Chip 1994 February/CHIP0294.ISO/digital/magazin/mosaic/wmos20a3/faq.txt

Text File | 1994-04-07 | 16.8 KB | 415 lines

This is a general FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) that covers various
subjects releated to Mosaic for Microsoft Windows.  The information covers:

    - Common questions our users have about Mosaic.
    - Common installation and initial execution problems and solutions.
    - Information about Winsock.dlls.
    - Information about viewers and the mosaic.ini
    - Running Mosaic over a phone line.
    - Finding an Internet SLIP/PPP provider.
    - Using Mosaic with from behind a firewall.
    - Registration and Licensing information.
    - Misc. Information.

After you get Mosaic properly installed, I strongly recommend you read the
information that is on-line at the Mosaic for Microsoft Windows Home Page.
The URL is:

     http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/WinMosaic/HomePage.html


Terry McLaren
[e-mail]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.  What version of the compression utility PKunzip do I need to unzip
    Mosaic?

You can unzip Mosaic with version 2.04g of the PK software.  If you are
having problems unzipping the Mosaic file, ensure you are using the
proper version of the ZIP utility.  If you need copy of the latest PK
software you can find this shareware product at the anonymous ftp site
oak.oakland.edu.  The file pkz204g.exe is in the pub/msdos/zip directory.



2.  Do I need to change any of the settings in the mosaic.ini file?

Sometimes.  As we add additional functionality to Mosaic you may need to add
or change parameters in the mosaic.ini file.  However, if there any changes
or additions to the mosaic.ini file we will make information available in
the update.txt file that is included in every release.

3.  Are OS/2 and Windows NT supported?

OS/2

Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to develop programs for the OS/2
environment.  OS/2 users will be able to run version 2.0alpha2 in Windows.


Windows NT

The current version of Mosaic, v2.0alpha2, is a 16-bit application and it
will run in NT.  Our next release of Mosaic, v2.0alpha3, will be an NT
native 32-bit application.



4.  Can I run Mosaic without an Internet connection?

Yes, you can run Mosaic on your home computer as a viewer, but you will have
to fool Mosaic by using a null winsock.dll.  We have such a dynamic link
library (dll) on our ftp server, ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu, in the PC/Mosaic/nullsock
directory.


5. What does the error message "Cannot find winsock.dll" mean?

The most common error message users see during the installation is a
Windows file error "Cannot find winsock.dll".  This is caused when the
winsock.dll is not in either the windows/system directory or when the
path to the winsock.dll is not defined in the PATH= statement of the
autoexec.bat.  One of the common misconceptions is that this is a Mosaic
error, when in fact it is an error caused by the user not reading the
installation instructions of the network software that contains the
winsock.dll.  To understand how Mosaic interacts with the Network
software consider the following:

6. What does the error message "Unable to load TCP" mean?

This is a Winsock.dll error message.  It can be caused when the winsock
is dependent on other .dll files and the files can not be found or you
not have enough system resources to launch the program.   A solution to
the first possible cause is to ensure you have installed your winsock
properly or re-install the winsock.  A solution to the second possible
cause is close other applications.   If you have re-installed and closed
all other applications and you are still getting the same error message
then contact the appropriate author of the winsock.dll for further help.


7.  Where do I get a winsock.dll?

There are a number of companies that have created these winsock.dlls
and you must ensure you have a "1.1 compliant" winsock.  If you don't
have a 1.1 compliant winsock then you will get an error message like
"unable to load TCP/IP" and Mosaic won't run.

Note: Information about various winsocks is provided for the convenience
of our users. Since we did not develop this software, we can not provide
support. If you are having problems with any of these products, then
please contact the respective author.


Common Commercial winsock.dll providers:

- Novell
      You will need either version 4.1 of Lan Workplace or TCPIP Transport
      for DOS and their winsock.dll.

- PC/NFS users:

      1. May have a problem because the name resolving is done with NIS
      instead of DNS, thus it can't resolve most of the names from Mosaic.
      Some users have solved this problem by using a DNS to NIS converter.

      2. A user recently wrote saying there are some problems in earlier
      versions of their winsock.dll and a patch can be found at the anonymous
      ftp site, ftp.york.ac.uk. The file, winsock.zip, is in the
      /pub/pc/pc-nfs/Patches.

A Shareware winsock.dll provider.

- Trumpet Software International Winsock was successfully tested during the
development of Mosaic.  If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this
software you can find it at the anonymous ftp site ftp.utas.edu.au in the
/pc/trumpet/winsock directory.  We also maintain a currrent copy of this
winsock on our ftp server, ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu, in the /PC/Mosaic/sockets
directory.  The file is winsock.zip.



8.  I have a winsock.dll and Mosaic is not working?

Are you using a 1.1 compliant winsock?  If your winsock IS 1.1 compliant then
it will be documented as such.  When in doubt upgrade to the latest version
of your network software.  BTW, some users have reported an error message in
like "Winsock is not 1.1 compliant" associated with this problem.



9.  What does the error code "Failed DNS Lookup" mean?

This error could be caused by a few things.  First, the IP number
of the Domain Name Server (DNS) you told your network software is wrong.
Second, the name you are trying to resolve is not associated with an IP
number.  ie.  typo or the name does not exist.  Third, it is possible
that the DNS is down.



10.  When I invoke Mosaic I don't see any menus.

This occurs when the mosaic.ini file is either NOT in your windows directory
or the enviroment variable is wrong.  To correct this problem either copy the
mosaic.ini file to your windows directory or ensure you've defined the
environment variable properly.  The environmental variable is defined in your
autoexec.bat file.  ie.

    set MOSAIC.INI=c:\complete\directory\path\mosaic.ini


11.  Viewers and the mosaic.ini file.

The real beauty of Mosaic is its ability to use other already existing products
for viewing image files, movie files, post script files, etc.  If you already
a viewer that are happy with you can simply define it in the mosaic.ini file.
(See #12 Installing viewers)  If you need to obtain a viewer or viewers to
gain this I suggest you see the URL:

      http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/WinMosaic/viewers.html

This URL will point you to a number of viewers that have been tested with
Mosaic.  Then it is a matter of selecting Options, Load to Disk... and
clicking on the viewer of your choice.  If you want to download these viewers
without using Mosaic you can find them on our anonymous ftp server in the
/PC/Mosaic/viewers directory.


12.  Installing viewers

This is a general example for defining a new viewer to Mosaic so it knows
which viewer to call when it reads the new file type.  ie. Configuring Mosiac
to read .wav files.

Edit your mosaic.ini file to reflect this information.

I.  In the [Viewers] section of the mosaic.ini file add or edit this
information.

TYPEn="audio/wav"   Where "n" is a unique integer and the "name" is a specific
                    MIME type.  In the default mosaic.ini we distribute with
             Mosaic we have defined the common MIME (Multipurpose Internet
                    Mail Extensions) types.  All you have to do is ensure these
            names point to the proper viewer.  There are two ways to
            define the path to your executable.

    1.  audio/wav="c:\path_to_your_viewer\XXXX %ls"  (explicitly)

    or

    2.  audio/wav="XXXX %ls"
              (This definition implies that the executable is in either
                  the windows directory or it's directory is defined in the
                  path statement of your autoexe.bat.)

   Note:  XXXX is the name of the executable without the extension.
          ie. mplayer.exe would become "mplayer %ls"

II.  In the [Suffixes] section define the extensions that this new type will
recognize. For example:

        audio/wav=.wav, wa

That's about it.  Now when you try to read a .au file Mosiac will know which vie
wer to call.

IMPORTANT:  Since we did not develop the viewers we can not support them.
If you are having problems with any of these viewer please contact the
respective author.


13.  How do I run Mosaic from home?

        Mosaic will run over a Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) or
Point to Point Protocol (PPP) connection.  The most difficult aspect is
establishing the SLIP/PPP connection.  If you are using a commercial
winsock you will have to contact your vendor for their SLIP or PPP product.
Below is a brief description for establishing a SLIP connection using
the Shareware product called Trumpet Software International Winsock
version 1.0.  This particular product has an internal SLIP driver and
an internal modem dialer.  If you would like to obtain a copy of this
shareware product you can find it at the anonymous ftp site ftp.utas.edu.au.
The file is located in the /pc/trumpet/winsock directory.  For the
convenience of our users we also keep a copy of this Shareware product
on our anonymous ftp server, ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu. The file, winsock.zip, is
in the /PC/Mosaic/sockets directory.
        After you have installed the Trumpet Winsock according to it's
instructions, envoke tcpman.exe and select "Setup".  Trumpet will
need the following information about the SLIP server you are connecting to.
Get this information from the company that is providing the SLIP service.

        IP address      0.0.0.0
        Name server     0.0.0.0
        Time sever      0.0.0.0
        Domain Suffix   the.name.of.your.domain
           ie. "ncsa.uiuc.edu" is our domain.

Check "Internal SLIP" and enter in the port number and baud rate of your
modem.  Save the information, click OK, and exit the program.  Now, your
system should be configured properly.  Next, envoke Trumpet again and use
the internal dialer option to place the call.  Select the "Dialler" pull
down menu.  You will probably take notice there a few options available,
however I will only discuss "Manual login" command.  If you are interested
in creating a script then please refer to the Trumpet documentation.  Once
you have selected Manual login you will need to enter the following command
in the Trumpet window.

                atdt xxx-xxxx  (where the x's represent the phone number).

NOTE:  There are two ways to gain access to the Internet via SLIP:

A) If you have a static slip account, that is, you were assigned an IP number
that doesn't change.
        - login to the server.
        - Enter the command "slip".
        - Hit the escape key.
        - Double click on the Mosaic icon.

B) If you log into a server that assigns you a random IP number.
        - login to the server.
        - Enter the command "slip".
        - Select the "Setup" pull down menu.
        - Enter this IP in the appropriate field.
        Note: After you enter the new IP number you will get a message that
        states you will have to close the application in order for this number
        to take affect.
        - Hit the escape key.
        - Close Trumpet.
        Note: This action will not cause you to loose your connection.
        - Double click on the Mosaic icon.


14. How do I gain access to the Internet?

Here is a list of some of the companies that can provide nationwide
SLIP and PPP access to the Internet.  These companies are listed in
alphabetical order and we do NOT endorse any particular provider.

Colorado Supernet ([e-mail])
Colorado School of Mines
1500 Illinois Street
Golden, CO 80401
[phone]

JVNCnet ([e-mail])  ** SLIP only **
Global Enterprise Services
3 Independence Way
Princeton, NJ 08540

NetCom On-Line Communication Services ([e-mail])
4000 Moorpark Avenue
Suite 209
San Jose, CA 95117
[phone]

Performance Systems International  ([e-mail])  ** World Wide Provider **
11800 Sunrise Valley Drive
Suite 1100
Reston, VA  22019
[phone]

UUNET  ([e-mail])  ** World Wide Provider **
3110 Fairview Park DR
Suite 570
Falls Church, VA 22042


(If you know of any other Nationwide SLIP or PPP service providers let me
know and I'll add them to this list.)  :)


15.  How do I set up Proxy Gateway Support in NCSA Mosaic for Microsoft Windows

A proxy gateway allows Mosaic to pass on a network request (in the
form of a URL) to an outside agent which will perform the request
for Mosaic, and return the results to Mosaic. The intended effect of
this is to allow Mosaic clients that are sealed off from the internet to
pass their network requests off to a trusted agent that can access the
internet for Mosaic. A user of a Mosaic client using a proxy gateway
should feel as if they were directly connected to the internet.
Proxy gateways are currently only supported in Windows Mosaic
version 2.0a2 and later.

Proxy gateways in Mosaic are expected to talk the HTTP/1.0 protocol.
The URL that Mosaic wants to access is passed to the proxy in the
form of an HTTP/1.0 GET request. The proxy then accesses the URL,
and returns its results back to Mosaic.

Proxy gateways are currently implemented on a per access method
basis. This means each URL access method can send its requests to a
different proxy. The current access methods are ftp, gopher, wais,
news, and http.

To add proxy gateway support into Windows Mosaic, you must add a
section to your mosaic.ini file of the format:

[proxy information]
http_proxy=http://aixtest.cc.ukans.edu:911/
ftp_proxy=http://aixtest.cc.ukans.edu:911/
wais_proxy=http://aixtest.cc.ukans.edu:911/
gopher_proxy=http://aixtest.cc.ukans.edu:911/

Not surprising, since client support for proxy gateways has just come
out, there aren't a lot of proxy gateways out there. Since proxy
gateways are expected to be used to pass through firewalls, you need
to Trust  your proxy gateway, the best way to get a gateway you
trust is to write it yourself.

Ari Luotonen at CERN is currently working on a proxy gateway, I
have been testing the Mosaic client code against it, and expect Ari
will release it as soon as he feels confident in its stability.

Now that we have CGI, hopefully someone will write a proxy gateway
CGI module, and then you can turn your favorite HTTP server into a
proxy gateway.


16. Do I need to register NCSA Mosaic? What is the copyright?

You do not need to register to use NCSA Mosaic. However, Mosaic is
copyrighted by the University of Illinois and it is available at no
charge for non-commercial use.  If you interested in licensing Mosaic
for commercial use then please refer to the licensing agreement in
the next question.


15. Can I get the Source Code?

The source code is available by licensing agreement only.  In order to obtain
a copy of it you must fill out a licensing agreement and mail it to us via some
postal service.  We will not accept electronic versions of the agreement!
However, these agreements are available electronically.  Just download
the agreement and print it out. You can obtain a copy of this agreement in
either of the following ways:

    a. Download it from our ftp server (ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu or
    141.142.20.50) from the PC/Mosaic/source directory.
    There are various formats of this agreement for your
    convience.

    b. Using NCSA Mosaic,  go to the following URL:

        http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/WinMosaic/source.html

    Just select Options... Load to Disk and select one of the available
    formats.

16. Is NCSA Mosaic available on other platforms?

Yes, besides the Microsoft Windows version, NCSA Mosaic is available
for the Macintosh and X-Windows platforms. If you interested in obtaining
either of these versions you can find more information about them on our
ftp server.  Mosaic for the X platform can be found in the /Mosaic directory
and Mosaic for the Mac platform can be found in /Mac/Mosaic directory.  Please
download the respective files and read them before you contact us for
technical support.  If you can find an answer to your question then send
email to the appropriate address:

     [e-mail]: For X-specific help.
     [e-mail]: For Mac-specific help.