2.2.2 Determine the LAN Driver Information

In order for the TCP/IP protocols to communicate with the network, they must be bound to a network adapter. NetWare uses "LAN drivers" to allow protocols such as TCP/IP and IPX to communicate with the local network adapter.

When NetWare loads a LAN driver (such as SMC8000.LAN or TOKEN.LAN), it only creates a single "frame type" (such as ETHERNET_802.3 or TOKEN-RING). This "frame type" is used to ensure that each system is using the same standard method of communication across the local network wiring. For example, NetWare servers using IPX protocols over ETHERNET_802.2 frames cannot see NetWare servers using IPX over ETHERNET_802.3 frames.

Once a LAN driver is loaded, NetWare can "bind" a protocol to the specific frame type used during the load sequence. When you first installed NetWare, you "bound" the IPX protocol to at least one LAN driver and frame type. In order to load TCP/IP, you must bind it to the appropriate frame type for that protocol. TCP/IP uses the ETHERNET_II frame type for Ethernet networks, and the TOKEN-RING_SNAP frame type for Token Ring and FDDI networks.

If you will be using the same network adapter for TCP/IP as you do for IPX, then you can simply look at the existing commands used to load the LAN driver for IPX, and re-use most of those commands for TCP/IP. You can use one of three methods to examine the LAN driver information for the current network adapter:

Use the INETCFG.NLM utility to examine the current LAN drivers. For more information on INETCFG.NLM and how to use it to determine the LAN driver details, refer to section 2.2.2.1 Using INETCFG.
Read the NetWare server's AUTOEXEC.NCF file, looking for LAN driver details. For more information about the AUTOEXEC.NCF file and how to read it, refer to section 2.2.2.2 Using EDIT to Read AUTOEXEC.NCF.
Use the NetWare CONFIG command to display the currently-loaded LAN drivers. For more information on how to use CONFIG, refer to section 2.2.2.3 Using CONFIG.

NOTE: If you will be using a different network adapter for TCP/IP than the one you currently use for IPX, then you will need to refer to the vendor's documentation for the appropriate NetWare commands used to load the LAN driver for that adapter.

For more information about Novell's LAN driver architecture, refer to section A.2.2 NetWare's Networking Services and the OSI Reference Model.

STEP: If the server you are planning to use for Unoverica Message Transport uses INETCFG.NLM to manage LAN drivers and protocols, go to section 2.2.2.1 Using INETCFG. Otherwise, go to section 2.2.2.2 Using EDIT to Read AUTOEXEC.NCF or section 2.2.2.3 Using CONFIG.

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