Making a Dial-Up Networking Connection

After you install and configure TCP/IP, you need to configure a Dial-Up Networking connection to an Internet access provider. The way you configue the connection settings depends on the type of Internet server to which you are connecting.

To connect to a PPP server that supports the Password Authentication Protocol (PAP) or the Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP), all you have to do is click the Dial-Up Networking connection you defined and type your user name password in the Connect To dialog box. These types of servers include Windows NT 3.5, Shiva NetModem and LanRover, or any UNIX® server that supports PAP and CHAP.

To connect to PPP servers that does not support PAP or CHAP, or to SLIP servers, you need to change settings in Dial-Up Networking for each Internet connection you define, as described in the following procedures.

For more information about defining a Dial-Up Networking connection, and about PAP and CHAP, see Chapter 28, "Dial-Up Networking and Mobile Computing."

Connecting to a PPP Server

A PPP server that does not support PAP or CHAP might require that you use a terminal window to log on. In this case, you need to specify in Dial-Up Networking that a terminal window be displayed after dialing. To provide security when there is no support for PAP or CHAP, you can require that an encrypted password be used. You can also increase the connection speed by disabling network protocols other than TCP/IP.

To display a terminal window after dialing

  1. In Dial-Up Networking, right-click the connection icon you created for the Internet, and then click Properties.
  2. In the Properties dialog box, click the Configure button, and then click the Options tab.
  3. In the Options dialog box, click the option named "Bring Up Terminal Window After Dialing" so it is checked, and then click OK.

To increase connection speed and require encrypted passwords

  1. In Dial-Up Networking, right-click the connection icon for Internet, and then click Properties.
  2. In the Properties dialog box, click the Server Types button.

  3. In the Server Types dialog box, you can increase the speed with which you connect to an Internet access provider, by making sure the following options are not checked.
    • Log On To Network
    • NetBEUI
    • IPX/SPX Compatible
  4. If you need to use an encrypted password, make sure the option named Require Encrypted Password is checked.

You are now ready to connect to an Internet access provider.

To connect to a PPP server that does not support PAP or CHAP

  1. In Dial-Up Networking, double-click the connection icon you created for the Internet.
  2. In the Connect To dialog box, click Connect.
  3. In the Terminal Window dialog box, type your user name and password and any other information that your access provider requires.
  4. After you have been successfully logged on, click F7 to continue.

Note Windows 95 does not allow you to write a script to automate the terminal window logon process.

Connecting to a SLIP Server

Windows 95 Dial-Up Networking clients support SLIP and can connect to any remote access server using the SLIP standard. However, SLIP is available only on the Windows 95 compact disc.

To install SLIP

  1. In the Add/Remove Programs option in Control Panel, click the Windows Setup tab, and then click the button Have Disk.
  2. In the Install From Disk dialog box, type the path name to the ADMIN\APPTOOLS\SLIP directory on the compact disc, and then click OK.
  3. In the Select Network Service dialog box, click UNIX Connection For Dial-Up Networking, and then click Install.

    Both CSLIP and SLIP will appear in the Server Types dialog box in Dial-Up Networking

There are two types of SLIP accounts, uncompressed SLIP and compressed SLIP (CSLIP). You set what type of SLIP account you have for each connection you create in Dial-Up Networking.

To select the type of SLIP account for a connection in Dial-Up Networking

  1. Right-click a connection icon, and then click Properties.
  2. In the connection's properties, click Server Type.
  3. In the Server Type dialog box, click Slip: UNIX Connection or CLSIP Connection With IP Header Compression in the Type of Server box.

Note If you are having trouble running TCP/IP applications after connection, you might need to change the server type from CSLIP to SLIP or vice versa.

SLIP servers do not have the capability to negotiate your TCP/IP address. Therefore, you must set Dial-Up Networking to display a terminal window after you dial the Internet server. After you type your user name and password, IP address information will be displayed in the terminal window as described in the following procedure.

To connect to a SLIP server

  1. In Dial-Up Networking, right-click the connection icon you created for the Internet, and then click Properties to specify that a terminal window be displayed as described earlier in this section. Click OK.
  2. In General properties, click the Server Types button.
  3. In the Server Types dialog box, click the option named SLIP UNIX Connection or the option named CSLIP UNIX Connection With IP Header Compression, and then click OK.

    You can also make sure the Log On to Network check box is cleared because SLIP servers allow you to log on only in a terminal window. Notice that the only protocol allowed is TCP/IP.

  4. In Dial-Up Networking, double-click the icon for the connection.
  5. In the Connect To dialog box, click Connect.
  6. After the modem establishes a connection, the Post Dial Terminal Screen dialog box appears for you to log on to the SLIP server and receive your IP address.

    You must follow the provider's guidelines for logging on to its server. Most Internet access providers require only that you type a user name and password. However, other access providers require additional information.

    In most cases, after you type your user name and password, the access provider will display two IP addresses, a host IP address and your IP address. (If the access provider does not display the IP addresses, you should find them out from them.) The second address displayed is usually your IP address, which you should write down, and then click F7.

  7. In the SLIP Connection IP Address dialog box, type your IP address, and then click OK.
  8. If your Internet access provider assigns you the same IP address each time you connect then, after you finish your Internet session, type your IP address in the TCP/IP Settings dialog box for that connection in Dial-Up Networking. The next time you connect to the Internet SLIP server using this connection you will not have to type your IP address.

Note You can use ping commands at the command prompt to differentiate the local from the host IP address. At the command prompt, type ping and the local IP address (for example, 123.45.6.7), and then ping to another server on the Internet. If the local address works, and the server address does not, contact the access provider.

After you connect to an Internet access provider, Windows 95 displays a dialog box named Connected To Internet (or whatever name you gave the Dial-Up Networking connection to the Internet). You can minimize this dialog box and begin your Internet session by running FTP, Telnet, or other Internet browsing applications as described later in this chapter.

Using WINIPCFG to Verify Internet Connections

The IP configuration utility (WINICPFG) is a troubleshooting utility that displays all current TCP/IP network configuration values for any computer running Microsoft TCP/IP. Network configuration values include the current IP address allocated to the computer and other useful data about the TCP/IP allocation. This utility is of particular use on systems running DHCP, allowing users to determine which TCP/IP configuration values have been configured by DHCP.

The IP configuration utility does not, however, dynamically update information. If you make any changes, such as disconnecting, you must exit the IP configuration utility and restart it again.

To run WINIPCFG, click the Start button, click Run, and type winipcfg.