This driver allows the direct coupling of computers with an Ethernet
interface using the IPX protocol. Only PCs on the same physical segment
are reachable. Traffic over routers, bridges or multiport routers is not
possible.
IPXPD uses a packet driver, which must be loaded before IPXPD. This
driver uses Ethernet broadcasts and all stations listen, quite analogous
to an HF channel. Therefore, no IPX routing eeds to be set up, and every
station can trace the traffic of other PC/FlexNet stations.
This driver may only be used if there is NO Novell IPX shell running.
Since Novell IPX drivers are NEITHER public domain NOR freeware, this driver
was written. If the FlexNet IPX protocol shall be used with Novell's IPX
shell, IPXN may be used. On the ethernet side, both IPXN and IPXPD are
compatible.
There is, however, an anachronism that may cause troubles, see the accompanying
file NOVELL.NOT. IPXPD uses Ethernet II frames with frame type 8137, which
are also used by Novell 3.12 or later. Older Novell installations make
problems which can be solved by "ECONFIG". In this case, however,
it is straight forward to use the already installed IPX shell and "IPXN".
IPXPD needs to be called with the number of the software-irq of the
packet-driver. The irq may be given in decimal or hexadecimal notation
(prefixed by "0x").