Using TCP/IP to Connect to a Windows 32-bit Server

This section documents the use of TCP/IP when connecting to a Pervasive PSQL server running on a Windows 32-bit server platform.

Tasks

Configuring a Client for the Server IP Address

When Pervasive PSQL operates in a TCP/IP network, your client must be able to obtain the IP address of your Windows server from the name given to that server by your network administrator. There are two mechanisms that enable this address to name translation:

DNS (Domain naming service)

Editing the Hosts file (a method typically used in small to medium sized networks)

The following procedures show how to set up the IP address using each method.

Using DNS to Configure the Server IP Address

When you use DNS, you specify settings that allow your computer to look up the address of the server in a database of servers. Your network administrator can provide the information you need to configure DNS.

To configure your clients to use DNS to resolve the server IP address:

For Windows 98/ME clients:

Click Start 4 Settings 4 Control Panel.

Double-click Network,

select Protocols, select TCP/IP and click Properties.

Click the DNS tab.

Enable DNS and enter the appropriate server information from your network administrator.

For clients on Windows 32-bit platforms:

Click Start 4 Settings 4 Control Panel.

Double-click Network and Dial-up Connections, select Local Area Connection and click Properties.

From the component list, select TCP/IP and click Properties.

Enable DNS and enter the appropriate server information from your network administrator.

Using the Hosts File to Configure the Server IP Address

The Hosts file is a way to manually enter a relationship between a name and an IP address. Use this method if DNS is not used in your organization.

To Edit the Hosts file on your Windows client

Find your Hosts file as follows on your Windows machine.

On Windows 32-bit platforms:
\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC\HOSTS

On Windows 98/ME:
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\DRIVERS\ETC\HOSTS

Edit the Hosts file with a text editor such as Notepad.

Enter your server's IP address and name in the hosts file as a new line as shown in the following example. Your network administrator can provide you with the IP address of your server.

# the following is an example of a Hosts file entry

146.23.45.2 acctserver

Preventing the Windows Dial-Up Network Dialog Box from Displaying When Using a Pervasive Application with TCP/IP

The Windows Dial-Up Networking dialog box can display when a TCP/IP request is made to Windows. Usually, this is to make an Internet connection, but this feature can be an annoyance when using Pervasive applications and TCP/IP.

To Prevent the Dial-Up Networking Dialog Box from Displaying Automatically:

Click Start 4 Settings 4 Control Panel.

Double-click the Internet Options icon.

Click the Connection tab.

Clear the option titled Dial whenever a network connection is not present.

Note
While this stops the dialog box from displaying with Pervasive applications, this also has the side effect that other applications such as Internet browsers will no longer automatically spawn the Dial-Up Networking dialog box when a connection to the Internet is needed. In that case, you need to connect to the Internet manually using Dial-Up Networking.

According to Microsoft, the Connect to the Internet As Needed check box is designed to launch Dial-Up Networking whenever TCP/IP is used by an application, so this behavior is correct.

Changing the Default Server Listening Port (Advanced)

Most users should never have to use this procedure. This procedure should only be performed by a system administrator.

In normal TCP/IP operation, clients use a particular port number to communicate with servers. By default, Pervasive PSQL listens on port 1583. For TCP/IP to function properly, all clients and all servers must use the same port numbers.

Pervasive recommends that you do not modify the server listening port unless you have a conflict. If you do have a conflict, you can override the Pervasive PSQL port settings with an entry in the SERVICES file for each machine, client and server. The SERVICES file is located at:


Windows 32-bit platforms	\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC\SERVICES
Windows 98/ME	\WINDOWS\SERVICES

For example, if you wanted to change the listening port to 80 for Pervasive PSQL, you would add the following entry in your SERVICES file:

psql 80/tcp 
 


 Note


Entries are case-sensitive in the Windows SERVICES file for 32-bit platforms.

After changing your server listening port, you must stop and restart your Pervasive PSQL engine for the changes to take effect. See the chapter Using Pervasive PSQL in Pervasive PSQL User's Guide.