Configuring Networks

Setup installs the default network configuration described at the beginning of this chapter. You can also install and configure networking support after installing Windows 98 by using the Network option in Control Panel. In the Network option, you can set properties for the following:

• Configuration of network clients, adapters, protocols, and services.
• Identification of the computer on the network.
• Access control, to specify the security used when other users access this computer over the network.

In the procedures presented in the following sections, it is assumed that Windows 98 and the appropriate networking hardware have already been installed on your computer. You might also need to install or configure various supporting components, such as security, mobile networking components, agents for remote administration software, and support for user profiles and system policies.

Installing Networking Components

This section summarizes how to install networking support by using the Network option in Control Panel after Windows 98 is installed. Specific issues for installing various network components are discussed in other chapters of the Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit. The following procedures describe the general steps that are required for installing networking components.

The following procedure describes how to install a driver for a legacy network adapter card.

Important

You should not add Plug and Play – compatible network adapters manually. Instead, you should let Windows 98 detect the network adapter. If the Select Device box prompts you to select a network adapter, click the Have Disk button and type in the location of your network adapter drivers.

To install a driver for a legacy network adapter after Windows 98 is installed

• In Control Panel, double-click Add New Hardware, and then run the Add New Hardware Wizard. Be sure to answer Yes when asked whether Windows 98 should search for your new hardware.

Tip

You can configure network properties either from the Network option in Control Panel, or by right-clicking the Network Neighborhood icon on the desktop, and then clicking Properties on the context menu.

To install networking components after Windows 98 is installed

1. In Control Panel, double-click Network, and then click the Configuration tab.
2. Click Add.
3. In the Select Network Component Type dialog box, double-click the type of component to install, as described in Table 14.1.

   Table 14.1 Network component types

4. In the Select dialog box, select the name of the component manufacturer and the name of the specific component.
5. Click OK.

Note

Most network components require that you shut down and restart the computer after installing them.

You can also install and configure networking components by using custom setup scripts or system policies. For information, see Chapter 3, "Custom Installations," and Chapter 8, "System Policies."

Setting Computer Names and Workgroups

Windows 98 requires that you define a workgroup and computer name for each networked computer, independent of the type of networking software you use. You can also change the computer name or workgroup after Setup is complete.

To specify the computer name, workgroup, and description for a computer

1. In Control Panel, double-click Network, and then click the Identification tab.
2. Type the values for the computer identification settings as described in Table 14.2.

Table 14.2 Computer identification settings

Caution

Because computer and workgroup names can contain the special character %, and Msbatch.inf uses the special character % to indicate variables, Windows 98 does not behave as you expect if you use variables in Msbatch.inf for computer and workgroup names. For more information about this problem, see Knowledge Base Article Q170846, "Computer or Workgroup Name Not Set Properly Using Msbatch.inf."

Installing and Configuring WinPopup

You can use WinPopup to send a message to one person or to a whole workgroup. WinPopup can also display a message from someone else on your network or from a printer on a Windows NT server when your print job is done. With WinPopup, you can send and receive messages and alerts from LAN Manager, Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT, and Windows 98 servers and clients.

On a NetWare network, you can also use WinPopup to send messages in the following cases:

• If you are running a NetWare-compatible client, you can receive pop-up messages from the server you are attached to. You can also receive messages from other users running Novell-supplied network clients if the message is sent to you on the server using NetWare utilities.
• You can use WinPopup to send a message to a user on a computer running Client for NetWare Networks or a Novell-supplied client if that user is attached to your preferred server. However, you can send messages to bindery users only, not NDS users.

Note

If you are running both Client for NetWare Networks and Client for Microsoft Networks, and if the message reaches the specified computer or user through Windows 98 networking, the message is not also sent through the NetWare server.

WinPopup is installed automatically with either Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks or Client for Microsoft Networks. You can configure it to start automatically every time the user starts the computer, or you can start it manually.

To configure WinPopup to start automatically on a client computer

1. Place Winpopup.exe in the Startup folder on each computer that you want to receive messages.
2. In the WinPopup dialog box on each computer, click the Messages menu, and then click Options to specify choices for how WinPopup will present messages.

To start WinPopup manually

• In the Start menu, click Run, and then type winpopup.

Starting Your Network During System Startup

If your computer uses 32-bit, protected-mode networking components exclusively, you do not need statements in Autoexec.bat or other startup batch files to start the network when you start the computer. The installation of the correct protected-mode network client, protocol, and network adapter driver, as shown in the Network option in Control Panel, is all you need to ensure that networking is available whenever you start Windows 98.

If your computer uses any real-mode components for the client, protocol, or network adapter driver, you must include commands to start the network in Autoexec.bat or a batch file that is called from Autoexec.bat. This is because real-mode components must be inserted properly in the startup sequence to be available to other parts of the system.

For real-mode components on NetWare networks, the Net.cfg or similar file is used to start and configure networking during system startup. The user or network administrator must maintain this file. For Microsoft networks, the net start statement in Autoexec.bat is used to start any real-mode networking components.

The Protocol.ini file stores settings for real-mode networking components. The only sections that might be read are [Protman$], [netcard], and [Ndishlp$]. For information about the content of Protocol.ini, see Chapter 16, "Windows 98 on Microsoft Networks."

Using Scripts to Automate Tasks

Windows 98 includes the Windows Scripting Host, a language-independent scripting host for 32-bit platforms. With Windows Scripting Host, scripts written with the Visual Basic Scripting Edition or JScript scripting engine, or any other language that provides a Microsoft ActiveX scripting engine can be executed directly on the Windows desktop or command console.

Windows Scripting Host supports several functions that make it easier to configure networking features on your user’s computers, such as mapping drives and printers, launching applications, modifying registry keys, and managing your users’ environment.

For more information about Windows Scripting Host, see Chapter 23, "System and Remote Administration Tools." See also http://www.microsoft.com /management/.