Client32 for DOS frequently asked questions
===========================================

V 2.5, 14 june 1997

Table of contents
-----------------
1.  Introduction
2.  General
3.  Installation
4.  Coexistence with other networking software
5.  LAN driver issues
6.  Windows / GUI login issues
7.  ACU issues
8.  TCPIP issues
9.  Tuning client32
10.  Client32 support


1. Introduction
---------------

This document has been written to deal with some of the most common problems encountered with client32 for DOS/Windows 3.x. It mainly applies to version 2.5 client32. For later versions of client32, some considerations might not apply anymore, especially installation specific issues. Do always check for the latest version of this document which can always be found on the Internet at http://support.novell.com/pforum in the user files area.


2. General
----------

Q: What is client32 for DOS ?
A: Client32 is a new client software for use with DOS and Windows 3.1x. It is a replacement to the VLM client which is not developed any further and which will soon be dropped by Novell.


Q: What are the advantages of Client32 vs VLM ?
A: 
* client32 uses far less DOS memory (only 4kb with 32 bit ODI drivers)
* client32 is faster than the VLM client in most cases, especially for Windows programs and when using 32 bit ODI drivers
* client32 has a robust auto reconnect feature which causes the workstation to automatically reconnect to a server after the server was down or unreachable
* client32 allows you to login to several NDS trees at the same time
* client32 allows you login from within Windows (this is also possible with VLM 1.21)
* client32 supports multiple concurrent frame types for IPX
* client32 included a 32 bit TCPIP protocol stack with DHCP and BOOTP support
* client32 supports ACU (automatic client update)
* Client32 is required for Novell's IPX/IP gateway.
* all future development will probably concentrate of client32, VLM is an end of life product.


Q: What are the disadvantages of client32 vs VLM ?
A:
* client32 uses a lot of extended memory (at least 2MB, but up to half of your memory on machines with more than 24MB of memory)
* some 32 bit ODI drivers for client32 may still be unstable
* some DOS applications may not run very well with client32


Q: What is the current version of client32 and where to I get it ?
A: At the moment of writing this text, the current english version is v2.5. Other language versions are still v2.2. You will find the latest version of client32 at the following location :
http://www.novell.com/download


Q: How do I know which version of client32 I have ?
A: Check the following TID:
http://support.novell.com/cgi-bin/search/tidfinder.cgi?


3. Installation
---------------

Q: What are the requirements for installing client32 ?
A: I would recommend, only using client32 on 486 or above computers with at least 12MB of memory (16MB is better). You should have a NIC for which there are client32 compatible 16 or 32 bit ODI drivers. 32 bit drivers should be used whenever possible.


Q: How do I install client32 ?
A: Unpack the client32 archive file and run the installation program. Client32 contains 2 installation programs :
* INSTALL is used when installing from DOS
* SETUP is used when installing from within Windows
Remote dialer and IP gateway support are only available from the Windows setup. If you don't need them however I would recommend you to do a DOS installation.


Q: Client32 contains a number of files with the extension NLM. Should I load these files on my server ?
A: No! The NLM files included with client32 are loaded on the workstation.


Q: Is there anything I should load on my server to use client32 ?
A: It is highly recommended to load the latest patches and the latest LAN drivers on your server when using client32. An unpatched NW 3.11 will not work with client32. Other Netware versions may not work at their full potential of not patched. You will find a list of the latest patches at http://support.novell.com/ by following the "minimum patch list" link.


4. Coexistence with other networking software
---------------------------------------------

Q: Can I use client32 with winsock compliant TCPIP applications ?
A: Yes. It is best to use the TCPIP protocol stack included with client32. See the TCPIP section of this documents for more details.


Q: Can I use client32 with the Windows for workgroups network ?
A: Yes. Starting with v2.5 of client32, a new driver ODINSUP.386 is included which allows you to use Windows protocols in combination with 32 bit LAN drivers.


Q: Can I use client32 with IBM's lan support software ?
A: Yes, but you will have to get IBM's special version of client32 called "IBM LAN client". You will find it on the Internet at http://www.networking.ibm.com/nes/neslant.htm


Q: Can I use client32 with 16 bit ODI protocol stacks ?
A: Yes. You will either have to use 16 bit ODI drivers, or the PDOSxxx.COM 16 bit shim.


Q: Can I use client32 with software written for packet drivers ?
A: Yes. Use the public domain utility ODIPKT with 16 bit ODI drivers or with the PDOSxxx.COM shim.


Q: Can I use client32 with 16 bit NDIS protocols ?
A: Yes. Use ODINSUP.COM with 16 bit ODI drivers or with the PDOSxxx.COM shim.


5. LAN driver issues
--------------------

General considerations:
Do only use drivers which are written for client32 (see below).
Make sure you are using the latest driver versions. Some drivers included with client32 v2.11 or earlier were broken. Check the file LANDRV.EXE available at http://support.novell.com or the card manufacturer's support site for updates.


Q: Are the 32 bit ODI drivers used for client32 the same as those used for Netware servers ?
A: Yes and No. For proper operation, client32 requires drivers written to HSM v3.3x assembly specifications or to HSM v1.1x C specifications. Most drivers written for Netware up to v4.10 are still written to HSM 3.2 assembly specifications and will not be guaranteed to work with client32. On the other hand, 32 bit ODI driver for client32 will only work on Netware servers (up to NW 4.10) provided the latest LAN driver support files are installed (LANDR9.EXE or ODI33F.EXE).
NW 4.11 / IntraNetware uses the same drivers as client32.


Q: How do I know if a driver is written to the correct specifications ?
A: Use the utility ODISCAN.EXE to examine the driver. If the utility returns "HSM_SPEC_VERSION: 3.30" or later, or "HSM_CSPEC_VERSION: 1.10" or later, your driver should be OK. Otherwise, the driver is probably not client32 compliant.


Q: When starting the computer, I get a red popup window asking "Do you want to load another frame type for previously loaded board?". How do I get rid of this message ?
A: To get rid of this message, you must edit your STARTNET.BAT file and add a parameter "port=..." or "slot=..." (whichever is appropriate) to the lines loading the LAN driver.
Generally, the parameter port= is used for plain ISA cards, while the parameter slot= is used for all other types of cards (PnP, EISA, PCI, MCA, PCMCIA). If you don't know which slot value to add, use any value and upon the first load, the driver will tell you the correct value.


6. Windows / GUI login issues
-----------------------------

Q: Upon starting Windows, I get a message telling me that there is not enough environment space to support search mappings. What can I do ?
A: Increase your environment size by editing or adding the following line to your CONFIG.SYS file :
	SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS /E:1024 /P
Adjust the parameter /E:1024 to your actual environment needs.


7. ACU issues
-------------

Some sample ACU files are included with this document:
- SAMPLE.LOG : lines to put into your login script
- UPDATE3X.SCR : ACU script called from the login script
- UPDATE3X.CFG : sample ACU configuration file

Q: The ACU installation program aborts because it does not recognise the current loaded driver. What can I do ?
A: The driver translation table included with the sample INSTALL.CFG file is erroneous and incomplete. Use the ODINAMES utility to generate a new driver translation table. (See the ODINAMES.TXT for more information)


Q: Each time an ACU update is done to the workstation, I get the "Do you want to load another frame type for previously loaded board?" issue again. What can I do ?
A: Unfortunately, the INSTALL program included with client32 does not always supply the correct parameters for loading the LAN drivers. To fix this situation, I have included a utility called C32UPD.EXE which gets the missing parameters from the old STARTNET.BAT and includes them into the new one. In order for this to work,you must configure the INSTALL program to not update the STARTNET.BAT file by including the line "OverwriteStartnetBat = FALSE" in the section [setup] of your ACU CFG file and run the C32UPD.EXE utility after INSTALL.EXE.


Q: Each time an ACU update is done to the workstation, the "HOSTNAME" setting from the "Protocol TCPIP" section of NET.CFG is lost.
A: Run C32UPD.EXE after the ACU install. This will extract the HOSTNAME setting from your old NET.CFG file and include it in the new one.


8. TCPIP issues
---------------

Q: How can I use DHCP ?
A: Enable DHCP in the installation program, or edit your "Protocol TCPIP" section of your NET.CFG file and make sure it contains the line "IF_CONFIGURATION DHCP"


Q: How do I use BOOTP ?
A: Enable BOOTPD in the installation program, or edit your "Protocol TCPIP" section of your NET.CFG file and make sure it contains the line "IF_CONFIGURATION BOOTP"


Q: When using DHCP or BOOTP, my DHCP server will display UNKNOWN x entries for all workstation using client32. How can I use an individual name for each workstation ?
A: Make sure you have installed the TCPIP update to client32 (see General :). Than edit your NET.CFG file add make sure your TCPIP section looks like this :

Protocol TCPIP
	IF_CONFIGURATION DHCP		; or BOOTP
	HOSTNAME your_computer_name	; supply the correct value


Q: The PING utility included with client32 works, but winsock application don't work. What is wrong ?
A: Make sure that :
* the directory novell\client32 is in the path
* except the winsock.dll and wlibsock.dll files in the novell\client32 directory, there are other files with the same name on your workstation
* there is no entry "device=vtcpip.386" in your SYSTEM.INI file. This could be a remainder from a former Lanworkplace installation.


Q: When using DHCP or BOOTP, how do I know which IP address I currently have ?
A: Make sure you have the TCPIP update installed (see General:). Use the TCPMON from within Windows to see your current IP address and other TCPIP settings.


Q: Client32 remembers the IP address it got from earlier DHCP requests. What can I do to disable this ?
A: In the "Protocol TCPIP" section of your NET.CFG file, add the line "DHCPCACHEIP=NO".


9. Tuning client32
------------------

Q: Where do I find a documentation about the NET.CFG parameters I can use with client32 ?
A: There is a Windows help file named NWCFGDW.HLP included with client32. It explains the available NET.CFG parameters.


Q: How can I make client32 use less memory ?
A: There are 2 parameters which can be used to reduce client32 memory usage. Both are used in the "Netware DOS Requester" section of NET.CFG.
* max cache size = <memory in kb>
* cache level = 0
The first parameter can be used to limit the maximum amount of cache memory used by client32. With the default value 0, client32 will take 25% of available extended memory (or 50% for computers with more than 24 MB of memory).
The parameter "cache level = 0" will turn off caching altogether.


Q: Client32 is incredibly slow, what can I do ?
A: There are several things you can try to improve performance:
* Switch to 32 bit drivers in case you are using 16 bit drivers
* Try turning packet burst off by using the option "PB BUFFERS = 0" in the "Netware DOS Requester" section of your NET.CFG file.
* Try turning off LIP


10. Client32 support
-------------------

Q: Where do I get more information about client32 ?
A: On the Internet, at the following locations:
http://www.novell.com/intranetware/products/clients/clientdoswin/
http://support.novell.com/home/client/c32dw/
http://support.novell.com/cgi-bin/search/search.pl?database_name=tid&search_term=client32+dos&maxhit=25


Q: Where do I get client32 support ?
A: Support is provided in Novell's support forums at http://support.novell.com/pforum


About the author:
The author of this document is sysop in the Novell Support Forums and does voluntary user support for Novell. You can mail all suggestions for this document to one of the addresses below. 

PLEASE DO NOT USE THAT ADDRESS FOR SUPPORT QUESTIONS.

Marcel COX
email: marcel.cox@ibm.net
