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Connecting Windows NT to SUNet Using Ethernet

A.   Installing the Network Adapter Driver and Protocols

ITSS recommends the 3Com Fast Etherlink 10/100 Network Interface Cards. These cards will support both 10BaseT and 100BaseT connections.

Windows NT 4.0 does not support Plug-and-Play. To install and configure your network card, first run the utility provided by the network card manufacturer and disable Plug-and-Play.

  1. Open the Control Panel (Start -> Settings) and double-click on the Network icon.

    The name in "Computer Name" should be the same as your IP host name if you want others to be able to reach your machine.

    Microsoft "domains" are for grouping NT servers together — kind of like workgroups in Windows 95 or NT Workstation. NT Workstations can be part of a Microsoft "domain" or workgroups, but not both.

    If you plan to share files among a group of local PCs, it’s a little easier if you use the same Microsoft domain or workgroup. If your PC is not part of a workgroup, use a unique, descriptive name for a domain or workgroup.

    Check the list of registered Stanford Windows NT domains

    to see whether your Microsoft domain name is available. Please do not use a domain name such as "Stanford" or "NTStanford" (or other combinations of "NT" and Stanford") since those will be used for campus wide services.

  2. Select the Adapter tab. Click the Add button from the Network Control Panel.

  3. Select your Ethernet adapter manufacturer and type from the list.

    For example, the PC below has a 3Com Fast Etherlink card. If you wish to use an unlisted network adapter, use the disk that came with your network adapter or a downloaded driver and select Have Disk.

  4. Click on the Protocols tab. To add protocols, click the Add button.

    CAUTION: It is usually advisable to load the fewest protocols possible. ITSS strongly recommends AGAINST using the NetBEUI protocol.

    To connect to NetWare servers, you will need Microsoft’s NWLink IPX/SPX Compatible Transport. Under NWLink IPX/SPX Compatible Transport properties, select the appropriate adapter and frame type. Choose the frame type that is being used by your NetWare server.

    To use Essential Stanford Software applications, you will need to add the TCP/IP protocol. See the section, "Installing and Configuring the TCP/IP Protocol" for details.

B.   Determining Your Ethernet Address

You must register your hardware Ethernet address before your computer can communicate over SUNet via the Internet Protocols using DHCP. If you already know your hardware Ethernet (MAC) address, you can skip this step. There are two supported ways to determine your hardware address:

  1. Click Start -> Programs-> Command Prompt.
    Type
    "ipconfig /all" <no quotes>.

    Your twelve-digit hardware Ethernet address is in the Physical Address field.

    IP-Configuration Window

  2. Use the DOS-based diagnostic utility that came with your card.

  3. Write the hardware Ethernet address down and provide it to your Local Network Administrator or Resident Computer Coordinator. Students need to register their connections online at:   http://rescomp.stanford.edu/

C.   Installing and Configuring the TCP/IP Protocol

    1. Under the Protocols tab, click the Add button again to add a new Protocol.

    2. Select TCP/IP Protocol. Click OK.

    3. Select the correct adapter (if you have more than one network adapter) and the method for obtaining an IP address.

      • If you select Obtain an IP address from a DHCP Server, you must ask your LNA or RCC to activate "BootP" for your IP address in NetDB.

      • If you select Specify an IP address, fill in the 3 fields with the IP Address, Subnet Mask and Default Gateway given to you by your LNA or RCC.

    4. Click on the DNS tab. In the Host Name: field, enter the host name for your PC and fill in the rest of the fields as shown below.

      Contact your LNA for your PC’s host name. If you cannot reach your LNA, then enter a period in the Host Name: field.

    5. Click the WINS Address tab, but do not enter anything in the Primary or Secondary WINS Server fields unless you know of a WINS server that you need to access. Check the Enable DNS for Windows Resolution box.

    6. Under the Routing tab, make sure that Enable IP Forwarding is NOT checked.


D.   Configuring Services and Bindings

The Server service allows file and print sharing. The Workstation service provides networking capabilities. Under Windows NT, Services also include NetWare clients.

  1. Select the Services tab in the Network Control Panel.

    The NT Workstation installation installs several services by default, such as NetBIOS Interface, Server, Workstation and Computer Browser. You can add other services like Microsoft TCP/IP Printing or Peer Web Services by clicking the Add button.

  2. Now select the Bindings tab.

    You can look at the bindings by service, protocol or adapter. By clicking on the "+" buttons, you can see which adapters are running which protocol and which protocols are supporting which services.

    CAUTION: ITSS strongly recommends that you disable NWLink NetBIOS by selecting it and clicking on the "Disable" button. (NWLink NetBIOS enables Windows NT to use a kind of network broadcasting that can confuse NetWare servers and adds to network traffic.)

E.   Installing Updated Windows NT Components

Microsoft has placed most publicly-available bug fixes for Windows NT at their Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/default.asp

Microsoft does not ship a fully functional telnet client with Windows NT. Use Samson for Windows instead of Microsoft’s telnet.exe.

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Last Updated: 12/1/05 10:03 AM

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