[comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc] Do FTP Spec Drivers Support Multi-Tasking

david@WUBIOS.WUSTL.EDU ("David J. Camp") (11/30/89)

Is it possible to load an FTP-Spec packet driver, and then load
Microsoft Windows, and then access the driver from multiple applications
in separate windows?  -David-

Bitnet:   david@wubios.wustl                ^      Mr. David J. Camp
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romkey@amiga.UUCP (John Romkey) (11/30/89)

The packet driver does not support multiple instances of a specific
protocol stack. That is, if you want to run FTP and Telnet
simultaneously, they have to use the same TCP stack even if they're
different programs. NCSA telnet won't work here, because you'd have
two completely separate instances of TCP loaded in for the two
distinct applications you're running. You'd need to run something with
a terminate-and-stay-resident TCP to do this properly. The major
commercial TCP products, like like FTP Software's PC/TCP, Sun's PC/NFS
and Wollongong's WIN/PC should all do this for you, with varying
success under various flavors of Microsoft Windows. I don't know of
any non-commercial TCP's that do.
			- john romkey
USENET/UUCP: romkey@asylum.sf.ca.us	Internet: romkey@ftp.com
"Some people walk on water/Some people walk on broken glass/Some people walk
 round and round in their dreams/Some just keep falling down." Laurie Anderson

jbvb@VAX.FTP.COM (James Van Bokkelen) (11/30/89)

This may or may not work, depending on the applications and the windows
environment.  The following requirements apply:

1. The applications can't be asking for the same Ethernet packet type:  In
   other words, they can't both be IP; one could be XNS and another IP.

2. The windows environment had better not swap (or move) either application
   at a time when the packet driver might give it a packet, because if it
   does, the receiver() upcall will go direct to 3-finger-salute city...

3. The window environment had better allow access to arbitrary interrupts
   from within a window (I don't know how 386 virtual 8086s will do with this).

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