown are not correct for that workstation, use the
   arrow keys to change each item. Once the selections are correct,
   press enter to accept the changes. The network selected should
   be MS NET.

Additional Configuration Requirements
After setup /n has been executed for each user, some additional
changes may be necessary for a particular configuration. Windows
creates several .INI files which contain various configuration
information:
CONTROL.INI - Maintains color schemes and patterns
PROGMAN.INI - Maintains group information
SYSTEM.INI - Maintains system configuration
WIN.INI - Maintains Windows configuration
WINFILE.INI - Maintains settings
To make any changes in the .INI files, one may do so by editing the
file through the Notepad in Windows or through any DOS text editor.

The SYSTEM.INI File
Changes to the SYSTEM.INI file may be required to avoid memory
conflicts with various network adapters, or to modify existing
parameters. In most cases the default values will be sufficient.
Those changes occur in the [386Enh] section and are as follows:
EMMExclude=D800-DFFF  -- This line must be added if there is a
possibility of RAMBASE conflict with the network adapter (only in
cases where the adapter uses a RAMBASE, such as our 2Mbps adapter).
The adapter's RAMBASE must be excluded to avoid conflict. In this
example, the network adapter is using D800-DFFF.

NetHeapSize=XX  -- A Windows application may not run correctly if
it requires a larger buffer for transferring data over the network
than Windows provides. NetHeapSize tells Windows the max buffer
size in Kb required for this data transfer. The default value (for
the Microsoft version) is 12, and all values are rounded up to the
nearest 4K. We recommend modifying this value to start between 32
and 76. Please refer to the Microsoft Windows manual, Using
Networks With Windows, page 552, for more information.

InDOSPolling=TRUE  -- Value should be TRUE, ON, YES or 1

The WIN.INI File
CHANGES to the WIN.INI file need to be made to accommodate a
variety of printing configurations. If an application requires the
device to be specified as LPTX.PRN, the following lines may be
added. Note: this procedure is not recommended. If it is necessary
to print to a file, we suggest printing to LPTX.OS2 (already
defined in WIN.INI). Please see the Printing section which follows
for details on printer configuration).

LPT1.PRN=      -- The LPTX.PRN line must be added for each LPT
device (LPT1, LPT2...) to create a file name for that specific
device. These filenames will then be listed under Printer Ports in
the Printer Configuration

When an application prints through Windows and the print job is
time intensive, the timeout values may be increased in the
[windows] section of the WIN.INI file:
DeviceNotSelectedTimeout=50
TransmissionRetryTimeout=55
If the timeout values are changed in the WIN.INI file, they will
also need to be changed for the printer devices in the WIN.INI file
under the [PrinterPorts] section to reflect these new values. For
example, the printer resource line may be changed to look something
like:
HP LaserJet III=HPPCL5A,LPT2:,50,55
Where 50 is the value of DeviceNotSelectedTimeout and 55 is the
value of TransmissionRetryTimeout. Once the timeout changes have
been made in the WIN.INI file, any new printer resource created
will contain these values by default. Our example values of 50 and
55 may be high for a given configuration; since different
applications may have different requirements, the user may wish to
experiment with these values to find the best solution. It is
easiest to start with the default values and work up. Once again,
if these corrections are made through the Control Panel in Windows,
the Control Panel will adjust only the values under the [windows]
section. The WIN.INI file will still need to be edited to adjust
the values under the [PrinterPorts] section for existing printer
configurations.
Using Expanded Memory Managers
An expanded memory manager gives applications access to only a
limited amount of expanded memory at a time, and is slower to use
than extended memory. Therefore Windows uses expanded memory only
when running in real mode. (When running in 386 enhanced mode,
Windows can simulate expanded memory for applications that require
it, using EMM386.SYS). Windows requires that memory to conform to
version 4.0 of the Lotus-Intel-Microsoft Expanded Memory
Specification (LIM EMS 4.0).

If an applications requires expanded memory with Windows in real
mode, the EMM386.SYS expanded memory emulator may be used. When
using EMM386.SYS, as with any other expanded memory manager, it is
important to note that one must exclude any conflicting memory
addresses. The following is an example (the EMM386.SYS file is
loaded in the CONFIG.SYS file), and shows how to exclude any
RAMBASE which may be used by a network adapter (in this example the
network adapter is using RAMBASE D800-DFFF):
 DEVICE=EMM386.SYS X=D800-DFFF
Other expanded memory drivers may be used, such as QEMM 5.11 from
Quarterdeck.

Using Extended Memory Managers
Extended memory is memory beyond 640K on 80286, 80386, and 80486
computers, and acts as an extension of the computer's conventional
memory. An extended memory manager is required in order to run
Windows in standard or 386 enhanced mode. Windows includes the
extended memory manager HIMEM.SYS. When running in real mode,
Windows uses extended memory only for storing information.

Activating Windows
Once Windows has been installed and configured, one must log into
the server and share the directory which contains Windows. From the
user's Windows file directory (the directory specified during
setup/n), Windows may be run in either of three formats:

WIN /S  -- Standard Mode: Provides access to extended memory for
286-based systems or higher with at least 256K of extended memory

WIN /E -- Enhanced Mode: Provides all standard mode features for
386-based systems with at least 1MB of extended memory plus Virtual
Memory, multiple virtual machines, configurable time-slicing for
DOS applications (to determine priority of execution) and standard
DOS applications can run in their own windows or full-screen.
Enhanced mode may also be activated by WIN /3.

WIN /R -- Real Mode: Base-level operating mode for 286/386-based
systems with 640K to 1 MB of memory. Uses standard 640K
conventional memory, standard DOS and Windows applications can use
EMS memory, and standard DOS applications run full-screen in the
foreground.
WIN  -- When loaded with no switch, Windows will attempt to run the
mode which best suits the current configuration. If Windows is
running on a server and have extended memory present, ALWAYS run
Windows using the /S or /R switch. Otherwise Windows will attempt
to load in enhanced mode, which is not supported on a server.

PIF Files
Whenever a non-Windows application is executed, Windows looks for
that application's Program Information File (PIF). A PIF is a
special file containing settings that tell Windows how to run a
non-Windows application. A PIF's filename usually matches that of
the corresponding application. Once such a file has been created,
that application can started by double-clicking on the PIF
filename. It is not necessary to create a PIF for each non-Windows
application.
When creating a PIF file, Windows allocates the necessary memory
for the requested .EXE file. It is possible to create a PIF file
for NET, but since NET is comprised of two files: NET.EXE and
NET.MNU, Windows does not allocate enough memory for both. This can
be corrected by either allocating at least 400K for the NET PIF, or
by renaming NET.MNU to NETMNU.EXE and creating an additional PIF
file. Please refer to Chapter 12 of the Microsoft Windows User's
Guide, "More About Applications" for more information.

Printing
The LANtastic NET Print Queue Manager (network spooler) handles all
network printing activity. Windows also provides a similar utility,
the Windows Print Manager (Windows spooler). When using Windows
with LANtastic, all printing activity to any network resource must
be handled by the network spooler. Any local printing (to a printer
which has not been configured as a network printer resource) can be
handled by the Windows spooler. This can be accomplished two ways:

 The first method requires the user to disable the Windows spooler
and to process any network print jobs to the resource LPT2 or LPT3
(which has been redirected through the network). Any local printing
should be passed to the resource LPT1. When using this method any
local printing will not be despooled by the Windows spooler, which
ties up that system during large print jobs. The Windows spooler
may be enabled temporarily when printing to LPT1, and disabled when
printing to LPT2 or LPT3 (network resources). This method is
recommended.

 The second method is to leave the Windows spooler enabled and
print all network jobs through a printer file (LPTX.OS2 or
LPTX.PRN). This bypasses the Windows spooler and allows the job to
be processed by the network spooler. Any local printing can then be
processed through LPT1 (or any device without the extension) and
the Windows spooler will despool those local jobs. This method is
no longer recommended. However, some applications may require
printing through a file. If this is the case, we recommend printing
to the .OS2 device as there have been reported problems printing to
a .PRN device.

Using the first method of disabling the spooler, one must first log
into the network, redirect the network resource and make the
necessary connections in Windows.
1. Log into the server and share the server's printer resource. Ie:
   net login \\server username password
   net use lpt2 \\server\@printer
2. Run Windows, and from the MAIN group, select Control Panel and
   select the Printers option. From the Printer menu, hi-lite the
   desired printer driver from the Installed Printers list and
   select the Configure option. Hi-lite the redirected port from
   the selections (LPT2, LPT3 etc). Clear the 'Use Print Manager'
   check box to bypass the Windows spooler. Once in any application
   through Windows, pull down the File menu, select Printer Setup
   and select the printing device.
3. Select the physical, non-redirected device (LPT1 etc) when
   printing to a local, non-network device. When printing through
   the Windows spooler, make sure the 'Use Print Manager' check box
   is marked to process the job. When printing directly to the
   local printer without using the Windows spooler, make sure that
   check box is clear.

If the application must print to a file, again we recommend
printing to an .OS2 device rather than a .PRN device due to the
numerous problems reported with the .PRN extension being used under
these circumstances. The following outlines how to print through
Windows to a file (the .XXX represents the extension - either .OS2
or .PRN):
1. Log into the server and share the server's printer resource. Ie:
   net login \\server username password
   net use lpt1 \\server\@printer
2. Run Windows, and from the MAIN group, select Control Panel and
   select the Printers option. From the Printer menu, hi-lite the
   desired printer driver from the Installed Printers list and
   select the Configure option. Hi-lite the redirected port from
   the .XXX selections (LPT1.XXX, LPT2.XXX, etc). If these ports do
   not appear, please review the changes made to the WIN.INI file.
   Once in any application through Windows, pull down the File
   menu, select Printer Setup and select the printing device.
3. When printing to a local, non-network printing device, select
   any physical printer resource (LPT1, LPT2 etc). As above, if the
   'Use Print Manager' check box is marked the local print jobs
   will be processed through the Window spooler.

Downloading Fonts
If Windows is to be configured with additional fonts, the
installation procedure provided by either the font (or in some
cases the printer) manufacturer must first be followed to install
the fonts. Once the fonts are installed, run the Control Panel, run
the Fonts program and follow the Add Font Files section. We
strongly recommend following the first method listed above and
printing to LPT2: when downloading fonts.

Network Drives - Connecting and Disconnecting through Windows
Connecting Network Drives
1. First log into the server containing the resource (which may be
   done through the DOS shell or by running NET through the File
   Manager or through a created Net PIF file).
2. From the MAIN group, select File Manager, pull down the Disk
   menu and select Connect Net Drive.
3. Select the desired Drive Letter and enter the Network Path (ie
   \\server\c-drive), and select Connect.
4. The drive should now appear on the directory tree and NET should
   appear in the drive box. Double click to access that drive. The
   bottom portion of the window indicates the full path name of the
   drive (\\server\c-drive) and the available bytes on that drive.

Disconnecting a Network Drive
1. To disconnect a drive, follow steps as above, selecting
   Disconnect from the File Manager Disk menu.

Additional Tips and SuggestionsThe following lists additional
suggestions for various problems which may be encountered during
the installation and operation of Windows on LANtastic.
 - When installing on the Windows Server, the network must be
loaded and the EXPALL.BAT file must be run with each Windows
diskette. Also make sure Windows is installed with the MS NET
network driver.
 - If problems are experienced with 'bleeping' sounds from the
network adapter (but operation resumes as normal), try setting
NetAsynchFallBack TRUE and NetAsynchTimeout to 10.
 - To improve stability of the Windows installation, set
UniqueDOSPSP and ReflectDOSInt2A to TRUE in the SYSTEM.INI file.
 - If printing is slow, increase the char/sec for the printer
resource under NET_MGR under Shared Resources (sometimes as much as
9600).
 - When running Windows on a LANtastic server, always load Windows
using a /R or /S command line switch. Once again, Windows is not
supported to run in enhanced mode on a LANtastic server.

SUMMARY
If a unique problem arises which we are unable to resolve either
through initial phone contact or through this bulletin, please
contact the Windows specialist in our technical support department
at [phone].

Any questions or suggestions on this bulletin may be mailed to our
offices to the attention of the Compatibility Department / Windows
3.0X Support.

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

Vendor Info:
Microsoft Corp.
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA  98052-6399