PPP Installation For Windows 95-98

Windows 95/98 includes Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). PPP enables the use of TCP/IP over a dial-up connection (e.g., a modem). PPP configuration is very similar to the configuration of TCP/IP on LAN adapter. The first step is to install the Dial-Up Networking component. (If Dial-Up Adapter has been installed in your system then skip to TCP/IP Installation section). Run Add/Remove Program from the Control Panel, click on the Windows Setup tab, (see Figure A) there you double click on the Communications in the Components subwindows. Check the Dial-Up Networking box and click OK. The Dial-Up Networking component will be loaded from one of the Windows 95/98 diskettes or from the Windows 95/98 CD ROM. Click OK to restart the computer.

 

Figure A: Add/Remove Programs Properties window

To install the Dial-Up Adapter run Network from the Control Panel and click on the Add button. In the Select Network Component Type window, highlight Adapter and click Add. The Select Network adapters window shown in figure 1 appears.

 

Figure 1: Selecting the PPP Adapter

Highlight Microsoft in the Manufacturers subwindow and Dial-Up Adapter in the Network Adapter box. Click OK. The PPP device driver will be loaded from one of the Windows 95/98 diskettes or from the Windows 95/98 CD ROM. You may be warned that you are only allowed to have one dial-up adapter. You can ignore the warning. The system returns to the Network window, which shows that the new network components are installed. One of the new components is, of course, the Dial-Up Adapter. Figure 2 shows the Network Configuration after Dial-Up Adapter has been installed.

 

Figure 2: Dial-Up Adapter with other components

TCP/IP Installation To connect to the Internet, you must install TCP/IP. Windows 95/98 will automatically allow (bind) TCP/IP to work with the Microsoft Dial-UP adapter. To install TCP/IP, from the Network option in Control Panel, click the Add button. In the Select Network Component Type dialog box, double-click on Protocol. In the Select Network Protocol dialog box, in the Manufacturers list, click Microsoft and then in the Network Protocol list, click TCP/IP. Click OK.

Complete the basic PPP configuration by highlighting Dial-UP Adapter and clicking Properties. When finished, click on OK. The window shown in figure 3 appears.

 

Figure 3: PPP Adapter Configuration

The window contains several tabs. Advanced, Binding, and Driver Type are the main focus of the content. The Advanced tab sets the following PPP properties:

Record a log file: Set this value to No. When you want to create a log of a session for debugging or other purposes you can set this value to Yes. But don't forget you have set it to Yes. Log files can grow very large.

Use IPX header compression: Set this value to Yes unless the remote server cannot support IPX header compression.

The Bindings tab associates transport protocols with the dial-up adapter. Make sure that TCP/IP is checked on this tab.

The Driver Type tab defines the type of driver used with the dial-up adapter. The default is Enhanced mode (32-bit and 16-bit)NDIS driver and it's the one you should probably use. Click OK when finish configuring.

TCP/IP Configuration To configure TCP/IP, highlight it and click Properties. The TCP/IP Properties window shown in Figure 4 appears. Please note that some people might have one more tab than the displayed figure. That tab is called NetBios. The configuration in there is to be left alone.

 

Figure 4: TCP/IP Properties

The TCP/IP Properties window contains many tabs. Three of these affect the NetBIOS configuration:

Advanced: You do not need to do anything for this tab.

Binding: This tab identifies the network components that communicate over TCP/IP. Make sure that all of the Microsoft network components listed under this tab are selected.

WINS Configuration: You want to disable WINS and use DNS on a TCP/IP network.

The three other tabs, IP Address, Gateway, and DNS Configuration, are critical for the TCP/IP configuration.

IP Address: Select Obtain an IP address automatically

Note: The following Gateway and DNS IP numbers are only for the ECN PPP dialup. If you have an ISP, they will supply you with the appropriate Gateway and DNS IP numbers.

Gateway: Leave this area blank.

DNS Configuration: Make sure that you select Enable DNS and enter your name (it does not matter what you insert here, as long as something is there in order for the DNS to works) for the Host subwindow. For the Domain subwindow, enter ecn.purdue.edu, for the DNS Server Search Order, enter 128.46.154.76 (this is the IP for harbor.ecn) and click on the Add button. Another DNS that you may want to add is 128.46.154.98 (this is the IP for pier.ecn) The last item is Domain Suffix Search Order subwindow, enter ecn.purdue.edu and click on the Add button. Other domains you could add are cc.purdue.edu and cs.purdue.edu. Once everything is set the way you wanted, click OK and restart the system. The DNS Configuration tab shown in Figure 5 appears.

 

Figure 5: DNS Configuration

 

Making the PPP Connection
When the system reboots, it installs the Dial-Up Networking folder in My Computer on your desktop. To set up your PPP network connection, open the Dial-Up Networking folder. The first time you open it, the modem installation wizard runs if a modem has not yet been installed.

After the modem driver is properly installed, the Dial-Up Networking folder opens to show the Make New Connection icon. Double click the icon to run the "new connection" wizard. Figure 6 shown the opening window of this wizard. Enter a unique name to identify the connection, use something descriptive. Click Next and enter the phone number of the remote server in the appropriate boxes of the second window. This is all the wizard will request from you.

 

Figure 6: New Connection Wizard

You may, however, want to make sure that the modem is properly configured for this connection. Enter the dial-up phone number that you obtained from your Site Specialist in the Telephone number box. To review or modify the modem configuration, high light the selected modem and click the Configure button. ( See Figure 7) The modem configuration for ECN PPP.

 

Figure 7: Modem Configuration

This configuration window contains three tabs, four if you have Dial-Up Scripting (You do not have to have Dial-Up Scripting). General, Connection, and Options. The General tab is used to set the baud rate and the COM port. The COM port should be correctly set by the modem wizard. The baud rate, however, may need to be adjusted because of the performance characteristics of the remote server to which you are connecting.

The Connection tab allows you to set the data bits and parity, which should be the same value as shown on Figure 7 for ECN PPP connection.

The Advanced button allows you to set the type of flow control, for optimal performance checked the Use flow control and the Hardware (RTS/CTS) box.

The most important item in the Options tab is labeled Connection Control. It contains check boxes that allow you to bring up a terminal window before or after the computer dials the remote system. The only box that should be checked is the Display modem status box. When everything is set up the way you wanted, click OK to exit the new connection wizard. It creates a new icon in the Dial-Up Networking folder and labels it with the name you provided.

To configure Type of Dial-Up Server, click on this new icon, click File and click on Properties. There you'll see two buttons, Configure and Server Type. Click on Server Type to make sure only Log on to network, Enable software compression, and TCP/IP box are checked (see Figure 8.) Click on TCP/IP Setting button. When the TCP/IP Setting window opens make sure that both the Use IP header compression and Use default gateway on remote network boxes are checked.

 

Figure 8: Server type configuration window

To open the connection to the remote system. Open up Dial-Up Networking folder in My Computer icon. Now double-click on the icon that has labeled with the name you provided. Insert your user name and password in the User name and Password windows. Click Connect, the computer will dial the remote system. Once you are connected, you can minimize the Connected to window and start your internet programs. Figure 9 shows the Connect to window and figure 10 shows the PPP connected window.

 

Figure 9: PPP Connection window

 

Figure 10: PPP Connected window