Microsoft TCP/IP Protocol Comparison and FAQ

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1
• Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1
• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5 and 3.51
• Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5 and 3.51
• Microsoft Network Client for MS-DOS, version 3.0
• Microsoft LAN Manager for MS-DOS, version 2.2c
• Microsoft Windows for Workgroups version 3.11
• Microsoft TCP/IP-32 for Windows for Workgroups, version 3.11b

SUMMARY

This article describes the feature sets available in the following Microsoft TCP/IP protocols:

• MS-DOS TCP/IP for Microsoft Network Client and Microsoft LAN Manager for MS-DOS, version 2.2c (Basic and Enhanced Clients)
• Microsoft LAN Manager for MS OS/2 Client TCP/IP
• Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups
• Microsoft TCP/IP-32 for Windows for Workgroups, version 3.11b
• Microsoft TCP/IP for Microsoft Windows NT (included with Windows NT versions 3.1, 3.5, and 3.51)

MS-DOS TCP/IP FOR MICROSOFT NETWORK CLIENT AND MICROSOFT LAN MANAGER FOR MS-DOS, VERSION 2.2C (BASIC AND ENHANCED CLIENTS)

Identical TCP/IP on Both Clients

Identical TCP/IP protocols ship with both MS-DOS-based clients. These MS-DOS-based clients support:

• An MS-DOS-based interface.
• Domain Name Resolver (DNR) (to resolve hostname-to-IP address mappings) if your network has a domain name server (DNS).
• For Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) clients.
• WINS resolution.
• Windows Sockets.

• Support for DNS resolution using WINS.
• Support for WINS resolution using DNS.
• Name registration with the WINS database. (MS-DOS-based computers are clients, not servers, and do not generally need registration.)
• Ability to act as a WINS proxy node.
• Multihomed support.
• Support for Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP).
• DHCP command-line switches for IPCONFIG.EXE (use the DHCP Administration utility instead). Specifically, IPCONFIG.EXE does not support the following switches, which are available in the IPCONFIG.EXE utilities for Windows for Workgroups and for Windows NT:

        IPCONFIG /release
        IPCONFIG /renew
        IPCONFIG /?
        IPCONFIG /all
  

   ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/Clients/WFW

Microsoft LAN Manager for MS OS/2 Client TCP/IP:

• Does not ship with Network File System (NFS) support. Third party applications such as Chameleon NFS from Netmanage and NFS from FTP Software Incorporated provide this functionality.
• Does not ship with line printer daemon (LPD) support. Third-party vendors provide this support.
• Does not support DHCP or WINS.
• Can only be bound to one network card.
• Supports Token Ring source routing over TCP/IP.

Microsoft LAN Manager for MS OS/2 Client is available on the Windows NT Server CD.

MICROSOFT TCP/IP FOR WINDOWS FOR WORKGROUPS

Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups includes the NDIS 2 protocol to support connecting computers running Windows for Workgroups or computers running Windows for Workgroups to Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server.

Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups does not include any TCP/IP utilities; however, support for Windows Sockets is provided, which allows any Windows Sockets-compatible TCP/IP utilities (including terminal emulators and file transfer programs) to be used.

MICROSOFT TCP/IP-32 FOR WINDOWS FOR WORKGROUPS, VERSION 3.11B

Microsoft TCP/IP-32 for Windows for Workgroups is an NDIS 3 protocol that includes:

• Core TCP/IP protocols, including Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Internet Protocol (IP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). This suite of Internet protocols provides a set of standards for how computers communicate and how networks are interconnected.
• Support for application interfaces, including Windows Sockets for network programming and NetBIOS for establishing logical names and sessions on the network.
• Basic TCP/IP connectivity applications, including ftp and telnet. These utilities allow Windows for Workgroups users to interact with and use resources on non-Microsoft hosts, such as UNIX workstations.
• TCP/IP diagnostic tools, including arp, ipconfig, nbtstat, netstat, ping, route, and tracert. These utilities can be used to detect and resolve TCP/IP networking problems.
• Support for DHCP automatic configuration.
• Industry standard Windows Sockets 1.1 support for third-party and public domain TCP/IP applications such as NCSA Mosaic.

• Include server-side applications for telnet and ftp.
• Include LPR and Gopher.
• Support an MS-DOS-based interface (you an use Windows Sockets instead).
• Support SLIP and PPP to dial in to the Internet.
• Support NFS (although it will likely be provided by third-party vendors).

   ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/Clients/WFW

   TCP/IP-32 and 3.11b

MICROSOFT TCP/IP FOR MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT VERSION 3.1

Microsoft TCP/IP for Microsoft Windows NT version 3.1 features:

• Core TCP/IP protocols, including Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Internet Protocol (IP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP).
• Support for application interfaces, including Windows Sockets for network programming, remote procedure call (RPC) for communicating between systems, NetBIOS for establishing logical names and sessions on the network, and network dynamic data exchange (Network DDE) for sharing information embedded in documents across the network.
• Basic TCP/IP connectivity applications, including ftp, rcp, rsh, telnet, and tftp. These utilities allow Windows NT users to interact with and use resources on non-Microsoft hosts, such as UNIX workstations.
• TCP/IP diagnostic tools, including hostname, netstat, ping, and route. These utilities can be used to detect and resolve TCP/IP networking problems.
• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent. This component allows a Windows NT computer to be administered remotely using management tools such as Sun Net Manager or HP Open View.

MICROSOFT TCP/IP FOR MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT VERSIONS 3.5 AND 3.51

Microsoft TCP/IP for Microsoft Windows NT versions 3.5 and 3.51 features:

• New (completely rewritten) core TCP/IP protocols, including Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Internet Protocol (IP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). This suite of Internet protocols provides a set of standards for how computers communicate and how networks are interconnected. Support is also provided for Point-to- Point Protocol (PPP) and Serial-Line IP (SLIP), protocols used for dial-up access to TCP/IP networks, including the Internet.
• Support for application interfaces, including Windows Sockets for network programming, remote procedure call (RPC) for communicating between systems, NetBIOS for establishing logical names and sessions on the network, and network dynamic data exchange (Network DDE) for sharing information embedded in documents across the network.
• Basic TCP/IP connectivity applications, including finger, ftp, lpr, rcp, rexec, rsh, telnet, and tftp. These utilities allow Windows NT users to interact with and use resources on non-Microsoft hosts, such as UNIX workstations.
• TCP/IP diagnostic tools, including arp, hostname, ipconfig, lpq, nbtstat, netstat, ping, route, and tracert. These utilities can be used to detect and resolve TCP/IP networking problems.
• Services and related administrative tools, including the FTP Server service for transferring files between remote computers, Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) for dynamically registering and querying computer names on an internetwork, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service for automatically configuring TCP/IP on Windows NT computers, and TCP/IP printing for accessing printers connected to a UNIX workstation or connected directly to the network through TCP/IP.
• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent. This component allows a Windows NT computer to be administered remotely using management tools such as Sun Net Manager or HP Open View. SNMP can also be used to monitor and manage DHCP and WINS.
• The client software for simple network protocols, including Character Generator, Daytime, Discard, Echo, and Quote of the Day. These protocols allow a Windows NT computer to respond to requests from other systems that support these protocols.

GENERAL MICROSOFT TCP/IP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. Q. What is the Windows Sockets standard?

   A. The Windows Sockets standard is an open interface for network
      programming under Microsoft Windows. Some of the companies
      originally involved in writing the specification were JSB
      Corporation, FTP Software Inc., Sun Microsystems, and Microsoft
      Corp.

      On the Internet it can be found by using anonymous FTP to
      VAX.FTP.COM or FTP.UU.NET. You can also use the archie service on
      the Internet to find the one closest to you. You can request
      information by sending email to: winsock@ftp.com.

2. Q. What is the difference between a Windows NT domain and a Domain Name
      Server (DNS) domain?

   A. A Windows NT domain is a collection of computers that share a common
      user account database and security policy. A DNS domain is used by
      computers on the Internet. It is typically used for distributing a
      host file across a network. However, it can also be used to
      distribute any form of information.

3. Q. What is the differences between WINS and DNS?

   A. The Domain Name System (DNS) proxy agent in the Windows NT version
      3.5x Resource Kit improves the integration of Dynamic Host
      Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Windows Internet Name Service
      (WINS). DHCP is a protocol for automatic TCP/IP configuration that
      provides static and dynamic address allocation and management. WINS
      is a name resolution service that resolves Windows networking
      computer names to IP addresses in a routed environment. DNS requires
      static configuration for computer name-to-IP address mapping, while
      WINS is fully dynamic and requires far less administration.

REFERENCES

MS-DOS Client README.TXT file Microsoft LAN Manager for MS OS/2 Clients README.TXT file Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups Help file (MSTCPIP.HLP) Microsoft TCP/IP-32 for Windows for Workgroups Help file (MTCPIP32.HLP) Microsoft Windows NT TCP/IP Help (TCPIP.HLP)