IR Communications Driver 2.0 Relnotes.doc (Part 2 of 2) (149450)
The information in this article applies to:
This article was previously published under Q149450 SUMMARY
This information is a copy of the information in the Relnotes.doc file
included with the Microsoft Windows 95 Infrared Communications Driver
version 2.0.
MORE INFORMATION
Microsoft Windows 95
Infrared Communications Driver
Version 2.0
Release Notes
10 May 1996
Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1996. All Rights Reserved.
Contents
Installing and Using the IR Communications Driver
Step 1. Installing the IR Communications Driver
Step 2. Validating the IR Communications Driver Installation
Printing to an IR-Capable Printer
Exchanging Data Between Two Computers
Viewing the Network Neighborhood Over an IR Link
Step 3. Running Other IR-Capable Applications
An Optional Step: Removing the IR Communications Driver
Notes on Running the Direct Cable Connection Application Over an IR
Link
Preparing to Use DCC
Making Sure DCC Is Installed on Both Computers
An Optional Step: Installing DCC
Establishing and Using the DCC IR Link Between Host and Guest
IR Communications Driver Components
IR Adapter Manufacturer Names and Addresses
INSTALLING AND USING THE IR COMMUNICATIONS DRIVER
=================================================
A recommended three-step process for installing and using the IR
communications driver is:
1. Install the Windows 95 IR Communications driver.
2. Validate the installation by printing over the IR link, using an
application to transfer data over the IR link, and/or using a local area
network (LAN) over the IR link.
3. Start using the IR link on a daily basis.
After a user installs the driver, it can be removed at any time (for more
information, see "An Optional Step: Removing the IR Communications
Driver").
Step 1. Installing the IR Communications Driver
-----------------------------------------------
Note
A user must always remove any previously installed version of the IR
communications driver every time the driver is installed. If Version 1.0 of
the driver is installed, it must be removed before installing Version 2.0.
If an early Beta release of the Version 2.0 driver is installed, it must be
removed before installing the current Version 2.0 release. Instructions for
removing an IR device and driver installation are documented in "An
Optional Step: Removing the IR Communications Driver."
1. For first-time installation of the IR communications driver, run
Setup.exe as downloaded from the Microsoft web-site.
2. When the Add Infrared Device Wizard prompts to choose a manufacturer's
name for the IR device, choose "(Standard Infrared Devices)" if the
computer has a built-in device, or choose the name of the manufacturer
and the model of the adapter if an IR adapter is attached to the
computer. Then click the Next button.
3. When the Add Infrared Device Wizard prompts to choose the
communications port that the IR device is physically connected to,
click the port from the list. If uncertain which physical
communications port the IR device is using, select the first COM port
in the list (for example, COM1). Then click the Next button.
4. When the Add Infrared Device Wizard prompts to select the virtual COM
and LPT ports, accept the default values by clicking the Next button.
After the wizard copies the IR communications driver files to the hard
disk, watch for the wizard to display two New Hardware Found messages.
5. When prompted by the Add Infrared Device Wizard, click the Finish
button to complete the IR device installation. If the wizard did not
display New Hardware Found messages as it carried out step 4, then
restart the computer. (If the New Hardware Found messages were
displayed, there is no need to restart the computer).
6. Activate the IR device by double-clicking the Infrared icon in the
Control Panel. If there is no Infrared icon in the Control Panel, then
either select the Refresh option from the Control Panel View menu or
press the F5 function key to make the Infrared icon appear.
For general information about how to use the Infrared Monitor, click the
Help button in the lower-right corner of the Infrared Monitor interface
screen. To get information about individual items in the Infrared Monitor
interface, such as check boxes, move the mouse cursor over the on-screen
interface item and click the right-button on the mouse.
.
The Options tab of the Infrared Monitor interface contains the following
two particularly useful items:
- The Enable Infrared Communication On check box, which enables and
disables the IR device.
- The Limit Connection Speed To option, which limits the link speed the
IR device can negotiate.
The Limit Connection Speed To option might be used if an adapter is
attached to a COM port that is using an 8250 UART instead of a 16550 UART,
or if an adapter is connected to a relatively slow computer (such as a 386
running at 20 MHz). In these cases, this option can be used to limit the
connection speed to 19.2 kbps.
Step 2. Validating the IR Communications Driver Installation
------------------------------------------------------------
To validate the IR communications driver installation, either:
- Print from an application over an IR link to the printer (if an IR-
capable printer is available).
- Exchange data between two IR-capable computers over an IR link, using a
communications application.
- View the computer's Network Neighborhood over an IR link (if an IrLan
access point device is available).
Printing to an IR-Capable Printer:
To test the printing capability of a Windows 95 application over an IR link
to an IrDA-compliant printer such as the HP 5P, carry out the installation
step for the IR communications driver on one computer and then try the
Print option in an application.
Printers without built-in IR ports can be made IR-capable by connecting an
IR adapter made for printers into the printer's parallel port. An example
of an IR adapter for printers is the Extended Systems JetEye Infrared
Printer Port ESI-9580. If a parallel cable is also used to connect the PC
to the IR printer adapter, a user can use either the IR link or the
parallel cable to print. The IR link is used when the user selects the
virtual parallel port and the cable is used when the user selects the
physical parallel port.
To validate the IR link to the printer, make sure the correct printer
driver is installed for the IR-capable printer (most printers with built-in
IR ports are Plug and Play devices and the installation for these devices
will be automatically carried out). Then use an application to print over
the IR link.
If the application prints on the IR-capable printer, the IR driver
installation is validated. If there is trouble printing, see
"Troubleshooting" for more information.
Exchanging Data Between Two Computers:
To validate a link between two computers running Windows 95, install the IR
communications driver on both computers. To do this, carry out the
procedure in "Step 1. Installing the IR Communications Driver" earlier in
this document.
Note that the IR devices on the two computers do not have to be made by the
same manufacturer as long as both devices are IrDA-compliant. For example,
the IR link will work with a JetEye PC Infrared PC Interface (ESI-9680)
attached to one desktop computer and an Adaptec AIRport APA-9320 External
Infrared Adapter attached to the other desktop.
One way to validate an IR link is to run the HyperTerminal application on
both computers and send characters from the keyboard of each computer over
the IR link. HyperTerminal is installed on a Windows 95 computer as part of
the typical installation that is recommended for most computers. To
validate the IR driver installation of the IR driver on both computers,
carry out the following procedure:
1. On both computers, click the Start button, point to Settings, and then
click the Control Panel. Double-click the Infrared icon. Then move the
IR devices within 3 feet of each other, and make sure they're pointing
at each other. When the two IR devices discover each other, the message
"Available infrared devices in range" will appear on the Status tab of
the Infrared Monitor interface screen. Make sure Infrared Monitor
reports both IR devices have the appropriate infrared device within
range before proceeding. It might be necessary to realign the IR
devices so they point right at each other, move them closer together,
and/or change the batteries in an IR adapter or plug the AC power into
an IR adapter. For more information, see "Troubleshooting" earlier in
the document.
2. On one of the computers, click the Options tab in the Infrared Monitor
interface and find the information that starts with "Providing
application support on ...". Write down the name of the COM port found
there. This is the name of the virtual serial port that the IR link
using. The name of this virtual serial port might be COM4 or COM5 and
it will differ from the name of the physical communications port the IR
device is running on (which is typically named COM1 or COM2).
3. Run HyperTerminal on the computer with the virtual serial port name by
clicking the Start button, pointing to Programs, pointing to
Accessories, and then clicking the HyperTerminal folder. In the window
that appears, double-click the Hypertrm.exe icon.
4. In the Connection Description dialog box, type a descriptive name (such
as "Direct IR") for the new connection, and then click OK.
5. In the Phone Number dialog box, use the Connect Using drop-down list to
click the "Direct to Comx" entry, where x is the number of the virtual
COM port written down in step 2. Then click OK. It is now possible to
start using HyperTerminal on one of the computers.
6. Repeat steps 2. through 5. for the other computer.
7. In HyperTerminal on either computer, type any characters at the
keyboard. If the typed characters appear in the HyperTerminal window on
the other computer, then it is confirmed that the IR link works in that
direction. Repeat this step on the other computer. If the IR link works
in both directions using HyperTerminal, the successful installation of
the IR communications driver on the two computers has been confirmed.
NOTE: The changes in status are displayed in the Status tab of the
Infrared Monitor interface while typing characters in HyperTerminal.
8. Disconnect the HyperTerminal direct IR connection by exiting the
HyperTerminal application on both computers. When prompted to save the
session, click Yes. This saves the direct IR connection setup
information as an icon in the HyperTerminal main folder, enabling a
user to double-click this icon to restart one side of the HyperTerminal
direct IR connection.
Viewing the Network Neighborhood Over an IR Link:
The Version 2.0 IR communications driver enables a computer with an IR
device (either a built-in device or an adapter) to connect to a local area
network (LAN) through an IrLan access point device acting as the network
adapter for the computer. An IrLan access point device is hardware that
supports both a LAN network interface controller (NIC) and an infrared
transceiver. Local area network access over an IR link has been tested with
the following IrLan access point devices: the Extended Systems ESI-9910
JetEye Net Plus and the Hewlett-Packard NetBeam IR Infrared LAN Adapter.
To test a computer's ability to use a local area network (LAN) over an IR
link, first install the IR communications driver on the computer. Then do
the following:
1. Run IR Monitor.
2. Power on the IrLan access point device, such as the Extended Systems
ESI-9910 JetEye Net Plus, and place the infrared receiver/transmitter
of the IrLan access point device within range of the computer's
infrared device.
3. When the computer infrared device and the IrLan access point infrared
device discover each other, the Infrared Monitor interface indicates
"Infrared communication in progress."
4. When the Infrared Monitor interface shows that the IR link has been
established, click on the Network Neighborhood icon to display the
icons of the remote machines that can be accessed through the IrLan
access point device. There can be a delay of some seconds before the
remote machine icons are displayed.
If there is trouble accessing the LAN, see "Troubleshooting" for more
information.
Step 3. Running Other IR-capable Applications
---------------------------------------------
Most applications that can communicate over a null modem cable that
connects serial ports on two Windows 95 computers should also be able to
communicate over an IR link. The procedure for setting up and using the IR
link with these other communicating applications will probably be similar
to the procedure used in "Exchanging Data Between Two Computers," which
uses the HyperTerminal application to validate the installation of the IR
communications driver. The procedure for running the Windows 95 Direct
Cable Connection application is given in detail in "Notes on Running the
Direct Cable Connection Application Over an IR Link."
An Optional Step: Removing the IR Communications Driver
-------------------------------------------------------
The IR communications driver can be removed either by using Add/Remove
Programs in the Control Panel or by using the Device Manager. Both methods
are documented in these Release Notes, but using Add/Remove Programs is the
preferred method.
Using Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel:
To carry out the preferred way of removing the IR communications driver, do
the following:
1. Click the Start button and select the Settings option. Then select the
Control Panel option.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs in the Control panel.
3. When a list of software components is displayed, select the Infrared
Support for Windows 95 entry and click the Add/Remove button.
4. When the system prompts you to restart, do so.
Using the Device Manager:
To remove the IR communications driver using the Device Manager, do the
following:
1. To run the Device Manager, right-click on the My Computer icon, select
the Properties option from the popup menu, and then click the Device
Manager tab in the System Properties dialog.
2. To display the name of the infrared device installed on the computer,
in the System Properties dialog, make sure the View devices by type
option is selected. Then click the plus sign to the left of the
Infrared device class label. Select the infrared device name and click
the Remove button.
3. When prompted, click OK to confirm the device removal. After the Device
Manager has successfully removed the infrared device installation
information from the computer, the Infrared device class label will
disappear from the System Properties dialog. Click the Close button.
NOTE: The Infrared Monitor icon may still be displayed in the Windows
95 status bar, even after the infrared device is removed. Ignore it;
the Infrared Monitor cannot be used to establish an IR link after the
infrared device is removed.
Notes on Running the Direct Cable Connection Application Over an IR Link
------------------------------------------------------------------------
With Direct Cable Connection (DCC), a direct serial or parallel cable
connection can be established between two computers to share the resources
of the computer designated as the host. DCC can also be used over an IR
link connecting the host and a guest computer. If the host is connected to
a LAN, the host can also be used as a gateway to the LAN for the guest.
Preparing to Use DCC
--------------------
The computer that contains the folder to be shared is the host, and the
other computer is the guest. Share a folder on the host, granting access
rights to anyone using the guest computer, by carrying out the procedure
given below.
NOTE: The following procedure is just one of many that could be used to
share files in a folder on the host computer. For example, there is user-
level access control as well as share-level access control. The following
procedure is one of the simplest access control procedures, which is all
that is needed to get started using DCC. To get information about all the
ways files, folders, and printers can be shared, use the Windows 95 Help.
1. Double-click on the My Computer icon.
2. Double-click on the icon of the drive that contains the folder to share
(for example, double-click on the icon for the C: drive).
3. Right-click on the icon of the folder to share and then select
Properties.
4. In the folder properties dialog, select the Sharing tab and then select
the Shared As option, enter a share name, enter a comment, and add user
access rights (Full or Read-Only).
5. The picture of a hand is added to the folder icon to indicate the
selected folder is now a shared resource.
Making Sure DCC Is Installed on Both Computers:
DCC is not installed with the typical Windows 95 installation recommended
for most computers. Check whether DCC is installed on both of the two
computers that will be using the IR link. To do this, click the Start
button, point to Programs, and then point to Accessories. Direct Cable
Connection appears in this menu of it is installed on the computer being
checked.
If DCC is installed on the host and DCC is installed on the guest, then
skip the next step.
An Optional Step: Installing DCC:
Before establishing a DCC connection, DCC must be installed on both the
host and guest. The procedure for installing DCC on either the host or the
guest is given below. If DCC is not installed on the host and is also not
installed on the guest, the following procedure must be run on each
machine.
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click the Control
Panel. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
2. In the Add/Remove Program Properties, click the Windows Setup tab.
3. In the Components list, click Communications, and then click the
Details button.
4. In the Communications dialog box, make sure Direct Cable Connection is
checked and then click OK.
Establishing and Using the DCC IR Link Between Host and Guest:
To run DCC over an IR link, carry out the following procedure:
1. Make sure the IR communications driver is properly installed and the IR
devices are enabled by carrying out the procedures in "Step 1.
Installing the IR Communications Driver" and "Step 2. Validating the IR
Communications Driver Installation" earlier in this document.
NOTE: To increase the likelihood of success with DCC over an IR link,
use the Limit Connection Speed To option on the Infrared Monitor
Options tab to limit the IR connection speed to 9600 bps for the first
test of DCC over the IR link (and then increase the speed later).
2. On the host computer, click the Start button, point to Accessories, and
then click Direct Cable Connection.
3. Follow the steps in the Direct Cable Connection Wizard to set up the
host computer. When the wizard prompts for it, select the Host option.
When the wizard prompts to choose a port, use the same virtual port
used in the procedure "Step 2. Validating the IR Communications Driver
Installation" earlier in this document. The wizard will also offer
password protection. It is not necessary to establish password
protection on the host for this test of the IR link. When done with the
wizard, click the Finish button. DCC will start running on the IR link
and display the message "Status: Waiting to connect via Serial cable on
Comx," where Comx is the name of the virtual port the IR link is using.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the guest computer, except select the Guest
option instead of the Host option. When done with the wizard, click the
Finish button. The DCC connection is automatically made over the IR
link, and all the shared folders on the host are displayed on the
guest's screen.
5. Working on the guest computer, to copy a shared folder from the host to
the guest over the IR link select the folder's icon in the window that
displays all the shared folders that are on the host and drag the icon
to the desktop. To work on a shared folder on the host without copying
it to the guest, double-click on the folder in the display on the
guest. Note that if the host is connected to a network, the guest can
reach shared resources on the network through the DCC connection to the
host.
IR COMMUNICATIONS DRIVER COMPONENTS
===================================
The files that make up the IR communications driver are:
Filename Description
-------------------------
ACT200L.VXD Support for the ACTiSYS ACT-IR200L IR adapter.
ACT220L.VXD Support for the ACTiSYS ACT-IR220L IR adapter.
ADAPTEC.VXD Support for Adaptec IR adapter.
CRYSTAL.VXD Support for AMP PhasIR Serial Adapter.
ESI.VXD Support for Extended Systems JetEye PC Infrared Interface
(ESI9680).
INFRARED.CPL Infrared device in the Windows 95 Control Panel.
INFRARED.DLL Infrared device class installer.
INFRARED.INF IR device information file for Windows 95 Setup.
INFRARED.HLP On-line help topics for Infrared Monitor.
IRCOMM.VXD Top layer of IR communications for Windows 95.
IRDALAN.INF IrLan device information file for Windows 95 Setup.
IRDALAN.SYS IrLan driver.
IRENUM.VXD Enumerator for the "IR bus."
IRLAMP.VXD Generic infrared framer, lower layer of IR communications
for Windows 95.
IRLAPFRM.VXD
IRMON.EXE Infrared Monitor.
IRMONHLP.EXE IR Monitor on-line help utility.
IR_BEGIN.WAV Sound for Infrared Monitor user interface.
IR_END.WAV Sound for Infrared Monitor user interface.
IR_INTER.WAV Sound for Infrared Monitor user interface.
MSPORTS.INF IR port information file for Windows 95 Setup.
PARALLAX.VXD Support for Parallax IR Adapter, LiteLink PRA9500A.
W_IR.CNT Table of contents for Infrared Monitor on-line help.
The documentation files supplied with the IR device driver are:
Filename Description
-------------------------
RELNOTES.DOC This document.
IR ADAPTER MANUFACTURER NAMES AND ADDRESSES
===========================================
The names and addresses of IR adapter manufacturers that have been
successfully tested with the IR driver in the Windows 95 IR Communications
DDK are:
ActiSys, Inc.
1507 Fulton Place
Fremont CA 94539
tel: 510-490-8024
fax: 510-623-7268
email: corp@actisys.com
Adaptec, Inc.
691 South Milpitas Blvd,
Milpitas CA 95035
tel: 1-800-959-7274
fax: 1-408-957-7223
AMP Product Information Center
AMP Incorporated
Harrisburg PA 17105
tel: 1-800-522-6752
Extended Systems, Inc.
5777 North Meeker Ave
Boise ID 83704-1520
tel: 208-322-7575
fax: 208-377-1906
The Parallax IR adapter distributor in North America is:
TSC Electronics
1610 Lockness Place
Torrance CA 90501
tel: 310 534 2738
fax: 310 534 3216
email: dtsaitsc@aol.com
contact person: Daniel Tsai
The Parallax IR adapter distributor outside North America is:
Parallax Research
201 Innovation Centre
NTU
Nanyang Drive
Singapore 639798
Republic of Singapore
tel: +65 793 0855
fax: +65 793 0775
email: parallax@technet.sg
| Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 12/17/2000 |
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| Keywords: | KB149450 |
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