Tips on Using the Internet in Windows NT General All Staff
Accessability
Install Windows NT's FTP Server software so network users with UNIX-style File Transfer Protocol (FTP) can access your system. Run ControlPanel / Network, click on the Add Software button and select FTP Server (you may need to install TCP/IP support first). NT will ask you to designate the source for the files (the installation CD or floppy drive), copy the necessary files and display an FTP Service dialog box. Specify a home directory for FTP users. (Make it a directory you don't mind making publicly available, not the root of the system partition!) You can also decide whether to allow anonymous FTP connections, and whether to make these the only connections you'll accept (anonymous users have Guest-level access). When you're satisfied with the FTP settings, click on OK twice and then reboot to complete the installation.
Cure RAS Configuration Headaches
Configuring Remote Access Services (RAS) in order to connect remotely to networks doesn't have to be a confusing exercise. The answers that you are looking for may be as close as your hard disk. There is a helpful file in the \WINNT\SYSTEM32\RAS directory named RASREAD.TXT that explains many arcane details about configuring RAS with various vendors' software.
Disabling Autodisconnect
Windows NT uses two different Autodisconnect parameters; one for disconnecting Remote Access Service (RAS) connections and another for disconnecting LAN connections. The RAS Autodisconnect parameter is well documented in the Windows NT Server Remote Access Service manual on page 82, but the LAN version is undocumented.
You can find the LAN Autodisconnect parameter in the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters
Purpose: The function is to disconnect idle sessions after a set number of minutes. The number of minutes can be set at a command prompt using the Net Config Server command. For example, to set the Autodisconnect value to 30 minutes:
Net Config Server /autodisconnect:30 The valid value range is -1 to 65535 minutes at the command line. To disable Autodisconnect set it to: -1 Setting Autodisconnect to 0 does not disable it, but rather results in very fast disconnects, within a few seconds of idle time. (In contrast, the RAS Autodisconnect parameter is turned off if set it to a value of 0.)
NOTE: It is preferable to modify the LAN Autodisconnect directly in the registry. If you modify it at the command line, Windows NT may turn off its autotuning functions.
The valid value range if you edit the LAN Autodisconnect parameter in the registry is 0 to 4294967295 (Oxffffffff). If you configure the Autodisconnect option to -1 at the command prompt, Autodisconnect is set to the upper value in the registry. This is approximately 8,171 years (not tested), which should be long enough to be the equivalent of turning Autodisconnect off.
Improve Your Mail Service
Upgrade your NT server's e-mail system to a full MS Mail post office using Microsoft Mail 3.5. Unlike the Mail 3.2 upgrade I've recommended in the past, Microsoft supports using Windows NT for this configuration. MS Mail 3.5 includes a multitasking message transfer agent (MMTA) and a fax gateway written for Windows NT. Set up the standard Workgroup post office on an NT server, then follow the instructions supplied with Mail 3.5 to upgrade your post office in place.
Mail Call
Windows NT Workstation and Server come with a workgroup-level version of MS Mail similar to the one WFWG provides. You can upgrade this version to a full MS Mail 3.5 post office, which allows you to connect to other post offices and run gateways to third-party mail systems. It includes a Windows NT-based Multitasking Transfer Agent (MTA) that supports multiple gateways.
Remote-Control Computing
Windows NT Workstation's and Server's built-in Remote Access Service (RAS) allows you to connect to the LAN from a remote computer. To set up RAS, launch Control Panel/Network and click on the Add Software button. When the Add Network Software list appears, select Remote Access Service and click on Continue. You'll be asked for the pathname to the distribution files (on diskette or CD), and then you'll be presented with a Remote Access Service configuration dialog. Configure RAS for your modem, then restart Windows NT. You control RAS from the Remote Access Service group in Windows NT Program Manager.
