How to Specify the Number of PPTP Ports During Unattended Setup

ID: Q194029

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SUMMARY

When you perform an unattended installation of Windows NT 4.0 and install the Point to Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), you have no means of specifying the number of PPTP ports in the Unattend.txt file. This article will provide a detailed explanation of how you can set the number of PPTP ports during an unattended installation.

MORE INFORMATION

To set the number of PPTP ports during an unattended installation, follow these steps:

Copy all the Windows NT system files needed, usually the I386 directory and all its subdirectories, from the compact disc to the distribution server, which is a network share devoted to network client setup. The directory name of this network share is usually also I386.

Create the Unattend.txt file with any parameters that you feel are necessary including RASPPTP and RAS. In your Unattend.txt file, make sure Oempreinstall is set to "Yes".

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q155197 Unattended Setup Parameters for Unattend.txt File

Q166149 RAS Reserves DHCP Addresses for Dial-Out Only Clients

Create a directory named $oem$ under the I386 directory (the directory of the network share on the distribution server).

In the $oem$ directory, create a text file named Cmdlines.txt that contains the following two lines:
```
      [Commands]
      ".\regedit /s pptp.reg" 
```

Also in the $oem$ directory, create a text file named Pptp.reg that contains the following four lines:
```
      REGEDIT4

      [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RASPPTPE
       \Parameters\Configuration]
      "NumberLineDevices"=dword:00000007 
```
NOTE: The second line is blank, but it must be present; line 3 above wraps to the next line for readability, but it should be all on one line in the Pptp.reg file, with no spaces between RASPPTPE and \Parameters (that is, ...\RASPPTPE\Parameters\Configuration]). Also please note, the value "00000007" is the number of ports you want to install. Please change this value to your preferred number of PPTP ports.

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

Place a copy of the Regedit.exe file (from the I386 directory) in the $oem$ directory. At this point, there should be three files in the $oem$ directory: Cmdlines.txt, Pptp.reg, and Regedit.exe.

On your distribution share, expand the Oemnxppp.in_ file by typing the following at the command prompt:

Expand Oemnxppp.in_ Oemnxppp.inf

Rename the compressed Oemnxppp.in_ file to Oemnxppp.sav.

This step is required because this not only offers a backup copy of the file but the setup program will always use the compressed version of the file if both are present.

Use any text editor to modify the following section of the .inf file:

Before modifications are made:


         Set NumberOfLineDevices = *($(Result), 1)
         FreeLibrary $(RASPPTPDLGHANDLE)
         ifstr(i) $(NumberOfLineDevices) == "EXITSETUP"

After modification are made:


         Set NumberOfLineDevices = *($(Result), 1)
         ;**************Modifications begin here**************
         Ifstr(i) $(!STF_GUI_UNATTENDED) == YES
             Set NumberOfLineDevices = 7
         endif
         ;**************Modifications end here****************
         FreeLibrary $(RASPPTPDLGHANDLE)
         ifstr(i) $(NumberOfLineDevices) == "EXITSETUP"

NOTE: The value "NumberOfLineDevices = 7" is the number of ports you wish to install. Please change this to your desired value. This should match the setting above.

Save the file and begin your unattended setup.

NOTE: The steps above will allow you to specify the number of PPTP ports to add to Windows NT 4.0. However, this does not allow you to add these ports as RAS-capable devices during unattended setup. Currently, the only way to perform that action is to manually add the PPTP ports after the unattended installation has completed.

Additional query words: unattend ras raspptp


Keywords          : kbnetwork ntras 
Version           : WinNT:4.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: February 19, 1999