Installing RASPPPoE for ADSL on Windows 98 or ME

General

Overview

Configuring the Server or Stand-alone PC

Downloading and installing RASPPPoE

Networking

Configuring the Second Network Card

Activating Windows 98/ME Internet Connection Sharing

Tweaking MSS - A necessary step to allow Internet browsing on the clients

Configuring the client PCs

Summary

Additional on-line Help

Overview

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Note: If you're using a router the information below is not relevant.

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RASPPPoE is an alternate, freeware PPPoE client, developed by genius Robert Schlabbach, that many people find easier to use and preferable to Enternet when ICS is to be installed.
It is not designed for, and does not work with Cable Broadband connections.
Enternet is the PPPoE client software generally supplied by ADSL ISPs to their customers.
See the Enternet guide for more on this if you wish to stick with it, or have trouble with this one.
To share an ADSL Internet connection using Windows 98 or ME's built in Internet Connection Sharing, you'll need a PC to act as a Server to handle the incoming connection and to distribute that to the other computer/s.
The Server will usually have two Network cards. One to connect to the Modem and one to connect to the internal network. Although two NICs are preferable in terms of load, it is not completely necessary if you have a hub. See the note below.
If you're just connecting to one other PC without a hub, you can only achieve that by using a crossover cable. If you're connecting via a hub or switch, you'll need to use a standard, straight through cable as the hub provides the crossover.
The modem has a link light on the back where the cable goes in. If it doesn't light up, the cable's the wrong sort.
Older coaxial Networks are exactly the same to configure in principal.

Note: ADSL uses Point to Point over Ethernet, not Ethernet, so it's possible to get away a single NIC in the Server by plugging the modem straight into a hub. You'll need a 10 or 10/100 hub (It won't work in a 100 base hub) and plug it into the uplink port. If you don't have an uplink port, or it's already used, you'll need a crossover cable.

Configuring the ICS Server or Stand-alone PC

We'll start by configuring the NIC for the modem. Once it’s physically fitted and the drivers are installed, plug the modem in.

What we're going to do here, you might find a little unusual at first. We're going to assign a static IP address to this Network card. Yep, that’s right! The reason for this is that ADSL uses Point to Point over Ethernet and not Ethernet. This means that the TCP/IP on the NIC isn't used. Assigning a static IP will stop the PC trying to find one on start up and while it's running, which can cause it to run slower than necessary.

Go to your Control Panel

Choose "Network"

Choose the "Configuration" tab

Highlight the TCP/IP on the network card connected to the Modem.

Click "Properties"

Choose the "IP Address" tab, specify, and give it an internal IP (suggest 10.0.0.3)

Set the subnet mask to 255.0.0.0

“OK”

Don't restart just yet.

Installing RASPPPoE

First up, RASPPPoE uses the Microsoft dial-up adaptor to connect.
You will need to check in control panel > network properties that it is installed.
If not, win98 users click on "add" and "adaptor" select "Microsoft" from the list and choose dial up adaptor. Then click ok until asked to reboot and do so.
ME users will need to click "Start" > "Settings" > "Dial up Networking" and then click "make new connection". Just enter bogus details (123456 for the Phone No etc) and when you click "finish", you should get a message saying that it needs to install the Microsoft Dial Up Adaptor. Just click OK and you're laughing. You can then delete the bogus Dial Up account if you wish.

To install RASPPPoE

Download RASPPPoE from http://www.raspppoe.com/

Create a folder in C:/ and call it RASPPPoE.

Unzip the contents of your download into this folder

Go to control panel

“Networking”

Click “add”

Click “protocol”

Click “have disk”

Click “browse” and browse to C:/RASPPPoE

Click “OK” until it asks you to reboot, but don't just yet.

Highlight any TCP/IP

Select “DNS”

Click “enable DNS”

Give it a host name (anything you like. Maybe Host?)

In DNS Suffix, BigPond users type vic.bigpond.net.au* (No matter what state you are in)

* Users from other ISPs will need to check what particulars may be necessary here.

“OK”

And restart.

On reboot, go to C:/RASPPPoE and double click RASPPPoE.EXE

If you get a message at this point saying that NDIS drivers need to be updated, you should do so. They are available from here. If you don't do it, you may be subject to "invalid password" errors when you try to connect.

Click “Query Available Services”

Click “Create a Dial-up Connection...”

It’ll put a shortcut on the desktop

Double click it and add in your username and password to connect.

Note: BigPond Users, don’t forget to add @bigpond after your username.

That's it for a stand alone PC. Continue ahead for Networking to other PCs

These principals will generally apply to any NAT based solution like Sygate, Winroute and Win2K Server's NAT application as well as ICS.

Now for the other Network Card

Go to your "Control Panel"

Choose "Network"

Choose the "Configuration" tab

Highlight the TCP/IP on the network card which is connected to your LAN.

Click "Properties"

Choose the "IP Address" tab and give it a static IP of 192.168.0.1

Set the subnet mask to 255.255.255.0

Note: For the Computers to all "see" each other in Network Neighbourhood, otherwise known as "My Network Places", ensure file & printer sharing is active on this card.

ICS with RASPPPoE

To set up ICS with RASPPPoE, windows help is an excellent resource. More on-line help below.

Go to control panel > add/remove programs > windows setup.

For Win98, double click Internet Tools and tick Internet Connection Sharing.

For ME, double click Communications and tick Internet Connection Sharing.

Then click apply and the ICS wizard will start. Follow your nose.

Don't worry about creating a client disk, just set the client PCs as below.

To enable "dial on demand" (So it automatically connects when you open Internet Explorer etc)

Go to control panel

Select “Internet options”

Select connections and tick “always dial my default”

Select the “connect using Ethernet…”

Make it the default.

For best results and ease of set up, I suggest that all your client PCs be set to “obtain IP address automatically.” ICS prefers it this way. Just remember to boot up the server first.

Note: If you want static IPs on the LAN, you'll need to install the server's IP address as a gateway on the client PCs and also as a DNS search order.
This is also often a good method to get around inexplicable difficulties.

For more experienced users, there is a nice little freeware app called ICS configuration that allows advanced port mapping in ICS to solve problems with running programs like ICQ from client PCs.

ICS also has issues with "wake on LAN" features that some Network Cards have. Turn them off if you get BSODs or odd conflicts happening with ICS enabled.

ICS options should finish up like this with the Dial-Up adapter as the one you use to access the Internet–

NOTE: If you can’t see the ICS Icon in the system tray, go to control panel > Internet options > Connections > sharing. If you can’t see it there either, you haven’t run the ICS wizard yet. Consult windows help!

Adjusting MSS with RASPPPoE

Using NAT applications like ICS or Winroute with ADSL usually will mean you’ll be able to ping websites on the client PCs but won’t be able to access them with your browser, although some sites like microsoft.com may still be accessible for some reason.
This is a problem caused by nonstandard MTU settings that are particular to ADSL.
Luckily, RASPPPoE has the solution built right into it.

Go to control panel on the Server

Select “networking”

Scroll down

Highlight “PPP over Ethernet” (Not miniport)

Select “properties”

Tick “limit TCP Maximum Segment size”

Tick “override Maximum Transfer Unit and set to 1454.

“OK”

Restart computer.

Client Configuration

Go to control panel

Click on “networking”.

Select the TCP/IP on the adapter plugged into your hub or other PC

Click “properties”

Disable “WINS”

Make sure the IP address is set to “obtain automatically”.

There should be nothing in “Gateways”

“DNS” as below *

Then click “ok” and reboot when prompted.

* Telstra users: Just add "vic.bigpond.net.au" as a domain suffix as well as "bigpond.net.au" to all the client PCs. win98/ME . Win2K .

* Other Broadband users will need to consult their ISP for these details. Often they're mentioned in on-line FAQs.

For email: Just put your mail server's name in the SMTP field in the relevant email address properties. In Outlook Express, it should look like this for BigPond users.
You will need to do this whether your email account is with your Broadband ISP or not. Any replies will come to you via your usual mail server. So it'll use your ISP’s to send and the other to receive. Your contacts won't know the difference.

Note: If you want static IPs on the LAN, you'll need to install the server's IP address as a gateway on the client PCs and also as a DNS search order.
This is also often a good method to get around some inexplicable difficulties.

Note: For the Computers to all "see" each other in Network Neighbourhood, otherwise known as "My Network Places", ensure file & printer sharing is active on this card.

Summary

The end result should look like this -
(Any settings not mentioned should be left at default)

The Server

Adaptor 1 connected to the modem:

TCP/IP set 10.0.0.3 Subnet 255.0.0.0
File & Printer Sharing on tcp/ip disabled
No DNS or Gateways enabled

Adaptor 2 connected to the LAN

TCP/IP set to 192.168.0.1, Subnet 255.255.255.0
File & Printer Sharing Enabled
No DNS or Gateways enabled

Adaptor 3 The Dial Up Adaptor (aka Connection through... for Win2k users)

TCP/IP set to obtain automatically
File & Printer Sharing disabled
DNS Suffix of your ISP's (BigPond is vic.bigpond.net.au & bigpond.net.au)
No Gateways
(Win2k disable netbios over TCP & LMHosts)
ICS with this adaptor as the one that accesses the Net and adaptor 2 - the LAN
MSS Option set to 1454

The client/s

TCP/IP set to obtain automatically
File & Printer Sharing Enabled
DNS Suffix of your ISP's (BigPond is vic.bigpond.net.au & bigpond.net.au)
No Gateways

Alternatively -

Issue sequential static IPs in TCP/IP - 192.168.0.2, 192.168.0.3 etc. Subnet 255.255.255.0
File & Printer Sharing Enabled
DNS Suffix of your ISP's
DNS Server Search Order 192.168.0.1
Gateway 192.168.0.1

Links and resources

Helmig
Practically Networked
Sharing a USB Modem
ICS Configuration Utility
Phil Clayton
Mad Mick
Ars Technica PC building guide.
911 Networks
Windows 98 Tips & Tricks
Broomeman
Windows 2000 message board
Windows 2000 Forums
JSI Inc
Labmice
Windows Help
Google Advanced Search
Microsoft Searchable Knowledge Base