Dial-Up Networking 1.2 Upgrade Available

• Microsoft Windows 95

SUMMARY

Microsoft has released the Dial-Up Networking 1.2 Upgrade.

This upgrade provides additional features for the Dial-Up Networking (DUN) support that was first delivered in Windows 95. It includes all of the features of the first upgrade, widely known as the ISDN Accelerator Pack for Windows 95, including support for internal ISDN adapters, multilink support for two ISDN channels, and connection-time scripting to automate non-standard login connections. In addition to the features of the first upgrade, this upgrade also delivers PPTP client capability for Windows 95.

MORE INFORMATION

The Windows 95 Dial-Up Networking 1.2 Upgrade replaces all of the Dial- Up Networking components, and installs new versions of the TCP/IP stack and the NDIS layer. A new version of Winsock is included as an optional component in order to correct name resolution limitations in the original Windows 95 software.

The Dial-Up Networking 1.2 Upgrade can be applied to existing Window 95- based computers, including the retail release and OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2).

The Dial-Up Networking 1.2 Upgrade is bundled into a self-installing file called Msdun12.exe. After you run the Msdun12.exe file, all of the Dial-Up Networking system components are installed in their proper folders.

To obtain the Windows 95 Dial-Up Networking 1.2 Upgrade, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

   http://www.microsoft.com/windows/getisdn/dload.htm

ISDN Information

Because Windows 95 does not have the ability to recognize ISDN hardware without the Windows 95 Dial-Up Networking 1.2 Upgrade, we strongly recommend that you install Dial-Up Networking 1.2 before installing ISDN hardware in your computer.

Before installing the ISDN adapter and drivers, you must make sure that the adapter is ISDN 1.1-compatible and that the drivers you are installing are ISDN 1.1-compliant. Dial-Up Networking 1.2 does not work with version 1.0 ISDN drivers. For a list of certified Windows 95- compatible ISDN 1.1 adapter drivers available for download, see the Windows 95 Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). The HCL can be found on the Microsoft Windows Hardware Quality Labs Web site at:

   http://www.microsoft.com/hwtest/ 

• An ISDN line must be installed.
• You must know your switch type, SPIDs, and phone numbers from your telephone company. If you do not have this information, get it from your telephone company before continuing.
• You must be running the released version of Windows 95 or OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2).

Multilink Information

Microsoft Windows 95 Dial-Up Networking 1.2 includes updates to support the combining of two 64-kbps data channels into the equivalent of a single 128-kbps line. The technique of combining multiple lines together into a single dial-up connection is known by several names including "multilink," "dual-channel access," and the more technical terms "MLPPP" and "PPP Multilink."

Multilink is available when you have more than one dial-up device (such as two "B" channels of an ISDN connection). If you have only one dial-up device configured, you are not able to use multilink. Multilink depends upon the capabilities of the service or corporate network that you are dialing into in order to function properly. To use multilink, the answering Internet service provider, online service, or corporate LAN must provide multilink support.

Configuring Multilink:

To configure multilink support in Windows 95, double-click My Computer on the Windows 95 desktop, and then double-click the Dial-Up Networking (DUN) folder. The DUN folder displays an icon labeled Make New Connection, plus icons for each of the connections that you have already created. If you have not yet created a connection, double-click Make New Connection to define a connection to the appropriate dial-up service.

After you have created a connectoid, follow these steps to configure the connectoid for multilinking:

1. Right-click the connectoid, and then click Properties.

2. Click the Multilink tab, and then click Use Additional Devices.

3. Click Add, and then specify the devices to bundle together to form the multilink connection.

Multilink Operation:

After your additional devices are configured using the procedure outlined above, you are ready to dial your multilink connection. When you dial the connection, Dial-Up Networking dials the primary number of the primary device specified for the connection. Once the first connection is established, Dial-Up Networking dials the other devices specified in the Additional Devices list.

Once the connections are established, you can view status information about the link by double-clicking the Communicating Computers icon on the taskbar, or you can disconnect the connection.

The status information includes the number of bytes sent and received, the network protocols negotiated for use on the connection, and a box showing each of the additional devices. When you click a device in the box, a Suspend or Resume button is displayed. If a Suspend button is displayed, the device is in use and "bundled" into the multilink connection. Clicking Suspend disconnects that line and removes the line from the bundled connections.

If the Resume button is displayed, click Resume to dial that connection and add that line to the bundle. You can suspend and resume individual links without dropping the connection.

PPTP Information

Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) for Windows 95 is another component of the Dial-Up Networking 1.2 Upgrade. The PPTP client allows a Windows 95-based computer to establish a secure connection across the Internet to a private network, creating a Virtual Private Network (VPN). This can be used to minimize communications costs for organizations whose employees need to access the corporate network from remote locations. PPTP can also be used as a method to allow selected users to access a private network that is separated from the general corporate LAN by a tunnel server.

All data sent over a PPTP connection can be encrypted and compressed, and multiple network level protocols (TCP/IP, NetBEUI, and IPX) can be run concurrently. Windows NT Server Domain Login-level security is preserved even across the Internet.

NOTE: In order for PPTP to work on a client, you must provide and configure a PPTP server (such as a Windows NT server) with one port on the Internet and one port on the private network. In addition to the Dial-Up Networking 1.2 Upgrade, you must install the protocol required by the private network on each Windows 95 client. (If the private network is running IP, no action is required. If the private network runs IPX or NetBEUI, each Windows 95 client must also support this protocol.)

For additional information about the Dial-Up Networking 1.2 Upgrade, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID:Q166288
   TITLE     :Dial-Up Networking 1.2 Dun12.doc File