NWLink is an implementation of the IPX/SPX protocols popular in NetWare networks. In addition, the module NWNBLink provides support for the Novell implementation of the NetBIOS protocol.
The NWLink keys do not appear in the Registry unless this service is installed using the Network icon in Control Panel. After the service is installed, not all entries appear by default in the Registry. If the entry is not there, the default value for that entry is used.
The Microsoft Extensions to Novell NetBIOS are included to enhance the performance of the traditional Novell NetBIOS protocol. NWNBLink can detect automatically whether it is talking to a Novell NetBIOS implementation that does not understand these extensions; in such a case, NWNBLink will fall back to the standard Novell NetBIOS protocol currently used in NetWare networks. However, significant performance gains can be realized if the extensions are used (for example, if the NetBIOS conversation occurs between two Windows NT computers).
The Registry path for these value entries is the following:
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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet
\Services\NWNBLink\ParametersAckDelayTime REG_DWORD 50 to 65535 milliseconds
Determines the value of the delayed acknowledgment timer.
Default: 250 (no entry = default)
AckWindow REG_DWORD 0 to 65535 frames
Specifies the number of frames to receive before sending an acknowledgment. The AckWindow entry is used as a clocking mechanism on networks in which the sender is networked on a fast LAN, but the receiver is networked on the other side utilizing a slower link. By automatically forcing acknowledgments, the sender can keep sending frames continually. If both the sender and receiver are located on a fast link, you can set AckWindow to 0 to turn off sending an acknowledgment to the sender. Alternatively, NWNBLink can be set to dynamically determine whether to use the AckWindow parameter based on the setting of AckWindowThreshold. Related parameter: AckWindowThreshold.
Default: 2 (no entry = default)
AckWindowThreshold REG_DWORD 0 to 65535 milliseconds
Specifies the threshold value for the round-trip time that defines when AckWindow will be ignored. The round trip time is an estimate of how long it takes for a frame to be sent and received from a workstation. NWNBLink determines this estimate and uses it as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to send automatic acknowledgments. If AckWindowThreshold is set to 0, NWNBLink relies on the AckWindow entry. Related parameters: AckWindow.
Default: 500
EnablePiggyBackAck REG_DWORD 0 or 1
Allows the receiver to piggyback acknowledgments. Piggybacking acknowledgments can occur when the receiver has detected the end of a NetBIOS message. When the sender and receiver are not participating in two-way NetBIOS traffic, you should set EnablePiggyBackAck to 0. An example of one-way traffic is a stock update application, where a server constantly sends NetBIOS messages to clients but the client does not need to respond.
If EnablePiggyBackAck is set to 1 but there is no back traffic, NWNBLink waits the number of milliseconds determined by AckDelayTime before sending the acknowledgment, and then it turns off support for piggybacking acknowledgments. If the workstation at some point starts sending as well as receiving data, NWNBLink turns support back on for piggybacking acknowledgments. Related parameter: AckDelayTime.
Default: 1 (true—enable piggybacking acknowledgments; no entry = default)
Extensions REG_DWORD 0 or 1
Specifies whether to use NWNBLink extensions discussed in this section.
Default: 1 (true; no entry = default)
RcvWindowMax REG_DWORD 1 to 49152 frames
Specifies the maximum number of frames the receiver can receive at one time. The value specified by RcvWindowMax is sent to the sender during session initialization to give the sender an upper bound on the number of frames that can be sent at one time. Related parameters: AckDelayTime, AckWindow, AckWindowThreshold, EnablePiggyBackAck, and RcvWindowMax.
Default: 4 (no entry = default)
The Registry path for these value entries is the following:
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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet
\Services\NWNBLink\ParametersBroadcastCount REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
Specifies the number of times to send a broadcast. If Internet is set to 1, the BroadcastCount is doubled. Related parameter: BroadcastTimeout.
Default: 3 (no entry = default)
BroadcastTimeout REG_DWORD 1 to 65535 half-seconds
Specifies the time between sending find-name requests. This value is not affected if Internet is set to 1. Related parameter: BroadcastCount.
Default: 1 (no entry = default)
ConnectionCount REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
Specifies the number of times to send a connection probe. A connection probe is sent by the initiator of a session if a connection could not be made to the remote computer. If Internet is set to 1, the ConnectionCount is doubled. Related parameter: ConnectionTimeout.
Default: 5 (no entry = default)
ConnectionTimeout REG_DWORD 1 to 65535 half-seconds
Specifies the time between sending connection probes when initiating a session.
Default: 2 (no entry = default)
InitialRetransmissionTime REG_DWORD 1 to 65535 milliseconds
Specifies the initial value for the retransmission time. Related parameter: RetransmitMax.
Default: 500 (no entry = default)
Internet REG_DWORD 0 or 1
Specifies whether to change the packet type from 0x04 to 0x14 (Novell WAN broadcast).
Default: 1 (true; no entry = default)
KeepAliveCount REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
Specifies the number of times to send a session-alive frame before timing out if there is no response. Related parameter: KeepAliveTimeout.
Default: 8 (no entry = default)
KeepAliveTimeout REG_DWORD 1 to 65535 half-seconds
Specifies the time between sending session-alive frames. Related parameter: KeepAliveCount.
Default: 60 (no entry = default)
RetransmitMax REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
Specifies the maximum number of times the sender should retransmit before assuming that something is wrong with the link. Related parameter: InitialRetransmissionTime.
Default: 8 (no entry = default)
This parameter is specific for each binding of NWLink to a network adapter card. The Registry path for these value entries is the following:
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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
\NWLinkIPX\NetConfig\Driver01BindSap REG_DWORD Type field
Specifies the Ethertype if the frame format is Ethernet II. The Ethertype field is only relevant if Ethernet II frames are to be sent or received. You can choose the frame type using the Network icon in Control Panel. For more information, see the explanation for the PktType entry. Related parameter: PktType.
Default: 8137 (in hex)
EnableFuncaddr REG_DWORD Boolean
When set to 1, this parameter specifies that the IPX functional address will be enabled if this card is a Token Ring card. If this value is 0, the IPX functional address will not be added. The IPX functional address is C00000800000 (hex). Novell has been phasing out use of this, but it is still in use in some places. It is up to the application to take advantage of the IPX functional address. In most instances, the broadcast address (ffffffffffff hex) is used instead.
Default: 1 (true)
EnableWanRouter REG_DWORD Boolean
When set to 1 (true), the RIP router should be enabled for this adapter.
Default: 1 (true)
MaxPktSize REG_DWORD 0 to 65535
Specifies the maximum frame size the network adapter card should be allowed to transmit. If this number is 0, NWLink will get this information from the card driver. This parameter allows the administrator to make the maximum transmit size for a card smaller than the card driver allows. A scenario in which you might want to change this entry is in an environment in which the network adapter card on one side of a conversation is on a link that has a larger frame size than the link on the other side of a conversation—for example, if the sending station is linked to a 16 Mbps Token Ring and the receiving station is linked to an Ethernet network.
Default: 0
NetworkNumber REG_DWORD Number
Specifies the network number (in hex) to be used for this adapter. If this number is 0, the NWLink will get the network number from the network as it is running. This parameter is set using the Network icon in Control Panel. IPX network numbers are 4 bytes (8 hex characters) long. An example of an IPX network number is AABBDDFF. You should not have to enter a specific value because NWLink will determine it for you. Make sure to get the network number for your IPX subnet from the network administrator if you want to enter a specific number.
Default: 0
PktType REG_DWORD 0, 1, 2, 3,4, or 0xFF
NWLink supports Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, and ARCnet topologies. The PktType parameter specifies the packet form to use. The valid values are the following:
Value | Packet form |
0 | Ethernet_II |
1 | Ethernet_802.3 |
2 | 802.2 |
3 | SNAP |
4 | ARCnet |
0xFF | Auto-detect |
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If multiple packet types are used for an adapter, the network number for each can be specified by adding corresponding entries in the NetworkNumber multistring.
If the adapter is an Ethernet adapter, choose between values 0 through 3. If the adapter is either a Token Ring or FDDI adapter, choose between s 2 and 3. If you are using an ARCnet adapter, choose value 4. If the adapter is a Token Ring or FDDI adapter, values 0 and 1 will work the same as value 2. Related parameter: BindSap.
Default: 1 (802.3)
SourceRouteBcast REG_DWORD 0 or 1
Specifies the source route to be used when transmitting a packet to the broadcast MAC (Media Access Control) address (ffffffffFFF hex). If this value is 0, the packet will be transmitted to the single-route broadcast (0xC2, 0x70). If the value is 1, the packet will be transmitted to the all-routes broadcast (0x82, 0x70). Related parameters: SourceRouteDef, SourceRouting, and SourceRouteMCast.
Default: 0
SourceRouteDef REG_DWORD 0 or 1
Specifies the source route to be used when transmitting a package to a unique MAC address that is not in the source routing table. If the MAC address is in the source routing table, the route in the table will be used. If this value is 0, the packet will be transmitted to the single-route broadcast (0xC2, 0x70). If the value is not 0, the packet will be transmitted to the all-routes broadcast (0x82, 0x70). Related parameters: SourceRouteBcast, SourceRouting, and SourceRouteMCast.
Default: 0
SourceRouteMcast REG_DWORD Boolean
Specifies the source route to be used when transmitting a packet to a multicast MAC address (C000xxxxxxxx). If this value is 0, the packet will be transmitted to the single-route broadcast (0xC2, 0x70). If the value is not 0, the packet will be transmitted to the all-routes broadcast (0x82, 0x70). Related parameters: SourceRouteBcast, SourceRouteDef, and SourceRouting.
Default: 0
SourceRouting REG_DWORD Boolean
Specifies whether to use source routing. This parameter is only used if the adapter is a Token Ring adapter. If there are no source routing bridges on the Token Ring, disable this entry to disable all of the source routing logic. Related parameters: SourceRouteBcast, SourceRouteDef, and SourceRouteMCast.
Default: 0 (false—do not use source routing)
The following parameters are global for the entire transport. The Registry path for these value entries is the following:
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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet
\Services\NWLinkIPX\ParametersConnectionCount REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
Specifies the number of times the probe will be sent when SPX is trying to connect to a remote node. If no response is received after the probes are sent, an error will occur. Related parameter: ConnectionTimeout.
Default: 10
ConnectionTimeout REG_DWORD 1 to 65535 half-seconds
Specifies the time between connection probes when SPX is trying to connect to a remote node. Related parameter: ConnectionCount.
Default: 2 (1 second)
InitDatagrams REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
Specifies the number of datagrams initially allocated by IPX. Related parameter: MaxDatagrams.
Default: 10
DedicatedRouter REG_DWORD Boolean
When set to 1 (true), this computer is a dedicated router and will not have services running on it.
Default: 0 (false)
DisableDialinNetbios REG_DWORD Boolean
When set to 1 (true), IPX should prevent NetBIOS type 20 packets from going out over dial-in WAN lines. This setting prevents unneeded traffic on the WAN. The only case where DisableDialinNetbios should be false is when a NetBIOS application on the local computer needs to connect to a remote computer over a dial-in WAN line.
Default: 1 (true)
DisableDialoutSap REG_DWORD Boolean
When set to 1 (true), IPX should disable SAP announcements and responses on dial-out WAN lines. This prevents the WAN line from being tied up with router to router SAP traffic and allows the Gateway Service for NetWare or the Client Service for NetWare on the machine to correctly discover servers on the WAN.
Default: 0 (false)
EthernetPadToEven REG_DWORD Boolean
When set to 1 (true), Ethernet sends should be padded to an even length to accommodate ODI card drivers that can receive only even-length frames.
Default: 1 (true)
KeepAliveCount REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
Specifies how many times to send a keep-alive probe before timing out if there is no response. Related parameter: KeepAliveTimeout.
Default: 8
KeepAliveTimeout REG_DWORD 1 to 65535 half-seconds
Specifies the time that the local side should wait before sending a probe to the remote to verify that the SPX connection is still alive. Related parameter: KeepAliveCount.
Default: 12 (6 seconds)
MaxDatagrams REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
Specifies the maximum number of datagrams that IPX will allocate. Related parameter: InitDatagrams.
Default: 50
RipAgeTime REG_DWORD 1 to 65535 minutes
IPX maintains an RIP cache in order to locate computers on a remote network. The RipAgeTime entry informs IPX how long to wait before requesting an RIP update for an entry. This timer is reset when an RIP announcement is received for an entry in the RIP cache.
Default: 5 minutes
RipCount REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
When the RIP protocol layer is trying to find a route on the network, this parameter specifies how many times to send a request before giving up. Related parameter: RipTimeout
Default: 5
RipTableSize REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
Specifies the number of buckets in the RIP hash table.
Default: 7
RipTimeout REG_DWORD 1 to 65535 half-seconds
Specifies the timeout between RIP request packets being sent out when the RIP protocol layer is trying to find a route on the network. Related parameter: RipCount.
Default: 1 (1 half-second)
RipUsageTime REG_DWORD 1 to 65535 minutes
IPX maintains a RIP cache in order to locate computers on a remote network. The RipUsageTime entry informs IPX how many minutes to wait before an entry in the RIP cache will be deleted from the cache. This timer is reset when a packet is sent to the remote computer.
Default: 15 minutes
SingleNetworkActive REG_DWORD Boolean
When set to 1 (true), either the LAN or the WAN line can be active on the computer, but not both at once. This setting allows the Gateway Service for NetWare or the Client Service for NetWare to correctly locate NetWare servers on the WAN when dialed in.
Default: 0 (false)
SourceRouteUsageTime REG_DWORD 1 to 65535 minutes
Range: Specifies the number of minutes an unused entry can remain in the Token Ring source routing cache before it is flushed.
Default: 10
VirtualNetworkNumber REG_DWORD 0 to 4294967295
Specifies the virtual network number of this computer.
Default: 0
WindowSize REG_DWORD 1 to 10 SPX packets
Specifies the window to use in the SPX packets. SPX uses the Allocation field of the SPX packet to tell the remote how many receives are available for receiving data. The WindowSize entry specifies what value to put in the SPX Allocation field.
Default: 4
The following parameters are global for the entire transport. The Registry path for these value entries is the following:
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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet
\Services\NWLnkSPX\ParametersConnectionCount REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
Specifies the number of times the probe will be sent when SPX is trying to connect to a remote node. If no response is received after the probes are sent, an error will occur. Related parameter: ConnectionTimeout.
Default: 10
ConnectionTimeout REG_DWORD 1 to 65535 half-seconds
Specifies the time between connection probes when SPX is trying to connect to a remote node. Related parameter: ConnectionCount.
Default: 2 (1 second)
InitPackets REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
Specifies the initial number of packets that SPX allocates.
Default: 5
InitialRetransmissionTime REG_DWORD 1 to 65535 milliseconds
Specifies the amount of time that SPX will wait for an acknowledgement before sending a probe.
Default: 500 milliseconds
KeepAliveCount REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
Specifies how many times to send a keep-alive probe before timing out if there is no response. Related parameter: KeepAliveTimeout.
Default: 8
KeepAliveTimeout REG_DWORD 1 to 65535 half-seconds
Specifies the time that the local side should wait before sending a probe to the remote to verify that the SPX connection is still alive. Related parameter: KeepAliveCount.
Default: 12 (6 seconds)
MaxPackets REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
Specifies the maximum number of packets that SPX will allocate.
Default: 30
MaxPacketSize REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
Specifies the maximum packet size that SPX-2 will use when negotiating packet size with the remote network node. SPX-2 will use the correct size for the network if it is smaller than MaxPacketSize.
Default: 4096
RetransmissionCount REG_DWORD 1 to 65535
Specifies the number of probes that SPX sends while awaiting an acknowledgement for data.
Default: 8
WindowSize REG_DWORD 1 to 10 SPX packets
Specifies the window to use in the SPX packets. SPX uses the Allocation field of the SPX packet to tell the remote how many receives are available for receiving data. The WindowSize entry specifies what value to put in the SPX Allocation field.
Default: 4