ipx problems

[Charly Baker <cbaker@ptbo.igs.net>]

I have a requirement to update a DOS based legacy system with data that
originate on some linux systems.  I have been able to run the programs
(clipper 5.2) under dosemu, but need to get ipx/spx working to be able
to rely on file and record locking.

I have read the docs and the archives and noticed that there are lots of
ways of doing this, and I have been able to locate all of the old
software.  My problem is that I can't get any of these methods to work.

I have tried the newest dosemu (1.0.2)  downloaded in binary from, and
compiled from source, and I have tried a binary RPM of 0.98.  I have
tried kernel 2.4.18 with ipsec, 2.4.7 without ipsec, 2.2.16 with and
without ipsec.

I have tried freedos, dos 6.22 and dos 7 (from W95).

I have my own novell server and have tried all three frame types, singly
and in combination.

Within the dos sessions I have tried Netx, LSL-PDETHER, and PDIPX.

With each of the dos command sets I have tried all four combinations of
ipxsupport on/off and novell_hack on/off.

I have even tried vnet with ipxtunnel to bridge the packets to the vnet,
and then all of the dos options with all of the dosemu.conf options.

Here are the results that I get:

(a) using LSL-PDETHER, with $_ipxsupport = (off) $_novell_hack = (on)

C:\>lsl
Novell Link Support Layer for DOS ODI  v2.20 (960401)
(c) Copyright 1990 - 1996, by Novell, Inc. All rights reserved.
BUFFERS 4 1514
MEMPOOL 2048
The configuration file used was "C:\NET.CFG".
Max Boards 4, Max Stacks 4
Buffers 4, Buffer size 1514 bytes, Memory pool 2048 bytes.
C:\>pdether
WARNING: Could not add protocol 'IPX', ID 8137 hex.
   Packet Driver Error: Bad type.
FATAL: Could not read MAC address from Packet Driver.
   Reason: No protocols connected to Packet Driver.

Results are exactly the same with or without Novell_hack on.

The linux machine has ipx enabled interfaces, there are ipx packets on
the interface, in this case in all three frames, although it makes no
diference to the results if there are three frames types, or any one of
them alone.  On the linux machine slist shows a novell server (Netware
4.11).

(b) using NETX,  ipxsupport on, novell_hack off

C:\>netx

NetWare Workstation Shell  v3.32 (941122) PTF
(C) Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.
Patent Pending.

Running on DOS V6.22

SHOW DOTS ON
SET STATION TIME ON
PREFERRED SERVER PDS
FILE HANDLES 40
LOCAL PRINTERS 1
Configuration File NET.CFG

SHELL-332-21: A network server could not be found.

Using ethereal to dump the contents of the interface, the ipx packets
can be observed.  When netx loads, it sends and receives packets
apparently in 802.2 frame:
  1   0.000000 00000002.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000002.ffffffffffff IPX Wide
Area Router (0x9001)
  2   0.729322 00000001.004005df6f92 -> 00000001.ffffffffffff IPX SAP
Nearest Query
  3   0.730838 00000001.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000001.004005df6f92 IPX SAP
Nearest Response
  4   0.880219 00000001.004005df6f92 -> 00000001.ffffffffffff IPX SAP
Nearest Query
  5   0.883707 00000001.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000001.004005df6f92 IPX SAP
Nearest Response
  6   1.020165 00000001.004005df6f92 -> 00000001.ffffffffffff IPX SAP
General Query
  7   1.023334 00000001.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000001.004005df6f92 IPX SAP
General Response
  8   1.160222 00000001.004005df6f92 -> 00000001.ffffffffffff IPX SAP
General Query
  9   1.165268 00000001.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000001.004005df6f92 IPX SAP
General Response
 10   2.030564 00000003.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000000.ffffffffffff IPX Wide
Area Router (0x9001)
 11   5.930378 00000002.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000002.ffffffffffff IPX Wide
Area Router (0x9001)
 12   7.194421 00000001.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000001.ffffffffffff IPX Wide
Area Router (0x9001)
 13  10.271670 00000003.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000000.ffffffffffff IPX Wide
Area Router (0x9001)
 14  13.071547 00000003.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000000.ffffffffffff IPX Wide
Area Router (0x9001)

The response packets all list the PDS server that NETX is looking for --
it is as if the packets simply aren't being recieved.

Here is the dump using novell_hack on
  1   0.000000 00000001.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000001.ffffffffffff IPX Wide
Area Router (0x9001)
  2   2.088773 00000003.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000000.ffffffffffff IPX Wide
Area Router (0x9001)
  3   3.407047 00000003.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000000.ffffffffffff IPX Wide
Area Router (0x9001)
  4   6.098420 00000002.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000002.ffffffffffff IPX Wide
Area Router (0x9001)
  5   8.294970 00000001.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000001.ffffffffffff IPX Wide
Area Router (0x9001)
  6   9.948383 00000001.004005df6f92 -> 00000001.ffffffffffff IPX SAP
Nearest Query
  7   9.949767 00000001.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000001.004005df6f92 IPX SAP
Nearest Response
  8   9.998334 00000003.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000000.ffffffffffff IPX Wide
Area Router (0x9001)
  9  10.079198 00000001.004005df6f92 -> 00000001.ffffffffffff IPX SAP
Nearest Query
 10  10.083521 00000001.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000001.004005df6f92 IPX SAP
Nearest Response
 11  10.229017 00000001.004005df6f92 -> 00000001.ffffffffffff IPX SAP
General Query
 12  10.230722 00000001.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000001.004005df6f92 IPX SAP
General Response
 13  10.369256 00000001.004005df6f92 -> 00000001.ffffffffffff IPX SAP
General Query
 14  10.372315 00000001.0080c8564fe3 -> 00000001.004005df6f92 IPX SAP
General Response

Like I said, I have tried this with every combination I can think of,
always with exactly the same results.  I cannot even think of anything
else to try.

If anyone has got this working with recent versions of linux and dosemu,
it might be helpful to know which versions of the other peices seemed to
have worked.

Thank You

Charly Baker