================================================================================ DIGITAL DSNlink Version 2.2 for the Windows 95® and Windows NT® Operating Systems June 1998 ================================================================================ (c) Copyright 1998, Digital Equipment Corporation Dear Valued Customer: This readme file contains instructions for downloading, installing, and configuring the DIGITAL DSNlink Version 2.2 software for use with the Windows 95 or Windows NT operating system. Before installing this software, please verify that the system on which DSNlink is being installed meets the system requirements described in Section 1. NOTE: All references to "Version 2.2" in this readme refer specifically to DSNlink for Windows 95 and Windows NT. DIGITAL DSNlink is a service tool that allows entitled DIGITAL customers to receive product support electronically from their DIGITAL Customer Support Center. Customers can use DSNlink to submit service requests, copy files, and search technical support databases for articles and engineering change orders. Thank you for your interest in DSNlink. If you need further assistance, please contact your local DIGITAL Customer Support Center. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. System Requirements 1.1 DHCP Support Limitations 1.2 Firewall Considerations 2. Downloading the DSNlink Version 2.2 Kit 2.1 Downloading from the Worldwide Web 2.2 Downloading via Anonymous FTP 3. Installing DSNlink 4. Configuring DSNlink 4.1 Testing Your Configuration 5. Locating the Release Notes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. System Requirements -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please verify that the system on which you are installing DSNlink Version 2.2 meets the minimum requirements listed here. Hardware Requirements * Processor: One of the following: -- 32-bit, 486 66MHz microprocessor -- DIGITAL Alpha system * Video Display Adapter: 256-color VGA at 640 by 480 resolution * Disk Space: 10 MB of free space Memory Requirements * 24 MB of RAM on systems running Windows 95 * 32 MB of RAM on systems running Windows NT Operating System Software Requirements * Microsoft Windows 95 OR * Microsoft Windows NT Server or Workstation, Version 3.51 OR * Microsoft Windows NT Server or Workstation, Version 4.0 Network Requirements * A network adapter card that is compatible with the current operating system and the software required by that device. * A TCP/IP connection to an Internet service provider. (See Section 1.1 for IP addressing restrictions.) * A specific firewall configuration if DSNlink connections must pass through a firewall at your site. (See Section 1.2 for details.) ----------------------------- 1.1 DHCP Support Limitations ----------------------------- If your DSNlink system receives its IP addressing information via Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), certain restrictions may apply. DSNlink supports the use of DHCP for IP addressing in the following situations: * Your DSNlink system (the DHCP client) receives its address from the DHCP server using the automatic allocation mechanism, and the network's Domain Name System (DNS), such as a BIND server, has mapped this address to the client system name. * Your DSNlink system receives its address from the DHCP server using the manual allocation mechanism, and the network administrator has updated the network’s DNS with this name-address pair. * Your DSNlink system receives its address from the DHCP server using the dynamic allocation mechanism, and the DHCP server implements a registration mechanism (such as RFC 2136) to the DNS. In all other cases, it is likely that your system's name-to-address mapping may not exist or may be obsolete within the network’s DNS. Thus, your DSNlink system will be able to successfully connect to the DSNlink host system at DIGITAL, but the DSNlink host will be unable to connect back to your system. If you are not sure whether your DHCP configuration supports host-to-customer connections, do the following test after installing DSNlink and configuring your site's firewall for DSNlink connections: Do a ping or telnet (if telnet, specify port 2370) to the name of your DSNlink system from a system that is external to your network or have DIGITAL do the ping or telnet from their exterior gateway. If this test succeeds, then it is likely that DSNlink will also function in both directions. If it fails, then DSNlink host-to-customer connections will probably also fail. ---------------------------- 1.2 Firewall Considerations ---------------------------- If DSNlink connections must pass through a firewall at your site, your firewall must be configured for DSNlink use before communications between your system and DIGITAL's are possible. DSNlink applications use the ports listed in the table that follows. Use this information when configuring your firewall to allow DSNlink connections. Connection Direction DSNlink Application or Port Protocol (Inbound, Outbound, Utility Name (Identifier) Used Used or Both) --------------------------------- ---- -------- -------------------- Name Services Directory (dsn_nsd) 2370 TCP Both DSNlink Mail (dsn_mail) 2372 TCP Both Network Exerciser (dsn_netex) 2375 TCP Both Service Requests (dsn_sra) 2376 TCP Outbound Interactive Text Search (dsn_db) 2378 TCP Outbound File Copy (dsn_file) 2379 TCP Both If necessary (because your firewall administrator or security policies limit port access, for example), DSNlink can be configured to use only one TCP port (2370) for incoming and/or outgoing connections. Contact DIGITAL to assist you in configuring DSNlink for single port use. Note that the single-port configuration causes an additional process per incoming connection. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Downloading the DSNlink Version 2.2 Kit -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can download the DSNlink Version 2.2 kit from the Worldwide Web or via FTP. See the sections that follow for instructions. --------------------------------------- 2.1 Downloading from the Worldwide Web --------------------------------------- To download the DSNlink Version 2.2 kit from the Worldwide Web: 1) Use a Web browser to connect to the DSNlink home page at URL: www.support.compaq.com/dsnlink/ 2) Click on Download Kits in the left margin, which takes you to: www.support.compaq.com/dsnlink/kits.htm A page appears that lists the released DSNlink kits. 3) Click on DSNlink Version 2.2 for Windows 95 and Windows NT. 4) Download the set of files for the system type (x86 or DIGITAL Alpha) on which you will be installing DSNlink. Available files are: Readme.txt -- A copy of the file you are reading now. DsnAlphaKit.zip -- The DSNlink Version 2.2 kit for Alpha systems running the Windows NT operating system. DsnX86Kit.zip -- The DSNlink Version 2.2 kit for x86 systems running Windows 95 or Windows NT. unzip.exe -- A utility to uncompress the DSNlink zip file. If you do not have an unzip utility on your system, download the unzip utility that corresponds to your platform -- x86 or DIGITAL Alpha. 5) See Section 3 of this readme file for installation instructions. ---------------------------------- 2.2 Downloading via Anonymous FTP ---------------------------------- To download the DSNlink Version 2.2 kit using FTP: 1) Run ftp and connect to ftp.support.compaq.com as follows: C:\TEMP> ftp ftp.support.compaq.com 2) Log in as anonymous and enter your e-mail address as your password. For example: User: anonymous Password: rrunner@wileyc.acme.com 3) Set ftp to binary mode: ftp> binary 4) If you are installing DSNlink on a DIGITAL Alpha system running Windows NT, do the following. Otherwise, proceed to step 5. a) Change the directory as follows, using the capitalization shown: ftp> cd /public/DSNlink/windows-alpha The following files are available for download in this directory: DsnAlphaKit.zip -- The DSNlink Version 2.2 kit for DIGITAL Alpha systems running Windows NT Readme.txt -- A copy of the readme file you are reading now unzip.exe -- A utility to uncompress the zip file on a DIGITAL Alpha system b) Get the kit and, optionally, the readme file and unzip utility as follows: ftp> get DsnAlphaKit.zip ftp> get Readme.txt ftp> get unzip.exe Make sure you capitalize each file name as shown here. 5) If you are installing DSNlink on an x86 system running Windows 95 or Windows NT, do the following: a) Change the directory as follows, using the capitalization shown: ftp> cd /public/DSNlink/windows-x86 These files are available for download in this directory: DsnX86Kit.zip -- The DSNlink Version 2.2 kit for x86 systems running Windows 95 or Windows NT Readme.txt -- A copy of the readme file you are reading now unzip.exe -- A utility to uncompress the zip file on an x86 system b) Get the kit and, optionally, the readme file and unzip utility as follows: ftp> get DsnX86Kit.zip ftp get Readme.txt ftp> get unzip.exe Make sure you capitalize each file name as shown here. 6) See Section 3 of this readme file for installation instructions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Installing DSNlink -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On systems running the Windows NT operating system, you must be logged on as a member of the Administrators local group to install and configure DSNlink. Install DSNlink as follows: 1) Unzip the kit, preferably in a Temp directory. 2) Run Setup.exe. 3) Respond to the installation prompts. 4) Read the post-installation Readme File before starting the DSNlink software. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Configuring DSNlink -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first time you start DSNlink, the DSNlink Setup Wizard opens automatically and prompts you for required configuration information. You will need the following: Access Numbers and Authentication Keys: On the DSNlink Setup Wizard System Identification page, you must specify at least one valid access number and corresponding authentication key. What you should enter depends on the version of DSNlink you are currently using. * No Previous Version: Enter the access numbers and authentication keys specified in your DSNlink authorization letter. * DSNlink Version 1.0 for ULTRIX or DSNlink Version 2.0 or higher for ULTRIX, DIGITAL UNIX, or OpenVMS: Enter your existing access numbers and authentication keys. * DSNlink Version 1.2 for OpenVMS: Use your existing access numbers and authorization codes as follows: a) Enter your access number in the Access Number box. b) In the Authentication Key box, enter the following: 1DIGITAL-access_number-auth_code where "access_number" is the access number associated with this key and "auth_code" is the DSNlink Version 1.2 authorization code for that access number. For example, if your access number is 13579, and the authorization code for that access number is AAAA-BBBB-CCCC-DDDD, you would enter the following value in the Authentication Key box: 1DIGITAL-13579-AAAA-BBBB-CCCC-DDDD To locate existing authorization codes or authentication keys, refer to the DSNlink authorization letter that you received for your previous kit or contact your DSNlink System Administrator/Manager. If you intend to use any new access numbers with this new version of DSNlink, you must obtain new authentication keys from DIGITAL for those. CAUTION: Keep your authentication keys secret. Anyone with access to your authentication keys, access numbers, and DSNlink software can access your DSNlink account. Customer Support Center Location: On the DSNlink Setup Wizard Customer Support Center Identification page, you must select a DIGITAL Customer Support Center location. Be sure to select the Customer Support Center location specified in your authorization letter. IP Host Name: On the DSNlink Setup Wizard Network Configuration page, you must specify the fully qualified IP host name of the system that will be connecting to DIGITAL. This value is typically made up of your system's host name and domain name, separated by a period (.). A completely numeric IP address is also valid as a fully qualified IP host name value, but only for external customers. Do not enter a numeric IP address if your DSNlink system is located within the dec.com domain. Also, be aware of limitations associated with the use of DHCP for IP addressing, as specified in Section 1.1 of this readme file. ------------------------------- 4.1 Testing Your Configuration ------------------------------- When you click Finish on the last page of the DSNlink Setup Wizard, the Wizard tests your system's ability to connect to DIGITAL by running the Network Exerciser utility (provided you do not clear the "Test the network connection to DIGITAL" check box on that page). The test invoked by the Wizard tests only the default access number and support center values -- the ones that were selected on the System Identification and Customer Support Center Identification Wizard pages, respectively, when you clicked Finish. If you specified multiple access numbers and/or selected multiple Customer Support Centers, DIGITAL recommends that you test each value by running additional Network Exerciser tests. See the DSNlink Help topic "Testing Your Network Connection" for instructions. To access this topic, go to the DSNlink main window, which appears when you finish the DSNlink Setup Wizard session. On the Help menu, click Help Topics. Click the Index tab, type testing, and click Display. NOTE: Each successful test from your DSNlink system to DIGITAL's creates a route map entry on the DIGITAL host that enables DIGITAL to connect back to your system. Until your system has connected to the DIGITAL host via one of DSNlink's applications or utilities, communications from DIGITAL are not possible because the DIGITAL host cannot locate your system. ------------------------------ 5. Locating the Release Notes ------------------------------ Please read the release notes in DSNlink Help for information on what has changed since previous versions of DSNlink and for known problems and restrictions in this version. To access the release notes, go to the DSNlink main window. On the Help menu, click Help Topics. Open "Release Notes for DSNlink Version 2.2" and display the "List of Release Note Topics." Click the topic of your choice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trademark Acknowledgements: DIGITAL, OpenVMS, and ULTRIX are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. Microsoft, Windows, Windows 95, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Ltd.