BE SELECTIVE WHEN INSTALLING PROTOCOLS

When users purchase "office-ready" PCs, the default configuration of Control Panel's Network applet is often installed with the shotgun approach to connectivity--load 'em all and something will connect..

In practice, this might work in a very small environment, but when intermittent problems start appearing or computers stop communication to each other, it's difficult to discern what is actually at fault. The best approach is to find out which protocols and services should be installed to make your PCs connect to the services on the network--and then remove the rest. This will also cut down some of the broadcast traffic on the network.

Make a list of the protocols that are installed on the server computers--print servers, mail servers, fax servers--and PCs that share folders on an ad hoc basis. With this list, you'll know which protocols are absolutely essential.

ENABLE PROTOCOLS BY BINDING THEM TO NICs

Protocols are "bound" to network interface cards (NICs) by using the Network applet in Control Panel. If a protocol is not bound to a card (or dial-up adapter), it won't run on that transport. If a Windows PC is having problems connecting to the network, make sure the protocol is bound to the appropriate network card.

To query, open the Network applet in Control Panel and double-click a NIC. Select the Bindings tab. A list of protocols that are installed on the computer will appear, each with a corresponding check box. Selecting the check box enables--or binds--the protocol on that transport. Similarly, clearing the check box disables it.

DETERMINE WHICH PROTOCOL IS RIGHT FOR YOU

It's important to be aware of the protocols that are found on generic or historic installations of Win9x computers. By examining a few of the most common protocols, you can make an informed decision about which one will work best for your current network.

IPX

The Microsoft Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) protocol is sometimes used to run a Windows NT network or a peer-to-peer (P2P) Windows network, but it's primarily used to connect to Novell NetWare servers.

If there isn't a Novell element on the network, it's unlikely that the IPX protocol is the primary means of communication on the local area network (LAN), but it's not impossible. If Novell is an important part of the network, chances are that Novell's version of the IPX protocol is installed, along with the red Novell Client32 software that's used to log on to the network.

NOTE: Never try to remove Novell's Client32 software through the Windows Control Panel, because it leaves a trail of error messages. An uninstall program is available from Novell (UNC32.EXE) that completes this task cleanly.

NETBEUI

NetBIOS Extended User Interface (NetBEUI) is a protocol that's only suited for small networks that contain a small number of computers. If you have a large network, it's highly unlikely that NetBEUI is your primary means of communication. One reason for this is because NetBEUI is nonroutable, so large networks that use routers are not able to use it. Unless you need NetBEUI for a specific service on the network, it probably isn't required.

DLC

You can find various flavors of the Data Link Control (DLC) protocol onWin9x computers, and they have fairly specific uses. When they'represent, there's usually a particular reason why.

The DLC protocol is sometimes installed for mainframe host connectivity. For example, if the network includes a mainframe or mini host, the DLC protocol may be the primary means of communication with that computer. The DLC protocol is also installed on some smaller networks to connect to print servers and printing utilities on the PC--notably Hewlett-Packard print servers and utilities.

TCP/IP

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is a collection of protocols and selection of choice for Microsoft networks of all sizes. From automatic IP addressing to allocated IP addressing via Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), through NetBIOS name resolution (to facilitate browsing) and host name resolution (to make Internet addressing function), TCP/IP has the tools to make all networks function with a complete set of services.

Computers that use TCP/IP have unique network addresses. To view the IP configuration on your computer, type winipcfg.exe in the Run window. A drop-down box will list the network cards and dial-up adapters that are installed on the computer, plus the IP address assigned--if any--to each one.