StreetTalk for Windows NT 8.5

Systems administrators and computer users are touting the benefits of directory services. Supposedly, a directory service is the perfect solution for network administrators who need to make resources on their global enterprise networks available to users. Unfortunately, Windows NT 4.0 doesn't include directory-service components. Windows 2000 (Win2K--­formerly NT 5.0) will include these components, but Microsoft doesn't plan to release Win2K until the year 2000. In the meantime, you can use Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) or invest in an alternative directory-services software product, such as Banyan Systems' StreetTalk for Windows NT 8.5.

StreetTalk offers more than directory services: The software can fully integrate security, messaging, and file-and-print services into your network's directory-services structure. Thus, the client workstations you install StreetTalk on can access any StreetTalk resource on the network when you type in the name of the resource.

Installation and Use
To test StreetTalk's capabilities, I installed the software on the LAN in my home lab. I used my Micronics-based, dual-Pentium II system running NT Server 4.0 as my server. For my client systems, I used an Acer America system with a 233MHz Pentium processor running Windows 98 and an American Megatrends (AMI) MegaRUM-based system with 300MHz dual-Pentium II processors running NT Workstation 4.0.

Before I installed StreetTalk, I had to read a significant amount of information. The installation manual is longer than 80 pages, and it presents some information in confusing terms. For example, one section of the manual defines IP client workstations as workstations that use UDP to communicate over a TCP/IP network. I wondered whether I needed to install the software's Communications Protocol component, or whether Microsoft's stock TCP/IP stack would suffice.

To install StreetTalk, you must complete several preinstallation steps. First, you must check that your system meets the software's minimum hardware and software requirements. Second, you must install the software on a drive formatted with NTFS. Third, you must select a unique StreetTalk server name for each server. Finally, check to see whether you have any other Banyan products installed on your system. You might have to uninstall them before you install StreetTalk.

The installation process is straightforward. When you launch the setup program, the software prompts you for information such as installation type and location, server name, serial number, and activation key. Next, you choose one of three installation types: typical, compact, or custom. The typical installation installs all the software's standard components. The compact installation installs all components except the VINES Files component. The custom installation lets you choose the components you want to install. After you provide the installation information, the installation process runs with minimal interruptions.

The software ships on three CD-ROMs. One CD-ROM contains the server components, one CD-ROM contains the workstation components, and one CD-ROM contains the instruction manual documentation. I installed StreetTalk on my server first. After the installation program copies files to your hard drive, you must supply several workstation and network configuration parameters in separate dialog boxes. I used the default settings for my installation, which worked fine.

Before you can use the software, you must install the Enterprise Client and Explorer programs. The Enterprise Client automatically places your NT server log in an appropriate user group each time you log on to NT. The Explorer program lets you manage your StreetTalk resources using an Explorerlike interface. After I installed these programs, I rebooted my system.

After rebooting, I thought I was ready to start using StreetTalk, but the software presented its online documentation at this point. You can browse this documentation using a program called Folio. However, I found Folio difficult to use.

Users log on to the network from client computer systems by providing a username and password. Users can use a separate logon to access the StreetTalk network or combine the Microsoft Networking and StreetTalk logons into one username and password combination (i.e., use a common logon).

After users log on, they can use several methods to access resources by providing the full name of the resource they want to use. For example, the StreetTalk Win95 client software is fully integrated with Explorer, My Computer, and Network Neighborhood, so you can access StreetTalk resources from those areas.

In my test environment, I configured users to use common logons. After I logged on to the StreetTalk network from my client workstations, I could access file-and-print services from those clients using a resource name. The software performed as I expected.