The Internet Starter Kit for Windows

How can I use SLIP/PPP on Windows 3.x with Internet Nebraska?

PPP and SLIP are communication protocols that allow a computer to run applications that use the TCP/IP protocol to communicate over a network. For example, graphical web browsers require a TCP/IP connection to work correctly.

You will need to install PPP or SLIP software on your computer before you can use applications that require TCP/IP. There are commercial packages that provide PPP/SLIP such as "Internet in a Box", but there are many freeware and shareware applications that are available at little or no cost. These software packages can be obtained via FTP (File Transfer Protocol).

At Internet Nebraska, we recommend the Chameleon Sampler software package. This software is included on a floppy disk with the book The Internet Starter Kit book by Adam C. Engst. The book and the software can be purchased from Internet Nebraska for a nominal fee. A more complete version of the software can be obtained from Netmanage.

There is both a Microsoft Windows version and a Mac version of the Internet Starter Kit. The contents of the accompanying floppy diskettes are in /usr/local/archive/win3/slip-ppp/NEW-ISK. (The Macintosh version is in /usr/local/archive/mac/slip-ppp/ISK.) The software on the diskette and many other useful programs also are available at ftp.halcyon.com in the pub/tiskwin directory.

If you are an Internet Nebraska customer you can obtain this software with the following commands.

  1. Log in to Internet Nebraska with a communications package that supports z-modem file transfers. (Procomm will work nicely as will most of the major communication packages.)
  2. Choose option "Unix Shell", which is option number 7 from the menu and press enter.
  3. To download the first disk (file size = 1,218,484 bytes) enter the following command:

    sz -b /usr/local/archive/win3/slip-ppp/NEW-ISK/NewISK1.exe

  4. To download the second disk (file size = 931,178 bytes) enter the following command:

    sz -b /usr/local/archive/win3/slip-ppp/NEW-ISK/NewISK2.exe

  5. After the downloads are complete, exit the Unix Shell by typing "exit". Then on your local computer uncompress the files into a temporary directory with the exact commands listed below. (NOTE: You must include the -d or the correct subdirectories will not be created when uncompressing!)

    To uncompress the first disk type "NewISK1.exe -d".

    To uncompress the second disk type "NewISK2.exe -d".

    You are now ready to install the Chameleon Sampler. Just follow the instructions below!

Installation of the Chameleon Sampler isn't difficult, but if you need voice-line assistance please call us at 434-8680. For those who would like a little help we offer the service of having someone come to your site to install the software for you. The installation includes some personal tutoring and takes about an hour. The price is $40, including a copy of The Internet Starter Kit.

Here are instructions for installing the Chameleon PPP/SLIP software.

Step One

From the "File" menu of Program Manager choose "Run". If you have the Chameleon software on a floppy disk type "drive:\setup" where drive is the letter of your floppy drive (e.g., a:\setup). If you have the Chameleon software in a subdirectory on your hardrive, specify the correct path to reference the Chameleon software. (e.g., c:\install\setup)

Step Two

Open the newly created "Chameleon Sampler" group in Program Manager. Open the "Custom Connect Here" icon.

Step Three

You are now ready to enter the settings for Internet Nebraska. This step has several parts. Each part with begin with the text explaining what to enter followed by a screen shot of how your settings should look.

    Creating a New Interface
  1. From the "File" menu, choose "New". You will get a blank configuration form.
  2. From the "Interface" menu choose "Add". Then, choose an interface type and enter a name. While Chameleon can run PPP, SLIP, or CSLIP, we suggest that you use PPP. The name of the connection defaults to "PPP0", but you can choose anything as your interface name. I have chosen "inetnebr.com" because of its descriptive nature.
    Entering the Settings for Your Interface
  3. From the "Setup" menu choose "IP Address". We use dynamic IP number allocation, so specify an IP address of "1.1.1.1".
  4. From the "Setup" menu choose "Hostname". Enter "dial" as your hostname, because you are establishing a dial-up connection.
  5. From the "Setup" menu choose "Domain Name". Enter "inetnebr.com".
  6. From the "Setup" menu choose "Port". You should specify 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity, and hardware flow control. Be sure your port configuration is set to Hardware Flow Control and not XON/XOFF. To check this open the "Main" group from Program Manager. Open the "Control Panel" icon, and open the "Ports" icon. Choose the com port that your modem is connected to and click "Settings". If necessary change the Flow Control to Hardware. The com port depends on the modem configuration in your machine.
  7. From the "Setup" menu choose "Modem". The initialization string will depend on your modem. On my modem, the AT commands "&B1", "&H1", and "&R2" fix port speed, set clear-to-send hardware flow control, and set request-to-send hardware flow control. My initialization string reads "AT&F&B1&H1&R2B0Q0X4E0V1", but the command set varies somewhat from modem to modem, so you should refer to your modem manual. Usually the initialization string that Chameleon defaults to works fine.
  8. From the "Setup" menu choose "Dial". Unless you need to dial special codes to reach an outside line you should just enter "434-6910". If you need to dial any special codes before the actual number, follow them with a comma then the phone number (9,434-6910).
  9. From the "Setup" menu choose "Login". For PPP, your login name will be "Pusername", where "username" is replaced by your shell username. Your password will be the same as your shell account password, and when entered will show up as asterisks on the screen. There is no startup command.
    Enter Domain Name Servers
  10. From the "Services" menu choose "Domain Servers". Then, enter the IP number of our name server, "199.184.119.1". On the second and third lines, you can either enter this number or the IP numbers of two other servers, 198.207.229.1 (dns.synergy.net) and 199.1.48.2 (dns.usit.net).
  11. You must exit and save for these new settings to take effect. If this is the first time you have setup the Chameleon software on your computer, you should also close Windows and reboot your computer. This will allow the changes that Chameleon made to your system to take effect.
Step Three

At this point, you should be able to connect to Internet Nebraska. To do this open the "Custom Connect Here" icon and choose "Connect". This will dial Internet Nebraska and establish a connection. When Connect turns to Disconnect you are successfully connected. You will still need to run a client application over the connection to do anything. Client applications include web browsers such as Netscape, and Mosaic; e-mail clients such as Eudora and Pegasus; news readers such as NewsXpress; and other TCP/IP clients such as telnet, ftp, ping, gopher, and talk.

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Last updated 4/04/96