Microsoft KB Archive/824666

= How to Install, to Configure, and to Remove the Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch for Windows NT 4.0 =

Article ID: 824666

Article Last Modified on 10/14/2003

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APPLIES TO


 * Connectix Virtual PC for Windows 5.0
 * Connectix Virtual PC for Windows 5.1
 * Connectix Virtual PC for Windows 5.2

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IN THIS TASK

 * SUMMARY
 * Requirements
 * Install the Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch
 * Configure the Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch
 * Remove the Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch



SUMMARY
This step-by-step article describes how to install, to configure, and to remove the Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch for Windows NT 4.0.

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The Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch for Windows NT 4.0 driver (VPCNetNT.sys) is a network driver interface specification (NDIS) intermediate driver. In order for it to work correctly, it must be bound to one or more Ethernet adapters. These Ethernet adapters may either be real physical network adapters or the Microsoft Loopback adapter. Additional configuration is required in order for guest-to-host networking to function.

Requirements
The VPCNetNT.sys driver requires Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 or later to function. Microsoft recommends that you install the latest service pack before installing the VPCNetNT.sys driver. Your host PC must also be connected to an Ethernet network or have the Microsoft Loopback adapter installed.

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Install the Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch
Use any of the following methods to install the VPCNetNT.sys driver:  Use the Custom Install option in the Virtual PC Installer. Double-click the Install.bat file that is located in the following folder:



 Install the Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch manually. To do this, follow these steps:  Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network. Click the Protocols tab, click Add, and then click Have Disk. When you are prompted, type the full path of the installation files folder on the Virtual PC 5.1 CD-ROM.

For example, type :\installer\program files\connectix\connectix virtual pc\utility\vpcnetsvnt\oemsetup.inf, and then click Continue. Click Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch for Windows NT 4.0, and then click OK. Click Close, and then when you are prompted to restart the computer, click Do Not Restart Windows.</li> Reapply the latest Windows NT 4.0 service pack. For additional information about how to obtain and how to install the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack

</li> Restart the computer when the service pack installation is complete.</li></ol>

During installation, the installation script will try to set up the driver bindings to maximize the functionality of the VPCNetNT.sys driver. The details of this configuration are given in the following section.</li></ul>

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Configure the Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch
During installation, the VPCNetNT.sys driver installation script creates a new virtual adapter for every Ethernet adapter that is currently installed. The script will also create a virtual adapter each time a new Ethernet adapter is installed in the system. There is a one-to-one mapping between virtual adapters and the Ethernet adapters. The mapping is indicated in the name of the virtual adapter. Packets that are sent or received by the host PC through the virtual adapter are actually sent or received through the Ethernet adapter that is associated with the virtual adapter.

To make guest-to-host networking possible, the host PC's protocol drivers must be bound to the virtual network adapter instead of to the associated Ethernet adapter. The driver can then examine and insert Ethernet packets in the host PC's protocol stack.

During the VPCNetNT.sys driver's installation, a new virtual adapter that is named &quot;[2] Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch -> [1]  &quot; is created. The adapter is listed on the Adapters tab in the Network tool in Control Panel. The host PC's protocol drivers are bound to the virtual adapter and the bindings are disabled on the Ethernet adapter. The sole exception to this rule is the protocol that is named &quot;Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch (Protocol).&quot; Because the VPCNetNT.sys driver must bind to a specific Ethernet adapter, it also appears as a protocol. This protocol must be enabled on the Ethernet adapter but disabled on the virtual adapter to prevent circular references.

Although the installation script tries to adjust the bindings to handle guest-to-host networking, it cannot automatically copy the protocol settings from the Ethernet adapter to the virtual adapter. You must copy the settings manually. Before you install the VPCNetNT.sys driver, write down the current protocol settings for each Ethernet adapter. When you install the VPCNetNT.sys driver, you may be prompted to configure specific protocols. Configure the protocols that are bound to each virtual adapter by using the same settings that you copied from each Ethernet adapter.

If you have to disable the VPCNetNT.sys driver on a single network adapter, you must do all the following:
 * Disable the Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch adapter that corresponds to the appropriate network adapter.
 * Disable the Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch (Protocol) binding to the appropriate network adapter.
 * Manually enable all other protocol bindings to the appropriate network adapter.

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Remove the Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch
Use any of the following methods to remove the VPCNetNT.sys driver: <ul> Use the Virtual PC Installer program.</li> Double-click the Remove.bat file that is located in the following folder:



</li> Select Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch (Protocol) on the Protocols tab of the Network Control Panel Tool, and then press the Remove button.</li> Remove the Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch manually. To do this, follow these steps: <ol> Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network.</li> Click the Protocols tab, click Virtual PC Emulated Ethernet Switch (Protocol), and then click Remove.</li> When you are prompted to restart the computer, click Do Not Restart Windows.</li> Reapply the latest Windows NT 4.0 service pack. For additional information about how to obtain and how to install the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack

</li> Restart the computer when the service pack installation is complete.</li></ol> </li></ul>

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Keywords: kbhowto KB824666

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