Multiple Network Adapters

This page covers both Windows95 and Windows NT4.

Networking with Windows95 and WindowsNT4 is usually an easy job:
Install the "Network Adapter", add "Protocol" and "Client" and you are "talking" over the network.
The possibility to define MULTIPLE protocols for a Network adapter (which is so easy to setup due to Microsoft's NDIS support) is highly appreciated by everyone, who tried to setup/configure multiple protocols on a DOS based systems or Windows 3.x-system: It was often impossible !

The same is true for installing MULTIPLE Network Adapters: A very difficult (often impossible) task under DOS and Windows 3.x, also a simple job under Windows 95 and Windows NT4.

The biggest challenge: IRQ-Resources
Since the days of the IBM AT systems, the design of the systems has changed dramatically:

	IMB AT	Modern Pentium II
Clock: Screen resolution: Memory: Disk: Floppy disk: available IRQ's:	6 Mhz EGA typical 1 MByte 20 MByte 1.44 MByte 16	300 Mhz UVGA (1280x1024 / 1600x1200) typical 16/32/64 MByte 4 GByte 1.44 MByte (plus CD-ROM) 16 !

In today's high-performance systems, we are still stuck with the limit of maximum 16 IRQ-lines ("What is an Interrupt ?"), which is turning into a serious problem on today's Multi-Media Systems with Sound-Boards and SCSI-controllers, in some cases no IRQ is anymore available forcing to switch OFF something else (usually the second Serial-Port COM2, which is not used so often).

	Windows95: Check in the Control-Panel "System", tab: "Device Manager" the "Computer"-properties to locate an unused IRQ. In my example, I did already install the second Network adapter. But if this system had a Sound-board (which usually takes 2 IRQ's) and a SCSI-adapter, no more IRQ would be available.
	Windows NT4: On Windows NT, check the "NT Diagnostics", Tab:"Resources".

When installing a new network-board under Windows95, it will automatically create a binding of ALL currently installed protocols to the new board:

This screen dump is a "fake",
because I had to make 2 screen
shots to get the full info
displayed.
All protocols have a Binding
to all Network cards.

We should clean this up, keeping
only the required bindings.

When going to Multi-Network-Adapter/Multi-Protocol setups, it is best to draw it up to get an overview on the goal to be achieved:

In this example, I like to connect on different network cables:
- connect to a Novell-Netware server via IPX protocol
- connect to a Windows NT system via NetBEUI-protocol
- connect to the Internet using the Modem/Dialup-Adapter via TCP/IP.

(In my example, I use 2 different network-boards, but it is also possible to install 2 identical network-boards, as long as they are configured for different IRQ and Port-address.
To avoid another mis-understanding: if both the Novell-server AND the NT-system are on the SAME network cable, you can connect to them using ONLY ONE Network-adapter and BINDING multiple protocols to this one Network adapter. Please look to this as an exercise)

Windows95:
(see below for Windows NT4)

	to delete a Binding, select the combination of Protocol->Network board and "Remove" it.
	The "cleaned-out" version on the "Network", containing now only the required Bindings. We can now also verify the Bindings by checking the properties of the components:
	IPX has a Binding to the 3COM for the connection to the Netware Server.
	NetBEUI has a Binding to the NE2000 for the connection to the NT system.
	The IPX-protocol has a Binding to the Client for Netware Networks. (I manually un-checked the binding to the Client for Microsoft Network)
	The NetBEUI-protocol has a Binding to the Client for Microsoft Networks.

Lets now connect to these systems:

The Netware server does show up in the "Network Neighborhood", but (it is part of the Microsoft mystery of the "Browse-Master") the NT system did NOT show up in the "Network-Neighborhood", but I am able to connect to it by running the "Run"-command: \\<server-name>, in my example: \\piijh.

WindowsNT4:

	Lets check the "Network" applet in the Control-Panel.
	Since we like to connect to a Novell-netware server, we need in addition to the "Server" and "Workstation" (required to connect to the NT-system) the "Client Services for Netware".
	We have the protocols: - NetBEUI to communicate with the NT-system - IPX to communicate to the Novell Netware server
	the 2 Network Adapters
	The Bindings: Here we need to do the job. First, open (=expand the display) by clicking on the "+" signs.
	Then, select and "Disable" all not required Bindings. In this example: no need for the IPX-protocol to have a Binding to the Server and Workstation, which is used for connection to the NT-system.

Then, we are ready to connect and browse the network:

Don't ask me why: But under Windows NT4, both the Novell-server(s) AND the NT-system (PIIJH) are showing up in the "Network-Neighborhood"
(each time, when NT is able to do a job not possible/available on Windows95, I say to myself:" Do NOT forget, that Windows95 is only the little brother of the big-boy NT ! ").