Microsoft Windows 95

Infrared Communications Driver

Version 2.0
Release Notes
10 Ma 199!
Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1996. All Rights Reserved.
Contents
Infrared Communications Driver, ersion !."
#sing the IR Communications Driver
$rou%leshooting
&roduct 'upport
Installing and #sing the IR Communications Driver
'tep 1. Installing the IR Communications Driver
'tep !. alidating the IR Communications Driver Installation
&rinting to an IR(Capa%le &rinter
)*changing Data +et,een $,o Computers
ie,ing the -et,or. -eigh%orhood /ver an IR 0in.
'tep 1. Running /ther IR(Capa%le Applications
An /ptional 'tep2 Removing the IR Communications Driver
-otes on Running the Direct Ca%le Connection Application /ver an IR 0in.
&reparing to #se DCC
Ma.ing 'ure DCC Is Installed on +oth Computers
An /ptional 'tep2 Installing DCC
)sta%lishing and #sing the DCC IR 0in. +et,een 3ost and 4uest
IR Communications Driver Components
IR Adapter Manufacturer -ames and Addresses
Infrared Communications Driver" Version 2.0
$he Infrared Communications Driver, ersion !.", is an optional component of the 5indo,s 96
operating system. $he Infrared Communications Driver supports hard,are devices ,hich ena%le
net,or.ing and communications over the infrared media. $he hard,are device can %e either an infrared
port %uilt into the platform or an infrared adapter connected to one of the platform7s serial or parallel
ports.
#ser motivations for installing the infrared hard,are device and the ersion !." Infrared
communications driver are2
$he user can use ,ireless IR lin.s instead of serial and parallel ca%les. 8or e*ample, files can %e
e*changed ,irelessly %et,een t,o computers that have an IR device and the ersion !." driver
installed, instead of using a serial or parallel ca%le. 8iles can also %e printed ,irelessly on IR(
capa%le printers.
$he user can use ,ireless IR lin.s instead of 0A- ca%ling, if the user has an IR(capa%le 0A-
access point product connected to the net,or. 9see :#sing the IR Communications Driver: for a list of
0A- access point products the ersion !." IR driver has %een tested ,ith;.
$he ersion !." IR communications driver supports IR communications lin.s running at speeds up to
116.! .%ps.
#sin$ t%e IR Communications Driver
$his section of the Release -otes lists the hard,are and soft,are components on ,hich the ersion !."
IR communications driver has %een tested.
Notebook Computers
$he ersion !." IR communications driver has %een successfully tested on the follo,ing 5indo,s 96
note%oo. computers that have %uilt(in IR ports2
4ate,ay< !""" 0i%erty
3&</mni%oo.= 6""C$
3& /mni%oo. >"""C
I+M< $hin.&ad< ?"1C 9+utterfly;
'harp< &C 1"6"
$I< $ravelMate=6"""
'ome testing of the ersion !." IR driver ,as also done on these 5indo,s 96 note%oo.s2
Digital< 3i-ote #ltra C$>?6
$I< $ravelMate=6"""
IR Adapters
$he ersion !." IR driver has %een successfully tested on 5indo,s 96 platforms ,ith the follo,ing IR
adapters connected to serial ports2
AC$i'@' AC$(!""0 Infrared 5ireless Interface
AC$i'@' AC$(!!"0 Infrared 5ireless Interface
Adaptec= AIRport A&A(91!" )*ternal Infrared Adapter 9this adapter is also called the Adaptec
AIRport !""";
AM& &hasIR 'erial Adapter
)*tended 'ystems Aet)ye &C Infrared &C Interface 9)'I(96B";
&aralla* IR Adapter 0ite0in. &RA96""A
$o o%tain any of the IR adapters listed a%ove, contact the adapter manufacturer. $he addresses of these
manufacturers are listed in :IR Adapter Manufacturer -ames and Addresses: at the end of this
document.
Applications
$he follo,ing applications have %een run successfully over an IR communications lin., using the IR
communications driver and the hard,are listed a%ove2
5indo,s 96 Direct Ca%le Connection 9DCC;.
arious 5indo,s communications applications, including 3yper$erminal and DynaComm.
+ecause the IR lin. simulates a serial communications lin., some communications applications may not
perform as e*pected after they connect over the IR lin.. 'ee :$rou%leshooting: for more information.
8or instructions on running DCC over an IR lin., see :-otes on Running the Direct Ca%le Connection
Application /ver an IR 0in.: later in this document.
Printers
-umerous 5indo,s 96 applications have successfully printed over an IR lin. to an 3& 0aserCet 6& or
6M& printer, ,hich have %uilt(in IR ports. -umerous 5indo,s 96 applications have also printed
successfully over an IR lin. to other printers ,ith an )*tended 'ystems Aet)ye Infrared &rinter &ort
)'I(96B" infrared adapter connected to the printer parallel port.
IrLan Access Points
0ocal area net,or. access over an IR lin. has %een tested ,ith the follo,ing Ir0an access point
devices2
)*tended 'ystems )'I(991" Aet)ye -et &lus.
3e,lett(&ac.ard -et+eam IR Infrared 0A- Adapter.
&rou'les%ootin$
'ome general trou%leshooting tips are2
A user must al,ays remove any previously installed version of the IR communications driver every
time the driver is installed. If ersion 1." of the driver is installed, it must %e removed %efore
installing ersion !.". If an early +eta release of the ersion !." driver is installed, it must %e
removed %efore installing the current ersion !." release. Instructions for removing the IR
communications driver are in :An /ptional 'tep2 Removing the IR Communications Driver.:
If the user changes the IR adapter model that is connected to the computer, the user must remove the
installed IR communications driver and reinstall it, specifying the ne, IR adapter type.
Instructions for removing the IR communications driver are in :An /ptional 'tep2 Removing
the IR Communications Driver.:
During installation of the IR communications driver, a user may select the ,rong port ,hen the Add
Infrared Device 5iDard prompts for the physical C/M port to ,hich the IR device is connected. If
the user selects the ,rong C/M port, the IR device ,ill %e una%le to discover another IR device
,ithin range. Reasons ,hy the user may select the ,rong C/M port vary, ranging from reasoning
such as :there is only one physical C/M port for the IR adapter to %e connected to so it must %e
C/M1: to misla%eled C/M ports on the computer case to the simple fact that the user doesn7t
.no, ,hich C/M port to select and doesn7t .no, ho, to find out. A trou%leshooting procedure is2
1. &ut an actively searching IR device close to the computer7s IR device.
!. Clic. the Infrared Monitor /ptions ta% and then choose a different communications port 9for
e*ample, C/M1 instead of C/M!;.
1. Continue selecting different C/M ports in this ,ay until the IR device on the computer
discovers the near%y IR device.
-ote that the alternatives displayed in the IrMon /ptions ta% are al,ays %ased on the internal
,iring of the computer platform2
(( C/M1 al,ays means a C/M port ,ired to IRE > and IF/ address range "*18B to "*188.
(( C/M! al,ays means ,ired to IRE 1 and "*!8B to "*!88.
(( &hysical C/M1 al,ays means IRE > and "*1)B and "*1)8.
(( &hysical C/M> al,ays means IRE6 and "*!)B and "*!)8.

$o get t,o IR devices to discover each other, the user may have to realign the IR devices so they
point right at each other, move them closer together, andFor change the %atteries in an IR adapter or
plug the AC po,er into an IR adapter. $he devices must %e three feet apart, or less, and the angle of
the cone of IR transmission is 1" degrees. 'ome devices ,or. %est if .ept at least si* inches apart.
If an IR adapter is attached to a C/M port that is using an B!6" #AR$ instead of a 1666" #AR$,
or if an IR adapter is connected to a relatively slo, computer 9such as a 1B6 running at !" M3D;,
the user might need to use the 0imit Connection 'peed $o option in the Infrared Monitor /ptions ta%
to limit the connection speed to 19.! .%ps. After esta%lishing a successful IR connection at this
speed, the user can use the 0imit Connection 'peed $o option to e*periment ,ith esta%lishing a
connection at a higher speed on their particular computer.
If the IR Monitor /ptions ta% is used to change the port the IR adapter is attached to ,hile IR
communications are in progress, the IR connection is lost ,ithout prompting the user to verify that it
is /G to disconnect.
Communication over a virtual C/M port lin. %et,een t,o computers may not %e relia%le if a
printerHs IR adapter is also ,ithin range. $he user should move the printerHs IR adapter out of range.
A user should not suspend a 5indo,s 96 computer ,hile an IR connection is esta%lished. 5ait
until the IR lin. is disconnected or force a disconnection %efore putting the computer in suspend
mode. 8or e*ample, if an Ir0an connection is esta%lished on a laptop, the user must al,ays move the
laptop out of range of the Ir0an access point %efore suspending the system or closing the laptop lid.
/ther,ise, the connection remains active and over time can drain the %attery.
Connecting and disconnecting over a lo,(speed IR lin. or over a poor(Iuality lin. can ta.e a long
period of time 9a fe, seconds;, during ,hich time the screen ,ill appear to %e froDen. $o ,or. around
this, the user should use a higher(speed connection andFor ta.e steps to improve the Iuality of the
connection %y, for e*ample, realigning the IR devices so they point right at each other, moving the
devices closer together, changing the %atteries in an IR adapter, or plugging the AC po,er into an IR
adapter.
$rou%leshooting tips specific to using Ir0an access point devices are2
Do not assume that %ecause an IR device on a &C communicates ,ith an IR device on another &C
at 116.! .%ps that the IR device ,ill also communicate ,ith an Ir0an access point device at that
speed. 8or e*ample, suppose a user has t,o &C(%ased IR devices that have negotiated a lin. speed
of 116.! .%ps. $hen if the user points one of the devices at an Ir0an access point device, these t,o
devices can negotiate a lin. speed of 116.! .%ps %ut no su%seIuent communication ta.es place 9the
&C has no access to the net,or. through the IR lin.;. -o error message is displayed in this case.
)*tended 'ystems )'I(991" Aet)ye -et &lus users utiliDing -)$+)#I may receive an error
message ,hen copying large files 9for e*ample, 6 M+ files; to a net,or. drive. If this happens, call
)*tended 'ystems, Inc. product support for -)$+)#I configuration changes. 8or )*tended
'ystems, Inc. contact information, see the topic :IR Adapter Manufacturer -ames and Addresses.:
If there is a pro%lem esta%lishing an IR lin. to an Ir0an access point device ,hen the net,or. is
also connected to a net,or. interface card in the computer, try disconnecting the 0A- from the
net,or. interface card. Restart the computer and m$he I&J protocol may not communicate over an
Ir0an access point. $his can %e caused %y the Dial(#p Adapter %ecoming the primary I&J adapter
and no other adapter, such as the Ir0an adapter, can ta.e over. $o get around this pro%lem, the user
can create a profile that does not contain the dial(up adapter and use it ,hen accessing the net
through Ir0an.
During a file copy to a -et5are server running %urst mode, if the IR connection %et,een the
computer and the Ir0an access point is disconnected 9for e*ample, the IR %eam is %loc.ed;, the file
transfer cannot recover and the computer screen ,ill stay the same indefinitely. If this happens often,
turn off %urst mode to ena%le recovery from a disconnection. $here ,ill %e performance degradation
,ith %urst mode off.
#sing the virtual parallel port connection to an )*tended 'ystems )'I(991" Aet)ye -et &lus Ir0an
access point to send data to a printer may result in a program fault. $o get around this, use the virtual
serial port on the Ir0an access point to reach the printer.
$rou%leshooting tips related to using particular applications over IR lin.s are2
If the 5indo,s 96 application 3yper$erminal is used to transfer files, there may %e trou%le doing
file transfers successfully over an IR lin.. If the Kmodem protocol fails ,ith a lin. speed of 116.!
.%ps, use the IR Monitor 0imit Connection 'peed $o ta% to limit the lin. speed to 19.! .%ps and
then retry the Kmodem file transfer.
5hen the 5indo,s 96 application Direct Ca%le Connection 9DCC; is run to esta%lish the
connection %et,een the host and guest computers, the guest computer may display the message
:Direct Ca%le Connection ,as una%le to display shared folders of the host computer: and prompt the
user to enter the computer name of the host computer. A convenient ,ay to find the computer name
of the host computer is on the 'tatus ta% of the Infrared Monitor interface screen.
5hen the 5indo,s 96 application Direct Ca%le Connection 9DCC; is run to esta%lish an IR
connection %et,een the host and guest computers, DCC prompts the user to select a communications
port 9this procedure is descri%ed in the topic :)sta%lishing and #sing the DCC IR 0in. +et,een 3ost
and 4uest:;. 'electing the virtual Infrared port in this step ,ill fail 9DCC announces the virtual port is
not availa%le; in the rare case that the user has suspended the 5indo,s 96 operating system %efore
invo.ing DCC in a session. Restart 5indo,s 96 to %egin a ne, session and DCC ,ill ,or. over an IR
lin..
A trou%leshooting tip related to developing an IrDA standard IrC/MM component for an IR
communications driver is2
$he IrC/MM implementation in the IR communications driver that runs on 5indo,s 96 supports
full emulation of 9(,ire connections, %ut does not support emulation of 1(,ire coo.ed connections. A
specific e*ample of this is the ina%ility to print over an IR virtual C/M port from the M'(D/' prompt,
,hich uses a 1(,ire coo.ed connection. IrDA drivers developed for platforms designed to communicate
,ith 5indo,s 96 platforms over IR lin.s must implement full emulation of 9(,ire connections 9as
specified in the IrDA IrC/MM specification;. 8or e*ample, a pair of handheld computer platforms may
communicate ,ith each other over IR lin.s using 1(,ire coo.ed emulation. 3o,ever, if the user also
e*pects to use one of the handhelds to communicate ,ith a 5indo,s 96 computer then the handheld IR
driver must implement 9(,ire connections.
$rou%leshooting tips related to specific infrared hard,are are2
$he Adaptec AIRport !""" infrared adapter can %e po,ered %y either the serial port, installed AA
%atteries, or an e*ternal po,er supply. In some cases, the serial port may not provide sufficient
po,er for the operation of the adapter. $his can cause reduced operating range andFor a failure to
find another IR device ,hich is near%y and aligned correctly. If such a pro%lem is suspected, connect
an AC adapter or add four AA %atteries to the %attery compartment in the infrared adapter. $his ,ill
assure sufficient po,er. In some instances, the user may need to separate the adapter %y at least si*
inches from the other IR device.
If an Acti'ys !!"0 IR adapter is attached to a computer and used to print to a printer that is using
an )*tended 'ystems )'I(96B" printer IR adapter, or for printing to an 3& Des.Aet 1>", the /ptions
ta% in the Infrared Monitor must %e used to limit the connection speed to 19.! .%ps to print
successfully. If the IR devices are allo,ed to automatically negotiate the connection speed ,ithout
setting this limit, they ,ill negotiate a higher connection speed and an application ,ill not %e a%le to
print.
$he $I $ravelMate 6""" may communicate over an IR lin. only at very lo, speeds 996"" %ps;.
$he 'harp &C 1"6" may communicate over an IR lin. only at speeds %et,een 96"" %ps and 19.!
.%ps.
8or the 3& /mni%oo. >"""C or an 3& /mni%oo. 6""C$, ,hich have %uilt(in infrared ports, a
special echo(canceling serial driver must %e installed in addition to the components that ma.e up the IR
communications driver. $he echo(canceling driver, along ,ith instructions on ho, to install it, are
availa%le from 3e,lett(&ac.ard.
(roduct )u**ort
Microsoft7s end(user support offerings for the IR Communications driver range from no(cost and lo,(
cost electronic information services 9availa%le !> hours a day, ? days a ,ee.; to annual support plans
and CD(R/M su%scription programs. &lease chec. the '#&&/R$.$J$ on(line documentation that
comes ,ith 5indo,s 96 for detailed information.
-ote that Microsoft support services are su%Cect to Microsoft7s then(current prices, terms, and
conditions, ,hich are su%Cect to change ,ithout notice.
In the #nited 'tates, no(charge support from Microsoft support engineers is availa%le via a toll call
%et,een 62"" A.M. and 62"" &.M. &acific time, Monday through 8riday, e*cluding holidays. 8or all
issues e*cept net,or.ing issues, this support is availa%le for 9" days after the first call to a support
engineer. -et,or.ing issues are defined as server(%ased setup, net,or. administration, dialing into a
computer, or connecting to the Internet via a service provider, and using e(mail and fa* from ,ithin
5indo,s 96. 8or fee(%ased support for these net,or.ing issues, see the information in
'#&&/R$.$J$.
8or technical support for 5indo,s 96, call 9!"6; 616(?1!!.
In Canada, support engineers are availa%le via a toll call %et,een B2"" A.M. and B2"" &.M.)astern
time, Monday through 8riday, e*cluding holidays. Call 99"6; 66B(>>9>. $his support is availa%le for 9"
days after the first call to a support engineer.
5hen calling a support engineer, %e at the computer and have the appropriate product documentation at
hand. +e prepared to give the follo,ing information2
$he version num%er of the Microsoft product %eing used.
$he type of hard,are %eing used.
$he e*act ,ording of any messages that appeared on the screen.
A description of ,hat happened and ,hat ,as %eing done ,hen the pro%lem occurred.
A description of attempts to solve the pro%lem.
Installin$ and #sin$ t%e IR Communications Driver
A recommended three(step process for installing and using the IR communications driver is2
1. Install the 5indo,s 96 IR Communications driver.
!. alidate the installation %y printing over the IR lin., using an application to transfer data over the
IR lin., andFor using a local area net,or. 90A-; over the IR lin..
1. 'tart using the IR lin. on a daily %asis.
After a user installs the driver, it can %e removed at any time 9for more information, see :An /ptional
'tep2 Removing the IR Communications Driver:;.
&rocedures for carrying out each of the recommended steps, including the driver removal step, are
presented in detail %elo,.
)te* 1. Installin$ t%e IR Communications Driver
Note
A user must al,ays remove any previously installed version of the IR communications driver every time
the driver is installed. If ersion 1." of the driver is installed, it must %e removed %efore installing
ersion !.". If an early +eta release of the ersion !." driver is installed, it must %e removed %efore
installing the current ersion !." release. Instructions for removing an IR device and driver installation
are documented in :An /ptional 'tep2 Removing the IR Communications Driver.L
1. 8or first(time installation of the IR communications driver, run 'etup.e*e as do,nloaded from the
Microsoft ,e%(site.
!. 5hen the Add Infrared Device 5iDard prompts to choose a manufacturer7s name for the IR device,
choose :9'tandard Infrared Devices;: if the computer has a %uilt(in device, or choose the name
of the manufacturer and the model of the adapter if an IR adapter is attached to the computer.
$hen clic. the -e*t %utton.
1. 5hen the Add Infrared Device 5iDard prompts to choose the communications port that the IR
device is physically connected to, clic. the port from the list. If uncertain ,hich physical
communications port the IR device is using, select the first C/M port in the list 9for e*ample,
C/M1;. $hen clic. the -e*t %utton.
>. 5hen the Add Infrared Device 5iDard prompts to select the virtual C/M and 0&$ ports, accept
the default values %y clic.ing the -e*t %utton. After the ,iDard copies the IR communications
driver files to the hard dis., ,atch for the ,iDard to display t,o -e, 3ard,are 8ound
messages.
6. 5hen prompted %y the Add Infrared Device 5iDard, clic. the 8inish %utton to complete the IR
device installation. If the ,iDard did not display -e, 3ard,are 8ound messages as it carried
out step >, then restart the computer. 9If the -e, 3ard,are 8ound messages ,ere displayed,
there is no need to restart the computer;.
6. Activate the IR device %y dou%le(clic.ing the Infrared icon in the Control &anel. If there is no
Infrared icon in the Control &anel, then either select the Refresh option from the Control &anel
ie, menu or press the 86 function .ey to ma.e the Infrared icon appear.
8or general information a%out ho, to use the Infrared Monitor, clic. the 3elp %utton in the lo,er(right
corner of the Infrared Monitor interface screen. $o get information a%out individual items in the Infrared
Monitor interface, such as chec. %o*es, move the mouse cursor over the on(screen interface item and
clic. the right(%utton on the mouse.
.
$he /ptions ta% of the Infrared Monitor interface contains the follo,ing t,o particularly useful items2
$he )na%le Infrared Communication /n chec. %o*, ,hich ena%les and disa%les the IR device.
$he 0imit Connection 'peed $o option, ,hich limits the lin. speed the IR device can negotiate.
$he 0imit Connection 'peed $o option might %e used if an adapter is attached to a C/M port that is
using an B!6" #AR$ instead of a 1666" #AR$, or if an adapter is connected to a relatively slo,
computer 9such as a 1B6 running at !" M3D;. In these cases, this option can %e used to limit the
connection speed to 19.! .%ps.
)te* 2. Validatin$ t%e IR Communications Driver Installation
$o validate the IR communications driver installation, either2
&rint from an application over an IR lin. to the printer 9if an IR(capa%le printer is availa%le;.
)*change data %et,een t,o IR(capa%le computers over an IR lin., using a communications
application.
ie, the computer7s -et,or. -eigh%orhood over an IR lin. 9if an Ir0an access point device is
availa%le;.
(rintin$ to an IR+Ca*a'le (rinter
$o test the printing capa%ility of a 5indo,s 96 application over an IR lin. to an IrDA(compliant printer
such as the 3& 6&, carry out the installation step for the IR communications driver on one computer and
then try the &rint option in an application.
&rinters ,ithout %uilt(in IR ports can %e made IR(capa%le %y connecting an IR adapter made for printers
into the printerHs parallel port. An e*ample of an IR adapter for printers is the )*tended 'ystems Aet)ye
Infrared &rinter &ort )'I(96B". If a parallel ca%le is also used to connect the &C to the IR printer
adapter, a user can use either the IR lin. or the parallel ca%le to print. $he IR lin. is used ,hen the user
selects the virtual parallel port and the ca%le is used ,hen the user selects the physical parallel port.
$o validate the IR lin. to the printer, ma.e sure the correct printer driver is installed for the IR(capa%le
printer 9most printers ,ith %uilt(in IR ports are &lug and &lay devices and the installation for these
devices ,ill %e automatically carried out;. $hen use an application to print over the IR lin..
If the application prints on the IR(capa%le printer, the IR driver installation is validated. If there is
trou%le printing, see :$rou%leshooting: for more information.
,-c%an$in$ Data .etween &wo Com*uters
$o validate a lin. %et,een t,o computers running 5indo,s 96, install the IR communications driver on
%oth computers. $o do this, carry out the procedure in :'tep 1. Installing the IR Communications
Driver: earlier in this document.
-ote that the IR devices on the t,o computers do not have to %e made %y the same manufacturer as long
as %oth devices are IrDA(compliant. 8or e*ample, the IR lin. ,ill ,or. ,ith a Aet)ye &C Infrared &C
Interface 9)'I(96B"; attached to one des.top computer and an Adaptec AIRport A&A(91!" )*ternal
Infrared Adapter attached to the other des.top.
/ne ,ay to validate an IR lin. is to run the 3yper$erminal application on %oth computers and send
characters from the .ey%oard of each computer over the IR lin.. 3yper$erminal is installed on a
5indo,s 96 computer as part of the typical installation that is recommended for most computers. $o
validate the IR driver installation of the IR driver on %oth computers, carry out the follo,ing procedure2
1. /n %oth computers, clic. the 'tart %utton, point to 'ettings, and then clic. the Control &anel.
Dou%le(clic. the Infrared icon. $hen move the IR devices ,ithin 1 feet of each other, and ma.e
sure they7re pointing at each other. 5hen the t,o IR devices discover each other, the message
:Availa%le infrared devices in range: ,ill appear on the 'tatus ta% of the Infrared Monitor interface
screen. Ma.e sure Infrared Monitor reports %oth IR devices have the appropriate infrared device
,ithin range %efore proceeding. It might %e necessary to realign the IR devices so they point right at
each other, move them closer together, andFor change the %atteries in an IR adapter or plug the AC
po,er into an IR adapter. 8or more information, see :$rou%leshooting: earlier in the document.
!. /n one of the computers, clic. the /ptions ta% in the Infrared Monitor interface and find the
information that starts ,ith :&roviding application support on ...:. 5rite do,n the name of the
C/M port found there. $his is the name of the virtual serial port that the IR lin. using. $he name of
this virtual serial port might %e C/M> or C/M6 and it ,ill differ from the name of the physical
communications port the IR device is running on 9,hich is typically named C/M1 or C/M!;.
1. Run 3yper$erminal on the computer ,ith the virtual serial port name %y clic.ing the 'tart %utton,
pointing to &rograms, pointing to Accessories, and then clic.ing the 3yper$erminal folder. In the
,indo, that appears, dou%le(clic. the 3ypertrm.e*e icon.
>. In the Connection Description dialog %o*, type a descriptive name 9such as :Direct IR:; for the ne,
connection, and then clic. /G.
6. In the &hone -um%er dialog %o*, use the Connect #sing drop(do,n list to clic. the :Direct to
Comx: entry, ,here x is the num%er of the virtual C/M port ,ritten do,n in step !. $hen clic.
/G. It is no, possi%le to start using 3yper$erminal on one of the computers.
6. Repeat steps !. through 6. for the other computer.
?. In 3yper$erminal on either computer, type any characters at the .ey%oard. If the typed characters
appear in the 3yper$erminal ,indo, on the other computer, then it is confirmed that the IR lin.
,or.s in that direction. Repeat this step on the other computer. If the IR lin. ,or.s in %oth
directions using 3yper$erminal, the successful installation of the IR communications driver on the
t,o computers has %een confirmed.
Note
$he changes in status are displayed in the 'tatus ta% of the Infrared Monitor interface ,hile typing
characters in 3yper$erminal.
B. Disconnect the 3yper$erminal direct IR connection %y e*iting the 3yper$erminal application on
%oth computers. 5hen prompted to save the session, clic. @es. $his saves the direct IR connection
setup information as an icon in the 3yper$erminal main folder, ena%ling a user to dou%le(clic. this
icon to restart one side of the 3yper$erminal direct IR connection.
Viewin$ t%e Networ/ Nei$%'or%ood 0ver an IR 1in/
$he ersion !." IR communications driver ena%les a computer ,ith an IR device 9either a %uilt(in
device or an adapter; to connect to a local area net,or. 90A-; through an Ir0an access point device
acting as the net,or. adapter for the computer. An Ir0an access point device is hard,are that supports
%oth a 0A- net,or. interface controller 9-IC; and an infrared transceiver. 0ocal area net,or. access
over an IR lin. has %een tested ,ith the follo,ing Ir0an access point devices2 the )*tended 'ystems
)'I(991" Aet)ye -et &lus and the 3e,lett(&ac.ard -et+eam IR Infrared 0A- Adapter.
$o test a computerHs a%ility to use a local area net,or. 90A-; over an IR lin., first install the IR
communications driver on the computer. $hen do the follo,ing2
1. Run IR Monitor.
!. &o,er on the Ir0an access point device, such as the )*tended 'ystems )'I(991" Aet)ye -et
&lus, and place the infrared receiverFtransmitter of the Ir0an access point device ,ithin range
of the computer7s infrared device.
1. 5hen the computer infrared device and the Ir0an access point infrared device discover each
other, the Infrared Monitor interface indicates MInfrared communication in progress.L
>. 5hen the Infrared Monitor interface sho,s that the IR lin. has %een esta%lished, clic. on the
-et,or. -eigh%orhood icon to display the icons of the remote machines that can %e accessed
through the Ir0an access point device. $here can %e a delay of some seconds %efore the remote
machine icons are displayed.
If there is trou%le accessing the 0A-, see :$rou%leshooting: for more information.
)te* 2. Runnin$ 0t%er IR+Ca*a'le 3**lications
Most applications that can communicate over a null modem ca%le that connects serial ports on t,o
5indo,s 96 computers should also %e a%le to communicate over an IR lin.. $he procedure for setting
up and using the IR lin. ,ith these other communicating applications ,ill pro%a%ly %e similar to the
procedure used in :)*changing Data +et,een $,o Computers,: ,hich uses the 3yper$erminal
application to validate the installation of the IR communications driver. $he procedure for running the
5indo,s 96 Direct Ca%le Connection application is given in detail in :-otes on Running the Direct
Ca%le Connection Application /ver an IR 0in..:
3n 0*tional )te*4 Removin$ t%e IR Communications Driver
$he IR communications driver can %e removed either %y using AddFRemove &rograms in the Control
&anel or %y using the Device Manager. +oth methods are documented in these Release -otes, %ut using
AddFRemove &rograms is the preferred method.
Using Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel
$o carry out the preferred ,ay of removing the IR communications driver, do the follo,ing2
1. Clic. the 'tart %utton and select the 'ettings option. $hen select the Control &anel option.
!. Dou%le(clic. AddFRemove &rograms in the Control panel.
1. 5hen a list of soft,are components is displayed, select the Infrared 'upport for 5indo,s 96 entry
and clic. the AddFRemove %utton.
>. 5hen the system prompts you to restart, do so.
Using the Device Manager
$o remove the IR communications driver using the Device Manager, do the follo,ing2
1. $o run the Device Manager, right(clic. on the My Computer icon, select the &roperties option from
the popup menu, and then clic. the Device Manager ta% in the 'ystem &roperties dialog.
!. $o display the name of the infrared device installed on the computer, in the 'ystem &roperties
dialog, ma.e sure the ie, devices %y type option is selected. $hen clic. the plus sign to the left of
the Infrared device class la%el. 'elect the infrared device name and clic. the Remove %utton.
1. 5hen prompted, clic. /G to confirm the device removal. After the Device Manager has
successfully removed the infrared device installation information from the computer, the Infrared
device class la%el ,ill disappear from the 'ystem &roperties dialog. Clic. the Close %utton.
Note
$he Infrared Monitor icon may still %e displayed in the 5indo,s 96 status %ar, even after the
infrared device is removed. Ignore itN the Infrared Monitor cannot %e used to esta%lish an IR lin.
after the infrared device is removed.
Notes on Runnin$ t%e Direct Ca'le Connection 3**lication 0ver
an IR 1in/
5ith Direct Ca%le Connection 9DCC;, a direct serial or parallel ca%le connection can %e esta%lished
%et,een t,o computers to share the resources of the computer designated as the host. DCC can also %e
used over an IR lin. connecting the host and a guest computer. If the host is connected to a 0A-, the
host can also %e used as a gate,ay to the 0A- for the guest.
(re*arin$ to #se DCC
$he computer that contains the folder to %e shared is the host, and the other computer is the guest. 'hare
a folder on the host, granting access rights to anyone using the guest computer, %y carrying out the
procedure given %elo,.
Note
$he follo,ing procedure is Cust one of many that could %e used to share files in a folder on the host
computer. 8or e*ample, there is user(level access control as ,ell as share(level access control. $he
follo,ing procedure is one of the simplest access control procedures, ,hich is all that is needed to get
started using DCC. $o get information a%out all the ,ays files, folders, and printers can %e shared, use
the 5indo,s 96 3elp.
1. Dou%le(clic. on the My Computer icon.
!. Dou%le(clic. on the icon of the drive that contains the folder to share 9for e*ample, dou%le(clic. on
the icon for the C2 drive;.
1. Right(clic. on the icon of the folder to share and then select &roperties.
>. In the folder properties dialog, select the 'haring ta% and then select the 'hared As option, enter a
share name, enter a comment, and add user access rights 98ull or Read(/nly;.
6. $he picture of a hand is added to the folder icon to indicate the selected folder is no, a shared
resource.
Ma/in$ )ure DCC Is Installed on .ot% Com*uters
DCC is not installed ,ith the typical 5indo,s 96 installation recommended for most computers.
Chec. ,hether DCC is installed on %oth of the t,o computers that ,ill %e using the IR lin.. $o do this,
clic. the 'tart %utton, point to &rograms, and then point to Accessories. Direct Ca%le Connection
appears in this menu of it is installed on the computer %eing chec.ed.
If DCC is installed on the host and DCC is installed on the guest, then s.ip the ne*t step.
3n 0*tional )te*4 Installin$ DCC
+efore esta%lishing a DCC connection, DCC must %e installed on %oth the host and guest. $he
procedure for installing DCC on either the host or the guest is given %elo,. If DCC is not installed on
the host and is also not installed on the guest, the follo,ing procedure must %e run on each machine.
1. Clic. the 'tart %utton, point to 'ettings, and then clic. the Control &anel. Dou%le(clic. the
AddFRemove &rograms icon.
!. In the AddFRemove &rogram &roperties, clic. the 5indo,s 'etup ta%.
1. In the Components list, clic. Communications, and then clic. the Details %utton.
>. In the Communications dialog %o*, ma.e sure Direct Ca%le Connection is chec.ed and then clic.
/G.
,sta'lis%in$ and #sin$ t%e DCC IR 1in/ .etween 5ost and 6uest
$o run DCC over an IR lin., carry out the follo,ing procedure2
1. Ma.e sure the IR communications driver is properly installed and the IR devices are ena%led %y
carrying out the procedures in :'tep 1. Installing the IR Communications Driver: and :'tep !.
alidating the IR Communications Driver Installation: earlier in this document.
Note
$o increase the li.elihood of success ,ith DCC over an IR lin., use the 0imit Connection 'peed $o
option on the Infrared Monitor /ptions ta% to limit the IR connection speed to 96"" %ps for the first
test of DCC over the IR lin. 9and then increase the speed later;.
!. /n the host computer, clic. the 'tart %utton, point to Accessories, and then clic. Direct Ca%le
Connection.
1. 8ollo, the steps in the Direct Ca%le Connection 5iDard to set up the host computer. 5hen the
,iDard prompts for it, select the 3ost option. 5hen the ,iDard prompts to choose a port, use the
same virtual port used in the procedure :'tep !. alidating the IR Communications Driver
Installation: earlier in this document. $he ,iDard ,ill also offer pass,ord protection. It is not
necessary to esta%lish pass,ord protection on the host for this test of the IR lin.. 5hen done ,ith
the ,iDard, clic. the 8inish %utton. DCC ,ill start running on the IR lin. and display the message
:'tatus2 5aiting to connect via 'erial ca%le on Comx,: ,here Comx is the name of the virtual port
the IR lin. is using.
>. Repeat steps ! and 1 for the guest computer, e*cept select the 4uest option instead of the 3ost
option. 5hen done ,ith the ,iDard, clic. the 8inish %utton. $he DCC connection is automatically
made over the IR lin., and all the shared folders on the host are displayed on the guest7s screen.
6. 5or.ing on the guest computer, to copy a shared folder from the host to the guest over the IR lin.
select the folder7s icon in the ,indo, that displays all the shared folders that are on the host and
drag the icon to the des.top. $o ,or. on a shared folder on the host ,ithout copying it to the guest,
dou%le(clic. on the folder in the display on the guest. -ote that if the host is connected to a
net,or., the guest can reach shared resources on the net,or. through the DCC connection to the
host.
IR Communications Driver Com*onents
$he files that ma.e up the IR communications driver are2
Filename Description
AC$!""0.JD 'upport for the AC$i'@' AC$(IR!""0 IR adapter.
AC$!!"0.JD 'upport for the AC$i'@' AC$(IR!!"0 IR adapter.
ADA&$)C.JD 'upport for Adaptec IR adapter.
CR@'$A0.JD 'upport for AM& &hasIR 'erial Adapter.
)'I.JD 'upport for )*tended 'ystems Aet)ye &C Infrared Interface 9)'I96B";.
I-8RAR)D.C&0 Infrared device in the 5indo,s 96 Control &anel.
I-8RAR)D.D00 Infrared device class installer.
I-8RAR)D.I-8 IR device information file for 5indo,s 96 'etup.
I-8RAR)D.30& /n(line help topics for Infrared Monitor.
IRC/MM.JD $op layer of IR communications for 5indo,s 96.
IRDA0A-.I-8 Ir0an device information file for 5indo,s 96 'etup.
IRDA0A-.'@' Ir0an driver.
IR)-#M.JD )numerator for the :IR %us.:
IR0AM&.JD 4eneric infrared framer, lo,er layer of IR communications for 5indo,s 96.
IR0A&8RM.JD
IRM/-.)J) Infrared Monitor.
IRM/-30&.)J) IR Monitor on(line help utility.
IRO+)4I-.5A 'ound for Infrared Monitor user interface.
IRO)-D.5A 'ound for Infrared Monitor user interface.
IROI-$)R.5A 'ound for Infrared Monitor user interface.
M'&/R$'.I-8 IR port information file for 5indo,s 96 'etup.
&ARA00AJ.JD 'upport for &aralla* IR Adapter, 0ite0in. &RA96""A.
5OIR.C-$ $a%le of contents for Infrared Monitor on(line help.
$he documentation files supplied ,ith the IR device driver are2
Filename Description
R)0-/$)'.D/C $his document.
IR 3da*ter Manufacturer Names and 3ddresses
$he names and addresses of IR adapter manufacturers that have %een successfully tested ,ith the IR
driver in the 5indo,s 96 IR Communications DDG are2
Acti'ys, Inc.
16"? 8ulton &lace
8remont CA 9>619
tel2 61"(>9"(B"!>
fa*2 61"(6!1(?!6B
email2 corpPactisys.com
Adaptec, Inc.
691 'outh Milpitas +lvd,
Milpitas CA 96"16
tel2 1(B""(969(?!?>
fa*2 1(>"B(96?(?!!1
AM& &roduct Information Center
AM& Incorporated
3arris%urg &A 1?1"6
tel2 1(B""(6!!(6?6!
)*tended 'ystems, Inc.
6??? -orth Mee.er Ave
+oise ID B1?">(16!"
tel2 !"B(1!!(?6?6
fa*2 !"B(1??(19"6
$he &aralla* IR adapter distri%utor in -orth America is2
$'C )lectronics
161" 0oc.ness &lace
$orrance CA 9"6"1
tel2 11" 61> !?1B
fa*2 11" 61> 1!16
email2 dtsaitscPaol.com
contact person2 Daniel $sai
$he &aralla* IR adapter distri%utor outside -orth America is2
&aralla* Research
!"1 Innovation Centre
-$#
-anyang Drive
'ingapore 619?9B
Repu%lic of 'ingapore
tel2 Q66 ?91 "B66
fa*2 Q66 ?91 "??6
email2 paralla*Ptechnet.sg