Tech Tips and TCP/IP Basics for DiskAccess on Windows NT4.0 and Windows 2000/XP

This document will teach basics on TCP/IP Networking and will help you get DiskAccess running on Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000/XP. It is written from a support analyst’s point of view and deals primarily with the necessary steps that a user needs to take to install and configure DiskAccess. A basic knowledge of Unix, Windows NT or 2000/XP, and networking is required.

This document includes the following Sections:

DiskAccess Windows NT/2000/XP Installation Requirements
TCP/IP Basics
Resolving Hostnames for Windows NT/2000/XP and Unix
Installing DiskAccess on Windows NT/2000/XP
DiskAccess Tech Tips

Section 1: DiskAccess Windows NT/2000/XP Installation Requirements

What is DiskAccess? DiskAccess is a kernel-based network file system (NFS) client that enables a Windows NT or 2000/XP machine to connect to Unix file systems and other NFS server systems.

Before installing the DiskAccess software on your PC, ensure that the system on which you want to use the software has the following 2 features:

Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 operating system or Windows 2000/XP
To determine what version of Windows you are running: Key in ‘winver’ at the Dos Command Prompt, a dialog displays providing your Windows version.
The Windows TCP/IP service software properly configured and running.
Notes
You must remove all other NFS client software from your machine before installing DiskAccess. If more than one NFS client is present on the system, neither works correctly.

Section 2: TCPIP Basics

The Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol is the default wide area network protocol that provides communication across diverse interconnected networks.The TCP/IP service software is installed by the operating system; however, it is up to the user to properly configure it.

Note

TCP/IP must be installed and properly configured on your PC prior to the DiskAccess Windows NT/2000/XP installation.

1. To determine if TCP/IP is installed on your machine, follow the instructions below,

On Windows NT: Go to Control Panel - Network - Protocols and verify that the TCP/IP Protocol is listed as an installed network protocol.

On Windows 2000/XP: Right-click on the desktop icon, My Network Places and click Properties. The Network and Dial-up Connections Dialog displays, right-click on Local Area Connection andclick Properties. Another dialog displays, using the mouse, scroll down the Components list and verify that the TCP/IP Protocol is listed.

a. If the TCP/IP Protocol is NOT installed, do NOT install DiskAccess. You must install, configure, and start the TCP/IP service, preferably with Domain Name System (DNS) support enabled, then install DiskAccess. Refer to your Windows documentation for more information about the TCP/IP service and DNS.

b. If the TCP/IP Protocol has been installed, verify that it is properly configured. At the DOS Command prompt, key in, ipconfig /all

Network information displays in the Command window as shown in Figure 1.

From Figure 1, verify that you have valid and/or similar results for:

Host Name:         (bbtpc)
IP Address:          (192.168.0.114)
Subnet Mask:       (255.255.0.0)
DNS Servers:       (192.168.0.115)

From the results above, this machine’s unique hostname (or nodename) is bbtpc. The fully qualified name (or FQN) is bbtpc.ssc.com and the IP Address for bbtpc is 192.168.0.114.

Other machines on the network can reach this PC provided that it is recognizable by the other machines by use of its FQN, its IP Address, or its unique hostname.

Note

In order for DiskAccess to successfully connect to Unix file systems, the Unix machine must be able to ping the PC by its unique hostname. Conversely, the PC must be able to ping the Unix machine by its hostname.

2. Verify that both the Unix machine and the PC can ping each other (by their unique hostnames) in both directions. Network connectivity must be tested in both directions. In the example below, the Unix unique hostname is hplab2 and the PC unique hostname is bbtpc.

a. At the PC’s DOS prompt, ping the NFS Server, key in:

ping hplab2

If the ping is successful, you will get back a reply from the Windows system providing the correct IP Address for hplab2, for example:

Pinging hplab2 [192.168.0.119] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.0.119
Reply from 192.168.0.119
Reply from 192.168.0.119

b. At the Unix command line prompt, ping the PC hostname to verify that the Unix machine can reach the PC:

ping bbtpc

If the ping is successful, you will get a reply back from the Unix system similar to:

bbtpc.ssc.com is alive - OR -      PING bbtpc: 56 data bytes
bbtpc.ssc.com is alive                 64 bytes from 192.168.0.114
                                                         64 bytes from 192.168.0.114
                                                           64 bytes from 192.168.0.114

c. If Steps 2a and b are successful, then you are ready to install DiskAccess. Continue to Section 4 for details on installation. If you are NOT able to ping the Unix and PC machines by hostname in both directions, install DiskAccess with a “Typical” installation, then continue to the Section 3.

Note

You are NOT ready to connect to Unix resources or configure DiskAccess until you can successfully ping the PC hostname from the Unix machine and then the Unix hostname from the PC.

Section 3: Resolving Hostnames for Windows NT/2000 and Unix

TCP/IP networks require a name resolution service to convert computer hostnames to IP addresses and IP addresses to computer hostnames. Two popular naming resolution methods are: Domain Naming System (DNS) and the operating system’s hosts file.

1. DNS requires a network administrator to configure and maintain a list of hostnames and IP Addresses. DNS Servers contain information about a portion of the DNS database, making computer names available to client resolvers that query for name resolution across the network.

You can determine if you are running DNS to resolve your hostname by reviewing the results of ipconfig /all shown in Figure 1 of this document. If there are any entries for DNS Servers, then you are running DNS.

a. If you were NOT able to ping your Unix and PC machine in both directions by hostname, check the DNS Servers and confirm if you have correct name resolution. Select Start - Programs –DiskAccess - DNS Query.

The DNS Query Dialog puts your local PC’s hostname in the query box by default. Select Query. The PC sends a question to the DNS Server asking for the Fully Qualified Name.

The results of a DNS Query appear in another dialog, as shown in Figure 2.

Note

In a DNS Query test, you must check the entry in the “ANSWERS” field to confirm that you have correct results for the your hostname resolution.

b. Verify that the results in “ANSWERS” yield the correct FQN and the appropriate IP Address of your PC. Figure 2 represents a DNS server successfully resolving bbtpc to bbtpc.ssc.com and 192.168.0.114. If this is incorrect, you must notify the DNS Administrator and request that this machine be updated with correct information.

c. Follow steps 1a and b, using the Unix unique host name for the DNS query name. Verify that the results in “ANSWERS” yield the correct FQN and the appropriate IP Address.

d. If your DNS results are incorrect or if you are still having problems establishing network connectivity between the Unix and PC, contact your network administrator and verify that these machines have been properly configured in the DNS database for all DNS servers.

e. To determine if the DNS configuration is or is not the problem, disable DNS, and use the operating system’s hosts file for name resolution.

2. Hostname resolution can also be determined by utilizing the operating system’s hosts file (not the lmhosts file or hosts.sam). The hosts file is a local text file that maps IP Addresses to hostnames of networking computers inside and outside the local Subnet.

a. In Windows, this file is stored in the, ..\%Systemroot%\System32\drivers\etc directory, where %Systemroot% is your Windows NT or Windows 2000 directory. An example of the hosts file is given below:

127.0.0.1                     localhost
192.168.0.119               hplab2
192.168.0.114               bbtpc
192.168.0.63                 gurneypc
192.168.0.117               labclix

If you were NOT able to ping your Unix machine from the PC by it’s hostname, edit hosts for the correct hostname and IP Address for your Unix File Server. Rereading the hosts information is automatic on a PC and a reboot is not necessary. Try pinging the Unix machine again after modifying the hosts file.

CAUTION

The hosts file can be modified using Window’s Notepad; however, you must verify that this file ends in a carriage return.

b. On most UNIX machines, hosts is located in the /etc directory. If you were NOT able to ping the PC hostname from the Unix machine, edit the hosts file for the correct hostname and IP Address of your PC. Rereading the hosts information is automatic on Unix and a reboot is not necessary. Try pinging the PC again after modifying the hosts file.

c. If you are still having problems with the network connectivity between these machines using hostnames, contact your Network Support for assistance.

Note

You are NOT ready to connect to Unix resources or configure DiskAccess until you can successfully ping hostnames in both directions.

Section 4: Installing DiskAccess on Windows NT/2000/XP

You are ready to install DiskAccess after you have confirmed that TCP/IP is installed and is properly configured.

1. From the DiskAccess Installation media, double-click or run: setup.exe

2. Enter your information for software serialization: User Name, Company Name, Serial Number.

Note

Customers that want to run DiskAccess in evaluation mode can download it from the NFS WEB Homepage, http://www.accessnfs.com./

Select TRY IT FREE, register, then click DiskAccess for Intel Windows 95/98/NT. Evaluation License information is automatically generated during the DiskAccess setup and the license is valid for 30 days.

3. Specify a directory to install DiskAccess on your local PC. The default is C:\Program Files\DiskAccess.

4. The DiskAccess installation allows you to specify which type of installation you want, such as, Typical, Compact, or Custom. Note, that a Compact installation does NOT install networking tools used for troubleshooting. It is highly recommended that you install utilities: RPC Information, Show Mounts, DNS Query, Ping, and Telnet options.

During a Custom installation, you can select from the following options:

NFS Utilities: RPC Information
TCP Services: NTP Server, RSH Server
TCP Utility: Finger
TCP Utility: FTP Client
Terminal Emulation: Telnet
Text Conversion Utility: Dos2Unix
NFS Utilities: Show Mounts
TCP Utility: DNS Query
TCP Utility: Ping
TCP Utility: NTP Client
Terminal Emulation: Telnet3270 - unsupported
Terminal Emulation: Telnet5250 - unsupported

During the DiskAccess installation, you are allowed to pre-define settings for user authentication. The Authentication process is used to obtain NFS credentials to maintain security across NFS resources. For more details on Authentication see Section 5.

Note

A REBOOT is necessary after DiskAccess has been installed on your machine.

After rebooting and after you logon, DiskAccess will prompt you “to accept the current NFS Login” or “to reject these NFS credentials” as shown in Figure 3.

NFS Credentials are used to maintain security across NFS resources. By default DiskAccess allows you to access NFS resources as “anonymous” or UID/GID = -2/-1 as shown below. You can choose to select “Yes” to accept the current login or “No” to key in new NFS credentials.

Section 5: DiskAccess Windows NT/2000/XP Tech Tips

1. You are ready to connect to Unix file systems to your PC if:

You have verified that the TCP/IP Protocol has been installed and is properly configured.
You can successfully ping the Unix and PC in both directions by their hostnames.
You have installed DiskAccess.
You have rebooted after installing DiskAccess.

2. What does DiskAccess Authentication mean? By default, DiskAccess allows access to NFS resources as “anonymous”. This access is only available if the NFS Server is configured for anonymous access. Unfortunately, most anonymous connections are limited to read-only operations.

Access to NFS servers is controlled by IP Address, Unix User ID and Group ID (or UID and GID). By establishing these credentials, the NFS server is able to control read, write, and execute privileges during file access. The process of acquiring a UID/GID pair for a non-UNIX NFS client is known as authentication.

During PCNFSD authentication, a Unix server compares the username and password with its password file. If the username and password match one in the file, the authentication server returns a corresponding user ID (UID) and group ID (GID), which are used to identify the user to the NFS server for operations such as browsing and mounting NFS resources. If authentication fails and if anonymous access is permitted, the connection will be made with the “anonymous” account, or an ID pair of (-2, -1).

3. DiskAccess offers two methods of authentication: a Unix server running the PCNFSD process and a NIS Domain.

a. PCNFSD is a process that runs on Unix and allows PC’s to authenticate and print to Unix servers.

To verify if a Unix machine has the PCNFSD process running, select Start - Programs -DiskAccess - RPC Information. Select the List Registered RPC Programs on ‘node’ option and enter the Unix machine’s unique hostname in the Node Name or Address field, then hit Apply.

Another dialog appears containing Registered Program information. Verify that the PCNFSD process is present in this dialog, by scrolling down the list and locating PCNFSD program. If PCNFSD is NOT present in this dialog, look in the Start - DiskAccess - DiskAccess FAQ for details on how to obtain this process for your type of Unix system.

b. To authenticate using an NIS Domain, you must know the NIS Domain Name. You must also know the NIS Domain Server name (or IP Address) if the Unix server containing the NIS master password file is on a different network segment than the DiskAccess machine.

Note

DiskAccess NIS authentication is established using a TCP/IP broadcast. By default, most routers do not pass a TCP/IP broadcast; therefore, you must know your NIS Domain Server name when the machine containing the NIS password file exists on a server that resides on a different LAN than the PC.

c. Authentication can be established at the Control Panel - DiskAccess - Authentication Dialog. DiskAccess modifications at Control Panel are global settings and are maintained throughout all the NFS connections.

d. In the Authentication Dialog, key in a valid Username and Password for an existing Unix account on the PCNFSD Server or an account that resides in the NIS Domain.

e. Now specify the appropriate authentication method, PCNFSD Server or NIS Domain Name. If you have selected PCNFSD Server, enter the hostname of the Unix server running the PCNFSD process. If you have selected NIS Domain Name, enter the correct NIS Domain Name. (You must also key in the NIS Server Name if the NIS master password resides on a machine that is on a different network segment than the DiskAccess machine). Now select OK.

If authentication is successful, DiskAccess displays a dialog similar to the one in Figure 4, allowing you to accept the current NFS credentials or to reattempt another authentication.

If authentication or NFS Login is unsuccessful, DiskAccess displays an alert box similar to the one in Figure 5, allowing you to accept the current NFS credentials or to reattempt another authentication.

If you received an NFS Login failure, try authenticating again after i) verifying that the username and password are valid and have been entered correctly in the appropriate fields, and ii) verifying that the network connectivity’s are successful between the PC and the PCNFSD Server or the NIS Domain Server.

After the authentication process, the connection to NFS file system occurs. The privileges and permissions for the current UID / GID will be maintained during the connection.

4. Ready to make an NFS Connection? Before establishing an NFS network connection, it is recommended that you verify that Unix file systems have been exported and that you have access to these exports.

a. Select the Start - Programs - DiskAccess - Show Mounts. Specify the List Exported File Systems option, and enter the Unix unique hostname in the Server Name or Address field. Another dialog appears containing two columns: a list of exported file systems from the Unix server and their respective Access Control List (ACL). The ACL contains a list of machines that have special access to that specific export.

b. For testing purposes record an exported file system that is not restricted or gives access to “everyone”.

5. Create an NFS connection by testing an exported file system available to “everyone”. Contact your Unix Administrator and request one if there is not an export available to everyone.

a. Use the Map Network Drive Utility from Explorer as shown in Figure 6 to make an NFS connection. Key in the Universal Naming Convention (UNC), in the Path field, where the UNC syntax is, \\NFSserver_name\export_name

In the figure above, the export available to “everyone” (or all machines) is \usr\test2, the NFS server is “bbtws” and the Drive Letter is G. After selecting OK from the Map Network Drive Dialog, the DiskAccess Authentication Dialog appears. You can choose to make this connection with the DiskAccess global authentication settings or you can modify settings and key in another NFS username and password.

Notes

Do not key in any parameters in the Connect_As field for NFS connections.

Also if you would like this connection to reconnect every time you logon to Windows, click Reconnect_at_Logon.

b. DiskAccess indicates if the NFS Login is successful (or unsuccessful) and the Unix file system, \\bbtws\usr\test2, is connected as the drive letter, G, on the local PC. Files and directories on the Unix server can be modified, copied, or deleted from the PC, provided that the present UID/GID have the appropriate permissions to do so.

c. If the NFS Login is unsuccessful or if the NFS connection fails, verify that,

You have entered the authentication username and password correctly.
You can ping the Unix server and the PC in both directions by hostname.
The exported file system is available to “everyone” or that your PC hostname (or fully qualified name) has access to the export.

Note

If the ACL for the export provides the fully qualified domain name, then network connectivity tests and connections must be based on the fully qualified domain name.

6. What about optimization? Optimizing DiskAccess may be necessary at times. For instance, if you have other networks installed or if your NFS connections are noticeably slow, then you may want to do the following:

a. When creating NFS connections, use the NFS syntax for the NFS Resource Path field, see below,

NFSServer_name:/export_name

b. Move the NFS Network to the top of the Network Access Order List.

On Windows NT: Select Control Panel-Network-Services-Network Access Order and move up NFS Network in the Network Providers list.

On Windows 2000/XP: Right-click My Network Places, then select Properties. Click Advanced – Advanced Settings then select the Provider Order Tab from the dialog. Move up NFS Network in the Network Providers list.