Q: My application opens multiple files on the server and these files need to be shared by multiple workstations. What should I load on the server to allow this to happen?
A: There is a file called SHARE.EXE (MS DOS v4.0 and above or DR DOS v5.0 and above) that allows files to be shared by multiple workstations. The following load parameter should be adequate for most applications:
SHARE /F:8000 /L:100
The /F: parameter allocates file space for the storage area used to record file sharing information. The default is 2048. Each file requires enough space for the length of the full filename plus 11 bytes.
The /L: parameter allocates the number of locks you want to allow. The default is 20 locks.
If you still have problems, refer to the instructions for the specific application you are installing to see if the parameters should be increased.
Q: If I am attaching to a native Netware environment, when should I load NETX?
A: NETX must be loaded AFTER Server.EXE is loaded. It doesn't matter if it is loaded before or after Client.EXE is loaded. Load files in the following order for a machine that is both a server and a client in Netware Lite and also is attaching to a native Netware server:
LSL
NE2000 (or other driver)
IPXODI
SHARE
SERVER
CLIENT
NET LOGIN <login name>
NET MAP <map all Lite drives here>
NET CAPTURE <capture all Lite printers here>
NETX
H: (your network drive letter)
LOGIN <username>
Q: What kind of NICs can I use with Netware Lite?
A: Any cards that have a CERTIFIED ODI driver. You can get a list of these drivers by calling the Novell Product Information Group at 1-800-638-9273. Ask for a list of certified drivers for NWLITE. You can also obtain a list by downloading two files from NetWire called IMSPL1.ZIP and IMSPL2.ZIP.These are found in the NOVLIB forum in library 11.
Q: What is the best way to stay current on technical NetWare Lite issues?
A: Novell Services provides users an automated FAX system. This FAX system allows users to get free technical information on NWLITE. To access the system, dial 1-800-NETWARE (638-9273). When the recording starts, press the * key on the phone. This forwards you to the Fax system. Follow the prompts to have the documents sent to your fax machine. To get a master listing of all documents available, request document 100.
Serial printing ISSUES under NetWare
Q: What pins does NetWare use for handshaking?
A: For hardware handshaking, NetWare checks to see that the Clear to Send (CTS) pin is asserted (high) before sending data to the printer. For software handshaking, NetWare is looking at the receive pin for the control characters. The only pins that NetWare needs for flow control and data transfer for both hardware and software handshaking are pins 2 (data to the printer), 3 (control characters from the printer), 5 (control signal level from the printer), and 7 (signal ground).
Q: What about the pins on the printer?
A: This question is more complex, as there is no standard to which printers can conform. Printers receive data on the receive pin (pin 3 on a 25 pin connector), send control characters on the transmit pin (pin 2), use pin 7 as the signal ground, and generally use Data Terminal Ready (DTR (pin 20)) for hardware handshaking. Some printers use pin 11, 19, or 4 for the hardware handshaking signal. That is usually all a printer will need to function correctly, but some printers use pins 6, 8, 5, or some other pin as an enabling signal to receive or come back on line after going off.
Q: Why do I have problems with my serial networked printer when it works fine with DOS?
A: Any of several reasons may be the cause of your problems:
(1) NetWare checks to ensure that CTS is enabled or high before it sends data to the attached printer. DOS checks that both CTS and Data Set Ready (DSR) are high before sending. Sometimes the cabling is set up so that CTS is pulled high all the time so that only DSR is used to control the data flow. This arrangement causes the printer buffer to overflow with a sufficiently large print job under NetWare.
(2) NetWare addresses the port directly. The differences in timing between NetWare and the ROM BIOS routine used under DOS causes problems with some ports.
(3) Some versions of the PSERVER application manipulate the signals Request to Send (RTS) and DTR differently than DOS does. These signals are sometimes cabled over to the printer and used to enable pins 5, 6, and/or 8 (see answer 1 above).
Q: Why do my jobs go to the queue and then just disappear?
A: NetWare can tell if a printer is not able to receive data only if the CTS pin is low or if a control character is received on the receive pin (XON/XOFF). If there is a problem with the cable or if the cable is not plugged in and the PC pulls the pins high (many do), NetWare thinks all is well and dumps the job to the transmit pin. A corrupted PostScript job can also cause this.
Q. My jobs print okay most of the time, but sometimes the printer goes off-line and I have to restart everything to resume printing. Why?
A. This problem can be caused by printers that need to have pins 6 and/or 8 enabled to return to an on-line status. Novell recommends using pin 4 (RTS) on the printer side to always enable pins 6 and 8. This may not work on all printers. It depends how close to the "norm" they are. See also answers two and three.
NETWARE FOR MACINTOSH ISSUES
Q: On my AppleTalk network there are devices coming and going from the Chooser, errors in the v3.11 NetWare file server's log, and slow and intermittent performance. What is the problem?
A: These symptoms can be attributed to many problems. The most common problem is incorrect AppleTalk network number configurations. If the NetWare for Macintosh server is the only device routing AppleTalk packets, you only need to make sure all the network numbers being used are unique and that a zone name is defined for each network (either unique or alike).
If there are other AppleTalk routers on the network, this becomes more complicated. When two AppleTalk routers have a network segment in common, they both need to agree on the information being advertised for the network. Networks these routers do not have in common must be unique.
If Routers A and B share the same Ethernet backbone, both Router A and Router B must agree on the net number and zone names being used for the backbone Ethernet. Their internal networks and networks they route for should have unique net numbers, but the zones can vary depending on the most logical configuration for the site. An example of the AUTOEXEC.NCF for Router A would look like this:
FILE SERVER NAME TEST1
IPX INTERNAL NET C900083A
LOAD APPLETLK NET=5000 ZONE={"ServerZone1"} #internal AppleTalk net number#
BIND APPLETLK TO ETALK2 NET=10-12 ZONE={"Admin", "Eng"} #Ethernet backbone#
LOAD DL2000 INT=5 PORT=240 NAME=LTALK
BIND APPLETLK TO LTALK NET=20 ZONE={"Sales"} #unique LocalTalk network#
LOAD AFP
LOAD ATPS
If there is a net number or zone name conflict on the network, symptoms include devices coming and going from the Chooser, errors in the file server's log, and slow and intermittent performance.
Remember, if you need to reconfigure a router, take it off the network first.
Q: Whenever I print a PageMaker v4.2 document from my Macintosh to a NetWare for Macintosh queue, it is extremely slow. Why?
A: Aldus changed the structure of the queries that the Aldus print driver uses to get information from printers on fonts, proc sets, and some others. This will be seen in the form of all fonts being downloaded to the NetWare for Macintosh queues (VAPs and NLMs) because the Aldus driver expects a different format of the font list. Prior to v4.2, Aldus used the same format as the Apple LaserWriter driver and everything worked correctly. To resolve this problem do the following:
VAPs - (a) Use the Apple LaserWriter driver instead. Do this by holding down the command-option key before selecting "Print" from the File menu. Note: Some special PageMaker printing features may not work, but most jobs should print properly.
(b) Change the PostScript options within the Aldus driver in the following manner:
(1) If all fonts are resident on the printer:
Turn off the "Download bit-mapped fonts" and "Download PostScript fonts" options.
(2) If some fonts must be downloaded to the printer:
Turn off the "Download PostScript fonts" option.
NLMs - same as VAPs, or set up a duplicate queue, but use the -o option to name it something like -o "PageMaker 4.2 queue." Use the -f option to specify a font filename that has been formatted the way the Aldus driver expects to receive the font list. This format would need a "/" character in front of each font. For example,
/NewCenturySchlbk-Italic
/Bookman-LightItalic
/Helvetica
/Courier-Bold/Helvetica-Narrow-Bold
/Courier-BoldOblique/Times-Italic
*Remember to include an asterick after the last font listed to indicate the end of the file.
Q: In setting up NetWare for Macintosh print queues, I can't get the queue to reliably attach to the printer off the Dayna EtherPrint box. What is the problem?
A: There have been various problems reported with both the EtherPrint and EtherPrint Plus devices. They have been known to have problems where the NetWare for Macintosh queue cannot attach to the printer off the EtherPrint. In v3.x NetWare for Macintosh this causes the queue to not be advertised. In v2.x NetWare for Macintosh users can see the queue, but the job does not print out. Dayna has a ROM upgrade that resolves this problem. They can be reached at 801-531-0600.
Q: I can't install the v2.0 DataClub Upgrader on my System 7.x Macintosh that is running v1.1 (or v1.1.1) DataClub. What is the problem?
A: DataClub is a new product that became part of the Novell product line when International Business Software was acquired. With DataClub, every Macintosh on the network contributes to shared storage space. This single shared device, called a "virtual server," works and acts just like a dedicated server, but doesn't require dedicated hardware.
To resolve this problem, copy the old DataClub from the Program Disk into the Control Panel folder on the System 7.x Macintosh and then run the v2.0 Upgrader. This allows the Upgrader program to find the DataClub files and upgrade them correctly.
NetWare Connectivity Products Issues
Q: I have a NACS 3 with a Digiboard. This setup just doesn't seem to work right. What can I do?
A: Novell knows of at least one problem where the Digiboard driver causes erratic behavior with NACS. Novell recommends updating the digiboard driver for your NACS setup. Drivers dated 5/20/92 or later should fix the problem. The digiboard drivers are available from the Digiboard BBS (612-943-0812).
Q: Why can't I print from one of my applications while using Access Server.
A: Access Server uses Interrupt 17H for printing, but a few applications do not support 17H for printing. If you have this problem, and ONLY if you have this problem, download PTF271.ZIP from NetWire, Forum NOVLIB, Library 9.
Q: I copied the STRNRTR to my PCS (PC Support) directory, but when STRNRTR CONFIG.PCS is entered, nothing seems to happen. Why?
A: To move STRNRTR from the AS400 directory to another drive, you must move all the files in the AS400 directory.
Q I am running NetWare for SAA with PC Support to connect to an AS/400. How do I use STARTPCS.BAT?
A: Modify the STRNRTR %1 /Z line to include the actual path where the router is located.
Q: How do I limit the number of drives that PC Support shared folders allocates?
A: There are two ways:
(1) Specify the number of drives in CONFIG.SYS as follows:
DEVICE=ECYDDX.SYS DRIVES=2
(2) Using the STARTPCS.BAT file, REM the lines as follows:
CFGFLR %1 /Z
@IF ERRORLEVEL 20 GOTO EXIT
REM @IF NOT ERRORLEVEL 15 GOTO EXIT
REM @ECHO 5049 - DRIVE I WAS NOT ASSIGNED TO A SPECIFIC SYSTEM
REM @GOTO EXIT
:CDIFLR
Q: Can protocols other than IPX/SPX (and Novell's NetBIOS) be transmitted across Link/64 and Link/T1?
A: No, not even if you have the Multi Protocol Router package.
