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LAN Workplace for DOS - and Windows: At last! Low-cost, high-speed networking

By Bill Rawles

Users of IBM PC and compatible computers running Windows or DOS will be pleased to learn that ISC has negotiated a campus-wide license for Novell's LAN Workplace for DOS (LWP), a powerful and versatile networking software suite that provides:

• The underlying TCP/IP "stack" required by many other communications programs running on Ethernet-connected PCs
• Telnet remote login and FTP fast file transfer capabilities
• Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) support, which allows a home machine to dial up and use the same software as those on the campus Ethernet
• Access to Novell NetWare servers

Under the terms of the license, any member of the faculty, staff, or student body with a valid PennCard ID can obtain LWP at no charge. The license also includes Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Documentation is available at a nominal printing charge from Wharton Reprographics. For more information on obtaining the software, see PennInfo (keyword "novell"), send mail to help@dccs.upenn.edu, or call the Data Communications and Computing Services (DCCS) help desk, 898-8171.

Background

To participate fully in PennNet and the Internet, on-campus computer users need:

• A high-speed (up to 10 million bits per second) Ethernet connection
• A computer with Ethernet capability, via an internal card or an external adapter
• Software that conforms to the Internet TCP/IP protocol

• A telephone line
• A high-speed modem (in this case, at least 9,600 bps but preferably 14,400 bps with V.42bis data compression)
• TCP/IP-compliant software

• Many users require higher-speed access to PennNet and Internet servers than provided by PennNet's asynchronous (DIAL and annex) services
• Novell NetWare, the most commonly used local area network software for PCs, typically is based upon Ethernet
• ResNet, the program to wire all residence hall rooms for data, voice, and video services, supports only Ethernet data communication

For Macintoshes, by contrast, Apple Computer provided the solution some time ago. Its MacTCP product has been available for years at extremely low prices -- no charge at Penn via an ISC-negotiated site license -- so effectively all developers of Mac TCP/IP communications software elected to be compatible with it. Even better, Apple has announced that MacTCP will soon be bundled with the Macintosh operating system. For off-campus Macintosh users, ISC has negotiated a site license for MacSLIP, from Hyde Park Software. (See sidebar for software recommendations for Windows, DOS, and Macintosh.)

LWP use and caveats

The latest release of LWP conforms to the Winsock (Windows socket) standard, which is required by many third-party applications for Windows, notably NCSA Mosaic (see Penn Printout, March 1994). The LWP software suite also includes numerous client applications in addition to Telnet, FTP, and SLIP; at present these other applications are not supported by DCCS.

Networking IBM PCs -- for access to PennNet and Internet resources or for LAN services, such as printer and file sharing -- is not simple, and LAN Workplace for DOS is a versatile -- and, therefore, complex -- product. Please do not attempt to install and use LWP without the documentation. If you have a departmental computing/networking support administrator, contact him or her for advice before obtaining LWP software. If you lack local support, contact DCCS to discuss your needs; it may be possible for DCCS to arrange remote or on-site consulting. Send mail to help@dccs.upenn.edu, or call the DCCS help desk, 898-8171.

For students in the ResNet program, free installation assistance for LWP is available by calling 898-4336 or sending mail to resnet@dccs.upenn.edu.

Sidebar: DCCS-recommended software for TCP/IP networking (1)

Service    MS-Windows              DOS                Macintosh

TCP/IP     LWP TCPIP               LWP TCPIP          MacTCP

SLIP       LWP SLIP                LWP SLIP           MacSLIP

Telnet     LWP Host Presenter      TNVT220            NCSA Telnet

Kermit     MS Kermit               MS Kermit          MicroPhone

TN3270     McGill's TCP3270        McGill's TCP3270   Brown's TN3270

FTP        LWP Rapid Filer         LWP FTP            Fetch

NetNews    WinTrumpet              Trumpet            NewsWatcher

POP (2)    PC Eudora               None recommended   Eudora

PennInfo   LWP Host Presenter (3)  TNVT220 (3)        PennInfo

Gopher     NCSA Mosaic             TNVT220 (3)        TurboGopher

WWW        NCSA Mosaic             TNVT220 (4)        NCSA Mosaic

1. DCCS will be reassessing all these recommendations during the summer. Except for MicroPhone, all products are either public domain "freeware" or available to the Penn community at no charge via site licenses negotiated by Information Systems and Computing (ISC).

2. POP (Post Office Protocol) mail clients require an account on a POP server, such as eniac.seas, mail.sas, or pobox.

3. Use of a Telnet client, such as LWP Host Presenter or TNVT220, provides less functionality than a native PennInfo or WWW client, including no access to graphics, sound, and video. However, for Windows users, NCSA Mosaic provides access to both Gopher and PennInfo.

4. Use of World-Wide Web (WWW) via a Telnet client (e.g., TNVT220) requires access to a host running Lynx, such as eniac.seas, mail.sas, pobox, or dolphin.

All the software above, except MicroPhone, is available for downloading to PCs and Macintoshes via FTP on ftp.upenn.edu. FTP access to site-licensed software (currently MacTCP, MacSLIP, and LWP) requires a PennNet ID. PennInfo contains up-to-date information about supported versions of the clients listed above (keyword "ip software.")