OS/2 Networking Easy

OS/2 Networking Made Easy

January 20, 1998 by Greg Shah

how networks work
1. components
  - media --> wire though which electrical signals pass
  - hub (optional) --> allows wiring from multiple machines to all be connected together into a single network
  - network adapter --> allows a computer to "plug into" the network; this is the device that sends and receives data on the physical wire
  - network adapter device driver --> software that allows the network adapter to be used for sending and receiving data
  - protocol --> a common "language" that allows 2 applications to communicate; if 2 programs do not both use the same protocol, they cannot interact
  - application --> a program that does some useful work
important references
1. x:\ibmcom\macs\readmac.txt
  - detailed information on supported network adapters for OS/2
  - adapter specific installation notes
  - this is a list of OS/2 compatible hardware
  - if the card you intend to use is not listed in readmac.txt, check here next
2. if you have errors during boot, these will be logged in two places:
  - X:\IBMCOM\LANTRAN.LOG for network adapter errors and protocol errors
  - the "NET ERROR" command displays the current File and Print Client errors
3. Network Adapters and Protocol Services Guide (MPTSCFG.INF)
  - this can be found in your "Information" folder, inside the "Tasks" sub-folder
  - this guide has detailed information regarding the setup, configuration and troubleshooting of your network support
4. File and Print Client Guide (A9M01MST.INF)
  - this can be found in your "Information" folder, inside the "Tasks" sub-folder
  - this guide provides detailed information regarding the setup, configuration and usage of IBM Peer
5. OS/2 Warp Command Reference (see Part 2: LAN Server Commands)
  - this can be found in your "Information" folder, inside the "Reference" sub-folder
  - this documents all LAN Server (IBM Peer shares the same commands) commands
hardware installation
1. Parallel Port Network
  - limitations:
    - only 2 machines can be in this type of network
    - no other device can share the parallel port while it is in use for networking
  - purchase a "Laplink" compatible cable
  - this cable will have a male DB-25 connector on both ends and is normally between 6' and 10' in length
  - plug each end into the parallel port of the respective computers
2. Ethernet Network
  - limitations:
    - please read x:\ibmcom\macs\readmac.txt to identify cards for which OS/2 has built-in drivers
    - this file also lists issues specific to certain cards, be sure that you read any pertinent information that may relate to the cards you intend to purchase
    - it is very important to ensure that the cards you purchase are compatible with:
      - each other
      - any hub you may intend to use
      - any wiring you may intend to use
  - purchase 2 Ethernet adapters that:
    - are compatible with your computer's bus type (PCI, ISA...) --> PCI is preferable since this maximizes performance and minimizes hardware setup (IRQ conflicts, jumper settings...)
    - are of identical make and model (unless your machines' bus architecture prohibits this; e.g. you have 1 Microchannel machine and 1 ISA machine) --> this simplifies your software setup
    - have OS/2 drivers (the drivers need to be "NDIS" compliant, but virtually 100% of OS/2 network drivers are NDIS based so this should not be an issue)
    - support 10-Base-T (the most common standard for Ethernet cards is called 10-Base-T which uses "Category 5" type wiring and "RJ-45" connectors) --> other types can be used but you must be careful that your hub and cabling is compatible
  - purchase a hub and any necessary cables
    - that is compatible with your Ethernet cards, if you chose 10-Base-T above, then you will have no problem finding a compatible hub
    - ensure that the hub has many "ports" as there are Ethernet cards to plug in (a "port" is a place where a cable with an RJ-45 connector can be plugged in
    - you will need to have a Category 5 "UTP" (unshielded twisted pair) cable that runs from the Ethernet card in each PC to a port in the hub --> make sure to buy long-enough cables to reach from the machines to wherever you keep the hub
  - install/setup the Ethernet cards
    - be sure to read the readmac.txt (see above) and any documentation that came with your card
    - before installing your card, run:
      - RMVIEW /IRQ > LPT1
      - RMVIEW /IOA > LPT1
      - RMVIEW /DMA > LPT1
      - RMVIEW /MEM > LPT1
      - these commands will print the current IRQ, IO ports, DMA channels and memory address ranges that are "owned" be devices in OS/2
    - set any jumpers... necessary and then install the card in the machine
    - perform any BIOS or software (not OS/2 network setup, but some cards have a DOS program that needs to be run to set the card to specific IRQ settings) setup that is required to "configure" the card --> make sure that there are no resource conflicts, use the data recorded previously to avoid resource conflicts, this is the most common area of problems
    - make sure that the machine can boot without any (new) errors
  - install/setup the Ethernet hub
    - pick either a central location or a location that is central to the majority of machines
    - ensure that the longest distance from the hub does not exceed 300' (this should be measured as the wire will be run, not "as the crow flies")
    - if the hub requires power, ensure that a working power receptacle is available
    - if you will need to pull cable between rooms, ensure that this location has easy access to either the attic or the basement
    - follow the instructions on the hub to set it up at the chosen location
  - install the wiring
    - if the machines are all in one room, then just plug the ends of the Category 5 UTP cable into both the Ethernet card and into a port on the hub
    - if you are running the cable, any appreciable length, then you should label both ends of the cable to make management and troubleshooting easier
    - if you are running cable between rooms, a common practice is to run cable from the room in question to the attic, into the drop ceiling, or down to the basement, then across to the other room, and out
    - do not run cable near power sources or other electrical wiring - power sources or other sources of electrical fields can disrupt the proper flow of electrical signals over your network - since Category 5 UTP wiring has no "shielding" from electrical interference, it is particularly sensitive to interference
    - if you want to wire multiple rooms, and properly "terminate" the network, you may need to hire an electrical contractor that has experience with installing "data-grade" wiring (Cat 5 UTP)
software installation and configuration
1. install and configure the OS/2 networking components
  - this description assumes you have already installed OS/2 without networking, but if this is not the case, you can use the same information to install your networking components during the main install, when it gets to the "Selective Install for Networking" section
  - before starting this section:
    - before installing your card, run:
      - RMVIEW /IRQ > LPT1
      - RMVIEW /IOA > LPT1
      - RMVIEW /DMA > LPT1
      - RMVIEW /MEM > LPT1
      - these commands will print the current IRQ, IO ports, DMA channels and memory address ranges that are "owned" be devices in OS/2
      - - you may need this information to configure your network card or parallel port network
    - make sure your network card is supported by drivers built into Warp v4 OR that you have downloaded the latest drivers from the vendors web site OR you have otherwise obtained valid drivers
  - navigate to the "System Setup" folder, then open the "Install/Remove" folder, then open "Selective Install for Networking"
  - on the first dialog ("Installing IBM OS/2 Warp"), choose "Advanced installation"
  - on the next screen ("OS/2 Warp Setup and Installation"), select "File and Print Client" and TCP/IP (if you are going to use TCP/IP on your network, or if you are going to need Internet access)
  - the next screen is called "Configuration", on this screen you select each item in turn and enter or change necessary values
    - File and Print Client (this is the same as "IBM Peer"):
      1. choose the drive to install on
      2. make sure the "Workstation Name" is unique for each machine (no two machines may share the same "Workstation Name")
      3. the description will be displayed when you "browse" this machine over the network, so make it descriptive
      4. do NOT select "Install LAN Server Administration"
      5. do select "Install sharing"
    - Userid and Password
      1. - enter in values here as necessary
    - TCP/IP
      1. - you will need to "create" values for this page
      2. - each machine will need to have a unique IP address of the form x.y.z.a
      3. - the first 3 numbers should be the same and the fourth number must differ for each machine (e.g. 10.10.40.1 for the first machine and 10.10.40.2 for the second machine)
      4. - a good subnet mask would be 255.255.255.0 for all machines
      5. - enter a hostname (this can be the same as the "Workstation Name" used above) --> this must be unique on the network
      6. - the other fields should be left blank
    - Network Adapters and Protocol Services
      1. - this page shows the current selection of network driver and the protocols that will be in use on ("bound to") that adapter
      2. - changes to the chosen network card or protocols can be made here
      3. - if your card has been autodetected, then this page will default properly (you should see both TCP/IP and NetBIOS in the list)
      4. - if the card is not autdetected, when you select this page, you will be prompted to choose from a list of adapters: choose your card OR if it is not on the list, choose "Other Adapter"
      5. - if you have chosen "Other Adapter" then you will be able to insert a driver diskette and point this program to the directory (most often A:\OS2) for it to look in for the new driver (this assumes that you have downloaded drivers for this card)
      6. - once your driver is selected, you may need to change the settings for it (highlight the driver and push the "Settings" button) --> each card will have different settings, consult the documentation for required changes that may need to be made (see b. below for some tips on the Parallel Port setup)
      7. - if TCP/IP and NetBIOS are not listed, highlight the adapter in the listbox and then use the "Add Protocol" button to add these to your configuration
      8. - you should not have to make changes to the settings for the TCP/IP and NetBIOS protocols
2. if using the Parallel Port driver: configure the driver
  - if you are trying to setup the Parallel Port driver, choose "SSW Parallel Port NIC-less Adapter" in the "Add Adapter" panel
  - use the "Settings" button to edit its settings:
    - "Parallel Port Network Driver connect mode" should be "CALL"
    - "Parallel Port Network Driver address" needs to be a 12 character hexidecimal number, it will default to 40000000000A and this is fine for the first machine
    - the second machine should be set to a different address (this value MUST BE UNIQUE) like 40000000000B
    - "LPT IRQ Level" may vary from machine to machine but will most often be 7
    - "LPT Base Address" should not be needed (try leaving this blank)
3. if using the Parallel Port driver: make a CONFIG.SYS change
  - one of the following may be necessary:
    - add /IRQ to the end of the line with PRINT01.SYS (PRINT02.SYS if you have a Microchannel machine) - recommended approach
    - OR "remark out" the PRINT01.SYS line by placing a REM at the beginning of the line
  - PRINT01.SYS is only necessary if you wish to print using this parallel port
  - the /IRQ parameter forces this driver to use the Interupt method to print as opposed to the default of "polling" - this will allow the printer driver to "share" the parallel port with the PMAC.SYS parallel port networking driver
4. PROTOCOL.INI for an Ethernet network
  - you should not have to edit this file but if you have trouble, check to ensure that your PROTOCOL.INI has the appropriate lines
  - this file can be found in your X:\IBMCOM subdirectory (usually on your boot drive)
5. changes that should have been made to CONFIG.SYS
  - changes made for IBM Peer
  - you should not have to edit this file but if you have trouble, check to ensure that your CONFIG.SYS has the appropriate lines
6. configure your applications
  - open the "Shared Resources and Network Connections" object which lives in the "Network Services" folder
  - this should force you to logon as the local administrator (the userid and password which you entered during installation)
  - by using the "Shares" tab, and the "Create Share" button, you can specify a directory, printer or serial port which should be shared
  - e.g. for a directory type in a drive and path and press "OK"
  - the next panel will require you to name the share as well as type in an optional description
  - next you must use the "Manage Access" button to define the access control policy (security) for this resource
  - for small networks where security is not a major concern, consider using an access control policy of "Basic - one access for all users"
  - then choose the type of access (None, Read Only or Read/Write) and press "OK"
  - when it prompts you to apply this access profile to all subdirectories, allow it to do so
  - you now have a share that can be accessed across the network!!!
7. test your environment
  - logon to your "client" machine
  - open the "Shared Resources and Network Connections" object which lives in the "Network Services" folder
  - go to the "Connections" tab and press the "Refresh" button - this queries the network to make a list of all available machines that can be seen
  - then use the "Create Connection" button to find a shared resource on the other machine
    - select the type of share that you created in step 4. f. (directory, printer or serial device)
    - select a "partner" machine from the "Server" drop-down list box - if both machines are properly connected to the network, you should see the name of the other machine in the list
    - once you select this server, you should see the share name you are connecting to appear in the list under the heading of "Resource"
    - specify the name of the redirected resource ("Local drive letter" if this is a directory resource, "Local printer port" if a printer resource and "Local serial port" if a serial resource)
    - press OK once you are done with your choices
  - attempt to use the resource
debugging problems
1. tips
  - these steps should be completed, IN ORDER, for both machines
  - if any errors are found during these tests, STOP and review the steps you took to install or configure this component, to ensure that you followed each step carefully
  - the basic process for debugging is to test the "lowest" level of your network (the physical connectivity) and work your way up through each "layer" until you reach the network applications (Peer-to-Peer or some TCP/IP application)
2. are the two machines physically connected to the same network?
  - parallel port cables plugged into both machines OR both machines plugged into the same hub via properly connected Cat 5 UTP cables
  - is your hub powered on? (if required)
  - make sure the physical connectivity exists
  - if no other problems can be found, replace your cables, use a different port on the hub...
3. were there any errors during bootup?
  - make sure that you are not getting IRQ, IO port, DMA... conflicts
  - make sure that all drivers and configuration changes that are necessary have been made (see above)
  - compare your configuration files with the samples provided
  - key question: is the problem happening on both machines? if so then odds are that:
    - the problem exists in a common hardware component like the hub or the parallel port cable
    - OR (more likely) the problem is in a common mistake or problem on software configuration that has been made on both machines
    - IF the problem is happening on only one machine (and you are using common hardware in both) then the odds are that there is a hardware problem OR a hardware configuration difference in that one machine --> compare the two configurations to determine and resolve the difference
  - if NO configuration problems can be found
    - try reconnecting the cables to each device
    - try different cables
    - try "reseating" the card in the PC's expansion slot (remove and securely reinsert the card in its slot)
    - try replacing the hardware (parallel port cable, Ethernet card...) --> especially if you have a known good replacement, try swapping the component to see if this fixes the problem, IF so then you know that the component in question is bad
4. are there any errors in the LANTRAN.LOG?
  - you should see something similar to the following lines:
  - IF NOT, then Peer-to-Peer WILL NOT WORK --> ensure that you have configured the system as per above, check that the CONFIG.SYS and PROTOCOL.INI files are configured as the sample files above
  - if there are any errors, try to identify the component that is failing and review its installation or configuration to try to resolve it
  - follow the same rule as in c. above: is the problem isolated to one machine or is it in both --> this allows you to focus on a hardware failure ot some hardware specific fault or conflict on the failing machine
5. if there have been no errors, run "netstat -a" (make sure this is lowercase)
  - if there is NO OUTPUT, then you have a problem with the installation of TCP/IP
    - ensure that your SETUP.CMD has the correct values
    - ensure that your CONFIG.SYS and PROTOCOL.INI files have the correct statements (compare with the samples referenced above)
    - try running setup.cmd (no parameters) manually to see if that enables IP
    - if you cannot find any problems, make sure that
  - a line similar to the following should be displayed:
    - addr 10.40.1.1 interface 0 mask ffffff00 broadcast 10.40.1.255
6. try "pinging" the other machine by running "PING 10.40.1.1" (make sure you replace 10.40.1.1 with the IP address of your partner machine)
  - successful output should look like this:
  - unsuccessful output:
  - PING can be exited by typing a CTRL-C
  - if BOTH MACHINES have correct netstat output BUT you don't have connectivity, recheck your hardware connection
7. if you have IP connectivity between the 2 machines, but your application is not working:
  - is your application IP based? (FTP, Telnet...) if so, then ensure that your application is properly installed and configured
  - if the application is Peer-to-Peer, then your NetBIOS connectivity is not working BUT you do know that you have a physical connection between the machines and that your hardware is working properly
    - ensure that your CONFIG.SYS and PROTOCOL.INI files are configured correctly (see above for samples)
    - did you make both machines names unique? --> this can be found in the X:\IBMLAN\IBMLAN.INI file on the line that looks like:
    - are there any errors during the startup of Peer, or during LOGON? if so, use the online documentation to resolve these errors
    - if none of these efforts solve the problem, test the basic NetBIOS connectivity
  - to test NetBIOS connectivity between two systems:
    - a utility can be used which does not install by default, but is available on the Warp v4.0 CD-ROM
    - change directory to the place on your drive where you want the utility unzipped and executed the following command (assumes you are using InfoZip's UNZIP.EXE):
    - run the command just like ping, except with the NetBIOS name that you are trying to query:
    - successful output:
    - unsuccessful output:
    - if you can see the other machine, then there is something wrong with your Peer setup or configuration (see the sections on installing and configuring above, also use the online documentation)
    - if you can't see the other machine, then either NetBIOS is inoperable on one or both machines OR the NetBIOS names are not unique
notes on using the network

on both the Ethernet and the parallel port networks, if properly configured, the machines are ready for physical network connections as soon as they are booted
if you are trying to share the parallel port between a printer and the network (possible via an A-B switch), you will need to use the X:\IBMCOM\MACS\PMAC.EXE program to disconnect and reconnect to the parallel port
- use "PMAC /R" to release the port for use by the printer
- use "PMAC /C" to reconnect the network to the parallel port
- note: you DO NOT need to issue a "PMAC /C" when you first boot, because the PMAC.OS2 driver automatically connects to the port when the machine is booted
it is important to start "Peer" on both machines before trying to access resources over the network
the "NET USE" command
- this is a command line version of the "Shared Resources and Network Connections" GUI
- Universal Naming Convention (UNC) names are network names (for shared resources) that follow this convention:
  - \\PARTNER\SHARE
  - where \\PARTNER is the name of the machine on which the resource resides and is ALWAYS preceeded by the double-backslash "\\"
  - where \SHARE is the name of the SHARE as created on that machine and is ALWAYS preceeded by a single backslash "\"
  - many NET.EXE commands require the use of UNC names to specify a resource
- connect to a directory or drive with:
  - "NET USE X: \\PEER1\DDRIVE"
  - where X: is the local drive letter of the remote directory
- connect to a printer with:
  - "NET USE LPTx \\PEER1\PRINTER"
  - where LPTx is the parallel port which the remote printer should appear as on your local machine: e.g. LPT2 if you wish all applications printing to LPT2 to actually print on the remote printer
- a list of current resources being accessed can be displayed by using (with no additional parameters):
  - "NET USE"


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