X-Authentication-Warning: delorie.com: mail set sender to opendos-bounces using -f Message-ID: From: "da Silva, Joe" To: "'opendos AT delorie DOT com'" Subject: RE: PNW vs NetWare (and NE2000 drivers, Client32) Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 10:31:54 +1100 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from base64 to 8bit by delorie.com id j0CNRh5U030870 Reply-To: opendos AT delorie DOT com Well, the FRAME-type stuff is still a bit of a mystery to me, however, this isn't the problem, as you will see below. As for Client32, this is the 32-bit DOS (and MSW, I think) client we used with our former Novell 4 network. It ran on top of 16-bit DOS, in extended memory, allowing plenty of conventional and UMB memory available for other DOS requirements. An excellent client, by stark contrast to the flaky, bloated MonoSoft client we now have to use with our flaky MonoSoft SMB network. If this client were compatible with PNW (my interpretation of Ben's posting is that it isn't, only the 16 bit VLM client is), then I would definitely use this, because it of the major benefits it gives for DOS memory availability. Anyway, last night, as a hunch, I attached a 27 ohm resistor to the BNC connector of the network card, on the PC I am experimenting with. I figure this would approximate the two terminators that would normally be fitted if the network were completed. Viola! The VLM ODI NE2000 driver loaded! So, it seems there is a bug (actually, two bugs, as you will see) with the VLM ODI NE2000 driver. It performs some sort of test to check if the network is correctly terminated, but then misinterprets this as a hardware configuration conflict. Furthermore (and this is the second bug I alluded to), it then neglects to restore the interrupt vector for the card's IRQ, even though it isn't loading. As a result, attaching a cable or terminating resistor to the card's BNC connector will subsequently invoke a call to this interrupt vector, resulting in a hung PC - nasty! Note that the NE2000 packet driver does not exhibit this behaviour, nor the Client32 driver, just the VLM NE2000 driver does. Additionally, the VLM NE1000 driver (with the 8-bit card, of course) does not exhibit this behaviour in the same situation. So, now that I know the nature of the VLM ODI NE2000 driver's problem, I can "work around" it (ie. if I boot without a proper network connection, I must switch off the PC before making this connection, else the PC will hang). However, if it were possible to use the Client32 drivers instead with PNW, that would not only avoid these bugs, it would give me more free memory for DOS stuff. Unless someone says otherwise, I'll work on the basis that the Client32 drivers won't work with PNW. Joe. > -----Original Message----- > From: Gary Welles [SMTP:gary AT wellesway DOT com] > Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2005 11:56 PM > To: OpenDos > Subject: Re: PNW vs Netware (and NE2000 drivers) > > > 1) Can anyone confirm (or otherwise) that Novell's VLM ODI NE2000 > > driver is broken, when using an original (early 90's) Novell card? > > I'm under the illusion that only the ODI driver sees the > hardware and that the VLM may be asking something of it that > it's not configured for. You mentioned INT 5 and PORT 300, > but not FRAME type. Perhaps the VLM's default differs from > that of the ODI driver. > > > 2) Have I correctly interpreted Ben's posting, which to me says that > > the Client32 drivers are incompatible with PNW? > > He appears to have referred to incompatiblity between > machines one running PNW, the other Netware. I also expect > the "32" in Client32 refers to Win32 and not the underlying > 16-bit DOS. > > My experience has been to get something to work and then > experiment. I use only the IPX transport with DESQview/X's > X-server providing TCP/IP network services: > > E32C - E464 4.8K Used (LSL) > E465 - E581 4.4K Used (E200P) > E582 - E75F 7.4K Used (IPXODI) > > It's another set of configuration issues, but DV/X is both > client and server. At a minimum it could be an FTP server to > other machines on your network. > > NAME=DESQview > URL=http://www.chsoft.com/dv.html > > -- Gary Welles ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This email (including any attachment) is confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not disclose or use this email or the information contained herein for any purpose. If you have received this email in error, please immediately advise us by reply and delete this email. 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