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Windows NT 4.0 Workstation Network Setup for the
Reporting to the MAX |
This document shows how Windows NT 4.0 should be configured for an Ethernet connection on the main Stanford campus. Network configuration for NT workstation and server is virtually identical. If you work at SLAC or the School of Medicine, please consult the SLAC Windows NT Support Page or the School of Medicine.
Configuring Windows NT 4.0 for modem dialin and FDDI connections are beyond the scope of this document.
Because NT 4.0 is the first really stable, widespread version of NT, only NT 4.0 will be discussed in this document. NT 3.5x will not be discussed at all. Any reference to "NT" refers to NT 4.0.
Windows NT will become Microsoft's main desktop operating system. Apparently, Microsoft has said that it will release one more version of Windows 95 before merging NT and 95/98. Windows NT 4.0 does not support Plug and Play (future versions will). For this and other reasons, NT 4.0 is not recommended for laptop installations. NT 4.0 is recommended over NT 3.5x.
NT 4.0 has been heralded for its stability and features. Because each 32 bit application runs within its own virtual memory space, applications theoretically will only crash themselves, not the entire operating system. Actually, you can still crash the whole system but it's harder to do now. 16 bit applications run together under one virtual memory space, unless specified to run in a separate memory space.
Some of the features included in NT 4.0 are a personal web server and direct TCP/IP printing. With all the additional features and stability comes a cost, of course. NT workstation needs better hardware than Windows 95/98 for similar performance. Microsoft recommends a 486 running at 25MHz with 12 MB RAM minimum, 16 MB RAM recommended. They also recommend 110MB of available hard disk space and a CD-ROM drive. Realistically, for basic applications (Microsoft Office, Email, Netscape), you need over 20MB RAM with a 1GB hard drive on a Pentium or Alpha machine. Without enough RAM, NT will use the hard disk for virtual memory which is painfully slow. To load NT and Microsoft Office, you'll need at least 200MB of hard disk.
NT server requirements depend strongly on number of users, hard disk, and usage so they will not be discussed here.
Be sure to apply bug fixes from Microsoft's NT Workstation Support Page.
Networking Systems recommends the 3Com Fast Etherlink 10/100 Network Interface Cards. These cards will support both 10BaseT and 100BaseT connections. If your local network is still based on thin
ethernet, Networking Systems recommends the 3Com 3C509B Etherlink III Combo card. Both these cards can be purchased from the Networking Systems Service Center.
Windows NT 4.0 does not support Plug and Play. To install and configure your network card, first run the utility provided by the board manufacturer and disable Plug and Play.
- Open the Control Panel (Start/Settings) and double-click on the Network icon.
The name in "Computer Name" should be the same as your IP host address if you want others to be able to reach your machine. Domains are Microsoft's architecture for grouping NT servers together- kind of like workgroups in Windows 95/98 or NT Workstation. NT Workstations can be part of a domain or workgroup but not both. If you plan to share files among a group of local computers, it's a little easier if you use the same domain or workgroups. If your computer is standalone, use a unique descriptive domain or workgroup name. See the domain web page for a list of registered domains. Please do not use a domain name such as "Stanford" or "NTStanford" since those will be used for campus wide services.
- Select the adapter tab. Click on the Add... button.
- Select your Ethernet adapter manufacturer and type from the list. For
example, the PC above has a 3Com Fast Etherlink board. If you wish to use an unlisted network adapter , use the disk that came with your network adapter or a downloaded driver and select "Have Disk".
- Next click on the Protocols tab. It is usually advisable to load the minimum number of protocols needed. To add protocols, click on the "Add..." button. Networking Systems strongly recommends not using the NetBeui protocol.
If connecting to NetWare servers, one will need Microsoft's NWLink IPX/SPX Compatible Transport. Unfortunately, NWLink Netbios is added by default. Networking Systems strongly recommends disabling NWLink Netbios in the Bindings menu (discussed later). Under NWLink IPX/SPX Compatible Transport properties, select the appropriate adapter and frame type. Choose the frame type that is being used by your NetWare server.
To use applications like email, netscape and ftp, the TCP/IP protocol is required. See below for details.
Your hardware
Ethernet address
must be registered before your computer can communicate over SUNet via the
Internet Protocols if you will be using DHCP. If you already know your hardware Ethernet (MAC)
address, you can skip this step. There are two supported ways to determine
your hardware address:
- Run "Command Prompt" under "Start" and "Programs". Type
ipconfig /all.
Your twelve-digit hardware Ethernet address is in the Physical Address
field.
- Use the DOS-based diagnostic utility that came with your card.
Write this down and provide it to your Local Network Administrator or Resident Computer
Coordinator. Students need to register their connections on-line at the URL
http://coruscant/cgi-bin/goto?coruscant/iprequest/.
- Under the Protocols tab, click the Add... button again to add a new Protocol.
- Select TCP/IP Protocol. Click OK.
- Stanford now supports DHCP for IP Address assignment. If you read these
instructions last year, you will notice that they are significantly
shorter and simpler than they were.
Select the correct adapter (if you have more than one network adapter). If you select "Obtain an IP Address from a DHCP Server", you must ask your local network administrator (LNA) or Residential Computing Coordinator (RCC) to activate Bootp for your IP Address in NetDB. Until your computer is registered, you will not be able to use your computer on the network. To do this, you must give your LNA/RCC the hardware address of your network card. If you select "Specify an IP Address", fill in the 3 fields with the IP Address, Subnet Mask and Default Gateway given to you by your LNA/RCC.
NOTE: The image below shows a manually configured computer using one of Stanford's class A IP Addresses. Please be aware that Stanford is migrating to class B addresses and you may be entering an IP Address such as 171.64.x.x in the IP Address field (where x.x represents your subnet and node number). If you are using a class B IP Address on 171.64.x.x, your gateway should be set to 171.64.1.1 and your subnet mask should, in most cases, be set to 255.255.0.0. If you have questions about these settings for your network, please consult your LNA or RCC.
- Now click on the DNS tab. For host name, either use the IP host name or a ".". Fill out the rest of the fields as shown below. Note the three new DNS server addresses are being used (Cassandra, Caribou and Cilantro).
- Under the WINS Address tab, do not enter anything in the Primary or Secondary WINS Server fields unless you know of a WINS server that you need access to. Check the box "Enable DNS for Windows Resolution".
- Under the Routing tab, do not "Enable IP Forwarding".
If you need to change your your existing IP Address (i.e., because you have physically moved your computer to another network or your IP Address numbers are changing) follow these instructions, otherwise continue to section F. Services and Bindings.
Changing your IP Address in Windows NT will require restarting your computer if you are switching from DHCP to manual IP Addressing or vice versa. If you are already using a DHCP-assigned IP Address you will not need to restart your computer in order to change your IP Address.
- If you're manually configuring your TCP/IP settings, select the TCP/IP Protocol under the Protocols tab and click on the Properties button.
- In the TCP/IP Properties window, fill in the 3 fields with the new IP Address, Subnet Mask and Default Gateway given to you by your LNA/RCC and click on the OK button. You'll be asked to restart your computer and should do so to use the new IP Address.
- If you're using DHCP to obtain an IP Address, you do not need to change anything in the TCP/IP Properties window. Verify that your LNA/RCC has made the correct IP Address changes in NetDB and that you've waited at least 10 minutes after the record was updated so that the following two steps will work.
- Run "Command Prompt" under "Start" and "Programs". Type ipconfig /release.
- After you release your address, type ipconfig /renew. You should see your new address listed. If your IP Address is not renewed, wait another 10 minutes and try again.
If you're using DHCP to change your IP Address, you need to be aware of several items:
- First, your LNA/RCC will need to change your IP Address in NetDB. An IP Address change in NetDB requires approximately 10 to 20 minutes before the information is passed out the machines that handle DHCP requests.
- Second, Windows computers do not automatically renew their IP Addresses via DHCP when they startup. Simply restarting your computer will not provide you with a new IP Address. You need to force the Windows computer to renew its' IP Address or wait for the DHCP lease to expire. Leases normally last for seven days at Stanford. During the period of time when we will be changing IP Addresses from class A to Class B addresses, this lease time will be shortened to two days.
- Third, if you're changing from a manually-assigned IP Address to a DHCP-assigned IP Address you will be required to restart your computer to use the new address.
Still in the Network Control Panel, select the Services tab. The NT Workstation installation installs several services by default like NetBios Interface, Server, Workstation and Computer Browser. You can add add other services like Microsoft TCP/IP Printing or Peer Web Services by clicking the Add... button.
The Server service allows file and print sharing. The Workstation service provides network capabilities.
Under Windows NT, Services also include NetWare clients. Detailed instructions on configuring NetWare clients will be covered in Windows NT with NetWare at Stanford.
Now select the Bindings tab. You can look at the bindings by service, protocol or adapter. By clicking on the "+" buttons, you can see which adapters are running which protocol and which protocols are supporting which services. Networking Systems strongly recommends that you disable NWLink NetBIOS by selecting it and clicking on the "Disable" button. NWLink NetBIOS enables SAP broadcasts from NT machines. These broadcast add traffic without adding usefulness and may also confuse local NetWare servers.
Sharing files and printers over SUNet with Windows machines is not officially
supported, but here are a few guidelines.
- Use Microsoft Networking over TCP/IP. We do not recommend running file
sharing over NetBEUI or IPX.
- There is no campus wide WINS server, nor are there plans to support it.
- Connect to other computers on campus by their unqualified DNS name, i.e.,
to connect to MyComputer.stanford.edu, do a Start/Run \\MyComputer.
- Your computer name must be the same as your DNS name
defined by your LNA/RCC in NetDB. Your computer is named in the Network
Control Panel's "Identification" tab:
Because this information is not useful to everyone, it will be covered in Windows NT with NetWare at Stanford.
Microsoft has consolidated most of the publicly available bug fixes for Windows NT on their web site at
http://www.microsoft.com/NTWksSupport/. Note that Service Pack 2 has lots of bugs in it so apply Service Pack 3.
Microsoft does not ship a fully functional telnet client with Windows NT. To replace Microsoft's telnet.exe, please install the supported Samson for Windows program.
Back to Windows NT Networking at Stanford
Back to Networking Systems
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