With the popularity of computers and networks, networking operations between computers (such as file transfer, chat, etc.) and Internet networks are becoming increasingly important. Since DOS has so many users, how can you use it to connect to the Internet? DR-DOS and ROM-DOS have their own networking functions (including local area networks and TCP/IP protocols, etc.), but MS-DOS, which we commonly use, does not. However, there is not no way, it just requires some additional software. The better ones are Netware Lite and Microsoft Network Client 3.0 (both can be downloaded in the "Network Tools" of this site). Let’s take Microsoft Network Client 3.0 as an example to describe the implementation method of LAN. For the connection method of the Internet under DOS, please see below.
First, install Microsoft Network Client 3.0 (hereinafter referred to as MSCLIENT) in the computer that needs to be connected to the network. During the installation, enter the respective workgroup, computer name and IP address, as well as username and password, and select the model of the installed network card in the list. If your network card is not on the list, you need the driver that comes with the network card, usually on a floppy disk, or on a CD. When it prompts to enter an OEM disk, you insert the driver disk of the network card and enter the appropriate path. Since the network card drivers required by each network system are different, for MSCLIENT, generally, the NDIS2 or MSCLIENT folder in the driver disk is selected, such as A:\ MSCLIENT. As long as it is correct, it will be automatically installed. As for network protocols, generally, only with NetBEUI and TCP/IP protocols is enough. Installing too much will slow down the network speed. After installation, MSCLIENT will automatically put the network startup command in. After restarting the computer, you will find that the network is automatically started. When the system prompts to enter the username and password, just enter the one you just set. At this time, the network begins to run. For example, if you want to view all computers under the current work group, you can enter the NET VIEW command.
However, at this time, everyone is still a client and does not have a server yet. They must install a server to share files. After installation, you can use the NETSHARE command to set the sharing path. If you set the D disk to share, you can also set the password if necessary to avoid illegal access. Once the server and sharing are set up, the client can access the resources on that computer. For example: NET USE E: \\PC\C command will redirect the shared drive (or folder) on the computer named PC to drive E. At this time, the contents on the remote computer can be accessed like the local computer. However, there is another important thing, that is, to enable the settings of the MSCLIENT file and printer sharing function. The method is to use a text editor such as EDIT to open the MSCLIENT folder, change the values of filesharing and printsharing in the [network] item to yes, and after saving and exiting, you can use the filesharing and printer sharing function.
If you want to connect a computer using DOS with a Windows, it is also perfectly OK. Since Windows 3.11 for Workgroups, Windows 9x and Windows NT/2K/XP use a network called "Microsoft Windows Network" and is compatible with Microsoft Network Client 3.0 under DOS, they can achieve very complete mutual access, just like the network between DOS and DOS, or between Windows and Windows. However, it should be noted that if you want to use DOS computers to access computers using Windows NT/2K/XP, you must set up the user account of the DOS computer in Windows NT/2K/XP, otherwise it will not be accessible.
There are many very practical commands in Microsoft Network Client 3.0, such as PING, etc. If you want to know these commands and their usage, please see the "DOS Articles" column.
In addition to using MSCLIENT, you can also use tools such as Netware to connect to the Internet. Taking Netware Lite as an example, after installation, execute it directly and automatically transfer it to the peer network (including the server). At this time, it can use its own NET commands to manage the full screen network, or use the command line method, such as the NET MAP commands that can be redirected to the other party's computer (of course, sharing must be set first). An easier way is to directly use the command (which can be downloaded in "DOS Software") after loading the IPX protocol(), without starting the server. The method is to start the receiver with the IPXCOPY command in one computer and transfer it with the "IPXCOPY file name" command on another computer, where the file name can be a wildcard, or the /S option can be used to specify the files included in the subfolder. Of course there are other methods, so I won’t introduce them here.
The above is about the connection method of the LAN, and the following is about the Internet method. There are usually two ways to access the Internet, one is to dial-up Internet access, that is, through a modem, and the other is through a network card. For ISDN, ADSL, etc., the method is similar to using an ordinary network card to surf the Internet. Therefore, the methods of surfing the Internet are also divided into two categories. Let’s talk about using a network card to access the Internet first. Usually, the network card driver disk contains a driver called Packet driver. Usually in the PKTDRV folder of the driver disk, it is the most critical network interface driver for connecting to the Internet under DOS. Most Internet programs under DOS need to have it to realize the Internet access function (if the Packet driver is not found in the network card driver disk, you can search it on http:////). For example, if your network card is NE2000, you can use the PKTDRV folder of the drive disk to drive the network card. Just enter NE2000 on the command line. However, some network cards' Packet drivers need to enter the installation IO address, usually 0x60 (that is, 98 in decimal), that is, execute the NE2000 0x60 command to install the driver. If you do not enter the address, the network card will generally be installed on 0x60 or 0x62 according to the default value. If you are using dial-up to surf the Internet, there are two ways: one is to use the modem Packet driver, and the other is to use its own dialer when using the browser. For the former, you can use a program called LSPPP (can be downloaded in the "Driver" of this site). It has very powerful functions and has many command line parameters. You can use the LSPPP/? command to view it. The parameters that usually need to be specified are: the port number where the modem is located, the phone number to be dialed, the user name and password, etc. For example, if the modem is on COM4 and the number to be dialed is 163, you can enter LSPPP /n:4/d:163/U:user /P:pwd on the DOS command line to achieve Internet access (be sure to pay attention to the spaces between upper and lower case and each parameter). Once the network card's Packet driver or LSPPP is successfully run, the DOS system is actually connected to the Internet. At this time, various Internet software under DOS can directly access the network (of course, to truly complete the Internet functions, the TCP/IP protocol that the network program comes with is also required). If you want to disconnect the Internet after loading the Packet driver of your network card or modem, you can either use the method of reversely installing the Packet driver, such as executing the NE2000-U command, or use the general Packet driver terminator TERMIN (can be downloaded in the "Network Tools" of this site). For example, if the installation address of the Packet driver is 0x60, use TERMIN 0x60. If you want to use the dialer included in the browser instead of the modem's Packet driver for surfing the Internet, you can see the use of Arachne below.
As we all know, you need a web browser when browsing web pages. The best graphic browser under DOS is Arachne, which has very powerful functions and can be downloaded from this site. Using it for dial-up Internet access requires a DOS-enabled modem (including a hardware modem or a software modem with a DOS driver, which can also be used in the Win9x DOS window). After selecting "Use Modem to access the Internet" in the settings screen, Arachne will detect each possible port of the modem, and as long as one is successfully detected, it can be used. Then enter the correct phone number, username and password, and you can dial. Of course, if you have used the LSPPP mentioned above to load the modem Packet driver, you no longer have to dial Arachne. At this time, the method of setting up Arachne is the same as the method of setting up Arachne to use the network card to access the Internet. If you are surfing the Internet through a network card, you need to run the Packet driver for this network card mentioned above first. Note that it must be installed on the address 0x60, otherwise Arachne will not be recognized. Select "Using the network card to access the Internet" in the settings screen in Arachne and select DHCP automatic configuration. As long as the network is normal, you can view the web page. To speed up, the disk buffer under DOS can be loaded before running the Arachne browser. For the specific usage of the Arachne browser, you can see the "DOS Articles" column.
Of course, there are many ways to actually use the Internet under DOS. For example, after using modem or network card Packet driver, use WATTCP programs (such as WGET, Lynx) and so on to realize the reading of online data. For example, you can use the WGET command to download the homepage of the Yahoo website by using the WGET command on the DOS command line. WGET even supports the breakpoint continuous transmission function. To use email, you can easily send and receive emails using programs such as Barebones E-mail (you need to know the POP3 and SMTP server addresses of the email address). For operations such as FTP and Telnet, you can also use corresponding programs to achieve it, such as Wattcp FTP, etc., which can be seen in the "Network Tools" of this site. There are many network programs under DOS, so I won’t go into details here.
First, install Microsoft Network Client 3.0 (hereinafter referred to as MSCLIENT) in the computer that needs to be connected to the network. During the installation, enter the respective workgroup, computer name and IP address, as well as username and password, and select the model of the installed network card in the list. If your network card is not on the list, you need the driver that comes with the network card, usually on a floppy disk, or on a CD. When it prompts to enter an OEM disk, you insert the driver disk of the network card and enter the appropriate path. Since the network card drivers required by each network system are different, for MSCLIENT, generally, the NDIS2 or MSCLIENT folder in the driver disk is selected, such as A:\ MSCLIENT. As long as it is correct, it will be automatically installed. As for network protocols, generally, only with NetBEUI and TCP/IP protocols is enough. Installing too much will slow down the network speed. After installation, MSCLIENT will automatically put the network startup command in. After restarting the computer, you will find that the network is automatically started. When the system prompts to enter the username and password, just enter the one you just set. At this time, the network begins to run. For example, if you want to view all computers under the current work group, you can enter the NET VIEW command.
However, at this time, everyone is still a client and does not have a server yet. They must install a server to share files. After installation, you can use the NETSHARE command to set the sharing path. If you set the D disk to share, you can also set the password if necessary to avoid illegal access. Once the server and sharing are set up, the client can access the resources on that computer. For example: NET USE E: \\PC\C command will redirect the shared drive (or folder) on the computer named PC to drive E. At this time, the contents on the remote computer can be accessed like the local computer. However, there is another important thing, that is, to enable the settings of the MSCLIENT file and printer sharing function. The method is to use a text editor such as EDIT to open the MSCLIENT folder, change the values of filesharing and printsharing in the [network] item to yes, and after saving and exiting, you can use the filesharing and printer sharing function.
If you want to connect a computer using DOS with a Windows, it is also perfectly OK. Since Windows 3.11 for Workgroups, Windows 9x and Windows NT/2K/XP use a network called "Microsoft Windows Network" and is compatible with Microsoft Network Client 3.0 under DOS, they can achieve very complete mutual access, just like the network between DOS and DOS, or between Windows and Windows. However, it should be noted that if you want to use DOS computers to access computers using Windows NT/2K/XP, you must set up the user account of the DOS computer in Windows NT/2K/XP, otherwise it will not be accessible.
There are many very practical commands in Microsoft Network Client 3.0, such as PING, etc. If you want to know these commands and their usage, please see the "DOS Articles" column.
In addition to using MSCLIENT, you can also use tools such as Netware to connect to the Internet. Taking Netware Lite as an example, after installation, execute it directly and automatically transfer it to the peer network (including the server). At this time, it can use its own NET commands to manage the full screen network, or use the command line method, such as the NET MAP commands that can be redirected to the other party's computer (of course, sharing must be set first). An easier way is to directly use the command (which can be downloaded in "DOS Software") after loading the IPX protocol(), without starting the server. The method is to start the receiver with the IPXCOPY command in one computer and transfer it with the "IPXCOPY file name" command on another computer, where the file name can be a wildcard, or the /S option can be used to specify the files included in the subfolder. Of course there are other methods, so I won’t introduce them here.
The above is about the connection method of the LAN, and the following is about the Internet method. There are usually two ways to access the Internet, one is to dial-up Internet access, that is, through a modem, and the other is through a network card. For ISDN, ADSL, etc., the method is similar to using an ordinary network card to surf the Internet. Therefore, the methods of surfing the Internet are also divided into two categories. Let’s talk about using a network card to access the Internet first. Usually, the network card driver disk contains a driver called Packet driver. Usually in the PKTDRV folder of the driver disk, it is the most critical network interface driver for connecting to the Internet under DOS. Most Internet programs under DOS need to have it to realize the Internet access function (if the Packet driver is not found in the network card driver disk, you can search it on http:////). For example, if your network card is NE2000, you can use the PKTDRV folder of the drive disk to drive the network card. Just enter NE2000 on the command line. However, some network cards' Packet drivers need to enter the installation IO address, usually 0x60 (that is, 98 in decimal), that is, execute the NE2000 0x60 command to install the driver. If you do not enter the address, the network card will generally be installed on 0x60 or 0x62 according to the default value. If you are using dial-up to surf the Internet, there are two ways: one is to use the modem Packet driver, and the other is to use its own dialer when using the browser. For the former, you can use a program called LSPPP (can be downloaded in the "Driver" of this site). It has very powerful functions and has many command line parameters. You can use the LSPPP/? command to view it. The parameters that usually need to be specified are: the port number where the modem is located, the phone number to be dialed, the user name and password, etc. For example, if the modem is on COM4 and the number to be dialed is 163, you can enter LSPPP /n:4/d:163/U:user /P:pwd on the DOS command line to achieve Internet access (be sure to pay attention to the spaces between upper and lower case and each parameter). Once the network card's Packet driver or LSPPP is successfully run, the DOS system is actually connected to the Internet. At this time, various Internet software under DOS can directly access the network (of course, to truly complete the Internet functions, the TCP/IP protocol that the network program comes with is also required). If you want to disconnect the Internet after loading the Packet driver of your network card or modem, you can either use the method of reversely installing the Packet driver, such as executing the NE2000-U command, or use the general Packet driver terminator TERMIN (can be downloaded in the "Network Tools" of this site). For example, if the installation address of the Packet driver is 0x60, use TERMIN 0x60. If you want to use the dialer included in the browser instead of the modem's Packet driver for surfing the Internet, you can see the use of Arachne below.
As we all know, you need a web browser when browsing web pages. The best graphic browser under DOS is Arachne, which has very powerful functions and can be downloaded from this site. Using it for dial-up Internet access requires a DOS-enabled modem (including a hardware modem or a software modem with a DOS driver, which can also be used in the Win9x DOS window). After selecting "Use Modem to access the Internet" in the settings screen, Arachne will detect each possible port of the modem, and as long as one is successfully detected, it can be used. Then enter the correct phone number, username and password, and you can dial. Of course, if you have used the LSPPP mentioned above to load the modem Packet driver, you no longer have to dial Arachne. At this time, the method of setting up Arachne is the same as the method of setting up Arachne to use the network card to access the Internet. If you are surfing the Internet through a network card, you need to run the Packet driver for this network card mentioned above first. Note that it must be installed on the address 0x60, otherwise Arachne will not be recognized. Select "Using the network card to access the Internet" in the settings screen in Arachne and select DHCP automatic configuration. As long as the network is normal, you can view the web page. To speed up, the disk buffer under DOS can be loaded before running the Arachne browser. For the specific usage of the Arachne browser, you can see the "DOS Articles" column.
Of course, there are many ways to actually use the Internet under DOS. For example, after using modem or network card Packet driver, use WATTCP programs (such as WGET, Lynx) and so on to realize the reading of online data. For example, you can use the WGET command to download the homepage of the Yahoo website by using the WGET command on the DOS command line. WGET even supports the breakpoint continuous transmission function. To use email, you can easily send and receive emails using programs such as Barebones E-mail (you need to know the POP3 and SMTP server addresses of the email address). For operations such as FTP and Telnet, you can also use corresponding programs to achieve it, such as Wattcp FTP, etc., which can be seen in the "Network Tools" of this site. There are many network programs under DOS, so I won’t go into details here.