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OS/2 Help File
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1994-03-13
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Copyright ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol
Version 2.12
Copyright (c) 1991-1994.
WallyWare
2210 Kingston Drive
Wheaton IL, 60187 USA
Dave Wallenberg, Author
CompuServe ID: 72702,2320
Internet ID: 72702.2320@CompuServe.COM
Voice mail: 708/494-0686
All rights reserved
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Welcome to PM Patrol. PM Patrol is a robust and easy to use resource monitoring
facility for OS/2. Allow me to introduce PM Patrol and describe some
quick-hits to help you get going. This introduction is brief, but important.
First of all, if you ever need to see what version of PM Patrol your using,
open the PM Patrol "Copyright" help section or the click the "Product Info..."
menu item found in most PM Patrol menues.
PM Patrol is designed to run all the time. From bootup to shutdown. Always
visible and accessible, PM Patrol offers quick access to many different
monitors and related utilities.
PM Patrol allows you to monitor and track several different resources of your
OS/2 system. These resources are presented to you in a very unintrusive and
meaningful display providing you insight into current system activities. The
appearance of PM Patrol has maintained the attitude that this tool should be
visible, yet not use valuable desktop space.
PM Patrol has no specific audience. The information PM Patrol provides is
valuable to a number of audiences including novices, heavy users, and software
engineers and developers. Some PM Patrol monitors and utility items are geared
more toward software developers, but the majority of PM Patrol is valuable to
anyone.
To help you get going with PM Patrol right now, the following itemizes
quick-hit topics:
1. PM Patrol provides 2 quick ways of getting around. Place the mouse pointer
on the PM Patrol status line. The mouse pointer changes to let you know
your "talking" to PM Patrol. The left mouse button acts different than the
right.
2. From the PM Patrol status line, clicking the left mouse button invokes the
PM Patrol "Options" dialog. This dialog allows you to select and
change/select PM Patrol status line monitors, configuration settings,
various OS/2 system settings, and provides an alternative method for
accessing PM Patrol "Utility" items.
3. From the PM Patrol status line, clicking the right mouse button invokes the
PM Patrol "Utility" popup menu. After you configure PM Patrol to your
personal preferences, this "Utility" popup menu will typically become the
primary access method to PM Patrol features.
4. The PM Patrol icon in the "Utility" popup menu invokes the Table of
Contents for PM Patrol help.
PM Patrol is feature rich. For a complete description of PM Patrol features and
details, refer to Features and Product Information sections of this online
help.
Packaged with PM Patrol are several OS/2 32-bit Command Line utilities. These
utilities compliment the PM Patrol purpose and are described in detail in the
"Command Line Utilities" section of this online help.
The online help describes all facets of PM Patrol. Whenever your in the PM
Patrol online help, you can always view the Table of Contents by selecting
"Contents" under the "Options" menu item.
The online help contains a section called "Problem Determination". If you ever
experience difficulties or potential problems with PM Patrol, refer to this
section of online help. It discusses topics of potential difficulty,
compatibility, and idiosyncrasies of PM Patrol features. Everyone should read
this section.
Thanks for your interest in PM Patrol. Although this "Introduction" is in the
PM Patrol online help, you will not get this automatic introductory help screen
again.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Installation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
To install PM Patrol, run INSTALL.CMD from the distribution diskette.
This will install all necessary files and create a subdirectory called PMP. The
installation procedure also creates the PM Patrol desktop folder. You may move
this into another folder if you wish.
To have PM Patrol start at system bootup, create a 'Shadow' copy of the PM
Patrol icon in the PM Patrol folder and specify the 'Startup' folder as the
target folder. Refer to the OS/2 Workplace Shell user guide for any additional
help.
PM Patrol will not utilize Theseus until Theseus is installed. If the 'Theseus
RAM' and 'Theseus Swap' check box in the 'Options' dialog in PM Patrol is
grayed-out, then Theseus is not installed correctly.
PM Patrol does not require (c)SPM/2, just Version 2 of Theseus and the
following Theseus files installed if Theseus is to be used:
1. THESEUS2.SYS device driver in the CONFIG.SYS
2. THESEUS0.DLL accessible via LIBPATH in CONFIG.SYS
Theseus comes highly recommended. It provides an enormous suite of information.
It is not, however, for the average user.
Note: Theseus/2 is a component of (c)SPM/2 for OS/2 offered by IBM and is
available from IBM and on many OS/2 BBS services. Refer to "Obtaining Theseus"
section for obtaining Theseus/2.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Registration and Pricing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol is developed by WallyWare.
If this proves useful and you wish to continue using PM Patrol, you can receive
regular updates and support by submitting the registration form (REGISTER.TXT)
and $20.00 to:
Dave Wallenberg
Attn: WallyWare
2210 Kingston Drive
Wheaton IL, 60187 USA
PM Patrol pricing is available in 3 forms:
1. Single Copy: $20.00 for single machine.
2. 5 Pack: $75.00 for 5 machines (25% discount).
3. Site License: $225.00 for unlimited copies.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
WallyWare intends to support this product to the best of its abilities. If
problems surface, please report them.
PM Patrol is currently supported primarily via CompuServe on the "OS2BVEN"
forum within the "Shareware" section. Under CompuServe, type "GO OS2BVEN" or
"GO OS2SHARE" to access the CIS forum.
PM Patrol is also supported with the latest versions on the following BBS
systems in the United States:
1. 708/895-4042 Chicago OS/2 Online BBS
2. 703/385-4325 OS/2 ShareWare BBS
3. 203/483-0348 Fernwood OS/2 BBS
Sales and technical support for PM Patrol, along with other WallyWare products
can be obtained by:
1. Leave e-mail via CompuServe ID: 72702,2320
2. Leave e-mail via Internet ID: 72702.2320@CompuServe.COM
3. Call 708/494-0686 and leaving voice mail 24 hours day.
All mail sources are checked daily.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Product Information ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes what PM Patrol is and what it offers
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.1. What is It? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol is a performance and resource monitoring tool for OS/2 v2.1 and up.
The display items, frequency of resource samples, and preferences are user
selectable allowing complete customization.
Always accessible, PM Patrol extends the OS/2 desktop by providing several
utility items and system-wide control items. The goal of PM Patrol attempts to
enhance the desktop and provide insight into OS/2 activities.
Data sampled is capable of being logged for further review.
The appearance of PM Patrol has maintained the attitude that the tool should be
visible, yet not use valuable desktop space. As a result, the main status line
is displayed at the bottom of the display (as default).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.2. What does it do for me? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol enables you see at a glance, many critical OS/2 system resources.
OS/2 does not come with any real-time system monitor that might enable you to
see the on-goings of system events and status of resources. PM Patrol attempts
to fill that need.
It can also play a valuable role in software testing and performance
measurements.
The data can be logged for further review. Captured as text, the logged data
can be manipulated using tools such as Rexx, AWK, GREP, and custom C/C++
programs.
PM Patrol can take advantage of (c)Theseus/2 from IBM to allow even more
granularity of monitoring resources.
Note: Theseus/2 is a component of (c)SPM/2 for OS/2 offered by IBM and is
available from IBM and on many OS/2 BBS services.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.3. Why do I need it? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
You may desire the ability to monitor:
1. Inconspicuous display of current Date and Time
2. Changing the mouse and wait pointers in OS/2
3. Total system up-time
4. Process, thread, semaphore, DLL, drivers, and shared memory activity
5. Process and thread load compared to other active OS/2 activities
6. Complete drive summary and detailed information
7. Local or remote print spooler jobs on a per queue basis
8. Disk Drives online (including network drives)
9. Free space for selected drives (up to 3 drives including network drives)
10. OS/2 swap activity (with support for IBM Theseus for free swap pages)
11. Identify system levels for OS/2 component installed
12. OS/2 memory activity (with support for IBM Theseus)
13. Active number of OS/2 processes and threads
14. CPU utilization (current vs. rolling average over last 1 minute)
15. Battery status for mobile computers
16. Graphical views of memory and CPU usage
17. Several utilities such as Fast Find and Find Duplicate files, Print Spooler
Management, and more
Note: Theseus/2 is a component of (c)SPM/2 for OS/2 offered by IBM and is
available from IBM and on many OS/2 BBS services. Refer to "Obtaining
Theseus" section for obtaining Theseus/2.
PM Patrol contains a growing number of utility functions such as:
1. Robust monitoring of OS/2 processes and threads (PStat Window) with ability
to kill PIDs.
2. Summary and detailed information of drives
3. Summary and detailed information of OS/2 configuration and environment
4. Fast Find files (find duplicates included)
5. Find duplicate files
6. Print queue management
7. Identify system levels for OS/2 component installed
8. Minimize all visible windows
9. Restore all minimized windows
10. Lockup system
11. Suspending power for mobile computers (sleep mode)
12. Suspending the monitor display
13. Starting an OS/2 window session
14. Changing type of mouse and wait pointers for all display types
15. Set system date and time
16. And more.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.4. Who done it? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
(c)PM Patrol was developed by WallyWare.
WallyWare develops OS/2 and UNIX utility based software.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. How do I ? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes how to do things in PM Patrol that may not be obvious.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.1. Set fonts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
You can also select "Font" from the PM Patrol "Options" dialog and select a
font for the PM Patrol main status line.
Or, use the Font Palette in the OS/2 "Setup" folder by dropping a font on the
PM Patrol status line.
Select "Save Settings" from the PM Patrol "Options" dialog to store changes
permanently if "Auto Save" is not enabled.
Note: PM Patrol supports two fonts. One for the main status line. The other
font is accessed through any of the listbox dialogs. The listbox font allows
you to select a "Fixed Size" font for displays such as "PStat Window".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.2. Set Colors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Use the "Colors" dialog. This can be accessed via the PM Patrol Setting option
on the "Options" dialog. You can control both foreground and background RGB
colors with this mechanism.
Or, use the Color Palette in the OS/2 "Setup" folder by dropping a color
selection on the PM Patrol status line.
Select "Save Settings" from the PM Patrol "Options" dialog to store changes
permanently if "Auto Save" is not enabled.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.3. Move the Status line ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The following steps identify how to move the status line and then saving that
position for future use:
1. Single click with both mouse buttons (Chord click) on the PM Patrol status
line. This will enable the title bar to the status line.
2. Select the title bar and hold the mouse button while dragging the status
line to the desired position.
3. Chord click the status line again (or select "Hide Controls" from the
System Menu box) to hide the title bar.
4. Select "Save Settings" from the PM Patrol "Options" dialog to save the
position permanently if "Auto Save" is not enabled.
Select "Save Settings" from the PM Patrol "Options" dialog to store changes
permanently if "Auto Save" is not enabled.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.4. Obtaining (c)Theseus/2 ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Theseus is available on several BBSs. Make sure you get the latest version
(version 2.0 with file dates of at least 9/27/93). On most BBS, the file is
typically called "THES2.ZIP".
If you have trouble locating (c)Theseus/2, WallyWare can help.
Theseus is shipped with SPM/2 which can be purchased from IBM for OS/2.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Features ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes various features of PM Patrol.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. Utility ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Utility section provides a growing number of utility items. This section
will, along with monitor items, continue to grow in functionality.
The "Utility" menu can be accessed from the PM Patrol "Options" dialog or from
the PM Patrol status line and clicking the right mouse button.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.1. Drives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Drives options provides the ability to switch drives that are online and
you wish to monitor, format(full and fast), check and view summary information
for a particular drive.
This is accessed from the PM Patrol "Utility" menu.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.1.1. Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Monitor option provides the ability to switch drives that are online that
you may want to monitor on the PM patrol status line. After selecting this
options, another listbox pops up for you to select a drive.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.1.2. Drive Info ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Drive Info option provides the ability to view summary and detail level
information for a selected drive.
Summary level data displays volume specifics as well as media format and device
type. Summary level data displays a wealth of information.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.1.3. Check Disk ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Check disk launches the PMCHKDSK utility shipped with OS/2. This also maps user
files, directory space, and extended attributes.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.1.4. Format Disk ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Format disk launches the PMFORMAT utility shipped with OS/2.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.1.5. Fast Format ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Fast Format performs a very fast format for diskettes (drives A or B) that are
ALREADY formatted. This is much faster, and easier, than manually deleting
files off a diskette. You'll be surprised how often this proves useful.
Fast Format also allows you to specify a new volume label name.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.2. PStat Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The PStat Window (Process Status) option provides the ability to monitor OS/2
internal process, thread, semaphore, shared memory, and modules that are
active. Processes (PIDs) can be "killed" by selecting "Kill" from the "Action"
menu.
The data displayed in the PStat Load window is as follows: Press Escape to exit
the window and terminate PStat monitoring.
1. "PID" Process ID (displayed as a hex value)
2. "SType" Session type
3. "Thd" Number of threads in the PID
4. "Load" Amount of CPU time the process (PID) consumed since the last sample.
This is a relative CPU load - compared to what else is getting time slices
from OS/2. Active PIDs ("running" or "ready" thread states) are identified
by "*".
5. "Name" Name of the executable
The data displayed in the PStat Summary is as follows: Press Escape to exit the
window and terminate PStat monitoring.
1. "PID" Process ID (displayed as a hex value)
2. "PPID" Parent Process ID (displayed as a hex value)
3. "SID" Session ID (displayed as a hex value)
4. "SType" Session type
5. "Thd" Number of threads in the PID
6. "Sem" Number of semaphores used by the PID
7. "Mod" Number of modules (DLLs) used by the PID
8. "Shr" Number of shared memory references used by PID
9. "MMT" Memory Model Type (16 or 32 bit)
10. "Name" Name of the executable
The data displayed in the Thread Status window is for a given PID and has the
following attributes: Press Escape to go back to PStat Load window.
1. "TID" Thread ID (displayed as a hex value)
2. "Slot" Slot ID for the TID (displayed as a hex value)
3. "Blk ID" Block identifier for a blocked TID (displayed as a hex value)
4. "Pri" Current priority for the TID. This displays both priority class
along with the current priority level (display in hex) within the class.
5. "SysTime" Amount of time thread spends in the OS/2 kernal along with the
percent of "SysTime" compared to TOTAL "SysTime" for all threads in the
same PID.
6. "AppTime" Amount of time application time for the thread along with the
percentage of "AppTime" compared to TOTAL "AppTime" for all threads in the
same PID. This is relative to other threads getting time slices in the
same PID.
7. "State" Identifies what state the thread is in; Blocked, Frozen, Running,
and Ready.
The data displayed in the Shared Memory Status has the following attributes:
Press Escape to exit the window and terminate PStat monitoring.
1. "HMem" Handle to memory allocation (displayed as a hex value)
2. "Sel" Selector to memory (displayed as a hex value)
3. "Refs" Number of references to the memory
4. "Name" Name of the memory used for obtaining addressability
The data displayed in the Module Status has the following attributes: Modules
include DLLs, Device Drivers, and File Systems. Press Escape to exit the window
and terminate PStat monitoring.
1. "HMod" Handle to the module (displayed as a hex value)
2. "MMT" Memory Model Type (16 or 32 bit)
3. "Refs" Number of references to the module
4. "Name" Name of the module
The data displayed in the Semaphore Status has the following attributes: Press
Escape to exit the window and terminate PStat monitoring.
1. "Own" Owning thread of semaphore (displayed as a hex value)
2. "Indx" Index of semaphore (displayed as a hex value)
3. "Flag" Semaphore bit-mapped flags (displayed as a hex value)
4. "Refs" Number of references to semaphore by other programs
5. "Reqs" Number of requests for semaphore by other programs
6. "Name" Name of semaphore used to obtain access to semaphore by programs
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.3. Fast Find ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Fast Find option provides a way to find files on a particular disk drive. A
number of search constraints are available such as finding 32-bit, open files,
and files with a combination of attributes set (Read Only, Hidden, etc).
Enter the desired drive and file to search for. Click "Start" (or Enter] to
begin the search. Click "Stop" to cancel the search.
There is a limit of approximately 600 files that can be collected by the list
box. When you exceed this limit, PM Patrol requests that you narrow your
search. Typically, this means to alter the "File Pattern". Wild cards (*, ?,
etc) are allowed in the "File Pattern" for searches.
Note: Refer to the "FF" command line utility also shipped with PM Patrol for
searching for and collecting large number of files.
Note: Refer to the "FDUPS" command line utility also shipped with PM Patrol
for searching for files that are duplicates.
The "Last Write" and "Last Access" days allow you to specify a number of days
that the file must meet or exceed (>=) for the Fast Find facility to collect.
This is advantageous when searching for inactive files for LAN administration.
Note: The "Last Access" date is only applicable to file systems that support
this attribute, such as HPFS. FAT does NOT support this file system attribute
and therefore use of "Last Access" days should be avoided.
The "File Size" field provides that ability to narrow the search and look for
files where the file size meets or exceeds a given size. This size is specified
in terms of Kilobytes (KB). If your searching for files greater than or equal
to 512K, then enter 512.
Additional search criteria allows you to narrow the search for:
1. "OS2/Win" files. These are files that are OS/2 PM and Windows files using
Win API calls. Files include *.DLL, *.EXE, *.SYS and more.
2. "32-Bit" files. These are files that are 32-bit OS/2 files. Files include
*.EXE, *.DLL, *.SYS, and more.
3. "Opened" files. These are files that are currently open and in use by
other OS/2, DOS, or Windows programs.
4. "DOS" files. These are files that DOS only files and include *.EXE, *.COM,
and more.
Note: Searching for files with the above specified attributes causes
overhead and should be used selectively. Searching for "Opened" files
causes considerable overhead and could take several minutes to complete
search.
Also provided is the ability to restrict the search to finding only files with
particular file attributes. Such as Hidden, ReadOnly, and more. Selecting
these items causes a "RESTRICTIVE" search - not "INCLUSIVE".
You can customize the display items (line numbers, file slack size, file EA
size, and more) in the "View" menu option. These items in the "View" pull-down
menu are able to saved permanently when you perform a "Save Settings" in the PM
Patrol "Options" dialog. If "Auto Save" is enabled, these settings will be save
automatically when PM Patrol ends.
There are several "Action" items that are provided. These include the ability
to "Edit", "View", and "Delete" files that are selected. To select items,
simply single click the item or "Select All" items in the list. Be careful of
the "Delete" option. It works well - even if the file is marked as readonly,
the files will be deleted. A popup message box is displayed to confirm your
"Delete" request.
The "File" and "Edit" options operate the same way as in the "PStat" and "Drive
Info" windows. These options allow you to copy/append to the clipboard, save
list to a file, or print list to a printer.
The Fast Find facility allows you to specify that search operations should
always run at a low priority - only when there is little OS/2 activity. This
can be specified in the "General Configuration" setup and may be desirable for
LAN administration functions. This is identified by "Idle Time Finds".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.4. OS/2 Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The OS/2 Window options opens a new OS/2 command window
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.5. Lockup ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Lockup option invokes the OS/2 "lockup" facility and forces the user to
"log on"
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.6. Sleep ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Sleep option places the mobile computer (SL chips) into suspend mode. This
option is accessible only when APM (Advanced Power Management) in installed.
Refer to the OS/2 Installation Guide for APM details.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.7. Print Spooler ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Spooler options support a variety of Print Spooler utilities such as:
1. Purge 1 or all print queues
2. Release 1 or all print queues
3. Hold 1 or all print queues
These Print Spooler activities are only applicable for the local machine. These
same activities for a server can not be performed within PM Patrol and must be
performed at the server.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.8. Refresh All ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Refresh All option samples and refreshes all items being monitored on the
PM Patrol main status line.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.9. Minimize Windows ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Minimize Windows option minimizes all visible windows on the OS/2 desktop.
Convenient for periodically "clearing" the desktop when too many windows are
active.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.10. Restore Windows ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Restore Windows option restores all minimized windows in the OS/2 Task
Window or Minimized Folder to the OS/2 desktop.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.11. Logger ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Logger facility provides a robust mechanism for recording all PM Patrol
monitors to a file. Once logged, the user can "view" the logged data for
further review.
The log file is ASCII and able to be further manipulated using tools such as
Rexx, AWK, and GREP. A convenient "field separator" (vertical bar=0xb3) is
included in the log file for identifying individual fields in the log file
record.
The PM Patrol Logger is designed with special consideration for performance.
When logging, the Logger mechanism requires very little CPU as PM Patrol
"buffers" in memory up to 10K worth of logging data before it writes to disk.
This write operation constitutes 1 physical disk write. With this method of
logging, the PM Patrol logging overhead is almost negligible. The PM Patrol
Logger can be used in a variety of situations:
1. Real-time and time critical logging with 1 second samples.
2. Casual logging with infrequent (1 per minute) samples
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.11.1. Start/Stop ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Start/Stop option start or stops the logging activity.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.11.2. View Primary Log ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The View Primary Log option allows you to view the contents of the information
recently logged. The Viewer program can be setup in the "General Configuration"
section. The default Viewer is the OS/2 system editor "E.EXE".
The name and location of the primary log file is user settable. This is
specified in the "General Configuration" section under "Logging Options".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.11.3. View Backup Log ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The View Backup Log option allows you to view the contents of the information
logged previously. If the "backup log" option is not enabled, this option is
not accessible.
The location of the backup log file is the same as the location for the primary
log file as specified in the PM Patrol "General Configuration".
The name of the backup log file name is always "PMPATROL.BAK".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1.11.4. Delete All Logs ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Delete All Logs option allows you to delete any and all PM Patrol log files
from disk. This includes the primary and backup log files.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2. System ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The System section provides the ability to view and change several OS/2
environmental facets.
This can be accessed from the PM Patrol "Options" dialog.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.1. System Info ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The System Info displays 4 basic types of information:
1. OS/2 System information displays the basic configuration of OS/2. Many of
the items are static and don't change while OS/2 is operating. Many of
these items are modifiable in the CONFIG.SYS. Refer to OS/2 help for more
detail.
2. Presentation Manager colors. These can be modified via the "Color Palette"
in the OS/2 "System" folder.
3. Presentation Manager information displays items specific to PM. Many of
these can be modified in the "Setup" folder of the WorkPlace Shell.
4. Hardware information includes printer, communication ports, drives, mouse
and more.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.2. Sytem Level ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The System Level option launches the OS/2 SYSLEVEL.EXE utility and displays the
current release and CSD level for the OS/2 components installed on your system.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.3. Set Date/Time ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Set Date/Time option provides a small dialog box for changing the OS/2
system date and/or time. Fully edited for valid dates including leap-year, you
are notified of errors. The Status line Date/Time is updated too.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.4. Mouse Pointer ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Mouse Pointer option allows you to change the current mouse pointer type.
Using the OS/2 Icon Editor, you can create your own POINTER files.
This option was added to provide a bigger pointer for SVGA and XGA systems. On
XGA systems, if you change the default pointer, the pointer may occasionally
disappear. This is most likely caused by the IBM OS/2 XGA drivers.
After selecting a new pointer, DO NOT delete, move, or rename this file without
performing this process as well. OS/2 looks for this at IPL. So put the pointer
file in a safe place on a not removable media type and backup INI files.
Select "Reset" to reset back to the original pointer.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2.5. Wait Pointer ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Wait Pointer option allows you to change the current wait pointer type.
Typically, this is the OS/2 time clock when the system is busy. Using the OS/2
Icon Editor, you can create your own POINTER files.
This option was added to provide a bigger pointer for SVGA and XGA systems. On
XGA systems, if you change the default pointer, the pointer may occasionally
disappear. This is most likely caused by the XGA drivers.
After selecting a new pointer, DO NOT delete, move, or rename this file without
performing this process as well. OS/2 looks for this at IPL. So put the pointer
file in a safe place on a not removable media type and backup INI files.
Select "Reset" to reset back to the original pointer.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3. Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Settings section provides the ability to view, change, and permanently
change PM Patrol configuration items.
This can be accessed from the PM Patrol "Options" dialog.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.1. Save Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Save Settings option permanently saves the current PM Patrol settings. This
includes colors, font, status line position, and options settings (ie. sample
frequencies, etc)
Note: The "Save Settings" option is not necessary to perform if "Auto Save" is
enabled on the PM Patrol "General Configuration" dialog.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.2. Reset Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Reset Settings option resets all PM Patrol options, colors, window
position(s) and options settings to their original defaults
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.3. Change Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Change Settings section allows you to change the primary PM Patrol
configuration items.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.3.1. General ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The General configuration is broken-out into the following groups
1. "Refresh Rates" How often individual monitor items sampled
2. "Startup Items" Features that get started when PM Patrol is started
3. "Other Items" Miscellaneous items
4. "Logging Options" Frequency and duration of logging monitoring items
5. "Paths" Editor and Viewer programs used by PM Patrol
6. "Queues" Queue names to be monitored by PM Patrol
7. "Spooler" Computer name for local or remote print Spool Monitoring
The following items discuss Refresh Rates:
1. The Spool Monitor controls how often (seconds) PM Patrol enumerates the
total number of print jobs across all print queues.
2. The Drive Monitor controls how often (seconds) PM Patrol checks what drives
are online and how much free disk space resides on each.
3. The Swap Monitor controls how often (seconds) PM Patrol checks how large
the OS/2 swapper file is.
Note: If (c)Theseus Swap is enabled, this setting should not be less than
60 seconds as this function of (c)Theseus consumes about 1/2 second on
486-33Mhz for each sample. Set this frequency to 300 seconds (5 minutes) if
using (c)Theseus Swap for ongoing usage.
4. The Queue Monitor controls how often (seconds) PM Patrol checks the number
of messages outstanding in either of the 2 queues selected.
5. The RAM Monitor controls how often (seconds) PM Patrol checks free RAM.
6. The Process Summary controls how often (seconds) PM Patrol enumerates the
number of active OS/2 processes, threads, and OS/2 active windows.
7. The PStat Window controls how often (seconds) PM Patrol refreshes the PStat
Window when this window is active and "Auto-Refresh" is enabled.
The following items discuss Startup Items:
1. Enable PStat Window to have this facility launched when PM Patrol starts.
2. Enable Logging to have the Logger facility start when PM Patrol starts.
The following items discuss Other Items:
1. The 15 Min Alarm option enables/disables an audible sound which occurs at
each quarter hour. Use this feature to remind you of passing time.
2. The Idle Time Finds option controls the priority of "Fast Find" files
operation. When enabled, the Fast Find operation will get OS/2 time slices
only when there is inactivity (idle) within the OS/2 system.
3. The Display Floppies option enables/disables the display of floppy disk
drives in the "Drives Online" monitor and the "Drives List" dialogs.
4. The Auto Save option enables/disables automatic saving of PM Patrol profile
settings when PM Patrol ends. The default for a new PM Patrol installation
is enabled.
The following items discuss Logging Options:
1. The Log Frequency allows you to select the number of seconds at which PM
Patrol logs selected monitor items. Valid values are 1 to 60 seconds (1
minute).
2. The Log Duration allows you to select how long (minutes) to perform
logging. Valid values are 1 minute to 1440 (all day).
Note: Specifying 1440 minutes enables continuous logging. With this
enabled, the log files (primary and backup) get "rolled-over" at midnight.
The "Notify when Done" option is ignored when continuous logging is
enabled.
Note: Worst case disk requirement for all day logging with backup is 16MB.
1/2 of this when "Backup log File" is not enabled.
Note: While continuous logging is active, the primary log file can not be
viewed. The backup log file ( from the previous day) is always accessible.
3. The Fg Color and Bg Color pushbutton items allow you to select the PM
Patrol Status Line colors when logging is active. The default colors
reverse the foreground and background colors.
4. The Backup Log File causes the primary log file to be backed-up each time a
"Start Log" is initiated. With this disabled, the primary log file is
overwritten.
5. The Notify When Done option provides the ability to have PM Patrol pop-up a
messsage on the OS/2 Desktop when logging has reached it's completion via
the "Log Duration" setting. This is ignored for "Continuous Logging".
6. The Log File entry field allows you to specify the location and name of the
log file which PM Patrol will use for logging.
Note: The backup log file created by PM Patrol will be placed in the same
directory as the primary log specified in this field. The name of the file
is always "PMPATROL.BAK".
Note: Both the primary and backup log files are ASCII. Therefore, they
can be viewed and otherwise manipulated using such tools as Rexx, AWK, and
GREP.
The PM Patrol Logger is designed with special consideration for performance.
When logging, the Logger mechanism requires very little CPU as PM Patrol
"buffers" in memory up to 10K worth of logging data before it writes to disk.
This write operation constitutes 1 physical disk write. With this method of
logging, the PM Patrol logging overhead is almost negligible. The PM Patrol
Logger can be used in a variety of situations:
1. Real-time and time critical logging with 1 second samples.
2. Casual logging with infrequent (1 per minute) samples
The following items discuss Paths:
1. The Viewer identifies which OS/2 program/utility to use for viewing. PM
Patrol uses this for Log viewing and others purposes as they surface in
future releases of PM Patrol.
2. The Editor identifies which OS/2 program/utility to use for editing. PM
Patrol uses this for the "Fast Find" files facility and other purposes as
they surface in future releases of PM Patrol.
The following items discuss Queues:
1. The Queue1 field identifies the name of the OS/2 queue to monitor for
outstanding messages. This is for the first queue to monitor. PM Patrol
displays a "?" on the Status Line when it can not poll the queue specified.
2. The Queue2 field identifies the name of the OS/2 queue to monitor for
outstanding messages. This is for the second queue to monitor. PM Patrol
displays a "?" on the Status Line when it can not poll the queue specified.
The following items discuss print Spooler monitor:
1. The Computer field identifies the Computer name to use for the Spool
Monitor. This is typically the Lan Server computer name or the local
workstation.
2. To monitor the local workstation print queues, enter "Local" for the
Computer name. This is also the default. If you enter nothing for this
field, the field defaults to "Local".
3. PM Patrol displays a "?" on the Status Line when it can not poll the queue
specified.
4. A typical Lan Server domain "Computer Name" starts with "\\" followed by
the name. Ask your LAN administrator for this value if your not sure. The
IBMLAN.INI file contains the value of the default domain Computer Name.
5. Monitoring a remote print spooler is only applicable if you have Lan
Requester installed on your workstation, and you are logged onto the
network server.
6. The " Total all Queues" option allows you to summarize all print jobs
across all queues and report this value. If this option is not selected,
PM Patrol reports the number of print jobs in each spooler queue (separated
by "/").
Note: While changing the value of the Computer Name for Spooler Monitoring,
you may experience an occasional delay. This delay is caused by PM Patrol
attempting to "see" the computer name you have entered. Ignore this delay.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.3.2. Font ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Font option allows you to set the display font for the PM Patrol status
line window. You can also use the Font Palette in the OS/2 "System Settings"
folder by dragging the font to the PM Patrol Status line.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.3.3. Colors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Colors option allows you to set the foreground and background colors for
the PM Patrol status line window.
The Propogate option informs PM Patrol to use the color settings selected,
throughout all PM Patrol windows - as opposed to the current OS/2 color
definitions.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.4. Exit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This option is used to end the PM Patrol program
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5. Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The help menu allows quick access to PM Patrol help items including General
Help for all online help items.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.6. Options Pushbutton Items ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes the Options dialog pushbutton items
The OK button accepts changes made to any PM Patrol Status Line settings and
closes the Options dialog window. If (c)Theseus Swap is enabled, there will be
a slight delay while PM Patrol samples this (c)Theseus Swap data.
The Suspend button freezes the Status line display until you resume the display
or select OK or Cancel.
The Minimize option (arrow pointing down) provides a quick mechanism for
minimizing ALL visible OS/2 windows on the desktop thus removing the "clutter".
The Restore option (arrow pointing up) provides a quick mechanism for restoring
ALL minimized windows to the desktop.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.7. Optional Items ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes the optional items on the Options dialog
The (c)Theseus RAM option enables/disables the use of (c)Theseus for
determining free RAM(k) and idle RAM(k). This option is accessible only when
"Memory Monitor" is selected in "Display Monitors".
The (c)Theseus Swap option enables/disables the use of (c)Theseus for
determining free Swap pages(k) in the system swapper file. This option is
accessible only when "Swap Monitor" is selected in "Display Monitors".
The Float to Top option enables/disables PM Patrol's ability to force
visibility of it's windows when other windows overlay it's display.
The CPU Graph option enables/disables a visually graphic display of CPU
activity. This option is accessible only when "CPU Monitor" is selected in
"Display Monitors".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.8. Display Monitors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes the selectable display items. These items are described
in detail under "Status Line" help. Select which items you want to be displayed
on the PM Patrol Status Line.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9. Status Line ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes the monitor items that can be displayed on the main PM
Patrol status line.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9.1. Current Time ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Display of the current date and time updated every 1 minute
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9.2. System Up-Time ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Display the total time that OS/2 has been up and running since last boot.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9.3. Keyboard Status ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Keyboard Status displays the status of CapsLock, NumLock, and ScrollLock
keyboard settings.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9.4. Spooler Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This item allows you to monitor print jobs that are in print queues. This
includes print jobs that are Held, Printing, Canceling, and other dispositions.
There is two types of monitoring:
1. Display total print jobs across all spooler queues.
2. Display total print jobs per spooler queue.
The "Total all Queues" option in the "General Configuration" switches between
the two modes identifies above.
You can monitor the print queues on the LAN server by specifying the domain
Computer Name also in "General Configuration". Refer to this section for more
help detail.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9.5. Drives Online ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This item displays the current drive letters for available drives accessible
from this computer. Network drives are supported.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9.6. Drive1 Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Displays the free space (MB) for a selected drive. To select a different drive
to monitor you may choose you one of the following methods:
1. Single click the right mouse button on the PM Patrol Status line and then
select the "Drives" menu item. Select "Monitor" to choose a drive.
2. Single click on the PM Patrol Status line to get the Options dialog. Then
select the "Utility" menu bar item followed by the "Drives" menu option.
Selected drives can be permanently "remembered" as defaults by selecting "Save
settings" from the "Options" dialog. "Save Settings" is automatically performed
if "Auto Save" is enabled on the "General Configuration" dialog.
Selected drives will report a "?" when the drive goes "offline". This can
occur if the drive is a network drive and the user performs a LOGOFF. Or,
removing a removable media type such as a floppy diskette.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9.7. Drive2 Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Displays the free space (MB) for a second selected drive. To select a different
drive to monitor you may choose you one of the following methods:
1. Single click the right mouse button on the PM Patrol Status line and then
select the "Drives" menu item. Select "Monitor" to choose a drive.
2. Single click on the PM Patrol Status line to get the Options dialog. Then
select the "Utility" menu bar item followed by the "Drives" menu option.
Selected drives can be permanently "remembered" as defaults by selecting "Save
settings" from the "Options" dialog. "Save Settings" is automatically performed
if "Auto Save" is enabled on the "General Configuration" dialog.
Selected drives will report a "?" when the drive goes "offline". This can
occur if the drive is a network drive and the user performs a LOGOFF. Or,
removing a removable media type such as a floppy diskette.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9.8. Drive3 Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Displays the free space (MB) for a second selected drive. To select a different
drive to monitor you may choose you one of the following methods:
1. Single click the right mouse button on the PM Patrol Status line and then
select the "Drives" menu item. Select "Monitor" to choose a drive.
2. Single click on the PM Patrol Status line to get the Options dialog. Then
select the "Utility" menu bar item followed by the "Drives" menu option.
Selected drives can be permanently "remembered" as defaults by selecting "Save
settings" from the "Options" dialog. "Save Settings" is automatically performed
if "Auto Save" is enabled on the "General Configuration" dialog.
Selected drives will report a "?" when the drive goes "offline". This can
occur if the drive is a network drive and the user performs a LOGOFF. Or,
removing a removable media type such as a floppy diskette.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9.9. Queue1 Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Displays the outstanding number of messages in a given OS/2 queue. This is the
first queue. The name of the queue is specified in "General Configuration"
under "Queue1". Queues are used by both OS/2 and individual programs. This
provides a mechanism to monitor "named" queues and is typically used in
real-time software where programs communicate via queues. Otherwise known as
Inter-Process Communication (IPC).
PM Patrol displays a "?" on the Status Line when it can not poll the queue
specified.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9.10. Queue2 Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Displays the outstanding number of messages in a given OS/2 queue. This is the
second queue. The name of the queue is specified in "General Configuration"
under "Queue2". Queues are used by both OS/2 and individual programs. This
provides a mechanism to monitor "named" queues and is typically used in
real-time software where programs communicate via queues. Otherwise known as
Inter-Process Communication (IPC).
PM Patrol displays a "?" on the Status Line when it can not poll the queue
specified.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9.11. Swap Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This display option displays the current size of the OS/2 swapper file.
Optionally, if (c)Theseus Swap is enabled, this will also display the amount of
4KB free frames (represented as KB) inside the active swapper file. Refer to
the "Problem Determination" section of online help for more Thesues/2 Swap
ramifications.
Refer to (c)Theseus documentation for details of free swapper frames for more
detail on this topic.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9.12. Memory Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This displays the amount of free RAM (k) and the largest free block (LFB) of
memory (k).
Optionally, if (c)Theseus RAM is enabled, this will instead display free memory
according to (c)Theseus along with the amount of memory (k) that is idle.
Refer to (c)Theseus documentation for details of free memory and idle memory
for more detail on this topic.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9.13. Process Summary ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This display item show the number of OS/2 processes and threads in the system.
This includes PIDs and TIDS of any state; Blocked, Running, and Runnable.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9.14. Battery Status ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This item informs the user how much battery power is remaining.
Note: This option is accessible only if APM is installed via OS/2 and the
computer is a mobile computer capable of power management (ie 386sl+).
When (and if) the battery status is unknown, PM Patrol displays a question mark
in replacement of the actual percentage of power remaining.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9.15. CPU Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol monitors the CPU utilization every second. If the "CPU Graph" has
been enabled in the Options dialog, then a psudo-graphical display is shown in
addition to the percentage.
Along with the current CPU load, PM Patrol also maintains a rolling average of
CPU utilization over the past 1 minute.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.10. Command Line Utilities ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes utilities shipped with PM Patrol and are accessed from
the OS/2 command line.
Packaged with PM Patrol are several OS/2 32-bit Command Line utilities. These
utilities compliment the PM Patrol purpose.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.10.1. FF (Find Files) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This utility is accessed from the OS/2 command prompt window. By default, this
utility is installed into the PMP subdirectory. To allow this utility to be
invoked regardless of the current working directory, alter the CONFIG.SYS file
and add PMP to the end of the PATH statement.
It provides the same functionality and features as the "Fast Find" facility of
PM Patrol. FF enables you to search for files across multiple drives regardless
of the number of files. Like the "Fast Find", FF is a turbo charged "find
files" utility.
The syntax for "FF" is:
FF filespec [options] [? for help]
"filespec" represents a File Pattern where wild cards are allowed. The default
File Pattern is "*" for all files.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.10.2. FDUPS (Find Duplicates) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This utility is accessed from the OS/2 command prompt window. By default, this
utility is installed into the PMP subdirectory. To allow this utility to be
invoked regardless of the current working directory, alter the CONFIG.SYS file
and add PMP to the end of the PATH statement.
The "FDUPS" utility finds duplicate files by comparing the file name, size
and/or last write date. Between these options, you expect a very high
confidence level that 1 or more files are in duplicate.
The "FDUPS" utility takes several minutes to run depending on the number of
files on the disk drive being searched. Select the /i option to make FDUPS run
at idle time - when there is little OS/2 activity.
The syntax for "FDUPS" is:
FDUPS filespec [options] [? for help]
"filespec" represents a File Pattern where wild cards are allowed. The default
File Pattern is "*" for all files.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.10.3. PIDKILL (Kill OS/2 Process) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This utility is accessed from the OS/2 command prompt window. By default, this
utility is installed into the PMP subdirectory. To allow this utility to be
invoked regardless of the current working directory, alter the CONFIG.SYS file
and add PMP to the end of the PATH statement.
The "PIDKILL" utility allows you to terminate (UNIX-KILL 9) a OS/2 program and
all it's threads.
"PIDKILL" takes 1 parameter; the PID to kill. This PID value can be identified
by using the PM Patrol PStat window or using the OS/2 "PSTAT" command line
utility shipped with OS/2.
Note: A PID that is "blocked" (waiting on another OS/2 resource) may not
always be able to be "killed". Repeat attempt may be necessary.
The syntax for "PIDKILL" is:
PIDKILL pid
"pid" represents a HEX value as identified in the PM Patrol PStat window or the
OS/2 command line utility "PSTAT".
Note: Recall the PM Patrol PStat window allows you to "Kill" pids.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.10.4. SCOPY (Shared Copy File) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This utility is accessed from the OS/2 command prompt window. By default, this
utility is installed into the PMP subdirectory. To allow this utility to be
invoked regardless of the current working directory, alter the CONFIG.SYS file
and add PMP to the end of the PATH statement.
The "SCOPY" utility allows you to copy a file that is opened and in use by
another process (program). Unless the owning process has opened the file
disallowing "read" access, SCOPY will always work.
The syntax for "SCOPY" is:
SCOPY source target
"source" represents the file to copy.
"target" represents the directory and/or file name to create as the target.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.10.5. QMGMT (Queue Management) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This utility is accessed from the OS/2 command prompt window. By default, this
utility is installed into the PMP subdirectory. To allow this utility to be
invoked regardless of the current working directory, alter the CONFIG.SYS file
and add PMP to the end of the PATH statement.
The "QMGMT" utility allows you to perform various Print Spooler Queue
management functions similar to Print Spooler functions available in the PM
Patrol program.
These functions include purging, releasing, holding, and deleting 1 or more
spooler queues.
The syntax for "QMGMT" is:
QMGMT qname [options]
"qname" represents the queue to act upon. Enter a queue name or default to ALL
queues.
"options" represents 1 of the actions to perform on the print queue. By
default, QMGMT will report summary information (/I) and status of the queue(s).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Miscellaneous ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section discusses various catchall items of interest
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1. Mouse control with PM Patrol ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Single click the left mouse button on the PM Patrol status line to get to PM
Patrol Options.
Single click the right mouse button on the PM Patrol status line for quick
access the PM Patrol utilities menu.
Single click the left and right mouse buttons (Chord click) on the PM Patrol
status line to display the PM Patrol title bar and system menu. This allows you
to move the PM Patrol status line to a desired position. Chord click again to
hide the title bar, or select the "System Menu" box on the title bar and then
select "Hide Controls".
Note: If "Auto Save" is not enabled, don't forget to "Save Settings" once you
have positioned the PM Patrol status line where you want.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Problem Determination ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section discusses topics of potential difficulty, compatibility, and
idiosyncrasies of PM Patrol features. Everyone should read this section.
Free memory always reports 0 free KB:
1. The PM Patrol algorithm uses the MinFree parameter of the SWAPPATH
statement in the CONFIG.SYS in the calculation of free memory. The current
algorithm requires this parameter to be 2048 (2MB) for accurate results.
2. This algorithm will be enhanced in a future version to remove this
limitation. Sorry for any inconvenience.
3. Alternatively, you can use the "Thesues/2 RAM" option of PM Patrol to
monitor RAM usage and status.
Using Theseus/2 for RAM and/or Swap causes PM Patrol to report an error with
Theseus/2:
1. Using the "Theseus/2 Swap" option continuously is not recommended. Use this
option SELECTIVELY. It causes an irritating 1/2 second delay every time
Swap information is sampled and when used continuosly has been known to
cause erronious and sporatic Thesues/2 errors.
2. Make sure you have Theseus/2 installed correctly and the DLL can be found
via the LIBPATH in the CONFIG.SYS file.
3. When using the "Theseus Swap", increase the refresh rate of "Swap monitor"
in the "General Configuration" so PM Patrol samples this less frequently.
Consider every 3 to 5 minutes.
After changing the OS/2 mouse pointer, the mouse pointer seems to occasionally
disappear:
This infrequent bummer is caused by the XGA-2 video device drivers. The OS/2
2.1 CSD should address this problem.
Using the "Float to Top" from PM Patrol causes erroneous errors and sporatic PM
behavior: Turn off this option until further notice. PM Patrol is using the
normal APIs to accomplish this. Additional testing of this feature will be done
after OS/2 2.1 CSD are ruled out.
Using another CPU monitor program causes questionable CPU results to be
reported by PM Patrol: The PM Patrol CPU monitor does not behave well when
other CPU monitors are used. This is nothing against PM Patrol or other CPU
monitors, it's just the nature of the monitor and how a CPU monitor works. They
are not designed to "compete" with each other.
Not all Monitor display items can fit on the PM Patrol status line:
1. Depending on the font you have selected, this may be true. Try using a
smaller font - perhaps a VIO style font. The 2.VIO font is the smallest
font for a VGA system.
2. Another option is to turn off the "Graphical" display of free memory or CPU
usage. This will then display the numeric values only.
3. If there are a lot of drives online, turn off the "Drives Online" monitor
of PM Patrol.
4. Turn off the "Process Summary" monitor and use the PStat Load window
instead. This provides more information anyway.
PM Patrol displays Drive B when no physical Drive B exists: OS/2 supports two
"logical" floppy drives. A and B, even if drive B is nonexistant. In fact, if
you were to type "Dir B", OS/2 will prompt you to insert a diskette into drive
B. This demonstrates 1 physical but 2 logical drives.
Your system seems to contantly show excess CPU usage via the PM Patrol CPU
monitor:
1. It's not unusal with todays diverse software, multimedia, and the ability
to run DOS/Windows under OS/2, to see constant CPU usage. Use the PM Patrol
PStat Load window to identify culprits of CPU activity.
2. Check to make sure the PM Patrol refresh rates found in "General
Configuration" are not set at their absolute most frequent values. These
minimum values on systems with or less than a 386-33 MHz processors can be
too aggresive.
3. Make sure your not running another CPU monitor in additiona to PM Patrol.
If you must, turn off the "CPU Monitor" in the PM Patrol "Options" dialog.
PM Patrol seems to use a lot CPU if I watch it in the PStat Load Window: This
is an illusion. PM Patrol has a process thread inside of it that will consume
CPU cycles even when you're doing nothing on the computer. This is part of the
CPU monitor algorithm. This thread runs only when NO other programs need the
CPU. This is called idle time consumption and it's how PM Patrol determines
what amount of CPU is being used as compared to the amount of CPU PM Patrol can
grab when the CPU is busy. This concept is, in part, why running more than one
CPU monitor defeats the purpose and causes incorrect data. Each CPU monitor is
competing against the other. The PStat Window offers the ability to
hide/un-hide viewing PM Patrol activity. Typically, PM Patrol is disabled from
being viewed.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. Caveats ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
When properly tuned, PM Patrol causes no system degradations. The overhead for
PM Patrol is no more than 1-2 percent CPU load (average of 1 minutes) and only
when resource sampling occurs.
PStat Window monitoring causes minor delays in the form of brief CPU spikes.
These spikes are normal and can be further controlled in the PM Patrol
"Configuration" for "Refresh Rates".
Several of the PM Patrol sampling threads run at or near "Idle" time priority -
when there is little or no system activity.
The PM Patrol defaults and minimum allowable setting for "Refresh Rates"
protects you from system-wide degradation.
WallyWare is committed to supporting and enhancing PM Patrol. However, due to
the nature of some of the PM Patrol features (i.e. PStat Window) and it's
unique application, compatibility with future versions of OS/2 can not be 100%
guaranteed. If incompatibilities surface, PM Patrol will be modified, enhanced,
and registered users notified of the availability and enhancements.
Please report any problems, comments, and suggestions to CompuServe ID:
72702,2320 or via Internet at 72702.2320@CompuServe.COM).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12. Disclaimer ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This product is supplied "as is", and without any warranties.
WallyWare accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage; whether physical,
financial, emotional, social, mental, marital, or otherwise that may result
from the use of this product.
WallyWare intends to support this product to the best of its abilities. If
problems surface, please report them. Refer to the "Support" section of this
online help for contacting WallyWare.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13. What's new ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The following items are new in this version of PM Patrol:
1. This version causes the PM Patrol profile to be initialized due to the
addition of new profile data. Sorry for any inconvenience - again.
2. Added a print Spool Monitor to report the number of queued print jobs
across each or all print queues installed. This can monitor local or remote
server print queues. The Spool Monitor can be accessed in the PM Patrol
"Options" dialog under "Display Items". The refresh frequency can be
modified as usual under the "General Configuration". The default monitors
the local computer and displays total queued print jobs per queue.
3. Added a group of Print Spooler Management functions allowing you to Purge 1
or all print queues, Release 1 or all queues, or Hold 1 or all queues.
Unlike the "Spool Monitor", these functions are only applicable to the
local computer. This can be accessed from the "Utility" popup menu or
"Options" dialog utility menu.
4. Added another Command Line utility, "QMGMT.EXE" which operates identically
to the Print Spooler Management functions build into PM Patrol- another
freebie.
5. Added a nice little feature that checks if you have a diskette in drive A
at the time of a shutdown and reminds you to remove the diskette b/4
reboot.
6. Added the ability to filter-out floppy drives from PM Patrol displays. This
option can be accessed from the "General Configuration" dialog and is
called "Display Floppies". The default filters-out floppy drives.
7. Added a popup menu for the PStat Window that allows quick access to
"Action" menu items.
8. The default colors for the main status line have been aligned to popular
preferences.
9. Moved the "Auto Save" profile option from the "Options" dialog to the
"Other Items" group in the "General Configuration".
10. Fixed a bug in the "Drives Online" monitor that caused erroneous data to
appear on the status line.
11. Added a few sections to the online help. Including "Introduction", "Problem
Determination", and additional information regarding support for
non-CompuServe members in the online help. Every should read the "Problem
Determination" section.
Although this "What's New" help is in the online help, you will not get this
automatic introductory help screen again until you install a new version of PM
Patrol.
Note: The online help contains a section called "Problem Determination". It
discusses topics of potential difficulty, compatibility, and idiosyncrasies of
PM Patrol features. Everyone should read this section. The file "HISTORY.TXT"
contains a complete list of the PM Patrol enhancements, fixes, and changes
throughout previous versions.