Some of the main topics in this chapter are
Most enterprises still have a handful of old DOS-based computers. There is no reason to let these machines run as an island unto themselves--connect them to your NT network.
To connect a computer running DOS or Windows 3.1 to an NT network, you have to install the Microsoft networking client for DOS. This chapter shows you where to get it and how to install it. Then, you learn how to work with the network via the NET command.
Originally called the Microsoft Workgroup Add-On for MS-DOS, the Microsoft Network Client v3.0 for MS-DOS is widely available. You can download it from CompuServe, the Microsoft Download Service (MSDL), Microsoft Network (MSN), Microsoft's ftp server site (ftp://ftp.microsoft.com), or Microsoft's Web site (http://www.microsoft.com). Most conveniently, this DOS client connectivity software is packaged as part of the Windows NT Server CD (in the \Clients\Msclient\Disks\Disk1 folder).
Insert a blank formatted floppy disk into a computer that has access to a CD-ROM drive. Insert the Windows NT Server CD-ROM into the drive. Copy all the files from the \Clients\Msclient\Disks\Disk1 folder on the CD to the root folder of the floppy disk. You now have a DOS client software installation disk.
Insert the floppy disk into the DOS machine that you want to connect to a Windows NT Server network. At the DOS prompt, type a: (or b: depending on the computer's configuration), and press Enter. Type setup and press Enter. The installation process begins (see Figure 35.1).
The Microsoft Network Client for MS-DOS gives you three options when you first launch its setup program.
To set up your DOS workstation for network access, follow these steps:
2. The setup program asks you for a location to load the installation files. The default location is C:\net. Press Enter to accept this location, or type a different location and press Enter. The setup program tells you it's examining your system, and then it displays a list of network adapter card drivers (see Figure 35.2).
MS-DOS client setup asks you to choose from a list of available network adapter card drivers.
4. After you select the appropriate network adapter card driver, press Enter. A pop-up message appears telling you about setting network buffers. Press Enter to optimize performance, and continue.
5. You must assign a 20-character or less computer name to the DOS workstation computer. Only letters, numbers, and the following special characters are allowed in a computer name: ! # $ % & ( ) [af] _ [ag] { } [td]. Press Enter to continue.
The setup program displays a configuration screen (see Figure 35.3). From here, you can make any necessary changes, additions, or deletions to the network client configuration. This is a very important step, especially if you want this DOS workstation to become a member of a Windows NT Server domain.
This MS-DOS client setup configuration settings screen enables you to specify the username and network client options, as well as network adapter and protocol.
By default, the setup program assigns your DOS workstation only as a part of a workgroup. The setup program does not permit domain logon by default. It assigns the computer to a workgroup with the name of Workgroup. You can't log on to a domain by filling in the workgroup name with the name of a domain!
NOTE: Remember that you can always press F1 to view a Help screen related to the specific portion of the setup process you're working on.
Often, you will find that the MS-DOS network client defaults are insufficient. Because you most likely will be connecting to a Windows NT Server domain, you will have to modify the default options. Here's how you can change the default settings:
2. When all the name choices have been selected and entered correctly, select The Listed Names are Correct, and press Enter.
3. Select Change Setup Options, and press Enter. Notice that under the Change Logon Validation option, the setup defaults to Do Not Logon to Domain. You must change this setting if you want to log on to a Windows NT Server domain. Select Change Logon Validation, and press Enter (see Figure 35.4).
You can adjust the MS-DOS client setup to enable domain logon.
5. Finally, to modify the network configuration, select Change Network Configuration, and press Enter.
6. Make any necessary changes, such as adding or deleting a network transport protocol stack (the default is NWLink IPX-compatible transport), and select Network Configuration is Correct.
7. When you've made all the necessary adjustments to the network client settings, select The Listed Options are Correct, and press Enter. The setup program copies all the requisite files to the computer's hard drive. When the program is completed, the final setup screen appears (see Figure 35.5).
8. Now you can press Enter to restart the computer or press F3 to return to the MS-DOS prompt without rebooting. You must reboot before the MS-DOS network client software will work.
This is the final MS-DOS client setup screen.
After the DOS client system reboots, the changes that the setup program made to AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS should take effect. At a minimum, the setup program adds a network driver file named IFSHLP.SYS to CONFIG.SYS and adds the net start command to AUTOEXEC.BAT in addition to adding the MS-Client directory to your PATH statement.
When the system boots, it should ask you if your username is the default name you entered into the setup program. Press Enter if this is the correct username for the network; otherwise, type the correct username. You're next asked for your network password. Type the proper user password for the workgroup or domain you want to log on to, and press Enter.
The first time you log on to the network from that workstation, the MS-DOS client software asks if you want to create a password-list file. If you do, you must retype your password to confirm it. Next, you're asked for your Windows NT Server domain password (if you're logging on to a domain). Type the password again, and press Enter. If the username and password are correctly entered, you should be granted access to the network domain. The MS-DOS Network Client software informs you of your privilege level in the domain and then states that the net start command was completed successfully.
If you type the command net /? at the DOS prompt, you can view a complete listing of the available net commands. Type net by itself, and press Enter to display a pop-up utility that's designed to help you browse available network drives and printers and attach to them. Unfortunately, this utility doesn't always work properly. Use the net command often to connect to network resources.
Before you start wildly mapping drive letters to network share points, it's a good idea to set the lastdrive= line in the workstation's CONFIG.SYS file to Z or another letter higher than the default, which is E. This gives you a wider choice of drive letters to choose from when mapping to network directory shares.
Using the DOS command line to map drive letters is really quite easy. The command syntax is:
net use drive: \\servername\sharename
That's it! If you want to map the local computer's drive P: to the network share point named programs located on a Windows NT Server named bigkahuna, here's all you have to do:
net use P: \\bigkahuna\programs
The net command should echo back the words The command completed successfully if all goes as planned. If the command does not complete successfully, it could be any of several things:
Connecting to network printers is very much the same as connecting to network directory shares. You use the net use command to map your local printer ports to network print queues. The proper syntax is:
net use lpt?: \\computername\SharedPrinterName
If you want to redirect your LPT1 printer port to a network printer named HP4Sales located on a computer named Mrktg-3, the command line looks like this:
net use lpt1: \\mrktg-3\hp4sales
After you set up a local workstation's network drive mappings and network printer connections, the MS-DOS client software remembers those settings as defaults. When the user logs back on to the network, all the drive mappings and printer connections are automatically restored (assuming those network resources are up and running).
Basically, network drives and remote printers work the same as local resources--when they have been established. User rights and access permissions can and should be established on Windows NT Servers that limit a user's capability to read, write, delete, execute, change permissions, and take ownership of files. Without proper access rights and permissions, working with data files and programs remotely can prove to be an impossible task. For example, a user can't modify a document that resides in a network directory that enables read-only access. With proper access rights and permissions, however, working with files, applications, and printers in a networked environment differs little from working on local computer resources.
© Copyright, Macmillan Computer Publishing. All rights reserved.