

 distributed.net client for Win16 (MS-Windows 3.1,WINE or whatever) and above

 Released by Cyrus Patel <cyp@fb14.uni-mainz.de>

 Document revision $Id: readme.w16,v 1.10 2000/07/11 02:38:56 mfeiri Exp $



 Welcome to the distributed.net client.



 This document covers information specific to the client for Win16.

 Refer to other enclosed documentation or browse the online FAQ at

 http://www.distributed.net/FAQ for non-platform-specific documentation.



    1.0  Getting started

         1.1 Using the screensaver multiplexor

    2.0  Win16 specific notes



 1.0  Getting started ------------------------------------------------

 

    Just unpack the client in a directory of your choice and fire it up.


    If you have never run the client before, it will initiate the

    menu-driven configuration. Save and quit when done, the 

    configuration file will be saved in the same directory as the 

    client. Then, simply restart the client. From that point on it will 

    use the saved configuration.

    

    The configuration options are fairly self-explanatory and can be run

    at any time by starting the client with the '-config' option.

    A list of command line options is available by starting the client 

    with '-help'.



    FAQs are available online at http://www.distributed.net/FAQ/



    1.1  The screensaver multiplexor ---------------------------------



    Beginning with v2.7112.444, the client release archive includes a

    screensaver multiplexor.



    Note that the screen saver and the client are different executables.

    The screen saver multiplexor (*.scr) is of little use without a

    client (*.exe).



    Under normal circumstances, having a client running continuously in

    the background is usually preferred since it continues to use

    the idle processor cycles even when a machine is actively in use.

    For instance, when typing a letter, the machine is really mostly

    idle, waiting for keystrokes, and the client can use that time.



    However, in some environments, utilizing *any* cpu time while a

    user is actively trying to use the machine may be a problem. The

    distributed.net screen saver multiplexor addresses that issue.

    When activated by the system, it will launch a client in the

    background and _another_ screen saver of your choice in the

    foreground. If a client is already found to be running when the

    screen saver is activated by the system, it will not be started

    a second time.



    Not only does this permit an installation where use of any cpu time

    is a problem, it also resolves two other issues that a

    client-as-a-screensaver cannot: a) it does not requires

    storage of client buffers and/or configuration file in the windows

    (or windows/system) directory and b) it allows a user to continue

    to use his/her preferred screensaver.



    Installation involves...

    a) simply copying the *.scr file included with the client

       distribution to one of the following locations:

       on Win95:  your \WINDOWS\ or \WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ directory

       on WinNT:  your \WINNT\ or \WINNT\SYSTEM32\ directory

    b) Once you have copied it, go to the Display properties in the Control

       Panel and select the distributed.net screen saver as the active

       screen saver.

    c) Clicking on the "Settings..." button opens the multiplexors

       configuration dialog. Select the client you wish the multiplexor to

       run in the background and select the screensaver you wish to run

       in the foreground.

    d) If the client had been previously configured, there is nothing else

       you need do. Otherwise click on the "Configure" button to configure

       the client.



 2.0  Notes: ---------------------------------------------------------



    The Win16 client is a true 32-bit protected mode application and 

    therefore requires Windows to be running in "386 extended" mode.



    The Win16 client will use any WinSock sockets implementation if 

    available, and will otherwise not use the network layer. A "lurk"

    feature may be made available in the future if the demand for it 

    is sufficiently high. Novell's WinSock implementation (TCPIP stack) 

    prior to version 5.00.207 (November 06, 1997) contains a bug that

    will manifest itself when attempting to resolve a hostname. Either

    use only IP addresses, or install the fix. (tcp1607.exe available

    from Novell support sites).



    If winsock.dll is not already in memory when the client needs it,

    it will be searched for in the following order: The windows directory, 

    then in the system directory, then the client's directory and then 

    along the search path as determined by the PATH= or SET PATH= 

    statement active at the time Windows starts. Check your autoexec.bat 

    as that is usually where it is set.



    "Mode" (eg -fetch, -flush, -benchmark etc) that are generally only 

    available as command-line options are accessable by right-clicking 

    the client window.



    This client is not optimized for speed but for "niceness".



    Note: DOS, Win16 and OS/2 ports may squawk about a missing TZ= variable

    in the environment. Set it in your autoexec (or wherever). For example:

    "SET TZ=EST+5" for eastern standard time or "SET TZ=EST+5DST" when 

    daylight savings time is in effect (ie in the summer). If you live on

    the other side of the zero meridian, ie east of Greenwich, England,

    your TZ will have a negative offset. For example CET-1 for Central 

    European Time, or NZT-12 if you live in New Zealand.

    

    TZ (TimeZone) is used by all (not only by the client) software that is 

    sensitive to time to properly compute the computer clock's offset to 

    UTC (aka GMT). If you have used the DOS client before, (and you do not 

    live in Great Britain or in East Africa) you probably also noticed that 

    the time was wrong. Well, now you know why: On MS-DOS, TZ is by default 

    set to PST+9 (Pacific Standard Time). Other DOSs have different defaults.

    Note that the timezone offsets are inverted from ones used in the Unix

    world - DOS adds the number of hours to local time to determine what

    GMT/UTC time is. Unix adds the offset to GMT/UTC to determine what 

    local time is.



