Using Windows 95 with OTC IBC (Direct PPP) Serial Connections

by H. D. Knoble, hdk@psu.edu

Penn State University

Center for Academic Computing

02/06/1998

 

Introduction

 

This document tells how to configure Windows 95 to effect an IBC (direct PPP) connection as supported by Penn State Office of Telecommunications. Penn State gratefully acknowledges that this has been made possible by a Windows 95/NT Modem Information File researched, created and contributed by Kevin Wells, a senior in Computer Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, via his Web page:

 

http://www.vt.edu:10021/K/kewells/net/

 

I. Installing the Modem INF File

 

1. If not already installed, install Windows 95 Dial-Up Networking. Concrete step-by-step instructions for doing this may be found Step 2 of the document:

ftp://ftp.cac.psu.edu/pub/access/win95/w95-dial.doc

2. Obtain Kevin Well’s Modem Information ASCII file, MDMCBXNT.INF. This is available from his Web page cited above, or from:

ftp://ftp.cac.psu.edu/pub/access/win95/otcibc/mdmcbxnt.inf

Copy this to your local PC as file: C:\WINDOWS\mdmcbxnt.inf

 

3. Click START/Settings/Control Panel and launch (double-click) Modems icon.

a) Click the "Add" button

b) In the next window, check the "Don’t detect box , then click "Next>".

c) Click "Have Disk..." button and in the next dialog box enter the path to the file that you copied in the previous step, namely C:\WINDOWS. Click OK.

d) Click on "NT Direct Connection"

e) Click on the "Next>" button.

f) Click on the COM port (Eg.,COM1) where your direct connection is; then click "Next>".

g) After the next window appears, click the "Finish" button. At this point the title of the modem ("NT Direct Connection") should appear in the modem list.

h) Click "Close". This completes the null modem installation.

 

II. Create an OTC IBC Direct Connection Connectoid

 

1. On the Windows 95 Desktop, open (double-click) the folder: My Computer

2. Open Dial-Up Networking folder

a) Double-click the icon "Make New Connection"

b) For "the name of the computer your dialing" enter: OTC IBC PPP

c) "Select a modem" as "NT Direct Connection"

d) Click the "Configure..." button

e) Click the "General" tab and choose from the "Maximum speed" list: 57600 and check the box "Only connect at this speed."

f) Click the "Connections" tab and choose from lists: "Data Bits: 8"; ‘Parity: None"; "Stop Bits: 1". Under "Call preferences" UNcheck all three boxes.

i) Click "Advanced" button and check box, "Use error control" and "Compress data"; Click Use Flow Control box, and choose "Hardware RTS/CTS" bullet.

ii) Click OK

g) Click the "Options"tab and under "Connection Control" check only the box, "Bring up terminal window AFTER dialing. Then click OK.

h) Click "Next>" button

i) Type in any number for the "Telephone number", Eg., 12345 will do.

i) Click "Next>" button; then click "Finish" button. The Icon titled "OTC IBC PPP" will appear in the Dial-up Networking Folder.

 

III. Configure OTC IBC PPP to meet OTC’s Specifications

 

1. Right-click the "OTC IBC PPP" icon created in the previous steps. Choose "Properties" from the pull-down menu.

2. On "General" tab click "Server Type" button

a) Under "Advanced Options" check box, "Enable software compression"

b) Click "TCP/IP Settings..." button

i) Click bullet, "Specify IP Address" and fill in the IP address assigned to you for your IBC connection by OTC.

ii) Click bullet "Specify Name Server Address" and fill in name server addresses, "Primary:" 128.118.25.3; "Secondary:" 130.203.1.4

iii) Check both boxes at bottom of this screen: "Use IP header compression" and "Use default gateway on remote network."

iv) Click OK

c) Click OK

3. Click OK; this completes configuration.

 

IV. Connect to the IBC PPP Server

 

  1. Open Desktop folder, "My Computer" then "Dial-up Networking" folder
  2. Double-click the "OTC IBC PPP" icon
  3. Click the "Connect" button. When the "Post dial Terminal Screen pops up, wait to see a line of random characters, then click the "Continue (F7)" button or press F7.
  4. The "Connected to OTC IBC PPP" window should pop up. You are now connected to the PSU network and may minimize this window to get it out of the way. To terminate the connection, click the "Disconnect" button in this window.

 

  1. Trouble Shooting

 

  1. If the connection works, but fails to send large packets (e.g.. a large email message times out) try rolling back the port’s Transmit buffer speed :
    1. Open Win95 Desktop folder, "My Computer" and then the Dialup Networking folder.
    2. Right-click the OTCIBC connectoid and choose "Properties"
    3. Left-click: the "General" tab; "Connection" tab; and Configure" button.
    4. Left-click "Ports" Button.
    5. Drag back the "Transmit buffer" speed to lowest setting.

     

  2. Try the connection and if it works, try increasing the "Transmit" buffer speed until it fails again; then reduce it one "notch" and verify it works properly again.