NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/comp/sys/ibm/pc/misc/14798

Internet Message Format | 1992-11-19 | 2.7 KB

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    id <[e-mail]>; Wed, 18 Nov 92 18: 10 PST
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    id <[e-mail]>; Wed, 18 Nov 92 13: 22 CST
From: [e-mail] (Brian Rogers)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: Detecting network cards
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 18 Nov 92 19:21:36 GMT
References: <[e-mail]>
Organization: ProLine [pro-storm] -- Dallas, TX -- 214/644-5113
Lines: 35
In-Reply-To: [e-mail]

In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

>I'm working with a number of PCs (mostly PS/2s) and need a way to detect
>network cards.  What I'd like to do is have the autoexec.bat log the user in
>(Novell Netware) if they are connected, and not even try if they're not.
>Checking for specific software on the local PC is not an option.
>
>This would be nice, as I install the Novell software up to a month before the
>hardware end of our unit gets around to installing the cards and bringing the
>network connection up.


Do you want to detect the hardware and run the appropriate ipx and netx
depending upon the results of this check?  Or do you know what hardware
(net card) they will be installing?  If you know what they're installing,
then you can try assuming the cards are installed in autoexec, run ipx and
if there is no errorlevel run netx.  Again, if netx doesn't give an error,
then you can use a utility I've seen in the form of isnovell.zip (it came
on disk with _Building_Local_Area_Networks_ from M&T Books) to see if
you're connected.  Another utility I found in netdrive.zip (again, on a
disk that came with the book) will automatically change drives to the first
available netware drive (if there are none, it does nothing).
But if you need software to probe what type of hardware is in there, I
don't know of a way to do it.  I don't think that would be too efficient
either -- having to store all sorts of copies of ipx and netx on the HD.

I hope I have helped.  You might want to check your favorite network admin.
orientd BBS or Compuserve or the like.

Regards,
Brian Rogers -- Guru Wanna-Be -- Dallas, TX
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