Hi Tom,

thanks a lot for your answers!

So on the driver side, PKT and ODI drivers fade out, which only 
leaves NDIS2. Which means we are stuck with MS Client / LAN Manager 
Client. Unless there is some new free networking software for DOS.

Concerning applications, you mention that instead of using MS Client, 
applications could directly talk to NDIS.

This would make things a lot more easier. At the moment I use MS 
Client's protman (PROTMAN.DOS, PROTMAN.EXE) to configure a) the NDIS 
driver of the card and b) the free DIS_PKT shim and then MS Client's 
NETBIND.COM to bind these two. Pretty complicated, just to use a NDIS 
driver as packet driver, just to use Arachne...

Wishlist (it's nearly christmas, OK?) Let Arachne directly talk to the 
NDIS driver. Or better: Let there be a free external TSR TCP/IP kernel 
(stack) that communicates directly to the NDIS driver, so everything 
else could use this kernel.

And, of course, a free DOS smbclient.

;-)

Uli


Tom Ehlert schrieb:
>> The other idea is to write a free replacement for MS Client.
>> I think this would be a big task, so let's ask: How urgently is it 
>> needed?
> this would be very nice and useful.
> OTOH noone is ever going to implement this, irrelevant how 'urgent'
> you'd call it.
> 
> So we'll have to use use MS Client to access Windows/Samba servers
> for the next few hundred years.
> 
>> *Drivers*: How are other peoples experiences with modern network 
>> cards?
> So far I found a NDIS driver for *every* card, with the notable
> exception of DLINK cards. Solution is easy: avoid DLINK.
> 
>> Are there still packet drivers or at least ODI drivers 
>> included?
> some provide ODI, very few provide packet drivers.
> So generally you're left with DIS_PKT.
> 
> 
>> Or is NDIS2 the only DOS driver left that is still supported
>> by manufacturers?
> in general, yes.
> 
>> Then you need indeed at least PROTMAN.DOS, 
>> PROTMAN.EXE and NETBIND.COM or free replacements for these three files
>> to get the network up.
> or teach your application to talk to NDIS directly (a bit more
> complicated then packet, but not really difficult either)
>
>> But what, if they even stop to support NDIS2?
> then we are in trouble. fortunately this won't happen soon
> 
>> I mean, it is also pretty old, isn't it?
> younger then packet or ODI
> 
>> Instead: Couldn't we just get the network drivers from GNU/Linux to
>> work under FreeDOS and to provide a packet driver interface?
> not really
> 
> Tom

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