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1992-04-10
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____________________________________________________________________________
STACKER NOTE Stac Electronics Technical Note
Subject: Windows 3.1 and Stacker
Tec033 - 4/09/92
____________________________________________________________________________
Stacker and Windows 3.1 are 100% compatible. This document addresses
basic questions and provides guidelines for fine tuning your Stacker/Windows
configuration. It covers the Windows Setup program, the use of Virtual
Memory Swap Files, and SMARTDRV.EXE.
Note: 32-bit disk access and Stacker:
This feature allows direct disk access while in the 386 Enhanced mode.
Windows 3.1 is aware of Stacker drives and will not attempt to access them
with this method.
I. Windows 3.1 SETUP:
1. It is recommended that you make backup copies of your Config.sys
and Autoexec.bat files prior to running SETUP. If C: is a Stacker
drive that is being SSWAPped with its host drive, Windows may make
modifications to these files on C: and then copy them to the
host drive. This could potentially overwrite the host Config.sys
and Autoexec, leaving you without the originals (no backup copies
are made). To prepare for this, make sure the Autoexec.bat and
Config.sys files are identical on both drives. Users with the
Stacker version 1.x "pointer" Autoexec.bat on C: should replace it
with the "real" one. The easiest way to do this is to rename the
"pointer" by typing: REN AUTOEXEC.BAT AUTO.XXX
Then copy the Autoexec from the host drive to C:.
2. SETUP may modify the Stacker device driver line in the Config.sys.
This may make your Stacker drives temporarily inaccessible. If this
occurs, just replace Config.sys with a backup copy or reconstruct it
if you don't have one. Refer to the Stacker device driver section in
the users manual for more information on the driver syntax. You may
locate existing Stacvol files by running FINDVOL from the Stacker
distribution diskette.
3. If upon reboot your system seems to be caught in a loop, you may have
two copies of the "pointer" Autoexec.bat pointing at each other.
Press <ctrl><break> to halt execution of the Autoexec.bat file. Next
examine the Autoexec.bat on C: and on the host drive to determine if
this in fact is the case. If so, restore a backup copy of the "real"
Autoexec.bat to both C: and its host drive.
II. Virtual Memory Swap Files:
1. Permanent and Temporary virtual memory swap files may be established
on uncompressed drives. The size and location of these files can be
set in the Virtual Memory section of Control Panel's 386 Enhanced
program. It is possible to create a temporary swap file on a Stacker
drive by manually adding the parameters to the System.ini file.
However, it is generally recommended that the file exist on an
uncompressed drive to keep the fragmentation level low in the Stacker
drive.
2. In order to create enough free uncompressed disk space, you may have
to "Shrink" the Stacker drive by running SDEFRAG /G on that drive.
Once you have increased the amount of space, you may also have to
make it contiguous by running a disk optimization program on the host
drive. Before optimization, unmount the Stacker drive and remove the
attributes from the associated Stacvol file by running:
SATTRIB -r -s -h STACVOL.DSK (the name of your STACVOL file
may differ).
Note: SDEFRAG is designed to optimize Stacker drives. It will not
optimize an uncompressed drive.
III. SMARTDRV.EXE
1. Windows may install SMARTDRV.EXE on your system. SMARTDRIVE works
well in a Stacker environment, but only caches the "host" uncompressed
drive. It will not cache the Stacker drive directly and will report
that it is "unable to cache the drive" if instructed to do so. By
caching the host drive it is caching compressed data, effectively
doubling the size of the cache.
2. SMARTDRV.EXE and "Replaced Stacker drives"
If you are loading the Stacker driver into upper memory with QEMM386
or 386MAX and are using SMARTDRIVE to cache replaced drives, you may
find those drives inaccessible. With this configuration it is
necessary to mount and replace the drives after SMARTDRIVE has been
loaded. To do this, add a '@' to the Stacker device driver for each
drive you want to replace. Then mount the drive in Autoexec.bat after
the SMARTDRIVE line with:
Stacker x: where x is the host drive letter.
3. SMARTDRV.EXE and SDEFRAG
SMARTDRIVE incorporates a "write delay" cache. It is imperative that
caching be turned off for the Stacker drive to be SDEFRAGged. This
can be accomplished by typing: SMARTDRV /R d- where d is the
letter of the Stacker host drive. Then run SMARTDRV /S to make sure
that drive letter is no longer on the list of drives being cached.
SMARTDRV may also be disabled by REMarking the line in Autoexec.bat
and rebooting.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1992 STAC Electronics