SOS Applications and Novell Netware
Document	#603
Created by	Seth Krieger
Creation date	9/22/95, 6:53PM
Last revised	7/19/99, 1:35PM

Overview

Because Netware is designed for high-traffic, transaction intensive applications, installation does not generally require any special tuning or setup. You will have to pay attention to workstation setup, however, in order to assure that sufficient memory is available and that the DOS environment is set correctly. Sometimes there can be printing problems, but a fix is detailed below.

File Server

The default installation parameters for Netware servers should work well.

FLAG may be used to set the executable files (*.EXE and *.OVL) to read-only, but this is not usually necessary and may cause some minor aggravation when doing updates if you forget to unflag them before beginning the update. All other files should be flagged read-write. Both program and data files should be set to shareable, of course. Do not set the T flag on any files in the OM directory!

Workstations

Pay attention to the workstation environment:

1. Set the FILES statement in the CONFIG.SYS on each workstation to no less than 85 (CM and OM standard edition) or 120 (OM extended edition). If you run into "Too many open files" errors after installation, you may need to specify FILE HANDLES=120 in the NET.CFG or SHELL.CFG in each workstation network boot directory. The files setting in the CONFIG.SYS plus the file handles setting in the NET.CFG should total no more than 255, that is the sum of the two numbers should be 255 or less. (The need to set FILE HANDLES in NET.CFG only applies to those installations using NETX drivers. If using the VLM, the FILES setting in the workstation CONFIG.SYS is used by Netware and may be set as high as 255.)
2. Be sure to include the OM (and/or CM) program directory in the PATH statement in each workstation AUTOEXEC.BAT.
3. Each workstation AUTOEXEC.BAT should include a SET statement for the workstation number, for example: SET OMWS=2
4. The environment for each workstation should contain the following SET statements (see Appendix T in manual).
   
   For OM users:
   SET OM={insert OM program directory}
   
   For CM users:
   SET CM={insert CM program directory}
   
   For both OM and CM users:
   SET TEMP={insert temp path}
   SET CLATMP={insert temp path}
   SET OVL_SWAP={insert temp path}\$$SOSTMP
   SET CLAVM0={insert temp path},128
   
   If all workstations are similar, you can consider using a batch file to start OM, with these SET commands there, or in a common login script instead of in the AUTOEXEC.BAT on each station. Doing so will make maintenance that much easier. When possible, it is a good policy to direct all temp files (TEMP, CLAVM0, CLAVM1, CLATMP, OVL_SWAP) to a local hard disk directory. When using workstations without local hard disks, a network drive can be used, but performance may not be as good. Be sure that any referenced directory actually exists!

Windows 95 Workstations

There have been numerous reports of incompatibilities running SOS applications using Microsoft's Netware drivers. To avoid a variety of file access errors, it will be necessary to obtain Novell's Client32 for Windows95 software and install it on any Win95 workstations that will be accessing SOS data files on a Novell server. Note that the most recent versions of Client32 are called "IntranetWare Client for Windows 95". Netware 3.1x requires that the SHORTAFX.NLM patch be applied, as well. For more details see SOS document #711. The Client32 software, as well as related technical bulletins, FAQ's, etc. can be found on Novell's web site: www.novell.com.

Troubleshooting

Printing

There have been some reports of printer problems, namely strange file IO errors when trying to print reports. These can be resolved, if they occur, by removing the TI parameter on the CAPTURE command for the printer.

Too Many Open Files

Check the CONFIG.SYS on any problem workstations.

If using NETX

Increase the FILES statement in CONFIG.SYS to 127:

FILES=127

Create a SHELL.CFG in the same directory as the VLM's are located. Include the following statement:

FILE HANDLES=127

FILES + FILE HANDLES should not exceed 255.

If using VLM

Increase the FILES statement in CONFIG.SYS to 255:

FILES=255

Database Corruption

Here is a recommended procedure to follow after a network fault corrupts the database:

1. Back up the (corrupted) data files.
2. Flag all data, memo, key, and index files as N.
3. Delete all key files (*.K*) EXCEPT USERS.K* and JET.K*. You might want to temporarily copy these files to another directory, delete *.K*, then copy the USERS and JET key files back. If you need to rebuild the keys for these encrypted files, use the FIXFILES.EXE utility.
4. Run FIXOM (or FIXCM for Case Manager) to rebuild files.
5. Flag *.DAT, memo, key, and index files as SRW.

Bad Command or Filename (incomplete path)

If you encounter this error while trying to execute an OM subprogram, such as RRUN.EXE to print statements or insurance, it is probable that the OM program directory is not in the currently active PATH.

If your PATH statement contains the OM directory, then Novell is probably replacing it with its own search map during the LOGIN process. Correcting this problem involves modifying the system login script. The following information should help you accomplish this:

 

The SYSTEM LOGIN SCRIPT is like an AUTOEXEC.BAT for every user that logs in the Novell network. In addition, a user can have a supplementary USER LOGIN SCRIPT.

The following is a sample SYSTEM LOGIN SCRIPT.

 

*LOGIN SCRIPT****************************************************

Write " "
Write "Good %GREETING_TIME, %LOGIN_NAME:"
Write " "
Write "FILE SERVER : ";File_Server;" Server"
Write "NOVELL VERSION: Netware 3.12"
Write "DOS VERSION : ";OS_Version
Write "STATION : ";Station
Write " "

*DRIVE MAPPINGS**************************************************

MAP S1:=SYS:PUBLIC

MAP S2:=SYS:APPS\DOS\%OS_VERSION
COMSPEC=S2:COMMAND.COMM
MAP S3:=SYS:APPS\OM
MAP S4:=SYS:APPS\MENU
MAP S5:=SYS:LOGIN
MAP S6:=SYS:APPS\CLARION
MAP S7:=SYS:APPS\PCPLUS

*DOS ENVIRONMENT*************************************************

DOS BREAK ON
SET PROMPT = "$P$G"
SET PCPLUS = "F:\APPS\PCPLUS"

 

*OM SET FILES****************************************************

DOS SET OM = "F:\APPS\OM"
DOS SET SOSEMS="ON"
DOS SET CLAVM0="C:\TEMP\OM,128"
DOS SET CLATMP="C:\TEMP"
DOS SET OVL_SWAP="C:\TEMP\$$SOSTMP"
#COMMAND /C DEL C:\TEMP\*.TMP
#COMMAND /C DEL C:\TEMP\$$SOSTMP.*
END

*PRINTERS********************************************************

IF MEMBER OF "PRINTER1" THEN
#CAPTURE Q=PRINTER_1 L=1 NFF NB TI=10
END

IF MEMBER OF "PRINTER2" THEN
#CAPTURE Q=PRINTER_2 L=1 NFF NB TI=10
END

IF MEMBER OF "PRINTER3" THEN
#CAPTURE Q=PRINTER_3 L=1 NFF NB TI=10
END

*NICITIES********************************************************

FIRE PHASERS 2 TIMES
*WEEKEND WISHES
IF DAY_OF_WEEK="FRIDAY" THEN BEGIN
WRITE "*** HAVE A NICE WEEKEND ***"
END

 

To modify the system login script in Novell 3.12 do the following:

1. Login with supervisor privileges
2. Execute syscon.exe from the DOS prompt (F:\PUBLIC directory)
3. Go to supervisor options
4. Go to system login script
5. Modify as needed
6. Save and exit
7. Changes will not take place until you login again

To modify the system login script in Novell 4.1 do the following:

1. Login with ADMINISTRATOR privileges
2. Execute NETADMIN.EXE from the DOS prompt (F:\PUBLIC directory)
3. Go to Manage objects and press <enter>
4. Go to *(parent) and press <enter>
5. Go to (organization) and press <F10>
6. Go to View or edit properties of this object and press <enter>
7. Go to Login Script and press <enter>
8. Modify as needed
9. Save and exit
10. Changes will not take place until you login again

CREDITS Much of the material contained in this document was provided by the Novell experts at CSS. They are available at their regular hourly rate for consultation on issues concerning running OM & CM on Novell networks. CSS has been an authorized reseller of SOS products since 1989. They support many OM and CM installations and specialize in Novell networks.

Computer Systems And Software, Inc. 11420 N. Kendall Drive, Suite 107 Miami, Florida 33176 Voice: (305)596-4814 Facsimile: (305)596-4974 E-mail: james@csasi.com Web site: www.csasi.com