*BSD News Article 68956


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From: tedm@agora.rdrop.com
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: Can FreeBSD mount Netbeui volumes?
Date: 20 May 1996 06:30:50 GMT
Organization: Symantec Corporation
Lines: 45
Message-ID: <4np3iq$md0@symiserver2.symantec.com>
References: <postmaster-0905961001120001@206.65.200.5> <319404CD.33E93F68@lambert.org> <4nfhjp$2f5@anorak.coverform.lan> <319D6A06.391D3E08@lambert.org> <4nla4n$p74@ghost.whirlpool.com> <319E55A5.68D66B93@lambert.org>
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In <319E55A5.68D66B93@lambert.org>, Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org> writes:
>Andrew Gillham wrote:
>] I *believe* it is:  NETBios Extended User Interface.
>] If I remember correctly, NetBEUI was "invented" when Micro$oft
>] realized that an SMB server couldn't talk to more than 255ish nodes

[some deleted]

>I think you *must* have 802.2 LLC for NetBEUI (if I had the
>OSI documents, I could tell you for sure -- but then, if I

That is correct.  NetBEUI, in it's "native" form, does use the 802.2 LLC "protocol"
(more like frame format I think) to pass frames around.  It is limited to a single
segment, as these frames don't have the information to enable them to be
routed.

Also, AT&T created NetBEUI, NOT Microsoft.  Small&Squishy simply had a bunch of
wet-behind-the-ears green programmers implement it.  (Ooohhh!!  AT&T!!
AT&T Big!!!  Microsoft want to be Big!!!  Microsoft do what AT&T do!!!!)

However, nowadays you will rarely see 802.2LLC traffic on a network, unless
you get ALL shreds of IPX off the wire, and jump through hoops.  The Win95
and NT clients will attempt to use IPX as a transport for NetBIOS, unless
forceably prevented from doing so.  However, they will then immediately switch
to using TCP/IP, even if all the right buttons are pushed and entries made to
make them use NetBEUI.

A lot of admins running WinNT networks will tell you that they are using NetBEUI
for "local" connections, and TCP/IP for routed connections.  However, if you
go to their machines and run commands like "nbtstat" and such you will discover
all the attachments being made using IP.

If you want to serve Win95, WFW311, or NT clients from a FreeBSD Unix server,
and your running Novell, the absolute simplest way of doing it is to set your Novell
servers to use the ETHERNET_II  frame type, which is the same frame type as
TCP/IP, and install only IPX and TCP/IP on all your Windows clients, and check
the box setting TCP/IP as the "default" protocol for Microsoft Networks.  Then,
set up bootp-DD2.4.3 as a DHCP server on the Unix box, and set all your clients
to use automatic IP address assignment.  Then, go to your routers and configure
them to forward IP broadcasts.

Don't use NetBEUI, and don't use 802.3 or 802.2 frame types under Novell, as a
matter of fact despite the name 802.2 isin't completely IEEE compliant either!
Also, don't waste your time with WINS servers or any of that garbage.