Microsoft TCP/IP Protocol Comparison and FAQ (94069)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.5
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.5
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.51
  • Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1
  • Microsoft Network Client for MS-DOS 3.0
  • Microsoft LAN Manager 2.2c
  • Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.11
  • Microsoft TCP/IP-32 for Windows for Workgroups 3.11b
This article was previously published under Q94069

SUMMARY

This article describes the feature sets available in the following Microsoft TCP/IP protocols:
  • MS-DOS TCP/IP for Microsoft Network Client and Microsoft LAN Manager for MS-DOS, version 2.2c (Basic and Enhanced Clients)
  • Microsoft LAN Manager for MS OS/2 Client TCP/IP
  • Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups
  • Microsoft TCP/IP-32 for Windows for Workgroups, version 3.11b
  • Microsoft TCP/IP for Microsoft Windows NT (included with Windows NT versions 3.1, 3.5, and 3.51)
At the end of this article you can also find general Microsoft TCP/IP questions and answers.

MS-DOS TCP/IP FOR MICROSOFT NETWORK CLIENT AND MICROSOFT LAN MANAGER FOR MS-DOS, VERSION 2.2C (BASIC AND ENHANCED CLIENTS)

Identical TCP/IP on Both Clients

Identical TCP/IP protocols ship with both MS-DOS-based clients. These MS-DOS-based clients support:
  • An MS-DOS-based interface.
  • Domain Name Resolver (DNR) (to resolve hostname-to-IP address mappings) if your network has a domain name server (DNS).
  • For Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) clients.
  • WINS resolution.
  • Windows Sockets.
These MS-DOS-based clients do not support following features that are provided by TCP/IP-32 for Windows for Workgroups version 3.11 and Windows NT version 3.5:
  • Support for DNS resolution using WINS.
  • Support for WINS resolution using DNS.
  • Name registration with the WINS database. (MS-DOS-based computers are clients, not servers, and do not generally need registration.)
  • Ability to act as a WINS proxy node.
  • Multihomed support.
  • Support for Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP).
  • DHCP command-line switches for IPCONFIG.EXE (use the DHCP Administration utility instead). Specifically, IPCONFIG.EXE does not support the following switches, which are available in the IPCONFIG.EXE utilities for Windows for Workgroups and for Windows NT:
          IPCONFIG /release
      IPCONFIG /renew
      IPCONFIG /?
      IPCONFIG /all
The MS-DOS TCP/IP client is available on the Windows NT Server CD and can be download from:

ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/Clients/WFW

MICROSOFT LAN MANAGER FOR MS OS/2 CLIENTS TCP/IP

Microsoft LAN Manager for MS OS/2 Client TCP/IP:
  • Does not ship with Network File System (NFS) support. Third party applications such as Chameleon NFS from Netmanage and NFS from FTP Software Incorporated provide this functionality.
  • Does not ship with line printer daemon (LPD) support. Third-party vendors provide this support.
  • Does not support DHCP or WINS.
  • Can only be bound to one network card.
  • Supports Token Ring source routing over TCP/IP.
NOTE: You cannot connect to a network drive from an MS-DOS session nor from Windows running under OS/2. You must make the connection using the LAN Manager Net interface or using the NET USE command at an OS/2 command prompt. The redirected drive letter is then available when you switch to an MS-DOS or Windows session.

Microsoft LAN Manager for MS OS/2 Client is available on the Windows NT Server CD.

MICROSOFT TCP/IP FOR WINDOWS FOR WORKGROUPS

Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups includes the NDIS 2 protocol to support connecting computers running Windows for Workgroups or computers running Windows for Workgroups to Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server.

Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups does not include any TCP/IP utilities; however, support for Windows Sockets is provided, which allows any Windows Sockets-compatible TCP/IP utilities (including terminal emulators and file transfer programs) to be used.

MICROSOFT TCP/IP-32 FOR WINDOWS FOR WORKGROUPS, VERSION 3.11B

Microsoft TCP/IP-32 for Windows for Workgroups is an NDIS 3 protocol that includes:
  • Core TCP/IP protocols, including Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Internet Protocol (IP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). This suite of Internet protocols provides a set of standards for how computers communicate and how networks are interconnected.
  • Support for application interfaces, including Windows Sockets for network programming and NetBIOS for establishing logical names and sessions on the network.
  • Basic TCP/IP connectivity applications, including ftp and telnet. These utilities allow Windows for Workgroups users to interact with and use resources on non-Microsoft hosts, such as UNIX workstations.
  • TCP/IP diagnostic tools, including arp, ipconfig, nbtstat, netstat, ping, route, and tracert. These utilities can be used to detect and resolve TCP/IP networking problems.
  • Support for DHCP automatic configuration.
  • Industry standard Windows Sockets 1.1 support for third-party and public domain TCP/IP applications such as NCSA Mosaic.
This version of TCP/IP does not:
  • Include server-side applications for telnet and ftp.
  • Include LPR and Gopher.
  • Support an MS-DOS-based interface (you an use Windows Sockets instead).
  • Support SLIP and PPP to dial in to the Internet.
  • Support NFS (although it will likely be provided by third-party vendors).
Microsoft TCP/IP-32 for Windows for Workgroups is available on the Windows NT Server CD and can be download from:

ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/Clients/WFW

NOTE: For more information on the specific bugs fixed in Microsoft TCP/IP-32 version 3.11b, query here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base on: 
   TCP/IP-32 and 3.11b

MICROSOFT TCP/IP FOR MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT VERSION 3.1

Microsoft TCP/IP for Microsoft Windows NT version 3.1 features:
  • Core TCP/IP protocols, including Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Internet Protocol (IP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP).
  • Support for application interfaces, including Windows Sockets for network programming, remote procedure call (RPC) for communicating between systems, NetBIOS for establishing logical names and sessions on the network, and network dynamic data exchange (Network DDE) for sharing information embedded in documents across the network.
  • Basic TCP/IP connectivity applications, including ftp, rcp, rsh, telnet, and tftp. These utilities allow Windows NT users to interact with and use resources on non-Microsoft hosts, such as UNIX workstations.
  • TCP/IP diagnostic tools, including hostname, netstat, ping, and route. These utilities can be used to detect and resolve TCP/IP networking problems.
  • Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent. This component allows a Windows NT computer to be administered remotely using management tools such as Sun Net Manager or HP Open View.

MICROSOFT TCP/IP FOR MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT VERSIONS 3.5 AND 3.51

Microsoft TCP/IP for Microsoft Windows NT versions 3.5 and 3.51 features:
  • New (completely rewritten) core TCP/IP protocols, including Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Internet Protocol (IP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). This suite of Internet protocols provides a set of standards for how computers communicate and how networks are interconnected. Support is also provided for Point-to- Point Protocol (PPP) and Serial-Line IP (SLIP), protocols used for dial-up access to TCP/IP networks, including the Internet.
  • Support for application interfaces, including Windows Sockets for network programming, remote procedure call (RPC) for communicating between systems, NetBIOS for establishing logical names and sessions on the network, and network dynamic data exchange (Network DDE) for sharing information embedded in documents across the network.
  • Basic TCP/IP connectivity applications, including finger, ftp, lpr, rcp, rexec, rsh, telnet, and tftp. These utilities allow Windows NT users to interact with and use resources on non-Microsoft hosts, such as UNIX workstations.
  • TCP/IP diagnostic tools, including arp, hostname, ipconfig, lpq, nbtstat, netstat, ping, route, and tracert. These utilities can be used to detect and resolve TCP/IP networking problems.
  • Services and related administrative tools, including the FTP Server service for transferring files between remote computers, Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) for dynamically registering and querying computer names on an internetwork, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service for automatically configuring TCP/IP on Windows NT computers, and TCP/IP printing for accessing printers connected to a UNIX workstation or connected directly to the network through TCP/IP.
  • Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent. This component allows a Windows NT computer to be administered remotely using management tools such as Sun Net Manager or HP Open View. SNMP can also be used to monitor and manage DHCP and WINS.
  • The client software for simple network protocols, including Character Generator, Daytime, Discard, Echo, and Quote of the Day. These protocols allow a Windows NT computer to respond to requests from other systems that support these protocols.

GENERAL MICROSOFT TCP/IP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

  1. Q. What is the Windows Sockets standard?

    A. The Windows Sockets standard is an open interface for network programming under Microsoft Windows. Some of the companies originally involved in writing the specification were JSB Corporation, FTP Software Inc., Sun Microsystems, and Microsoft Corp.

    On the Internet it can be found by using anonymous FTP to VAX.FTP.COM or FTP.UU.NET. You can also use the archie service on the Internet to find the one closest to you. You can request information by sending email to: winsock@ftp.com.
  2. Q. What is the difference between a Windows NT domain and a Domain Name Server (DNS) domain?

    A. A Windows NT domain is a collection of computers that share a common user account database and security policy. A DNS domain is used by computers on the Internet. It is typically used for distributing a host file across a network. However, it can also be used to distribute any form of information.
  3. Q. What is the difference between WINS and DNS?

    A. The Domain Name System (DNS) proxy agent in the Windows NT version 3.5x Resource Kit improves the integration of Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Windows Internet Name Service (WINS). DHCP is a protocol for automatic TCP/IP configuration that provides static and dynamic address allocation and management. WINS is a name resolution service that resolves Windows networking computer names to IP addresses in a routed environment. DNS requires static configuration for computer name-to-IP address mapping, while WINS is fully dynamic and requires far less administration.

REFERENCES

MS-DOS Client README.TXT file
Microsoft LAN Manager for MS OS/2 Clients README.TXT file
Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups Help file (MSTCPIP.HLP)
Microsoft TCP/IP-32 for Windows for Workgroups Help file (MTCPIP32.HLP)
Microsoft Windows NT TCP/IP Help (TCPIP.HLP)
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/26/2003
Keywords:KB94069
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.