Veder Software  -  NwDsk  -  NwDskPe

NwDsk: NetWare Boot Disk (IP/IPX)

A fully automated, menu driven, plug 'n play DOS network boot disk to access NetWare servers by IP/IPX using 32- or 16-bit client (NLM/VLM).

Version 3.02 by Erwin Veermans
Last updated on may 13, 2004

Feel free to send feedback, questions, bug-reports, new drivers, feature requests, success stories by Email (or MailForm).
Please include info like NwDsk version, Host OS, Target OS and Nic-driver with your message.

NwDsk has now been listed on the famous Cool Solutions CoolTools array.
When you feel this tool serves you well, you are encouraged to support NwDsk by rating and commenting NwDsk at CoolTools.

Check out: newly released NwDskPe 2.7.3. A NetWare 4.x XP Client PeBuilder plugin for WinPE.
(WinPE is a stripped down Windows XP or 2003 running from bootable CDROM)

» New
» Introduction
» Download NwDsk package
» Download NwDsk images
» Auto-create the boot disk
» Manually create the boot disk
» Create your own nic driver cab
» Advanced user control
» FAQ
» Credit
» Contact, License
» History
» Screenshots


 New


New with version 3.0x (see history/changelog): Recent improvements:

 Introduction


NwDsk is a professional network boot disk for connecting to Novell NetWare servers. The boot disk can be constructed using Novell's 32-bit client (NLM) or the 16-bit client (VLM) or even both. Choices for protocols (TCPIP or IPX or both), frame types, topology (ethernet, token-ring, fddi), TCPIP-settings, nic driver detection, packet-driver support, connect-information, and more can be made using menus and saved to user-profiles on diskette to prepare for fully automated sessions.

Feature list: When PXE and WinPE (see NwDskPe) are not an option an NwDsk diskette can be used for connecting a PC to a NetWare server for performing image operations (Ghost from Symantec, Deploy Center from PowerQuest, Drive Snapshot from Tom Ehlert) like saving an image of your PC to the server for backup or loading a new image from the server on your PC. It might serve as the starting point for launching a preconfigured Unattended installation of your client Operating System (OS) like XP or W2K from the NetWare server. Also for server to server imaging (Storage Manager from Portlock) an NwDsk boot diskette can be usefull. Be sure to check FAQ 43 when using NwDsk with imaging software.

NwDsk is based on Bart's very fine piece of work: Modular Boot Disk. The modules included here in the NwDsk package that are provided by Bart (with his permission) are modified for use with NwDsk. Before version 2.30 the modules by Bart were unaltered and building an NwDsk diskette needed 2 runs (one extra finalize '/!' run). Starting with 2.30 this is not needed anymore since the modules are adjusted for use by NwDsk. However when you add modules directly from Bart's site you still need that extra run with NwDsk.bat to ensure proper working with NwDsk (see FAQ 40).


 Download NwDsk package


Download the most recent version of the NwDsk Package here (see below table for alternative download). With this full package you can create your own NwDsk diskette using FreeDOS (distributed under GNU GPL), OpenDOS (distributed under License, enhanced by Udo Kuhnt), or MsDOS (not included). All nic drivers and modules presented on this page are included in the package. Mind that all info on this site reflects the latest version of NwDsk and that the older versions presented here are for reference only.

Package MB Info History Updated
Current version (click on history for full change log):
NwDsk302.exe 4.04 fixed some compatibility issues 3.02 may 13, 2004
Previous versions:
NwDsk301.exe 4.04 renewed memory management (Himem/Emm386) 3.01 apr 30, 2004
NwDsk258.exe 4.05 added support for multiple NICs (choose which to use) 2.58 apr 4, 2004
NwDsk257.exe 4.03 fixed defective bootsector writing 2.57 apr 1, 2004
NwDsk256.exe 4.02 fixed building bootable MsDOS 6.22 diskettes (at last) 2.56 mar 24, 2004
NwDsk255.exe 3.99 fixed truncated driver list, added SROUTE support, fixes 2.55 mar 23, 2004
NwDsk253.exe 3.80 64+ MB support, better VMware support, fixes 2.53 feb 12, 2004
NwDsk251.exe 3.79 FAT32 for OpenDOS, skip ramdisk, many updated drivers 2.51 jan 13, 2004
NwDsk250.exe 3.52 fixed W2K/XP setup, fixed NIOS '1 byte', added UDMA 2.50 dec 10, 2003
NwDsk243.exe 3.47 fixed XP endless loop, FreeDOS-AMD support, updates 2.43 oct 23, 2003
NwDsk242.exe 3.44 plug 'n play PCI PCMCIA/CardBus support, updates 2.42 sep 14, 2003
NwDsk240.exe 3.39 unloading/reloading Client, many updates 2.40 aug 12, 2003
NwDsk232.exe 3.22 maintenance, re-established MsNet compatibility 2.32 jun 25, 2003
NwDsk231.exe 3.11 all settings (except Profile-specific) in Global.set 2.31 jun 19, 2003
NwDsk230.exe 3.11 dropped finalize run '/!', some adjustments 2.30 jun 15, 2003
NwDsk216.exe 3.13 unloading Client upon error, fixes 2.16 jun 6, 2003
NwDsk215.exe 3.12 fixed 2 wrong SLP parameters, added util SLPINFO.BAT 2.15 jun 3, 2003
NwDsk214.exe 3.12 SLP configuration menu added (IP / SRVLOC), fixes 2.14 jun 1, 2003
NwDsk212.exe 2.81 fixes, option not to run twice on same PC 2.12 may 16, 2003
NwDsk210.exe 2.81 more Nics, fixes, prevent looping reboots, integrity check 2.10 may 12, 2003
NwDsk205.exe 2.47 resolved weird W95/W98 bug in setup-routine NwDsk.bat 2.05 may 2, 2003
NwDsk203.exe 2.47 cleaned setup-routine NwDsk.bat technical and visual 2.03 apr 28, 2003
NwDsk201.exe 2.47 fixed 'varset not found' error in NwDsk.bat ('/!') 2.01 apr 24, 2003
NwDsk200.exe 2.47 major update, revised menus, many fixes since 1.x 2.00 apr 24, 2003
Vintage versions:

For older versions
please check history
or browse by ftp
 NwLan fixes, reorganized, OpenDOS support 1.50 apr 10, 2003
many utilities updated, minor fixes 1.42 mar 5, 2003
fixed some NwDsk.bat (setup-routine) errors 1.41 feb 20, 2003
adjusted to MsNet 2.7, using ModBoot 2.6 + Utils 1.8 1.40 nov 21, 2002
using ModBoot 2.4 1.30 aug 27, 2002
adjusted to MsNet 2.5e, using ModBoot 2.3b + Utils 1.7 1.22 jul 14, 2002
using ModBoot 2.3 + Utils 1.6 1.21 jul 7, 2002
1st public release 1.20 jun 19, 2002
adjusted to MsNet 2.5d, using ModBoot 2.2 + Utils 1.5 1.14 jun 6, 2002
private beta (tested by Bart Lagerweij) 1.10 may 7, 2002
initial release (for internal use only) 1.00 april 30, 2002

Primary download unavailable? Try secundary server: latest NwDsk.
Browse all downloads by primary ftp (latest ones by secundary ftp).


 Download ready-to-run NwDsk images


Upon request here are a couple of self extracting images of 1.44 MB diskettes (SFX-images) with free Dos versions (FreeDOS, OpenDOS) of NwDsk installed (see below table for alternative download). Use this when you quickly want to test NwDsk or when you trust FreeDOS (or OpenDOS) enough for your production environment (I do). Download the full package when you need additional modules and/or drivers, or when you want to make an MsDOS NwDsk. As a reference you will find the batch-file used to create the image under the column 'Script'. The changes made with respect to the default NwDsk are also documented here.

Download an SFX-image, put a blank diskette in A:, run the SFX-image (SFX needs W9X/NT/W2K/XP to extract itself) to transfer the image to the diskette, boot your PC, fill in your network specific information on the dialogs, and logon ...

Image (SFX) Info Os NwDsk Updated Free Drivers Script
fd32e.exe
(! recommended !)		 32-bit Client Ethernet NwDsk FreeDOS 3.02 may 13, 2004 17 KB
17
 fd32e.bat
Client 32 Ethernet, IP/IPX, pkt driver, CDROM/VC ...
fd32e0.exe
(clean IP)		 Barebone 32-bit Client IP Ethernet NwDsk FreeDOS 3.02 may 13, 2004 66 KB
34
 fd32e0.bat
Client 32 Ethernet IP only, no extras except LBACACHE
dr32e.exe
(default DrDos)		 32-bit Client Ethernet NwDsk OpenDOS 3.02 may 13, 2004 31 KB
7
 dr32e.bat
Client 32 Ethernet, IP/IPX, pkt driver, CDROM/VC ...
fd1632lp.exe
(IP Print Server)		 NwDsk-LPD: IP Print Server on VLM/NLM FreeDOS 3.02 may 13, 2004 17 KB
18
 fd1632lp.bat
LPD Print server (see FAQ 39), Client 16/32 (IPX), ODI16/32-drivers, pkt driver, ...
fd16vnc.exe
(VNCviewer)		 NwDsk-VNC: VNCviewer on VLM-pktdrv FreeDOS 3.02 may 13, 2004 12 KB
31
 fd16vnc.bat
VNCviewer, LPD Print server, Aefdisk, Client 16 (IPX) + pkt drv, VC, ...
fdnwd288.img
(2.88 for CDROM)		 32-bit Client Ultimate NwDsk FreeDOS 3.02 may 13, 2004 78 KB
53
 fdnwd288.bat
Ether/Token/Fddi, IP/IPX, all Drivers, all Utils, Print-Server, VNC-viewer, ... (see FAQ 41)

Primary download unavailable? Try secundary server: fd32e.exe, fd32e0.exe, dr32e.exe, fd1632lp.exe, fd16vnc.exe, fdnwd288.img.
Browse all downloads by primary ftp (or secundary ftp) and check out the dir 'beta' for some extra modules and a 32E (32-bit ethernet) NwDsk SFX built on MsDOS 6.22 (D6x32e.exe: 1, 2) and W98se (D7x32e.exe: 1, 2) as an extra service. Make sure you possess a proper LICENSE from Microsoft to use MsDOS 6.22 and/or Windows 98 second edition before you download and use these SFXs.


 Auto-create the boot disk from NwDsk package


Auto-create by NwDsk.bat will work on any Windows version starting with Win95. When running the setup-file NwDsk.bat on ME/NT4/W2K/XP you will need first to provide a directory with some MsDOS files (IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, COMMAND.COM, HIMEM.SYS, EMM386.EXE, SMARTDRV.EXE, MSCDEX.EXE). When you need FAT32 support it is to be preferred to use the latest MsDOS version from W98SE (not ME !), if not then choose MsDOS 6.22 which will give you far more space on the diskette to add extras and drivers. When running NwDsk.bat on your W95 or W98 machine from the C: drive (for the 'Sys'-command) you won't need this directory since it will find these files by itself. Of course if you create the FreeDOS or OpenDOS version of NwDsk you won't be needing these MsDOS files at all.

  1. Install the NwDsk package
    • First download the latest version of NwDsk
    • Launch the SFX NwDsk???.exe (it will install in dir '.\Nwdsk' on the default drive)
    • On W9x it is preferred to install it on 'C:' (to be able to run 'Sys A:')
    • Change dir to where you installed NwDsk (say 'C:\Nwdsk')

  2. (optional only when creating MsDOS NwDsk) Add a copy of your MsDOS files to the NwDsk-setup
    • When you would like to build a boot diskette with MsDOS and you are not running NwDsk from a PC running WIN95, WIN98 or WIN98SE you need to provide some MsDOS files first.
    • In NwDsk's home-dir (say 'C:\Nwdsk') there is a subdir Dos which contains 4 subdirs for holding copies of the dos-files that NwDsk uses when building a diskette.
      • 'C:\Nwdsk\Dos\Dos622' (empty, please supply if needed)
      • 'C:\Nwdsk\Dos\W98se' (empty, please supply if needed)
      • 'C:\NwDsk\Dos\Freedos' (filled, do not change)
      • 'C:\NwDsk\Dos\Opendos' (filled, do not change)
    • In the MsDOS dirs 'C:\Nwdsk\Dos\Dos622' and 'C:\Nwdsk\Dos\W98se' you need to place the following files if you would like to create an MsDOS based NwDsk diskette: IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, COMMAND.COM, HIMEM.SYS, EMM386.EXE, SMARTDRV.EXE, MSCDEX.EXE.
      • MsDOS 6.22
        1. Download dos622.exe from SvrCops disk images
        2. Run it to extract it to a diskette
        3. copy IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, COMMAND.COM, HIMEM.SYS, EMM386.EXE, SMARTDRV.EXE and MSCDEX.EXE from the diskette to 'C:\Nwdsk\Dos\Dos622'
      • W98se
        1. Download wbootess.exe from DrD's boot disk essentials
        2. Run it to extract it to a diskette
        3. copy IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, COMMAND.COM, HIMEM.SYS, EMM386.EXE, SMARTDRV.EXE and MSCDEX.EXE from the diskette to 'C:\Nwdsk\Dos\W98se'
    • Make sure you are licensed to use Microsoft MsDOS 6.22 and/or Windows 98 second edition.

  3. Create the default NwDsk Boot Diskette (see FAQ 3 which to choose)
    • Building directly on diskette:
      • Run 'NwDsk.bat A: Dos\Dos622' (MsDOS 6.22; or 'NwDsk.bat A: /6')
      • Run 'NwDsk.bat A: Dos\W98se' (W98se; or 'NwDsk.bat A: /7'; or 'NwDsk.bat A:' on W9x)
      • Run 'NwDsk.bat A: Dos\Freedos' (FreeDOS; or 'NwDsk.bat A: /8' or 'NwDsk.bat A: /@')
      • Run 'NwDsk.bat A: Dos\Opendos' (OpenDOS; or 'NwDsk.bat A: /9')
    • Or building first to dir, then transfer to diskette
      • Run 'NwDsk.bat d6nwd Dos\Dos622' and 'Mkdos622.bat A: d6nwd'
      • Run 'NwDsk.bat d7nwd Dos\W98se' and 'MkW98se.bat A: d7nwd'
      • Run 'NwDsk.bat fdnwd Dos\Freedos' and 'MkFdos.bat A: fdnwd'
      • Run 'NwDsk.bat drnwd Dos\Opendos' and 'MkOpndos.bat A: drnwd'

  4. (optional) Add/remove Cabs
  5. (optional) Add/remove the Nic Cabs to fit your needs
    • Look in the setup-dir 'C:\Nwdsk\Cabs\Odi32' for extra 32-bit ODI drivers
    • Look in the setup-dir 'C:\Nwdsk\Cabs\Odi16' for extra 16-bit ODI drivers

  6. (optional since version 2.30) Finalize the NwDsk Boot Diskette
    • Run 'NwDsk.bat A: /!'
      Starting with version 2.30 this second run is not necessary anymore.
    • Run 'NwDsk.bat A: /! /#' if you also want to optimize on space by joining cabs (gain: 20 to 70 KB).
    • Run 'NwDsk.bat A: /!!' if you only want to squeeze the last bytes out of the driver cabs.
Your NwDsk is ready. Try it!

This default NwDsk contains (see also this Cab listing):
Some additional remarks on the building process:

 Manually create the boot disk


First of all: you need to start with a proper NwDsk boot disk since you need the proper AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS and the complete A:\BIN directory. Apart from that you can just copy modules (CABs) in or out to build the disk you need.
As a reference here is a listing of all modules included in the NwDsk setup-dir after installing the NwDsk package to your hard disk, and their location on diskette after building the default NwDsk.

Cab KB Info DOS 6.22 DOS 7.xx FreeDOS OpenDOS
Location on NwDsk setup-dir Nwdsk\ Location on Default NwDsk diskette A:\
Cabs\Nwlan 31 NetWare Client loader routine
Level3\
Level3\
Level3\
Level3\
32-bit Client (NLM):
Cabs\Nwodi32 361 NLM loader (NIOS)
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Cabs\Nwtcp32 131 TCPIP
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Cabs\Nwipx32 48 IPX
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Cabs\Nw1632 22 16-bit ODI
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Cabs\Nw3232 30 32-bit ODI
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Cabs\Nw3232e 9 32-bit ODI Ethernet
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Cabs\Nw3232t 9 32-bit ODI Token-Ring
Lib\
  
Lib\
  
Cabs\Nw3232f 10 32-bit ODI FDDI
Lib\
  
Lib\
  
Cabs\Nw32pkt 6 32-bit ODI Packet Driver (Pkt)
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Cabs\Nw32pkte 9 32-bit ODI Ethernet Pkt
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Cabs\Nw32pktt 10 32-bit ODI Token-Ring Pkt
Lib\
  
Lib\
  
Cabs\Nw32pktf 9 32-bit ODI FDDI Pkt
Lib\
  
Lib\
  
Cabs\Sroute 5 Sroute for Token-Ring/FDDI        
16-bit Client (VLM):
Cabs\Nwodi16 76 VLM loader        
Cabs\Nwipx16 1 IPX        
Cabs\Nw1616 20 16-bit ODI        
Nic drivers:
Cabs\Odi32\* ? 32-bit ODI        
Cabs\Odi16\* ? 16-bit ODI        
Utilities (mandatory):
Modboot 4 Core ModBoot routine
Bin\
Bin\
Bin\
Bin\
Cabs\Utils 31 Core Utilities from Bart
Level0\
Level0\
Level0\
Level0\
Cabs\Utilz 33 Core Utilities from Erwin
Level0\
Level0\
Level0\
Level0\
Utilities (optional):
Cabs\Menu 1 Menu
Level0\
Level0\
Level0\
Level0\
Cabs\Ntfsdos 26 NTFS read-only support
Level0\
  
Level0\
  
Cabs\Idle 2 FdApm (suspend CPU when idle)
Level0\
Level0\
Level0\
Level0\
Cabs\Freedos 23 Utilities (xcopy, attrib, deltree)
Level0\
  
Level0\
Level0\
Cabs\Cdrom 2 CDROM loader routine
Level1\
Level1\
Level1\
Level1\
Cabs\Atapicd 5 Atapi CDROM driver
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Lib\
Cabs\Mscdex 13 MsDOS CDROM loader
Lib\
Lib\
    
Cabs\Shsucdx 9 FreeDOS CDROM loader    
Lib\
  
Cabs\Nwcdex 20 OpenDOS CDROM loader      
Lib\
Cabs\Smartdrv 12 MsDOS Cache
Level1\
Level1\
    
Cabs\Lbacache 7 FreeDOS Cache    
Level1\
  
Cabs\Nwcache 20 OpenDOS Cache      
Level1\
Cabs\Mouse 5 Mouse driver
Level1\
Level1\
Level1\
Level1\
Cabs\Help 1 Simple Help module
Level1\
Level1\
Level1\
Level1\
Cabs\Keyb 9 International keyboard support
Level1\
Level1\
Level1\
Level1\
Cabs\Aspi 1 ASPI SCSI support        
Cabs\Vc 80 Volkov Commander (NC-clone)
Level1\
  
Level1\
Level1\
Cabs\Msdos 5 Doskey (command line history)
Level1\
Level1\
    
Cabs\Lpprd 48 IP LPD Print Server PPRD        
Cabs\Doslfn 13 Long File Name support
Level0\
  
Level0\
Level0\
Cabs\Ltools 51 Linux EXT2 read/write support        
Cabs\Autorun1 1 Calls your A:\Etc\Autorun1.bat        
Cabs\Autorun2 1 Calls your A:\Etc\Autorun2.bat        
Cabs\Autorun3 1 Calls your A:\Etc\Autorun3.bat        


There are some more CABs already prepared but not included with the package. You might put these on your NwDsk diskette in \LEVEL0 (they will be automatically unpacked) or \LIB (you need to unpack them yourself when needed by 'unpack A:\LIB\MYCAB'). The CABs that have an autorun-batchfile on board can be put in \LEVEL1-3 so they will autolaunch.

Cab KB Info AutoRun
Extra Modules for download (not included in package):
Bootutil 45 Partition/Boot utilities: Aefdisk, BootPart
 
Enhanced Fdisk, Boot partition repair
Aida 487 Aida 16-bit SysInfo utility
*
Impressive SysInfo tool for system audits
Pcidevs 121 Craig Hart's PCI devices Info
*
Including his famous PCIDEVS.TXT list
Nwping 29 NetWare IP Client32 Ping utility
 
To test TCPIP of NetWare 32-bit client
Wattcp 30 WATTCP Info and Ping utility
 
To test WATTCP TCPIP on packet driver
VNC 167 Vnc Viewer for DOS
 
Connect to VNC servers from DOS (see FAQ 44)

Next to this, the root of the diskette contains the OS-system file(s) and command processor, the obvious CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT, and a file DISKID.TXT. In A:\BIN\ you will find OS-related memory managers, the CAB-extractor, the Ramdisk program, and some other utilities needed in the initial stages of the booting process.

To recall from Barts pages the ModBoot concept here is a quick reference:

Dir Purpose
Bin\ ModBoot system area, initiates ModBoot (do not change!)
Etc\ User configuration files, read when necessary
Level0\ Unpack all Cabs, do not run anything, just assure it is available
Level1\ Unpack all Cabs, autorun contents (by autorun.bat)
Level2\ Unpack all Cabs, autorun contents (by autorun.bat)
Level3\ Unpack 1 Cab, autorun contents (ModBoot finishes here)
Lib\ Only unpacked when necessary by some other Module


 Create your own nic driver cab

First, check the list of network drivers if your driver is not already listed.


Second, add what1632.cab (*new*) to A:\LEVEL2 of your floppy to detect which driver to use.


If you want to add a driver not listed, first take a good look at Bart's. An important difference is that we have 2 driver versions with NwDsk: ODI 16-bit (.COM) and ODI 32-bit (.LAN) where Bart has NDIS2 (.DOS). The .TXT file from Bart is dropped, the driver file .DOS is replaced with .COM or .LAN, the configuration file .INI is replaced with .CFG or .LDR (optional), and the Vendor/Device file NDIS.PCI is replaced with ODI16.PCI or ODI32.PCI (ODI16.ISA or ODI32.ISA for ISA).

This table presents the 3 files (or 2: configuration file is optional) you need when you want to build an ODI16 or ODI32 driver .CAB (PCI or ISA). Substitute the driver-name as used with .COM or .LAN for mynic. Click on the files for an example.

mynic.cab ODI 16-bit ODI 32-bit description
mynic driver mynic.com mynic.lan download this driver from the manufacturer website
Vendor/Device ID PCI odi16.pci odi32.pci put in here the Vendor/Device ID's & descriptions (PCI)
ISA odi16.isa odi32.isa as above but put "BAD" as Device-ID (ISA or PCMCIA)
mynic configuration mynic.cfg mynic.ldr optional file to specify PORT, SLOT, DUPLEX, etc.

Mind that the description for the nic will always be read from the 'dev=' line (.PCI or .ISA), so you don't need to add extra descriptions for different models on the following lines. Also, since you (should) like to know if you are dealing with an ODI16 or ODI32 driver you should add '16b' or '32b' at the end of the description (see nic-list). The bogus Device-ID 'BAD' with ISA or PCMCIA cards is used to autoselect the ISA or PCMCIA card when autodetection of the PCI-cards fails.

To obtain the PCI Vendor/Device ID of your particular card you can use:
  1. Craig's PCI diagnostic software
  2. Consult the list found at: http://www.yourvote.com/pci/
    Look up the Vendor ID and Device ID
  3. Use PCIscan
Now create the driver CAB: Again, do not forget to substitute your driver name for 'mynic'.

Oh, yeah, please send me a copy of your driver-cab to add to the following list.

List of ODI 32-bit Nic drivers (most or all of them already included with the NwDsk package):

File KB Description ISA Ver Updated NwDsk\ Top
pnpsrv.cab4 Realtek RTL8019 ISA PnP (991013)
*
 1.1 feb 26, 2004 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
Cab by Radoslaw Sydor
rlpnpa.cab6 Compex RL2000(A) ISA PnP (961016)
*
 1.0 feb 3, 2004 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
Cab by Radoslaw Sydor
3c99x.cab40 3Com 3C99X 3XP Processor (030908)   1.1 jan 8, 2004 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
3c986.cab73 3Com 3C986 Gigabit 2.00 (010214)   1.2 jan 8, 2004 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
AKA Alteon Gigabit Ethernet 3C986
ibmtrpo.cab44 IBM 16/4 Token Ring (991020)   1.1 jan 8, 2004 Cabs\Odi32
Tok
Cab by Tony DiSalvo
fastnic.cab7 ADMtek AN98X/ADM951X Ethernet (020217)   1.0 jan 8, 2004 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
AKA LinkSys LNE100TX(v5)
sis900.cab15 SiS 900/7016 PCI Adapters 1.14 (020816)   1.1 jan 8, 2004 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
getnwsc.cab14 VIA Rhine-GE 1.09 (030717)   1.0 jan 8, 2004 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
ce1000.cab39 Intel 8254x PRO/1000 Ethernet (030724)   1.2 jan 7, 2004 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
Cab by Nicolas Herrmann
ce100b32.cab33 Intel 8255x PRO/100 (030724)   1.3 jan 7, 2004
diskette
Eth
b57.cab41 Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit BCM570X (031126)   1.2 jan 6, 2004 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
AKA Compaq NC77xx/NC67xx Gigabit (Cab by Gary Baker)
b44.cab14 Broadcom 440X Fast Ethernet (031126)   1.0 jan 6, 2004 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
3c2000.cab68 3com Asus 3C2000/3C940 Gigabit LOM (030604)   1.0 dec 10, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
Cab by Andrew Buttsworth
sk98nw.cab69 SysKonnect SK-98xx/95xx Gigabit 6.09 (031029)   1.0 dec 10, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
ngrpci.cab8 NetGear FA310TX Fast Ethernet (990212)   1.0 oct 23, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
Cab by Bradley Jerome
lne100t2.cab8 LinkSys LNE100TX 2.0 (991202)   1.0 sep 14, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
Cab by Roger Saffle
dlkrts.cab6 D-Link DFE-530TX+ PCI (001121)   1.0 sep 11, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
Cab by Roger Saffle
fem556od (16b)n.a. 3Com Megahertz 10/100 (use 16-bit driver)
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
cbcombo (16b)n.a. Intel PRO/100 CardBusII, S Mobile (use 16-bit driver)
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
e3000odi (16b)n.a. Kye Genius Lan E3000II (use 16-bit driver)
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
de22x.cab12 D-Link DE-220 Family Ethernet (970805)
*
 1.0 Aug 12, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
rtssrv.cab6 Realtek RTL8139/810X Family (990128)   1.1 Aug 11, 2003
diskette
Eth
skfpnw.cab42 SysKonnect FDDI SK-55xx Pci 4.21 (990225)   1.0 Jul 29, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
FDDI
ne2000.cab5 Novell NE2000 Ethernet ISA (990302)
*
 1.0 Jul 23, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
fetnwsc.cab15 VIA Rhine VT610X/VT82XX/VT86C100 5.19 (030218)   1.0 Jul 6, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
Cab by Ron Hohneke
dm9pci.cab10 Davicom 9102 Fast Ethernet (010330)   1.0 Jun 30, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
AKA C-Net PRO200 (Cab by Steven Seward)
accodi.cab6 Accton EN1207D-TX Ethernet 1.10 (990509)   1.0 Jun 20, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
AKA SMC1211 (Cab by Tony DiSalvo)
3c3x9.cab34 3Com 3C339 TokenLink Velocity XL (970512)   1.0 Jun 20, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Tok
Cab by Tony DiSalvo
tlnkpodi.cab21 3Com 3C359 TokenLink Velocity XL (990114)   1.0 Jun 20, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Tok
Cab by Tony DiSalvo
3c90x.cab11 3Com Etherlink 3C900/905 TX 5.00.01 (990401)   1.0 Jun 13, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
3c90xc.cab13 3Com Etherlink 3C90x family 5.30a (000628)   1.2 May 31, 2003
diskette
Eth
Reverted to older version because of problems with Dell GX110 (thanks to Steve Robbins)
fa31x.cab10 NetGear FA311/312 (DP83815/16) (010418)   1.0 May 31, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
AKA FriendlyNET 695/6 10/100 (based on National Semiconductor DP83815)
cbe.cab18 Xircom CardBus 10/100 Ether 3.14 (990908)
*
 1.0 May 20, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
AKA CreditCard/RealPort CardBus (CBE-10/100BTX, CBE2-100BTX, RBE-100BTX, R2BE-100BTX)
ce3odi.cab19 Xircom CreditCard Ethernet 2.05 (000107)
*
 1.0 May 20, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
AKA CreditCard/RealPort (CE3B-100BTX, CE3-10BT, RE-100BTX, R2E-100BTX, RE-10)
m32a.cab18 Intel PRO/100 Mobile CardBus 32 2.55 (980924)
*
 1.0 May 20, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
m16aodi.cab19 Intel PRO/100 Mobile 16 PcCard 1.90 (990924)
*
 1.0 May 20, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
3c980.cab17 3Com Etherlink 3C980 2.06 (000904)   1.0 May 9, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
cpqnf3.cab32 Compaq NetFlex-3 Netelligent (980409)   1.0 May 8, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
octok162.cab32 Olicom Token-Ring 16/4 PCI (990802)
*
 1.0 Apr 23, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Tok
cmdgodi.cab115 Madge Token-Ring 16/4 4.08 LSS 8.0 (011126)   1.0 Apr 17, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Tok
AKA Olicom Token-Ring RapidFire/GoCard (maybe even also for 16/4, try manual)
3c5x9.cab7 3Com Etherlink 3C5X9 III ISA 4.20 (981117)
*
 1.0 Apr 16, 2003 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
Cab by Nicolas Herrmann
pcisrv.cab4 Realtek RTL8029 Ethernet PCI (980311)   1.0 Apr 1, 2003
diskette
Eth
pcntnw.cab9 AMD PCnet ODI Driver 4.23 (001122)   1.0 Feb 20, 2003
diskette
Eth
Used in VMware virtual PC (see FAQ 19)
3c59x.cab10 3Com Etherlink 3C59X family 4.2 (961119)   1.0 Jun 18, 2002 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
smc8000.cab12 SMC ISA Ethernet 7.02 (980307)
*
 1.1 Jun 7, 2002 Cabs\Odi32
Eth
smcpwr2.cab10 SMC EtherPower II 10/100 1.22 (990511)   1.1 Jun 7, 2002
diskette
Eth
smcpwr (16b)n.a. SMC 8432 or Digital 2104x/2114x (use 16-bit driver)
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
3c556 (16b)n.a. 3Com MiniPCI 10/100 (use 16-bit driver)
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.

List of ODI 16-bit Nic drivers (most or all of them already included with the NwDsk package):

File KB Description ISA Ver Updated NwDsk\
pnpodi.cab11 Realtek RTL8019 ISA PnP (991013)
*
 1.1 feb 26, 2004 Cabs\Odi16
rlpnpa.cab13 Compex RL2000(A) ISA PnP (961016)
*
 1.0 feb 3, 2004 Cabs\Odi16
cpqnf3.cab28 Compaq NetFlex-3 Netelligent 2.43 (980402)   1.0 jan 10, 2004 Cabs\Odi16
accodi.cab12 Accton EN1207D-TX Ethernet 1.07 (990806)   1.0 jan 8, 2004 Cabs\Odi16
AKA SMC1211
dm9pci.cab16 Davicom 9102 Fast Ethernet 2.26 (020312)   1.0 jan 8, 2004 Cabs\Odi16
AKA C-Net PRO200
fastnic.cab15 ADMtek AN98X/ADM951X Ethernet 1.20 (020209)   1.0 jan 8, 2004 Cabs\Odi16
AKA LinkSys LNE100TX(v5)
sis900.cab21 SiS 900/7016 PCI Adapters 1.14 (020819)   1.0 jan 8, 2004 Cabs\Odi16
getodi.cab14 VIA Rhine-GE Gigabit 1.08 (030820)   1.0 jan 8, 2004 Cabs\Odi16
fetodi.cab15 VIA Rhine VT610X/VT82XX/VT86C100 4.16 (030121)   1.0 jan 8, 2004 Cabs\Odi16
e1000odi.cab18 Intel 8254x Pro/1000 Ether 2.25 (030724)   1.3 jan 7, 2004 Cabs\Odi16
Cab by Cory Charlton
b57.cab21 Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit BCM570X 7.08 (031108)   1.2 jan 6, 2004 Cabs\Odi16
AKA Compaq NC77xx/NC67xx Gigabit
b44.cab16 Broadcom 440X Fast Ethernet 3.03 (031031)   1.1 jan 6, 2004 Cabs\Odi16
3c574.cab25 3Com Megahertz 3C574 1.02.005 (981208)
*
 1.0 dec 11, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
sk98odi.cab25 SysKonnect SK-98xx/95xx Gigabit 6.09 (031024)   1.0 dec 10, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
elpc575.cab24 3Com 10/100 CardBus 3CCFE575CT 4.09 (011114)   1.0 dec 10, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
ngrpci.cab15 NetGear FA310TX 2.31 (981014)   1.0 Oct 23, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
dlkrts.cab12 D-Link DFE-530TX+ 3.61 (001121)   1.0 Sep 11, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
fem556od.cab27 3Com Megahertz FEM556 10/100 3.01 (980105)
*
 1.1 Aug 28, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
Cab by Cory Charlton
cbcombo.cab16 Intel PRO/100 CardBusII, S Mobile, SR Mobile   1.0 aug 27, 2003 Cabs
Note: Enabler, put it in \LEVEL1 and put E100BODI in \LIB\ODI16 (thanks Achton Netherclift)
e3000odi.cab10 Kye Genius Lan E3000II Pocket Ether 1.50 (961209)
*
 1.0 Aug 26, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
de22x.cab17 D-Link DE-220 Family Ethernet (970724)
*
 1.0 Aug 12, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
Cab by Robin Rusli
rtsodi.cab12 Realtek RTL8139/810X Family 3.65 (021003)   1.1 Aug 12, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
ne2000.cab10 Novell NE2000 Ethernet ISA 2.10 (960401)
*
 1.0 Jul 23, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
3c90x.cab23 3Com Etherlink 3C90x family 5.23 (991108)   1.3 Jun 13, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
Reverted to older version because of problems with VLM (thanks to Cory Charlton)
cbeodi.cab28 Xircom CardBus 10/100 Ether 3.14 (000501)
*
 1.0 May 20, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
AKA CreditCard/RealPort CardBus (CBE-10/100, CBE2-100, RBE-100, R2BE-100) BTX
ce3odi.cab28 Xircom CreditCard Ethernet 2.90 (000107)
*
 1.0 May 20, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
AKA CreditCard/RealPort (CE3B-100BTX, CE3-10BT, RE-100BTX, R2E-100BTX, RE-10)
m32aodi.cab29 Intel PRO/100 Mobile CardBus 32 2.57 (980924)
*
 1.0 May 20, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
See cbcombo.cab above for Mobile 100/PRO CardBusII (or S or SR) version
m16aodi.cab29 Intel PRO/100 Mobile 16 PcCard 2.81 (990925)
*
 1.0 May 20, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
See cbcombo.cab above for Mobile 100/PRO CardBusII (or S or SR) version
e100bodi.cab20 Intel 8255x PRO/100 4.05 (021012)   1.2 May 10, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
See cbcombo.cab above when used with Mobile 100/PRO CardBusII (or S or SR) version
3c5x9.cab20 3Com Etherlink 3C5X9 III 2.06 (990105)
*
 1.1 May 9, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
Cab by Cory Charlton
pcntnw.cab15 AMD PCnet ODI Driver 4.03 (001106)   1.0 May 6, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
Used in VMware virtual PC (see FAQ 19)
pciodi.cab11 Realtek RTL8029 Pci 6.40 (990421)   1.0 Apr 1, 2003 Cabs\Odi16
3c59x.cab24 3Com Etherlink 3C59X Bus Master 2.06 (960920)   1.0 Jun 18, 2002 Cabs\Odi16
dc21x4.cab25 Digital 2104x/2114x 10/100 3.00 (980628)   1.0 Jun 3, 2002
diskette
Use this one for your SMC smcpwr (8432 series)
3c556.cab24 3Com 556 MiniPCI 10/100 1.00 (990922)   1.0 Jun 3, 2002 Cabs\Odi16
Used in laptops (DELL)
smc8000.cab18 SMC Ethernet 5.06 (960328)
*
 1.0 Jun 3, 2002 Cabs\Odi16
smcpwr2.cab16 SMC EtherPower II 10/100 1.27 (000130)   1.0 Jun 3, 2002 Cabs\Odi16

Under the column 'NwDsk\' you find the directory where the drivers can be found after installing the latest NwDsk???.exe. The drivers in the dirs 'NwDsk\Cabs\Odi??' are not automatically included when building an NwDsk diskette, except the ones that read 'diskette'.


 Advanced user control


There are a lot of handles for the user to control the configuration and loading of NwDsk. First of all: carefully read all documentation related to ModBoot and the Network Boot Disk on Bart's page for a good understanding of the process and your options to control it. Apart from the menu options appearing to the user when booting from the diskette it is also possible to influence the loading of the client by adding or changing some text-files on the diskette. Most have to do with altering the 'Protocol' and/or 'Link Driver' sections in 'Net.cfg' or the parameters on the 'LOAD Nic.lan'-line.

Mind that the list presented here will only reflect the current version of NwDsk. This list might look intimidating but it should be noted that under normal circumstances you do not need anything from this list to have a fine working NwDsk. These handles are provided as a service for the advanced user (lan admin).

File Location Description
Descriptive:
Diskid.txt \ Put some descriptive text in this file that will be shown each run
Autoexec.bat \ Add a char (e.g. 'Y') to the first line in this file to run NwDsk in debug-mode
Debug.txt \ By adding this file NwDsk will run in debug-mode (alternative for option above)
Pré NetWare Client:
Halt.txt \Etc When same PC boots twice in a row: shows Halt.txt, pauses to reboot
Stop.txt \Etc When same PC boots twice in a row: shows Stop.txt, pauses to reboot or continue
Haltcrc.txt \Etc When CRC fails: shows Haltcrc.txt, pauses to reboot
Stopcrc.txt \Etc When CRC fails: shows Stopcrc.txt, pauses to reboot or dos-prompt
Net.cfg, Nic, NLM/VLM related:
Net.cfg \Etc Add your Net.cfg to overrule included Net.cfg
Net16.cfg \Etc Add your Net.cfg to overrule included Net.cfg (VLM)
Net32.cfg \Etc Add your Net.cfg to overrule included Net.cfg (NLM)
Tcp32.cfg \Etc Specify your 'Protocol TCPIP' section for Net.cfg (NLM running IP)
Ipx16.cfg \Etc Specify your 'Protocol IPX' section for Net.cfg (VLM)
Ipx32.cfg \Etc Specify your 'Protocol IPX' section for Net.cfg (NLM running IPX)
Resolv.cfg \Etc Specify your DNS entries (NLM running IP)
Hosts \Etc Provide your own Hosts file (NLM running IP)
Tcp1632.ldr \Etc Specify your FRAME-type to 'Link Driver' in Net.cfg (NLM running IP with ODI16)
Tcp3232.ldr \Etc Specify your FRAME-type on the LOAD NIC line (NLM running IP with ODI32)
Ipx16.ldr \Etc Specify your FRAME-type to 'Link Driver' in Net.cfg (VLM)
Ipx1632.ldr \Etc Specify your FRAME-type to 'Link Driver' in Net.cfg (NLM running IPX with ODI16)
Ipx3232.ldr \Etc Specify your FRAME-type on the LOAD NIC line (NLM running IPX with ODI32)
Mynic.cfg \Etc Add Nic-related stuff (PORT, IRQ) to 'Link Driver' section (ODI16)
Mynic.ldr \Etc Add Nic-related stuff (SLOT, DUPLEX) to the LOAD NIC line (ODI32)
Odipkt.ldr \Etc Add packet-driver stuff to the Odipkt.com line (VLM with packet-driver)
Wattcp.cfg \Etc Specify your packet-driver cfg-file (VLM with packet-driver)
Nios.bat \Etc Control the loading of NIOS.EXE (NLM)
Nios.ldr \Etc Add your parameters to NIOS.EXE-loadline (NLM)
Vlm.bat \Etc Control the loading of VLM.EXE (VLM)
Vlm.ldr \Etc Add your parameters to VLM.EXE-loadline (VLM)
Srvloc.cfg \Etc Add extra SLP settings to 'SrvLoc' section in Net.cfg (NLM running IP)
Noslot.txt \Etc Prevent automated SLOT detection (NLM with ODI32)
Sroute.ldr \Etc Add your parameters to SROUTE
Login process and post NetWare Client related:
Autoexec.scp \Etc Add your general Login-script to be run instead of the default login-script
Profile.scp \Etc\Profile Add your Profile-specific Login-script to be run instead of the default login-script
Autoexec.lan \Etc General batch-file to be run after Login
Profile.lan \Etc\Profile Profile-specific batch-file to be run after Login
Autorun1.bat \Etc Your batch-file with commands which will be called by Autorun1.cab in \Level1
Autorun2.bat \Etc Your batch-file with commands which will be called by Autorun2.cab in \Level2
Autorun3.bat \Etc Your batch-file with commands which will be called by Autorun3.cab in \Level3
Vc.ini \Etc Your saved configuration file for Volkov Commander (Vc.cab)


 FAQ

  1. I get ENV-error(s) when I run the setup-routine NwDsk.bat on my W95/W98 PC.

    Increase your environment size:

    • On W9x you need to alter (or add) the 'shell='-line in C:\CONFIG.SYS to contain '/e:2048' like (or increase this number): 'shell=c:\command.com /p /e:2048'
    • On NT4/W2K/XP you need to alter (or add) 'shell=%systemroot%\system32\command.com /e:2048' (or '/e:4096') in CONFIG.NT located in '%systemroot%\system32'.

  2. I do not succeed when I run the setup-routine NwDsk.bat and try to build a diskette in "A:".

    • Make sure you run 'nwdsk.bat' from the Windows GUI (it needs some Windows components).
    • Try to build your NwDsk first on your hard disk (example 'nwdsk.bat fdnwd dos\freedos') and then transfer it to diskette. You will find four (6.x, 7.x, FreeDOS, OpenDOS) batch files in the same dir as NwDsk.bat to transfer and make bootable: MKDOS622.BAT, MKW98SE.BAT, MKFDOS.BAT, MKOPNDOS.BAT (example 'mkfdos.bat a: fdnwd'). See here for more info.
    • Try a ready-to-run FreeDOS NwDsk image. Also look at the 'Script' here as an example how to build an NwDsk diskette by first building it to hard disk.
    • Completely remove the NwDsk-setupdir (ususally: 'C:\Nwdsk') and re-extract the full package. Then from inside the NwDsk-setupdir create a default FreeDOS NwDsk to a dir to assure that all utilities are unpacked and in working order ('nwdsk.bat fdnwd dos\freedos').

  3. FreeDOS, OpenDOS, MsDOS, W98se. What kind of Dos should I choose for running NwDsk?

    A great effort (and I can assure it demanded a great effort ;-) has been made in keeping NwDsk compatible with MsDOS 6.22 (latest plain FAT16 MsDOS), W98se (latest FAT32 MsDOS; stay away from W98me!), OpenDOS 7.01 (Open-Source DrDos), FreeDOS (truly free Dos). Here we list some pros en cons:

    • FreeDOS (recommended)
      • pros: FAT32 support, very small footprint, very fast (shortest full NwDsk boot time by far), free (!)
      • cons: does not work with 16-bit Client (VLM)
    • MsDOS 6.22 (recommended when you do not need FAT32 support)
      • pros: small footprint, highly compatible
      • cons: no FAT32 support, not freely available (you need Microsoft License)
    • W98se
      • pros: FAT32 support, highly compatible
      • cons: huge footprint (minimal place for drivers/utilities), not freely available (you need Microsoft License)
    • OpenDOS
      • pros: FAT32 support, very compatible, free
      • cons: big footprint (except when you do not need UMB's and drop EMM386.EXE from A:\Bin)

  4. When booting with my NwDsk diskette it seems to hang somewhere in the process. What to try next?

    • Retry without EMM386 (without UMB). See CONFIG.SYS menu choice when starting boot process.
    • When running 32-bit Client try using 16- or 32-bit driver (so try using the 16-bit driver instead of the 32-bit driver).
    • Try using a different target OS (so try FreeDOS or OpenDOS or MsDOS instead of what you used before).
    • Move all modules in A:\LEVEL1\ and A:\LEVEL2\ to A:\LEVEL0\ (so they will not autolaunch and interfere).
    • Delete IFSHLP.SYS from A:\BIN\ (needed for Microsoft-client and FAT32 ???).
      (and remove the corresponding lines from CONFIG.SYS)
    • Put the diskette in debug-mode to see exactly where it hangs (use Scroll-Lock if possible to navigate) and describe this in an email (see contact for address).

  5. I cannot find a server (cannot attach) with my NwDsk running IPX (and I am sure my server speaks IPX).

    Check Frame type (pré NetWare 3.12 defaults to 802.3, NetWare 3.12 to NetWare 4.x to 802.2, NetWare 5.x and later does not use IPX at all except maybe compatibility mode!). For starters select all the Frame types by the Frame type dialog.

  6. I cannot find a server (cannot attach), I cannot MAP with my NwDsk 32-bit client (NLM) running TCPIP (and I am sure my server speaks IP).

    • Do you have DHCP working properly? Correct IP-address, Netmask, Gateway, etc. assigned?
    • Try leaving Preferred Server blank, or enter a Preferred Server by its IP-address. Try to map using IP-address instead of server name.
      When you succeed when using IP-address and fail when not, your SLP is misconfigured (at least on the client side).
    • Provide proper SLP configuration as needed by your network by editing the "SLP configuration" dialog.
    • Starting with NetWare 6.0 check to see if SYS:LOGIN has RF rights for [Public] as needed by the Dos Client.
    • Increase timeout before loading CLIENT32.NLM by adding P_CLNTTI=10 (or higher) to your profile or global.set.

  7. I suffer poor performance running TCPIP on 32-bit client (NLM) (especially with Ghost).

    Read TID 10061307 or TID 10071852 and then type on your server console (on 6.x and 5.1 sp3 or later):

    SET TCP DELAYED ACKNOWLEDGEMENT = OFF

    or (on 4.x, 5.0 and pré 5.1 sp3):

    SET TCP DELAYED ACK = OFF

  8. My NwDsk does not work with 32-bit client (NLM) with Token-Ring or FDDI topology.

    Do you need LSB (Least Significant Bit) or MSB (Most Significant Bit) on Token-Ring? On the Frame type dialog select LSB or MSB.

    Or maybe you need SROUTE? Copy SROUTE.CAB from 'NWDSK\CABS' (included with full package) to 'A:\LIB'. When working with FDDI or Token-Ring and SROUTE.CAB is present it will always be loaded. When you want to prevent that for certain profiles add "P_NOSROUTE=1" to your profile. Optionally add command-line parameters to SROUTE by including them in 'A:\ETC\SROUTE.LDR' (see Novell Documentation for parameters).

  9. PCI Nic auto-detection? PCI PCMCIA autodetection? ISA/PCMCIA Nic auto-selection? Multiple Nic support?

    • PCI Nic auto-detection:
      In automatic Nic detection mode, the 16-bit Client will search for a matching 16-bit (ODI16) driver. The 32-bit Client will (if NW3232.CAB is present) first look for a matching 32-bit driver (ODI32). If not availbale it will (if NW1632.CAB is present) look for a matching 16-bit driver (ODI16).
    • PCI PCMCIA autodetection:
      When no matching PCI Nic driver is found and a Point Enabler for a PCMCIA or CardBus Nic is found, the Enabler will be activated and PCI detection starts again. For this to work put your CAB containing your Enabler in \LEVEL1. With some cards like the Intel PRO/100 CardBusII, the enabler (CBCOMBO) will activate the PCMCIA/CardBus slot thus making the PCI Nic visible to the system. This way your Intel PRO/100 CardBusII will be auto-detected by NwDsk. To provide extra commandline parameters for the Enabler, put them on one line in a file named after the enabler with extension LDR and put it in \ETC (example CBCOMBO.LDR). When adding 'P_PCMCIA=1' in your profile or GLOBAL.SET the enabler will fire immediately and not just after a first failed PCI-detetction round.
    • ISA/PCMCIA Nic auto-selection:
      When no matching PCI Nic driver is found and there is precisely one ISA or PCMCIA Nic driver available, it will be automatically selected. As long as you have no more than one type of ISA or PCMCIA Nic besides your PCI Nics, you will be able to serve all your network machines with one (pseudo) plug 'n play NwDsk diskette.
      Add 'P_NOAUTOISA=1' to GLOBAL.SET or your Profile to skip the auto selection of an ISA card when PCI auto-detection fails.
    • Multiple Nic support:
      When there are 2 or more Nics autodetected, a selection list will pop up to let the user choose which one to use. After a timeout the first one will be auto-selected. You may alter this behaviour in 2 ways. First is to use 'P_NICMULTI=2' in your profile or GLOBAL.SET. Now the second driver will be auto-selected after the timeout (Use 'P_NICMULTI=0' to prevent this popup from showing alltogether). Second (and more meaningfull) is to add 'P_NICSKIP=DRIVER1 DRIVER2' to your profile or GLOBAL.SET (substitute driver-names seperated with a space for 'DRIVER1', 'DRIVER2', 'DRIVER3', ...). In case of multiple Nics being detected the drivers mentioned here will be ignored. Use this for instance to rule out an onboard-Nic when you would like to use your company approved Nic instead of the manufacturer supplied onboard-Nic.
    • Check PCI Nic driver availability
      Copy what1632.cab (*new*) to A:\LEVEL2 of your floppy to detect which PCI drivers are available for you nic.


  10. I want to attach to a NetWare server but not login. How to proceed?

    Put an asterix '*' (no quotes) under 'Username' in the 'Identification Settings' dialog. Now it will walk right through (if you did put a timeout there) and it will skip the login (but it will also skip your global/profile- batch files: see item below for an example when you would still like to add a batch file).

    Attach but not login was used a lot with the old NPRINTER.EXE to install a remote Network Printer by using IPX/SPX on a plain MsDOS PC (see also IP alternative for NPRINTER).

    You can also put '!' (no quotes) under 'Username' in the 'Identification Settings' dialog. Now it will not load the full client but only the protocol stacks(s) (no VLM, no TRANNTA, SRVLOC, CLIENT32). This might be usefull when you do not need the full requester like when using packet driver (WATTCP) for Ghost Multicast, or (with 32-bit client) when you only only need IP-stack with Storage Manager. Obviously it will save you on memory consumption and time.

  11. I would like to fully control the login process myself instead of NwDsk. How to proceed?

    Apply the asterix-thing from FAQ 10. Now move Nwlan.cab from A:\LEVEL3\ to A:\LEVEL2\. Put Autorun3.cab (see under Utilities optional) in A:\LEVEL3\ instead. Add a batch-file Autorun3.bat with your own login procedure in A:\ETC\. Here is an example for Autorun3.bat (ENV-var LANDRV holds your first network drive):
    @%landrv%
    @echo put_my_password_here | login.exe put_my_username_here
    or simply:
    @f:
    @login
  12. My password is not saved to my profile. Everything else is saved.

    Because the password will be saved in plain text, you are asked to acknowledge that you know what security risk you are taking here, by marking a check-box ("save password") in the "save profile" dialog. By doing that the current password will be saved (note that each time you want to save your profile and include your password you need to check this "save password" check-box).

  13. There appears to be a mysterious parameter '/W' that sometimes is used with NIOS.EXE (32-bit client). What does it do?

    /W: Force load in Windows 95 command prompt (MS-DOS) mode. You cannot enter the Windows 95 graphical user interface using this option.
    I think this is rather obsolete.

  14. What are the minimum system requirements to boot with NwDsk?

    A 386 with 16 MB Ram with a Nic (from the Nic-list) and a 1.4 MB floppy drive.

  15. I want to remove the NwDsk floppy as soon as possible when booting from it. At what point can it be safely removed?

    First you need to make joined cabs (perform a finalize run with '/#'). That will assure that every module will be extracted right at the beginning of NwLan. Now after the Nic driver is detected and extracted it is save to remove the diskette.
    When you use the Do-not-run-twice-on-the-same-PC-option (see next item), the last read/write access takes place a little bit later, just before login when the IP and/or MAC-address is checked.

  16. After a successfull run of NwDsk I do not want it to run over and over again with each reboot. How to proceed?

    Add your own HALT.TXT or STOP.TXT with your own descriptive text to A:\ETC\. Now when the same PC boots twice in a row, NwDsk halts and prints the contents of HALT.TXT or STOP.TXT to the screen. With HALT.TXT your only option is to reboot after pressing 'OK'; with STOP.TXT there is also a 'Cancel' button that allows you to cancel the reboot and continue with the login-process (see Pré NetWare Client).

    The mechanism behind it is simple. When HALT.TXT or STOP.TXT is present in A:\ETC\, the MAC- and/or IP-address are compared with the ones from the PC that last booted this NwDsk diskette. When one of them is the same NwDsk halts. Just before login NwDsk saves the last used MAC/IP address as A:\ETC\%MACADDR8%.___ and/or A:\ETC\%IPADDR8%.___. Previous files ending with extension '___' are all deleted.
    When A:\ETC\%MACADDR8%.YES or A:\ETC\%IPADDR8%.YES is found then this PC will never be halted (pass always).
    When A:\ETC\%MACADDR8%.NO or A:\ETC\%IPADDR8%.NO is found then this PC will always be halted (pass never).

    Completely revoke the possibility to run NwDsk on a PC by typing the command 'allow no' (create the 'NO' files), or grant unlimited concurrent access by typing 'allow yes' (create the 'YES' files). Typing just 'allow' will reset any grant/revoke on the current PC (delete all 'YES', 'NO' and '___' files).

    When you want checking MAC-address only add 'P_CHKPC=0' to your profile.
      (possible motivation: you are not using fixed IP-addresses on your network).
    When you want checking IP-address only add 'P_CHKPC=1' to your profile.
      (possible motivation: you did not include NWIPX32.CAB with your IP NwDsk).

    Although NwDsk needs to write the last used MAC/IP-address to diskette in these scenarios, you still can apply the integrity check explained in the next item since this MAC/IP-writing is ignored when calculating the CRC.

  17. I have a prefetched diskette to provide to end-users for specific operations. Is there a way to make sure the NwDsk diskette is not tampered with?

    First boot your NwDsk on your PC. Configure it and hide all possible config screens for the end-user. Now add a a file HALTCRC.TXT or STOPCRC.TXT with your own descriptive text to A:\ETC\ (see Pré NetWare Client). Then run (from the booted diskette) 'crc a: a:' (lowercase). Now a CRC is written to the diskette and will be checked each run. Whenever NwDsk detects a change to the diskette it stops and prints the contents of HALTCRC.TXT or STOPCRC.TXT (just like the item above). When No HALTCRC.TXT or STOPCRC.TXT is found a default text will be shown. (It is recommended to start this procedure with an NwDsk diskette with joined Cabs: 'NwDsk.bat a: /! /#')

    To unlock simply erase or overwrite the volume label of A: or rebuild the diskette. Be aware that this integrity check is relatively simple to break. It will work with the average user but not with students that might read this site just as you do. Also the code on floppy is all in batch-files. So the method used here is public knowledge.
    You can however use it as a means to be sure that the diskette is still uncompromised when it is returned to you. When the CRC is not checked anymore, someone tampered with it. When it is not the same anymore (as you wrote down for yourself) but the diskette works fine, someone changed the diskette and wrote a new CRC signature, so the user that handled it might deserve some surveillance ...

  18. I have several profiles. I want to be able to choose a profile but when timed out a default profile should be auto-selected. How to proceed?

    Select "config" on the first dialog ("goto config?"). Then select "settings" on the dialog "global settings". In "global settings" enter a non-zero time-out and enter your default profile next to "Use a fixed profile:". Leave all check-boxes blank (including the check-box before "Use a fixed profile:"!) and select "save" and then quit. Next time you boot NwDsk (or restart by typing "nwlan"), the default profile you just entered will be selected after the time-out period you specified unless you intervene and select a profile yourself.

  19. Does the NwDsk boot disk run in a VMware virtual machine?

    Yes, it does! Check that you have the AMD Pcnet driver (PCNTNW.CAB, see NicList) present on your NwDsk.
    Make sure you activate FDAPM by IDLE.CAB to prevent CPU-hogging.

  20. Est-ce qu'il y a un version en français?

    Oui! Voilà la traduction par Séverin Terrier.

  21. Can I make the Remote Boot Disk from the very interesting German NetWare Faq (Auf Deutsch) with NwDsk?

    Well, it might work. Build a ODI32 (NLM) NwDsk. Add 'bwloadhi.com' from .\NWDSK\BIN\ to your config.sys. Check out how to handle the various COMSPEC settings, add 'subst.exe' to A:\BIN\ and put a batch file NIOS.BAT in A:\ETC containing:
    subst O: A:
    O:\Windows\nios.exe
    subst O: /D
    I would welcome any feedback on this. I cannot verify this myself.

  22. How can I easily check the contents of the cab-files? How can I inspect a driver-cab?

    You could just unpack a .CAB with cabarc.exe or extract.exe, but you could also get yourself a copy of Total Commander (AKA Windows Commander) and register it when you continue to use it (yes, I am a big fan of Total Commander). With Total Commander you can just step into any archive (ZIP, CAB, etc.) by clicking on it and view (press F3) the contents of a file without having to unpack the whole archive first. You can comfortably check the supplied driver-cabs as an example.

  23. FreeDOS Kernel glitches: NIOS.EXE, WINNT.EXE (W2K/XP installer), what's the story here? (fixed!)

    Until the release of NwDsk 2.40 Kernel 2026b was used, because the first (interim-) release following 2026b (2027test) broke the 32-bit NetWare Client ("Invalid Opcode" with NIOS.EXE). A lot of enhancements and fixes were included with all newer releases of the Kernel but, due to this incompatibility with NIOS, out of reach for NwDsk. Frustrated by this I conducted a source code check between 2026b and 2027test and luckily could identify the problem (NIOS did not like disabling the A20-line) resulting in a special patched 2031 version for use with NwDsk. From NwDsk 2.43 on we are back in line with the official FreeDOS Kernel (2032a).

    However Kernel 2027test did introduce another nasty problem. It broke the Windows Installer WINNT.EXE used by Windows 2000 and XP ("cannot install windows boot loader"). Fortunately this also has been fixed in the "current" (post 2032a) Kernel so I included the december 3 2003 version of the Kernel with NwDsk 2.50.

    Microsoft decided to give everyone a hard time who wants to install XP from non-Microsoft DOS. If SMARTDRV.EXE is not loaded (without any added parameters) the Installer will pause for upto 4 (!) hours (see Q296814). So you are forced to add SMARTDRV.EXE (or SMARTDRV.CAB from an MsDOS NwDsk) yourself when you want to install XP with WINNT.EXE from a FreeDOS diskette (is it legal to add SMARTDRV.EXE?, is it legal to be forced by Microsoft to add SMARTDRV.EXE?). For this reason Smartdrv.exe is included with the full package (starting with version NwDsk253.exe) and SMARTDRV.CAB will be autogenerated into dir CABS whenever you build a NwDsk. So you may copy it to your NwDsk diskette if needed. BTW, my experience with the pause mentioned above is that it will last 2 to 6 minutes when using SMARTDRV.EXE from W98se.

  24. My NwDsk diskette works. What about all those utilities on the diskette. Do I need them?

    After booting with your NwDsk diskette, type (if available):
    • 'help' for a (very) simple explanation of the utilities on board
    • 'menu' to launch the menu
    • 'vc' (or 'nc') to launch the very powerfull Volkov Commander for you NC-veterans out there
    • 'ntfs' to install read-only NTFS support (not XP I think)
    • 'doslfn' to install long file names (watch out in combination with NTFSDOS)
    • 'set' to see your IP and/or MAC address in the ENV table for further use
    • 'mem' to see your memory usage
    And do not forget to use your mouse (mouse driver on board) and CD-ROM (installed).

    If you do not need them, just remove them from your diskette. See the overview for the space you gain by this (mind that it will decrease total boot time also).

  25. My nwDsk diskette works. How to optimize for space?

    • Delete modules you do not need. Could you do without packet driver, token-ring, fddi, 16-bit support for 32-bit client? Delete those modules. Could you do without CD-ROM support, NTFS support, VC, ...? Delete them. In fact you can safely remove all CABs from dirs LEVEL0, LEVEL1, LEVEL2 except UTILS and UTILZ. However it is usually unwise to remove the cache (LBACACHE, SMARTDRV, NWCACHE). See the overview for more info or look at the scripts used with the images for ideas.
    • Delete Nic drivers you do not need. Do you need 16-bit ODI drivers or 32-bit ODI drivers at all?
    • Do you use the default American (437) keyboard? Then delete A:\LEVEL1\KEYB.CAB because it is not needed.
    • Finalize the diskette with '/#' (join cabs). Especially when using many 32-bit client components you might gain a substantial amount of space (as an example: the image fd1632.exe would not fit without running '/#').
    • Use MsDOS 6.22 or FreeDOS as your OS for NwDsk (or OpenDOS without EMM386, see below).
    • When using the 32-bit client you might delete EMM386.EXE from A:\BIN\ (not with FreeDOS). Your penalty on memory consumption will not be substantial when you only use few add-on programs. Do not forget to change the default menu option in A:\CONFIG.SYS.

    When you still would like to add more stuff to your overpacked NwDsk, then build a (multi-)boot CD using 2.88 MB diskette images (see FAQ 41).

  26. I do not see the red Novell banner when I logon. Where did it go?

    It is suppressed. Add 'P_LGNBN=1' to your profile or GLOBAL.SET and the banner will not be suppressed anymore.

  27. Can I alter the two timeouts in the 32-bit client (before loading TCPIP.NLM and CLIENT32.NLM)?

    Add 'P_CLNTTI=3' to your profile or to GLOBAL.SET to shorten both timeouts to 3 seconds. Add 'P_CLNTTI=0' to skip the timeouts completely. These timeouts where added to prevent some Nics from hanging (in certain scenarios), or to to fix issues where no server could be found to attach to. If you are experiencing these problems try incresing this timeout.

  28. How can I enter debug mode so I can refer to the exact offending lines when experiencing problems with NwDsk?

    Hit a couple of times on [ESC]-key to stop NWLAN. then type:

    'set xtrct=verbose' (this will prevent hiding screen output when extracting cabinets)
    'set debug=y' (this will prevent all 'echo off'-statements from firing)

    And now type 'nwlan' to start NWLAN again. Now press [SCOLL-LOCK] and navigate with the [ARROW]-keys to scroll back your screen and try to find back the offending lines (good luck ;-)

    You can also set both in your A:\AUTOEXEC.BAT. Just add 'y' (any token will do) to 'set debug=' and uncomment the line containing 'set xtrct=verbose'.

    You can also add 'P_PAUSE=1' to GLOBAL.SET or your Profle. This will pause NWLAN just before launching the Client. Like that you might abort with [CTRL+C] and inspect all Client settings in A:\LAN\ (NET.CFG, MYNIC.BAT) and relaunch NWLAN again by typing nwlan.

  29. How to adjust XMS memory assignement (cache, ramdisk)?

    In the top of AUTOEXEC.BAT on your NwDsk diskette there are some settings you could tweak to change XMS memory consumption. On a machine with 32 MB or higher a ramdisk of 8192 KB and a cache of 8192 KB is installed.

    To change the size (in KByte) of the ramdisk change this number (advised minimum 6144, smaller might cause trouble with EXTRACT.EXE):
    set ramsz=8192

    To change the size (in KByte) of the scroll-back buffer (PERUSE) change this number (minimum 16):
    set persz=256

    To change the size of the cache uncomment the cachesz-line. The cache size is dynamically choosen by NwDsk between 2048 KB and 6144 KB depending on the amount of XMS memory present. Only when you want to overrule this, uncomment the above mentioned lines and alter the numbers as you whish. When you set 'cachesz=0' it implies that your cache will be loaded without any parameters (thus using intrinsic defaults). With FreeDOS you can prevent diskette-caching when you set 'tickle=0', and you can alter the CD-ROM caching when you set 'cachecd=2048' (default: 2048 KByte) or disable it when you set 'cachecd=0'.

    Final advise is not to eat to much XMS memory before loading the 32-bit Client. For instance NIOS.EXE will not load with a 8192 KB ramdisk and 16394 KB cache installed (regardless of available XMS memory).

  30. I am attached to a server and I can login. How about mappings?

    You should always provide a mapping to SYS:PUBLIC upon logging in for access to basic NetWare commands. Usually this is done in the container login script. When you specify "No LoginScript" in the "Identification Settings" dialog this login script will not fire, but a default login script will be automatically saved on your diskette (A:\ETC\AUTOEXEC.SCP) containing a search mapping to SYS:PUBLIC to ensure that this mapping will be performed. Of course you can edit this file as you like, and even drop the mapping from it.

    You are able to add additional mappings by launching NWLAN again after login (just type "nwlan").

    Next to that there is also included a batch file M.BAT that works as a wrapper around MAP.EXE to ensure that the PATH and default drive are retored after running MAP.EXE (MAP.EXE drops the local part of the PATH when running and changes default drive). Type "m" for help on this. M.BAT will do nothing when it cannot find MAP.EXE (in case you are not logged in yet or there is no mapping to PUBLIC).

    On the same basis "LO.BAT" is available. "LO.BAT" is a wrapper around LOGOUT.EXE and will restore your PATH after logging out.

    Of course you can just use NetWare's MAP.EXE when you do not need access to the NwDsk utilities on your boot diskette anymore.

  31. After logging in, logging out or performing mappings NwDsk utilities do not work anymore. How come?

    When running MAP.EXE (usually included in your login-script) or logging out, NetWare destroys your local PATH. Thus all NwDsk utilities cannot be found anymore. You can easily restore it by running REPATH.BAT from the ramdisk Q: ("Q:\Repath.bat"). You can also use the alternatives "M.BAT" and "LO.BAT" (see FAQ 30) for instantly fixing NetWare's destructive habit of destroying the local PATH.

  32. How to unload the NetWare Client?

    When loading the modules of the NetWare client (16- or 32-bit) an unload batchfile UNNWLAN.BAT is written in reversed order to be able to unload everything starting with the last successfully loaded Client component. When something goes wrong (like a wrong NIC-type has been manually selected) NWLAN automatically calls UNNWLAN to unload the partially loaded Client. You could, for instance, add the missing driver to your diskette and relaunch NWLAN without having to reboot the diskette. Also when you need to attach to different trees using different protocols it can come handy to be able to quickly unload and reload the client (UNNWLAN.BAT and NWLAN.BAT), or when you are debugging your SLP-settings. Even after a successfull login with NwDsk you can free memory by removing the client (do not forget to logout first!!!) when you need the memory for something else. Just run UNNWLAN.BAT.

    The 16- and 32-bit client will completely unload with UNNWLAN and can be reloaded and unloaded multiple times in a row. However unloading the 32-bit client occasionally might result in a freeze when trying to unload NIOS.EXE under W98-DOS with EMM386.EXE loaded.

    Unloading the 32-bit client has been made possible with SNAP by Pavel Novy (to unload NIOS.EXE including XMS).

  33. A mapping in my loginscript overrides the RamDrive. How to assign a different RamDrive?

    Look in the top of AUTOEXEC.BAT on your NwDsk diskette for the line 'set ramltr=q:'. Change the 'q' (use lowercase).

  34. How can I suppress saving the NIC list? (might be needed when burning NwDsk on CDROM using virtual 2.88 MB diskette format)

    Add 'P_NONICSAV=1' to your profile or GLOBAL.SET to prevent NWLAN from saving the NIC-list (it will be only kept on ramdisk for the duration of the session).
    Add 'P_NONICBLD=1' to your profile or GLOBAL.SET to prevent NWLAN from rebuilding the NIC-list (notice that you need to take care yourself that the current NIC-list reflects the NIC drivers on board of your NwDsk diskette or you will encounter errors). I would advise to stick with the P_NONICSAV option if that suffices.

  35. How can I use global settings for all my profiles?

    You have to copy the settings you want to globally apply manually from your profile to A:\ETC\GLOBAL.SET. Mind that a setting in a profile will always override a global setting.

  36. What are all the extra (not editable by menu) settings I can add to GLOBAL.SET or my Profiles?

    • P_SLOW=50
      When SLOWDOWN.COM is present in dir \BIN\ on the Ramdisk it slows down the CPU to 50% (relic from MSNET)
    • P_NOAUTOISA=1
      No ISA auto-selection upon PCI auto-detection failure (see FAQ 9)
    • P_CHKPC=0
      'P_CHKPC=0' Check only MAC address for possible reboot detection
      'P_CHKPC=1' Check only IP address for possible reboot detection
      'P_CHKPC=' Check both MAC address and IP address for possible reboot detection (default)
      (see FAQ 16)
    • P_LGNBN=1
      Do not hide Novell's red login-banner (see FAQ 26)
    • P_CLNTTI=3
      Alter the wait time (to 3 seconds, use 0 to skip waiting) before loading TCPIP.NLM and CLIENT32.NLM (see FAQ 27)
    • P_PAUSE=1
      Pause just before Client loads (see FAQ 28)
    • P_UNLOAD=0
      'P_UNLOAD=0' Never try to automatically unload the Client upon error
      'P_UNLOAD=1' Only try to automatically unload the Client upon error when no MARK/RELEASE needed (default)
      'P_UNLOAD=2' Always try to automatically unload the Client upon error
      (see FAQ 32)
    • P_NONICSAV=1
      Prevent NWLAN from saving NIC-list (see FAQ 34)
    • P_NONICBLD=1
      Prevent NWLAN from rebuilding NIC-list (see FAQ 34)
    • P_TCPFRAME=1
      Also offer the Frametype selection dialog when using only TCPIP on 32-bit Client
    • P_NOSLOT=1
      Skip SLOT detection on 32-bit ODI drivers with 32-bit Client
    • P_PCMCIA=1
      Force any Point Enabler (PCMCIA/CardBus) to fire immediately and do not wait if PCI detection fails first (see FAQ 9)
    • P_NOSROUTE=1
      Skip SROUTE if applicable (see FAQ 8)

    Please do not edit GLOBAL.SET or your profiles unless you are confident that you know what you are doing. Use an editor to insert each statement you want to add, each on its own seperate line. Do NOT use spaces around the '='. After booting with your NwDsk diskette, you can also launch 'edit.com' (the onboard editor) to edit GLOBAL.SET (in A:\ETC\) or your Profiles (in A:\ETC\PROFILES\). Please reboot your NwDsk diskette to activate your new settings.

  37. What are all the settings I can alter in my AUTOEXEC.BAT (and CONFIG.SYS)?

    Look for 'Start of User Configurable Items' in AUTOEXEC.BAT.

    • Debugging mode, or very very verbose mode (see FAQ 28)
    • Ramdrive size (see FAQ 29 to change or FAQ 46 to skip ramdrive)
    • Ramdrive letter assignement (see FAQ 33)
    • Cache size (see FAQ 29)
    • Disable "Tickle.com" with "LbaCache" on FreeDOS (see FAQ 29)

    Please do not edit your AUTOEXEC.BAT unless you are confident that you know what you are doing.

    The only settings in your CONFIG.SYS you could consider changing are the default choice and timeout of the menu presented in the top of the file.

  38. I need some special/exotic/antique stuff to load with my Client. What can NwDsk do for me here?

    NwDsk will include the following components when loading the Client, if it finds them present in dir \LAN\ on the Ramdisk when NWLAN.BAT starts:
    • Odihlp (only applicable when running Packet Driver)
    • Netbios (only applicable with 16-bit Client)
    • Spx_skts (only applicable with 32-bit Client running IPX)

    Alternative downloads: Odihlp, Netbios, Spx_skts. Or browse by Ftp (or Ftp) to download example CABs for these components to add to dir A:\LEVEL0\ on your NwDsk diskette.

  39. Is it true that NwDsk can server as a Pure IP Print Server (LPD) to replace NPRINTER (fully addressable by NDPS)?

    Yes! A print server daemon PPRD 2.01 was included as LPPRD.CAB in the package for a long time now, but was never documented. Here is how to build a DOS NwDsk-LPD for your IP network:

    • Create a basic NwDsk boot disk running IPX that includes Packet Driver support (and add your Nic driver).
      You can use any SFX-image except FD32E0.EXE or create the default disk (FreeDOS or MsDOS 6.22) from the full package.
    • Move NWLAN.CAB from A:\LEVEL3\ to A:\LEVEL2\.
    • Add LPPRD.CAB from your NwDsk setupdir NWDSK\CABS\ (you need to download the full package for this).
      You might need to make some space first by dropping some unneeded CABs or Nic drivers.
    • Boot the NwDsk diskette on a networked PC with a printer attached to the parallel port.
    • Configure NWLAN to run IPX with Packet Driver Support (edit your static IP or use DHCP with fixed lease). and enter "*" (or even better "!") as 'username' on the 'identification settings' dialog (see FAQ 10), and save the profile.
    • When LPPRD starts choose "config" and name the printer in the 'configuration' dialog and save this.
    • Now you are running a TCPIP Print Server (LPD) on DOS.
    • Read the PPRD manual from pprd200.zip to fine tune your PPRD configuration.

    Most of this has been prepared already on a special SFX-image FD1632LP.EXE (see Images). This NwDsk-LPD includes both 16- as 32-bit Client (obviously overkill!), LPPRD.CAB and a lot of drivers.

    How to print on the NwDsk-LPD?

    Printing directly to the NwDsk-LPD can be done with any LPR-client by refering to the IP address and printer-name of the NwDsk-LPD. On W2K and XP LPR is built in. For NT4 you might need to add the 'TCP/IP Printing' service, and for W9X you need to add a third party solution. There is some good LPR-setup documentation on USC and on NMU (XP/W2K, W9X).

    But we are focused here on NetWare so we want to incorporate the NwDsk-LPD in NDPS to be able to use it as a full blown NDPS printer:

    • Apply TID 10060125 "STEP 4", item 2 ("Create the NDPS printer agent ...") using your NwDsk-LPD IP address and printer-name.
    • Now configure your clients by NDPS to start using the NwDsk-LPD printer or configure the newly made NDPS printer object to serve an existing printer queue (see TID 10012857).

    Is NwDsk necessary to build a print server with PPRD.EXE? No it just needs a Packet Driver interface. However NwDsk takes away most of the setup issues.
    I did not write PPRD.EXE 2.01, I just recompiled version 2.00 with a more recent WATTCP-library to be able to use DHCP instead of BOOTP. And I also added echoing the IP address when launching PPRD and incorporated the functionality from TCPINFO (type 'pprd -x' for diagnostics) and PING (as an example type 'pprd -z192.0.34.163' or 'pprd -zwww.icann.org' for testing). Full credits for PPRD.EXE go to Ken Yap, and for WATTCP, TCPINFO, PING to Erick Engelke.

    I am running a DOS IP Print Server like this in a production environment for years now without any problems. Actually I even like it better than the old NPRINTER since this construction is unaffected by a NetWare Server reboot. NPRINTER always needed a reboot when PSERVER.NLM was restarted. Also, PPRD produces some console feedback.

    See Novell CoolTools article on using PPRD as pure IP Nprinter replacement.

  40. What is the gain when building Bart's popular Microsoft Network boot disk with NwDsk?

    First let us build Bart's Network boot disk on the NwDsk base:
    • Start with an NwDsk boot diskette (take a SFX-image or build your own)
    • Make some room for Bart's modules (do not touch A:\BIN\ and A:\LEVEL0\UTILS.CAB and A:\LEVEL0\UTILZ.CAB)
    • Download Bart's MSNET.CAB, MSCLIENT.CAB, (optional MSTCP.CAB, MSNWLINK.CAB) and NDIS driver-CABs
    • Put MSNET.CAB in A:\LEVEL3\ (remove NWLAN.CAB, or move it to A:\LEVEL0\)
    • Put MSCLIENT.CAB (optional MSTCP.CAB, MSNWLINK.CAB) in A:\LIB\
    • Add a dir A:\LIB\NDIS\ and put the NDIS driver-CABs there
    • From NwDsk-setupdir run 'Nwdsk.bat A: /!' to finalize the diskette (and modify MSNET for NwDsk usage)
      See here for more info on building an NwDsk diskette with '/!'
    • Done!

    Now here is the list of additional NwDsk (NwLan) features that are now also applied and available to MsNet with this NwDsk based MsNet diskette:
    • Some Pauses removed (only pause with failure, no pause with success)
    • No questions when writing to diskette (only ask when diskette is write-protected)
    • FreeDOS compatibility ensured
    • MAC address in ENV-var
    • Combined settings in GLOBAL.SET (CDROM, KEYB, IDLE)
    • ISA NIC auto-selection upon PCI auto-detection failure (see FAQ 9)
    • Auto-skip login when 'username=*' (see FAQ 10, FAQ 11)
    • Not-run-twice-in-a-row-on-same-machine detection by MAC address only (see FAQ 16)
    • Integrity check (see FAQ 17)
    • Auto-selection of default Profile (see FAQ 18)
    • Debug mode (see FAQ 28)
    • Adjust XMS memory assignement (see FAQ 29)
    • Suppress saving NIC-list when running from CDROM (see FAQ 34)
    • Use global profile settings (see FAQ 35)
    • Add P_SLOT=0 to (global) profile to prevent SLOT-detection (SLOT detection sometimes fails)
    • Add P_NOLOW=1 to (global) profile to prevent loading low of NET.EXE (FreeDOS)

    Do not use Bart's MODBOOT.CAB or UTILS.CAB on this diskette. For use with NwDsk these modules are slightly modified so only use them from the NwDsk package.

  41. How can I build an NwDsk bootable CDROM?

    Grab the 2.88 Ultimate NwDsk image (Fdnwd288.img) and insert it in your (multi-)bootable CD. Optionally adjust (extract, edit, inject) the global- and profile-settings with an ISO-utility like WinImage or UltraISO.

    There are some very good sites to help you along on this track:
    • Bart's Bootable CD's
      All sorts of CDROM tools, multi-boot CDROMs, using virtual 2.88 MB boot image, Corporate ModBoot
    • Ahmad Hisham's 911 Rescue CD
      A very complete CDROM including Bart's network boot disk and (older version of) NwDsk
    • For help on these bootable CDROM projects visit their Forum

    When building a bootable NwDsk CDROM take note of FAQ 34 (might also be usefull for Bart's network boot disk on CDROM). Another thing to consider is to perform a 'Nwdsk.bat A: /#' (join CABs) to optimize on space (see 'Finalize').

  42. I would like to automate some scripts after login. How to proceed?

    Look at the post login section for some options you have on automated login-scripts or batch-files. Simplest approach would be to write a dos batch-file with your commands and copy that as AUTOEXEC.LAN to \ETC\.

    You could also move NWLAN.CAB from A:\LEVEL3 to A:\LEVEL0 and add AUTORUN3.CAB to A:\LEVEL3 and create your own script file A:\ETC\AUTORUN3.BAT which contains all your DOS commands and calls NWLAN.BAT somewhere in there according to your strategy.

  43. Imaging and Unattended OS install with NwDsk as your NIC-independent base diskette. What is the catch?

    NwDsk works fine with imaging products like Ghost, Deploy Center, Storage Manager and Drive Snapshot. It gives you a ready to run diskette with plug 'n play support for a wide variety of Nics and can autolaunch your image software. Some remarks:
    • When using the 32-bit Client take note of the TCPIP performance issue.
    • When using Ghost Multicast (IPX with packet driver support) or Storage Manager (32-bit TCPIP) it is usually not needed to login (use '*' for username) or not even needed to fully load the client (use '!' for username).
    • Portlock claims that Storage Manager works best from a Win98se diskette (I am not in the position to verify this).
    • For optimal hard disk performance make sure you use the FreeDOS NwDsk version with the new UDMA support.

    Also for autolaunching an Unattended installation of your client OS from a NetWare Server, NwDsk can play the role of the versatile boot diskette with plug 'n play Nic support. Some remarks:
    • When installing W9x from FreeDOS NwDsk use extra setup switches: 'setup.exe /is /nm'. Otherwise Windows Setup might refuse to load.
    • When installing XP check out FAQ 23.
    • Often one would like to (re-)partition the hard disk of the target machine just before launching the Unattended installation of the client OS. I would recommend Aefdisk for this. Aefdisk can put the total size and the unpartitioned size of your disk in ENV-vars. You can compare these numbers (use VarSet to compare ENV vars in batch files) with some sort of decision table how to partition a disk of a certain size. Then Aefdisk can delete partitions, create partitions (primary, extended, logical) of any type (FAT, FAT32, NTFS, ...) and it is able to fast-format any FAT partition on the fly. All this (and more) is done by commandline options, so it is perfect for automation. The free downloadable version is included in an extra Cab (Bootutil) for download. The full version can be bought online for a small fee and adds, among things, dynamical sizing of partitions (say: 40% primary FAT, 60% extended, and of that extended 100% for one logical FAT32). I used Aefdisk myself for a fully automated Unattended NT4 setup where disks of all sizes were partitioned in FAT and NTFS partitions according to some prefetched scheme, and then converted to NTFS by the NT4-installer.

  44. A VNC viewer CAB is available. What about it?

    An experimental VNC viewer for DOS has been made available some time ago by Marinos Yannikos (see DosVnc). It is built using WATTCP, so it works with both 16- and 32-bit Clients (IPX with packet driver). You can find the CAB here, or use the ready to run SFX FD16VNC.EXE.

    The product is compiled with an old version of WATTCP so it will not work with DHCP. Thereby you will have to enter IP-address, Mask, etc. in the "packet driver" dialog of NwDsk by hand. Take note that VNCviewer wants to run in the same resolution as the target server. So your clients graphics card should be capable of running the same resolution. If not try lowering the color depth on your server. When having booted NwDsk running IPX with packet driver, you can connect to a VNC server by running 'vnc.bat ip-address' (put your server's ip-address in there). When your server uses a non-default display-nr add it to the ip-address seperated by a colon (example: 'vnc.bat 192.168.1.123:15'). Stop VNCviewer by pressing CTRL+ALT+BREAK, send CTRL+ALT+DEL by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+BREAK.

  45. Can NwDsk access SCSI devices?

    Yes, optional. Copy Bart's ASPI.CAB module (included with full NwDsk package) to A:\LEVEL1\, create dir A:\LIB\ASPI and download SCSI ASPI CABs from Bart's Scsi Boot Disk and copy them to A:\LIB\ASPI. Please note that his module has not been optimized for unattended runs (might require user interaction).

  46. How to boot NwDsk from my harddisk (and disable the ramdisk)?

    First make sure that your harddisk is bootable for your flavour of DOS (by booting your DOS diskette and run 'A:\>SYS C:'). Now copy the NwDsk diskette (of the same DOS flavour) to C:. Skip the use of the ramdisk by setting the ramdisk size to 0 ('set ramsz=0') in the top of C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT (look for 'User Configurable Items').

  47. Citrix DOS Client (ICA) and NwDsk?

    One user reported that he uses NwDsk (32-bit TCPIP stack) as the base for the Citrix ICA Client for DOS because it does a better job enumerating servers than when he used Microsoft's DOS Client. Here are his steps (roughly):

    • Create an NwDsk diskette with 32-bit Client TCPIP from Fd32e.exe
    • Configure a profile choosing IP and enter "!" at the username (see FAQ 10)
    • Apply FAQ 46 to disable using the ramdisk
    • Apply FAQ 11 with A:\ETC\AUTORUN3.BAT containing:
      @echo off
      c:
      cd \wfclient
      wfclient
    • Now create some script or procedure to repeat the following for each PC
      • Copy the contents from this diskette to a clean bootable harddisk
      • Install the Citrix DOS Client (ICA) to C:\WFCLIENT
      • Configure ICA
    • Reboot and start a Citrix session


  48. What about the 16-bit Client (VLM) and FreeDOS?

    It was broken with the introduction of Kernel 2.0.27 and is still broken (Invalid Opcode when login in). Due to this the SFX-images Fd16.exe and Fd1632.exe have been withdrawn. Use MsDOS or OpenDOS if you want to use the 16-bit Client. When you only need the stack (like with Fd1632lp.exe and Fd16vnc.exe) it works fine.

 Credit


NwDsk is created by Erwin Veermans. Years ago I had developed a simple NetWare boot disk (NLM running TCP/IP) that could autodetect the 3 different type of nics in use on my lan at the department of Psychiatry at the University of Groningen. This diskette was used in the unattended installation of NT4 workstation. The whole installation of a fully functional NT4 workstation, including partitioning of the harddisk (see Aefdisk), setup of nic, vga, soundcard, servicepack, hotfixes and NetWare client, would be performed without any human intervention except for removing the diskette when the NT4's setup.exe took over. However major limitation of this boot disk was the lack of space for nic drivers and utilities, due to the huge size of the NetWare 32-bit client.

The moment I stumbled upon Bart Lagerweij's site with his ModBoot project, I got very enthousiastic about his fine work on developing a truly modular versatile boot disk. When I saw his Network Boot Disk aimed at Microsoft networking, I started writing a NetWare version of it in my spar(s)e time and dismissed my old boot disk. Please also have a look at some more work from Bart like bootable CD's.

Honorable mentions (list not complete):

 Contact, License


You are granted to use NwDsk freely at home or within your organisation or company.
You are not allowed to include or package NwDsk or an NwDsk-diskette (or image) with any commercial application or any product that is being charged for, without written permission by Erwin Veermans (a small fee covering media costs and/or shipping qualifies as an exception to this rule).
NWDSK IS PROVIDED "AS IS," WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.

Feel free to send feedback, questions, bug-reports, new drivers, feature requests, success stories by Email (or MailForm).
Please include info like NwDsk version, Host OS, Target OS and Nic-driver with your message.





 NwDsk Copyright (c) 2002-2004 by Erwin Veermans, ModBoot Copyright (c) 2000-2002 by Bart Lagerweij (All rights reserved)