Windows NT Frequently Asked Questions ------------------------------------- by Adam Hamilton 1.What is Windows NT? 2.Hardware 2.1.Requirements 2.2.Availability 2.3.Compatibility List 3.Relation to Windows 4.Capabilities 4.1.NTFS 4.2.Security 4.3.Advanced Server 5.Compatibility 5.1.Windows 5.1.1.Windows for Workgroups 5.2.MS-DOS 5.3.OS/2 5.4.POSIX/UNIX 5.4.1.The POSIX Environment 5.4.2.Lpr/lpd printing 5.4.3.Emulation packages 5.5.X Windows 6.Graphics 6.1.Fonts 7.Sound 8.Networking 8.1.Networked Information 8.1.1.FTP Sites 8.1.2.Gopher 8.1.3.WWW 8.1.4.Wais 8.1.5.Support 8.1.5.1.Compuserve 8.1.5.2.Others? 8.2.Mail 8.2.1.MS Mail 8.2.2.SMTP 8.2.3.X400 8.3.News 8.4.Lan Manager 8.5.Novell Netware 8.6.TCP/IP 8.6.1.NFS 8.7.X25 8.8.SNA 8.9.Fax 9.Applications 9.1.Windows Applications 9.2.Native Applications 10.Current Known Problems 10.1.Applications. 10.1.1.Ami Pro - right justification 11.Tips, Tricks and Secrets. 12.Future Windows systems 12.1.Chicago 12.2.Cairo 1.What is Windows NT? Windows NT is a new operating system written by Microsoft. Its primary user interface is identical to that of Windows 3.1 but it has no common code and does not require MS-DOS. It provides a much richer system than Windows and provides program access to all features via the Win32 API. It is also capable of running (some) programs written for Windows 3.1, MS- DOS, OS/2 and POSIX. 2.Hardware 2.1. Requirements The recommended minimum configuration is 12MB RAM, 100MB disc, a 386 processor and a VGA screen. 2.2. Availability Windows NT is currently available on machines using INTEL x86, RISC (MIPS) and DEC Alpha processors. It has been announced for the PowerPC architecture. 2.3. Compatibility List Microsoft publishes a list of hardware which is compatible with Windows NT. For hardware not in this list, contact your supplier. The list is available over the network from ftp.microsoft.com in directory Advsys/winnt/docs/hcl. 3.Relation to Windows Although none of the operating system code comes from Windows, a lot of the on-line help and applications does. 4.Capabilities Windows NT has a micro-kernel or virtual operating system architecture (like Mach or Chorus). This means that there is a minimal underlying operating system above which run various subsystems which control a process' run-time environment. Windows NT supports virtual memory, pre-emptive multi- tasking, international language standards, networking, multiple installable file systems, multiple users, multiple processors and a 32-bit flat memory model. It can also emulate a Windows 3.1 environment and a bare MSDOS environment. 4.1. NTFS NTFS is a new filing system. It supports full discretionary access control (DAC) [this means file permissions] via Access Control Lists (ACL) and is transaction based which gives good recovery from catastrophic events such as power failure. It also supports FAT compatibility (FAT is the MSDOS filing system). Maximum file size is 2 exp 64 bytes. 4.2. Security Windows NT has been designed to fulfil the B2 level requirements of the Orange Book (DoD ???) and is undergoing the process of certification to C2 level. DAC requires use of NTFS. Passwords are never sent in clear over a network. 4.3. Advanced Server Windows NT Advanced Server provides the following extra functionality (compared to the Workstation product). Fault tolerance (Raid levels 0, 1 & 5). Domains and centralised administration. Services for Macs. 64 RAS slots instead of just 1. 5.Compatibility 5.1. Windows Programs written to the Win16 API will run on Windows NT without change. Translation to the win32 API occurs at run-time. All such programs are run in one virtual machine giving the same environment as under windows. This means that any badly behaved programs will still cause trouble though they should not bring down the system (but may cause the WOW session to crash). 5.1.1. Windows for Workgroups 5.2. MS-DOS Windows NT can run MS-DOS programs as long as they do not access hardware directly. Calls to BIOS and direct writing to the COM ports are supported. It also supports the FAT filing system and can allow programs to access NTFS disc partitions by providing FAT- compatible names for files. 5.3. OS/2 Windows NT can run programs written for OS/2 but only character mode I/O is supported. It also supports HPFS (the native OS/2 filing system). 5.4. POSIX/UNIX 5.4.1. The POSIX Environment The POSIX environment subsystem conforms exactly to the IEEE 1003.1 specification. This means that no other functions, such as graphics, networking, shared memory or message-passing are supported although the underlying operating system provides these facilities. For this reason, developers are more likely to use the UNIX emulation packages that are available. The Resource Kit contains 20 Unix commands and a POSIX shell. 5.4.2. Lpr/lpd printing A public domain package, NTlpr, available from ftp.cica.indiana.edu allows use of an lpr command. This has no interaction with the Windows NT print system. There is also an lpd for Windows which works from the same site. 5.4.3. Emulation packages Hippix and Nutcracker both provide a library (DLL) which provides support for most of the UNIX system calls and some common UNIX utilities. Nutcracker also supports all the standard Unix library functions. Unite (Consensys) provides more than 100 Unix commands. 5.5. X Windows Windows NT does not provide a facility like X Windows where computation and display may be on separate machines although it does have an RPC facility which could be used to provide this. Several third-party products are available which provide support for X. eXcursion (DEC) - X server eXceed (Hummingbird) - X server and development kit inc. MOTIF NtNix (Congruent) - X client support Metro-X (Metro), MultiView/X (JSB), PC-Xware (NCD) see the Win32 catalog. 6.Graphics 6.1. Fonts Windows NT (like Windows 3.1) supports True-type fonts which do not distort when a new point size is selected. 7.Sound Refer to the hardware compatibility list. 8.Networking Windows NT contains substantial built-in networking. 8.1. Networked Information EMWAC will be porting full-function versions of Gopher, WWW and WAIS servers; available 2Q94 or perhaps before and freely available. Windows clients for all these are available and work under Windows NT. 8.1.1. FTP Sites ftp.microsoft.com, ftp.cica.indiana.edu. emwac.ed.ac.uk mirrors these and also contains a news archive. 8.1.2. Gopher No known sites yet. 8.1.3. WWW No known sites yet. 8.1.4. Wais No known sites yet. 8.1.5. Support 8.1.5.1. Compuserve See the Windows FAQ. 8.1.5.2. Others? 8.2. Mail MS mail and Schedule+ come as an integral part of Windows NT. 8.2.1. MS Mail 8.2.2. SMTP Connecting MS mail to SMTP systems requires use of a gateway running on a dedicated PC. 8.2.3. X400 MS are developing the Enterprise Messaging System which is an X400(88) product. 8.3. News The primary Usenet newsgroups concerned with Windows NT are comp.os.ms-windows.nt.setup and comp.os.ms- windows.nt.misc. There are a number of groups which concern Windows only. For programming to the Win32 API use comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.win32. The native Windows NT newsreader is Trumpet (from ??). 8.4. Lan Manager Windows NT provides full support for Lan Manager 2.2. Lan Manager client for Windows 3.1 is freely available. 8.5. Novell Netware Redirectors (requestors) from Novell and Microsoft are in beta. The Microsoft version can be ftp'd from ftp.microsoft.com:Advsys\winnt\Sup-ed\nwcs or emwac.ed.ac.uk:gowinnt\Advsys\winnt/sup-ed/nwcs. 8.6. TCP/IP TCP/IP is part of the Windows NT system. It includes ftp and telnet clients but not servers. Software Innovations will be shipping a fulll TCP/IP connectivity kit in 1Q94 including telnetd, rlogin/rsh etc., full lpr/lpd, NNTP server and news reader, SLIP & PPP, and a gateway for MS mail to X400 and SMTP. 8.6.1. NFS Products from Sun and Beame and Whiteside are currently in beta. A PD version (SOSSNT) is available from ftp.cica.indiana.edu. There is also a product from FTP in beta and Chameleon 3.2 (Netmanage). 8.6.2 SNMP. Windows NT provides an SNMP responder. The Resource Kit CD contains SNMP query software. 8.7. X25 Currently, support for X25 only applies to RAS. 8.8. SNA Client uses built-in DLC; server is add-on. 8.9. Fax No native products currently available. There is a fax gateway which requires a dedicated PC. 9.Applications 9.1. Windows Applications See the Windows FAQ 9.2. Native Applications A list of Win32 applications is available as an Excel spreadsheet, general\WIN32NOV.XLS, from emwac.ed.ac.uk (and others?). 10. Current Known Problems 10.1. Applications. 10.1.1.Ami Pro - right justification This may leave the right margin ragged and the cursor position inaccurate. Workaround is to select 'View preferences' and turn off 'Display as Printed'. 11. Tips, Tricks and Secrets. 12. Future Windows systems 12.1. Chicago This product will be a complete rewrite of the Windows system but will not be based on Windows NT. It may not provide a separately installable MS-DOS. It will support the Win32 API. It should be on general release about 1Q95. 12.2. Cairo This will be a subsequent version of Windows NT which is fully object-oriented. Its release date is expected to be in 95.