Please How can I configure the FastCatche found at
http://www.analogx.com/contents/download/network/fc.htm with a
server IP address: 192.168.7.0 and
DNS IP: 192.168.70.10 please tach me how to do this. I am told to
install and configure it on a LAN of 6 Computers and 1 Server.
NB:
The Clients (6 Computers in the network) are all in: "automatically
detect IP address"
Please help me.

jossychina...

The server IP address is not relevant to the process of
setting up FastCache.

I recommend reading through the following answer entirely
before proceeding to follow the steps, in order to obtain
an overview of the process.

The first thing to do, before installing FastCache, would
be to Run the command 'IPCONFIG /all' on all the computers,
server and clients, to see and record the addresses of the
DNS Servers for each machine. I would also recommend making
a record of the IP address shown for each machine, as this
may come in handy later on, as we shall see.


Next, install FastCache on each machine. Then, simply follow
the instructions from the FastCache ReadMe file to configure
the DNS settings on each machine:

"For Windows 9x:

1.  Open the "Control Panel"
2.  Doubleclick on "Network"
3.  Select the "TCP/IP" settings from the Configuration tab
4.  Click on the "DNS Configuration" tab
5.  Turn ON "Enable DNS"
6.  Add 127.0.0.1 to the "DNS Server Search Order"
7.  Click ok - reboot - you're done!

For Windows 2k:

1.  Open the "Control Panel"
2.  Doubleclick on "Network and Dial-up Connections"
3.  Rightclick on the connection and choose "Properties"
4.  Select "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and
    click "Properties" on the General tab
5.  Turn ON "Use the following DNS server addresses"
6.  Set the preferred address to 127.0.0.1
7.  Click ok - reboot - you're done!

* Win2k user with static IP's must add a local network
  connection to set the DNS server to 127.0.0.1

For Windows XP:

1.  Open the "Control Panel"
2.  Doubleclick on "Network Connections"
3.  Rightclick on the connection and choose "Properties"
4.  Select "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and
    click "Properties" on the General tab
5.  Turn ON "Use the following DNS server addresses"
6.  Set the preferred address to 127.0.0.1
7.  Click ok - reboot - you're done!"

*NOTE*
The FastCache ReadMe file also recommends the instructions
for configuring DNS to work with FastCache which are given
on the WebAttack website, at this address:
http://www.webattack.com/dns.html

At the bottom of that page are links to individual pages
of illustrated instructions for Windows 98/ME:
http://www.webattack.com/dns_setup.html

...Windows 2000:
http://www.webattack.com/dns_setup2k.html

...and Windows XP:
http://www.webattack.com/dns_setupxp.html

These instructions are identical to the text descriptions
given in the ReadMe file, above, except that, for Windows
2000, you will see that the instructions differ, in that
you are told to enter the IP address of your local machine,
instead of the generic local address of 127.0.0.1
While either may work, you may need to experiment to see
which works best, if any of the machines you are setting
up are using Windows 2000.

I personally found that, since I have a Windows 2000 system,
the instruction on the WebAttack site, calling for the use
of my machine's IP Address, rather than the generic local
address of 127.0.0.1, in configuring the DNS Address under
TCP/IP Properties, was useful.


Finally, configure FastCache, on each individual computer,
by right-clicking on it in the System Tray, and selecting
'Config'. In the box which says 'Primary DNS IP', enter the
DNS Server address you recorded earlier, for the machine on
which you are now configuring FastCache. If you want to allow
FastCache to access both its local DNS cache and the normal
DNS Server, and use whichever responds first (recommended),
check the box next to 'Use Tandem Requests'.


Now, you said the DNS IP was 192.168.70.10, which seems like
the address provided by a router for use by all the clients
on the network. However, I would strongly recommend running
IPCONFIG /all on each machine to verify that this is the 
DNS Server Address returned by the machine itself when you
run this command. If it is not, I believe you should use
the DNS Server Address which is returned for each machine
when you run IPCONFIG /all (assuming the network is currently
working properly). If all the clients return 192.168.70.10,
then go ahead and use that, but you may find that the Server
returns a different DNS Server Address, and you will need to
use that address when configuring FastCache on that machine.


I didn't have to do any research on this, since I've
used FastCache on my machine, so I have access to the
ReadMe file, and the links to the WebAttack articles 
are from the link you provided to the AnalogX site.

If you have any problems understanding or implementing 
the directions I've provided, don't hesitate to ask for
further assistance.


Please do not rate this answer until you are satisfied that  
the answer cannot be improved upon by way of a dialog  
established through the "Request for Clarification" process. 

sublime1-ga

---

Request for Answer Clarification by jossychina-ga on 29 Jul 2004 09:42 PDT

Dear sublime1-ga,
Thanks for your good answer. Please, I will also want to know what
those figures are about. when I click on config, I see places where
there is 7, or 0. What figures am I expected to enter in those places?

---

Clarification of Answer by sublime1-ga on 29 Jul 2004 11:39 PDT

Hi jossychina...

First, I would request that you be very precise when describing
what you see when you are asking a question about configuring
software. This will save me from making assumptions which may
be incorrect when I provide a response.

I *assume* you are saying:

"When I click on config in the FastCache program, I also see
a box labelled 'Minimum timeout (days)' which currently has
the value 7, and a box beneath that labelled 'Maximum timeout
(days)' which has the value 0. What are they about, and do 
they need to be changed?"

Once again, the ReadMe file provides information on this:

"Minimum timeout...is the minimum time that all queries are
 cached for, specified in days.  So, if this is set to 7, 
 all responses regardless of their timeouts will be cached
 for 7 days."

"Maximum timeout...is the maximum time to allow items to
 remain in the cache."

"The option you're most likely to tweak is the 'Minimum
 timeout', since this really affects how efficient the
 cache will perform. In most cases 7 days should be the
 right number, but you can experiment with higher values
 - just keep in mind that if a site changes their IP
 you'll need to remove the cached entry before it will
 get the new address."

The numbers you see already entered, 7 and 0, are what is
known as 'default' values. This means that the programmer
has experimented with his program and gotten feedback from
early users of the software, and has provided these figures
as typical of what seems to work best for himself and others.

You are free to experiment with other values, but it is not
necessary, in most situations. I used the default values on
my computer, and the program worked fine for me.

sublime1-ga

Thanks! I think you're really good (everything explained in detail). keep it up