IPX FAQ, version 1.23
February 22, 1994
By Steve Bonds


There are a number of ways of getting IPX working with a given
ethernet card.  One is to use a dedicated IPX driver for the card,
another is to run an IPX converter over some other standard such as
NDIS, ODI, or the packet driver standard.  If one method fails to
work, try another one!  I have had good reliability with the IPX
over Packet driver method, though it can sometimes be a challenge
to get it running...  If you are already using Novell, then the IPX
over ODI might be simpler to set up, though I have found it less
reliable.

Before I get going, let me plead with everyone NOT TO USE DOOM 1.1
OR 1.0 ON ANY NETWORK OTHERS ARE TRYING TO USE!!  Doom 1.2 is now
available, so please use it rather than 1.1 or 1.0.  DOOM 1.0 and
1.1 really screw up networks.

Now that I have all my disclaimers out of the way... :)

To use this method of installing IPX you need two files, both of
which are in the file PKTD11.ZIP, which can be had from
oak.oakland.edu as/pub/msdos/pktdrvr/pktd11.zip.  I have seen some
problems with this version (11) of the drivers, however, so it
would be wise to test out the packet driver after it is loaded, or
perhaps to try one which comes direct from the ethernet card
manufacturer. (i.e. 3c5x9pd.com from ftp.3com.com)

If you have problems with these drivers, I have put together a
collection of older versions of IPX and packet drivers which seem
to work better with DOOM.  This package will be uploaded to
ftp.uwp.edu as OLDIPX.ZIP.

The first file is specific to your ethernet hardware.  It is the
packet driver software that converts packet-driver calls to
commands your ethernet card can understand.  The INSTALL.DOC file
included with the packet driver collection has details about which
cards are supported and what sort of command-line parameters are
needed for each packet driver.  I always load the packet driver
using interrupt 0x60, a popular convention.  These drivers will not
work well under Windows without tweaking, so read the INSTALL.DOC
file for details.  There are also some useful packet utilities
included.  Again details are in INSTALL.DOC.  (Got the hint yet? :)

EXAMPLES: 

     3Com 503 card on interrupt 5, I/O port 0x300, and the
     internal transceiver. (twisted pair RJ-45 connector ON
     THE CARD or coaxial BNC connector-- NOT the 15-pin AUI
     connector) The shared memory area is automatically
     determined-- but be sure to exclude the region from your
     expanded memory manager, if used!

          3C503.COM 0x60 0x5 0x300 1

     3Com 509 card: These cards are entirely
     software-configurable through the config/diagnostics on
     your EtherDisk that came with the card.  If you have lost
     the disk, all the needed files are available from
     ftp.3com.com.

          3C509.COM 0x60

     AT&T StarLan cards: Almost like the 503 except the memory
     location must be specified.

          AT&T.COM 0x60 0x2 0x360 0xD000

Once the packet driver is loaded and reports things correctly 
(i.e.it does not give your ethernet address as
FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF...) then just run PDIPX.COM to load IPX support. 
The PDIPX.COM program is included with PKTD11.ZIP, but it is
contained in a .ZIP file INSIDE of PKTD11.ZIP called PDIPX103.ZIP. 
Run the .COM file with no parameters.

If you have problems with an "invalid mode" when loading PDIPX, you
probably are trying to run other network software at the same time
as the Packet Driver/IPX combination.  Strip down your CONFIG.SYS
and your AUTOEXEC.BAT files to those shown below.  Do not load any
additional TSR's!  Once this bare-bones configuration works, you
can begin adding TSR's.  if your problems persist, try using the
older versions of the packet driver and IPX-to-PD converter.  (They
should be on ftp.uwp.edu.)

If nothing seems to work, try running the diagnostic program
PKTWATCH.COM after getting everything set up.  If your screen fills
with scrolling multicolor hexadecimal numbers then the packet
driver is working OK.  If it just flashes a cursor at you, then you
have problems UNLESS you are wired directly to another computer. 
Hook your computer back up to an active network and see if you can
receive anything then.  If you do not have an active network
available, start DOOM on the OTHER computer while running PKTWATCH
on the original computer.  Of course, the other (sending) computer
needs to have IPX set up as well.

The simplest way to get all the drivers you need loaded and to
exclude other drivers which may interfere is to create a boot disk
with the correct startup files.  For example:

     CONFIG.SYS
          device=a:\himem.sys
          dos=high,noumb
          files=30
          buffers=30

     AUTOEXEC.BAT
          prompt [DOOM Setup] $p$g
          a:\3c503.com 0x60 0x5 0x300 1
          rem change the above according to your card.
          a:\pdipx.com

The ONLY line that will vary with what card you have is the
"3c503.com" line.  I encourage you NOT to load an EMS driver since
so many cards use shared memory and it is sometimes difficult to
ensure that the proper area, and only the proper area, is excluded. 
DOOM runs just fine with XMS, and you have the added benefit of
loading DOS high to make room for things like mouse drivers.  DOOM
does not NEED XMS to run, though.  Also, I like to change the DOS
prompt to reflect my configuration whenever I am using a bizarre
setup.

It might be a good idea to also scan your bootable floppy for
viruses BEFORE booting the networked computer with it.  (Scan it on
the NETWORKED computer, not your own...)  There are a number of
common viruses spread by booting computers from infected disks.
(Stoned, Form, and Michelangelo to name a few.)  Let's not give
DOOM a bad name by booting network computers from infected disks! 
(btw, F-prot from oak.oakland.edu as /pub/msdos/virus/fp-211.zip is
an EXCELLENT antivirus program. <plug>)

  -- Steve Bonds
