Quick Reference Guide

Connectivity

Symptoms:

• The message "Unable to locate winsock.dll" will appear on screen causing you to conclude, (incorrectly), that there has been a problem with the software installation process or that there is a missing file.
• Eudora times out while trying to retrieve or send mail, or produces the message:
  "Unable to Locate Network" or other similar generic "network error" messages.
• Mosaic (or NetScape) will fail to launch and a second attempt to start it will produce the message: "Unable to Start More Than One Instance of the Specified Program".
• Mosaic (or NetScape) launches but produces the message:
  "Unable to Locate Host" which is repeated after clearing the warning and pressing the "Home" button on the button bar.
  (NetScape is apt to generate this message under normal circumstances, but if repeated attempts to load a page fail, then your system is most likely not connected).
• Your News Reader hangs while retrieving news group listings.

Solutions:

• Your Modem Fails to Dial Out:
  Successful dialing will be heard in the modem speaker when the Ultranet Access Manager (Trumpet Winsock) is started.
  • If the modem fails to dial out when the Access Manager (Trumpet Winsock), is launched, use Microsoft Diagnostics, to locate the modem port and verify the com port setting in the Account Configuration Utility. Verify that the Modem Port is correctly configured .
    (Trumpet Winsock will not recognize non-standard port address assignments).
  • While in MSD, determine the UART chip used. If an 8250 or 16540 UART chip is detected, the port speed must be set to 19,200 in the Account Configuration Utility.
    (You should replace the COM Board with a board that uses a 16550 UART Chip for satisfactory operation at higher port speeds).
  • Attempt to launch Trumpet Winsock via the "Login" Command found under "Dialer" on the Trumpet Menu Bar.
    (Successful dialing indicates the need to set the "On Line Status Detection" switch in the Trumpet Setup Screen found under "File" on the Trumpet Menu Bar to "None").

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• Your Modem Dials Out but Fails to Connect:
  Watch the Trumpet Winsock window for the message:
  "CONNECT (baud rate) /protocol /protocol /protocol".
  • If the modem dials out but fails to negotiate a connecton, be sure that the phone number being dialed is correct for the location that it is being dialed from.
    (1-508-229-0775 dialed from the Marlboro area won't work and is a common example of this type of error).
  • Determine if the POP is being dialed through an office "switch". This will reduce connectivity even if the "switch" is data certified.
    (The need to dial a "9" or some other digit(s) before the access phone number is a pointer to this type of error).
  • Call someone on the modem line.
    Listen for noise or poor frequency response, flat or tinny sounding voice could indicate poor telephone line conditions which will not support a modem connection.
  • Listen to the modem speaker for clues about abnormal negotiation between the two modems. If there is a separate telephone line available, try to connect to UltraNet on it, or (better yet), from a different location altogether.

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• Your Modem Connects but Trumpet Winsock Fails to Log In:
  Watch the Trumpet Winsock window for the message:
  "You are now connected to UltraNet. Have fun!".
  • Confirm that the account information is entered correctly into the Account Configuration Utility.
    (A zero in the password mistaken for an upper case "O" is a common example of this type of error).
  • A mailbox username can only be used after logging into the parent, (host) account.
  • User names are always lower case with no spaces!
  • You cannot log in to a mailbox account. You must log into the "host" or parent account and after connecting, log into the mailbox "POP" account using the mailbox password.

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• Log in Succeeds but PPP Fails to Start:
  Even though you see the message:
  "PPP session from (the POP I. P. address) to (your I. P. address) beginning....~|}",
  applications will not run.
  • Verify that no programs are running in the background that could affect communications.
    (Press CTRL+Escape to bring up the Windows Task Manager for a list of active programs). A fax program running in the background, for instance!
  • Other winsock dialers are in conflict with Trumpet Winsock.
    Multiple copies of "winsock.dll" CANNOT co-exist in memory.
    Search your directories for files named, "winsock.dll".
    Rename all except the one in the \ultranetkitdirectory\winsock\ subdirectory.
    Restart Windows to unload the conflicting "winsock.dlls"
  • Refer to the Modems section of the Troubleshooting Guide for tips on altering the modem settings from the ones initially chosen in the Account Configuration Utility. PPP may not work well, (or at all) without hardware flow control.
  • Run sysedit to check the [BOOT] section of the system.ini file. Verify that the line reading, "comm.drv=comm.drv" is there.
    A third party communications program may have replaced the Windows comm driver with an incompatible driver. (The line would read, "comm.drv=thirdpartycomdriver").
    
  • Note:
    A slow proccessor, incorrect UART, or insufficient free ram or cache memory may prevent PPP from starting or running properly. (TCP/IP stacks make large demands on the system).

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• Your System Connects but Fails to Route Properly or is unable to locate a specific server such as mail or news:
  • A dropped or failed connection on an older, (static IP), account, will not route properly for 3-5 minutes upon re-connecting. Wait before re-connecting.
    (This is not a problem with the newer "dynamic IP" accounts being issued by UltraNet.)
  • Verify the Server Address Settings specified in your TCP software are correct. You must specify the correct name for the server you are trying to connect with as well as the correct IP Address for the Domain Name Server you are using as a resolver!

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• Trumpet Winsock Reports "Comm Overruns" have occured:
  • Refer to Albert Belle Isle's Winsock Tuning FAQ for an excellent discussion of the causes, effects and cures for comm overuns.
  • Refer to John Navas' 28800 Modem FAQ for more of the above.
  • Refer to the UltraNet Techtip Archives arcticles on "Comm Overruns".

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