Testing your IPX network setup
To run an IPX network game over your Ethernet or local area network, you need to have all of the computers hooked up to the network. You should be able to see the other systems when you double-click on Network Neighborhood. You need to have the Microsoft IPX/SPX Compatible Protocol or NWLink NetBIOS and NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS Compatible Transport Protocol (depending on your version of Windows) installed as one of your network components. To access the Network Components, right click on Network Neighborhood and select Properties. For Windows 2000/XP double-click on the Local Area Network Connections icon and click the Properties button. You should only have one IPX/SPX compatible protocol, unless you are doing something special with your network, which requires another (this would be unusual). You should see your Ethernet card listed next to the IPX/SPX compatible protocol when you look at the list of network components.
When you are looking at the network components, click on "IPX/SPX compatible protocol" and then click on the "properties" button. Now click on the "Advanced" tab. You should now see a list of advanced settings that you can adjust.
Set the following three as specified:
- "Frame Type"- set this to 802.3.
- "Maximum connections"- set this to 16.
- "Maximum Sockets"- set this to 32.
Different networks may require different network components. If you are using NetBEUI and having performance problems, you may want to try removing it unless it is being used by another application on your network. If things seem to get worse after removing NetBEUI, then try going into the IPX/SPX Compatible Protocol properties again, and enabling NetBIOS as an alternative. If neither of these suggestions help, then add NetBEUI back in if you like.
Using the IPX network, one system creates a multiplayer IPX game and then the other systems should be able to see that game, and given the option to join when they start a multiplayer IPX game.
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