If you have already installed an Internet connection to your Mac, either with a previous service provider or using one of the commercial software bundles like the Apple Internet Connection Kit, then you should hopefully already have the necessary software to use a dial-up PPP account (although if you had signed up with an online service like America Online or Compuserve, you may still need to obtain some other software, as these services usually use their own custom software packages for connecting). This section will explain how to configure that software to work with Webbworks; if you don't have the software described below, then we may be able to direct you to a source or even provide you with copies of the freely-available software ourselves. But if you think you already have the necessary pieces to build a connection, let's take you through the configuration process.
In order for your Mac to connect to the Internet, you really only need two basic pieces - a dialer and a TCP stack (although to do anything over the Net requires separate client or browser applications, depending on your needs; more on that later). The dialer is what connects your computer, via a modem, to our service; the TCP stack takes it from there and actually integrates your computer into the Internet. Numerous types of dialer software are available, many of them freeware, but the TCP stack is almost certainly going to come from Apple as part of the Mac's system software. Here's a table to describe some possible software combinations:
| TCP Stack | Recommended
System | Compatible
Dialers
|
| MacTCP 2.0.6 | System 7.1 or earlier
or Macs w/ < 8MB RAM | Apple Internet Dialer
(Apple Internet Connection Kit) |
| FreePPP |
| MacPPP 2.0.1 |
| Open Transport 1.1.1 | System 7.5 or later
or any PowerPC | Apple Internet Dialer
|
| FreePPP |
| Open Transport/PPP 1.0 |
If you're not sure which Internet software you have (or if you have any at all), check your Control Panels folder (in the System Folder) to find if any of these files are already installed in your system:
- if you find MacTCP
, then you're probably set up to use that TCP stack (PowerPC owners should consider updating to Open Transport, or making it active using the Network Software Selector utility if Open Transport is installed but disabled).
- if you find TCP/IP
, then Open Transport is probably installed. As of System 7.6, this is your only option.
If you don't have any of those files, then you need to find a way of getting them: MacTCP was bundled with Apple's Mac OS software as of System 7.5 (previously it was only available through bundled software or an Apple dealer), while Open Transport was included in the System versions 7.5.2 and later (and it's now the only choice with System 7.6).
For dialers, both FreePPP and its earlier incarnation, MacPPP, are freeware packages available online; the Apple Internet Dialer is part of the commercial Apple Internet Connection Kit (although it, too, is bundled with System 7.6), and numerous other commercial dialers are available with various Internet suites (e.g. Internet Valet, etc). If you're stuck without software, you might try and check with anyone you know who has already set up on a Mac on the Internet, or else call us for recommendations.
Once you have that software installed in your System Folder, you'll need to set it up for accessing Webbworks; the following sections deal with each of the steps in turn.
Select the appropriate software below for detailed configuration instructions:
(Other TCP stacks will require custom instructions; call (509) 545-9571 or email Tech Support for help).
