Ask Dr. Bob Your NT Questions - 01 Apr 1997

Send us your tips and questions. You can also visit Bob Chronister'sonline Tricks & Traps at http://www.winntmag.com/forums/index.html.

Q:In January, you mentioned that you don't recommend dual booting betweenWindows NT and Windows 95. I've installed NT and Win95 on two separate physicaldrives in my 166MHz Pentium and have had no problems. What problems have youencountered, and do you advise sticking with one operating system?

First, let me set the record straight for readers who tell me that NT andWin95 coexist perfectly--you can install both operating systems on the samesystem. However, each OS uses different component files, and Win95 can ruin NTif you use the Win95 Fdisk or the DOS or Win95 Defrag utility, (which, I admit,people don't do very often, but it does happen). Delete the Win95 version ofFdisk and use NT Disk Administrator or the DOS Fdisk. I use NTFS as much aspossible, which makes dual booting the same files impossible. To be honest, Ihave a dedicated Win95 machine on my network that I use for diagnostic purposesand a Windows for Workgroups (WFW) machine that has a dual-boot option to NT 4.0Workstation.

Rumor has it that NT 5.0 will not support FAT32. The implications of thisdecision are enormous. FAT16 is dead and will soon be buried. The latest versionof Win95 (OEM Service Release 2) includes a FAT32 file system option that mostusers have adopted to keep cluster size manageable. If the rumor mill iscorrect, dual booting will soon be a thing of the past.

Q:How can I get Windows NT 4.0 to keep Num Lock on after reboot? Thisproblem is annoying many of my users.

This question involves changing your Registry--remember, always have abackup of your Registry before you edit it. Warning: Using the Registryeditor incorrectly can cause serious, systemwide problems. You may have toreinstall NT to correct them. Use this tool at your own risk.

Using regedt32.exe or regedit.exe, go to the HKEY_CURRENT_USERControlPanelKeyboard key. If you set the value for InitialKeyboardIndicators of datatype REG_SZ to 0, the Num Lock will turn off after the user logs on. If you setthe value for InitialKeyboardIndicators of data type REG_SZ to 2, the Num Lockwill turn on after the user logs on.

Q:How do I set up Dial-Up Networking (DUN) in Windows NT 4.0 to connectto my Internet Service Provider (ISP)? Setting up DUN in NT 4.0 seems fardifferent from setting up Remote Access Service (RAS) in NT 3.51.

NT 4.0's DUN is similar to NT 3.51's RAS, but these similarities are notnecessarily obvious. To set up DUN in NT 4.0, follow these instructions:

To connect to an ISP, you need to set up a phonebook entry. Follow thesesteps:

You are now ready to dial in to your ISP. Follow these steps:

You can create a script to automate these connection steps. Create a newtext file, ispname.scp. Look at sample files pppmenu.scp and script.doc in the%systemroot%system32ras directory for examples.

If you connect to CompuServe and use WinCim 3.x, you'll want to payattention to these steps:

To log on to CompuServe, I use the following script, which is part of myswitch.inf script file (for information about RAS scripts, see Steve Scoggins, "WindowsNT RAS Scripting," May 1996):

[Compuserve]
COMMAND=
OK=":"
COMMAND=
COMMAND=CIS
OK=":"
COMMAND=ID/GO:PPPCONNECT
OK=":"
COMMAND=Password
OK=
;end
[OtherISP]
COMMAND=
OK="login:"
LOOP=
COMMAND=Your Id
OK="password:"
LOOP=
COMMAND=Your Password
OK=

Q:I've heard you can use Tweak UI to set several aspects of the WindowsNT 4.0 desktop. Where can I get a copy?

Tweak UI is a Windows 95 PowerToy that runs on NT and lets you adjust youruser interface (UI--including menu speed, mouse sensitivity, shortcut appearanceand default names, window animation and sound, icon placement on your desktop,and Internet Explorer--IE). You can download Tweak UI fromhttp://www.microsoft.com/windows/common/a293.htm.

Q:Can you explain Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)? It soundsspectacular and just might be what we need for our sales force.

Although the Internet supports user access to other computers worldwide,secure dial-up network access is still a problem. Several vendors have tried toovercome this limitation by establishing virtual dial-up standards. Examples ofthis class of network solutions include support for privately addressed IP, IPX,and AppleTalk dial-up over (mostly) Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) across theexisting Internet infrastructure. Specifically, virtual dial-up solutions letusers access the Internet to support non-IP protocol applications in a securemanner. If you use a virtual dial-up service, different operating systems andseparate protocols can share a common access Internet infrastructure thatincludes modems, access servers, and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)routers. Most virtual networking calls are local calls for the remote user, sothe costs are minimal and the session terminates locally. This type ofnetworking can dramatically improve the phone switching capacity needed.

Vendors have taken several approaches to providing virtual network access,and not all operating systems support the necessary client or server protocols.The two most developed approaches are Cisco's Layer 2 Forwarding Protocol (L2F)and PPTP for NT. PPTP ships on the NT 4.0 Server and Workstation CD-ROMs (youapply it as a service in the Network applet of the Control Panel) and lets youestablish Virtual Private Networking (VPN) access via the Internet. The mostelegant aspect of these approaches is that the virtual access is platformindependent--all you need is a dial-up PPP-enabled client system.

The key element to L2F and PPTP is the tunnel, a vehicle for encapsulatingpackets in a protocol. The tunnel has defined and understood entry and exitpoints on any given network. The entry and exit points are simply referred to astunnel interfaces. In the L2F protocol, the carrier protocol is IP with UserDatagram Protocol (UDP), the passenger protocol is PPP, and the encapsulatorprotocol is L2F. For PPTP, the carrier protocol (what Microsoft calls the control)is TCP, the passenger protocol (what Microsoft calls data packets) is PPP, andthe packets are encapsulated using the Internet Generic Routing Encapsulationprotocol, version 2 (GRE v2).

Because the concern here is PPTP, let's focus on how PPTP works. Each PPTPpacket is either a control packet (signal or status) or a management packet(device and configuration). The packet contains an identifier, a description oflength, and a magic cookie (a small string of identifying data stored on theclient's Web browser). Although this approach is surprisingly simple, its designis also elegant and has significant built-in error correction and trapping.Microsoft has even accounted for collision problems: The peer with the higher IPaddress is always the winner.

PPTP's major selling point is its cost (it comes as part of NT 4.0). Theonly other cost involved is the connection fee, which is minimal for most userswho connect to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to access the Internet. If youconnect to a national ISP, you can access a PPTP link in most cities for thecost of a local phone call.

Imagine that the Internet is nothing more than a large set of phone lineswhere you can make nearly every possible connection. PPTP works on the familiarprinciple of calling one phone number from another. You simply use the PPTPservice to establish a VPN from one address to another.

PPTP is simple and elegant and will soon be a standard. Ascend, 3Com,Telematics, US Robotics, and Microsoft have formed a PPTP forum to establishPPTP as an open standard. At a meeting in Montreal, Quebec last June, the forumagreed on the proposed standard that will merge Microsoft's PPTP and Cisco'sL2F. The merger is important because the dominant router on the Internet todayis the Cisco router. You can expect to see broad acceptance of virtual Dial-UpNetworking (DUN--PPTP and L2F) over the Internet in the near future. This way ofconnecting will be a boon to businesses that have several mobile users. The costis low and the security is high. For more about PPTP, see Mark Minasi, "DecipheringPPTP," December 1996.

Q:I have a Practical Peripherals ProClass 288 PC Card modem. The modemappears to be working, but I keep getting a Port is busy message inWindows NT. How can I fix this?

Believe it or not, you need to boot into NT 4.0 with the RJ-11 connectorpushed into the PC Card modem. After NT boots, pop out the jack and connect yourphone line. I realize this procedure sounds ridiculous, but it is exactly whatyou need to do.

The Port is busy message is deceiving. If I set my IntegratedServices Digital Network (ISDN) line speed too high in setup, I get the samemessage. Obviously the port is not busy, but NT is not properly returning theerror.

Q:We are starting to use Systems Management Server (SMS) for networkmonitoring, inventorying, and upgrades. What are some general guidelines forSMS?

SMS will collect a reasonable amount of basic system information, as yousee in Screen 6, and store it in a SQL Server database. Therefore, the PrimaryDomain Controller (PDC) for the primary SMS site (the NT server), SQL Server,and SMS all need to run optimally. To get the most out of SMS, stick to thefollowing guidelines:

For more about SMS, see Spyros Sakellariadis, "SMS: Inventory YourDesktop Systems, Parts 1, 2, and 3," May, June, and July 1996.

Q:I'm considering buying one of the new 56Kbits per second (Kbps) modems.Do they work? If I buy one today, will it work in six months?

The 56Kbps standard is rapidly emerging, but so far, the computer industryhas not settled on the accepted standard. The leading proponents of thenew standard are Lucent, Rockwell, and US Robotics (USR). So far, about 400companies will support K56flex, an interoperable 56Kbps modem protocol thatrelies on Lucent's V.flex2 and Rockwell's K56Plus 56Kbps modem technologies.Personal computer manufacturers such as AST, Compaq, HP, and Toshiba andInternet Service Providers (ISPs) and online service providers (OSPs) such asCompuServe, NETCOM, PSINet, and UUNET Technologies will support the K56flextechnology. USR has about 200 ISPs committed to adopting its x2 56Kbpstechnology, but USR lacks strong vendor support.

Note that the Lucent/Rockwell K56flex and USR x2 standards are incompatible.The USR x2 standard peaks at 33.6Kbps on the query/upload side and approaches56Kbps on the download side. In contrast, the K56flex standard will push highspeeds in both directions. In theory, the K56flex standard lets users surf theInternet and receive online services over ordinary analog phone lines at nearlytwice the speed of today's fastest modems. However, K56flex's realtransmit/receive speeds will be about 40Kbps. Given the strength of support forthe K56flex standard, it is undoubtedly in the strongest position to emerge asthe accepted 56Kbps standard.

To achieve connect speeds of 56Kbps, you and your ISP or OSP must both havecompatible 56Kbps modems. Given the rush to the Internet, this movement isoccurring rapidly, but the technology is still somewhat immature. All threecompanies are committed to supporting a new forum-generated standard, but thisstandard is about a year away. User demand is causing the incompatible proposedstandards to appear. I suggest you hold off for a few months to a year beforebuying a 56Kbps modem (for more information on the 56Kbps revolution, see "NTNews Network," February 1997, and page 34). I recently faced the samedilemma and adopted Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN).