Getting Warped and Connected Too! – Part Two

By Edward Duhé and Bret Curran

OS/2 Warp Connect builds on OS/2 Warp's superior 32-bit multitasking, crash protection, object-oriented user interface, and full-function applications by adding network components to connect you to the most popular network resources found today.

In part one of this article, published in the 1995 November/December issue, we took a close look at OS/2 Warp Connect's major improvements in installation and the connection capabilities it provides.

''In this article, we will look at the different applications that OS/2 Warp Connect provides to make use of your connections. These applications include the transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) suite of applications and the new Peer applications.''

Using the CONNECTion
Now that we've covered the different ways to get connected with OS/2 Warp Connect, let's talk about the applications you can use over these connections.

OS/2 Peer
One of OS/2 Warp Connect's most exciting components is the new OS/2 Peer. With OS/2 Peer, you have a full-function, peer-to-peer environment for OS/2 with significant interoperability and coexistence capabilities.

In the past, you could achieve limited peer function with LAN Requester. That peer function is still in LAN Requester, and we will compare it to OS/2 Peer later in this article. For now, let's see what OS/2 Peer has to offer.

IBM OS/2 Peer 1.0 is both client and requester software as well as server software. With OS/2 Peer, you can share your local resources with others on your network, just as others can share their resources with you. These resources include disk, printer ports, and COM ports – but that's not all. OS/2 can also share clipboards and create network dynamic data exchange (DDE) links. All of these functions can be accessed through several different interfaces, including the command line and a graphical user interface (GUI).

A major OS/2 Peer function is requester support for OS/2 LAN Server. This means that some of OS/2 Peer's function and operation is the same as in LAN Requester. Like OS/2 LAN Requester, OS/2 Peer can use the Network folder (Figure 1) to perform tasks such as connecting to servers that provide a set of default connections to resources (logon assignments), creating desktop objects for network resources, managing public and private applications, printing files, and copying and moving files onto network drives. The Network folder adds your network resources to your Workplace Shell, so that you can interact with the resources and manipulate them the same way you do with local resources.

Network Messaging is another feature in both OS/2 Peer and LAN Requester. Network Messaging enables you to send and receive messages on the network. (You must be logged on to receive or send messages with the Network Messaging function.) You can also configure Network Messaging to notify you via pop-up windows when a message arrives or to receive the message without notification. When you install OS/2 Peer and LAN Requester, Network Messaging is placed in the Startup folder and is configured to notify you when you receive a message.

Another way to share data between workstations on the LAN is through the Network DDE and Clipboard function of OS/2 Peer and LAN Requester. The Network DDE and Clipboard function extends your DDE and clipboard across the network, allowing users to access your local clipboard as well as allowing you to access their local clipboards. You can also save the contents of your clipboard into clippings, enabling you to share multiple sets of data. Through the Clipboard Sharing and Network DDE interface, you can control access to your clipboard, view current connections, save and copy clippings, and link to data across the network.

OS/2 Peer and LAN Requester also have Error and Audit Log Utilities. The Error Log Utility provides an interface that allows you to view and print the information logged in the ERROR.DAT file. The ERROR.DAT file can contain information about network software internal errors, network services errors, and OS/2 internal errors. You can view another machine's error log on the network if you are logged onto that machine with a userid that has administrator authority. With the Audit Log Utility, you can browse a log created by the auditing function of an OS/2 LAN Server or OS/2 Peer machine. The audit log typically contains security and accounting information.

OS/2 Peer's GUI lets you easily operate the Peer requester and server functions. As we go through the different functions of OS/2 Peer, you will become familiar with the GUI and how it operates. A command-line interface is also available, making it easy to run commands from a .CMD or REXX file. You will also find that many of the commands and syntaxes of the command-line interface are the same in OS/2 Peer and LAN Requester.

Before you can start using OS/2 Peer, you must first log on. The default userid and password for OS/2 Peer are USERID and PASSWORD. All userids and passwords, as well as group definitions, are administered through User Profile Management (UPM). It's always a good idea to go into UPM, add your own userid and password as an administrator, and then delete the user USERID. This prevents others from gaining access to your system using the default user.

There are several different ways to log on. It is important, particularly in a LAN Server environment, that you understand these different logon types and where the verification will be handled. If you are using OS/2 Peer in a LAN Server environment, it is important to make sure that your userid and password on your OS/2 Peer workstation are the same as the userid and password defined for your LAN Server logon. This enables you to administer your local peer resources while logged onto the LAN Server environment.
 * Local logon with local verification is typically used for products like DB2 for OS/2. To perform a local logon with local verification from the command line, enter LOGON /L.
 * LAN logon with local verification is what OS/2 Peer uses to log you onto the LAN and verify your userid and password at your local workstation. This type of logon is necessary to administer your peer services at your workstation. At the command line, enter LOGON /V:LOCAL.
 * LAN logon with domain verification is used to log on to an OS/2 LAN Server domain. At the command line, enter LOGON /V:DOMAIN.

With OS/2 Peer installed, you have several objects on your system with which to log on. There is a Logon object in the UPM folder and LAN Server Logon and OS/2 Peer Workstation Logon objects in the OS/2 Peer folder. As the object titles imply, objects in the OS/2 Peer folder will log onto a LAN Server (using LAN logon with domain verification) or an OS/2 Peer workstation (using LAN logon with local verification). If you have enabled OS/2 Peer or LAN Requester, the UPM logon object will first initiate a LAN logon with local verification, then a local logon with local verification.

Mom Always Said to Share
OS/2 Peer enables you to share your disk drives, directories, printer ports, and COM ports. When sharing disk drives, you should consider how much of the drives to share. For example, if you want to share only a few files with a co-worker, you probably don't want to share your entire drive. To limit sharing, make a directory to contain only those files you intend to share. Likewise, if you are sharing an application, you might want to contain the application within one directory, so that it can be shared with one connection instead of multiple shares and connections.

Sharing COM ports allows you to share devices such as modems. OS/2 Peer allows you to share COM ports in a pool. Using this method, you can create a modem pool for other LAN users. A modem pool allows a request for use of a modem to take the next available port. If no port is available, the request will either be queued up until one is available or until the request times out. The length of the timeout is determined by the value of the CHARWAIT parameter in the IBMLAN.INI file. By default, this parameter is set to 3600 seconds (1 hour). Two other relevant parameters in the IBMLAN.INI file are MAXCHDEVS and MAXCHDEVQ. MAXCHDEVS specifies the number of ports that can be in a shared pool; the default is 2. MAXCHDEVQ determines the number of shared pools; its default is also 2.

You can assign more than one port to a single printer queue. This allows you to pool printers. Jobs entering the print queue are printed on the first available printer. When using printer pooling, all the printers must use the same print driver.

The first time you share resources on your OS/2 Peer workstation, you will create a share profile containing all the information about the shared resource. Each shared resource has a share profile displayed as an icon in the Sharing and Connecting Notebook (see Figure2).



OS/2 Peer has several ways to share. Let's look at the different ways to share a disk drive.
 *  Sharing through an object's pop-up menu – OS/2 Peer imbeds itself into the Workplace Shell, making its functions available to all the appropriate Workplace Shell objects. For example, suppose you have a hard-disk drive F: on your system, and you want to start sharing it. If you bring up the drive F: object's pop-up menu, you see a share option displayed. If you select the share option, one of two things happens:
 * If you are not currently logged on, you are prompted to do so. Once logged on, you can go back to the share option on the pop-up menu.
 * If you are logged on and have not created a share profile for the F: drive, the Configure Sharing dialog box appears (Figure 3). In this box, provide the necessary information to create the share profile.



The methods you use to share a resource can also be used to stop sharing a resource. Pick the method that best fits your needs for working with your shared devices. You'll probably find that you use a combination of methods depending upon the circumstances.
 * The share profile has several parameters determining how the share is performed. These parameters include the number of concurrent connections, whether you want this share to start automatically at each startup, and the share name – the name by which others will refer to this resource. Unlike a LAN Server environment, OS/2 Peer does not refer to resources by aliases. In an OS/2 Peer environment, resources are referenced by their universal naming convention (UNC). For example, the UNC for a drive may be \\mypeer\drivef where my peer is the machine name and drivef is the share name. After the share profile is filled out, you select Grant access. The Grant access screen allows you to create either a basic access profile or a customized access profile. A basic access profile provides a default profile used for all users accessing this resource. A customized access profile enables you to specify which users and groups are allowed to access this resource. When you complete these screens, the share operation is complete and drive F: is now available for users to access.
 * Sharing through an object's Settings menu – A shareable object's Settings notebook has a Shares tab and an Access controls tab, as shown in Figure 4. By using these pages in the Settings notebook, you can create the share profile and begin sharing the device.[[image:Connected-duhe4.gif|thumb|Figure 4. Example of a Settings Notebook for a Shareable Object]]
 * Sharing using drag-and-drop – This method uses the Sharing and Connecting program in the OS/2 Peer folder. Start the Sharing and Connecting program, select the Shares page, then drag and drop a printer or directory resource object into the share page of the Sharing and Connecting program. This method works only for printers or directory resource objects.
 * Sharing by copying – If you have already created a share profile for one resource, you can copy it to create a new share profile for a different resource. This is done on the Shares page of the Sharing and Connecting program notebook. Use the right mouse button to get the pop-up menu of the share profile you would like to copy. Select Copy, then select the resource for which you want to create the profile. Fill out the profile information and save it.
 * Sharing from pull-down menu – From the Sharing and Connecting program notebook, you can select the Shares page, then select the share option from the action bar. Here, you have the option to create a share profile. Select Create, then the resource you want to share. Fill out the profile information and grant access. The share completes upon closing the profile.
 * Sharing by command line – As mentioned earlier, OS/2 Peer's command-line commands and syntaxes are essentially the same as those for OS/2 LAN Requester. To share drive F: with a netname of DRIVEF, enter NET SHARE DRIVEF=F:. For more information about the NET SHARE command, see the Commands and Utilities online book.

Connecting to Devices
Just as there are several different ways to share devices with OS/2 Peer, there are several ways to use or connect to devices as well. As with sharing, you will want to choose the method that best suits the way you work.
 * Connecting through the Sharing and Connecting program – The Sharing and Connecting program notebook has a page called Connections. From this page, you can select Connection from the action bar to create a connection. The Create a Connection screen (Figure 5) prompts you for the name of the workstation and the resource on which it resides. For example, this may be the name of a peer workstation or a domain to which you have access. You can select the workstation from the pull-down menu for that field. The Share/Alias field also has a pull-down menu where you can pick the name or alias of the resource to which you want to connect. Then, depending upon the type of resource you are connecting to, you specify the local device drive letter, printer port, or serial port to which you want to assign this resource. If you want to automatically connect to this resource at logon, click on the checkbox labeled as such (this is the default). If you are connecting to an OS/2 LAN Requester configured as a peer, or to a Windows for Workgroups peer, you may have to enter a password to connect. Click on the Prompt for Password box to enable the Specify Password window when connecting to the resource.
 * Connecting by copying – Similar to the way you are able to share by copying an existing share profile, you can connect by copying an existing connection icon in the Sharing and Connecting program notebook. Selecting Copy brings up the Create a connection dialog and prompts you for the necessary information to make your connection.
 * Connecting by command line – You can connect to resources using the NET USE command on an OS/2 command line. For example, to use a resource located on MYPEER with a netname of DRIVEF as your local drive I:, enter NET USE I: \\MYPEER\DRIVEF. For more information about the NET USE command, see the Commands and Utilities online book. One thing to remember when using the NET commands is that they do not alter or create resource profiles.

If You Share It, They Will Come
OS/2 Peer gives you a full-function peer when you are participating with other OS/2 Peer and OS/2 LAN Server machines. OS/2 Peer is equally as strong in its ability to interoperate with other LAN software systems. OS/2 Peer interoperates with any server message block (SMB)-compliant peer or server on a LAN. This includes Microsoft LAN Manager 2.x, Windows NT Advanced 3.5, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, DOS LAN Services Peer, and even PCLP 1.3. Figure 6 shows some of the capabilities of interoperating with OS/2 Peer and other LAN software. '''Figure 6. Warp Connect Client Interoperability'''

LAN Requester
With all the function in OS/2 Peer, you may wonder why OS/2 LAN Requester would be used in an OS/2 Warp Connect environment.

As discussed previously, LAN Requester provides many of the same functions as the OS/2 Peer, including some peer function. However, LAN Requester provides something that OS/2 Peer does not – the OS/2 LAN Server Administration GUI. If you need to administer an OS/2 LAN Server domain or server using the administration GUI, you will need to install OS/2 LAN Requester. LAN Requester and OS/2 Peer cannot coexist; you must choose one or the other.

LAN Requester does provide some peer function, but it is limited. You can share with only one user at a time. You cannot share multiple printer or serial ports. And you do not have a peer GUI.

If you want to install the Peer services for LAN Requester, you will have to install it from the OS/2 Warp Connect CD using PRODINST.EXE, or you can create the LAN Requester diskettes and install from them. You should also be familiar with the LAN Server commands, because you must do the LAN Requester Peer Services setup and administration from the command line.

In an environment where OS/2 Peer workstations need to browse the LAN Requester Peer Services workstation's resources, you need to share the LAN Requester Peer Services workstation's IPC$ resource. IPC$ is an interprocess communications resource and is not shared by default on a LAN Requester Peer Services workstation with share-level security. To share IPC$, start peer services, log on, and enter NET SHARE IPC$.

LAN Requester can also interoperate with other LAN software. LAN Requester is an SMB-based application and can interoperate with other SMB-based LAN software. Figure 6 shows some LAN Requester interoperability capabilities.

NetWare Client
NetWare Client 2.11 comes with OS/2 Warp Connect and enables access to Novell NetWare 3.x and 4.x servers. Not much is new about the NetWare Client in OS/2 Warp Connect; it is the same NetWare Client that has been available for some time. But one of the biggest enhancements comes in the way of coexistence.

If you have ever tried to configure your OS/2 system with LAN Requester, TCP/IP, and NetWare Client, you know that it takes some effort to get them all loaded and operating together. Now, with the OS/2 Warp Connect install, the products easily install and operate together.

If you are installing the NetWare Client as your only networking software, you can install the native NetWare open datalink interface (ODI) drivers. However, if you install any of the other networking products along with the NetWare Client, you must install Multiple Protocol Transport Services (MPTS) and configure NetWare to use the ODI2NDI driver. ODI is Novell's solution for supporting multiple protocols and is similar to the functions that network driver interface specification (NDIS) provides. But the ODI drivers and NDIS drivers cannot use the same card at the same time. To overcome this problem, IBM has developed the ODI2NDI driver, which provides an interface to the ODI stack. With the ODI2NDI driver, the NetWare protocol drivers are able to use the NDIS interface, so that the NetWare protocols can coexist with the other NDIS protocols on the same adapter.

When installing the NetWare Client with OS/2 Warp Connect, the install program uses your network card's universally administered address (UAA) as the NETADDRESS statement in the PROTOCOL.INI file's ODI2NDI section. This causes a problem if you are migrating a workstation that already has a locally administered address (LAA) defined in the PROTOCOL.INI file's NetBIOS section. The NETADDRESS statement in both the NetBIOS section and the ODI2NDI section of the PROTOCOL.INI file must match. To correct the problem, you can edit the PROTOCOL.INI and match the two addresses.

The TCP/IP Suite
In part one of this article, we discussed how TCP/IP for OS/2 can connect you to TCP/IP networks. Now, let's discuss the applications that TCP/IP for OS/2 supplies to enable you to use these connections.

TCP/IP for OS/2 3.0's installation creates two folders on your system: the TCP/IP folder located in the OS/2 System folder and the IBM Internet Connection for OS/2 folder located on the desktop.

Several of the objects in these folders and their sub-folders are identical. The Internet Connection for OS/2 folder contains objects that are useful when connecting to the Internet over a serial line internet protocol (SLIP) or point-to-point protocol (PPP) connection.

Several Internet Connection for OS/2 objects check to see if you already have a connection before launching the application. If you do not have a connection, you are prompted to call to establish the connection before starting the application. This is done by using a utility named LINKUP. If you look at the settings for a program object in the Internet Connection folder (for example, WebExplorer), you see that the program being executed is LINKUP.EXE, and the EXPLORE.EXE file is referenced as a parameter.

Objects in the TCP/IP folder are configured for use in a LAN-attached environment. The program objects in the TCP/IP folder do not run the LINKUP.EXE program, and therefore do not check to see if you are connected through your dialer.

The functions provided with TCP/IP for OS/2 3.0 include both client and server functions. Client functions include: Telnet for ASCII and EBCDIC terminal emulation; file transfer protocol (FTP) for transferring files between another TCP/IP host; and TALK client for interactively "chatting" with another TCP/IP host that is running the TALKD server. Server functions include: TelnetD server, which enables another TCP/IP host to use Telnet to log on to an OS/2 full-screen session; FTPD server, which enables a TCP/IP host using FTP to access files for uploading and downloading; and TALKD, which enables interactive "chat" between two TCP/IP systems.

Figure 7 lists most of the client and server applications provided with OS/2 Warp Connect's TCP/IP for OS/2 3.0. '''Figure 7. Some Client and Server Applications in TCP/IP for OS/2 3.0'''

WebExplorer
The applications listed in Figure 7 give you access to many different resources, particularly when you use these applications on the Internet.

Probably the most talked-about Internet resource today is the World-Wide Web (WWW). It seems everybody who is anybody is surfing the Web! So let's talk about WebExplorer, OS/2 Warp's World-Wide Web browser.

WebExplorer 1.01 is included with TCP/IP 3.0 in OS/2 Warp Connect. However, you will want to keep up with the newer versions, because enhancements are constantly being made. You can retrieve the latest WebExplorer "golden" code as well as the latest betas from the Internet. FTP to ftp.ibm.net to find the WebExplorer files in the /pub/WebExplorer directory. At the time this article was written, WebExplorer 1.03 was the latest production version, and it contains some nice enhancements over the earlier version.

WebExplorer 1.03 adds support for many HTML 3.0 extensions including text wrapping around images, background bitmaps or wallpaper, and multi-color text.

Previous WebExplorer versions allowed you to drag and drop in-line graphics from Web pages into a desktop folder, thereby copying the graphic into the folder and creating an object for it. WebExplorer 1.02 added the capability to drag and drop uniform resource locators (URLs). If you select (using the right mouse button) anything other than a graphic on a Web page and drag it to a folder, WebExplorer creates an object that references the URL of that Web page. The next time you want to go to that page, you can simply drag and drop the URL object onto the running WebExplorer, and presto – you're there! This new feature enables you to organize your frequently accessed Web pages into different folders, rather than having them all bundled under the Quicklist menu option.

Another WebExplorer feature, one that is not well known, is its ability to configure the number of threads used by TCP/IP to download a Web page. The default number of threads used by WebExplorer is four. By increasing the number of threads, you may be able to decrease the time it takes to load a Web page. Your mileage will vary, depending upon the page being downloaded, the bandwidth of your connection, and so on, but increasing the number of threads can help in typical situations. To increase the number of threads to eight, specify the explore -t 8 parameter on the command line when executing WebExplorer.

Note: The t must be lowercase and preceded by a dash. There must be a space between the t and the number of threads with which you wish to run.

Other command-line parameters supported with WebExplorer are: -p for making WebExplorer palette-aware (i.e., it uses the palette of the graphics shown on Web pages); and -q (for quiet) for suppressing the product information and copyright screen that comes up when you start WebExplorer, as well as the "Are you sure?" screen when exiting WebExplorer.

For more information on IBM's WebExplorer and other Internet Connection Family of products and services, check the World-Wide Web site http://www.ibm.com/Internet/. While you are surfing the Web, you may want to check out some of the other OS/2-related web sites listed in Figure 8. They offer valuable information about the OS/2 family of products, as well as an assortment of other goodies.

'''Figure 8. OS/2-Related Web Sites'''
 * IBM OS/2 Warp Home Page – http://www.austin.ibm.com/pspinfo/os2.html
 * OS/2 Warp Migration Assistant – http://pscc.dfw.ibm.com/warpmi/
 * Team OS/2 Online – http://www.teamos2.org/
 * OS2Web – http://www.intac.com/nnjos2/nnjos2ug.html
 * OS/2 Warp Pharmacy – http://www.zeta.org.au/~jon/WarpPharmacy.html
 * OS/2 Software Library – http://www.state.ky.us/software/os2.html/
 * IBM PC Company Home Page – http://www.pcco.ibm.com/
 * IBM Home Page – http://www.ibm.com/
 * Software Quarterly on the Internet – http://pscc.dfw.ibm.com/sq
 * OS/2 Shareware BBS – http://www.os2bbs.com/
 * OS/2 WWW Home Page – http://www.mit.edu:8001/activities/os2/os2world.html

TCP/IP for OS/2 3.0 gives you all the tools you need to navigate your network – even if that network is the Internet.

If you are familiar with the TCP/IP for OS/2 2.0 products, you know that IBM offers several add-on packages that provide additional functions. These add-on packages include things like Network File System (NFS) support and X-Windows support. The Version 2 add-on packages are supported, and they work on the new TCP/IP for OS/2 3.0 base.

Tools to Use with Your Connections
OS/2 Warp Connect also includes a few tools that can make you more productive in using your new connected environment.

Network SignON Coordinator
Network SignON Coordinator gives you a way to perform a signon/signoff operation on multiple systems. Network SignON Coordinator gives you a single point to manage your passwords on OS/2 LAN Server domains, NetWare servers, hosts, and local facilities. With this tool, you can enter your userid and password at a menu and have your logon request processed at any number of OS/2 LAN Server domain controllers, NetWare servers, and hosts.

AskPSP
AskPSP is a database of answers to questions and problems concerning OS/2 Warp, LAN Requester, LAN Distance, and NetWare Client for OS/2. AskPSP uses CasePoint, an intuitive search tool that helps you find the answers you seek. You can use keywords or full sentences to describe your problem, and AskPSP presents you with questions to further refine your search.

Updated AskPSP information is available on the Technical Connection CD-ROM. This CD-ROM is updated on a periodic basis. For more information about the Technical Connection CD-ROM, call (800) 992-4777.

Lotus Notes Express
The third CD-ROM that comes with OS/2 Warp Connect contains Lotus Notes Express, which is the entry product into the Notes family. There are three tiers:
 * Notes Express, which comes with predefined databases and only lets you access those types of databases
 * Notes Desktop, which adds the ability to access any type of Notes database
 * Notes, the full version, which adds the administration and development tools

If you want to upgrade, Lotus has made it simple. You'll just need to upgrade your server's address book – you do not have to add any software to your client or server to perform the upgrade. Of course, the price you pay for this ease of use is in disk space. Plan on using about 40 MB for a default installation of the Lotus Notes Express product. Lotus Notes Express in OS/2 Warp Connect comes with seven Notes database templates, which is two more templates than standard Notes Express has. The seven databases are:
 * Name and Address
 * Customer Tracking
 * Discussion Database
 * Mail
 * News
 * Phone Book
 * Reference Documents

CONNECTed and Happy
OS/2 Warp Connect is full of networking products that get you connected in almost any environment. One of its most impressive applications is the one that installs the components of OS/2 Warp Connect, even over a LAN. The networking products that make up OS/2 Warp Connect have been enhanced and tuned to work in this environment.

If you're aiming to get connected in your local LAN environment or to the Internet, OS/2 Warp Connect is the coolest way to go!