*TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups. (free driver from Microsoft Corp.)  (Lab Notes) 
PC Week  Feb 21, 1994 v11 n7 p75(1)

TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups. (free driver from Microsoft
Corp.)  (Lab Notes) 

by	Blakeley, Michael

Abstract
Microsoft Corp's free TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups network
software installs easily to provide TCP/IP connectivity for peer
microcomputers running the Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.11
(WFW) network operating system. WINSOCK.DLL compliance allows
TCP/IP for WFW to support the many commercial and public-domain
TCP/IP and Internet connectivity programs for Microsoft Windows that
are currently available. No applications except ping come with the
program itself, however, not even ftp or telnet. The program works well
for clients that only use WFW's own NetBEUI protocol via the NDIS-3
networking drivers to communicate with other WFW peers and Windows
NT machines. All bets are off, however, for WFW peers that are also run
Novell Inc's IPX and the NetBIOS protocols. TCP/IP for WFW uses the
NDIS-2 drivers, while IPX requires either the ODI or NDIS-3 drivers,
leading to compatibility problems. Worse, since each protocol requires
about 50Kbytes conventional memory, there is not enough free RAM
under MS-DOS to run all at once.

Full Text
TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups

For users of Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Microsoft Corp. last month
released its own implementation of TCP/IP that complies with the
WINSOCK.DLL specification. Thus, you can choose from the many
commercial and public-domain Windows programs written to the
WINSOCK.DLL interface.

Out of the box, Windows for Workgroups includes the NetBEUI protocol
stack needed for peer-to-peer connections to other WFW machines and
to computers running Windows NT. Microsoft's TCP/IP requires that
Windows for Workgroups use the NDIS-3 networking drivers so NetBEUI
and TCP/IP can coexist. TCP/IP for WFW installed very smoothly.

After downloading the selfunzipping executable file from
FTP.MICROSOFT.COM and expanding it, we put the contents onto a floppy.
We then started WFW, opened the Network Setup program, and added the
new network protocol from the floppy disk. A dialog box asked us for our
IP address, TCP/IP for WFW automatically picked the correct netmask,
and we were done.

Problems arose, however, when we added Novell Inc.'s IPX protocol to
the mix, and when we installed NetBIOS, everything blew up. Microsoft
officials said the TCP/IP stack requires NDIS-2 drivers, whereas IPX
uses ODI or NDIS-3, and sent over an updated installation document. Even
after we followed Microsoft's six pages of faxed instructions, we still
had problems. IPX, NetBEUI, NetBIOS, and TCP/IP each take up about 50K
bytes of conventional memory, and that spells trouble.

Even with help from MS-DOS 6.2's MemMaker, we couldn't free up enough
RAM to use the client normally. If you're on a network with Lotus
Development Corp.'s Notes, Unix systems, NetWare, and Windows NT, this
will be a problem. But if you're on an all-NetBEUI network and connected
to the Internet, TCP/IP for WFW will work well.

The product is free, and the installation is easy, when it works at all. As
an unexpected bonus, the WFW TCP/IP driver actually works in DOS, too.

Note, though, that Microsoft supplies only a PING.EXE with its TCP/IP
driver. For telnet, ftp, or other similar functions, you'll have to use a
Windows Sockets program (the dynamic link library is provided), or even
write your own. The WFW TCP/IP driver is available on CompuServe (GO
MSCLIENT), on the Internet (ftp.microsoft.com:/Advsys/ MSclient/WFW),
and on Microsoft's bulletin-board service (206-936-6735).

Microsoft, of Redmond, Wash., can be reached at (800) 426-9400.