IR Communications Driver 2.0 Relnotes.doc (Part 2 of 2)

Last reviewed: December 15, 1997
Article ID: Q149450

95 WINDOWS kbreadme

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows 95

                               SUMMARY
                               =======

This information is a copy of the information in the Relnotes.doc file included with the Microsoft Windows 95 Infrared Communications Driver version 2.0.

                           MORE INFORMATION
                           ================

Microsoft Windows 95 Infrared Communications Driver Version 2.0 Release Notes 10 May 1996

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1996.   All Rights Reserved.

Contents

   Installing and Using the IR Communications Driver
      Step 1.  Installing the IR Communications Driver
      Step 2.  Validating the IR Communications Driver Installation
        Printing to an IR-Capable Printer
        Exchanging Data Between Two Computers
        Viewing the Network Neighborhood Over an IR Link
      Step 3.  Running Other IR-Capable Applications
      An Optional Step: Removing the IR Communications Driver
      Notes on Running the Direct Cable Connection Application Over an IR
         Link
      Preparing to Use DCC
         Making Sure DCC Is Installed on Both Computers
         An Optional Step: Installing DCC
         Establishing and Using the DCC IR Link Between Host and Guest
   IR Communications Driver Components
   IR Adapter Manufacturer Names and Addresses

INSTALLING AND USING THE IR COMMUNICATIONS DRIVER

A recommended three-step process for installing and using the IR communications driver is:

Install the Windows 95 IR Communications driver.

2. Validate the installation by printing over the IR link, using an

   application to transfer data over the IR link, and/or using a local area
   network (LAN) over the IR link.

3. Start using the IR link on a daily basis.

After a user installs the driver, it can be removed at any time (for more information, see "An Optional Step: Removing the IR Communications Driver").

Step 1. Installing the IR Communications Driver

Note A user must always remove any previously installed version of the IR communications driver every time the driver is installed. If Version 1.0 of the driver is installed, it must be removed before installing Version 2.0. If an early Beta release of the Version 2.0 driver is installed, it must be removed before installing the current Version 2.0 release. Instructions for removing an IR device and driver installation are documented in "An Optional Step: Removing the IR Communications Driver."

For first-time installation of the IR communications driver, run Setup.exe as downloaded from the Microsoft web-site.

2. When the Add Infrared Device Wizard prompts to choose a manufacturer's

   name for the IR device, choose "(Standard Infrared Devices)" if the
   computer has a built-in device, or choose the name of the manufacturer
   and the model of the adapter if an IR adapter is attached to the
   computer. Then click the Next button.

3. When the Add Infrared Device Wizard prompts to choose the

   communications port that the IR device is physically connected to,
   click the port from the list. If uncertain which physical
   communications port the IR device is using, select the first COM port
   in the list (for example, COM1). Then click the Next button.

4. When the Add Infrared Device Wizard prompts to select the virtual COM

   and LPT ports, accept the default values by clicking the Next button.
   After the wizard copies the IR communications driver files to the hard
   disk, watch for the wizard to display two New Hardware Found messages.

5. When prompted by the Add Infrared Device Wizard, click the Finish

   button to complete the IR device installation. If the wizard did not
   display New Hardware Found messages as it carried out step 4, then
   restart the computer. (If the New Hardware Found messages were
   displayed, there is no need to restart the computer).

6. Activate the IR device by double-clicking the Infrared icon in the

   Control Panel. If there is no Infrared icon in the Control Panel, then
   either select the Refresh option from the Control Panel View menu or
   press the F5 function key to make the Infrared icon appear.

For general information about how to use the Infrared Monitor, click the Help button in the lower-right corner of the Infrared Monitor interface screen. To get information about individual items in the Infrared Monitor interface, such as check boxes, move the mouse cursor over the on-screen interface item and click the right-button on the mouse. . The Options tab of the Infrared Monitor interface contains the following two particularly useful items:

The Enable Infrared Communication On check box, which enables and disables the IR device.
The Limit Connection Speed To option, which limits the link speed the IR device can negotiate.

The Limit Connection Speed To option might be used if an adapter is attached to a COM port that is using an 8250 UART instead of a 16550 UART, or if an adapter is connected to a relatively slow computer (such as a 386 running at 20 MHz). In these cases, this option can be used to limit the connection speed to 19.2 kbps.

Step 2. Validating the IR Communications Driver Installation

To validate the IR communications driver installation, either:

Print from an application over an IR link to the printer (if an IR- capable printer is available).
Exchange data between two IR-capable computers over an IR link, using a communications application.
View the computer's Network Neighborhood over an IR link (if an IrLan access point device is available).

Printing to an IR-Capable Printer:

To test the printing capability of a Windows 95 application over an IR link to an IrDA-compliant printer such as the HP 5P, carry out the installation step for the IR communications driver on one computer and then try the Print option in an application.

Printers without built-in IR ports can be made IR-capable by connecting an IR adapter made for printers into the printer's parallel port. An example of an IR adapter for printers is the Extended Systems JetEye Infrared Printer Port ESI-9580. If a parallel cable is also used to connect the PC to the IR printer adapter, a user can use either the IR link or the parallel cable to print. The IR link is used when the user selects the virtual parallel port and the cable is used when the user selects the physical parallel port.

To validate the IR link to the printer, make sure the correct printer driver is installed for the IR-capable printer (most printers with built-in IR ports are Plug and Play devices and the installation for these devices will be automatically carried out). Then use an application to print over the IR link.

If the application prints on the IR-capable printer, the IR driver installation is validated. If there is trouble printing, see "Troubleshooting" for more information.

Exchanging Data Between Two Computers:

To validate a link between two computers running Windows 95, install the IR communications driver on both computers. To do this, carry out the procedure in "Step 1. Installing the IR Communications Driver" earlier in this document.

Note that the IR devices on the two computers do not have to be made by the same manufacturer as long as both devices are IrDA-compliant. For example, the IR link will work with a JetEye PC Infrared PC Interface (ESI-9680) attached to one desktop computer and an Adaptec AIRport APA-9320 External Infrared Adapter attached to the other desktop.

One way to validate an IR link is to run the HyperTerminal application on both computers and send characters from the keyboard of each computer over the IR link. HyperTerminal is installed on a Windows 95 computer as part of the typical installation that is recommended for most computers. To validate the IR driver installation of the IR driver on both computers, carry out the following procedure:

On both computers, click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click the Control Panel. Double-click the Infrared icon. Then move the IR devices within 3 feet of each other, and make sure they're pointing at each other. When the two IR devices discover each other, the message "Available infrared devices in range" will appear on the Status tab of the Infrared Monitor interface screen. Make sure Infrared Monitor reports both IR devices have the appropriate infrared device within range before proceeding. It might be necessary to realign the IR devices so they point right at each other, move them closer together, and/or change the batteries in an IR adapter or plug the AC power into an IR adapter. For more information, see "Troubleshooting" earlier in the document.

2. On one of the computers, click the Options tab in the Infrared Monitor

   interface and find the information that starts with "Providing
   application support on ...". Write down the name of the COM port found
   there. This is the name of the virtual serial port that the IR link
   using. The name of this virtual serial port might be COM4 or COM5 and
   it will differ from the name of the physical communications port the IR
   device is running on (which is typically named COM1 or COM2).

3. Run HyperTerminal on the computer with the virtual serial port name by

   clicking the Start button, pointing to Programs, pointing to
   Accessories, and then clicking the HyperTerminal folder. In the window
   that appears, double-click the Hypertrm.exe icon.

4. In the Connection Description dialog box, type a descriptive name (such

   as "Direct IR") for the new connection, and then click OK.

5. In the Phone Number dialog box, use the Connect Using drop-down list to

   click the "Direct to Comx" entry, where x is the number of the virtual
   COM port written down in step 2. Then click OK. It is now possible to
   start using HyperTerminal on one of the computers.

6. Repeat steps 2. through 5. for the other computer. 7. In HyperTerminal on either computer, type any characters at the

   keyboard. If the typed characters appear in the HyperTerminal window on
   the other computer, then it is confirmed that the IR link works in that
   direction. Repeat this step on the other computer. If the IR link works
   in both directions using HyperTerminal, the successful installation of
   the IR communications driver on the two computers has been confirmed.

   NOTE: The changes in status are displayed in the Status tab of the
   Infrared Monitor interface while typing characters in HyperTerminal.

Disconnect the HyperTerminal direct IR connection by exiting the HyperTerminal application on both computers. When prompted to save the session, click Yes. This saves the direct IR connection setup information as an icon in the HyperTerminal main folder, enabling a user to double-click this icon to restart one side of the HyperTerminal direct IR connection.

Viewing the Network Neighborhood Over an IR Link:

The Version 2.0 IR communications driver enables a computer with an IR device (either a built-in device or an adapter) to connect to a local area network (LAN) through an IrLan access point device acting as the network adapter for the computer. An IrLan access point device is hardware that supports both a LAN network interface controller (NIC) and an infrared transceiver. Local area network access over an IR link has been tested with the following IrLan access point devices: the Extended Systems ESI-9910 JetEye Net Plus and the Hewlett-Packard NetBeam IR Infrared LAN Adapter.

To test a computer's ability to use a local area network (LAN) over an IR link, first install the IR communications driver on the computer. Then do the following:

Run IR Monitor.

2. Power on the IrLan access point device, such as the Extended Systems

   ESI-9910 JetEye Net Plus,  and place the infrared receiver/transmitter
   of the IrLan access point device  within range of the computer's
   infrared device.

3. When the computer infrared device and the IrLan access point infrared

   device discover each other, the Infrared Monitor interface indicates
   "Infrared communication in progress."

4. When the Infrared Monitor interface shows that the IR link has been

   established, click on the Network Neighborhood icon to display the
   icons of the remote machines that can be accessed through the IrLan
   access point device. There can be a delay of some seconds before the
   remote machine icons are displayed.

If there is trouble accessing the LAN, see "Troubleshooting" for more information.

Step 3. Running Other IR-capable Applications

Most applications that can communicate over a null modem cable that connects serial ports on two Windows 95 computers should also be able to communicate over an IR link. The procedure for setting up and using the IR link with these other communicating applications will probably be similar to the procedure used in "Exchanging Data Between Two Computers," which uses the HyperTerminal application to validate the installation of the IR communications driver. The procedure for running the Windows 95 Direct Cable Connection application is given in detail in "Notes on Running the Direct Cable Connection Application Over an IR Link."

An Optional Step: Removing the IR Communications Driver

The IR communications driver can be removed either by using Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel or by using the Device Manager. Both methods are documented in these Release Notes, but using Add/Remove Programs is the preferred method.

Using Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel:

To carry out the preferred way of removing the IR communications driver, do the following:

Click the Start button and select the Settings option. Then select the Control Panel option.

2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs in the Control panel. 3. When a list of software components is displayed, select the Infrared

   Support for Windows 95 entry and click the Add/Remove button.

4. When the system prompts you to restart, do so.

Using the Device Manager:

To remove the IR communications driver using the Device Manager, do the following:

To run the Device Manager, right-click on the My Computer icon, select the Properties option from the popup menu, and then click the Device Manager tab in the System Properties dialog.

2. To display the name of the infrared device installed on the computer,

   in the System Properties dialog, make sure the View devices by type
   option is selected. Then click the plus sign to the left of the
   Infrared device class label. Select the infrared device name and click
   the Remove button.

3. When prompted, click OK to confirm the device removal. After the Device

   Manager has successfully removed the infrared device installation
   information from the computer, the Infrared device class label will
   disappear from the System Properties dialog. Click the Close button.

   NOTE: The Infrared Monitor icon may still be displayed in the Windows
   95 status bar, even after the infrared device is removed. Ignore it;
   the Infrared Monitor cannot be used to establish an IR link after the
   infrared device is removed.

Notes on Running the Direct Cable Connection Application Over an IR Link

With Direct Cable Connection (DCC), a direct serial or parallel cable connection can be established between two computers to share the resources of the computer designated as the host. DCC can also be used over an IR link connecting the host and a guest computer. If the host is connected to a LAN, the host can also be used as a gateway to the LAN for the guest.

Preparing to Use DCC

The computer that contains the folder to be shared is the host, and the other computer is the guest. Share a folder on the host, granting access rights to anyone using the guest computer, by carrying out the procedure given below.

NOTE: The following procedure is just one of many that could be used to share files in a folder on the host computer. For example, there is user- level access control as well as share-level access control. The following procedure is one of the simplest access control procedures, which is all that is needed to get started using DCC. To get information about all the ways files, folders, and printers can be shared, use the Windows 95 Help.

Double-click on the My Computer icon.

2. Double-click on the icon of the drive that contains the folder to share

   (for example, double-click on the icon for the C: drive).

3. Right-click on the icon of the folder to share and then select

   Properties.

4. In the folder properties dialog, select the Sharing tab and then select

   the Shared As option, enter a share name, enter a comment, and add user
   access rights (Full or Read-Only).

5. The picture of a hand is added to the folder icon to indicate the

   selected folder is now a shared resource.

Making Sure DCC Is Installed on Both Computers:

DCC is not installed with the typical Windows 95 installation recommended for most computers. Check whether DCC is installed on both of the two computers that will be using the IR link. To do this, click the Start button, point to Programs, and then point to Accessories. Direct Cable Connection appears in this menu of it is installed on the computer being checked.

If DCC is installed on the host and DCC is installed on the guest, then skip the next step.

An Optional Step: Installing DCC:

Before establishing a DCC connection, DCC must be installed on both the host and guest. The procedure for installing DCC on either the host or the guest is given below. If DCC is not installed on the host and is also not installed on the guest, the following procedure must be run on each machine.

Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click the Control Panel. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.

2. In the Add/Remove Program Properties, click the Windows Setup tab. 3. In the Components list, click Communications, and then click the

   Details button.

4. In the Communications dialog box, make sure Direct Cable Connection is

   checked and then click OK.

Establishing and Using the DCC IR Link Between Host and Guest:

To run DCC over an IR link, carry out the following procedure:

Make sure the IR communications driver is properly installed and the IR devices are enabled by carrying out the procedures in "Step 1. Installing the IR Communications Driver" and "Step 2. Validating the IR Communications Driver Installation" earlier in this document.
NOTE: To increase the likelihood of success with DCC over an IR link, use the Limit Connection Speed To option on the Infrared Monitor Options tab to limit the IR connection speed to 9600 bps for the first test of DCC over the IR link (and then increase the speed later).
On the host computer, click the Start button, point to Accessories, and then click Direct Cable Connection.

3. Follow the steps in the Direct Cable Connection Wizard to set up the

   host computer. When the wizard prompts for it, select the Host option.
   When the wizard prompts to choose a port, use the same virtual port
   used in the procedure "Step 2. Validating the IR Communications Driver
   Installation" earlier in this document. The wizard will also offer
   password protection. It is not necessary to establish password
   protection on the host for this test of the IR link. When done with the
   wizard, click the Finish button. DCC will start running on the IR link
   and display the message "Status: Waiting to connect via Serial cable on
   Comx," where Comx is the name of the virtual port the IR link is using.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the guest computer, except select the Guest

   option instead of the Host option. When done with the wizard, click the
   Finish button. The DCC connection is automatically made over the IR
   link, and all the shared folders on the host are displayed on the
   guest's screen.

5. Working on the guest computer, to copy a shared folder from the host to

   the guest over the IR link select the folder's icon in the window that
   displays all the shared folders that are on the host and drag the icon
   to the desktop. To work on a shared folder on the host without copying
   it to the guest, double-click on the folder in the display on the
   guest. Note that if the host is connected to a network, the guest can
   reach shared resources on the network through the DCC connection to the
   host.

IR COMMUNICATIONS DRIVER COMPONENTS

The files that make up the IR communications driver are:

Filename      Description

ACT200L.VXD   Support for the ACTiSYS ACT-IR200L IR adapter.
ACT220L.VXD   Support for the ACTiSYS ACT-IR220L IR adapter.
ADAPTEC.VXD   Support for Adaptec IR adapter.
CRYSTAL.VXD   Support for AMP PhasIR Serial Adapter.
ESI.VXD       Support for Extended Systems JetEye PC Infrared Interface
              (ESI9680).

INFRARED.CPL Infrared device in the Windows 95 Control Panel. INFRARED.DLL Infrared device class installer. INFRARED.INF IR device information file for Windows 95 Setup. INFRARED.HLP On-line help topics for Infrared Monitor.

IRCOMM.VXD    Top layer of IR communications for Windows 95.
IRDALAN.INF   IrLan device information file for Windows 95 Setup.
IRDALAN.SYS   IrLan driver.
IRENUM.VXD    Enumerator for the "IR bus."
IRLAMP.VXD    Generic infrared framer, lower layer of IR communications
              for Windows 95.

IRLAPFRM.VXD

IRMON.EXE     Infrared Monitor.

IRMONHLP.EXE IR Monitor on-line help utility. IR_BEGIN.WAV Sound for Infrared Monitor user interface.

IR_END.WAV    Sound for Infrared Monitor user interface.

IR_INTER.WAV Sound for Infrared Monitor user interface.

MSPORTS.INF   IR port information file for Windows 95 Setup.

PARALLAX.VXD Support for Parallax IR Adapter, LiteLink PRA9500A.

W_IR.CNT      Table of contents for Infrared Monitor on-line help.

The documentation files supplied with the IR device driver are:

Filename      Description

RELNOTES.DOC This document.

IR ADAPTER MANUFACTURER NAMES AND ADDRESSES

The names and addresses of IR adapter manufacturers that have been successfully tested with the IR driver in the Windows 95 IR Communications DDK are:

ActiSys, Inc. 1507 Fulton Place Fremont CA 94539 tel: 510-490-8024 fax: 510-623-7268 email: corp@actisys.com

Adaptec, Inc. 691 South Milpitas Blvd, Milpitas CA 95035 tel: 1-800-959-7274 fax: 1-408-957-7223

AMP Product Information Center AMP Incorporated Harrisburg PA 17105 tel: 1-800-522-6752

Extended Systems, Inc. 5777 North Meeker Ave Boise ID 83704-1520 tel: 208-322-7575 fax: 208-377-1906

The Parallax IR adapter distributor in North America is: TSC Electronics 1610 Lockness Place Torrance CA 90501 tel: 310 534 2738 fax: 310 534 3216 email: dtsaitsc@aol.com contact person: Daniel Tsai

The Parallax IR adapter distributor outside North America is: Parallax Research 201 Innovation Centre NTU Nanyang Drive Singapore 639798 Republic of Singapore tel: +65 793 0855 fax: +65 793 0775 email: parallax@technet.sg

KBCategory: kbreadme
KBSubcategory: win95
Additional reference words: 95 irda irda2 ir w95ir.exe
Keywords : win95 kbreadme
Version : 95
Platform : WINDOWS

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Last reviewed: December 15, 1997
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