Setting Up a LAN on Warp 4, Part 1



By: Walter Metcalf
Dateline: 12/08/99

This week we are beginning an extended series under the general heading, "OS/2 Peer Networking." Because this is such a large topic, we'll have to limit it in some way. Here are the three main areas we will be examining:

  1. Setting Up a Home LAN using OS/2 Warp 4.

  2. Setting up Internet on Cable (using Rogers@Home) on OS/2 Warp 4.1

  3. Setting Up InJoy FireWall on a LAN with Internet Cable.
Some of these topics will require several weeks to deal with properly. As a result this could become a very long series! Therefore, from time to time, to give us all a break we'll take a week off and deal with an unrelated, somewhat lighter subject.

Let us begin.

Setting Up a LAN on Warp 4

The first issue to be decided is how to install the Networking Software. The most straightforward way is, of course, to load your OS/2 Warp CD, and start the Install.cmd program on the CD. However this may not be the best, or even the quickest way. If you have or have had the Internet or Networking on your system, then you should consider reinstalling your entire system from scratch, including the Networking as a component of this new install. A careful examination of the installation procedure seems to indicate that is the way the designers of OS/2 Warp 4 intended the installation program to be used. This will take more time initially, but will result in a cleaner system, and probably save you time later on.

I have found in the past, especially if I have had some networking or Internet software installed for some time, and had added fixpaks, that when I tried later to add more components of the Networking system, the Install either hung and/or the Networking software did not behave properly.

However, if you feel your system, especially the Internet and Networking components, are clean and haven't exhibited any anomalies, then you may be confident enough to skip the initial OS/2 Warp installation and proceed directly to the Network Install.

  1. OS/2 Warp Re-Install

    • The way I've chosen to proceed is to construct another (logical) partition next to your current one, keeping one of the two partitions hidden at all times using Partition Magic or some other utility.2 In this way, you'll always be able to go back to your original system, and both systems will also have the same drive letter.

    1. Create a formatted partition of at least 250 MB adjacent to your current Warp partition.

    2. Copy files not distributed with OS/2 to a data drive.

      • TIP: If possible back up (without changing archive flags--full copy) your system drive(s) to mass storage (e.g. tape) This can save considerable time later.

    3. Use NIC utility program to determine the following information for each card and write it down. (The programs RMView [use the parameter '/DA'] and ScanPCI can also be used for this purpose.) The numbers shown are examples only. Only one NIC is required for for the LAN. The second NIC is for the cable modem and can be added later.

      1. Slot 1 (Top)

        1. IRQ=10

        2. MAC (or Node) Address=00a0cc32349f

      2. Slot 2 (Bottom)

        1. IRQ=11 (Bottom)

        2. MAC (or Node) Address=00a0cc277d91

      3. Use Partition Magic or another utility to hide current Warp partition.

      4. Install OS/2 Warp 4

        • Just follow your normal installation procedure up to and including the Selective Install screens. No special instructions are required.

        Next week we'll examine the Networking installation in detail.

—Walter Metcalf

Next week: Setting Up a LAN on Warp 4, Part 2

Notes

1 See also the @Home Web site. If you're wondering why Internet Cable is part of this series, it's because when you connect your computer up to a cable modem, you are hooking your computer up to a large network, hosted by your cable company. To support it, OS/2 uses the same mechanisms and objects it does to run your LAN.

2 See http://www.delphi.com/ab-os2/messages?msg=166.9 for a report of PQMagic, a component of Partition Magic 4.0, which allows you to easily manipulate hidden partitions. Note: I have not tried this product myself.


 Unless otherwise noted, all content on this site is Copyright © 2004, VOICE