REG: Network Services Entries, Part 6

• Windows NT operating system version 3.1
• Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1

SUMMARY

The article contains Registry entries for network services, Part 6. These subgroups are included:

• NWLink Transport (IPX/SPX)

      - NWLink Entries for Microsoft Extensions or to Novell NetBIOS
      - NWNBLink Entries for Novell NetBIOS Microsoft Extensions
      - NWLink Entries for IPX/SPX: NWLink Parameters for the Network
        Adapter Card
      - NWLink Entries for IPX/SPS: Global IPX Parameters
  

NWLink Transport Entries (IPX/SPX)

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. With the Registry Editor, you can modify the following:

• The NetBIOS component of NWNBLink, including modification of parameters supporting the Microsoft extensions to Novell NetBIOS
• The IPX/SPX component of NWLink
• Parameters that affect the use of NWLink in a Token Ring network

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.

NWNBLink Entries for Microsoft Extensions to Novell NetBIOS

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:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet
        \Services\NWNBLink\Parameters

AckDelayTime     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 (no entry = default)

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)

NWNBLink Entries for Novell NetBIOS or Microsoft Extensions

The Registry path for these value entries is the following:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet
      \Services\NWNBLink\Parameters

BroadcastCount     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)

NWLink Parameters for the Network Adapter Card

These parameters are specific for each binding of NWLink to a network adapter card. The Registry path for these value entries is the following:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
        \NWLinkIPX\NetConfig\Driver01

AdapterName     REG_DWORD     Name
   Specifies the name of the adapter that NWLink will use. This
   parameter is set when you choose a network adapter card to bind
   NWLink using the Network icon in Control Panel. In this release,
   only one card is supported.

BindSap     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)

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,or 4
   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          802.3
   3          SNAP
   4          Arcnet

   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 values 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)

NWLink Entries for IPX/SPX: Global IPX Parameters

The following parameters are global for the entire transport. The Registry path for these value entries is:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet
        \Services\NWLinkIPX\Parameters

ConnectionCount     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)

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)

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

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

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

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