Basics
First of all: ZET!'s NetChat is FREEWARE! You may use and distribute it to anybody without getting into trouble.
It is a tool which was developed to make communication over networks nicer and easier. Its aim is to replace poor LAN chat programs like WinPopup. There are no special system-requirements to run ZET!'s NetChat. All you need is Win32 (Win 95/98/NT) and a network interface. ZET!'s NetChat works with both protocols: TCP/IP and the old-fashioned IPX/SPX. It is divided into a client application and a server application. Currently up to 128 users can chat simultaneously. In opposite to Internet-based chat systems like IRC, there are no "channels". If you want to divide people into smaller groups then you have to set up a server for every group. It is especially designed for smaller networks (LANs) whereas it is also possible to chat over the Internet.
A Dedicated Server is started first. This can be done manually or by the client application. When the server is started, every client in the network will be able to "see" it and to connect to it. Connecting to a server outside the LAN (Local Area Network) is also possible, just by entering the network address. The first client connecting to the server will become the owner of the server. The owner is the only user that is able to remote-close the server.
Wherever you have the possibility to enter a network address in ZET!'s NetChat, you can enter an IP-address, an IPX-address or simply a hostname. If you enter a hostname, it tries to get the IP-address by resolving it via broadcasts, WINS or DNS.
IP-address style: 111.111.112.1
IPX-address style: 0.0.1.2:0.0.122.1.3.4