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The requirements for this program are pretty minimal
-- unless you're a
die-hard DOS fan, you'll need to have an old clunker around to run it on.
Here's what you'll need:
an IBM/Compatible PC with a 286 or higher processor with;
1MB of RAM and;
<1MB or hard drive space or 1 bootable floppy and;
MSDOS 5.0 or higher
VGA adapter
If you get no or slow response from the above link, use the links below to download the
program, the User's manual, or the source code (the program is written in C).
NOTE: I have not
tried this program, so cannot provide any support on it. Please contact the author
directly via the above link.
NOTE: This
program will work only if your ISP has assigned you a static IP address. IE cannot
act as a DHCP client, ie receive its IP address information automatically from your ISP.
(Thanks to Eric Sampson for bringing this program to my attention!)
Here's one user's (Luc Pisau) experience with Internet Extender.
Since you
are asking for feedback from actual users, here it is...
NAT box configuration: 286/16, 4MB RAM, MGA, 2 NE2000 clones, packet
drivers provided by network card manufacturers. No drivers loaded in CONFIG.SYS or
AUTOEXEC.BAT (no need for HIMEM.SYS, SMARTDRV, etc.).
The "universal" NE2000 packet driver included with the
program did not work with my cards. Had to spend some time with interrupt assignments, as
loading the packet driver for one card disabled the second one (different manufacturers),
and not all IRQ settings in the PnP setup
programs really worked with packet drivers. I had to swap one of the NE2000 card with a
third one, to find two which would work together in the same computer (all three worked
fine alone).
IE installs with no issues, and works as documented. I've tried
http, ftp, Real Audio, send/receive mail (POP3, SMTP), news, and did not have to change
anything. I get some spurious error messages (IE has a nice activity monitor screen), from
time to time, re. lost ICMP packets, but client computers did not experience any issues.
In my setup, throughput is not limited by the NAT box, but by the
cable modem. The max throughput from my @Home/TCI/AT&T RCA cable modem in Chicagoland,
IL, with or without the NAT box, is about 800kbps (bits, not bytes). That's 20x compared
to my V.90 modem (43K in real life). It was a surprise, as I anticipated that a new
motherboard (486/66 minimum) would be required. I used the 286 initially just to try out
the software, and get a handle on throughput degradation due to the NAT box. So far, my
old 286/16 is working just fine, and I cannot detect any measurable throughput slowdowns.
If I move to 6 Mbps ADSL, or have more then 2 simultaneous users, I'll probably want to
upgrade my NAT box, but for now, there is no need to do so.
I've used it with Windows for Workgroups + MS TCP/IP, W4W + Trumpet
2.1, W95, and NT4.0, and had no problems with any of the clients - just follow the
instructions... Ive tried the reserved and well as "illegal" (see below) IP
addresses, and did not have any problems.
The only real issue with this software is that you need a static IP.
Internet Extender is a very nice piece of code, and I fully endorse it. I
only hope that somebody will add a DHCP client to it. I think that a DHCP server for a
couple of home computers is overkill, but a DHCP client would be welcomed.
NOTE: I have not
tried this program, so cannot provide any support on it. Please contact the author
directly via the above link.