Windows 95 Advanced Network Configuration Parameters
The Windows 95 version of Invisible LAN includes a number of advanced parameters that you can use to configure the network software. All the advanced parameters can be adjusted using the Network Neighborhood properties page.
The default configuration is suitable for most situations. However, in some cases you may want to adjust these parameters. This document discusses the parameters that control the network and the effects of changing those parameters.
TransBIOS Parameters
To access TransBIOS advanced parameters, do the following:
On the left side of the dialog box you will see a list of parameters. To change a parameter setting, click on the parameter on the left, and then enter a new value on the right. The following parameters are available.
LANA Number
This value controls the LANA number that is assigned to Invisible LAN's NetBIOS implementation. If you have more than one network protocol installed, then each one is assigned a different LANA number. The default protocol is always assigned LANA number 0.
By default, this parameter is set to Automatic, which instructs Invisible LAN to obtain its LANA number automatically. If you want to assign a particular LANA number to Invisible LAN, you can select LANA 0 through LANA 9. If you want to deactivate Invisible LAN's NetBIOS, you can select None.
Maximum Packet Size
This parameter specifies the largest size network packet that TransBIOS sends on the network, in bytes. For Ethernet, the value can range from 442 to 1514, and the default value is 1514. For Token Ring, the value can range from 494 to 1646, and the default value is 1646. You should not need to change this setting, unless your network contains some unusual hardware that can't handle the maximum-sized packets.
Packet Buffers
This controls the number of buffers that TransBIOS uses to store network packets. The default value of 32 is almost always satisfactory. However, you can enter any value from 16 to 128.
Transmit Retries
This specifies the number of times that TransBIOS retransmits a packet before aborting the network connection. Since each retransmission takes about 2 seconds, this parameter effectively controls how long it takes for a connection to fail before the network either reports an error or re-establishes the connection. The default value is 32. For Ethernet, you can enter any value from 4 to 32. For Token Ring, the value is fixed at 32.
Redirector Parameters
To access redirector advanced parameters, do the following:
On the left side of the dialog box you will see a list of parameters. To change a parameter setting, click on the parameter on the left, and then enter a new value on the right. The following parameters are available.
Automatic Remapping
Automatic Remapping is Enabled by default. Enabling this option means that the redirector will try to reconnect mappings that have become invalid, such as when a server is turned off. When that server is turned back on, the redirector will attempt to remap connections so you don’t have to do it yourself.
Note that although your drives and printers may be remapped, open files are not reconnected automatically. If you were in the middle of an application when the server was restarted, you may have to exit and restart that application.
Logon Dialog Box
The Logon Dialog Box is Disabled by default. Enabling this option tells Invisible LAN to present the logon dialog when the system is first started (if Invisible LAN is the primary logon provider). If you disable this option, Invisible LAN will not prompt you at startup with a logon dialog, but will instead perform a default logon with the default name and password from the System Registry.
Loopback Mappings
Loopback mappings are Disabled by default. This prevents you from establishing a loopback printer mapping (i.e., a printer mapping to yourself). Loopback printer mappings can make Windows 95 unstable, but you can enable this option if you really want them. Note that loopback drive mappings are permitted regardless of the value of this parameter.
Password
The Password parameter defaults to None for no password. To set a password, replace None with the password you wish to use. This is primarily of use if you turn off the logon dialog, as it allows you to set your password without typing it during system startup.
Simulate Network Domain
By default, this option is Enabled. When this is enabled, Invisible LAN will cause a domain called InvisibleLAN to appear within the Entire Network folder inside Network Neighborhood. If disabled, this causes Invisible LAN not to show the InvisibleLAN domain.
Station Name
When Invisible LAN is first installed, this is set to Default. This tells Invisible LAN to use the name from Network setup's Identification page. If you have installed more than one network, then your Invisible LAN redirector will use the same name as the other networks. To prevent this, you can change the value of Default to a name different than the one on the Identification page, and Invisible LAN will use this new name instead.
Server Parameters
To access server advanced parameters, do the following:
On the left side of the dialog box you will see a list of parameters. To change a parameter setting, click on the parameter on the left, and then enter a new value on the right. The following parameters are available.
Buffer Size
This controls the size of the data buffers the server uses to store file data. It defaults to 4096 bytes. You should not need to change this setting. If you want to change it, you can select values from 2560 to 16384 in multiples of 512 bytes.
Number Of Buffers
Number of Buffers defaults to 16, and controls the number of data buffers the server uses to store file data. You can enter a value from 4 to 64. Increasing this can help increase the server’s speed, but there is no benefit to having more than 4 buffers per station. Also, note that the server can allocate more buffers dynamically if a large number of users log in.
Server Name
This is set to Default when Invisible LAN is first installed, which tells Invisible LAN to use the name from Network setup's Identification page. If you have installed more than one network, then your Invisible LAN server will use the same name as the other networks. To avoid potential confusion, you can change the value of "Default" to a name different than the one on the Identification page, and Invisible LAN will use this new name instead.
Write Pipeline
The Write Pipeline parameter is set to Enabled by default, allowing the server to use pipelined writes during file I/O. Pipelined writes allow the server to cache write data from redirectors and return permission to proceed to the redirectors immediately. However, it is possible for pipelined writes to prevent some error conditions from being reported to the redirectors (such as a full hard disk). Note that the server’s write pipeline is completely separate from any disk caching performed by the system.
Notices: Copyright 1997 by Invisible
Software, Inc. Invisible Software and InvisibleLAN are trademarks
of Invisible Software, Inc. Other trademarks are the property of
their respective holders.
This document was prepared on 11/15/97, and was believed to be
accurate as of that date. Procedures, specifications, and
compatibility may change without notice, and therefore this
document may be out-of-date and/or inapplicable to current
product versions. Invisible Software provides this document
"AS IS" and without warranty of any kind. Under no
circumstances shall this document be construed as creating or
expanding any warranty of product performance.
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