Some of the main topics in this chapter are
The network client software is included on the Windows NT Server distribution CD. Before you can install the network client software, you must generate the appropriate boot disks and set up the client software on the Windows NT Server for downloading and installation. The tool used to accomplish these tasks is the Network Client Administrator. This tool enables you to install the software clients shipped with Windows NT Server. By using the Network Client Administrator, you can accomplish the following tasks:
You can use any of the following methods to access the client installation files and create a network client installation startup disk or disk set:
You use the Network Client Administrator to create a shared directory on the Windows NT Server containing the aforementioned client software.
To create floppy disks for the network client software installation, use Table 32.1 as a guide for the number of disks required. To avoid disk incompatibility problems, ensure that the disks are formatted by using the operating system that is on the target workstation. For example, if you're installing the client software on an OS/2 computer, format the disk with the OS/2 version running on that computer.
| Software | Installation Disk Set | Network Installation Startup Disk |
| MS Network Client for MS-DOS & Windows | 2 | 1 |
| MS LAN Manager Client for MS-DOS | 4 | |
| MS LAN Manager | 4 | |
| Client for OS/2 | ||
| MS TCP/IP 32-Bit for Windows for Workgroups | 1 | |
| RAS for MS-DOS | 1 |
When you install Windows NT Server, Network Client Administrator is installed in the Administrative Tools folder. To create the shared CLIENTS directory, use Network Client Administrator and the Windows NT Server distribution CD.
To run the Network Client Administrator tool, follow these steps:
2. Start the Network Client Administrator tool.
The Network Client Administrator dialog box appears (see Figure 32.1).
Before you can create client startup or installation disks, you must first perform a one-time configuration of the shared CLIENTS directory. To copy the files to the Windows NT Server to create disk sets, you need to copy them only once by selecting either Make Installation Startup Disk or Make Installation Disk Set.
Use the Network Client Administrator dialog box to configure your CLIENTS directory or make your startup disks
The Share Network Client Installation Files dialog box enables you to specify how to share the files.
The Path field indicates where the installation files are located. If this is the first time you've selected this Network Client Administrator option, this field should be set to the CD path. If, however, you previously installed the network client on a different path, select the Use Existing Path option.
To share the files contained on the Windows NT distribution CD, select Share Files, and type the share name in the adjacent Share Name field. The default name for the CD share is CLIENTS.
To copy the CD installation files to a directory and then share the directory, select the Copy Files to a New Directory, and Then Share option. This is the preferred option to install client software for a large number of clients. If you select this option, enter information in the Destination Path field for the location of the files to be copied. Additionally, specify the share name in the Share Name field. You need approximately 43 MB of disk space on the server if you select the Copy Files to a New Directory, and Then Share option.
To use installation files that have been previously copied, select the Use Existing Shared Directory option. If you select this option, specify the server and share name in the Server Name and Share Name fields. After making your selections, click OK. The menus that appear next depend on which option you selected in the Network Client Administrator dialog box, and are described in the following sections.
To create an installation startup disk for MS Network client for MS-DOS or a Windows 95 client, select the Make Network Installation Startup Disk in the Network Client Administrator dialog box. The installation disk you create with this option starts the client computer, connects to the computer containing the installation files, and initiates the client installation.
To make a network installation startup disk, follow these steps:
2. Start Network Client Administrator. Select the Make Network Installation Startup Disk option in the Network Client Administrator dialog box. Click Continue to reach the Share Network Client Installation Files dialog box.
3. Specify the shared directory or path containing the client installation files, and click OK to reach the Target Workstation Configuration dialog box (see Figure 32.3).
Use the Target Workstation Configuration dialog box to create a network startup disk.
5. Click OK to reach the Network Startup Disk Configuration dialog box (see Figure 32.4).
6. In the Computer Name field, enter the computer name for the workstation client. This is a 1- to 15-character computer name, unique on the network.
In the User Name field, enter the name that identifies the user to the network. This should be a user account in the domain or computer that has at least Read privileges to the shared directory on the server.
In the Domain field, enter the domain name or computer name of the Windows NT Server that contains the installation files.
From the Network Protocol drop-down list, select the network protocol to be used to establish the network connection to the server for client installation. Your choices are NetBEUI, NWLink, or TCP/IP. The network installation disk can use a different protocol than the one used by the installed client software. You must ensure, however, that the server is configured to use the protocol that you select.
If you select the NWLink client, the default frame type selected is 802.2 for Ethernet adapters. This frame type is saved in the \NET\PROTOCOL.INI file on the network installation startup disk. To use a different frame type, such as 802.3 or Ethernet_II, you must manually change the PROTOCOL.INI file.
If you select the TCP/IP protocol, the network installation startup disk is by default configured as a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configurable Protocol) client. The DHCP client obtains its IP address configuration from a DHCP server. If a DHCP server is not set up, you must provide an IP address, subnet mask, and, optionally, a gateway IP address that can be used on the network. You can enter IP address information only if the Enable Automatic DHCP Configuration check box is not enabled.
In the Destination Path field, select the location where startup files are to be copied. This is usually the floppy drive A:. If you don't have a bootable system floppy disk formatted for the workstation, you can specify a destination path that is a directory. The Network Client Administrator copies the network startup files to this directory. You can copy these files to the system disk later. Click OK.
If you've selected a destination path that is a directory, you see a message that the destination drive selected does not match the drive type in the target workstation. Click OK to acknowledge this message.
The Confirm Network Disk Configuration information box summarizing your selections appears (see Figure 32.5). Confirm your selections by clicking OK.
Confirm your changes in the Confirm Network Disk Configuration dialog box.
7. After the files have been copied successfully, you see a message to that effect. Click OK.
8. Exit the Network Client Administrator if you have no other Client Administrator tasks to perform.
A directory listing of the files created on the startup disk for Network Client for MS-DOS and Windows is shown here for your reference:
Directory of A:\net
08/05/96 06:08p <DIR> .
08/05/96 06:08p <DIR> ..
08/05/96 06:08p 380 system.ini
08/05/96 06:08p 443 protocol.ini
05/07/96 01:30a 4,644 ifshlp.sys
05/07/96 01:30a 4,468 ndishlp.sys
05/07/96 01:30a 450,342 net.exe
05/07/96 01:30a 76,234 net.msg
05/07/96 01:30a 123,066 neth.msg
05/07/96 01:30a 1,531 setup.inf
05/07/96 01:30a 1,477 wcsetup.inf
05/07/96 01:30a 840 wfwsys.cfg
05/07/96 01:30a 622 shares.pwl
05/07/96 01:30a 29,136 himem.sys
05/07/96 01:30a 120,926 emm386.exe
05/07/96 01:30a 27,670 nwlink.exe
05/07/96 01:30a 9,792 elnk16.dos
05/07/96 01:30a 21,940 protman.dos
05/07/96 01:30a 13,782 protman.exe
19 File(s) 887,293 bytes
The CONFIG.SYS file installs the helper for the installable file system (IFSHLP.SYS) and sets LASTDRIVE to Z. Sample contents of the CONFIG.SYS file follow:
files=30 device=a:\net\ifshlp.sys lastdrive=z
The AUTOEXEC.BAT file loads the network interface, loads the communications protocols, starts the network client software, connects a drive to the Windows NT Server share directory, and runs the setup program. Sample contents of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file follow (comments added for clarity):
path=a:\net a:\net\net initialize ;Load the network interface a:\net\nwlink ;Load IPX protocol a:\net\net start ;Start the client software net use z: \\NTSB\Clients ;Connect to the shared directory echo Running Setup... z:\msclient\netsetup\setup.exe /$ ;Run setup
To connect to a different Windows NT Server, change the computer name in the NET USE command.
When the NET INITIALIZE command executes, the information in the PROTOCOL.INI file is read and processed. Sample contents of the PROTOCOL.INI file in the NET subdirectory follow (comments added for clarity):
[network.setup] ;Network identification section version=0x3110 ;Client version number netcard=ms$elnk16,1,MS$ELNK16,1 ;Associates network adapter with driver transport=ms$ndishlp,MS$NDISHLP ;Identifies transports transport=ms$nwlink,MS$NWLINK ; lana0=ms$elnk16,1,ms$nwlink ;Associates LANA number with IPX/SPX driver lana1=ms$elnk16,1,ms$ndishlp ;Associates LANA number with NDIS helper [ms$elnk16] ;Network adapter parameters drivername=ELNK16$ ;Driver name for Etherlink Adapter Card ; iobase=0x300 [protman] ;Protocol manager parameters drivername=PROTMAN$ ;Identifies protocol manager PRIORITY=MS$NDISHLP ;Sets priority order for protocols [MS$NDISHLP] ;NDIS helper parameters drivername=ndishlp$ ;Identifies the driver name BINDINGS=ms$elnk16 ;Binds NDIS helper to the Etherlink driver [ms$nwlink] ;IPX driver parameters drivername=nwlink$ ;Identifies the driver name FRAME=Ethernet_802.2 ;Specifies frame type BINDINGS=ms$elnk16 ;Binds IPX/SPX to Etherlink driver LANABASE=0 ;Assigns LANA number to the protocol
The network adapter drivers are configured with default settings. If the network adapter doesn't use the default settings, you must edit the parameters in the configuration files to use the network adapter settings.
To create an installation disk set for the MS Network client for MS-DOS, LAN Manager for MS-DOS client, LAN Manager for OS/2 client, RAS for MS-DOS, or TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups, select the Make Installation Disk Set option in the Network Client Administrator dialog box.
The installation disk set created is used to install the software on each client computer locally. RAS for MS-DOS and TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups can be installed over the network.
To make client disk sets, follow these steps:
2. Specify the shared directory or path containing the client installation files, and click OK to reach the Make Installation Disk Set dialog box (see Figure 32.6).
3. In the Network Client or Service box, select the workstation software for which you're creating the installation disk.
In the Destination Drive box, specify the drive on which to place the disks. Select the Format Disks option if you want the system to format the disk for you. Click OK.
The Make Installation Disk Set dialog box allows you to create your installation disks.
5. Follow the instructions on-screen to create the remaining disks in the disk set.
The installation starts by running the SETUP.EXE program found on the first disk. Many of the files in this listing are compressed. The files include drivers for some of the popular network adapters, support for Windows, and support for the NetBEUI, NWLink, and TCP/IP protocols at the workstation.
To run network administration tools for Windows NT from a Windows NT or Windows 95 workstation, select the Copy Client-Based Network Administration Tools option in the Network Client Administrator dialog box. You can run tools such as User Manager for Domains on Windows 95 or Windows NT Workstation.
To copy client-based server tools to the Windows NT Server, follow these steps:
The Path field indicates where the installation files are located. If this is the first time you've selected this Network Client Administrator option, Path is set to the CD path.
2. If you've previously installed the network client on a different path, select the Use Existing Path option.
3. To share the files contained on the Windows NT distribution CD, select Share Files and type the share name in the Share Name field. The default name for the CD share is CLIENTS.
4. To copy the CD installation files to a directory and then share the directory, select the Copy Files to a New Directory and then Share option. This is the preferred option to install client software for a large number of clients. If you select this option, enter the location of the files to be copied in the Destination Path field. Additionally, specify the share name in the Share Name field.
You use this dialog box to indicate you want to share the server tools' installation files
NOTE: You need approximately 13M of additional disk space on the server to copy the server tools if you select the Share Files option.
Figure 32.7 shows that, by default, Use Existing Shared Directory is enabled, and the Server Name and Share Name fields under this option have default values. These defaults appear because the client software for generating network startup disks and disk sets previously has been copied. To copy the server tools installation files to the Windows NT Server, select the Copy Files to a New Directory and Then Share option.
When you select the Copy Files to a New Directory and Then Share option, the Destination Path and Share Name fields are filled with the default values of C:\clients\srvtools and SetupAdm. You can keep the default values or change them. If drive C: on the Windows NT Server is a FAT partition with limited space, change Destination Path to specify another drive. After making your selections, click OK. A status indicator for the copied files appears.
When you select the Make Network Installation Startup Disk or Make Installation Disk Set option in the Network Client Administrator dialog box and then copy the installation client software on the Windows NT Server, the directory structure of the copied files appears, as shown in Figure 32.8.
Each subdirectory under the CLIENTS directory contains the installation files and disk software for a particular client or service.
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