How to get on the Internet fast
The number of Internet users and the complexity of accessible services are
growing rapidly. With the growth of the Web and its increased functionality,
the access speeds of conventional modems aren't meeting user needs. As an
alternative, many users are turning to Integrated Services Digital Network
(ISDN) for faster, more cost-effective Internet access.
To successfully use ISDN to connect NT Server and NT Workstation to the
Internet, you need to understand ISDN and you need step-by-step instructions.
I'll explain how to use the US Robotics Sportster ISDN 128K adapter (ISDN
requires an adapter instead of a modem), and this information applies to most
ISDN adapters that use Remote Access Service (RAS) as a connection mechanism.
(For information on available ISDN adapters and more information on ISDN, see
Dan Kegel's ISDN page at www.alumni.caltech.edu/~dank/isdn.)
ISDN Primer
ISDN provides a subscriber with three separate
digital channels that are carried over a standard two-wire telephone cable.
These channels are 2B+D, which means two 64Kilobits-per-second (Kbps) bearer (B)
channels and one 16Kbps data (D) channel. The B channels usually carry user
data, and the D channel ordinarily transmits and receives call setup and control
information. Some equipment can bond the two B channels through a protocol such
as Multilink Point-to-Point Protocol (MPPP) to form one 128Kbps channel. (For
detailed information on ISDN, see Mel Beckman, "ISDN and Windows NT,"
January 1996, and John Enck, "ISDN to the Rescue (But Who Will Rescue
You?)," May 1996.)
Before you call your local phone company to order an ISDN line, you must
obtain the required line- configuration information from your adapter's
manufacturer. (Call the manufacturer or check the adapter's users manual.) In
most places, an ISDN line takes longer to install than a standard telephone
line--one to two weeks is common.
You also need to contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to find out
the ISDN access phone number, your login and password, the authentication type
(i.e., Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol--CHAP--or Password
Authentication Protocol--PAP), and your Domain Name System (DNS) server's TCP/IP
address. (Your ISP can assign you a different TCP/IP address each time you log
on; otherwise, you need to ask for a preassigned TCP/IP address.)
After you install the ISDN line, you need some information from your local
telephone company. You need the telephone number and Service Profile Identifier
(SPID) numbers for each B channel. If your line has only one telephone number,
you have only one SPID.
Installation and Configuration
The hardware installation is
straightforward. Make sure you know which I/O addresses are available for your
adapter card. You can use NT Diagnostics to view the I/O addresses in use.
The Sportster ISDN 128K adapter comes from the factory ready to use a
software-configurable I/O address. For NT, you need to change this setting and
manually select an I/O address by adding one or two jumpers to the adapter.
Select an I/O address not in use--300, 320, or 340--and put your system back
together. Now you're ready to configure the software.
RAS Installation: The first step is to install RAS. Make sure you
configure TCP/IP as the protocol RAS will use to dial out. RAS won't let you
complete the installation until you select a device. For the time being, set RAS
for a modem because you haven't installed the ISDN card drivers. If you don't
have a modem, skip autodetection and tell RAS you have a generic modem on COM1.
ISDN Card Driver Installation: You install the drivers for the ISDN
card just as you do a network board. Select Control Panel, Networks, Adapters,
and Add to see a list of network adapters. Place your driver disk in your floppy
drive, and click Have Disk and OK. After you install the drivers, you enter the
adapter's configuration information. The I/O address must match the
adapter settings. Then select an available interrupt. NT Diagnostics can show
you which interrupts are in use.
Next, you need to provide the ISDN line information. Select the appropriate
ISDN switch type and the number of terminals (one terminal for each ISDN
telephone number). Then, enter the ISDN phone numbers and their associated SPID
numbers. After selecting OK, you'll see the RAS configuration screen. Click Add,
and select one of the newly created ISDN devices, as you see in Screen 1.
(Repeat this step if you have two ISDN phone numbers.) Then, keep clicking OK
until a prompt asks you to reboot the server; select Reboot Now.
After the server reboots, you can use the Line Monitor tool that comes with
the Sportster to check the status of the adapter. If the L1, L2, and L3 lights
are green, the adapter is working properly. If L1 is red, NT isn't recognizing
the ISDN adapter. If L2 is red, the ISDN line is either not plugged in to the
adapter or not functioning. If L3 is red, the phone numbers and SPIDs in the
adapter setup don't match the telephone company's configuration.
RAS Configuration: The next step is to configure RAS to dial your
ISP. Select Dial-Up Networking, and create a new Phonebook entry. Enter a name
for this entry, and select the Next button.
Screen 2 shows the Server screen, which provides three options: If you are
connecting directly to the Internet, select the first option. To send your
password as plain text, if that's the only method available or if you're not
sure whether your ISP supports encrypted passwords, select the second option. If
your ISP requires a terminal login or a preassigned address, select the third
option.