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This chapter describes how to install and configure the IPeXchange client software on a PC. This chapter contains the following sections:
To install the IPeXchange client software, you need the following:
In addition, to ensure smooth installation and startup on a Windows for Workgroups operating system, check the IPX/SPX version numbers and compatibility of configured frame types before installing the IPeXchange client software.
The IPeXchange client relies on the Novell IPX/SPX components and versions listed in Table 3-1.
| Component | Version | Applicable Operating System | Where Located |
|---|---|---|---|
| IPXODI | 3.0 or later | Windows 3.1 | Typically installed in \nwclient |
| LSL | 2.12 or later | Windows 3.1 | Typically installed in \nwclient |
| NWIPXSPX.DLL | 4.10 or later | Windows 3.1
Windows 95 | Typically installed in \windows or \windows\system |
| NWCALLS.DLL | 4.10 or later | Windows 3.1
Windows 95 | Typically installed in \windows or \windows\system |
| VIPX.386 | 1.19 or later | Windows 3.1 | Typically installed in \windows or \windows\system |
To determine the version numbers of your files, you can download the Novell Technical Support (NTS) Windows Diagnostics tool, ntswd.exe. This tool is in a self-extracting file named windr3.exe that is located at Novell's FTP site, ftp.novell.com/pub/netwire/
novfiles/. You can also find it by searching http://support.novell.com/ with your web browser.
If your installed Novell files are outdated, you can download new files from NetWire, CompuServe, or ftp.novell.com. In addition, NWIPXSPX.DLL and NWCALLS.DLL are provided in the NETWARE.DLL subdirectory of the IPeXchange client diskette.
On Windows for Workgroups computers, the NWLINK component supplied by Microsoft must interoperate with the IPX/SPX component supplied by Novell. These components use different configuration files, but both configuration files must specify the same frame type. Mismatched frame types are a common source of problems.
To ensure that the IPX/SPX frame type and the NWLINK frame type are set to the same value, follow these steps:
Step 1 Use a text editor to open the net.cfg file.
Step 2 Find one or more of the following lines, which configure the IPX/SPX frame type. If there are no similar lines, type the line that specifies the Ethernet frame type used on your network.
Step 3 Immediately below the lines displayed in Step 2, find one or more of the following lines. If the line is missing, type the line that specifies the IPX frame type used on your network:
Step 4 Note the values you typed in Step 2 and Step 3, and close the file.
Step 5 Open the protocol.ini file. This is the file in which NWLINK is configured. If this file does not exist, create it in the Windows directory.
Step 6 Find the section labeled [NWLINK]. If there is no NWLINK section, create this section header.
Step 7 If there is a line in the NWLINK section starting with FRAME=, make sure that it specifies the same frame type that you noted in the net.cfg file in Step 2. (Note that the format of the lines differs slightly, as shown in Table 3-2.) If the frame types are the same, close the file, exit the text editor, and proceed to the next section, "Run the Setup Program."
Step 8 If there is no line starting with FRAME=, or if the frame type specified does not match the frame type net.cfg, add the frame type to protocol.ini using the format shown in Table 3-2.
| NET.CFG Format | PROTOCOL.INI Format |
|---|---|
| Protocol IPX 0 Ethernet_802.3 | FRAME=ETHERNET_802.3 |
| Protocol IPX E0 Ethernet_802.2 | FRAME=ETHERNET_802.2 |
| Protocol IPX 8137 Ethernet_II | FRAME=ETHERNET_II |
| Protocol IPX 8137 Ethernet_SNAP | FRAME=ETHERNET_SNAP |
Step 9 Close the protocol.ini file and exit the text editor.
To ensure that the IPX/SPX-compatible protocol is set to the appropriate frame type, follow these steps:
Step 1 Navigate to Network in the Control Panel by clicking Start, selecting Settings, clicking Control Panel, then double-clicking Network.
A list of installed network components appears.
Step 2 Click IPX/SPX-compatible Protocol under the Installed Network Components list, then click Properties. Select the Advanced tab and click Frame Type in the Property list. Select Frame Type, and its current value is displayed in the Value box. Click the down arrow and select the appropriate frame type for your network. (Do not select Auto.) Click OK. Restart your computer for the new changes to take effect.
From the Windows File Manager, start the installation of the IPeXchange client software:
a:setupThe setup program asks you to select the setup program you want to use:
 | Time Saver To avoid installing the IPeXchange client files on every computer, install them on the NetWare file server. Place the files in a public folder that is on the search path, such as F:\PUBLIC. |
If you choose Express Setup, the Setup program takes the following actions:
[IPeXchange Client]
Preferred Gateway=Any
If you choose Custom Setup, the Setup program takes the following actions:
[IPeXchange Client]
Preferred Gateway=gateway-name
After your computer has rebooted, start the IPeXchange client by double-clicking its icon.
The window shown in Figure 3-1 appears, displaying diagnostic information.
When the client connects to the IPeXchange Internet gateway, a message is displayed identifying the gateway. For example, if the client connects to the gateway named, IPeX-gateway, the following message is displayed:
Client Connected to IPeX-gateway
Once you have installed the IPeXchange client software and confirmed that the IPeXchange client and gateway work together successfully, you can install and run any of the applications listed in the appendix "Applications Certified for Use with the IPeXchange Gateway," or other WinSock 1.1-compliant applications.
Once the IPeXchange client software is running, you do not usually need to start or stop it explicitly. When any WinSock 1.1-compatible application starts, the IPeXchange client automatically starts and connects to an IPeXchange gateway on behalf of the application. When applications shut down and the client is idle, the IPeXchange client automatically exits.
The section "Perform Advanced Configuration Tasks" describes additional software features.
This section describes the following advanced configuration procedures for the IPeXchange client. You do not need to perform these procedures unless you have multiple gateways.
If your site has multiple IPeXchange gateways, the IPeXchange client software performs load sharing by picking an IPeXchange gateway from among those available. However, you can specify a client's preferred gateway--the IPeXchange gateway to which the client tries to connect at startup. Specifying preferred gateways can be useful for dividing the user community--for example, for administrative or accounting purposes. If the preferred gateway is unavailable, the client connects to any available IPeXchange gateway.
To specify a preferred gateway, do one of the following:
To edit the WIN.INI file, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Use a text editor to open the win.ini file.
Step 2 Look for a section like the following:
To specify an IPeXchange gateway, change the value after the equal sign (=) to the name of the IPeXchange gateway.
Step 3 Close the file and reboot the computer.
If a Windows icon represents an executable program, its Properties window includes information that tells Windows how to start the program. This information is called the command line property in Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups and the target property in Windows 95.
The following command line or target property starts ipexclnt.exe:
ipexclnt [-g gateway-name]gateway-name specifies the client's preferred IPeXchange gateway.
For example, the following property causes the client to try to connect with the gateway boojum:
ipexclnt -g boojum
If boojum is unavailable, the client connects to any available gateway.
To change the preferred gateway, edit the properties of the IPeXchange item. When the IPeXchange client starts, it writes gateway-name into the win.ini file as the new value for the preferred gateway.
Sometimes a client might want to disconnect from one IPeXchange gateway and connect to another. For instance, your network could be configured so that one IPeXchange gateway provides Internet access and another provides internal TCP/IP access, and a client might want to switch between the two.
The Gateways menu in the IPeXchange client window displays a list of known IPeXchange gateways. A check mark indicates the gateway to which the client is currently connected. The client software periodically refreshes the list, adding names as gateway SAP messages arrive, and removing the names of servers that stop sending SAP messages.
To change a client's current gateway, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Close any Internet or TCP/IP client applications that are running.
Step 2 Open the IPeXchange window by double-clicking its icon.
Step 3 Pull down the Gateways menu and click the name of the gateway to which you want to connect.
When a client changes the current gateway, the new gateway automatically becomes the preferred gateway. The client software writes the IPeXchange gateway name into the win.ini file and attempts to connect to that gateway the next time it starts.
The IPeXchange window for the IPeXchange client includes a Status menu item. This option provides information about the IPeXchange client or gateway software and its current connections.
When you first select the Status menu item, the display is static--status appears on the screen once and does not refresh itself.
Select the Status menu item again to start a low-level tracing program that shows the transmission of SAP messages and routing information packet (RIP) messages. Generating a trace can be helpful if you need to troubleshoot a problem.
To stop the trace program, select the Status menu item again. An updated static display appears.
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