Hayes(r) Microcomputer Products, Inc.    LANstep(r) Technical Note

                                    "Creating a DOS Startup Script
                                         for a LANstep Workstation"

Number LS-1                                         September 1991

Summary:

This Technical Note explains how a Super_User can create a startup
script for a LANstep Workstation user that bypasses the LANstep
"office" screen and automatically:


* loads a user's most frequently used or menuing application
  immediately after log-in, or

* starts a user in DOS at a mapped drive location.

This Technical Note is applicable for LANstep version 1.0x.


Some Questions Answered

This section outlines in brief what can be accomplished with
a DOS startup script, why it might be useful, who should do it, and,
the basics of how it is done. Further sections go into detail on each
part of the process


Why

A LANstep Workstation boots (starts up) using LANstep as the
underlying operating system, and then a user must manually select a
DOS program for use. This script automates those steps. This is helpful on
systems where menu-type programs are in use and need to be automatically
executed after log-in.


Who

Since this procedure involves entering the Support room, only a Super_User
who is familiar with user setups and commands such as NETUSE should
attempt to create a startup script. Keep in mind that startup scripts must
be created for each user that needs one.


How

First, you'll create a single line start-up script that
loads DOS after a valid login. When DOS loads, (typically from the E:
drive) AUTOEXEC.BAT (the same for all users) runs, and moves to a
user's personal directory (usually G: drive). From there,
AUTOEXEC.BAT ends by executing a second batch file (START.BAT)
located in an individual user's personal directory. START.BAT uses
the NETUSE command and assigns the F: drive to the location where a
user's frequently used program is kept. At that point, a user need
only enter WMSTART to execute a batch file to load the program.


Cautions

The Super_User should take care when using the Browser,
since accidental erasure of system files would require re-installing
the system, and possibly reformatting the NSS hard drive.


About Bill

"Bill" is a fictional LANstep user. In our example, we're
going to create a DOS startup script for him that automatically loads
DOS after a valid login, then leaves Bill at his personal G: drive
DOS prompt. Bill's USERID is BILL.



Creating a Login Script

Use these steps to create a login script for automatically
loading DOS for Bill. Be sure you can login as Super_User.

Step 1:
	Login as Super_User at the NSS, then move to the Support
	Room.
	
Step 2:
	Select the Browse Hard Disk 0 icon and press Enter, then select
	System and press Enter.

Step 3:
	Select userids and press Enter, then select BILL and press
	Enter.

Step 4:
	Select login and press F2 to display the startup script;
	since there is no script, the screen will be blank. Press F5 to
	edit, then enter the following line:

               !pcdos -0 {} {} {} */DOS/BOOT {} #user/DOS {} E:

Remember, LANstep is case sensitive, so be sure you type the line as 
shown.

This script command tells LANstep to automatically run DOS immediately 
after the specified user (Bill) has completed a valid login. Here's a
breakdown of each component of the command:


Element        Description

!pcdos          starts the activity called "pcdos"
-0              uses all available "DOS" memory (lower 640K); this
                is a zero, not the letter "O"
{}              Uses default printer for LPT1
{}              Uses default printer for LPT2
{}              Uses default printer for LPT3
*/DOS/BOOT      Sets path for drive E: to BOOT on the NSS
{}              Sets Drive F: to be unmapped but still available
#user/DOS       Sets G: to users personal DOS files
{}              Drive H: is reserved for system use and is not mapped
E:              Selects which drive is the BOOT drive, i.e, where
                DOS is loaded

Step 5:
	Once the command is typed in, press F5 to save.



Testing The Script

Use this procedure when editing the script to test it
instantly:

Step 1:
	With the cursor on the script command line, press
	Control-Space, then Control-Space again.

Step 2:
	Press F2:START and the script is automatically executed.
	This is an excellent way to test check the script's accuracy. If
	you get an error message at the top of the screen, such as
	"COMMAND," press Control-Escape. The cursor appears at the top of
	the screen; move it to the word COMMAND and press Enter. You'll
	see an explanation of the message. Recheck your typing. Remember,
	the command line is case sensitive.

Note that during this test, G: will be mapped to the Super_User's
personal files, not Bill's.

Step 3:
	When at DOS prompt, type

        	DOSEXIT

	and press Enter to go back to the startup script.

        


Modifying AUTOEXEC.BAT

Each time DOS is loaded by a user, the common AUTOEXEC.BAT
file (located on drive E:)is executed. While everyone uses the same
AUTOEXEC.BAT, you can create an individual batch file for Bill which
maps the F: drive to the location of his most frequently used
application. When there, Bill needs to only enter the WMSTART command
to execute the WMSTART.BAT batch file and load the application.

Use these steps to modify the common (on drive E:) AUTOEXEC.BAT to
echo a reminder, then run a second batch file (START.BAT, on Bill's
drive G:) START.BAT only contains two lines, and uses the NETUSE
command to assign drive F: to the directory where Bill's application
is kept.

Step 1:
	From the previous steps, press Escape to leave this screen,
	then press F3:CLIMB three times. This will take you to the top
	menu of the Browser.

Step 2:
        Select DOS and press Enter. Select BOOT and press Enter.

Step 3:
        Select AUTOEXEC.BAT and press F2:VIEW. Press F5:EDIT, and go
        to the last line of the file.

Step 4:
        Type in the following 2 lines, pressing Enter after each one:

           ECHO Type WMSTART to start the application.
           START.BAT

        The ECHO line displays "Type WMSTART..." to remind Bill to type in
        the standard WMSTART command to execute the batch file used to
        load his frequently used application.

Step 5:
        Press F5:SAVE key, then press Escape. You should now be at
        the screen that is displaying the contents of the E: drive, with
        all of the DOS files.



Finding an Application's Location and Creating START.BAT

START.BAT is a batch file that uses the NETUSE command to
map drive F: to the directory of Bill's most frequently used
application. You should create a START.BAT for every user who wants
this mapping done.

To do this, first determine the directory location for each user's
most-used application, then create a START.BAT batch file (on the
user's drive G:) for each user.

Note: Keep in mind that an individual user's START.BAT can only map
F: to a single directory, so  that directory should be the location
of the application we want to start automatically for the user.



Finding an Application's Location

Use this procedure to locate the directory on the NSS where
a loaded application is kept. You'll use this information to map that
directory as the F: drive for a specific user.

Step 1:
        From the previous steps, press F3:CLIMB, then select
        installed_apps. Press F2:VIEW.

        This will display all of the installed applications and their
        respective directories. For example, suppose the assisted INSTALL
        program installed Smartcom Exec(r); one of the lines would read:

              Smartcom Exec Version 2.x|SCMEXC2X

Step 2:
        If you have installed many applications, you may need to
        scroll through the list by pressing the down cursor key. The first
        half of the line is the application description as it appears on
        the menu choice, and the part after the pipe ( | ) symbol is
        the actual directory that it is installed in.

        For the remainder of this example, let's assume Bill uses
        Microsoft Works frequently. When you select Microsoft Works 2.0 in
        the list, it appears as :

              Microsoft Works 2.0|MWORKS20

        From this we know that the application resides in the directory
        MWORKS20.

        Manually installed applications appear like this:

              Automenu|MAN00001

Step 3:
        Find the other application(s) and accompanying directory(s),
        and write them down. You'll need to know these names and locations
        when you create START.BAT for other users.

Step 4:
        Press Escape twice. Exit the Support Room, and enter the
        Management Console by selecting it and pressing Enter.

Step 5:
        Choose DOS Application Management, and press Enter. Select
        Maintain Installed Applications, and press Enter. It does not
        matter which application you have highlighted. We will not be
        making any changes to the application itself.

Step 6:
        Press F4:EDIT. Select Set Up Application For Users and press
        Enter. Highlight the USERID BILL, and press Enter. DOS loads,
        running AUTOEXEC.BAT, which tries to run the as yet non-existent
        START.BAT, so ignore the "Bad Command or Filename" message that
        DOS returns. When DOS starts, enter G: (this moves you to Bill's
        G: drive) and then press Enter. From this point, you'll be at the
        DOS prompt of Bill's G: drive.



Creating START.BAT

START.BAT can be configured three ways:

* to map F: to an application's directory and leave the user
  at the DOS prompt

* to map F: to an application's directory then run the
  WMSTART.BAT batch file to go ahead and load the application.

* to just run a CLS command, so the "Bad command or file name"
  message is not seen.

Step 1:
        From DOS, use the COPY from CONsole command to create
        START.BAT in Bill's G: drive:

          COPY CON START.BAT e
                

        The cursor drops to the next line (no DOS prompt is shown), and
        you should type these two lines, pressing Enter after each one:

          NETUSE F: */DOS/APPS/MWORKS20
          F:

Step 2:
        If you want START.BAT to stop here (leaving the user at
        DOS), press Control-Z then Enter and START.BAT will be written to
        disk. Otherwise, add this final line, then press Control-Z then
        Enter to create START.BAT on the disk.

          WMSTART

        Once you've created the file, DOS displays a message "1 File(s)
        copied." Remember to replace "MWORKS20" with the necessary
        directory name for other START.BAT files created for other users
        and their applications. Type DOSEXIT.

        When Bill next logs in, he is automatically taken to this
        directory. If you don't create a START.BAT file for other users,
        be sure they understand to ignore the

          Bad Command or Filename
                
        message they see when first starting DOS. This happens since
        AUTOEXEC.BAT tries to execute START.BAT in a user's directory,
        when no START.BAT is there. If this is a problem, go ahead and
        create a dummy START.BAT in each user's G:-mapped directory that
        contains a single CLS (clear screen) statement:

          COPY CON START.BAT
          CLS

        Then press Control-Z and Enter; START.BAT then just clears the
        screen and leaves the user at the G: prompt.




Avoid "Bad command.." by Updating AUTOEXEC.BAT

If you don't want a user to see the "Bad command or file
name" error, you can further update AUTOEXEC.BAT to prevent this
message from being seen. Here's a sample file:

        ECHO OFF
        PATH E:\;E:\WMCMDS
        USERDEV
        PRINTEND /T:20 NUL
        IF NOT EXIST F:WMSTART.BAT GOTO NEXT_STEP
        F:
        WMSTART
        :NEXT_STEP
        IF NOT EXIST G:START.BAT GOTO END
        G:
        START
        :END
        G:
        ECHO To return to your room, type DOSEXIT and press enter.




The Default Login Script

You can create a startup script that automatically runs an
application, such as Automenu or Windows, each time a user logs in to
the network. You can make this script work for all users, or just
newly created ones. Here's how to do it:

Step 1:
        From the NSS, login as Super_User; enter the Support room.

Step 2:
        Start the Browse Hard Disk 0 Icon.

Step 3:
        Choose system and press Enter; select userids and press
        Enter. Finally, select Super_User and press Enter.

        The next step is where you determine if the script is to be used
        for all users, or just ones created after the script is entered.

     --Step 4a:
     |      To configure the script to run for *ALL* users, both
     |      current and future, select system_defaults and press Enter.
Pick |
one--|
     |
     |
     -- Step 4b:
             To configure the script to run for users which are created
             *AFTER* the script is entered, select model_defaults and press
             Enter.

Step 5:
        Select login and press Enter.
        
Step 6:
        Press F5:EDIT.

Step 7:
        Enter this line:

     !pcdos -0 {} {} {} */DOS/BOOT */DOS/APPS/MAN00001 #user/DOS {} E:

Step 8:
        Press F5:SAVE.

Step 9:
        Press Escape twice to exit to the Support Room

The Automenu program will automatically be executed for the selected
users after a valid login.




Hayes and Smartcom Exec are registered trademarks, and LANstep is a
trademark of Hayes Micrcomputer Products, Inc.

Other trademarks appearing in this document are trademarks of the
respective companies

(C) 1991 Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc.