New tools appear on the Internet all the time. You might want to install some of these on the Internet server you set up. This section discusses where to look for tools and how to install them.
Windows NT TCP/IP provides FTP client and server services, and the TELNET client service, when you install the TCP/IP protocol. FTP is a character-based utility used to connect client computers to FTP servers, and to list and transfer files that are on the FTP servers. The TELNET client service is a graphical application that lets you log in to remote computers and issue commands as if you were at the computer's keyboard. See NTCMDS.HLP for a complete list of the other TCP/IP character-based network tools available with Windows NT. Many variations of FTP, TELNET, and other programs based on earlier Internet standards are also available on the Internet or commercially.
Public-domain tools are found by browsing the Internet. You will need to obtain one or more Internet browsers to access the hypertext documents available on WWW servers. Many of these browsers have been developed at universities, research institutions, or educational institutions and are in the public domain, meaning they are freely distributed. Two popular FTP sites for obtaining public-domain Internet browsers (and other Windows Sockets applications) are sunsite.unc.edu and ftp.cica.indiana.edu. Mosaic is a popular Internet browser with a version that takes advantage of Windows NT's 32-bit technology. Most public domain software designed for Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups will work on Windows NT. Mosaic is available at ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu.
Once you have a connection to an Internet service provider, you can use the ftp program provided with Windows NT TCP/IP to connect to an FTP server and download files, including Internet tools. The same tool can exist for different operating systems or processors. Ensure you obtain the correct version of the tool.
The files might have been compressed using a shareware program such as pkzip. If so, use the appropriate program to uncompress the files on your local hard drive. The shareware compression tools are often available on local bulletin boards or FTP servers in an uncompressed format.
After you have uncompressed the files for a particular program, you should read any available readme files or other documentation for specific information about installing and configuring the program and comply with those instructions. Most public domain software designed for Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups will work on Windows NT without modification.
After you've copied the program files, you might want to add an icon for that program to a Program Manager group, to make it easier to find and start the program.
You should now be able to start the Internet tool from the Windows NT desktop.