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Monster Media 1996 #15
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PMPATROL.HLP
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OS/2 Help File
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1996-04-30
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. License Information ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol(tm)
(c) Copyright 1993-96, WallyWare, All rights reserved.
Unregistered copies of PM Patrol are freely distributable and copying is
encouraged. If you like it, tell a friend. If not, tell us.
PM Patrol is supplied "as is" without any warranties either expressed or
implied.
IN NO EVENT WILL WALLYWARE BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL,
PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM OR CONNECTED WITH
THIS AGREEMENT OR USE OF THIS PRODUCT, REGARDLESS WHETHER WE KNOW OR HAVE
REASON TO KNOW OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES MAY NOT ALLOW
EXCLUSION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES AND SO THE FOREGOING EXCLUSION
MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
The version of PM Patrol is distributed under a Software License Agreement
which is included with this version of PM Patrol and available for preview
without registration required.
If you have any questions about your rights or responsibilities concerning the
use of this product please contact:
WallyWare
2210 Kingston Drive
Wheaton, Illinois 60187 USA
Internet EMail: wally@interaccess.com
CompuServe EMail: 72702,2320
Phone: 1-708-510-7412 (1-630-510-7412 after 7/96)
Fax: 1-708-690-8893 (1-630-690-8893 after 7/96)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol(tm)
PM Patrol is robust, yet easy to use resource monitoring and management
software for OS/2 version 2.1+ and all versions of OS/2 Warp.
Allow me to introduce PM Patrol and describe some quick-hits to help you get
going. This introduction is brief, but important.
You can ALWAYS get the latest version of PM Patrol from our WallyWare Internet
Web site at http://homepage.interaccess.com/~wally and send Internet EMail to
wally@interaccess.com.
To identify the current version, the licensed name, and serial number for this
copy of PM Patrol, refer to "Product Information" accessable from several PM
Patrol menus. The serial number is necessary when seeking technical support
from WallyWare.
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; Helping You Manage the Power of OS/2
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. In order to accomplish this, PM
Patrol provides a Status Line at the bottom of your screen which displays the
monitors you have selected. In most cases, not all monitors can fit on the
Status Line - as expected. But, you can change the font of the Status Line so
that more information can fit in. Also, some of PM Patrol's other monitor
windows, besides the Status Line, concentrate on categories of resources in
OS/2 (ie. Memory). Therefore, you don't necessarily want or need everything on
the Status Line. Only those items you want to see all the time.
PM Patrol has a broad appeal. 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.
PM Patrol is feature rich. For a complete description of PM Patrol features and
details, refer to Features and Product Information sections of this on-line
help. To see how PM Patrol compares to other OS/2 resource monitor software,
refer to the online help section "Comparative Matrix" also under Product
Information.
Packaged with PM Patrol are several OS/2 32-bit Command Line utilities. These
utilities complement the PM Patrol personality and are described in detail in
the "Command Line Utilities" section of this on-line help.
The on-line help describes all facets of PM Patrol. Whenever you are in the PM
Patrol on-line help, you can always view the Table of Contents by selecting
"Contents" under the "Options" menu item.
The on-line help contains a section called "Trouble Shooting". If you ever
experience difficulties or potential problems with PM Patrol, refer to this
section of on-line help. It discusses topics of potential difficulty,
compatibility, and idiosyncrasies of PM Patrol features. Everyone should read
this section.
Another on-line help section called "Support", provides basic support
information for PM Patrol.
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. If the Status Line is located at
the bottom of the desktop screen, the mouse pointer changes to let you
know your're "talking" to PM Patrol. Otherwise, the mouse pointer remains
the same. The left mouse button acts different than the right.
2. From the PM Patrol Status Line, double clicking the left mouse button
invokes the PM Patrol "Options" dialog. This dialog allows you to select
and/or change PM Patrol Status Line monitors, configuration settings,
color and font settings, various OS/2 system settings, and provides an
alternative method for accessing PM Patrol "Utility" items.
3. From the PM Patrol Status Line, single 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.
5. When invoked, the "Utility" popup menu is intelligent based on the
location of the mouse pointer within the PM Patrol Status Line:
a. If the mouse pointer is within 1 inch of the LEFT side of the Status
Line (leftmost 1 inch on VGA), the Utility popup menu will
automatically display the PM Patrol Program List for quick access to
your favorite programs.
b. Similarly, if the mouse pointer is within 1 inch of the RIGHT side
of the Status Line, the Utility popup menu will automatically
display the PM Patrol Desktop List for quick access to commonly used
OS/2 WorkPlace Shell folders.
c. Otherwise, the Utility popup menu is displayed with the default menu
item being PM Patrol Process Monitor option.
From all of us at WallyWare, Thank you for choosing PM Patrol and enjoy...
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Hardware/Software Requirements ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol carries the following requirements, some of which are options to PM
Patrol:
1. PM Patrol requires IBM OS/2 version 2.1 or higher.
2. Multmedia features requires IBM MMPM/2 for OS/2 be installed.
3. Network monitoring features requires IBM LAN Requester be installed on
the local workstation. NetWare for OS/2 is not currently supported.
4. Internet Connect-Time feature requires modem connection using the
"Point-to-Point Protocol" (PPP) or "Serial Line IP" (SLIP) of IBM's
Internet Access Kit.
5. PM Patrol's Free Memory algorithm requires a 32-bit disk controller for
memory configurations with more than 16 MB. Strict ISA bus architectures
found on most 386 class computers are most likely equipped with 16-bit
disk controllers.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Installation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
To install PM Patrol, run the INSTALL.EXE program from the distribution
diskette.
The PM Patrol installation prompts you for a number of items and will install
all necessary files into a subdirectory of your choice for the PM Patrol
program files.
The installation program also asks you if you want to create the OS/2 Desktop
objects and "shadow" copy of PM Patrol in your OS/2 "Startup Folder". Refer to
the OS/2 WorkPlace Shell user guide for any additional help regarding the
Startup Folder.
If you are using the real-time Data Collection Facility APIs, append the
installation path used for PM Patrol to the following statements in your
CONFIG.SYS file:
1. "LIBPATH" statement for the API DLL (PMPAPI.DLL).
2. "LIB" statement for the API import library (PMPAPI.LIB).
3. "INCLUDE" statement for the API C/C++ header (PMPAPI.H).
If you are using the real-time Debug Facility, append the installation path
used for PM Patrol to the following statements in your CONFIG.SYS file:
1. "LIBPATH" statement for the API DLL (DBUGAPI.DLL).
2. "LIB" statement for the API import library (DBUGAPI.LIB).
3. "INCLUDE" statement for the API C/C++ header (DBUG.H).
After PM Patrol is installed and the first time you run it, the "Product
Information" dialog appears along with the "Product Activation" dialog. This
is your opportunity to enter your Name and the Serial number for your copy of
PM Patrol.
It is VERY important that you enter the Serial number correctly. If you make a
mistake, select "Register" from the "Product Information" dialog and try
again. Once entered, this information is saved.
Note: If you want to move PM Patrol to another machine, repeat the
installation process along with entering your Name and Serial number again.
PM Patrol contains a few STARTUP command line options:
1. "-Q" is used to omit the PM Patrol logo window at startup. When
specified, the little PM Patrol logo window at startup will NOT be
displayed.
2. "-H" is used to start PM Patrol in a HIDDEN state. This is advantageous
for some users - particularly when the user is only interested in the DCF
component. Use the OS/2 Window List to "unhide" the window. This also
lends itself to workstations which are used exclusively for real-time
operations and/or data acquisition and wish to use the Logger component
of PM Patrol. When enabled, any selected Auto-Start monitor windows in PM
Patrol (ie. Memory, Process, Network, etc.) will not be started - with
the exception of auto-starting the Debug or Logging facilities. These two
items, if selected to auto-start, will be started as usual.
3. "-S" is used to start PM Patrol in SECURED state. When enabled, PM Patrol
does not appear in the OS/2 Window List and is not able to be "killed".
The user MUST close PM Patrol via the normal PM Patrol mechanism.
"Secured" mode is provided primarily to complement the PM Patrol password
security offered.
4. "-W" is used to keep PM Patrol windows from appearing in the OS/2 Window
List. This is an alternative option to "-S" but acts only on Window List
access.
5. "-C" can be used to put PM Patrol in a "time critical" priority class for
a high level of responsiveness. By default, the main PM Patrol thread
operates in a "foreground" priority class and is adequate for most
systems. Where PM Patrol and it's DCF readings require absolute timing,
this option can be used. Typically, this option lends itself to
workstations used for real-time purposes or benchmarking applications
which are CPU intensive. Using this startup option may be too aggressive
for low-end systems (i386 or most SX CPUs). Furthermore, where seamless
DOS+Windows programs are used often, this startup option should be
avoided due to the nature of performance issues associated with VDMs
(Virtual DOS Machines) under OS/2.
6. "-P" is used when you wish to disable the PM Patrol Port Monitoring
facility. By default, this option is enabled. When disabled, absolutely
no port monitoring is performed and this features within PM Patrol is
made inaccessible.
When both HIDDEN and SECURED are enabled, these two parameters cause PM Patrol
to operate in complete detached mode and 100% secured from user interaction
and intervention. This mode of operation lends itself to LAN administrators
and real-time operations who wish to monitor workstations using the DCF and
Network components of PM Patrol without involving the workstation user.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. Uninstall ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
To Uninstall PM Patrol from your system:
1. Exit PM Patrol if currently active.
2. Delete the PM Patrol folder from the OS/2 Desktop.
3. If you selected PM Patrol to startup automatically via the OS/2 desktop
"Startup" folder, then delete the program object from this folder as
well.
4. Delete the PM Patrol directory (i.e. C:\PMP) and all the files within the
directory.
Note: PM Patrol does not modify your CONFIG.SYS file. Unless you make changes
to your CONFIG.SYS to use PM Patrol's programming APIs, there are no
modifications necessary to CONFIG.SYS for removing PM Patrol.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Order and Pricing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Thank you for choosing PM Patrol. You may order by credit card, check or money
order, SWREG via Compuserve, or via purchase order. VISA, American Express,
Mastercard, and Discover are welcome. Corporate site licenses available and
negotiated based on quantity.
PM Patrol pricing is $29 for a single copy, $15 for the upgrade (from versions
2.x/3.x), $110 for a 5-Pack, and $400 for a 25-Pack. All pricing represented in
US dollars.
Once you order PM Patrol, you will be sent via EMail or Air Mail a product
serial number to use with PM Patrol. When you receive the serial number, enter
it into the PM Patrol Product Registration window. This is accessed from PM
Patrol's Product Information dialog window. Enter your name or company name
along with the serial number provided.
Several registration methods are described below. Please use the one most
convenient for you.
===============================================================
Ordering via Purchase Order
===============================================================
Mail, EMail, or Fax a purchase order along with the bill-to
and ship-to address. An invoice will be sent to the bill-to
address. Remember to provide a Purchase Order number.
If possible, please complete the order form (ORDER.FRM)
included with the PM Patrol product.
Mail: WallyWare
2210 Kingston Drive
Wheaton, IL 60187 USA
EMail: wally@interaccess.com
Fax: 1-708-690-8893 (1-630-690-8893 after 7/96)
===============================================================
Ordering via Check or Money Order
===============================================================
Complete the following registration form below and send it
along with your payment to:
WallyWare
2210 Kingston Drive
Wheaton, IL 60187 USA
Product: PM Patrol for OS/2
Quantity: ___ Single $29 ___ 5 Pack $110
___ Upgrade $15 (from 2.x/3.x) ___ 25 Pack $400
Name: ____________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
City: ____________________________________________________
State: _____ Zip: _________ Country: __________________
Internet Id: ____________________________________________
CompuServe Id: ____________________________________________
Comments? ____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Where you obtained PM Patrol? _______________________________
===============================================================
Ordering via Compuserve SWREG
===============================================================
Compuserve members may register PM Patrol via GO SWREG:
PM Patrol (4.x Single Copy) Registration Id: 8991
PM Patrol (4.x Upgrade Only) Registration Id: 9016
Previous registration will be verified by WallyWare. This
upgrade only applies to registered 2.x and 3.x users.
===============================================================
Ordering via Credit Card - PsL Service
===============================================================
MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover orders for
PM Patrol may be placed through PsL, a credit card order taking
and software registration service. Available Monday-Friday.
Voice: 1-800-242-4775 or 1-713-524-6394
7am - 6pm CST Monday-Thursday
7am - 12pm CST on Fridays, except holidays.
Fax: 1-713-524-6398
EMail: 71355.470@compuserve.com
Mail: Credit card orders can also be mailed to PsL at:
P.O. Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235 USA.
The following is needed by PsL for credit card order processing.
Be sure to specify your email account if you have one. PsL
notifies WallyWare within 24 hours after receiving your order so
a PM Patrol product serial number can be generated and sent to
you promptly.
Product Id: 14363 (PM Patrol)
Quantity: ____ Single $29 ____ 5-Pack $110
____ Upgrade $15 ____ 25-Pack $400
Credit Card: [_] MC [_] VISA [_] AMEX [_] Discover
Credit Card Number: __________________________________________
Expiration Date: __________________________________________
Name On Card: __________________________________________
Billing Address: __________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
Internet Id: __________________________________________
Compuserve Id: __________________________________________
Please note:
WallyWare CAN NOT be reached at the numbers above. These
numbers are for PsL - CREDIT CARD ORDERS ONLY.
Any questions about the status of the shipment of an order,
refunds, registration options, product details, technical
support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site licenses,
etc., must be directed to WallyWare.
===============================================================
Ordering via Credit Card - BMT Micro Service
===============================================================
MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover orders for
PM Patrol may be placed through BMT Micro, a credit card order
taking and software registration service. Available Monday-Friday.
Voice: 1-800-414-4268 (Monday - Friday)
Fax: 1-910-350-2937
EMail: orderes@bmt.wilmington.net
The following is needed by BMT for credit card order processing.
Be sure to specify your email account if you have one. BMT Micro
notifies WallyWare within 24 hours after receiving your order so
a PM Patrol product serial number can be generated and sent to
you promptly.
Product Id: PM Patrol
Quantity: ____ Single $29 ____ 5-Pack $110
____ Upgrade $15 ____ 25-Pack $400
Credit Card: [_] MC [_] VISA [_] AMEX [_] Discover
Credit Card Number: __________________________________________
Expiration Date: __________________________________________
Name On Card: __________________________________________
Billing Address: __________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
Internet Id: __________________________________________
Compuserve Id: __________________________________________
Please note:
WallyWare CAN NOT be reached at the numbers above. These
numbers are for BMT Micro - CREDIT CARD ORDERS ONLY.
Any questions about the status of the shipment of an order,
refunds, registration options, product details, technical
support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site licenses,
etc., must be directed to WallyWare.
===============================================================
Receiving your PM Patrol Product Serial Number
===============================================================
You're Product Serial number is assigned by WallyWare after
purchasing PM Patrol. After you receive this code, enter it,
(along with your name) in PM Patrol's Product Registration window.
E-Mail shipment:
For E-Mail users on Internet or Compuserve, your PM Patrol
product serial number will be sent via email usually within
24 hours after receipt of your PM Patrol purchase.
Air-Mail shipment:
For users without email access, WallyWare will send via
First Class Air mail a 3 1/2 diskette containing the latest
version of PM Patrol and an invoice with your product serial
number. Please allow 5-10 days for shipping.
PM Patrol is posted on several popular sites. The following sites
receive uploads of PM Patrol directly from WallyWare. If you have
a more convenient ftp or download site, let us know.
The file name is typically PMPxyz.ZIP where "x" represents the major
release number, "y" represents the minor release number, and "z"
represents an optional fix release as an alphabetic character.
For example, PMP41.ZIP or PMP41a.ZIP. On Compuserve, the PM Patrol
file will always be called PMPATROL.ZIP.
WWW: http://homepage.interaccess.com/~wally
WWW: http://www.wilmington.net/bmtmicro
WWW: http://www.os2.hammer.org/OS2
FTP: hobbes.nmsu.edu (/os2/wpsutil)
FTP: ftp-os2.cdrom.com (/pub/os2/sysutil)
BBS: Chicago online OS/2 (1-708-895-4042 8N1)
BBS: Peter Norloff's OS/2 Shareware (1-703-385-4325 8N1)
Compuserve (OS2BVEN Forum, Shareware Library)
America Online (OS/2 Forum)
You can ALWAYS get the latest version of PM Patrol from our WEB
site on the internet at http://homepage.interaccess.com/~wally
Thank you for choosing PM Patrol. And, enjoy...
Dave Wallenberg, WallyWare
Internet EMail: wally@interaccess.com
Internet WWW: http://homepage.interaccess.com/~wally
CompuServe EMail: 72702,2320
Phone: 1-708-510-7412 (1-630-510-7412 after 7/96)
Fax: 1-708-690-8893 (1-630-690-8893 after 7/96)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Sales and Technical Support for PM Patrol and other WallyWare products are
available through phone, email, and fax.
In most cases, phone support will require you to leave a message for WallyWare.
We will return domestic US calls as soon as possible usually within 48 hours.
Email support can usually count on response within 48 hours.
PM Patrol is posted to and can be downloaded from the following electronic
repositories. The file name is typically PMPxyz.ZIP where "x" represents the
major release number, "y" represents the minor release number, and "z"
represents an optional fix release as an alphabetic character. For example,
PMP41.ZIP or PMP41a.ZIP. On Compuserve, the PM Patrol file will always be
called PMPATROL.ZIP.
WWW: http://homepage.interaccess.com/~wally
WWW: http://www.wilmington.net/bmtmicro
WWW: http://www.os2.hammer.org/OS2
FTP: hobbes.nmsu.edu (/os2/wpsutil)
FTP: ftp-os2.cdrom.com (/pub/os2/sysutil)
BBS: Chicago online OS/2 (1-708-895-4042 8N1)
BBS: Peter Norloff's OS/2 Shareware (1-703-385-4325 8N1)
Compuserve (OS2BVEN Forum, Shareware Library)
America Online (OS/2 Forum)
You can ALWAYS get the latest version of PM Patrol from our WEB
site on the internet at http://homepage.interaccess.com/~wally
WallyWare
2210 Kingston Drive
Wheaton, Illinois 60187 USA
Internet: wally@interaccess.com
CompuServe: 72702,2320
Phone: 1-708-510-7412 (1-630-510-7412 after 7/96)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Product Information ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes what PM Patrol is and what it offers
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.1. What is It? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol is robust yet easy to use resource monitoring and management
software, for OS/2 versions 2.1 and higher. The monitors, frequency of resource
samples, preferences, size and placement of windows are user selectable
allowing complete customization.
Always accessible, PM Patrol extends the OS/2 desktop by providing insight into
current system activities and resource utilization.
The quick-access utility items include a program launcher, program scheduler,
print/spooler functions, Fast Find, and much more.
The numerous resource monitors that PM Patrol provides can be logged for later
review or accessed dynamically with the Data Collection Facility APIs. Recorded
as text, the logged data can be manipulated using tools such as Rexx, AWK,
GREP, and custom C/C++ programs.
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 7.2. Why do I need it? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol offers numerous and intuitive selections for monitoring OS/2 status
and activities:
1. Display current Date/Time with optional synchronization to network
server.
2. System up-time for workstation
3. Internet Connect-Time for workstation (requires IBM's Internet Access
Kit).
4. Network user ID, Domain, server, and network I/O traffic for the
workstation
5. Processes, threads, DLLs, drivers, and shared memory activity
6. Event monitoring and notification of critical OS/2 resources and
thresholds.
7. CPU activity per Process and Thread in graphical view
8. Complete drive summary and detail information with graphical utilization
9. Local or remote print spooler jobs on a per queue basis
10. Disk Drives on-line (including network drives)
11. Free space for selected drives (up to 6 drives including network drives)
12. OS/2 swap activity
13. Identify system levels for OS/2 component installed
14. OS/2 free real and virtual memory activity
15. Active number of OS/2 processes and threads
16. CPU utilization (current vs. rolling average over last 1 minute)
17. Battery status for mobile computers
18. Graphical views of memory, CPU usage, and swapping
PM Patrol contains a suite of robust utility and OS/2 desktop functions:
1. Robust monitoring of OS/2 processes and threads (Process Monitor window)
with ability to monitor CPU utilization per process, memory used per
process, process priorities, and "kill" ill-behaved programs.
2. Process Meter features provides unattended operation and automatic
collection of process statistics for identifying duration, CPU
consumption, and instances over a range of time.
3. Quick-access program launcher with priority control
4. Quick-access program scheduler with priority control for timed events
5. Network Monitor and I/O statistics for workstation
6. Summary and detailed information of drives
7. Summary and detailed information of OS/2 configuration and environment
8. Changing the mouse and wait pointers in OS/2
9. Fast Find files (pattern, size, last access, attributes, network drives)
10. Fast Help for all OS/2 and Windows help information files on-line
11. Fast access to WorkPlace Shell object classes
12. Find duplicate files
13. Drive utilization and analysis with graphical distribution
14. Fast Format diskettes
15. Print queue management
16. Identify system levels for OS/2 component installed
17. Minimize all visible windows (and restore all minimized windows)
18. Security to protect PM Patrol settings and configuration for stand-alone
and network use
19. Suspending power for mobile computers (sleep mode)
20. Suspending PM Patrol monitors
21. Forced OS/2 shutdown
22. Changing mouse and wait pointers for all display types
23. Set system date and time
24. Several command-line utilities such as Fast Find and Find Duplicate
files, Print Spooler Management, and more
25. API interfaces to retrieve real-time statistics from PM Patrol
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.3. Comparative Matrix ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
=====================================================================
Item PM Patrol SPM/2 CpuMon Pegasus
=====================================================================
Low memory requirements x x
Low CPU requirements x x x
Network monitoring (1) x
CPU monitoring x x x x
Magnified CPU monitoring x
LPT Port monitoring x x x
COM Port monitoring x x
Process monitors x x x
Free Memory monitor x x x x
Virtual Memory monitor x x
Resident Memory monitor x x
Memory Per Process monitor x x
Swap free and size monitor x x x x
Drive monitoring x x x x
Drive Cache monitors (2) x x
Drive utilization mapping x
Power Mgmt Monitoring and Control x
Inconspicuous monitor display x
Real-time Data Collection Facility x x x
C/C++ API interfaces x x x
Quick access program Launcher x
Build-in program Scheduler x
Line graph displays x x x
Selective logging x x x
Print spooler mgmt and control x
System and Configuration Info. x
Performance tuning guide x
Desktop/WorkPlace Shell utilities x
Software testing tools x
Event Monitoring w/Alarms x
Multimedia Enabled x
Internet Access Monitoring x
Fast access to system help files x
Robust Process Metering x
Low cost x
(1) LAN Server support only
(2) HPFS-386 only
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. How do I ? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes how to do things in PM Patrol that may not be obvious.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. Set fonts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
You can select "Font" from the PM Patrol "Options" dialog and select a font for
the PM Patrol main Status Line.
The font of choice for the PM Patrol Status Line is the "System VIO" family.
Or, use the Font Palette in the OS/2 "Setup" folder by dropping a font on the
PM Patrol Status Line.
All PM Patrol settings are automatically saved when you exit PM Patrol.
Note: PM Patrol supports the ability to have a different font and color scheme
for each window - including the main Status Line.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2. Display Different Drives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
By default, PM Patrol maps drives 1 through 6 on the Status Line to drives C
through H. This drive mapping can be changed to any desired combination.
1. From the PM Patrol Status Line, right-click the Status Line.
2. Select the "Drives" menu option
3. Then select the "Status Line" option.
4. This will display a menu identifying the current drive mappings assigned.
Select the PM Patrol drive number you wish to change.
5. A mini dialog will popup displaying current drives on-line and
accessible. Choose which drive to map.
6. To tell PM Patrol to show the drive on the Status Line select the drive
number in PM Patrol's "Status Line Monitors" in the "Options" dialog.
7. This information is saved and remembered by PM Patrol.
When a drive being monitored goes off-line, PM Patrol displays a "?" in place
of the free space for the drive to inform you the drive is off-line. This is
more common when monitoring remote drives on a network.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3. 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.
All PM Patrol settings are automatically saved when you exit PM Patrol.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.4. Move the Status Line ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
There are two methods for moving the main Status Line. All PM Patrol settings
and window positions are automatically saved when you exit PM Patrol.
a. Holding the right mouse button down, drag the Status Line up or
down, it will automatically keep the width of the Status Line within
the boundaries of your desktop screen width.
a. Single click with both mouse buttons (Chord click) on the PM Patrol
Status Line. This will enable the title bar to the Status Line.
b. Select the title bar and hold the mouse button while dragging the
Status Line to the desired position.
c. Chord click the Status Line again (or select "Hide Controls" from
the System Menu box) to hide the title bar.
d. This will allow you to move the Status Line off the desktop
boundaries for those of you who wish to truncate the left of right
side of the Status Line.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5. Mouse Control with PM Patrol ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Double 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".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.6. Start PM Patrol Minimized/Hidden ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol can be started with a command line option ("-H") to start it in a
HIDDEN state. This is advantageous for some users - particularly when the user
is only interested in the DCF component. Use the OS/2 Window List to "unhide"
the window. This also lends itself to workstations which are used exclusively
for real-time operations and/or data acquisition and wish to use the Logger
component of PM Patrol.
Combined with the "Start Secured" option, PM Patrol to operates in complete
detached mode and 100% secured from user interaction and intervention. The only
way to terminate PM Patrol is an OS/2 Shutdown. This mode of operation lends
itself to LAN administrators who wish to monitor workstations using the DCF and
Network components of PM Patrol without involving the workstation user.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.7. Start PM Patrol Secured ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol can be started with a command line option "-S" to start PM Patrol in
SECURED state. When enabled, PM Patrol does not appear in the OS/2 Window List
and can not therefore be terminated by the user. The user MUST close PM Patrol
via the normal PM Patrol mechanism.
Combined with the "Start Hidden" option, PM Patrol to operates in complete
detached mode and 100% secured from user interaction and intervention. The only
way to terminate PM Patrol is an OS/2 Shutdown. This mode of operation lends
itself to LAN administrators who wish to monitor workstations using the DCF and
Network components of PM Patrol without involving the workstation user.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.8. Uninstall PM Patrol ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
To Uninstall PM Patrol from your system:
1. Exit PM Patrol if currently active.
2. Delete the PM Patrol folder from the OS/2 Desktop.
3. If you selected PM Patrol to startup automatically via the OS/2 desktop
"Startup" folder, then delete the program object from this folder as
well.
4. Delete the PM Patrol directory (i.e. C:\PMP) and all the files within the
directory.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9. Use PM Patrol without a mouse ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
To access PM Patrol without a mouse, use Ctrl-Esc to get to the OS/2 Window
List. Then, select the "PM patrol Status Line". At this point, you can:
1. Press F11 to invoke the PM Patrol Utility Popup menu
2. Press F12 to invoke the PM Patrol Options window
Once you have access to the Utility Popup, you can go anywhere within PM
Patrol without a mouse.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes various options and configuration settings that may be
selected for PM Patrol.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1. 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 9.1.1. System 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 9.1.2. Set Date/Time ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Set Date/Time option provides a small dialog for changing the OS/2 system
date and/or time. Input is fully edited for valid dates including leap-year and
you are notified of errors.
The Status Line Date/Time is updated to reflect the new date/time.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1.3. 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 provides 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 and is
repaired in OS/2 2.1 with the 2.11 CSD.
Note: After selecting a new pointer, DO NOT delete, move, or rename the
pointer file without changing the Mouse Pointer via PM Patrol FIRST. OS/2 looks
for this at IPL. If it is not found at OS/2 bootup, OS/2 will hang. 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 9.1.4. 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 9.2. 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 9.2.1. Reset All Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Reset All Settings option resets all PM Patrol to options to their original
defaults. This includes colors, window positions, fonts, monitor items on the
Status Line and PM Patrol Logger, and Process Meter data.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2.2. General Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
General Settings is broken-out into the following groups:
1. "Startup" options and windows that get started when PM Patrol is started
2. "Miscellaneous" options
3. "Spooler" options for local or remote print spool monitoring
4. "Editor" and "Viewer" programs used by PM Patrol
The following items discuss Startup function:
1. Enable Process Monitor Window to have this facility launched when PM
Patrol starts.
2. Enable Memory Monitor Window to have this facility launched when PM
Patrol starts.
3. Enable Network Monitor Window to have this facility launched when PM
Patrol starts.
4. Enable Port Monitor Window to have this facility launched when PM Patrol
starts.
5. Enable Drives Monitor Window to have this facility launched when PM
Patrol starts.
6. Enable Event Monitor Window to have this facility launched when PM Patrol
starts.
7. Enable Activity Monitor Window to have this facility launched when PM
Patrol starts.
8. Enable Debug Facility to have this facility start when PM Patrol starts.
9. Enable Logging Facility to have this facility start when PM Patrol
starts.
10. Enable Reset Process Meter to have the Process Meter data base
initialized when PM Patrol starts (typically each time you reboot your
system). When this settings is not enabled, PM Patrol keeps track of
Process Meter statistics across each invocation of PM Patrol, thus
providing accumulative statistics for you until you manually reset the
Process Meter data base. This option is enabled by default. Therefore,
the meter will be initialized each time you start PM Patrol.
The following items discuss Miscellaneous items:
1. Sound Bites and Volume option enables or disables the playing of
multimedia WAV files upon various PM Patrol events. This option is only
applicable to systems that are Multimedia enabled with MMPM/2 for OS/2.
The Volume control allows you to adjust the volume for PM Patrol's WAV
sound bites independantly from the OS/2 "System Sounds" volume control.
The default is 50% and may require adjustment for your system. PM Patrol
stores it's WAV files in a subdirectory called "WAV" and is located under
the PM Patrol installation directory. Some events include:
a. When an error occurs (pmperr.wav).
b. When free disk space is low (pmpfdisk.wav).
c. Each time you connect (pmpin.wav) or disconnect from (pmpout.wav)
the Internet when using IBM's Internet Access Kit.
d. Each time you Logon (pmpin.wav) or Logoff (pmpout.wav) when using
IBM's LAN Server.
e. When you kill a program from the Process Monitor window or Fast
Format a floppy diskette (pmpshred.wav).
f. When you refresh the window contents manually (pmprefr.wav).
g. When you add (pmpadd.wav) or delete (pmpshred.wav) items from a
window.
h. When you delete PM Patrol or Debug log files (pmpshred.wav).
i. When the PM Patrol Status Line, Activity Monitor, or PM Patrol's CPU
monitor are suspended (pmppause.wav) and resumed (pmpreset.wav).
j. When using PM Patrol's print spooler management functions. This
includes purging queues (pmpshred.wav), releasing queues
(pmpreset.wav), and holding queues (pmppause.wav).
k. When PM Patrol windows are copied to the clipboard, printed, or
saved to a file (pmprpt.wav).
l. When printing to local LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3 has completed spooling to
printer (pmpprint.wav).
m. When remaining battery life drops below specified threshold
(pmpbat.wav).
n. When available virtual memory falls below specified threshold
(pmpvram.wav).
o. When the OS/2 swap file grows at any time (pmpgswap.wav).
p. When available OS/2 swap space falls below the specified threshold
(pmpfswap.wav).
q. When average CPU exceeds specified threshold (pmpcpu.wav).
r. When PM Patrol logging is stopped or completed (pmpdone.wav).
s. When various "Reset" options are selected (pmpreset.wav).
2. Process Metering option enables or disables the Process Meter feature
which provides ongoing monitoring of process metrics and statistics for
analyzing duration, CPU effort, instances, execution dates, and more.
Refer to the "Monitors" on-line section for details.
3. Confirmations option enables or disables PM Patrol from asking you for
confirmation upon various events such as killing processes via the
Process Monitor window. There are cases where PM Patrol will ignore this
option and request confirmation for your own protection, even if this
option is turned off.
4. Animated Windows option enables or disables the appearance of PM Patrol
windows "zooming" in and out when windows are opened and closed.
5. Idle-Time Searches option controls the search priority for "Fast Find",
"Drive Map", and "Fast Help" operations. When enabled, these operations
only get OS/2 time slices when there is inactivity (idle) within your
system.
6. Auto-Save Profile option will, when enabled, automatically save the PM
Patrol profile and statistics at the frequency specified. The frequency
is specified as minutes with a range of 1 minute to 8 hours, default 15
minutes. This facilitates the integrity for the PM Patrol real-time
statistics in the event of a system hang. If not enabled, PM Patrol will
automatically save the profile statistics, but only when PM Patrol is
shutdown.
Note: With this option turned on, power-managed computers will not
automatically power-down the disk drive(s) because of the disk write
generated from this option. This disk write is not buffered and therefore
commits to disk immediately.
7. Lock Status Line Position option locks-in the PM Patrol Status Line
position from accidently dragging and moving.
8. Added Reflect Free Swap in VRam. This option provides the ability to have
the Free Virtual Memory calculation reflect (or not reflect) free OS/2
swap space from the swap file (swapper.dat). When enabled, the Free
Virtual RAM (VRam) calculation will reflect a more accurate and actual
reading that factors in available swap pages.
9. Allow Alternative CPU Monitors option instructs PM Patrol to keep PM
Patrol's CPU active even when alternative CPU monitors are detected.
10. Message Popup Seconds option allows you to define how long (seconds) PM
Patrol should display popup messages. The default is 4 seconds.
11. Auto-Popup Menu option causes the PM Patrol Status Line popup menu to
automatically popup when the mouse is moved over the Status Line within 1
inch of the right or left side of the screen. No mouse click is
necessary. Where the mouse pointer is outside of these 1 inch boundaries,
PM Patrol behaves normally. This feature is nice for those who want
ultra-fast access to PM Patrol features. When enabled, the double-click
option off the Status Line is disabled. To access to PM Patrol "Options"
window, select it off the popup menu.
12. Bitmap in Popup Menu option enables or disables displaying the PM Patrol
bitmap in the Utility Popup menu accessed from the PM Patrol Status Line.
13. The Sync Time with Server option enables or disables synchronization of
date and time as compared to the network server currently logged-on to.
When enabled and logged-on to a LAN Server, PM Patrol will (every 10
minutes) synchronize the date and time with the LAN Server. This is set
off by default.
14. The Check floppy at Shutdown will cause PM Patrol to warn you when PM
Patrol is shutdown that there is a floppy diskette mounted in the boot
floppy drive.
15. The CPU Magnification provides the ability to magnify actual CPU
utilization. The value specified is a multiplier (1x, 2x, ... 25x).
Setting magnification to 1 will result in the same value for actual CPU.
The magnification can be monitored in either PM Patrol's Status Line or
Activity Monitor. By default, this option is not enabled in the Activity
Monitor and is set to 5 times (5x) in General Settings. This feature of
PM Patrol lends itself to high-end i486 and Pentium based CPUs and allows
the ability to "zoom" into CPU usage less than 1 percent. PM Patrol will
not report CPU magnification higher than 100 percent.
16. The Battery Calibration option allows you to specify the "zero" value for
the mobile computer's battery. The OS/2 APM facilities assume the battery
to be 100% new. As the battery ages, the original maximum life of the
battery diminishes. Especially for NICad batteries. PM Patrol allows you
to specify a "new" maximum life. When set at zero, observe the PM Patrol
"Bat" percentage. When your computer informs you the battery is
dangerously low (usually several short beeps), observe the percentage
that PM Patrol reports. This value becomes the new "zero" point. Select
this value in the "Calibration" field in the "General Settings" dialog.
Repeat this process every 3-4 months to ensure accurate and reliable
battery readings.
The following items discuss print Spooler options:
1. The Monitor Remote Queue(s) item allows you to select "local" or "Remote"
print queue(s) on a LAN Server and requires IBM LAN Requester be
installed on the local workstation. When enabled, the LAN Server
currently logged-on to is monitored. PM Patrol automatically recognizes
when a new or different server is logged-on to and adjusts the monitoring
for that server. When not selected, the local workstation print queues
are monitored. This is the default.
2. PM Patrol displays a "?" on the Status Line when it can not poll print
spooler data - perhaps when the user is not logged-on to the server.
3. 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.
4. The "Total all Print 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 along with the status of the queue (h=held or r=released).
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.
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2.3. Event Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The following items discuss Event monitor options. The Sound Bites for the
following events will only occur when "Sound Bites" is enabled in the "General
Settings" window and MMPM/2 is installed on your system.
When these selected events occur, you will be notified (if enabled) at the
frequency specified under "Event Frequencies". By default, you are notified
every 5 minutes after the event threshold has been exceeded and sustained for 1
minute.
Notification occurs in the form of Sound Bites (if enabled), speaker sounds,
and/or short popup messages. For systems which are not multimedia enabled, PM
Patrol will sound a short audible alarm when event thresholds are exceeded.
When you start-up PM Patrol, events will not occur within the first 15 seconds
while PM Patrol calibrates itself and initially samples all resources.
PM Patrol events include:
1. Battery below ... option will cause PM Patrol to notify you when
remaining battery life drops below the percentage specified. This option
is available only for mobile computer systems with OS/2's Advanced Power
Management.
2. Avg CPU above ... option will cause PM Patrol to notify you when average
CPU exceeds the percentage specified.
3. Virtual RAM below ... option will cause PM Patrol to notify you when
available virtual memory falls below the amount specified. This amount is
represented in terms of Megabytes (MB).
4. Free Swap below ... option will cause PM Patrol to notify you when
available swap space falls below the percentage specified.
5. Free RAM below ... option will cause PM Patrol to notify you when
available RAM falls below the percentage specified. This option is not
recommended for use by systems with less than 16 MB of memory.
6. Swap File above... option will cause PM Patrol to notify you when the
OS/2 swap file (SWAPPER.DAT) exceeds the size specified. This size is
specified in terms of megabytes (MB).
7. Drive 1-6 below... option will cause PM Patrol to notify you when free
disk space falls below the amount specified. This amount is represented
in terms of megabytes (MB). The drive to be monitored must be selected in
the list box on the main "Options" dialog. You will not be able to select
event monitoring for the desired drive until this selection is done.
PM Patrol provides three different Notification Methods when event thresholds
are exceeded:
1. The Messages option will cause PM Patrol to notify you in the form of a
brief message when the above events occur. This message is a small pop-up
window that temporarily grabs the foreground for about 3-4 seconds. This
method is rather obtrusive and will visually interupt what your're
currently working on. Each event has a specific message.
2. The Sound Bites option will cause PM Patrol to notify you in the form of
multimedia sound effects when the above events occur. These sounds
require MMPM/2 and are background.
3. The PC Speakers option will cause PM Patrol to notify you in the form of
a short beep when the above events occur.
4. PM Patrol's Data Collection Facility APIs provide a means of real-time
event notification.
The Notification Frequencies allow you set two important setting which allow
you to control how often you are notified once an event threshold is exceeded,
and how long must the threshold be exceeded before notificaton occurs.
1. The Sustained State control informs PM Patrol to wait a certain amount of
time (seconds) while the threshold is exceeded before notifying you via
the methods you have selected. Hence, the threshold has to sustain an
exceeded state for the time you specifiy.
2. The Renotification control allows you to select how often you want to be
notified after the "Sustained State" has occured. Specifying zero will
turn off Renotification. When turned off, you will only be notified once
- when the Sustained State is reached.
The Event Monitor Window collects ALL selected events - even if you have
chosen not to be notified. The last time and the value of the "Sustained
State" of the event are reported in this window.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2.4. Logger Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The following items discuss Logger Settings:
1. The Log Items allows you to select which PM Patrol monitors you would
like to record while logging is active. Once the Logger is active, these
options are inaccessible. Stop the Logger to change the "Logger
Settings".
Note: The Process Detail option provides the ability to have PM Patrol
also log process detail information as seen in PM Patrol's Process
Monitor window. This additional detail will list all programs that are
active along with their process ID (PID) and the CPU used per process.
Enabling this will cause the log file size to increase based on the
number of processes actively running.
2. The Log Frequency allows you to select the frequency at which PM Patrol
logs selected monitor items. Valid values are 1 to 60 seconds (1 minute).
3. 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 16
MB. 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.
4. The Foreground Color and Background Color push-button items allow you to
select the PM Patrol Status Line colors when logging is active. The
default colors reverse the foreground and background colors.
5. 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.
6. The Notify When Done option provides the ability to have PM Patrol popup
a message on the OS/2 Desktop when logging has reached it's completion
via the "Log Duration" setting. This is ignored for "Continuous
Logging".
7. The Path entry field allows you to specify the path location for both
primary and backup log files.
Note: The primary and backup log files created by PM Patrol are named
"PMPATROL.LOG" for the primary and "PMPATROL.BAK" for the backup log
file. 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
and can be used in a variety of situations:
1. Real-time and time critical. Samples recorded every second.
2. Aggressive. Samples recorded every 2-3 seconds.
3. Casual. Samples recorded every minute.
The Logger buffers output to minimize disk write efforts. Worst case, the
Logger requires 1 physical disk write for every 10 Log records.
Because of the buffering technique used by the Logger, there are no special
performance requirements imposed on the user. However, it is recommended that
"Lazy Write" be enabled in the OS/2 CONFIG.SYS to improve OS/2 overall disk
performance and further minimize the PM Patrol Logging effort.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2.5. Refresh Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The following items discuss Refresh Settings for PM Patrol monitors. When
setting these controls, try to stagger them so that each item occurs at a
different time.
The lower the frequency setting for a given monitor, the more timing-accurate
the monitor will be. However, this lower frequency also causes PM Patrol to
sample the resource more often thus creating more overhead. For i486 and
Pentium based systems, setting these frequencies to minimum values will NOT
create adverse effects. CPU overhead for PM Patrol is mimimal.
The higher the frequency setting for a given monitor, the less timing-accurate
and reliable the monitor will be. However, this higher frequency also reduces
PM Patrol overhead for i386 based systems.
1. The Network Monitors refresh setting controls how often (seconds) PM
Patrol samples network presence, I/O statistics, logon, and workstation
status. The Network Monitor window is updated at this frequency as well.
2. The Spool Monitor refresh setting controls how often (seconds) PM Patrol
enumerates the total number of print jobs across all print queues.
3. The Drive Monitors refresh setting controls how often (seconds) PM Patrol
checks what drives are on-line and how much free disk space exists on
each. This does not effect the refresh of the Drives Monitor window which
updates every minute.
4. The Swap Monitor refresh setting controls how often (seconds) PM Patrol
checks how large the OS/2 swapper file is and how much free swapper space
there is.
5. The Activity Monitor refresh setting controls how often (seconds) PM
Patrol refreshes the items in the Activity Monitor window.
6. The Memory Monitors refresh setting controls how often (seconds) PM
Patrol checks free, virtual, and resident memory. The Memory Monitor
window is updated at this frequency as well.
7. The Process Monitors refresh setting controls how often (seconds) PM
Patrol refreshes the Process Monitor window, Process Summary information
in the PM Patrol Status Line, and Process Meter data collection (when
enabled). The other Process Monitor functions do not automatically
refresh and are therefore not subject to this refresh control.
8. The User Defined Monitor refresh setting controls how often (seconds) PM
Patrol refreshes the User Defined Monitor information in PM Patrol's main
Status Line. Using the PM Patrol "DCFUserDefined" API within a C/C++
program, you can format a monitor buffer of your choice. Refer to the API
description for DCFUserDefined for details.
Note: The CPU effort to collect Process Meter data, although minimal when
active, can be negatively influenced by adjusting the "Process Monitors"
frequency in PM Patrol's "Refresh Settings" dialog too low - depending on the
computer. As a rule of thumb, set the "Process Monitors" frequency to the
following, but never lower:
1. 5 seconds for i386 class computers
2. 4 seconds for i486 class computers
3. 3 seconds for Pentium class computers
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2.6. Status Line Font ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Status Line Font option allows you to set the display font for the PM
Patrol Status Line window.
The font of choice for the PM Patrol Status Line is the "System VIO" family.
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 9.2.7. Status Line Colors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Status Line Colors option allows you to set the foreground and background
colors for the PM Patrol Status Line window.
The Color Propagation option informs PM Patrol to use the color settings
selected throughout all PM Patrol windows - as opposed to the current OS/2
color definitions.
Note: The font of choice for the PM Patrol Status Line is the "System VIO"
family.
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 9.2.8. Security ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Security option allows you to set a password that restricts access to PM
Patrol configuration, settings, and monitor items.
Simply enter a password and PM Patrol security is enabled. To turn off
security, simply remove the password.
When enabled, the security will restrict access to:
1. All "Options" dialog functions
2. Changing monitored items from the "Utility" popup menu
3. The Program Settings dialog from the "Utility" popup menu
4. The Scheduler Settings dialog from the "Utility" popup menu
5. PM Patrol Logging functions from the "Utility" popup menu
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.3. Exit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This option is used to end the PM Patrol program
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4. Status Line Options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes PM Patrol's Status Line Options and Graphs available in
the "Options" window. The descriptions and application of the individual Status
Line Monitors are discussed in detail under the on-line help section called
"Status Line".
Some of these options may be grayed-out and inaccessible if the related monitor
is not selected in the Status Line Monitor list-box.
The CPU Average option enables or disables the display of the "rolling average"
of CPU activity covering the last 1 minute. This option is accessible only when
"CPU Monitor" is selected in "Status Line" monitors.
The CPU Magnified option enables or disables the display of CPU magnification
as setup in the General Settings. This option is accessible only when "CPU
Monitor" is selected in "Status Line" monitors and offers the ability to
monitor CPU activity at a very granular level.
The Float to Top option enables or disables the PM Patrol Status Line being
kept as the "topmost" window on the OS/2 desktop and therefore visible all the
time. When obscured by another window, the Status Line will "float" to the top
of the desktop - but will not be the active window.
Note: Refer to the on-line help section "Trouble Shooting" for idiosyncrasies
associated with the "Float to Top" option under OS/2 versions 2.1 and 2.11.
The Show Open Files option allows you to include the total number of open files
in your OS/2 system as part of the Process Summary monitor.
Show Inverted. By default, PM Patrol shows Swap, Real, and Virtual RAM in terms
of "Free" and available resource on the Status Line. This option allows you to
"invert" or reverse how these monitors and graphs are shown on the Status Line
to reflect resource taxation similar to PM Patrol's CPU monitor.
Note: This option only effects the PM Patrol Status Line and not other windows
within PM Patrol or PM Patrol's Logger.
The Show Floppies option enables or disables the display of floppy disk drives
in the "Drives On-line" monitor.
The Show Seconds option enables or disables PM Patrol displaying current
seconds within the Time on the main Status Line.
The Show Julian Date option enables or disables PM Patrol displaying the
current Julian date (in addition to the normal Gregorian date) on the main
Status Line.
The Show Decimals option enables or disables PM Patrol displaying the decimal
position for several of the Status Line monitors. When disabled, PM Patrol will
apply standard rounding across affected values.
The Show Compact option enables or disables PM Patrol displaying status
information in "compact" form. When enabled, the monitor items on the PM Patrol
Status Line have their abbreviations (i.e. "Ram", "Spl") removed thus allowing
for more room within the Status Line window.
The Show Total INet option instructs PM Patrol to display the total Internet
Connect-Time on the Status Line as well as the per-instance connect time. When
disabled, PM Patrol will show the current active Internet Connect-Time - upon
re-connection, the connect-time will be reset to zero. The total connect time
is saved when PM Patrol is shutdown and carried across each invocation of PM
Patrol. The Internet Connect-Time is reliable as long as PM Patrol is active
and able to monitor when Internet connects occur.
The CPU Graph option enables or disables a visually graphic display of CPU
activity. This option is accessible only when "CPU Monitor" is selected in
"Status Line" monitors.
The RAM Graph option enables or disables a visually graphic display of free or
used Real RAM. If the "Show Inverted" option is selected, this will show used
Real RAM. Otherwise, free and available Real RAM is displayed. This option is
accessible only when "Real RAM Monitor" is selected in "Status Line" monitors.
The Resident RAM Graph option enables ordisables a visually graphic display of
current Resident RAM as compared to total physical memory. This option is
accessible only when "Resident RAM" is selected in "Status Line" monitors.
The Virtual RAM Graph option enables or disables a visually graphic display of
free or used Virtual RAM. If the "Show Inverted" option is selected, this will
show used Virtual RAM. Otherwise, free Virtual RAM is displayed. It is
accessible only when "Virtual RAM" is selected in "Status Line" monitors.
The Swap Graph option enables/disables a visually graphic display of current
free or usedswap as compared to the current size of the swap file and is
accessible only when "Swap Monitor" is selected in "Status Line" monitors. If
the "Show Inverted" option is selected, this will show used Swap. Otherwise,
free and available Swap is displayed.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.5. Status Line Monitors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Status Line Monitors list-box contains all the PM Patrol monitors that you
may select for display on the PM Patrol Status Line.
Selecting monitor items for the Status Line does NOT imply that these same
selected monitors are those which are logged via PM Patrol's Logging facility.
The Logging facility contains its own monitor selections and can be customized
under the "Logger Settings" dialog.
The Status Line is updated immediately when monitors are selected or
deselected.
These monitor items within the listbox are discussed in detail under the
on-line help section called "Status Line".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Monitors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes various performance monitors of PM Patrol.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.1. Activity Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Activity Monitor window provides a line-graph view of several OS/2
resources.
1. "Free Swap" is a blue line and represents free swapper space. When
enabled, the "Used Swap" graph line is disabled.
2. "Used Swap" is a blue line and represents used swapper space. When
enabled, the "Free Swap" graph line is disabled. Due to the nature and
dynamics of OS/2's method of virtual memory swapping, PM Patrol's
calculation of swap utilization can result in an approximation.
3. "Current CPU" is a yellow line and represents the current CPU
utilization.
4. "Average CPU" is a white line and represents the rolling average CPU
utilization.
5. "Magnified CPU" is a pink line (may be purplish on color depths greater
than 640x480) and represents a magnified CPU utilization. The level of
magnification is specified in "General Settings". By default, this option
is not enabled and is set for 90 percent magnification in General
Settings. This feature of PM Patrol lends itself to high-end i486 and
Pentium based CPUs. Magnification is not reflected in the normal CPU
monitor on the PM Patrol Status Line window.
6. "Free RAM" is a green line and represents memory available for OS/2 and
applications. When enabled, the "Used RAM" graph line is disabled.
7. "Used RAM" is a green line and represents the memory in use by OS/2 and
applications. When enabled, the "Free RAM" graph line is disabled.
8. "Resident RAM" is a cyan line represents resident non-swappable memory
locked by OS/2 or applications.
9. "Swappable RAM" is a red line and represents memory capable of being
swapped-out by OS/2.
This window is refreshed automatically at the frequency as set in the "Refresh
Settings" setting "Activity Monitor".
The following itemizes the mouse button activities for the Activity Monitor.
1. A "Chord-Click" (left and right mouse buttons together) in the Activity
Monitor window will toggle the window title bar on and off.
2. A "Double-Click" with the left button in the Activity Monitor window will
toggle between Maximized and Restore views for the window. This is a
useful feature when the "Hide Title Bar" feature is used.
3. A "Single-Click" with the right button in the Activity Monitor window
will popup a menu allowing you select which line graphs to view and
change window controls ("Hide Title Bar", "Smoothed Lines", and "Float to
Top").
4. Holding down the right mouse button (button 2), you may drag the Activity
Monitor window to the desired position.
The "Float to Top" option enables or disables the Activity Monitor window
being kept as the "topmost" window on the OS/2 desktop and therefore visible
all the time.
When enabled, the "Smoothed Lines" option will attempt to "fillet" or
smooth-out the line graphs reducing the effect of sharp jagged points.
Note: "Smoothed Lines" will cause more overhead during refresh. If you have a
slower machine, you should be aware of this. An additional 3-5% more overhead
per refresh is not uncommon - depending on the speed of your computer.
When enabled, the "Sliding Graph" option will maintain a continuous graph that
will slide left 1 point after each refresh, thus filling the entire window
width of the graphing area. Otherwise, the graph lines will be "centered" and
will cause graph lines to restart from the center of the graph window when the
graph lines reach the rightmost edge.
The "Hide Title Bar" option allows the window to be sized to a minimum size
without the window title bar and controls getting in the way.
Accessed from the Activity Monitor popup window, the Legend shows the identity
and color of each monitor line along with the current statistics for each
monitor item. The legend can be configured to start-up automatically when the
Activity Monitor is started by selecting the "Auto-Start Legend" option also
in the popup menu.
Additionally, the "Persistent Legend" causes the legend to be started and
remain visible while the Activity Monitor is in a maximized state.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.2. Process Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Process Monitor window provides the ability to monitor OS/2 active
processes, threads, process and thread priorities, shared memory, DLLs, and CPU
use per process. Processes (PIDs) can be "killed" by selecting "Kill" from the
"Action" menu.
Note: With all PM Patrol Monitor windows (i.e. Process Monitor, Memory
Monitor, and Network Monitor) active and automatically refreshing, may be too
much overhead for some slower 386 class computers. Therefore, you may need to
use these windows selectively and not continuously. The Process Monitor window
will increase PM Patrol's CPU requirements by an additional 1-3 percent
depending on your CPU speed.
The container control in the Process Monitor window supports right-click popups
for quick access to "Action" items and double-click selections. Double-clicking
in the Process Monitor window invokes the Thread Monitor for the Process ID
selected.
The "View" menu item provides options to let you select the desired Process
Monitor display and the following detail items:
1. The "Background" option switches the display to include/exclude processes
which are "System" or "Detached" process types or have no Session ID
(SID). This option provides the ability to focus only on "Foreground"
programs active on your system. Foreground programs will include all OS/2
PM, OS/2 character based, and DOS+Windows programs. When background
processes are filtered-out, the Process Monitor window will show the
total CPU used by background processes under the name "Bgnd (n)". Where n
reflects the number of process in the background.
2. The "Idle Time" option switches the display to include/exclude Idle
System time. When applications consume CPU, "Idle System" will decrease.
When your system sits idle, "Idle System" increases. When enabled, idle
CPU will be shown under the name "Idle Time".
3. The "Run-Time" option provides the ability to view the duration for which
a process has been active and running and is only applicable to the
"Process Monitor" window.
4. The "Session Title" option switches the display from executable names to
session names and is applicable to the "Process Monitor" and "Process
Summary" windows only. Some instances will show what appears to be a
duplicate session name. This occurs when one or more processes have the
same OS/2 Group Session/Screen ID. There is NOT always a 1 to 1
relationship between a Process and a Session.
Note: Not all processes have a Session and will therefore display the
executable name instead. This occurs when the process never had a Session
to begin with, such as a daemon processes ("Detached" or "System" session
types).
5. The "Float to Top" option enables or disables the Process Monitor window
being kept as the "topmost" window on the OS/2 desktop and therefore
visible all the time. When obscured by another window, the Process
Monitor window will "float" to the top of the desktop - but will not be
the active window.
Note: Refer to the on-line help section "Trouble Shooting" for
idiosyncrasies associated with the "Float to Top" option under OS/2
versions 2.1 and 2.11.
Note: The Process Monitor window will always attempt to display the Session
Title for DOS/Windows programs. In the event that this can not be
accomplished, the name "dos/win" will be used.
The "Process Meter" option provides an alternative access point for the
Process Meter window and can also be accessed from the PM Patrol Utility
pop-up window.
The data displayed in the Process Monitor window is outlined below. Press
Escape to exit the window and terminate the "Process Monitor" facility.
1. "PID" Process ID (displayed as a hex value)
2. "Type" Session Type of process. Session types are categorized as:
a. "Sys" OS/2 System type processes.
b. "PM " OS/2 Presentation Manager GUI processes.
c. "VIO" OS/2 Window and full screen command prompt processes. VIO
represents Virtual Input/Output.
d. "VDM" DOS and Win-OS2 GUI processes. VDM represents Virtual DOS
Machine.
e. "Det" OS/2 detached background processes (daemons).
3. "HPri" Identifies the Highest PRIority class for the process across all
threads within the process. Refer to the Thread Monitor section below for
detailed descriptions of priority Classes.
4. "Thd" Number of threads in the process
5. "Run-Time" represents the duration for which a process has been actively
running and has the format "dd hh:mm" where:
a. "dd" is Days
b. "hh" is Hours
c. "mm" is Minutes
Note: The "Run-Time" of a process is relative to when PM Patrol was
started. If PM Patrol is stopped and then restarted, the "Run-Time" for
processes will reset. It is recommended that PM Patrol be placed in the
OS/2 "Startup" folder so it is automatically started when you boot your
system. As a result, the "Run-Time" values will reflect very accurate
results.
6. "CPU" Amount of Relative CPU time the process (PID) consumed since the
last sample along with a bar-graph representation and percentage of total
CPU load across all processes. This is a "relative" CPU load as compared
to other active OS/2, DOS, and Windows programs.
7. "Process" Name of the executable or session
The data displayed in the Process Summary is outlined below. Press Escape to
exit the window and return to "Process Monitor".
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. "Type" Session Type of process
5. "HMod" Program Executable module handle (displayed as a hex value)
6. "Thd" Number of threads in the PID
7. "Sem" Number of semaphores used by the PID
8. "DLL" Number of DLL modules used by the PID
9. "Shr" Number of shared memory references used by PID
10. "MMT" Memory Model Type of process (16 or 32 bit)
11. "Process" Name of the executable or session
The data displayed in the Thread Monitor window is for a given PID and is
outlined below. Press Escape to exit the window and return to "Process
Monitor".
1. "TID" Thread ID (displayed as a hex value).
2. "Slot" Slot ID for the TID (displayed as a hex value).
3. "Block ID" Block identifier for a blocked TID (displayed as a hex value).
A thread that is a "Ready" state will typically have a "Block ID" of
zero.
4. "Pri" Current priority for the TID. This displays both priority Class
along with the current Range priority (display in decimal format) within
the Class. Priority "Ranges" operate within a priority Class and range
from 0 to 31, 0 being the lowest and the "normal" OS/2 default. The Range
provides robust priority control and granularity. Priority Classes are
categorized as:
a. "Idle" for low priority processes which only get CPU when nothing
else is running and the lowest OS/2 priority.
b. "Reg" for "normal" priority processes. This is the OS/2 default and
will be seen most often.
c. "Fore" for foreground priority processes. This is used for
processes/threads which need to be treated as if they are the
"active" window. Net effect of this class makes the process thread
operate at near time-critical performance.
d. "Crit" for time-critical processes and is the highest OS/2 priority.
This is used for process threads which require guaranteed
time-slices by OS/2 but the thread's CPU needs are typically very
short.
5. "Sys CPU" Amount of time thread spends in the OS/2 kernel along with the
percent of "Sys CPU" compared to TOTAL "Sys CPU" for all threads in the
same PID.
6. "User CPU" Amount of time application time for the thread along with the
percentage of "User CPU" compared to TOTAL "User CPU" 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,
or Ready.
The data displayed in Shared Memory window has the following attributes: Press
Escape to exit the window and return to "Process Monitor".
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 Dynamic Link Libs, Device Drivers, and File Systems
are outlined below. Press Escape to exit the window and return to "Process
Monitor".
1. "HMod" Handle to the module (displayed as a hex value)
2. "MMT" Memory Model Type of process (16 or 32 bit)
3. "Refs" Number of references to the module
4. "Name" Name of the module
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.3. Process Meter ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Process Meter window provides the ability to monitor process statistics for
identifying duration and CPU consumption over a range of time.
The "Process Metering" option in the PM Patrol "General Settings" dialog
controls when this feature is active or inactive. For slower systems (i386
class computers), turn Process Metering off if it is not used.
By default, PM Patrol resets the Process Meter data base each time PM Patrol is
started. This "Startup" option in PM Patrol's "General Settings" window
controls this behavior. To keep PM Patrol from resetting the statistics, turn
off the "Reset Process Meter" option. Doing so will cause PM Patrol to retain
statistics across each invocation of PM Patrol.
At the refresh interval as specified by "Process Monitors" in PM Patrol's
"Refresh Settings", PM Patrol quietly collects vital information about active
processes running on your system. The data collection algorithm used within the
Process Meter facility is highly optimized and based on how frequently programs
are used on your system, therefore using minimal CPU effort.
All data is obtained by PM Patrol and requires no user input.
The "Process Meter" window provides the ability to view several items about
your programs over a range of time. This range of time is completely under your
control as you have the ability to "Reset" the Process Meter data base any
time.
1. Analyze the CPU consumption for each program you run relative to ALL
other programs that have been run since the last time you reset the
statistics.
2. Analyze the execution time used for each program you run relative to ALL
other programs that have been run since the last time you reset the
statistics.
3. Analyze the number of instances a program has been invoked.
4. Analyze the first and most recent date of execution for all processes run
on your OS/2 system.
5. Analyze the process types and priorities for all processes run on your
OS/2 system.
6. Sort in ascending order by process, CPU use, Run-Time, and frequency of
use.
a. Sort by Process sorts the list in alphabetic (ascending) order.
b. Sort by CPU Use sorts the list in descending order (processes
consuming most CPU are listed first).
c. Sort by Run-Time sorts the list in descending order (processes which
run the longest when executed are listed first).
d. Sort by Run-Count sorts the list in descending order (processes
which get run the most often are listed first).
Use the "Refresh" menu option (under "Action") for refreshing the Process
Meter window contents upon your request. PM Patrol will automatically update
this window for you every minute - but not when the Process Meter window is
the current "active" desktop window. This allows you to browse through the
list without being disturbed.
Use the "Reset Data Base" menu option (also under "Action") to initialize PM
Patrol's Process Meter data base. This erases the current list and restarts
the data collection process allowing you to monitor over a new range of time.
The Process Meter data base is maintained entirely by PM Patrol and saved when
PM Patrol is shutdown. The next time you run PM Patrol (typically at the next
OS/2 bootup) the data base is quickly reloaded and monitoring continues where
left off.
Note: The CPU effort to collect Process Meter data, although minimal when
active, can be negatively influenced by adjusting the "Process Monitors"
frequency in PM Patrol's "Refresh Settings" dialog too low - depending on the
computer. As a rule of thumb, set the "Process Monitors" frequency to the
following, but never lower:
1. 5 seconds for i386 class computers
2. 4 seconds for i486 class computers
3. 3 seconds for Pentium class computers
The items displayed in the Process Meter window are:
1. "Process" represents the name of the executable
2. "Actual CPU" represents the actual CPU effort the process has used since
the last time the Process Meter was reset and reflects CPU usage only
when the process is active. This is an absolute CPU effort and not
relative to other programs run. Actual CPU tells you how much CPU the
process uses when its run.
3. "Relative CPU" represents the CPU effort the process has used, relative
to other programs used, since the last time the Process Meter was reset.
4. "Run-Time" represents the total amount of execution time for the process,
relative to other programs used, since the last time you performed a
"Reset Data Base". Next to "Run-Time" is the total execution time or
"Duration" for the process since the last "Reset Data Base". The format
displayed identifies Days, Hours, Minutes, and Seconds (Dd Hh:Mm.Ss).
5. "Run-Count" represents the total number of times the process has been
executed relative to other processes. The actual total number of
instances is identified under the heading "Frequency" (abbreviated as
"Freq").
6. "Type" identifies the session type which are categorized as follows:
a. "Sys" OS/2 System type processes.
b. "PM " OS/2 Presentation Manager GUI processes.
c. "VIO" OS/2 Window and full screen command prompt processes. VIO
represents Virtual Input/Output.
d. "VDM" DOS and Win-OS2 GUI processes. VDM represents Virtual DOS
Machine.
e. "Det" OS/2 detached background processes (daemons).
7. "HPri" Identifies the Highest PRIority class for the process across all
threads within the process. The range of priority within OS/2 provides
robust priority control and granularity. Priority Classes are categorized
as:
a. "Idle" for low priority processes which only get CPU when nothing
else is running and the lowest OS/2 priority.
b. "Reg" for "normal" priority processes. This is the OS/2 default and
will be seen most often.
c. "Fore" for foreground priority processes. This is used for
processes/threads which need to be treated as if they are the
"active" window. Net effect of this class makes the process thread
operate at near time-critical performance.
d. "Crit" for time-critical processes and is the highest OS/2 priority.
This is used for process threads which require guaranteed
time-slices by OS/2 but the thread's CPU needs are typically very
short.
8. "MMT" represents the Memory Model Type of process (16 or 32 bit)
9. "Last Run" represents the last recent date the process was executed.
10. "First Run" represents the first date the process was executed.
Note: This release of PM Patrol's Process Meter groups together the Run-time
and CPU efforts for all DOS+Win programs and identifies them in the Process
Meter list with a Process name of "DOS/Win". OS/2 command and REXX scripts
(.CMD) are reflected within the Process "cmd" - the actual executable which
supports REXX scripts.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4. Memory Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Memory Monitor window provides an optional view of several memory
utilization monitors.
This window is refreshed automatically at the frequency as set in the "Refresh
Settings" setting "Memory Monitors".
1. The RAM Free item identifies current free memory.
2. The RAM Used item identifies current used memory. Combined, these two
items will always reflect 100% of the memory installed in your computer.
3. The Resident item identifies current resident or "fixed" memory which is
not swappable by OS/2. Most of this memory is owned and created by OS/2
and will vary little.
4. The Swappable item identifies current swappable memory and only includes
memory that is in use and not resident (or fixed). Therefore, the sum of
"Resident" and "Swappable" may not always equate to total physical
memory. Any difference can be attributed to free (unused) memory which is
not swapped.
5. The Virtual RAM item identifies current Virtual Memory capacity available
to OS/2. This item factors in available disk space for the drive which
the OS/2 swapper file is located as well as swapper file size.
6. The Swap Growth item identifies how much the swapper file has grown since
system boot.
7. The Swap Free item identifies how much free space remains in the OS/2
swapper file.
8. The Cache Read and Cache Write items identify the cache hit utilization
for HPFS386 and is only displayed when HPFS386 is installed and active.
Note: With all PM Patrol Monitor windows (ie. Process Monitor, Memory
Monitor, and Network Monitor) active and automatically refreshing, there may
be too much overhead for some slower 386 class computers. Therefore, you may
need to use these windows selectively and not continuously.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.5. Network Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Network Monitor window provides an optional view of several LAN network
utilization monitors.
This window is refreshed automatically at the frequency as set in the "Refresh
Settings" setting "Network Monitors".
The Network Monitor window is inaccessible and grayed-out in the PM Patrol
Utility menu when LAN Server components are not installed on the workstation.
1. The Machine item identifies the workstation ID and does not change unless
the workstation id is changed manually and the system rebooted.
2. The User item identifies the current user logged to the LAN.
3. The Server Id item identifies the server ID that is currently logged on
to by the active user.
4. The Domain item identifies the domain ID that is currently logged on to
by the active user.
5. The Tot In item identifies the total accumulative bytes received by this
workstation from the LAN. The graph identifies "Total In" as compared to
total bytes received AND sent and therefore is a percent of total I/O.
6. The Tot Out item identifies the total accumulative bytes sent by this
workstation to the LAN. The graph identifies "Total Out" as compared to
total bytes received AND sent and therefore is a percent of total I/O.
7. The Bps In item identifies "Bytes Per Second" and is the average number
of bytes RECEIVED via LAN over the last "n" seconds where "n" is the
refresh frequency as set in the "Refresh Settings" setting "Network
Monitors". This offers a "snapshot" view of current average per second
inbound activity from the network.
8. The Bps Out item identifies "Bytes Per Second" and is the average number
of bytes SENT via LAN over the last "n" seconds where "n" is the refresh
frequency as set in the "Refresh Settings" setting "Network Monitors".
This offers a "snapshot" view of current average per second outbound
activity from the network.
9. The Bss In item identifies "Bytes Since last Sample" and is the total
number of bytes received via LAN over the last "n" seconds where "n" is
the refresh frequency as set in the "Refresh Settings".
10. The Bss Out item identifies "Bytes Since last Sample" and is the average
number of bytes sent via LAN over the last "n" seconds where "n" is the
refresh frequency as set in the "Refresh Settings".
Note: With all PM Patrol Monitor windows (ie. Process Monitor, Memory
Monitor, and Network Monitor) active and automatically refreshing, may be too
much overhead for some slower 386 class computers. Therefore, you may need to
use these windows selectively and not continuously.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.6. Port Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Port Monitor window provides insight and advanced control over LPT parallel
ports on your system.
This window is refreshed automatically in real-time as events occur for all
ports. Refresh occurs when the port is opened, closed, and after every 10
packets pass through the port device driver.
Using the "Reset" menu option, you can initialize the current statistics for
each port. This option will reset all statistics for ALL ports, but will keep
the LPT Controls (Pass-thru and Debug) in their current settings. PM Patrol
will retain these statistics across each invocation of PM Patrol. It is up to
you when you want these statistics initialized.
Controlled from the "Spooler" priority object within the OS/2 System Setup
folder, printing performance can be fine tuned for print jobs that are sent
through the OS/2 spooler.
Printing can be monitored via PM Patrol's Port Monitor whether the OS/2 spooler
is active or not.
1. The Port item identifies the LPT port.
2. The Jobs item identifies the current total number of jobs having passed
through the LPT port. Technically speaking, "jobs" constitutes each time
the port was opened for I/O.
3. The Rate item identifies the total bytes per second (BPS) that have been
sent and received via the LPT port. This value is very accurate, but can
be influenced greatly if the "Debug" option is enabled. This value
constitutes an average over ACTUAL time (milliseconds) that the port is
open.
4. The Time item identifies the average time (seconds) for print jobs.
5. The Pass item identifies the current status of the Pass-thru option. When
enabled, all I/O is allowed to pass through the LPT device driver.
Otherwise, all I/O is "eaten". This is beneficial when simulation is
required.
6. The Debug item identifies the current state of "Debugging".
7. The Act item identifies whether an active job currently exists on the
port.
Turning on the "Debug" option allows you to monitor and watch each packet sent
to the port via the Debug viewing window. This feature is designed to allow
monitoring of packets via Debug. Using the new Debug facility, individual
packets can be monitored providing "data scope" capability. When Debug is
enabled for a selected LPT port, an artificial delay (1 second) is inserted
between each packet sent to the port.
The "Pass-thru" option allows you to enable/disable data to be passed through
the port. Used primarily for testing purposes, this feature enables the
simulation of port activity without an actual printer be attached.
Note: With all PM Patrol Monitor windows (ie. Process Monitor, Memory
Monitor, and Network Monitor) active and automatically refreshing, may be too
much overhead for some slower 386 class computers. Therefore, you may need to
use these windows selectively and not continuously.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.7. Event Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Event Monitor window allows you to view the current state of PM Patrol
events from a "bird's eye view".
The Event items reflect each of the events within PM Patrol.
Active represents the current activity state of each event. A check mark will
be displayed when the event is active.
THold identifies the upper or lower Threshold limit for each event as defined
in "Event Settings". This allows you to compare the event state and the
threshold limit to exceed.
Count identifies the number of times the event occured. This value is
incremented each time the event threshold is exceeded the first time, but not
upon renotification.
Last State and Occurrance identifies the resource "state", date, and time when
the event last occured. These values are updated the first time the event
occurs and at renotification.
Selecting "Reset" from the "Action" menu will allow you to initialize all event
statistics. Event statistics are retained and accumulate across each invocation
of PM Patrol. It is up to you when you want to reset the event statistics.
This window is updated when an event occurs as well as every minute.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.8. Drives Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Drives Monitor window allows you to view current drive attachments, current
assignments (LAN), capacity, and used/free space.
For network performance reasons, this window is refreshed automatically every
minute on its own and can not be controlled from the "Refresh Settings"
options. Use the drop-down menu option "Refresh" (under the "Action" menu) to
manually refresh the window yourself.
The "Utilization" graph displayed identifies USED space on the drive - not
free.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9. Status Line ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes the monitor items that can be displayed on the main PM
Patrol Status Line.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.1. Current Date ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Display of the current date. Selecting the "Show Julian Date" will add the
current Julian date to this item.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.2. Current Time ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Display of the current time with the option of showing seconds as part of the
time when "Show Seconds" is selected in the "Options" dialog.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.3. System Up-Time ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Display the total time that OS/2 has been up and running since last boot.
The PM Patrol Status Line display for this monitor will reflect the format "dd
hh:mm" representing "days", "hours", and "minutes".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.4. INet Connect-Time ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Displays the per-instance Internet Connect-Time that the workstation has been
connected to the Internet when using a modem and the "Point-to-Point Protocol"
(PPP) or the "Serial Line IP" (SLIP) of IBM's Internet Access Kit.
The PM Patrol Status Line display for this monitor will reflect the format
"INet: hh:mm x" representing "hours" and "minutes". The "x" is an indicator to
inform you when your connected. A flashing arrow pointing up indicates your're
connected. An arrow pointing down indicates your not.
Used in conjunction with this feature, the "Show Total INet" option in PM
Patrol's Options window will display the ongoing accumulative total of Internet
Connect-Time in addition to the per-instance connect-time.
This per-instance connect-time will automatically reset to zero when PM Patrol
is stopped and then restarted, or when a new INet connection is established. PM
Patrol stores the total INet connect-time in PM Patrol's profile. This Total
INEt counter can only be reset manually. For manual reset, refer the Utility
popup option ("Display" menu item) for "Reset Internet Time".
The INet Connect-Time feature of PM Patrol does not apply to TCP/IP connections
via a LAN.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.5. Keyboard Status ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Keyboard Status displays the status of CapsLock, NumLock, and ScrollLock
keyboard settings.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.6. Net User ID ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
When logged-on to a LAN Server, the current "User ID" is displayed. This
options requires that IBM LAN Requester network software be installed on the
local workstation.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.7. 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 Settings" switches between the
two modes identifies above.
When logged-on to a LAN Server you can monitor its remote print queues. Refer
to the "General Settings" section for more details.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.8. Process Summary ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This display item reveals the total current number of OS/2 processes and
threads in the system. This includes PIDs and TIDs of any state; Blocked,
Running, and Ready.
The Process Summary items are displayed as follows; the numbers shown below are
examples:
1. "12p" representing 14 active processes (p).
2. "63t" representing 63 active threads (t).
3. "105f" representing 105 open files (f). Open files includes all
executables, data files, INI files, DLLs, WPS objects, and any other type
of file you can think of.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.9. Drives On-line ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This item displays the current drive letters for available drives accessible
from this computer. Network drives are supported.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.10. Drive 1-6 Monitors 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. Double click the left mouse button 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 will be permanently "remembered" as defaults when changed.
Selected drives will report a "?" when the drive changes "off-line". 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.
By default, PM Patrol maps drives 1 through 6 on the Status Line to drives C
through H. This drive mapping can be changed to any desired combination.
1. From the PM Patrol Status Line, right-click the Status Line.
2. Select the "Drives" menu option
3. Then select the "Status Line" option.
4. This will display a menu identifying the current drive mappings assigned.
Select the PM Patrol drive number you wish to change.
5. A mini dialog will popup displaying current drives on-line and
accessible. Choose which drive to map.
6. To tell PM Patrol to show the drive on the Status Line select the drive
number in PM Patrol's "Status Line Monitors" in the "Options" dialog.
7. This information is saved and remembered by PM Patrol.
When a drive being monitored goes off-line, PM Patrol displays a "?" in place
of the free space for the drive to inform you the drive is off-line. This is
more common when monitoring remote drives on a network.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.11. Battery Status ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This item informs the user how much battery power is remaining.
The OS/2 APM facilities assume the battery to be 100% new. As the battery ages,
the original maximum life of the battery diminishes. Especially for NICad
batteries. PM Patrol allows you to specify a "new" maximum life. When set at
zero, observe the PM Patrol "Bat" percentage. When your computer informs you
the battery is dangerously low (usually several short beeps), observe the
percentage that PM Patrol reports. This value becomes the new "zero" point.
Select this value in the "Battery Calibration" field in the "General Settings"
dialog. Repeat this process every 3-4 months to ensure accurate and reliable
battery readings.
Note: This option is accessible only if APM is installed via OS/2 and the
computer is a mobile computer capable of power management (i.e. 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 10.9.12. HPFS386 Cache Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol will monitor the read/write cache hit ratio for systems running the
32-bit High Performance File System (HPFS386).
The read/write percentages are displayed on the PM Patrol Status Line with the
abbreviation "Crw". This abbreviation represents "Cache Read Writes", so the
first percentage seen is Reads and the second percentage is writes.
Note: This version of PM Patrol only supports the ability to obtain Cache
ratios from HPFS386 and not the 16-bit HPFS shipped with OS/2. PM Patrol will
display a "?" if HPFS386 Cache Monitoring is selected but not installed/active.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.13. Swap Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This display option displays the current size of the OS/2 swapper file. If the
"Show Percent" option for this monitor is selected, then the percent of free or
used swap space is also displayed. When the "Show Inverted" option is selected,
this will show used Swap. Otherwise, free and available Swap is displayed.
Due to the nature and dynamics of OS/2's method of virtual memory swapping, PM
Patrol's calculation of free swap space is an approximation and may not result
in an exact calculation all the time. As compared to all PM Patrol's resource
monitors, swap utilization is the only one that may yield approximation. For
systems that are memory rich and therefore swap little, monitoring swap
utilization may not be necessary.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.14. Virtual RAM Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Virtual RAM item identifies current Virtual Memory capacity available to OS/2.
This item factors in available disk space for the drive which the OS/2 swapper
file is located as well as swapper file size. When the "Show Inverted" option
is selected, this will show used Virtual Memory. Otherwise, free and available
Virtual Memory is displayed. If the "Show Percent" option for this monitor is
selected, then the percent of free or used Virtual RAM is also displayed.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.15. Resident RAM Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Resident RAM monitor allows you to see OS/2 memory which is non-swappable
fixed memory. Typically, this will include OS/2 system memory and any memory
allocated by processes which is marked as non-discardable memory. If the "Show
Percent" option for this monitor is selected, then the percent of free or used
Resident RAM is also displayed.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.16. Real RAM Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This displays the amount of free or used RAM (k). When "Show Percent" is
selected for this monitor, the percentage of RAM is also displayed. When the
"Show Inverted" option is selected, Real RAM will be reported as used Real RAM.
Otherwise, free and available Real RAM is displayed.
Optionally, you can view free or used RAM in bar-graph form by enabling the
"RAM Graph" option in the "Quick Configure" section of the "Options" dialog.
OS/2 views memory as a flat linear address space and deploys a true Virtual
Memory Model. Because of this, calculation of Free Memory is subject to the
following constraint.
Note: If your system hardware consists of MORE than 16MB of memory and the
hard disk controller is a 16-bit adapter, calculation of Free Memory may not be
accurately reported. Use a 32-bit disk controller adapter with more than 16MB
RAM.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.17. CPU Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol monitors the CPU utilization every second. If the "CPU Graph" has
been enabled in the Options dialog, then a bar-graph view of CPU usage is
displayed in addition to the percentage.
Along with the current CPU load, PM Patrol also maintains a rolling average of
CPU utilization over 1 minute. This is called the "CPU Average" in PM Patrol.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.9.18. User Defined Monitor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol provides a "user defined" monitor to be displayed at the end of the
main Status Line and can be logged in the Logging Facility. Using the PM Patrol
"DCFUserDefined" API within a C/C++ program, you can format a monitor buffer of
your choice. Refer to the API description for DCFUserDefined for details.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. 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 11.1. 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.
Most monitor items can be selected/deselected from being logged in the "Logger
Settings" along with several other Logger Options such as duration, frequency,
and location of log file(s).
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. 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 11.1.1. Start/Stop ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Start/Stop option start or stops the logging activity.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.1.2. 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 defined in the "General Settings"
section. The default Viewer is the PM Patrol's View program "PMPVIEW.EXE".
The name and location of the primary log file is user settable. This is
specified in the "Logger Settings" settings.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.1.3. 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 "Logger Settings".
The name of the backup log file name is always "PMPATROL.BAK".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.1.4. Delete All Logs ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Delete All Logs option allows you to delete all PM Patrol log files from
disk (if present). This includes the primary and backup log files.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.2. Debug ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Debug facility is a flexible and easy to use real-time Debugger for the
software developer that provides debugging capabilities that are impossible for
the source-level debugger, easier to use, and often more convenient.
Debug is used by the PM Patrol Port Monitor to provide a "data scope" for
information being passed through the printer port for LPT1-LPT3.
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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.2.1. Start/Stop Debug ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Start/Stop Debug option starts or stops the Debug Facility.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.2.2. Start/Stop Debug Log ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Output from the Debug facility is sent to the Debug viewing window. When
logging is started, the output also goes to the "DBUG.LOG" file and is
immediately viewable.
When logging is stopped, the "DBUG.LOG" is closed. The next time logging is
started, the "DBUG.LOG" file is backed-up to "DBUG.BAK" and a new "DBUG.LOG" is
created.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.2.3. 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 defined in the "General Settings"
section. The default Viewer is the PM Patrol's View program "PMPVIEW.EXE".
The name and location of the Debug log files are constant. Located in the PM
Patrol installation directory, log files are named "DBUG.LOG" for the primary
and "DBUG.BAK" for the backup log file.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.2.4. View Backup Log ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The View Backup Log option allows you to view the contents of the information
logged previously.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.2.5. Delete Debug Logs ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Delete Debug Logs option allows you to delete all Debug log files from disk
(if present). This includes the primary and backup log files.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.3. Drives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Drives options provides the ability to switch drives that are on-line 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 11.3.1. Status Line ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Status Line option provides the ability to switch drives that are on-line
that you may want to monitor on the PM Patrol Status Line. After selecting the
drive (1 through 6) to change, the "Drives List" popup allows you to select a
drive.
After selecting a drive from the "Drive List", the drive appears on the PM
Patrol Status Line and is remembered when PM Patrol is ended.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.3.2. Drive Map and Summary ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Drive Map and Summary option provides the ability to view summary, detail,
and directory map information for a selected drive.
The Drive Summary options displays volume specifics as well as media format and
device type. Summary level data displays a wealth of information.
The Drive Map option displays a graphical view of directories, size of
directories, and distribution of directory sizes relative to total USED space
on the file system.
The bar-graph is calculated in comparison to the LARGEST size directory found
on the drive, while the percentage is calculated in comparison to the total
USED space on the drive.
Note: The Drive Map "Bytes" reflects total space USED per directory and
includes both Slack bytes and EA bytes of files in the subdirectory - not just
the bytes comprising each file.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.4. Spooler ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Spooler options support a variety of Print Spooler utilities such as:
1. Purge all print jobs in a Print Queue (Local or Remote)
2. Release all print jobs in a Print Queue (Local or Remote)
3. Hold all print jobs in a Print Queue (Local or Remote)
If logged on to a LAN Server and signed-on under the LAN Administrator ID, ALL
functions can be performed remotely for any LAN Server and these functions
will affect ALL print jobs for the specified Print Queue. Otherwise, these
functions will be performed for any print jobs OWNED by the current user of
the workstation for the specified Print Queue.
Note: The "Purge Queue" function deletes ALL print jobs of any state (held,
printing, spooling, or released).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.5. Programs ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Programs option provides quick access to user definable programs. Using the
"Program Settings" dialog, you can add up to 45 of your favorite programs.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.5.1. Program Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The "Program Settings" dialog allows you to specify:
1. The "Program Name". Duplicate names are allowed. This field is a required
field in order for the entry to appear on the program popup menu.
2. The "Path and File Name" for the executable (.EXE or .COM). To invoke
the OS/2 command prompt enter "CMD.EXE". This field is a required field
in order for the entry to appear on the program popup menu.
3. The "Parameters" field allows you to enter any program parameters that
may be required by the program you want to run. You can have PM Patrol
prompt you for parameters when you launch the program by entering a '?'
as the first character in the "Parameters" field. Place default
parameters after the '?' if desired. This will invoke a dialog box when
you run the program and allow you to enter new parameters.
4. The "Working Directory" informs the program launcher what the default
drive and directory are to be when the program is launched.
The "Session" group allows you to further control HOW you wish to run the
program: as native OS/2 PM, Windows session, full screen, DOS, and more.
Except for DOS/Windows programs, use "Default" when your're unsure.
1. The "Win Enh" item identifies a Windows 3.1 Enhanced program and will be
run as a "seamless" Windows session in "unprotected mode" (same session).
2. The "Win Std" item identifies a Windows 3.1 Standard program and will be
run as a "seamless" Windows session in "unprotected mode" (same session).
The "Window" group allows you to start the program in a minimized state.
Additionally, you can select "Display existing window" to control the behavior
when you run the program again. All programs are run in the "Foreground".
With this enabled, PM Patrol will only allow 1 instance of the program to run
and make the active instance of the program the foreground session. Otherwise,
a new and separate session is started.
The "Priority" group allows you advanced process control over a program's OS/2
priority. This includes both priority "Class" as well as the priority "Range"
within the Class.
Within the "Class" control, you can select 1 of 4 different classes:
1. "Regular" Class identifies a "normal" setting and is the default. This
should typically be used for most programs. If your're unsure of the
Class setting, use "Regular".
2. "Idle" class indicates that a program should only execute when nothing
else is running. Typically used for carefree background processes.
3. "Foreground" class indicates that a program should execute at a
fixed-high priority, but below time critical as if it were the "active"
window. Net effect of this class makes the process operate at near
time-critical performance.
4. "Critical" Class identifies a program as a "Time Critical" process.
Understand that selecting this may cause other programs running to
execute slower.
The "Range" operates within the selected "Class" and you can select 1 of 4
different Range priority levels within each Class.
1. "Regular" Range identifies the "normal" and default priority setting
within the Class selected. This should typically be used for most
programs and is the default. If you are unsure of the Range setting, use
"Regular".
2. "Low" Range identifies the lowest possible priority setting within the
Class selected. Low and Regular have identical effects. This was chosen
by design to avoid confusion as to what was a "normal" Range setting.
3. "Medium" Range indicates a midpoint priority level between the Low and
High Ranges.
4. "High" Range indicates the highest possible priority within the class
selected.
Note: Use "Regular" for both Class and Range settings when the priority
requirement of the process is unknown; this should be used as the default in
all situations. You should rarely (if ever) set the priority combination to
"Critical" Class and "High" Range settings. Doing so could likely bring OS/2
to its knees for a very CPU bound program.
Note: Once launched, a program can change its own priority Class and Range
settings. This means that PM Patrol sets the program's "default" priorities
with those that you select, but does not control it after the program has been
launched. A good example of this is running Windows programs. The Win-OS/2
environment will typically change the priority to "Regular" for both Class and
Range.
The "Action" item in the menu allows you to Add, Delete, or Run the
highlighted program in the "Program List". To change an existing program's
properties, simply select the program in the list, then change the desired
fields for the program. Changes are immediate.
Alternately, you can click the right mouse button while the mouse pointer is
positioned over the "Program List" to get a quick access popup menu to the
actions.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.6. Desktop ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The System Setup option opens the OS/2 WorkPlace Shell "System Setup" folder
object.
The System Startup option opens the OS/2 WorkPlace Shell "Startup" folder
object.
The Tools option opens the OS/2 WorkPlace Shell "Main" folder for an assortment
of OS/2 tools.
The Games option opens the OS/2 WorkPlace Shell "Games" folder for an
assortment of OS/2 games.
The Drives option opens the OS/2 WorkPlace Shell "Drives" folder for disk
utilities.
The LaunchPad option opens the OS/2 WorkPlace Shell LaunchPad object.
The Minimized option opens the OS/2 WorkPlace Shell "Minimized" folder object.
The Templates option opens the OS/2 WorkPlace Shell "Templates" folder object.
The Information option opens the OS/2 WorkPlace Shell "Information" folder for
an assortment of books.
The Command Prompts option opens the OS/2 WorkPlace Shell "Command Prompts"
folder for an assortment of OS/2 command windows.
The Font Palette option opens this OS/2 WorkPlace Shell palette
The Scheme Palette option opens this OS/2 WorkPlace Shell palette
The Color Palette option opens this OS/2 WorkPlace Shell palette
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.
The Restart Desktop option allows you to restart your OS/2 desktop and
optionally specify a different set of OS/2 INI files to use. This option is
particularly useful in network environments where individuals move from
workstation to workstation and wish to inherit their "desktop personality" on a
different PC. The "Defaults" option is designed to facilitate the the process
of quickly switching back to the local workstation's default INI files. The
"Restart Desktop" is unavailable when PM Patrol is started in "Secured" mode.
Note: Be aware that on some multimedia enabled systems, restarting the OS/2
desktop may temporarily disable multimedia (MMPM/2).
The Restore Windows option restores all minimized windows in the OS/2 Task
Window or Minimized Folder to the OS/2 desktop.
The Close All Folders option quickly closes all open OS/2 desktop folders.
Convenient for periodically "clearing" the desktop when too many windows are
active.
The PM Patrol Shutdown option is an alternate way to shutdown PM Patrol
quickly. This option will only appear in the Utility Popup menu when invoked
from the PM Patrol Status Line. When selected, this will shutdown PM Patrol
quickly and without confirmation. If PM Patrol is started in "Secured Mode
(-S)", this option is not available and will not appear in the menu. If the PM
Patrol Password is set, then you will be prompted to enter the correct password
before PM Patrol is shutdown.
The Normal OS/2 Shutdown option is an alternate way to perform a normal OS/2
shutdown. If the PM Patrol Password is set, then you will be prompted to enter
the correct password before a shutdown is granted.
The Forced OS/2 Shutdown option is used when the normal OS/2 shutdown procedure
is unresponsive and will shutdown OS/2 active file systems. This should be used
as a last resort. If the PM Patrol Password is set, then you will be prompted
to enter the correct password before a forced shutdown is granted.
Note: This forces a proper OS/2 shutdown for all active file systems and open
files, but does not perform a WorkPlace Shell shutdown. Any recent changes to
the OS/2 desktop since the last normal OS/2 shutdown may not be saved.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.7. Display ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Open Monitor Windows option opens and activates all PM Patrol Monitor
windows including Process Monitor, Memory Monitor, and Network Monitor. This
provides quick access to these popular monitor windows of PM Patrol.
The Close Monitor Windows option closes all PM Patrol Monitor windows including
Process Monitor, Memory Monitor, and Network Monitor.
The Suspend Status Line option freezes the Status Line display until you Resume
the display.
The Hide Status Line option hides the Status Line display until you re-select
it from the OS/2 Window List. While hidden, all active PM Patrol operations
continue unless the display has been "suspended". This option is convenient for
those who wish to temporarily view the desktop window below PM Patrol or for
security purposes.
The Refresh Status Line option immediately forces PM Patrol to re-sample and
refresh all items being monitored on the PM Patrol main Status Line.
The Reset Internet Time option allows you to reset the Internet Connect-Time to
zero. This can be useful for tracking and costing Internet access.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.8. Utilities ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This menu contains several additional utilities that are always 1 click away
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.8.1. Sleep Now ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Sleep Now option places the mobile computer (SL chips) into suspend mode.
This option is accessible only when APM (Advanced Power Management) is
installed and the user is not logged-on to the LAN Server for workstations
connected to a LAN Server network. Refer to the OS/2 Installation Guide for APM
details.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.8.2. 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/pattern to search for. Click "Find" (or Enter]
to begin the search. Click "Stop" to cancel the search. Select "All Drives" to
search for files across all drives currently on-line.
Note: Refer to the "FF" command line utility also shipped with PM Patrol for
searching and collecting files from the command line.
Note: Refer to the "FDUPS" command line utility also shipped with PM Patrol
for searching and collecting files that are duplicate from the command line.
The container control in the Fast Find window supports right-click popups for
quick access to "Action" items and double-click selections.
Double-clicking in the Fast Find window invokes "Edit", "View", or "Execute"
options for the item selected. If the item is a multimedia WAV file, the WAV
file is played.
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). For example, If your're 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
the search.
Also provided is the ability to restrict the search to finding only files with
particular file attributes. Such as Hidden, Read-Only, and more. Selecting
these items causes a "RESTRICTIVE" search - not "INCLUSIVE".
You can customize the display items (file slack size, file EA size, last write
and access dates) in the "View" menu option. These settings will be saved
automatically when PM Patrol is shutdown.
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 read-only,
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 "Process
Monitor","Drives Monitor", System Info" windows, and all others. 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 Settings" setup and may be desirable for LAN
administration functions. This is identified by "Idle Time Searches".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.8.3. Fast Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Fast Help option provides very fast access to a complete list of OS/2
Information (.INF) and Help (.HLP), and DOS+Windows (.HLP) files that are
on-line and available for viewing.
Accessed from the PM Patrol Utility menu, the Fast Help feature creates a "Help
Data Base" the first time it's accessed. Stored where PM Patrol is installed,
the help data base refresh can take a minute to build.
Subsequent invocations of the Fast Help window do not auto-refresh the help
data base. It is up to you when you wish to refresh the data base. PM Patrol
searches ALL drives on-line when refreshing the help data base.
Via the "View" menu item, you can filter-out duplicate help files to make
navigating the list a bit easier.
To view a on-line help file, simply double click on the file in the list.
DOS+Windows help files are always viewed seamlessly on the OS/2 desktop.
The "Filter" options operate in the following manners:
1. The "Filter Duplicates" removes duplicate help files from the window
list. As a result, only unique help files are displayed.
2. The "Filter OS/2 Files" removes OS/2 specific help files (both .INF and
.HLP) from the window list. As a result, only DOS+Windows help files are
displayed.
3. The "Filter Win Files" removes DOS+Windows specific help files (.HLP)
from the window list. As a result, only OS/2 help files are displayed.
Note: Limitation with OS/2 .HLP help files. Due to the nature of OS/2 .HLP
help files, only one of these help files can be viewed at a time through PM
Patrol's Fast Help facility. If another .HLP help file is selected, the
previous .HLP help file will be closed down. There are no limitations with
OS/2 .INF or DOS+Windows .HLP help files.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.8.4. System Info ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The System Info displays 3 basic types of information:
1. OS/2 System information displays the basic configuration of OS/2 and the
hardware present on your system. 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.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.8.5. Scheduler ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Scheduler option provides quick access to user definable programs that are
to be run at specified times. Using the "Scheduler Settings" dialog, you can
add up to 128 of programs to run at specified times.
Similar in function to the UNIX CRON utility, the "Scheduler" provides the
ability to run any program at user specified days and times.
The "Scheduler Settings" dialog allows you to specify:
1. The "Program Name". Duplicate names are allowed. This field is a required
field in order for the entry to appear on the program popup menu.
2. The "Path and File Name" for the executable (.EXE or .COM). To invoke
the OS/2 command prompt enter "CMD.EXE". This field is a required field
in order for the entry to appear on the program popup menu.
3. The "Parameters" field allows you to enter any program parameters that
may be required by the program you want to run. You can have PM Patrol
prompt you for parameters when the scheduler launches the program by
entering a '?' as the first character in the "Parameters" field. Place
default parameters after the '?' if desired. This will invoke a dialog
box when the program is scheduled to run and allow you to enter new
parameters.
4. The "Working Directory" informs the scheduler what the default drive and
directory are to be when the program gets launched.
The "Session" group allows you to further control HOW you wish to run the
program: as native OS/2 PM, Windows session, full screen, DOS, and more.
Except for DOS/Windows programs, use "Default" when your're unsure.
1. The "Win Enh" item identifies a Windows 3.1 Enhanced program and will be
run as a "seamless" Windows session in "unprotected mode" (same session).
2. The "Win Std" item identifies a Windows 3.1 Standard program and will be
run as a "seamless" Windows session in "unprotected mode" (same session).
The "Window" group allows you to start the program in a minimized state. Some
programs may resist the minimized state when their invoked.
The "Activation" group allows you to indicate that the Scheduled Entry is
"active" or "inactive". The program will only get launched when this is
selected.
The "Priority" group allows you advanced process control over a program's OS/2
priority. This includes both priority "Class" as well as the priority "Range"
within the Class.
Within the "Class" control, you can select 1 of 4 different classes:
1. "Regular" Class identifies a "normal" setting and is the default. This
should typically be used for most programs. If your're unsure of the
Class setting, use "Regular".
2. "Idle" class indicates that a program should only execute when nothing
else is running. Typically used for carefree background processes.
3. "Foreground" class indicates that a program should execute at a
fixed-high priority, but below time critical as if it were the "active"
window. Net effect of this class makes the process operate at near
time-critical performance.
4. "Critical" Class identifies a program as a "Time Critical" process.
Understand that selecting this may cause other programs running to
execute slower.
The "Range" operates within the selected "Class" and you can select 1 of 4
different Range priority levels within each Class.
1. "Regular" Range identifies the "normal" and default priority setting
within the Class selected. This should typically be used for most
programs and is the default. If you are unsure of the Range setting, use
"Regular".
2. "Low" Range identifies the lowest possible priority setting within the
Class selected. Low and Regular have identical effects. This was chosen
by design to avoid confusion as to what was a "normal" Range setting.
3. "Medium" Range indicates a midpoint priority level between the Low and
High Ranges.
4. "High" Range indicates the highest possible priority within the class
selected.
Note: Use "Regular" for both Class and Range settings when the priority
requirement of the process is unknown; this should be used as the default in
all situations. You should rarely (if ever) set the priority combination to
"Critical" Class and "High" Range settings. Doing so could likely bring OS/2
to its knees for a very CPU bound program.
Note: Once launched, a program can change its own priority Class and Range
settings. This means that PM Patrol sets the program's "default" priorities
with those that you select, but does not control it after the program has been
launched. A good example of this is running Windows programs. The Win-OS/2
environment will typically change the priority to "Regular" for both Class and
Range.
The "Schedule" group provides you the ability to specify the time the program
is to be launched. All programs are launched in the "background" and NOT the
foreground session.
The time to launch can be specified by selecting the desired Month, Week Day,
Hour, and Minute. Event time permutations are as follows:
1. Month: provides "Every" month or a specified month (January through
December).
2. Week Day: provides "Every" day, specified day (Sunday through Saturday),
weekdays (Monday through Friday), or weekends (Saturday and Sunday).
3. Hour: provides "Every" hour or a specified hour (12:00 AM through 11:00
PM).
4. Minute: provides "Every" minute or a specified minute (0 through 59).
The "Action" item in the menu allows you to Add, Delete, or Run the
highlighted program in the "Program List". To change an existing program's
properties, simply select the program in the list, then change the desired
fields for the program. Changes are immediate.
Alternately, you can click the right mouse button while the mouse pointer is
positioned over the "Program List" to get a quick access popup menu to the
actions.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.8.6. WorkPlace Classes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The WorkPlace Classes option provides quick access to all registered WorkPlace
Shell class objects and provides the ability to register new classes or
deregister classes no longer needed.
Note: Typically used by developers, this facility should be used with caution.
DO NOT deregister classes without careful consideration. Deleting some classes
may render your OS/2 WorkPlace shell inoperable.
The "Class Name" represents the object class name as registered and known by
the OS/2 WorkPlace Shell.
The "Module Name" represents the DLL or SOM library which contains the object
methods associated with the class.
To deregister a class, simply highlight the class name from the list and select
the "Deregister Class" option in the "Action" menu.
Likewise, to register a new class to the WorkPlace shell, select "Register
Class" from this same menu. Enter the new class name and library module. The
Library module must be a fully qualified drive, path, and file name of the DLL.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.8.7. 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 or reformatting. You'll be surprised how often this proves
useful. This option will work on all diskette types (720KB, 1.44MB, and
2.88MB).
In order to support all current and future read/writable media types (and
extended attributes), PM Patrol employs a Fast Format method that is affected
by the number of preexisting files on the disk media. The more files on the
disk, the longer it may take to complete the Fast format. The Fast Format
operation usually takes several seconds. Since the Fast Format allows
concurrent access to the disk while formatting, files or directories that are
open will not be removed.
Only logical drives A and B are currently supported.
Fast Format also allows you to specify a new volume label name.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.9. Command Line Utilities ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Packaged with PM Patrol are several OS/2 32-bit Command Line utilities. These
utilities complement the PM Patrol personality.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.9.1. FF (Find Files) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This utility is accessed from the OS/2 command prompt window. If the "Bonus"
option was selected at PM Patrol installation, then 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 [/R /H /S /A /D /O /E /LN /SN /AD /LA /LW /SK]
/R read only attr
/H hidden attr
/S system attr
/A archive attr
/D directory attr
/O open files
/E erase files
/LN long file names
/SN short file names
/AD all drives
/LAn n days since access
/LWn n days since write
/SKn >= n Kbytes in size
? help
"filespec" represents a File Pattern where wild cards are allowed. The default
File Pattern is "*" for all files.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.9.2. FDUPS (Find Duplicates) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This utility is accessed from the OS/2 command prompt window. If the "Bonus"
option was selected at PM Patrol installation, then 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 duplicates.
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 [/S, /D, /A, /I]
/S include size comparison
/D include date comparison
/A search all drives
/I run at idle time
? help
"filespec" represents a File Pattern where wild cards are allowed. The default
File Pattern is "*" for all files.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.9.3. FDUMP (File Dump) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This utility is accessed from the OS/2 command prompt window. If the "Bonus"
option was selected at PM Patrol installation, then 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 "FDUMP" utility will dump the contents of any file displaying the ASCII and
HEX representation of each byte in the file.
This utility provides the ability to specify the format of the output in either
a vertical or horizontal fashion. Furthermore, where binary files have specific
record lengths, FDUMP allows you to specify this as well.
The output from FDUMP is displayed on the screen but can be redirected using
the ">outfile" parameter.
The syntax for "FDUMP" is:
FDUMP filespec [/R=] [/H|/V]
"filespec" represents a file name to examine. This must be specified.
"/R=nn" tells FDUMP to dump the contents of the file using nn record length.
"/H" tells FDUMP to dump the contents of the file in horizontal mode. This is
the default used by FDUMP.
"/V" tells FDUMP to dump the contents of the file in vertical mode.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.9.4. PIDKILL (Kill OS/2 Process) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This utility is accessed from the OS/2 command prompt window. If the "Bonus"
option was selected at PM Patrol installation, then 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 its threads.
"PIDKILL" takes 1 parameter: the PID to kill. This PID value can be identified
by using the PM Patrol Process Monitor 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 attempts may be necessary.
The syntax for "PIDKILL" is:
PIDKILL pid
"pid" represents a HEX value as identified in the PM Patrol Monitor window or
the OS/2 command line utility "PSTAT".
Note: Recall that the PM Patrol Process Monitor window also allows you to
"Kill" PIDs.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.9.5. QMGMT (Queue Management) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This utility is accessed from the OS/2 command prompt window. If the "Bonus"
option was selected at PM Patrol installation, then 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 11.9.6. PMPSDOWN (PM Patrol Shut Down) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This utility is accessed from the OS/2 command prompt window. If the "Bonus"
option was selected at PM Patrol installation, then 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 "PMPSDown" utility allows you to shut down PM Patrol and optionally specify
how long (in seconds) to wait before the shutdown occurs. This utility returns
0 is successful, and 1 if not (ie. PMP was not active at the time).
If no delay is specified, PM Patrol will be shutdown immediately.
The syntax for "PMPSDown" is:
PMPSDown [seconds]
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.9.7. MSGBOX (Message Box Popup) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This utility is accessed from the OS/2 command prompt window. If the "Bonus"
option was selected at PM Patrol installation, then 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 "MsgBox" utility allows you to popup of message box with text and buttons
of your choice. Ideal for the PM Patrol Scheduler.
The syntax for "MsgBox" is:
MsgBox text [/A /Tt /Dn /Bn]
text Any text of your choice (up to 1K in length)
/A Sound alarm
/Tt Title where t=text
/Dn Timeout delay (milliseconds)
/Bn Button types, where n=
1=Ok 6=Retry,Cancel
2=Ok,Cancel 7=Abort,Retry,Ignore
3=Cancel 8=Yes,No
4=Enter 9=Yes,No,Cancel
5=Enter,Cancel
Return Codes:
1=OK selected 5=Ignore selected
2=Cancel selected 6=Yes selected
3=Abort selected 7=No selected
4=Retry selected 9=Enter selected
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12. Data Collection Facility ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section discusses the Data Collection Facility (DCF) of PM Patrol.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.1. DCF Definition ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Data Collection Facility (DCF) of PM Patrol is a high performance data
acquisition and statistics collecting engine. This engine is one of the
by-products of PM Patrol and used by PM Patrol itself.
Available to PM Patrol users is a simple API set allowing the C/C++ programmer
access to this statistical data.
The engine is ALWAYS gathering statistics regardless of what monitor items have
been selected for the PM Patrol Status Line display window. These include all
monitor items possible in PM Patrol along with others that are not monitorable
by the PM Patrol Status Line.
The DCF engine causes no extra overhead as it is a integral component of PM
Patrol. API interface calls to the DCF engine are extremely fast. Memory to
hold the statistics is always resident because PM Patrol is constantly updating
it.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.2. DCF Programming Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The PM Patrol software contains 3 files for DCF programming purposes:
1. PMPAPI.H is a C/C++ header containing all constants, definitions,
structures, and the like. "Include" this header file in your C/C++
programs.
2. PMPAPI.LIB is the Import Library to link with to resolve DCF APIs. You
must link (LINK386) with this Import Library to resolve external
references and is specified in the LINK386 options.
3. PMPAPI.DLL is the Dynamic Link Library which holds the actual code of
APIs
For compiling and linking, append the installation path used for PM Patrol to
the following statements in your CONFIG.SYS file:
1. "LIB" statement for the API import library (PMPAPI.LIB).
2. "INCLUDE" statement for the API C/C++ header (PMPAPI.H).
Make sure the PM Patrol DLL is available at run time by appending the
installation path used for PM Patrol to the following statements in your
CONFIG.SYS file:
1. "LIBPATH" statement for the API DLL (PMPAPI.DLL).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.3. DCF API Set ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes in detail the API set for interfacing with PM Patrol
Data Collection Facility.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.3.1. DCFGetStats() API ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This API provides the ability to retrieve the PM Patrol real-time statistics.
These statistics are maintained in a shared memory segment and retrieval with
DCFGetStats() is therefore VERY fast. However, it is highly recommended that
this API be called no more frequently that once per second. Since PM Patrol
updates this structure at most once per second, calling this API more
frequently than PM Patrol updates it would be useless and waste CPU.
Prototype: APIRC DCFGetStats (PDCFSTATS pDCFStats)
Parms: PDCFSTATS ... Address of DCFSTATS structure
Returns: DCF_NO_ERROR ... Successful with no errors
DCF_PARM_ERROR ... Invalid parm specified
DCF_INACTIVE_ERROR ... DCF not active
Notes: Statistics are updated at frequencies defined in the PM Patrol
"Refresh Settings" dialog under "Settings" options.
Refer to PMPAPI.H for statistical items collected by DCF.
Example: Query current statistics and display drives on-line
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <pmpapi.h>
INT main(INT argc, CHAR **argv)
{
APIRC rc; /* API return code */
PDCFSTATS pDCFStats; /* pointer to DCF statistics buffer */
/* allocate memory for statistics buffer */
pDCFStats=(PDCFSTATS) malloc(sizeof(DCFSTATS));
/* retrieve current statistics */
rc=DCFGetStats(pDCFStats);
if (rc==DCF_NO_ERROR)
printf("Drives On-line: %s\n", pDCFStats->drivesOnLine);
else
printf("PM Patrol DCF not active right now.\n");
/* exit program with return code */
return rc;
}
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.3.2. DCFUserDefined() API ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This API provides the ability to post a user defined monitor to PM Patrol for
display on the Status Line. It is highly recommended that this API call be
issued no frequently that once per second. The maximum length of the buffer is
20 bytes. PM Patrol will force this if the length exceeds this limit.
Prototype: APIRC DCFUSerDefined (PCHAR buffer)
Parms: PCHAR ... Address of user defined monitor buffer
Returns: DCF_NO_ERROR ... Successful with no errors
DCF_PARM_ERROR ... Invalid parm specified
DCF_INACTIVE_ERROR ... DCF not active
Example: Tell PM Patrol to display your name on the Status Line
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <pmpapi.h>
INT main(INT argc, CHAR **argv)
{
APIRC rc; /* API return code */
/* post monitor buffer to PM Patrol */
rc=DCFUserDefined("My name is Dave");
if (rc==DCF_NO_ERROR)
printf("PMP will show my name on the Status Line\n");
else
printf("PM Patrol DCF not active right now.\n");
/* exit program with return code */
return rc;
}
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.3.3. DCFVerify() API ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This API provides the ability to verify the active state of PM Patrol's Data
Collection Facility.
Prototype: BOOL DCFVerify (void)
Parms: None
Returns: TRUE ... DCF active
FALSE ... DCF not active
Example: Print status of the DCF
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <pmpapi.h>
INT main(INT argc, CHAR **argv)
{
BOOL activeInd; /* active indicator */
/* verify state */
activeInd=DCFVerify();
if (activeInd==TRUE)
printf("PM Patrol DCF is active\n");
else
printf("PM Patrol DCF is not active\n");
/* exit program with active status */
return (INT) activeInd;
}
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.3.4. PMPShutDown() API ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This API will completely shutdown PM Patrol and the Data Collection Facility.
Prototype: BOOL PMPShutDown (void)
Parms: None
Returns: TRUE ... Successful with no errors
FALSE ... PM Patrol not active
Example: Shutdown PM Patrol
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <pmpapi.h>
INT main(INT argc, CHAR **argv)
{
BOOL shutdownInd;
/* shutdown and print message */
shutdownInd=PMPShutDown();
if (shutdownInd==TRUE)
printf("PM Patrol and DCF now shutdown.\n");
else
printf("PM Patrol not active.\n");
/* exit program with shutdown status */
return (INT) shutdownInd;
}
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13. Debug Facility ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section discusses the Debug Facility integrated with PM Patrol.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.1. DBug Definition ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
DBug is a flexible and easy to use real-time debugging for the software
engineer/developer that provides debugging capabilities that are impossible for
the source-level debugger, easier to use, and often more convenient.
The concept of DBug is simple. You place 1 or more "DBUG" statements in your
program source code at a strategic point for the purpose of displaying a
message, the content of variables or memory, or time stamping a point of entry.
Compile and run your program(s). While or after running your program(s), you
can view the current results via the "DBug" window or view the DBug log file to
browse your DBug results.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.2. Using DBug ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
When you compile your programs you include the C/C++ header file "dbug.h" and
specify the compiler directive "-DDEBUG". You must link your program with the
DBug Import Library "DBUGAPI.LIB" to resolve externs.
Once you're done testing and want to remove the DBUG statements for
"production" use, you may:
1. Recompile your program(s) WITHOUT specifying the compiler directive
"-DDEBUG". The compiler will ignore the DBUG statements. Linking with
"DBUGAPI.LIB" is now unnecessary.
2. Manually remove each DBUG statement. Recompile and link.
Our recommendation is that you leave the "dbug.h" include file in the
program(s) and choose option 1 above. This allows you to, with just a
recompile, have your run-time debugging enabled quickly for testing.
DBUG statements are C/C++ macros which map to a single API. There is a
"generic" DBUG macro for any use, and specific macros for each unique standard
C data type:
1. The DBUG macro is generic and allows you to display the contents from any
data type as well as any chunk of memory.
2. The DBUGM macro displays a simple message of your choice.
3. The DBUGS macro displays the contents of a SHORT data type.
4. The DBUGL macro displays the contents of a LONG data type.
5. The DBUGI macro displays the contents of a INTEGER data type.
6. The DBUGD macro displays the contents of a DOUBLE data type.
7. The DBUGC macro displays the contents of a CHAR data type.
8. The DBUGZ macro displays the contents of a STRING data type.
9. The DBUGP macro displays the contents of a POINTER data type.
10. The DBUGOPEN macro opens a new DBug log file.
11. The DBUGCLOSE macro closes the DBug log file.
12. The DBUGSTOP macro terminates the DBug facility.
Each DBUG statement will cause an IPC message to be build and sent to the
central DBug program. The DBug program will then display the message in his
standard format and log it for later recall - if logging is turned on.
If the DBug program is not presently running to receive these requests, your
DBUG statements will be ignored at run-time. The effort required to complete a
single DBUG within your program(s) is very minimal and insignificant.
The DBug program can be started and stopped at any time - even when programs
are actively DBUGing. If restarted, DBug will continue pulling DBUGs from his
queue and displaying/logging them.
DBug will handle bursts of DBUGs easily as it offers a 256K maximum buffer.
DBug will only allocate/commit enough memory to hold each DBUG request - not
the whole 256K. The 256K buffer is therefore used optimally and requires
little real memory from OS/2.
When monitoring DBug, minimize the window if large amounts of DBUGs are be
displayed. This will significantly improve how fast DBug displays and reduce
the overhead of displaying results.
DBug has two log files and are created in the drive/directory where DBug was
started. If started and controlled from PM Patrol, these log files will reside
in the directory from where PM Patrol was installed and started.
1. The primary and active log "DBUG.LOG" contains current data.
2. The backup log "DBUG.BAK" contains the previous primary data after a new
log file is opened.
When logging is opened, a DBUG message is placed at the beginning of the
DBug log file.
Note: DBug log files are automatically recycled at midnight so that
under continuous operation, each log will contain a full 24 hours of
information. Therefore, up to 2 days (primary and backup) of DBug
information can be reviewed any time.
If Dbug has nothing to do, absolutely no CPU is used. The small amount of DBug
memory requirements are "swappable" to make room for more active demanding
programs.
DBug is a high performance debugging tool for even the most intense
environments. When the Dbug window is minimized or DBug is running in "Quiet"
mode, DBug can handle several hundred DBUGs per second, even more for highend
Pentium or PowerPC processors.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.3. DBug Programming Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The DBug software contains 3 files for DBug programming purposes:
1. DBUG.H is a C/C++ header containing the macros for DBug. "Include" this
header file in your C/C++ programs.
2. DBUGAPI.LIB is the Import Library to link with to resolve DBUG APIs. You
must link (LINK386) with this Import Library to resolve external
references and is specified in the LINK386 options.
3. DBUGAPI.DLL is the Dynamic Link Library which holds the actual code of
APIs
For compiling and linking, append the installation path used for PM Patrol to
the following statements in your CONFIG.SYS file:
1. "LIB" statement for the API import library (DBUGAPI.LIB).
2. "INCLUDE" statement for the API C/C++ header (DBUG.H).
Make sure the DBug DLL is available at run time by appending the installation
path used for PM Patrol to the following statements in your CONFIG.SYS file:
1. "LIBPATH" statement for the API DLL (DBUGAPI.DLL).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4. DBug Macro Set ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section describes in detail the C/C++ macro set for using the Debug
Facility.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.1. DBUG() Macro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The DBUG macro is generic and allows you to display the contents from any data
type as well as any chunk of memory.
Prototype: ULONG DBUG (PVOID address, USHORT size, PCHAR note)
Parms: address ... Address to displayed/dumped
size ... Size of data type or memory to be display
note ... A personal description of your choice
Returns: NO_ERROR ... Successful with no errors, or error code
Example:
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <dbug.h>
...
CHAR array[60];
DBUG(array, sizeof(array), "my array");
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.2. DBUGM() Macro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The DBUGM macro displays a simple message of your choice.
Prototype: ULONG DBUGM(PCHAR message)
Parms: message ... A personal description of your choice
Returns: NO_ERROR ... Successful with no errors, or error code
Example:
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <dbug.h>
...
DBUGM("Point 1 of program");
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.3. DBUGS() Macro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The DBUGS macro displays the contents of a SHORT data type.
Prototype: ULONG DBUGS(PSHORT address, PCHAR note)
Parms: address ... Address of short to be displayed
note ... A personal description of your choice
Returns: NO_ERROR ... Successful with no errors, or error code
Example:
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <dbug.h>
...
USHORT variable;
DBUGS(&variable, "my variable");
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.4. DBUGS() Macro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The DBUGL macro displays the contents of a LONG data type.
Prototype: ULONG DBUGL(PLONG address, PCHAR note)
Parms: address ... Address of long to be displayed
note ... A personal description of your choice
Returns: NO_ERROR ... Successful with no errors, or error code
Example:
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <dbug.h>
...
LONG variable;
DBUGL(&variable, "my variable");
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.5. DBUGI() Macro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The DBUGI macro displays the contents of a INTEGER data type.
Prototype: ULONG DBUGI(PINT address, PCHAR note)
Parms: address ... Address of integer to be displayed
note ... A personal description of your choice
Returns: NO_ERROR ... Successful with no errors, or error code
Example:
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <dbug.h>
...
INT variable;
DBUGI(&variable, "my variable");
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.6. DBUGD() Macro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The DBUGD macro displays the contents of a DOUBLE data type.
Prototype: ULONG DBUGD(PDOUBLE address, PCHAR note)
Parms: address ... Address of double to be displayed
note ... A personal description of your choice
Returns: NO_ERROR ... Successful with no errors, or error code
Example:
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <dbug.h>
...
DOUBLE variable;
DBUGD(&variable, "my variable");
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.7. DBUGC() Macro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The DBUGC macro displays the contents of a CHAR data type.
Prototype: ULONG DBUGC(PINT address, PCHAR note)
Parms: address ... Address of char to be displayed
note ... A personal description of your choice
Returns: NO_ERROR ... Successful with no errors, or error code
Example:
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <dbug.h>
...
CHAR variable;
DBUGC(&variable, "my variable");
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.8. DBUGP() Macro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The DBUGP macro displays the contents of a POINTER data type.
Prototype: ULONG DBUGP(PVOID address, PCHAR note)
Parms: address ... Address of pointer to be displayed
note ... A personal description of your choice
Returns: NO_ERROR ... Successful with no errors, or error code
Example:
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <dbug.h>
...
PVOID variable;
/* display pointer value */
DBUGP(&variable, "my variable");
/* display memory contents of size 2048 bytes */
DBUG(variable, 2048, "my variable memory");
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.9. DBUGZ() Macro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The DBUGZ macro displays the contents of a STRING data type.
Prototype: ULONG DBUGZ(PVOID address, PCHAR note)
Parms: address ... Address of string to be displayed
note ... A personal description of your choice
Returns: NO_ERROR ... Successful with no errors, or error code
Example:
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <dbug.h>
...
CHAR variable[32]="Hello world";
DBUGZ(variable, "my variable");
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.10. DBUGOPEN() Macro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The DBUGOPEN macro opens a new DBug log file.
Prototype: ULONG DBUGOPEN(VOID)
Parms: None
Returns: NO_ERROR ... Successful with no errors, or error code
Example:
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <dbug.h>
...
DBUGOPEN();
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.11. DBUGCLOSE() Macro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The DBUGCLOSE macro closes the DBug log file.
Prototype: ULONG DBUGCLOSE(VOID)
Parms: None
Returns: NO_ERROR ... Successful with no errors, or error code
Example:
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <dbug.h>
...
DBUGCLOSE();
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4.12. DBUGSTOP() Macro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The DBUGSTOP macro terminates the DBug Facility.
Prototype: ULONG DBUGSTOP(VOID)
Parms: None
Returns: NO_ERROR ... Successful with no errors, or error code
Example:
_________________________________________________________________________
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <dbug.h>
...
DBUGSTOP();
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.5. DBug Output ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The following is a sample output from the DBug Facility.
Sample output
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: PID 00a3 At 21:06:42 DBUG.CPP (line 474)
Note: DBug log opened.
Type: INFO, 0 bytes (0 qCnt)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: PID 00a8 At 21:07:10 TEST.C (line 22)
Note: sample DBUGs
Type: INFO, 0 bytes (3 qCnt)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: PID 00a8 At 21:07:10 TEST.C (line 23)
Note: my return code (little endian)
Type: LONG, 4 bytes (2 qCnt)
0000: 00 00 00 00 |.... |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: PID 00a8 At 21:07:10 TEST.C (line 24)
Note: a chunk of memory
Type: VOID, 120 bytes (1 qCnt)
0000: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0010: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0030: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0040: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 43 44 45 46 00 00 |..........CDEF..|
0050: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0060: 00 00 00 00 00 43 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 60 c6 |.....C........`.|
0070: a2 41 00 00 00 00 10 59 |.A.....Y |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: PID 00a8 At 21:07:10 TEST.C (line 25)
Note: my double value
Type: DOUBLE, 8 bytes (0 qCnt)
0000: 33 33 33 33 b3 00 ab 40 |3333...@ |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Using the last DBUG for example, the DBug output contains four (4) main
sections:
1. The From section identifies who (what program) the DBUG was sent from:
a. The Process ID (as hex)
b. The time the DBug was issued (not received and displayed/logged).
c. The program source code name and line number of the DBUG statement
within the program source.
2. The Note section is where your personal note/description from the DBUG
statement is displayed.
3. The Type section identifies the data type displayed, the number of bytes
for the data, and how many DBUG statements remain in the DBug queue to be
displayed (qCnt):
a. These include all standard data types such as DOUBLE, CHAR, PCHAR,
INT, and so on.
b. VOID is displayed when a "memory chunk" is displayed.
c. INFO is displayed when just a DBUGM (Message) statement is issued.
4. The last section displays the contents (in hex and ASCII representation)
of the data type. The left most column of this section is the offset
starting at zero.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14. Performance and Tuning ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This document makes an assumption that the reader is familiar with OS/2 Warp.
It presents general and specific tuning information for a computer that will
have or has had OS/2 Warp installed.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14.1. General Setup Considerations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
There are some basic considerations that need to be made about the computer
that you will install Warp on. It breaks down into 3 elements: processor,
memory and disk. These three major elements, interestingly enough, have
remained the three major elements since the computer was first developed.
In most cases the processor that you have in your system has a minimal impact
on performance compared to the amount of memory and the speed of the disk. The
only real considerations to make with respect to processor are its age.
You want to avoid 386 and 386SX processors. You want processors that can be
upgraded and those that support instruction caching sometimes referred to as
Level 1 or Level 2 cache.
There really is no optimum level instruction cache size. More instruction cache
is usually better than less. The only real determinant should be costs.
Memory, also called RAM, is a different story. Without enough memory your
system will run slowly. If you cannot afford to buy memory for your system,
then you must manage the things you install.
You only want to install fonts, device drivers, objects and applications that
you will actually use. You may think that just because you have not started an
installed application, it is not using any memory. This is not always the case.
Many newer OS/2 applications will register classes and objects with the
WorkPlace Shell or add items into path statements, set statements and the like.
Many of these things will cause memory to be used even when the program is not
running.
In some cases, the program will require special device drivers be installed
which also use up memory.
Other things that affect memory usage are disk cache, CDROM cache, multimedia
support and file buffers. The important factor to consider for the disk cache,
is that it is designed for general use.
Since most systems are not general use, the disk cache should be tuned to the
specific system environment to optimize memory usage. We will discuss the disk
cache considerations in more detail when we look at the file system options.
In addition to RAM and the CPU, one of the most important pieces of hardware on
your system is the hard disk. It will affect the performance of starting your
system, loading applications, the speed of applications, and the general
performance of your system.
It is best to have a disk subsystem which uses a bus-mastering type of adapter.
Many SCSI devices and some of the PCI devices have this capability. These types
of devices allow for multiple requests to be sent to the disk device to be
processed rather than just one command or function at a time. They also allow
what is called scatter/gather capabilities.
Without bus mastering, data that is transferred between the computer's memory
and the disk must be in contiguous memory, one byte after the other. With bus
mastering, the data does not have to be contiguous and does not have to be on a
64K byte boundary. Bus-mastering relieves the system of a lot of overhead and
therefore performs faster in actual usage, although you will see little or no
difference when running benchmarks.
When the memory in your system is overcommitted, that is, the operating system
and the applications you are running need more memory than is physically
available in your computer, Warp will page, or swap, code and data that has not
been accessed for a while to the disk in order to make room for the needed code
and data. In this instance, the disk is the single most important factor in
your system with respect to performance.
Other considerations with regard to the disk is whether or not it has its own
caching. If it does and your applications perform mainly sequential disk
access, then you can reduce the size of your software disk cache. However, this
is subject to the amount of cache installed on the controller. Usually, 256 KB
cache is a minimum necessary setting for disk cache.
Hardware disk cache will have little or no effect when the programs perform
random disk operations. The hardware cache will improve the performance of
starting the Warp operating system and the applications.
Run a normal load of programs on your machine and then check
C:\OS2\SYSTEM\SWAPPER.DAT. Divide its size by 1024 and use that to determine
how much space to pre-allocate for your swappath. For example, if your system
normally has a 14 MB SWAPPER.DAT, change your swappath line in CONFIG.SYS to
like "SWAPPATH=C:\OS2\SYSTEM 2048 14680".
If you're running a video driver at a very high color and resolution (65K or
16.6 Million colors) that can severely impact system performance. Try running
at 256 colors and see if it works any better.
Don't run more than one CPU resource monitor at a time.
If you're running a 4 MB system, expect a lot of swapping. More memory will
always improve performance.
Printing can be CPU intensive. Using the OS/2 spooler and adjusting the spooler
priority, you can fine tune the printing overhead so that it has the least
negative impact on system performance while keeping the printer(s) busy. A
priority setting above 50% may be too aggressive for some slower low-end
systems.
Keep in mind, the OS/2 spooler requires memory as well (about 512 KB) and will
reduce available memory accordingly. If your system has 8 MB of memory and you
print infrequently, consider turning off the OS/2 spooler.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14.2. File System Performance ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
OS/2 supports two file systems for use on your hard disks: FAT and HPFS. No
matter which file system is used, there are some basic considerations.
You need to install the file system depending on which operating systems will
access the data. If you plan to boot a DOS or Windows system natively, then any
data that will be accessed must exist on a FAT disk partition.
If you will only be running DOS and Windows applications in a Warp VDM (
Virtual DOS Machine ), then the file system can be HPFS or FAT.
Also, when accessing a file on a server, and the server file system is HPFS,
you do not need to install HPFS on your local client machine. HPFS only needs
to be installed on a computer when a partition on a local hard disk is
formatted as HPFS.
The amount of memory you have in your machine should affect the decision about
which file system to use. When HPFS is installed, it requires a minimum 200 to
250 KB of working set, plus the space allocated for its cache. This is a
significant amount of memory and is the main reason why FAT is used when Warp
is installed on a system that contains 4 MB of physical memory..
Regardless of which file system you select, you need to plan for future
requirements: How will maintenance and fixes be applied? Where will
applications be installed? Where will data reside? etc.
It is recommended that when you set up your hard disk, you create a minimum of
3 partitions. One will be for the operating system(s), one for your
applications and static data files, and another for dynamic data files and
temporary files. Decide whether you want to use Boot Manager or Dual Boot.
If you select Dual Boot, then OS/2 must be installed with FAT file system.
For temporary files, it is better to have them preallocated and reuse them
rather than create and destroy them every time. Extending a file can be almost
twice as slow as just writing to a file. Also, if you reuse files, it will
definitely reduce the fragmentation in your disk directories.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14.2.1. FAT File System ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
FAT is best suited for disk partitions that are 80 MB or less in size or that
have a limited number of files installed. Usually, 256 files is a good target,
with up to 500 acceptable.
The number of files become important because FAT files are allocated based on a
sector size. The sector size is determined by the size of the disk partition
and can be 2K, 4K, 8K or higher.
Since most file sizes are not an exact multiple of the sector size, disk space
gets wasted. For example, installing DOS, Windows and Warp on a 100 MB
partition resulted in 2.2 MB of disk space being wasted.
Also, when Warp is allocating space for a file in a FAT partition, it will look
for the largest available free space area to write the data or create the file.
If lots of files were created and deleted, or expanded, these free space areas
become smaller and smaller and are spread out over the disk. This is referred
to as fragmentation.
When a file is stored in many areas on the disk, it takes longer to read that
data simply because the disk head has to do more seeking.
The FAT file system disk cache is defined by the DISKCACHE= statement in the
CONFIG.SYS file. New in Warp is the "D" designation for the size of the disk
cache. Warp will allocate space for the disk cache based on the amount of
physical memory that is installed in the system. If more than 8 MB is
installed, 10% of the physical memory will be used for the disk cache up to a
maximum of 14.4 MB.
Based on what applications and support you install in your system, this may be
too high and cause you to overcommit your memory. If there is not a lot of disk
work done on your system, or you are using DB/2 or HPFS, then you should reduce
the size of your disk cache. A number between 128 and 256K is sufficient for
most systems. On a 4 MB system, the disk cache is set to 48K.
In conjunction with the cache size, you should also set the cache threshold.
This determines which records being written or read will be placed in the
cache. The default is 1 sector.
If your cache size is 128K or larger, increase this value to at least 16 and
preferably 32. More detail about the DISKCACHE= statement will be given in the
section on CONFIG.SYS.
Some additional items for improving performance using FAT are:
1. Group files by usage, the most used files first, and least used files
last.
2. Group files based on whether they are static or dynamic. All dynamic and
temporary files should be placed in a separate partition.
3. If possible, place all temporary files in a single directory.
4. If possible, permanently create temporary files and reuse them.
5. Only create directories that are really needed. The fewer number of
directories you have to search, the faster your search will be.
6. Defragment your partitions after installing new applications, deleting
files or applying maintenance and fixes. Any DOS defragmentation program
that is aware of hidden files can be used.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14.2.2. HPFS File System ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
HPFS does away with some of the concerns that are prevalent with FAT. Files are
allocated with more granularity than FAT, and "free space" is allocated in
anticipation of file size growth. Therefore fragmentation is greatly reduced
and less disk space is used on a per file basis. It is not uncommon to regain
about 10 MB out of 100 MB as compared to using FAT.
Also, HPFS is especially efficient when handling large partition sizes, > 100
MB, and large numbers of files, > 500. Try to limit the number of individual
files in a directory to not exceed 5000.
The HPFS file system shipped with the OS/2 product has a cache limit of 2 MB.
There is no such limit when using the HPFS386 file system that comes with the
LAN Server products.
HPFS cache parameters are specified on the IFS statement in the CONFIG.SYS
file. As with FAT, you should specify the caching threshold value. Use the
/CRECL parameter to do this. Here you specify a number in terms of K bytes. 32
KB is usually a good starting value.
As mentioned earlier, a minor drawback to HPFS is the amount of extra memory
that it requires to achieve its performance. Even if there is no HPFS partition
on your system, it will cost between 128 and 130K of working set memory, as
well as the space for the HPFS cache. Overall, it's a small price to pay for a
high performance file system.
If you are installing Warp on an existing DOS and or Windows system, you do not
want to install HPFS. When your system is up and running, you can check the
working set of your system.
If there is enough free memory and you wish to create a HPFS partition, then
you can use selective reinstall to install the HPFS support. Remember that any
data stored in the HPFS partition can not be accessed if you boot your machine
under DOS.
Another advantage of HPFS over FAT is in the area of extended attributes (EAs).
EAs are data attached to a file and used to provide information about the file
it is attached to.
The name of an object that appears in an OS/2 folder or on the OS/2 Desktop is
stored in EAs. In HPFS, EAs are part of the HPFS file control block which is
read when the file is open.
In FAT, EAs are stored in a separate file and require additional I/O to access
them, and are therefore slower.
Overall, HPFS comes highly recommended. It has matured since conception to
bring very safe high performance to your system and successfully replaces the
age old FAT design.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14.2.3. Gospel of Disk Cache ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The following "Gospel of Caching According to Max" is provided by Proportional
Software based upon a great deal of OS/2 system "tweaking" done by the DCF/2
development team.
You can get better performance from your system by using the memory you have
available to you in the most efficient and effective way.
From the table below, select the case that best describes the file system or
systems you use and memory available on your system.
CASE 1: You use only HPFS or only FAT but not both
----------------------------------------------------------------
HPFS only FAT only
If system memory is at least Set CACHE to Set DISKCACHE to
16 MB 2048 2048
12 MB 1536 1536
8 MB 1024 1024
FAT DISKCACHE parms:
LAZY WRITES N/A LW
HPFS CACHE parms:
LAZY WRITES /LAZY:ON N/A
MAXAGE >7,500 N/A
DISKIDLE 60,000 N/A
BUFFERIDLE 60,000 N/A
If your system is HPFS only REM out the DISKCACHE statement in
your CONFIG.SYS file. If your system is FAT only, REM out the
IFS=HPFS.IFS statement.
CASE 2: You use both HPFS and FAT (active and passive)
----------------------------------------------------------------
HPFS active FAT passive
If system memory is at least Set CACHE to Set DISKCACHE to
16 MB 2048 512 -1024
12 MB 1536 256 - 512
8 MB 1024 128 - 256
FAT DISKCACHE parms:
LAZY WRITES N/A LW
HPFS CACHE parms:
LAZY WRITES /LAZY:ON N/A
MAXAGE >7,500 N/A
DISKIDLE 60,000 N/A
BUFFERIDLE 60,000 N/A
CASE 3: You use both HPFS and FAT (passive and active)
----------------------------------------------------------------
HPFS passive FAT active
If system memory is at least Set CACHE to Set DISKCACHE to
16 MB 1024 2048
12 MB 768 1536
8 MB 512 1024
FAT DISKCACHE parms:
LAZY WRITES N/A LW
HPFS CACHE parms:
LAZY WRITES /LAZY:ON N/A
MAXAGE >7,500 N/A
DISKIDLE 60,000 N/A
BUFFERIDLE 60,000 N/A
A few more notes:
1. For purposes of the table above, "active" and "passive" are descriptors
for the way a partition is used. If it is seldom used, it is "passive."
If a lot of disk intensive I/O occurs on the partition, it is "active."
2. The HPFS actually requires 128 to 130K of committed memory as opposed to
the widely perceived 512K. As cache size increases to 2 MB, this
requirement increases as well, up to a maximum of about 240K.
3. The optimal cache size seems to be 1536.
4. When comparing the relative merits of the HPFS versus FAT, consider the
following: On partitions of identical size, the HPFS gives you about 15%
more space and performance is about 28% better!
5. Instead of continuing to increase performance, a DISKCACHE value in
excess of 2048 seems to degrade it.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14.3. System Tuning ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Before covering OS/2 system tuning let's review the concept of threads and how
they are used in OS/2. Every program that you run on an OS/2 system will
process as one or more threads.
A thread is the basic unit of work within OS/2. Each thread requires a minimum
of 4K stack space. Stack space is used to save parameters and addresses when
different functions are called from a thread.
These functions might be reading from or writing to a disk, using semaphores,
and other system and program functions. It is important to ensure that you
allocate enough stack space for the thread to run.
You can use programs such as EXEHDR.EXE to see and modify the stack space
allocated for your program. All programs, DOS, Windows and OS/2 use a minimum
of one thread. Each thread executes at a given priority.
The priority is used by OS/2 to determine which thread gets to run when more
than one thread is ready to run. The highest-priority thread ready to run will
be the one dispatched by the system and given time to run. It is given what is
referred to as a "time slice". This is a set period of time during which a
thread is allowed to run. After this time has expired, the highest-priority
thread that is ready to run will be given a time slice in which to run.
If the same thread still wanted to run, and it was the highest-priority thread,
it would receive another time slice to run in.
OS/2 programs usually run at normal priority, which is 200. Under program
control, the program can change its priority to be server class, 300, or
time-critical, 800.
It can also change its subclass priority between 0 and 31. A thread that has
priority 200 and a subclass of 15 has a higher effective priority than a thread
with priority 200 and subclass 0, and therefore runs first.
All DOS and Windows applications always run at priority 200. In OS/2 Warp, IBM
has added the capability to define the subclass priority for these
applications. Care should be taken when using this subclass priority since it
may cause other programs to run slower or generate errors in the case of
communication applications that do not get the subclass boost.
Warp will give OS/2 threads a priority boost for specific types of functions
and states. Following are the priority boosts that are received, in descending
order:
1. Disk I/O: When an interrupt is received stating that a disk operation has
completed, the thread that processes this state will receive a priority
boost for one time slice to process this interrupt.
2. Starved: In the CONFIG.SYS file, there is a statement MAXWAIT=3. The
number 3 specifies how long a thread can be in the ready-to-run state
without having received time to run. If a thread had been waiting to run
for 3 seconds, its priority would be raised to the Starved priority
level.
3. Keyboard: This is a boost in priority given to a thread when it is
interacting with the system keyboard. Basically, it is for accepting
typed in data.
4. Foreground: This is a priority boost given to all threads of the program
that owns the active window on the OS/2 screen, the one that is
highlighted.
5. Windowed: Threads which have windows showing on the display will also
receive a priority boost when drawing or writing into that window.
When a thread is in more than one of these states, the system will combine the
states and give a priority based on the combined states.
For DOS and Windows applications, these priority states do not apply. Instead,
a second thread is used to handle the interrupt, and that thread is given an
interrupt boost..
Idle class is the other priority class that exists in OS/2. This priority
level runs only when nothing else in the system wants to run. Threads in this
class will not receive any of the state boosts.
If DOS and/or Windows applications are being run, then you should avoid the
use of threads that run in idle class because they will never run but will
take up system space.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14.3.1. CONFIG.SYS Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
These are specific things in the CONFIG.SYS file that you can change to affect
the performance of your system.
First, we cover those statements that you should NOT modify unless you have a
system which has a special use, such as a process control system. An example
would be a system used to monitor a manufacturing machine or chemical process,
where timing and response time are critical factors.
1. PRIORITY_DISK_IO=YES This allows the application that has screen focus
to receive a priority boost when it's disk operation is complete. This
applies to the first time slice given to the thread after the disk
operation is complete. After the time slice, the state is reset for the
thread and the priority boost removed.
2. MEMMAN=SWAP,PROTECT Allows OS/2 to swap code and data to disk when more
memory is needed than is physically available in your computer. If you do
not specify SWAP, you will need enough physical memory in you computer to
hold all the code and data that OS/2 and your application needs to run.
You do not pay a penalty by specifying SWAP and then not needing to use
it. The PROTECT parameter allows Dynamic Link Libraries (DLL) to allocate
protected memory. Protected memory is memory that is protected from being
accessed by unauthorized programs. You can also specify a COMMIT
parameter. This forces the system to ensure that enough physical memory
or swap file disk space is available for a memory object when it is
created. Normally, OS/2 commits physical and disk memory when the page of
memory is actually touched. Specifying this parameter can significantly
increase the amount space your swap file uses on disk.
3. TIMESLICE=X,Y This statement is not found in the CONFIG.SYS file after
you install OS/2 but is sometimes recommended to be added. This was okay
to add for OS/2 2.0, 2.1 or 2.11 systems, but not for OS/2 Warp. In Warp,
it dynamically modify a thread's time slice based on actions that have
occurred. For instance, if a thread took a page fault during it's time
slice, an extra time slice is granted to process what is contained in the
faulted page. An applications doing disk I/O is given an extra time
slices if the data they are reading is in the disk cache. When the
TIMESLICE parameter is used, none of these actions will occur. Instead,
each thread will be given the minimum time slice of X, and its time slice
will not be allowed to go beyond value Y.
4. PRIORITY=DYNAMIC If DYNAMIC is not specified, then each thread will
receive a minimum and maximum time slice of 32 milliseconds with no
additional time slices as described in the TIMESLICE= statement
description above.
5. DEVICE=C:\OS2\BOOT\VDISK.SYS This statement allocates a virtual disk in
your computers physical memory. It is used for quick access to often-used
files and programs. This was good for a DOS environment where the extra
memory in your computer was not used by DOS, but OS/2 uses this memory,
and your performance can be adversely affected if a VDISK is used. It is
much better to increase the size of the disk cache if you have unused
physical memory than it is to use VDISK.
Now let us look at statements in CONFIG.SYS which you should change to help
improve the performance of your Warp system.
1. LIBPATH= This tells the system where to find DLL files and disk device
drivers that Warp and applications use. Place the directory names in
order of usage. The most accessed directory should be first, the least
used last. If possible, place the DLL used by a program in the same
directory as the working directory when the program is running. Then, you
do not need to add that directory to the LIBPATH statement. Also, place
all directories that are on a network at the end of your LIBPATH
statement in case the network goes down and they cannot be accessed. See
the discussion of dynamic LIBPATH support later on in this paper for
additional considerations when accessing network drives.
2. PATH= is used to specify where Warp searches for program executable
files, EXE, COM, CMD, BAT, etc. Place the directories in order of most
used first, least used last. If programs will be executed from an object
on your desktop or folder, specify the path there and not in the PATH
statement. Only place directories in the PATH statement for executables
that will be called from other programs or commands.
3. DPATH= The same principle applies to DPATH as PATH and LIBPATH. For
resources that applications use, place the most used directories first
and the least used last.
4. BUFFERS=90 Buffers are physical memory used to support partial sector
reads and writes in a FAT file system environment. They are also used to
cache FAT directory entries and for swap file disk I/O. Because BUFFERS
are used to cache FAT directory entries, this number should not be
reduced below 60, unless you are not using the FAT file system on your
disks. Reducing this number will increase the number of disk reads that
are done to the FAT directory entries and therefore slow down your
system.
5. MAXWAIT=3 This specifies the maximum amount of time that a thread will
be in a ready-to-run state without receiving a time slice to run in.
After this time expires, the thread will be given a boost in priority so
it gets a chance to run. Reducing this value to 2 may help in systems
where there are a lot of programs running, or multiple separate
DOS/Windows programs running. Reducing it to 1 on systems where there is
swap activity taking place can slow down the system.
6. DISKCACHE=D,LW,T,AC This is used to specify the amount of physical
memory set aside to cache data that is being read from or written to
disk. D represents a dynamic disk cache value that varies in size from
48K to 14400K, based on the amount of physical memory you have in your
system. If you have more than 8 MB in your system, D will be 10% of your
system's physical memory. The D should be changed to the actual amount of
disk cache space you require. If you have a system where your programs do
not do much disk I/O or where your memory is being used up by your
applications, you may want to set this value to 128. Also, reduce this
value if you are using the DB/2 product or any other product that
provides its own disk data caching. The T parameter is not defined in the
default CONFIG.SYS file. It defines the cache threshold for records that
go into the cache. The default value is 4. This means that any record
that is 4 sectors or less will go into the cache, while those greater
will not. If your disk cache size is 128K or larger, add this parameter
to the disk cache statement. If known, set this value to the largest
record size used. Otherwise, set the value to 32. The LW parameter
activates the Lazy Write or write behind feature. This allows the
application to get control back before the data is actually written to
disk. A separate thread will write the data from the cache to the disk
when necessary or opportune to do so. You should always use this option,
and code any applications to open files with cache bypass option if disk
data security is imperative.
7. SWAPPATH=D,R,S SWAPPATH specifies where code and data pages are swapped
to on disk when more physical memory is needed than is available in your
system. D represents the path where your SWAPPER.DAT file is located. For
systems which have multiple partitions or multiple disks, this should be
placed on the least used directory of the least used disk. Also, try to
physically locate the swap file on the disk based on its usage. If you
are doing a lot of swap activity, place the swap file at the start of the
disk. If is it rarely used, place it at the end. S is the size that the
swap file is initialized to when you start your Warp system. Make this
large enough so that it does not have to grow in size while you are
running your programs. You should perform your normal computer functions
and look at the size of the swap file when you have the most activity.
Then set the value of the S to this size in the CONFIG.SYS file. If you
are using the FAT file system, IPL your system under DOS, delete the
SWAPPER.DAT file, defragment the disk partition where the swap file will
be located, and then IPL your OS/2 system. This should keep your swap
file from getting fragmented. R specifies the amount of free space that
must be in the swap file. The default for this value is adequate and only
needs to be changed if you want to be warned earlier about a possible
out-of-memory situation.
8. THREADS= THREADS defines how many threads the system will be able to
use. One page of resident memory is need for approximately every 32
threads that are defined. As a minimum, you will need 80 threads to
support the base Warp system and 3 or 4 OS/2, DOS and or Windows
applications. The system will support up to 64000 threads, but typically
you will not have enough memory in your system to support more than 300
to 500 threads. 18 threads are required for LAN Server 4.0. To calculate
the number of threads that you will need in your system, use the formula
54+(2xN)+10 where N is the number of programs that you will run together.
If the program requires more than 2 threads, add in the additional
threads.
Additional CONFIG.SYS Considerations:
1. You should only install the devices drivers that your programs actually
need to run.
2. Do not install extra communication, printer, video or device drivers if
they will not be used. Below are a list of device drivers and virtual
device drivers that are normally found in CONFIG.SYS and that may not be
needed. (Virtual device drivers are used to support DOS and Windows
applications and usually have a V at the beginning of their name.)
a. VEMM.SYS Used to support Expanded Memory use in DOS and Windows
programs.
b. VXMS.SYS Supports Extended Memory in DOS and Windows applications.
c. VDPMI.SYS Supports the DPMI memory access and is required to
support all Windows applications.
d. VW32S.SYS Supplies support for the WIN32S Windows APIs. Not needed
for Windows programs that do not use WIN32S APIs.
e. IBMxFLPY.ADD x will be either a 1 or a 2. 1 is used for family 1
machines and 2 is for MCA machines. You do not need both.
f. XDFLOPPY.FLT This is required for reading diskettes which are
written using the XDF (Extended Disk Format) format. These are
usually OS/2 and PCDOS 7 installation diskettes, printer and video
driver diskettes. The Warp Install and Disk 1 diskettes do not use
the XDF format.
g. COM.SYS and VCOM.SYS are only required if you will be doing serial
or async communications.
If you use the selectable CONFIG.SYS option in the Archive and Retrieve
feature of Warp, it is possible to create multiple CONFIG.SYS files which will
contain different device drivers based on your needs. For example, you could
create one CONFIG.SYS file that is used for maintenance and installation. This
one would include the XDFLOPPY.FLT and both IBMxFLPY.ADD drivers plus
additional threads. Another CONFIG.SYS used for normal processing could have
these device drivers removed and a lower number of threads. When maintenance
has to be applied to the system, or some additional new products installed,
you could IPL the machine with the Archive and Retrieval menu active and
select the proper CONFIG.SYS to be used. An extension of this would be to
archive the CONFIG.SYS and the OS/2 INI files and select those to apply
maintenance.
Note: DO NOT assume that the Archive and Retrieve feature of Warp acts as a
means to backup the desktop. In the event of a complete disk failure, only
backup images stored off line can be depended upon.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14.3.2. Desktop Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Let's look at some of the System Settings and Desktop settings that can be
tuned to improve a system's performance. In the System Setup Folder there are
many utilities that are available.
Add "SET RESTARTOBJECTS=STARTUPFOLDERSONLY" in your CONFIG.SYS to keep OS/2
from restarting at bootup all previous open application.
Spooler: The drop-down menu provides an option to disable the spooler. This
can be done without problems when only one job will be active on your printer
at a time. This will save a little bit of memory and one process and thread in
your system. If you have a dedicated print spool machine, then you should raise
the priority of the spooler to it's highest point. For non-dedicated print
spool systems, the priority should remain at the default. You would only
increase this if (for example) you raised the subpriority of a DOS session and
wanted to print documents while running the DOS session. In this case, you
would want to make the priority of the print spooler the same as the DOS
session.
Schemes and Color Pallet: You should use solid colors and avoid the use of
bitmaps for desktop and folder backgrounds when conversing memory. These
particular options use more memory and require more processing time to display
them.
Sounds: Deselect the System Sounds options, unless you like the noises when
opening and closing your folders. It costs between 250 and 300K in working set
just to hear the noise. An additional 40K or so of working set can be saved by
executing DINSTSND.CMD in an OS/2 command session. This will unhook the system
sounds from the OS/2 desktop. To get them back, you would execute INSTSND.CMD.
Font Palette: Only install the fonts that you will actually use in your
system. Also, try not to mix fonts in folders or on the OS/2 Desktop. If you
do, you will be using extra memory. Outline fonts tend to be a little smaller
in terms of memory than bitmap fonts and once they are in the cache, they
perform just as fast.
WIN-OS/2: When defining a Windows program, select common sessions and make DDE
and Clipboard support both private. If floating-point is used in your Windows
applications, use the enhanced run mode for Windows. Also, if you have a
Windows application that you always run, it is better to start it via the
Startup Folder than to use the Fast Load option and start it from the Desktop.
Finally, ensure that when you migrate, install or add Windows programs to you
system, that the run mode for these is the same as the common session run mode.
If run modes are different, then you will have two separate Windows sessions
running even though you stated that a common session is to be used.
System Setup: Disabling the Animation and Print Screen option can save a
little in code path and memory. Setting the System Logo option to none can save
some time when loading applications that check this parameter to see how long
to display their applications logo. The type-ahead option will use a little
more memory. When selecting screen resolutions, remember that the higher the
resolution, the more memory that is used. Very high resolution and color
support can require 100 to 200K of physical memory.
Mouse: Mouse pointers are basically bitmaps. The amount of memory used will be
affected by which mouse pointer style you choose. If you activate the comet
cursor, this will cost additional memory and processing time whenever the mouse
is being used.
Desktop Settings: Desktop settings are selected by choosing the Settings
option on the Desktop menu. Choosing Automatic Lockup will cause extra code
path and processing time to occur. Normally this is very minimal, until the
time-out value expires. Then you are looking at about 40 to 50K of working set.
If you select Create Archive on system restarts, this will slow down your
systems IPL time. You want to set this option only when you have changed your
desktop and/or configuration and want to save it. Once it has been saved, turn
this option off. You can get to the Archive Retrieve menu screen when you IPL
your machine by using the ALT+F1 key sequence.
Conclusion:
1. All the bells and whistles, neat features, applications and devices come
at a cost. They all cost disk space, they all use memory, and they all
have the potential for slowing your system down.
2. To minimize this, plan ahead. Decide what the system will be used for and
what your future uses will be. Then, set up the system accordingly.
3. Install only the things that you are actually going to use and need.
Ensure that there is a match between the software you install and the
hardware you install it on.
4. If an application or feature cost more memory than you have, either don't
install the feature, or get more memory for your system.
5. Be creative and logical. You can set the system up with different
configurations and different support, defined to optimize performance
based on the particular functions you perform and applications you use.
6. Finally, become aware of what Warp has to offer and use it to your
advantage.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15. Glossary ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
1. Virtual Memory refers to the concept that available disk space is used to
hold inactive memory while demanding active memory can be serviced. This
is managed in cooperation by both the operating system (OS/2) and the
CPU. OS/2 deploys and takes advantage of a true Virtual Memory model by
using the OS/2 Swap file for temporarily holding over-committed and
inactive memory.
2. Swapping is a normal activity for any computer. A machine with little
memory (ie. 8 MB) may experience heavy "swapping". This occurs when the
operating system spends (more) time swapping than allowing actual work to
be done by the user. Install more memory. Following the Least Recently
Used (LRU) algorithm, OS/2 memory management will identify individual 4
KB memory pages as being "swappable". When not enough REAL memory is
present for more demanding memory pages, OS/2 swaps-out the least used.
3. Real Memory refers to the amount of physical memory installed in the
computer and is used in comparison to Virtual Memory.
4. Free Memory refers to the amount of actual free REAL memory available to
OS/2 and OS/2 programs. This will never be shown as a number higher than
the amount of physical memory installed in the computer.
5. Resident Memory refers to the amount of REAL memory which is not
swappable nor discardable usually belonging to the operating system
(OS/2) or applications which created the memory as non-swappable. For
performance reasons, the operating system will maintain critical and
highly active memory as Resident memory.
6. Swappable Memory refers to the amount of REAL memory which is identified
as noncritical or Least Recently Used (LRU algorithm) memory pages
capable of being swapped-out to the OS/2 swapper file until the memory is
in demand. The term is synonymous with "discardable" memory.
7. Print Spooler is a facility which facilitates directing print output to a
particular print queue without having to wait for the printer to receive
and print the output.
8. Print Queues are an intermediate holding place for print jobs. Related to
the Print Spooler, there is a 1-to-1 relationship between a Print Queue
and a physical printer. When a print job gets spooled into a particular
print queue, the print job can be automatically printed, place on hold,
or subsequently released for printing.
9. Process refers to 1 instance of an executing program. Every Process is
assigned a unique ID (hence Process ID or PID) by the operating system
(OS/2). Every Process ID has at least 1 Thread. A process can launch
another process. This makes the launching process the parent and the
launched process the child. Hence Parent Process ID or PPID.
10. Threads are functions created by a Process and execute asynchronous to
the Process. A Process has by default 1 thread, but can create many.
Threads of a process have a finite life and terminate when the main
process ends. Every Thread is assigned a unique ID (hence Thread ID or
TID) by the operating system (OS/2). Each thread will have a "state"
which identifies whether the thread is active or waiting for a time slice
to be granted by OS/2.
11. Sessions are unique instances of a process which have a "screen group". A
Process with a Screen Group has a virtual keyboard, screen, and mouse.
Unlike "Detached" (Daemon) processes which execute completely in the
background, have no form of user input or output and are not always
visible to the user. When a process within a Session launches another
process asynchronously, the child process is assigned a unique Session ID
or SID. Launched synchronously, the child process inherits the same
Session ID as the parent.
12. Process Monitor allows the user to view the many attributes associated
with 1 or more Processes and their respective Threads. OS/2 maintains a
"Process Table" to keep track of all the processes and threads executing.
PM Patrol provides a very robust Process Monitor facility. Every possible
process and thread attribute can be monitored.
13. Time Slice refers to the operating system (OS/2) granting a process
thread a certain amount of CPU execution time in a multitasking
environment. This capability allows the user to work simultaneously on
many tasks. A Process can set his priority level so that OS/2 will grant
more time, more often. This granting of time slices is known as the
"Scheduler" in an operating system.
14. The OS/2 Scheduler is a very robust algorithm and integral operating
system component capable of servicing time critical applications in the
most demanding real-time environments. This, combined with stability,
connectivity, and maturity is why OS/2 is useful for mission critical
systems.
15. Preemptive Multitasking in OS/2 provides the ability to "preemptively"
interrupt one process without it's knowledge or control to allow another
process a time slice. DOS+Windows and Windows-95 attempt to preemptively
multitask, but suffer from architectural flaws which render them more
"cooperative" multitasking operating systems. True preemptive
multitasking operating systems such as OS/2, Windows NT, and UNIX, lend
themselves to mission critical and time sensitive applications.
Multimedia is a good example of a time sensitive application.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 16. Trouble Shooting ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section discusses topics of potential difficulty, compatibility, and
idiosyncrasies of PM Patrol features. Everyone should read this section.
The Float to Top option does not work when the E.EXE editor is active or causes
a 3175 error. Due to a bug in the E.EXE editor under OS/2 version 2.1 and 2.11,
PM Patrol temporarily disables the "Float to Top" option while E.EXE is the
active window. This bug in E.EXE is fixed in OS/2 Warp 3.0. If this problem
surfaces:
1. Change the "Process Monitors" in PM Patrol's "Refresh Settings" to a
lower value such as 3 or 4 seconds.
2. Or, turn off the "Float to Top" in the PM Patrol "Options" dialog.
A running program's priority is different than that specified in the Program
Launcher or Scheduler.
Note: Once launched, a program can change it's own priority Class and Range
settings. This means that PM Patrol sets the program's "default" priorities
with those that you select, but does not control it after the program has been
launched. A good example of this is running Windows programs. The Win-OS/2
environment will typically change the priority to "Regular" for both Class and
Range. Therefore, Windows programs can NOT be controlled by PM Patrol for
priority control.
Free Memory ALWAYS reports 0 KB or maximum KB available:
1. OS/2 views memory as a flat linear address space and deploys a true
Virtual Memory Model. Because of this, calculation of Free Memory is
subject to the following constraint.
Note: If your system hardware consists of MORE than 16 MB of memory and
the hard disk controller is a 16-bit adapter, Free Memory calculation may
not be accurately reported. Use a 32-bit disk controller when more than
16 MB RAM is installed.
Using another CPU monitor program causes questionable CPU results to be
reported by PM Patrol: The PM Patrol CPU monitor does not co-exist 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. PM Patrol is "aware" of
other CPU monitors when they are active such as (Pulse, SPM/2, and several
others). When PM Patrol recognizes that another CPU monitor is active, PM
Patrol relinquishes CPU monitoring to this alternative monitor while it is
active. After which, PM Patrol will automatically restart it's CPU monitor.
Not all Monitor display items can fit on the PM Patrol Status Line:
1. PM Patrol does not expect anyone user to desire ALL PM Patrol monitors on
the Status Line at once and therefore does not attempt to claim they all
fit. However, there are a number of things that can help.
2. Enable the "Display Compact" option under "Status Line Options" of PM
Patrol. When enabled, all Status Line abbreviations such as "Ram", "Swp",
"Net", and others are removed. This option was specifically designed to
address this issue.
3. 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.
4. Using the "Show Decimal" option for Status Line monitors, turn this
option off allowing PM Patrol to round values and will free-up some
Status Line space.
5. Another option is to turn off the "Graphical" display of free memory or
CPU usage. This will then display the numeric values only.
6. If there are a lot of drives on-line, turn off the "Drives On-line"
monitor of PM Patrol.
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 nonexistent. 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 constantly show excess CPU usage via the PM Patrol CPU
monitor:
1. It's not unusual with today's diverse software, multimedia, and the
ability to run DOS/Windows under OS/2, to see constant CPU usage. Use the
PM Patrol Process Monitor window to identify culprits of CPU activity.
2. Check to make sure the PM Patrol refresh rates found in "Refresh
Settings" are not set at their absolute most minimum values. These
minimum values can be too aggressive on 386-33 MHz systems (or less).
3. Make sure your not running another CPU monitor in addition to PM Patrol.
If you must, turn off the "CPU Monitor" in the PM Patrol "Options"
dialog.
With all PM Patrol Monitor windows (Process Monitor, Memory Monitor, and
Network Monitor) active and automatically refreshing, may be too much overhead
for some slower 386 class computers. Therefore, you may need to use these
windows selectively and not continuously.
Due to the nature and dynamics of OS/2's method of virtual memory swapping, PM
Patrol's calculation of free swap space is an approximation and may not result
in an exact calculation all the time. As compared to all PM Patrol's resource
monitors, swap utilization is the only one that may yield approximation. For
systems that are memory rich and therefore swap little, monitoring swap
utilization may not be necessary.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 17. Caveats ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PM Patrol is designed with special attention to performance and causes no
system degradations when properly used.
The PM Patrol defaults and minimum allowable settings for "Refresh Settings"
protects you from system-wide degradation. However, setting the refresh rates
at their minimum values may be too aggressive for some low-end computers. The
overhead for PM Patrol is no more than 1-2 percent CPU load (average over 1
minute) and only during resource sampling.
Note: The CPU effort to collect Process Meter data, although minimal when
active, can be negatively influenced by adjusting the "Process Monitors"
frequency in PM Patrol's "Refresh Settings" dialog too low - depending on the
computer. As a rule of thumb, set the "Process Monitors" frequency to the
following, but never lower:
1. 5 seconds for i386 class computers
2. 4 seconds for i486 class computers
3. 3 seconds for Pentium class computers
The Process Monitor, Memory Monitor, and Network Monitor windows create minor
delays in the form of brief CPU spikes. These spikes are normal and can be
further controlled in the PM Patrol "Refresh Settings".
Note: With all PM Patrol Monitor windows (Process Monitor, Memory Monitor,
and Network Monitor) active and automatically refreshing, may be too much
overhead for some slower 386 class computers. Therefore, you may need to use
these windows selectively and not continuously.
As with all our products, we are committed to supporting and enhancing PM
Patrol. Due to the nature of some of the PM Patrol features (i.e. Process
Monitor and Process Meter) and it's unique application, compatibility with
future versions of OS/2 can not be 100% guaranteed.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 18. What's New and Version History ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This section outlines a historical record of new features and enhancements
applied to the PM Patrol product.
We're on the Web. You can ALWAYS get the latest version of PM Patrol from our
WallyWare Internet Web site at http://homepage.interaccess.com/~wally and send
Internet EMail to wally@interaccess.com.
These items are new in PM Patrol version 4.1c:
1. Emergency fix. The Auto-Save Profile option introduced in version 4.1
also introduced a problem where this option would remain enabled -
regardless of the user's selection. The ramification effects
power-managed computers so that disk drives never power-down
automatically.
2. Added the ability to specify the number of minutes before an Auto-Save
Profile is performed. The default is 15 minutes, but can range from 1
minute to 8 hours. This option is located in the General Settings window.
3. The Show Inverted option introduced in 4.1b has been enhanced to include
Virtual Memory as well. This option allows you to "invert" or reverse how
the Virtual Memory and graph is shown on the Status Line to reflect
resource taxation similar to PM Patrol's CPU monitor.
4. Added Show Open Files option for the Process Summary monitor on the PM
Patrol Status Line. Some like to see it, and some don't. So, here's the
option.
5. The Show Percent option on PM Patrol's Status Line has been removed and
replaced with individual "Percent" options for each of the monitor items
including Swap, Resident RAM, Real RAM, and Virtual RAM. These individual
"Percent" options are located on PM Patrol's Options window and now
provides more flexability in customizing display options.
These items are new in PM Patrol version 4.1b:
1. The Internet Connect-Time is now refered to as INet Connect-Time. Prior
to 4.1b, the "Accumulative Internet" option was accessed via the General
Settings window. It has been relocated to PM Patrol's Options window and
is called Show Total INet which will show total Internet Connect-Time in
addition to the per instance connect-time. With this option, you can now
see total Internet Connect-Time at the same time as the per-instance
connect-time.
2. The INet Connect-Time bug fixed in version 4.0 was resetting to zero for
per-instance connections prematurely while not allowing the user to see
the total time after disconnection. This has been fixed. This
connect-time is now reset to zero when a new connection is established.
Thus, allowing the user to see what the last Internet Connect-Time was
before re-connection.
3. Added Show Inverted option. By default, PM Patrol shows Swap and Real RAM
in terms of "Free" or available resource on the Status Line. This option
allows you to "invert" or reverse how these monitors and graphs are shown
on the Status Line to reflect resource taxation similar to PM Patrol's
CPU monitor.
4. The Show Percent option now effects both Swap and Real RAM monitors on
the Status Line. When selected, both Swap and Real RAM will show the
percentages. Prior to 4.1b, only Swap was effected.
These items are new in PM Patrol version 4.1a:
1. Bug fix in Virtual Memory calculation.
2. Added Reflect Free Swap in VRam. This option provides the ability to have
the Free Virtual Memory calculation reflect (or not reflect) free OS/2
swap space from the swap file (swapper.dat). When enabled, the Free
Virtual RAM (VRam) calculation will reflect a more accurate and actual
reading. This new option is located in PM Patrol's General Settings
dialog.
These items are new in PM Patrol version 4.1:
1. New PM Patrol ShutDown command-line utility (PMPSDOWN.EXE) which provides
a mechanism to shutdown PM Patrol after a specified amount of time
(seconds).
2. New Message Box Popup command-line utility (MSGBOX.EXE) which can be
invoked from the Scheduler to popup a message at a specific time. Lots of
options for this. Refer to the "Command Line Utilities" help section for
details.
3. PM Patrol can now be accessed without the use of a mouse. Using Ctrl-Esc
to get the OS/2 Window List, then selecting the "PM Patrol Status Line".
At this point, pressing F12 will get you to the PM Patrol Options window.
F11 will invoke PM Patrol's Utility Popup.
4. PM Patrol now looks for the COMSPEC environment variable to identify the
correct OS/2 Command Shell Interpreter. Typically this will point to
CMD.EXE. But for those 4OS2 and MKS Toolkit Korn Shell users, this has
been fixed.
5. New Auto-Save Profile option will automatically save the PM Patrol
profile and statistics every 15 minutes. This facilitates integrity for
PM Patrol's statistics in the event of a system hang or crash. With this
option turned on, power-managed computers will not automatically power
down the disk drive because of the consistent 15 minute disk writes.
These disk writes are not buffered and therefore commit to disk
immediately.
6. New Lock Status Line Position option locks-in the PM Patrol Status Line
position from accidently dragging and moving.
7. New Allow Alternative CPU Monitors option instructs PM Patrol to keep PM
Patrol's CPU active even when alternative CPU monitors are detected.
8. New Message Popup Seconds option allows you to define how long (seconds)
PM Patrol should display popup messages. The default is 4 seconds.
9. Fixed bug in Program Scheduler and Launcher when using the keyboard would
automatically launch the first entry in the Program or Scheduler list.
10. Fixed bug in calculation of available virtual memory.
11. Fixed bug in Accumulative Internet Connection Time. When Accumulative is
disabled, the Connect Time will now reset to 0 after disconnecting from
the Internet, each time PM Patrol is started, or when you manually reset
it in PM Patrol.
12. The Process Summary now displays the total active/open number of files on
the system. This is in addition to the number of total processes and
total threads.
These items are new in PM Patrol version 4.0c:
1. This fix release will cause your PM Patrol profile settings to be
re-initalized, but will not effect the PM Patrol Program settings nor
Scheduler settings. Sorry for any inconvenience.
2. Fixed bugs in DCFUserDefined API and Refresh Settings for User Defined
frequency.
3. Fixed bug in Process Meter where the Run-Time Duration day was not being
incremented.
4. Added ability to turn off Event Renotification by specifying zero
seconds.
These items are new in PM Patrol version 4.0b:
1. Bug fix for situations where the month of January was being abbreviated
as "an" instead of "Jan".
These items are new in PM Patrol version 4.0a:
1. No functional changes were applied over version 4.0. This minor release
is optional for current 4.0 users.
2. Revised the online help section "Order and Pricing" and the text-based
file ORDER.FRM to reflect new methods of ordering PM Patrol. These
methods include Credit Card, Compuserve SWREG, personal check, and money
orders.
3. Revised online help to reflect improved PM Patrol support and obtaining
updates by itemizing FTP and other download sites posted to directly by
WallyWare. Refer to online help section "Support" for details.
These items are new in PM Patrol version 4.0:
1. Due to changes in PM Patrol's profile data (PMPATROL.INI) to accommodate
the new release, this profile data may be re-initialized to standard
defaults when the new release is first invoked.
2. Significant improvement in overall visuals and interpretation of system
resources. This includes emphasis on new graphing functions within the PM
Patrol Status Line and across several new PM Patrol windows.
3. Distinctly different monitor windows which focus on categories of
resources. These include:
a. Network Monitor window. Provides concentration for LAN Server/Client
I/O traffic workstation specifics.
b. Process Monitor window. Provides concentration for OS/2 active
processes, threads, CPU per process, DLLs loaded, and much more.
c. Memory Monitor window. Provides concentration for OS/2 memory
utilization for free/used real memory, swappable, free swap,
resident, and other memory related items.
d. Drives Monitor window. Provides concentration for disk drives
on-line, utilization per drive, location/file systems, summary per
drive, and drive maps.
e. Port Monitor window. Provides concentration for I/O traffic and
performance of LPT ports with the ability to monitor 1 or more ports
at the packet level. Using the new Debug facility, individual
packets can be monitored providing "data scope" capability. When
DBugging is enabled for a selected LPT port, an artificial delay (1
second) is inserted between each packet sent to the port.
4. New Process Meter features provides unattended operation and automatic
collection of process statistics for determining total and average
run-time, CPU consumption, and run-count instance over a user controlled
range of time.
5. New Activity Monitor graphs highly visible/critical OS/2 resources. This
facility provides a "bird's eye view" of overall system utilization. Drag
and drop the window for precise window positioning.
6. New CPU Magnification feature enables CPU monitoring at a selectable
granule level. Zoom into CPU effort for fast CPUs such as highend i486
and Pentium systems. Up to 50 times (50x) magnification.
7. Improved Fast Find facility allows execution of programs, viewing of INF
files, double click selection, and more.
8. New Fast Help facility which provides very fast access to a list of
available on-line help for OS/2 and Windows help files. Coupled with
search capability, this feature enables you quick access to highly
accessed help books.
9. New Status Line monitor items include:
a. OS/2 free Swap Utilization
b. HPFS386 Cache read and write statistics
c. Internet Connect Time when using a modem and the PPP or SLIP
protocols of the IBM Internet Access Kit. Provides the ability to
monitor and manually reset connect-time and accumulative monitoring.
10. New Debug Facility. The high-performance real-time debugging facility
that goes where the interactive debugger can not. PM Patrol's new Port
Monitor takes advantage of this facility allowing you "data scope"
capabilities on a per packet basis.
11. Improved on-line help including in-depth discussion of performance tuning
specifics for the OS/2 environment.
12. PM Patrol's Data Collection Facility (DCF) APIs have been enhanced to
reflect all new monitor items introduced with this release. Due to
changes in the DCF data structures (since version 3.0), previously
written programs which use PM Patrol's C/C++ APIs will require recompile
to reflect the new data structures.
13. New Event Monitor notifies you when critical system activities occur or
thresholds are exceeded. These include CPU, Swap growth, batter low,
virtual memory, low disk space, and more.
14. Miscellaneous new features provide:
a. Restart Desktop allows the ability to restart the OS/2 desktop and
optionally select different OS/2 INI locations.
b. Idle System CPU monitoring within PM Patrol's Process Monitor
window. When applications consume CPU, "Idle System" will decrease.
When your system sits idle, "Idle System" increases.
c. Sound Bites For MMPM/2 enabled systems, PM Patrol is multimedia
enabled providing notifications of events, window selections, and
more.
d. Filter-out Background processes in the Process Monitor window to
allow you to focus only on "Foreground" programs active on your
system.
e. New Auto-Popup Menu option for quick access to the PM Patrol Utility
popup menu on the Status Line.
f. New Confirmations option to suppress PM Patrol from prompting you
before taking selected actions.
g. WorkPlace Classes option provides the ability to browse through
registered WorkPlace Shell classes with the capability of
registering new classes or deregistering classes no longer needed.
h. Close All Folders option quickly closes all open OS/2 WorkPlace
Shell folders. This is similar to PM Patrol's ability to also
quickly Minimize or Maximize all open desktop windows.
Show Decimals option enables or disables PM Patrol displaying the
decimal position for several of the Status Line monitors. When
disabled, PM Patrol will apply standard rounding across effected
values.
i. Forced OS/2 Shutdown for safe and dependable system shutdown when
the normal OS/2 shutdown services are unresponsive.
j. Windows 3.1 Enhanced-execution support for both the Scheduler and
Program Launcher.
k. Recalibrate PM Patrol's CPU monitors when switching between
Turbo/Slow mode for certain systems.
l. Quick open/close of all PM Patrol monitor windows.
m. Self-awareness of other CPU monitors making PM Patrol even more
stable and it's ability to coexist in diverse environments.
n. Re-organization of menus and overall consistency making PM Patrol
easier to use and access to its features.
o. New command line utility called FDUMP which provides the ability to
dump the contents of any file and display the contents in both ASCII
and hex representation. This utility also understands fixed record
lengths.
p. Total customization of colors and fonts on a per window basis across
the PM Patrol product.
q. Run-Time of programs in the "Process Monitor" allows viewing the
duration for which processes have been actively running.
r. Improved Logging services with a new Log viewer able to view log
data while logging is active and view very large log files
efficiently and ability to log process level detail and CPU per
active process.
s. User Defined Monitor allows you to format your own monitor to have
it displayed on PM patrol's main Status Line and allow it to be
logged.
t. Better integration to OS/2 Warp WorkPlace Shell and access to
frequently used objects.
These items are new in PM Patrol version 3.0:
1. Fast Find w/out limits across multiple drives.
2. Improved Process Monitor window with graphical view of CPU utilization
per process and thread, and priority classification.
3. Drive map with graphical view of directories and their sizes
4. New Virtual memory and Resident memory monitors
5. IBM LAN Server support includes Network I/O monitor rates for
workstation, Network monitor current logged-on user, and Network monitor
current logged-on domain.
6. Improved Print Spooler functions with remote LAN capabilities.
7. Vastly improved logging capabilities and Free Memory calculation.
8. Monitor up to six (6) logical drives.
9. Robust Program Scheduler with program priority control.
10. Security features to keep unwanted changes being made to PM Patrol
settings.
11. Windows 3.1 support for both the Scheduler and Program Launcher.
12. Data Collection Facility with APIs for real-time access to ALL PM Patrol
monitors and statistics.
13. New startup parameters offer background execution for DCF-only needs and
real-time responsiveness.
14. Complete printing support for local or LAN printers
15. New and improved PM Patrol Installation facility
Note: The on-line help contains a section called "Trouble Shooting". It
discusses topics of potential difficulty, compatibility, and idiosyncrasies of
PM Patrol features. Everyone should read this section.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 19. Acknowledgments ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
(c)SPM/2 and MMPM/2 for OS/2 are offered by IBM Corporation.
(c)IBM LAN Server and (c)IBM LAN Requester are OS/2 network components offered
by IBM Corporation.
Windows (tm), Windows-95 (tm), and Windows NT (tm) are offered by Microsoft
Corporation.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 20. Special Thanks ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to everyone who assisted in
the production of this release. Particularly, a special thanks to:
Mike Coane, Aron Eisenpress, Jeff McCauley, Mark Saliture, Larry Wright, Jen
and Kyle.