Packet Burst Protocol

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.51 and 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.51 and 4.0

SUMMARY

The packet burst protocol is built on top of Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) and can speed the transfer of multiple packet NetWare Core Protocol (NCP) file reads and writes. Packet bursting speeds the transfer of NCP data between a workstation and a NetWare server by eliminating the need to sequence and acknowledge each packet. In other words, the server or workstation can send a whole set (burst) of packets before requiring an acknowledgment.

Although IPX does not require one-request, one-response type communication, the normal NCP implementation usually does. Burst mode communicates using a multipacket which includes the IPX headers for each packet, the burst headers for each packet and the request or reply, with or without data.

The packets that make up the burst are called fragments. One burst can be up to 64 KB in length. By allowing multiple packets to be acknowledged, the burst protocol can reduce network traffic on most IPX networks.

Additionally, the packet burst protocol monitors dropped packets and retransmits only the missing packets.

MORE INFORMATION

Packet Bursting in Windows NT

Windows NT 3.51 and Windows NT 4.0 have packet bursting enabled automatically and will not need any additional configuring to use packet bursting for Gateway Services for NetWare (GSNW) or Microsoft Client Service for NetWare (CSNW) connectivity to a NetWare server.

To disable Packet bursting in Windows NT 3.51 or Windows NT 4.0 use Registry Editor to do the following:

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Not that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe) and go to the following subkey:

         \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
         \NWCWorkstation\Parmeters
   

   NOTE: The above registry key is one path; it has been wrapped for readability.

2. From the Edit menu, click Add value and add a parameter value called MaxBurstSize with a type of REG_DWORD and set the value to 0 (zero).

3. Quit Registry Editor and restart your computer for the above settings to take effect.