SPACK: Mips.exe and Sh3.exe Windows CE Network Client

ID: Q182765

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

Mips.exe and Sh3.exe are Service Pack files that install the Windows CE Network Client Component (also know as the redirector) on to your Windows CE device. They allow independent software vendor (ISVs) to write applications that access remote file resources on servers that support the Common Internet File System (CIFS) protocol. You can access remote file resources either through standard file operations using UNC pathnames (that is, \\server\share\....) or through the WNet APIs, which are documented in the Windows CE SDK.

Please note that loading the redirector component on a Windows CE device does not imply that its shell supports browsing of network resources. At the time of this writing (Mar-02-1998), none of the currently shipped Windows CE devices provides this support out of the box. Microsoft is making this component available on the Web so ISVs can provide remote file access to customers who need it.

MORE INFORMATION

The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Software Library: 

 ~ Mips.exe (size: 125928 bytes) 
              Release date: Mar-20-1998
              license.txt
              netbios.dll
              readme.doc
              redir.dll

 ~ Sh3.exe (size: 107496 bytes) 
              Release date: Mar-20-1998
              license.txt
              netbios.dll
              readme.doc
              redir.dll
For more information about downloading files from the Microsoft Software Library, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   ARTICLE-ID: Q119591
   TITLE : How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services

Installing the Components

Before starting installation, you should make a backup copy of the Windows CE device's file system and databases on your desktop computer. To install the components, copy Redir.dll and Netbios.dll into the \Windows directory and then reset the device. If your device does not come back on after installing these components, there is a mismatch in either the processor type or OS version of the Redir and Netbios DLLs. The processor type on a device is typically indicated in the system control panel.

NOTE: the components distributed here require Windows CE version 2.0 or greater. If there is a mismatch, you must remove all batteries from the device, reset, and repeat the installation with the correct components. This will cause all data in the device's file system to be lost, so you will need to restore the file system from the backup made before the installation.

Computer Name

To use the redirector, you must give your computer a unique name-check with your network administrator to determine a name. The name must have:

Checking for invalid names will not be performed by the control panel applet, however the redirector components will not function correctly if an invalid name is entered. This restriction also applies to other machine names accessed through the redirector, so servers whose names do not fit the restrictions mentioned above will not be accessible to Windows CE. The computer name can be changed in the communications control panel.

This name will be registered on the network the first time a file server is accessed over the net, using either UNC file operations or WNet APIs. Thus, the first file operation might take 10-15 seconds while the computer name is registered. If the computer name is not changed from the default, or if there is an error registering the name, a dialog box appears that prompts you to change the computer name and retry the operation.

Once the name has been changed in the control panel, you must disconnect and reconnect any active network connections before the new name is registered on the network. For example, if you are using a PCMCIA network card, the card must be removed and reinserted before the new name will be registered.

User Name and Password

For dial-in connections, the default user name and password are those that were used to establish the connection. For network cards, the default user logon information may be configured in the network control panel. If no default name and password are specified, or if an authentication error occurs while connecting to a server, the user logon dialog box appears. Enter your name and password in the dialog box and indicate whether to update the default values. If you choose to update the values, another dialog box asks whether to save the password in the registry. The password is stored in encrypted form. However, if you are concerned about having it stored, you should answer "no" in this dialog box.

Registry Settings

You control the default operation of the redirector through the registry settings in the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Comm\Redir. You can adjust the following settings:

ClearTxtPwdAllowed:

This is a DWORD value. If it is zero, then it refuses to connect to a server that negotiates clear text passwords. The default value is zero.

ServerTimoutMs:

This is a DWORD value specifying the number of milliseconds to wait for SMB responses. The default value is 10000.

FindCacheMaxSize:

This is a DWORD value specifying the maximum memory to use for find caching. Zero will disable all caching. The default value is 8192.

ResourceExpiryInt:

This is a DWORD value specifying the number of seconds before releasing unused resources. The default value is 600.

RecvBufSize:

This is a DWORD value specifying the size of the receiving buffer. The default value is 4096.

If any of these settings are changed, you must reset the device before the new settings take effect.

NOTE: You should exercise caution when changing the default values. Changes may affect system performance or the function of the redirector.

Additional query words: 

Keywords          : kbfile kbWinCE 
Version           : WINDOWS:2.0
Platform          : WINDOWS

Last Reviewed: July 29, 1998