[ct-user] Using nettsr (ethernet networking) with newer computers - NDIS drivers

[Mark Bailey]

Good day, all:

After some research, I have been successful taking my new Dell
Laptop and using it under DOS on a CT ethernet network.
The Broadcom 570x Gigabit ethernet controller does not have
a "DOS Packet Driver" which is what you typically need to
use nettsr.

It turns out that you can use an NDIS2 driver with nettsr if you
do the appropriate magic.  The Broadcom controller (and many others)
DO have ndis2 drivers.  NOTE:  If there is a packet driver
available for your ethernet controller, it will be easier to use
that!

The hardest part of doing this is identifying your ethernet
chipset.  If you are running Windows in a dual boot, you can find
this from "Control Panel->System->Hardware->Device Manger->
Network Adapters".  If you are running DOS, try the GREAT network
boot floppy disk image from www.netbootdisk.com.

The basic instructions I used are at
http://www.yale.edu/pclt/WINWORLD/NDIS.HTM

You can get the necessary files from packet.zip at
http://www.winsystems.com/products/panelpcs/ppc586.html

Here is what I had to do to get this to work.  I created two
new directories on my DOS disk:  B57 (the name of my controller
chip) and net (to hold a program called netbind).  I had to
add three lines to config.sys, one to autoexec.bat, edit
a file called protocol.ini, and copy six files to my
DOS disk.

To make nettsr work, it is NECESSARY to set the intvec to 0x6f!
Drivername (in my case B57$) has to be set to the name of the
NDIS driver for your chipset.

config.sys file (the three devicehigh lines are the only new ones):

DEVICE=c:\dos71\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICEHIGH=c:\dos71\SETVER.EXE
SHELL=COMMAND.COM /P /E:640
DOS=HIGH,UMB,AUTO
FCBS=4,0
FILES=30
BUFFERS=20,0
LASTDRIVE=26
STACKS=9,256
DEVICEHIGH=c:\B57\protman.dos /I:\B57
DEVICEHIGH=c:\B57\dis_pkt.dos
DEVICEHIGH=c:\B57\B57.dos
device=c:\dos71\emm386.exe /noems

autoexec.bat file (net\netbind.com is the only new line)

@ECHO OFF
PROMPT $P$G
path=c:\;c:\dos71
SET DIRCMD=/4
LH SMARTDRV a+ c+
LH CTMOUSE
net\netbind.com
BREAK ON

b57\protocol.ini file

[protman]
drivername=PROTMAN$

[pktdrv]
drivername=PKTDRV$
bindings=nic
intvec=0x6f
chainvec=0x66

[nic]
drivername=B57$


Contents of c:\net directory:
  Directory of F:\net

07/12/2006  04:17 PM    <DIR>          .
07/12/2006  04:17 PM    <DIR>          ..
07/28/2000  04:22 PM             8,513 NETBIND.COM
                1 File(s)          8,513 bytes
                2 Dir(s)     461,885,440 bytes free

contents of c:\b57 directory:
  Directory of F:\b57

07/12/2006  04:19 PM    <DIR>          .
07/12/2006  04:19 PM    <DIR>          ..
07/22/2006  05:38 PM               132 PROTOCOL.INI
08/22/2000  10:09 AM             5,781 DIS_PKT.DOS
07/28/2000  04:22 PM            21,696 PROTMAN.DOS
07/28/2000  04:22 PM            13,770 PROTMAN.EXE
06/19/2006  01:04 PM            46,064 B57.dos
                5 File(s)         87,443 bytes
                2 Dir(s)     461,881,344 bytes free

At this point, I can just run nettsr just like using
a packet driver!

I hope this helps someone else.

73,

Mark, KD4D