+++ LMCS +++ The LAN Management and Control System ------------------------------------- NOTE: This is an EVALUATION COPY of the LMCS system. Please read & print this file as it contains important information about using the system. To print this file type the following from the DOS prompt: TYPE README.TXT > LPT1 Installation: You must logon to your primary file server as SUPERVISOR and have either a local or network printer available. The file LMCSD.EXE is a self-extracting file containing the complete LMCS system. To install the system, first create a directory on your Novell file server. All users will require complete rights to this directory. Then copy the LMCSD.EXE file into this directory. Make this directory your current directory, and run the program LMCSD.EXE. This will create all of the required files to run the LAN Management & Control System. To start it, type LMCS from the DOS prompt, or from within your menu script. Overview: The LAN Management and Control System has been designed to provide assistance in the operation of a Novell LAN/WAN in two major areas. Firstly, the LMCS system is NOT designed to replace the Novell utility programs like SYSCON and FCONSOLE. This system addresses a completely different area of network management. The first area handled by the LMCS system is information control. This system tracks information about LAN users, helpdesk support calls, file server hardware and software, server software frequency usage and metering, workstation hardware and software. It also can detect what software is installed on each workstation, and if each program in registered or pirated. This feature is particularly effective, in that it checks all software programs, not simply those contained in a master list. Secondly, the LMCS system provides an easily maintained and integrated approach to handling the login process of your users. Most Novell LAN environments use system and user login scripts. User login scripts can become very difficult to maintain as the user can change these settings. In addition, global, network wide changes of items stored in the user login scipt can be a nightmare. The LMCS system provides the utilities to setup the workstation environment during the login process, from the user database maintained by the system. All vital information about a user is tracked and maintained within the LMCS system including user ID, name, location, default print queues, and six user defined items. These can all be written into the workstation environment during the login process. Version 1.x of the LMCS system has been in production for over two years. Initialy, it was developed as a tool for Software Solutions client only. Version 2.x has grown to cover additional requirements of handling both small and large, multi-server Novell environments, and it was decided to make it available to other Novell LAN support professionals. Start Up: To start the LAN Management & Control System, type LMCS from the DOS prompt, or from your menu script. There are several things that should be done before you jump right in and start using the system. Firstly, under the Maintenance/Master File/Staff menu, enter in the people that will be using this system to maintain your LAN. This is not the place to enter LAN users, but rather the technicians and management staff that will be access the LMCS system. Then using the File Servers menu, add the file servers that you have in your environment. You can enter as many file servers as you wish. You may also specify if a file server will have scanned users. This is, will this file server be using the scan utilities provided with the LMCS system. If you answer YES, then the LMCS system will keep all the utilities, and data up to date on each of these scanned servers. NOTE that evaluation copies are limited to a single file server. Once you have completed these steps, you can being using the system. All other validation lookup files can be maintained from within the system itself, as you need them. For convenience, you might want to update these master files at one time. These master validation files can be accessed from the Maintenance/Master File menu. Evaluation: This copy of the LAN Management & Control System is an evaluation copy only. It must be installed on a Novell file server, and it will only operate for a period of 45 days. In addition, it is limited to tracking 5 users on a single file server. The registered version can handle an unlimited number of users, spread out over any number of file servers. In addition to this README file, a complete manual is contained in the text file MANUAL.DOC. You may wish to print this file for further reference. It is a standard text, page formated file. To print it type the following from the DOS prompt: TYPE MANUAL.DOC > LPT1 A complete, printed and bound manual is included with all registered copies of the LAN Management & Control System. Several of the external utilities that make up a part of the LMCS system are only available with the registered version. Read below for further information about the LMCS utilities. Utilities: SOFTCHK.EXE This utility scans workstation software as they log onto the LAN. This program determines what programs are registered for this work- station, and what programs are unregistered (pirated). This information is then viewed and modified withing the LMCS system. Syntax: SOFTCHK -F:xx -D: -U:UserID -H: Where: xx is the frequence in days that this utility should be run. If you wish to scan workstations once per month then you would use -F:30. is the DOS path to start the scan from. Normally, this option would NOT be used. If you wanted to scan a particular path, or perhaps your F:\USER directory on your file server. UserID is the user ID of the person logging in. The userID is included in the scan data simply as a convience. It is the workstation that is being scanned, regardless of who is logging on, and it is the address value of the network card that is used to track the software on each workstation. An example of this utility being called from the system login script would be: #F:\PACKAGES\LMCS\SOFTCHK -F:30 -U:%LOGIN_NAME This would scan each workstation every 30 days, and provide the User ID of each user. SETNET2.EXE One unique and powerful facility of the LMCS system is to control the workstation login environment in a way that is easy to maintain. The system allows you to maintain a complete profile of each user, over any number of file servers. This information consists of the UserID, name, location, department, default print queues and six user defined values. These are all stored and maintained within the LMCS system. During the login process, you might wish to load these values into the workstation environment memory for later access by menu systems or other utilities. This utility reads LMCS user data and write an include file named SETENV.INC in the current directory. These utilties should be run from within the system login script. NOTE: Be sure that the login script has placed the user in their own login directory before running this utility to ensure that they don't overwrite another users include file. The login script syntax for this is: #F:\PACKAGES\LMCS\SETNET2 %LOGIN_NAME #INCLUDE SETENC.INC The current directory must be the users personal user directory before this utility is run. The first line creates the include file from the LMCS user profile, and the second line executes the include file. PCCHECK.EXE This utility provides a scanning function of workstation hardware. The information scanned consists of DOS version, shell version, and various hardware configuration values that can be viewed from within the LMCS system. This utility should be called from the system login script, with the following syntax: #F:\PACKAGES\LMCS\PCCHECK %P_STATION xx Where xx is the number of days between scans. USAGE.EXE This utility is to be implemented within your menu scripts to track the frequency usage and metering of software on file servers. This utility provides data directly to the LMCS system so that you can see what software is being used, how often and by what number of people. In addition, a metering facility is included to allow you to limit the number of concurrent users of a program to the number of registered copies you have. NOTE: This utility is NOT included as part of the Evaluation Copy. UPDATE.EXE One task facing Network Administrators is keeping the workstation file required for login current and up to date. It is most important that all workstation have the most current copies of network shells. The PCCHECK utility outlined above will allow you to determine what workstations are running old versions of the shell. The UPDATE utility provides a method of automating the distribution of these types of files. The login script syntax is: #F:\PACKAGES\LMCS\UPDATE /E /O /F:xx Where: is the directory containing the current copy of all of your network files. is the directory on the workstation that these file should be copied to. /E is an optional parameter that will limit the files copies to only those that already exists in the target directory. /O is an optional parameter that will override the prompt when copying existing files. /F:xx is the frequency that this utility will be run on each workstation. For example: #F:\PACKAGES\LMCS\UPDATE F:\SHELL C:\NETWORK /E /O /F:30 would copy any new files from F:\SHELL that exist in C:\NETWORK NOTE: This utility is NOT included as part of the Evaluation Copy. CHKENV.EXE The LMCS system allows you to load user configuration items into workstation environment variables during the login process. This utility will check to ensure that 1024 bytes exist in the workstation environment, and it not, provide the user with the option of updating the CONFIG.SYS file and rebooting. NOTE: This utility is NOT included as part of the Evaluation Copy. SECUPDT.EXE The LAN Management & Control system is designed to manage any number of users, on any number of file servers. The system is installed on a single 'Primary' file server, but it allows you to control user and workstation profiles on other servers. As such, it is necessary to ensure that user profile data, and utility scan data is properly coordinated between file servers. The SECUPDT.EXE utility is actually only executed from within the LMCS system and it provides data distribution amoung all the file servers in your environment. NOTE: This utility is NOT included as part of the Evaluation Copy as you are limited to a single file server. Support: This is an evaluation copy of the LAN Management & Control System. Complete support is provided to all REGISTERED users of this product. LIMITED support is also provided, free of charge to all those using the evaluation copy. Support for users of the evaluation copy will only be provided through fax or Compuserve E-Mail. Voice phone support is not available for evaluation users. All fax and E-mail will be responded to within 24 hours, often much sooner. Our fax number is 416-849-0930 Our CIS number is 76137,3150 Cost & Licence: The cost for the complete LAN Management & Control system is $595.00 (US) This provides control for 20 users/workstations. Additional users/workstations are available for $20.00 (US) each. Users/workstations can be spread out over any number of file servers. In most cases, we can increase you user/workstation limit over the phone if you provide a Purchase Order number. Site licence pricing is also available. Call for specific information. If you are a Novell/LAN consultant, a special version is available under licence, for you to provide to your clients. Call for specific information. Please not that all cost figures are in US dollars. Canadian residents must include GST. Ontario residents must include PST or excemption number. Copyright (c) 1992, 1992 by Software Solutions 234 Weldon Ave., Oakville, Ontario Canada L6K 2H8 Phone/Fax: (416)849-0930