Configuring Proxy Server 1.0 with the IPX Protocol

ID: Q165341

The information in this article applies to:

CONFIGURING PROXY SERVER 1.0 WITH THE IPX PROTOCOL

Section 1: Configuring Proxy on a Network With Novell NetWare Servers

Section 2: Configuring Proxy on an Ethernet Network with No NetWare Servers

Section 3: Configuring Proxy on a Token Ring Network with No NetWare Servers

Section 4: Troubleshooting IPX Proxy Clients

NOTE: For best results, please follow all instructions carefully and do not omit any steps unless specifically advised to do so.

SECTION 1: CONFIGURING PROXY ON A NETWORK WITH NOVELL NETWARE SERVERS

If your network contains Novell NetWare servers or IPX routers that seed the network with the correct IPX frame type and network address, both the client and server IPX configuration can be set to Auto. This will force the proxy server and client to obtain their IPX settings automatically.

Proxy Server Settings

  1. Disable the IPX binding for the external adapter:

    1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, and then click Bindings.


    2. Click "Show bindings for all Protocols."


    3. Choose IPX/SPX compatible transport.


    4. Select the Internet network card listed here and click Disable.


    5. Reboot the server.




  2. Set the IPX protocol for auto configuration:

    1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon.


    2. Under Protocols, click "NWLink IPX/SPX compatible transport."


    3. Use the Internal Network Number: 00000000.


    4. Choose Auto Frame Type Detection.


    5. Reinstall Proxy Server so that the new settings are added to the Mspclnt.ini file.


    6. Open the Mspclnt.ini file (located in the \Msp\Clients folder on the server). Verify that the section called [Servers IPX Addresses] section exists. This section should contain one IPX address 
      
         Addr1=-<address>
      where <address> is a number like 00034567-1232fa34bb20.




  3. Move the Internet binding on the proxy server. NOTE: If the Internet connection is being made through a Dial up connection, this section can be ignored).

    1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, and then click Bindings.


    2. Click "Show Bindings for all protocols."


    3. Under NWLink IPX/SPX Compatible Transport, you should see your network adapters listed.


    4. Select the network adapter that you have connected to the Internet and move it to the top of the list so that it is the first binding. This must be done even though IPX is disabled on this card.




Proxy Client Settings for Windows NT Server Clients

Set the IPX protocol for auto configuration:

  1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, click Protocols, and then click NWLink IPX/SPX Compatible Transport.


  2. Use the Internal Network Number: 00000000.


  3. Choose Auto Frame Type Detection.


  4. Test for connectivity by running Chkwsp32 /F from the Mspclnt folder on the client computer. If the connection succeeds, you will see the message:
    Client Control Protocol matches the server control protocol.
    Test further by using FTP or Telnet to connect to a site on the Internet.


Proxy Client Settings for Windows NT Workstation Clients

Set the IPX protocol for auto configuration:

  1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, click Protocols, and then click NWLink IPX/SPX Compatible Transport.


  2. Choose Auto Frame Type Detection.


  3. Test for connectivity by running Chkwsp32 /F from the Mspclnt folder on the client computer. If the connection succeeds, you will see the message:
    Client Control Protocol matches the server control protocol.
    Test further by using FTP or Telnet to connect to a site on the Internet.


Proxy Client Settings for Windows 95 Clients

Set the IPX protocol for auto configuration:

  1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, click Configuration, and then click NWLink IPX/SPX-Compatible Protocol.


  2. On the NetBIOS tab click to select "I want to enable NetBIOS over IPX/SPX."


  3. On the Advanced tab, enter Frame Type = Auto and Network Address = 0.


  4. Reboot the client and install the Winsock Proxy client.


  5. Test for connectivity by running Chkwsp32 /F from the Mspclnt folder on the client computer. If the connection succeeds, you will see the message:
    Client Control Protocol matches the server control protocol.
    Test further by using FTP or Telnet to connect to a site on the Internet.


SECTION 2: CONFIGURING PROXY ON AN ETHERNET NETWORK WITH NO NETWARE SERVERS

If you do not have a Novell NetWare server on the network (or a computer running Windows NT server with an internal network number configured), IPX clients will not autoconfigure their IPX settings correctly. Windows NT will not respond to the client's routing information protocol (RIP) broadcasts for the external network number. This occurs even if an external network number and frame type are defined on the Windows NT Server computer.

NOTE: If your connection to the Internet is through a modem or ISDN adapter with RAS, skip step 1.

If you have many IPX clients, the following client and server setting should allow you to autoconfigure your IPX clients:

Proxy Server Settings

  1. Disable the IPX binding for the external adapter.

    1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, and then click Bindings.


    2. Click "Show bindings for all protocols."


    3. Choose IPX/SPX Compatible Transport.


    4. Select the Internet network card listed here and click Disable.




  2. Manually set the server IPX settings:

    1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, and then click Protocols.


    2. Click "Show Properties for IPX/SPX protocol."


    3. Set the Frame Type to 802.3.


    4. Set the External Network Number to 44444444.


    5. Set the Internal Network Number to 55555555.


    6. Apply the changes and reboot the server.




  3. Edit the Mspclnt.ini file on the Proxy server and add the following section. If this section already exists, replace it with the one below. 
    
      [Servers Ipx Addresses]
      Addr1=55555555-000000000001
    NOTE: Be sure to use the 000000000001 as the MAC address regardless of your netcard's true MAC address.


  4. Move the Internet binding on the proxy server:

    1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, and then click Bindings.


    2. Click "Show Bindings for all protocols."


    3. Under NWLink IPX/SPX Compatible Transport, you should see your network adapters listed.


    4. Select the network adapter that you have connected to the Internet and move it to the top of the list so that it is the first binding. This must be done even though IPX is disabled on this card.




  5. Reboot your Proxy server.


Proxy Client Settings for Windows NT Server Clients

Set the IPX protocol for auto configuration:
  1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, click Protocols, and then click NWLink IPX/SPX Compatible Transport.


  2. Use the Internal Network Number: 00000000.


  3. Choose Auto Frame Type Detection.


  4. Install the WinSock Proxy client


  5. Test for connectivity by running Chkwsp32 /F from the Mspclnt folder on the client computer. If the connection succeeds, you will see the message:
    Client Control Protocol matches the server control protocol.
    Test further by using FTP or Telnet to connect to a site on the Internet.


Proxy Client Settings for Windows NT Workstation Clients

Set the IPX protocol for auto configuration:

  1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, click Protocols, and then click NWLink IPX/SPX Compatible Transport.


  2. Choose Auto Frame Type Detection.


  3. Test for connectivity by running Chkwsp32 /F from the Mspclnt folder on the client machine. If the connection succeeds, you will see the message:
    Client Control Protocol matches the server control protocol.
    Test further by using FTP or Telnet to connect to a site on the Internet.


Proxy Client Settings for Windows 95 Clients

Set the IPX protocol for auto configuration:

  1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, click Configuration, and then click NWLink IPX/SPX-Compatible Protocol.


  2. On the NetBIOS tab click to select "I want to enable NetBIOS over IPX/SPX."


  3. On the Advanced tab, enter Frame Type = AUTO and Network Address = 0.


  4. Reboot the client and install the Winsock Proxy client.


  5. Test for connectivity by running Chkwsp32 /F from the Mspclnt folder on the client computer. If the connection succeeds, you will see the message:
    Client Control Protocol matches the server control protocol.
    Test further by using FTP or Telnet to connect to a site on the Internet.


SECTION 3: CONFIGURING PROXY ON A TOKEN RING NETWORK WITH NO NETWARE SERVERS

If you do not have a Novell NetWare server on the network and are using Token Ring cards on the internal side of the proxy server (or on a computer running Windows NT server with an internal network number configured), IPX clients will not autoconfigure their IPX settings correctly. Windows NT will not respond to the clients RIP broadcasts for the external network number. This occurs even if an external network number and frame type are defined on the Windows NT Server computer.

NOTE: If your connection to the Internet is through a modem or ISDN adapter with RAS, skip step 1.

If you have many IPX clients, the following client and server settings should allow you to autoconfigure your IPX clients:

Proxy Server Settings

  1. Disable the IPX binding for the external adapter:

    1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, and then click Bindings.


    2. Click "Show bindings for all protocols."


    3. Choose IPX/SPX Compatible Transport.


    4. Select the Internet network card listed here and click Disable.




  2. Manually set the server IPX settings:

    1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, and then click Protocols.


    2. Click "Show Properties for IPX/SPX protocol."


    3. The Frame Type will be TOKEN_RING. Leave these as they are.


    4. Set the Internal Network Number to 55555555.


    5. Set the External Network Number to 44444444.


    6. Apply the changes and reboot the server.




  3. Set the IP address for the Internal Token Ring card to 10.0.0.2 (or if you want to use IP on this card, and then use the IP number assigned to the card).


  4. Install Proxy Server on the system. Choose to have the LAT contain 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255 as the range. (If you are also using IP on the internal card, and then also include that IP number in the LAT, if it is not already in this range).


  5. Edit the Mspclnt.ini file on the Proxy server and add the following section. If this section already exists, replace it with the one below: 
    
      [Servers Ipx Addresses]
      Addr1=55555555-000000000001
    NOTE: Be sure to use the 000000000001 as the MAC address regardless of your netcard's true MAC address.

    Remove the following section completely: 
    
      [Servers IP Addresses]


  6. Move the Internet binding on the proxy server:

    1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, and then click Bindings.


    2. Click "Show Bindings for all protocols."


    3. Under NWLink IPX/SPX Compatible Transport, you should see your network adapters listed.


    4. Select the network adapter that you have connected to the Internet and move it up to the top of the list so it is the first binding. This must be done even though IPX is disabled on this card.




  7. Reboot your Proxy server.


Proxy Client Settings for Windows NT Server Clients

Set the IPX protocol for auto configuration:

  1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, click Protocols, and then click NWLink IPX/SPX Compatible Transport.


  2. Use the Internal Network Number: 00000000.


  3. Choose Auto Frame Type Detection.


  4. Install the WinSock Proxy client.


  5. Test for connectivity by running Chkwsp32 /F from the Mspclnt folder on the client computer. If the connection succeeds, you will see the message:
    Client Control Protocol matches the server control protocol.


Test further by using FTP or Telnet to connect to a site on the Internet.

Proxy Client Settings for Windows NT Workstation Clients

Set the IPX protocol for auto configuration:

  1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, click Protocols, and then click NWLink IPX/SPX Compatible Transport.


  2. Choose Auto Frame Type Detection.


  3. Test for connectivity by running Chkwsp32 /F from the Mspclnt folder on the client computer. If the connection succeeds, you will see the message:
    Client Control Protocol matches the server control protocol.
    Test further by using FTP or Telnet to connect to a site on the Internet.


Proxy Client Settings for Windows 95 Clients

Set the IPX protocol for auto configuration:

  1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, click Configuration, and then click NWLink IPX/SPX-Compatible Protocol.


  2. On the NetBIOS tab click to select "I want to enable NetBIOS over IPX/SPX."


  3. On the Advanced tab, enter Frame Type = AUTO, Network Address = 0.


  4. Reboot the client and install the Winsock Proxy client.


  5. Test for connectivity by running Chkwsp32 /F from the Mspclnt folder on the client computer. If the connection succeeds, you will see the message:
    Client Control Protocol matches the server control protocol.
    Test further by using FTP or Telnet to connect to a site on the Internet.


Troubleshooting IPX Proxy Clients

If you follow the preceding steps, your IPX clients may still experience connectivity problems. See the following troubleshooting guide for more information:

When you use the command Chkwsp32 /F, you receive one of the following error messages:
Server Is Down!
- or -
Unable to refresh configuration files
If the TCP/IP protocol is installed on the client computer but TCP/IP is not enabled on the proxy server's internal network card, this error will occur. Some clients on the network may require TCP/IP to be installed for certain applications or some clients may have Remote Access Services installed for modem connections with TCP/IP bound to the RAS adapter.

There are two workarounds for this type of problem:

Method 1: Remove TCP/IP from the clients.

Method 2: Force the clients to use only IPX.
You can force the clients to use only IPX for all Winsock Proxy connections. To do this, edit the Mspclnt.ini file on the Proxy server. Simply remove the [Servers Ip Addresses] section. The Proxy clients will refresh their configuration automatically every six hours, so it is not necessary to refresh all of the clients manually.
If the Mspclnt share on the proxy server is not accessible, these errors may also occur. Make sure the client has access to the Mspclnt share on the proxy server.

Verify that the client has permissions to this share on the server. If the client is not a member of the same domain or does not belong to any trusted domain, do one of the following:
Move the client configuration files to a share on a server that the clients have access to.
-or-
Enable the guest account on the Proxy server so that any client will have access to the share.
NOTE: Click to clear the Enable Access Control check box in the Winsock Proxy service properties if the clients are not part of the domain that the proxy server belongs to.

To move the configuration files, create a share on a server the client has access to. The server can be a NetWare Server or Windows NT Server. Edit the Mspclnt.ini file on the proxy server and change the [Master Config] path to reflect the new location. Copy the Msplat.txt and Mspclnt.ini files to the new share. Any new clients installed will contain the new location settings. Click to clear the Enable Access Control check box in the Winsock Proxy service properties if the clients are not part of the domain that the proxy server belongs to.

You receive the error message:
Failed to determine protocol family for Control Channel
This error message can occur if the Mspclnt.ini file is missing the [Servers IPX Addresses] section, or the name of the section is mistyped (for example, singular instead of plural). Confirm that the section is present and typed correctly. If it is incorrect, the Mspclnt.ini file on the server must also be corrected, because the clients periodically update themselves from the server.

You find that images or pages are broken or incomplete on the Winsock Proxy client.

Try setting the Maximum Connections and Maximum Sockets for the Windows 95 IPX client above the default values. For additional information on this topic, please see the following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q142489 Problems After Modifying Maximum Connections or Sockets Value

Additional query words: prodprx1 prodprx2 ipx 


Keywords          : kbenv 
Version           : 1.0
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: August 9, 1999