Network Supervisor's Toolkit/Network Supervisor's Toolkit.iso/administ/netware/bestnet.doc

Text File | 1996-07-10 | 17KB | 433 lines

Computer Tyme BestNet * Version 1.6 * Release Date: 09-30-91
Copyright 1990-91 by Marc Perkel * All Rights Reserved

Computer Tyme * 411 North Sherman, Suite 300 * Springfield Mo. 65802
[phone] Sales * [phone] Voice * [phone] Data

This program sets an environment variable NET to the best network shell
based on the dos version and the presence of either EMS or XMS memory.
You can then load the net shell by putting %NET% in your batch file.
If both EMS and XMS are available, EMS is selected.

Usage: BESTNET (/I/X/L)
       BESTNET > NUL  ;This stops BestNet from writing to the screen.

/I Ignore XMS and EMS Shells.
/X Selects XMS over EMS where both exist.
/L Includes QEMM LoadHi command if LOADHI.COM is available.

BestNet also sets an environment variable NETD that contains the
drive letter of the first network drive. This also can be used in
a batch file to switch to the network drive and log in.

A batch file to login might look like this:

  IPX
  BESTNET
  %NET%        ;might contain EMSNETX.EXE
  %NETD%       ;might contain F:
  LOGIN

Price: $35/Server, $250 Unlimited

Setting NET=EMSNETX.EXE
Setting NETD=F:

------------------------------------------------------------------

This program helps take some of the pain out of booting up into netware.
One of the problems on a network is that some people are running
different verstion of dos that others. Some have EMS memory and some
have XMS memory. Novell provides several shells for different computer
environments. BestNet helps choose the best net for your machine to
load. Thus making installation easier.

Here's how you use it. Your AUTOEXEC.BAT might look like this:

@Echo Off
IPX
SET COMSPEC=X:COMMAND.COM
BESTNET
%NET%
SET NET=
F:
LOGIN

The SET COMSPEC command has nothing to do with BestNet. It's a trick I
learned that eliminates DOS going back to the floppy for command.com.
Setting the comspec before loading the net shell fixes this problem.

Another trick is to create a file called LOADNET.BAT as follows:

BESTNET
%NET%
SET NET=
F:
STARTUP

AUTOEXEC.BAT ----> LOADNET.BAT ----> STARTUP.BAT

The idea here is that each AUTOEXEC.BAT on the net ends with the command
LOADNET. This causes the AUTOEXEC to jump to LOADNET. LOADNET is exactly
the same for all workstations. You also put LOADNET in the LOGIN
directory. LOADNET loads the best shell and then branches to a batch
file called STARTUP which does your login.

The reason for 3 batch files is as follows. If you are booting from a
boot rom, you can have different AUTOEXEC for each user. These branch to
LOADNET which makes the transition from rom to the login directory. As
soon as the net shell loads the rom disappears and the LOADNET file
continues in the login directory.

The idea is that LOADNET never changes. You can change the AUTOEXEC and
the STARTUP bat files any way you want and still make a smooth
transition from your boot drive to the network.


   Other Computer Tyme Software:
   ======================================================

   The Computer Tyme Dos ToolBox... Makes DOS easier for the novice,
   more powerful for the professional.

   DIRECTORY MASTER is a powerful hard disk managment utility. It
   brings up your hard disk files and allows you to mark selected
   files so you can copy them, delete them, or move them. It also
   allows you to rename files, change dates, and change attributes.
   You can also run programs or set up your function keys to run
   programs on selected files.

   DOLIST makes being at DOS easier. It gives you full line editing,
   like a word processor, for your commands. It also stores commands
   so that you can re-execute them. It remembers subdirectories and
   allows you to go back to them by pressing the TAB key. It offers
   programmable function keys, DOS extensions, multiple execution,
   and many more features you have got to have.

   PICK DIRECTORY allows you to move through the directory system by
   displaying a graphic tree and letting you use your arrow keys to
   move around. It also lets you create, delete, rename, and hide
   directories.

   TEDIT (from SemWare) is a powerful, easy to use full screen
   editor.

   MARXTSR is a set of memory and TSR management utilities that let
   you load and unload TSRs (Terminate and stay resident programs)
   from memory. Utilities to list menory allocation and turn TSR's
   on and off.

   And many more ... Also includes is D, a fancy directory listing
   program; WHEREIS, for finding stuff on you hard disk, SORT, MOVE,
   FIND, FREE, PIPEDIR, VERSION, and many more.

   The Dos Toolbox sells for $59.95.

   ======================================================

   We are also selling QEdit from Semware. QEdit is a professional
   editor from Semware. TEdit is a mini version of QEdit. If you
   like TEdit, You'll love QEdit.

   1-800-548-5353 Order Line
   1-417-866-1222 Voice Line
   1-417-866-1665 BBS Data line * 1200/2400 * 8N1 * ANSI or VT100

   MarxMenu comes with MarxEdit and MARXTSR manager and a few goodies out of
   the DOS ToolBox. The Network Survival Kit is a network version of almost
   every utility I've ever written. It's sold on a per fileserver basis.

                 _______
            ____|__     |               (tm)
         --|       |    |-------------------
           |   ____|__  |  Association of
           |  |       |_|  Shareware
           |__|   o   |    Professionals
         -----|   |   |---------------------
              |___|___|    APPROVED VENDOR

      ==========================================







        Make Check            Computer Tyme            Order Form 2.26
        Payable To:    411 North Sherman Suite 300
                          Springfield Mo. 65802
                     [phone]  [phone]

        Please send me Computer Tyme Software.

        =============================================================

        Name:        ________________________________________________

        Address:     ________________________________________________

        City/St/Zip: ________________________________________________

        Phone:       ________________________________________________

        Computer:    ________________________________________________

        Got From:    ________________________________________________

        Comments:    ________________________________________________

                     ________________________________________________


        Single User Version:

        ___ Enclosed is $59.95 for MarxMenu.

        ___ Enclosed is $59.95 for the DOS ToolBox.

        ___ Enclosed is $99.95 for MarxMenu, the Dos ToolBox and DM3.


        Network Version (1 per file server):

        ___ Enclosed is $495 for Network Survival Kit.

        ___ Add $3.00 for Shipping and Handling.

        ___ I need 3 1/2 Inch Media.


        Credit Card Number: _______________ Expiration Date: ________

        Signature: __________________________________________________

        Master Card __   Visa __   Discover __

                    * We do not take American Express *

        =============================================================

Since the article about this program appeared in LAN TIMES, I've decided
to copy a few paragraphs about logging in and logging out of NetWare
that are out of my MarxMenu manual. This may help you solve a lot of
other problems with NetWare. MarxMenu can be used to completely replace
Novell login scripts!


NOVELL USERS:

Novell is the most popular network on the market. We have added many
enhancements for Novell networks to support things like logging in and
logging out, drive mapping, group support, software metering, and status
information.

Although Novell is a high quality solid product it has its own
"Personality" and many undocumented features otherwise known as bugs.
Most people who are having trouble with MarxMenu under Novell are really
having trouble with Novell. Quite frankly, we do more Novell support
than we do MarxMenu support.

Having said that, I own two Novell networks. One at the lab and one at
home and I love my networks. But, I have spent hundreds of hours
learning all the tricks. And to save you a phone call, and me a lot of
time, I've decided to share these tricks here in my manual.

Some of these tricks are from the Great Network Gurus themselves who are
so advanced that they no longer exist in physical form. These people
live in another dimension of total mental existence and can only be
reached my modem. Some of them hang out on Compuserve.

I therefore strongly recommend that if you are a serious Novell user
that you join Compuserve and hang out in the Novell section. And just
because not everyone on Compuserve is a real person doesn't mean that
you should feel uncomfortable asking them any question about your
network that you need to ask.

LOGGING IN WITH MARXMENU

If there is any one thing that's trickier than logging out of a Novell
network, is logging in. I have spent MANY hours struggling with Novell
trying to get it right and I have finally figured it out. Much of this
comes from the Novell gurus who hang out on Compuserve and know
everything there is to know about Novell.

The first thing you need to do is make up your mind that you are going
to do it right. The technique here might seem somewhat cumbersome, but
it works well and will keep you out of trouble.

MarxMenu has the ability to log you into a network, map your drives, and
set your environment strings without having to touch a Novell utility to
do so. MarxMenu can completely eliminate the need for Novell login
scripts. The advantage to using MarxMenu in the login is that you have
the power of 500 commands to work with instead of just 25 or so.

THE CONFIG.SYS FILE

The place to start is the place where DOS start when DOS boots. You MUST
create a CONFIG.SYS file on your boot disk. The CONFIG.SYS tells DOS how
many files and buffers to create, what device drivers to load, and the
size of the Master Environment.

Unless you are using special drivers, BUFFERS=40 and FILES=40 is a good
place to start. STACKS 0,0 will gain you an extra 3k of ram. But the
most important command is the shell statement. A CONFIG.SYS file might
look like this:

 SHELL=COMMAND.COM /P /E:400
 BUFFERS=40
 FILES=40
 DEVICE=ANSI.SYS

This sets up enough environment space to allow MarxMenu and DOS SET
commands to work properly. You will also want to load any other device
drivers like QEMM386.SYS or 386MAX.SYS to take advantage of other
features of your computer. If you don't know about CONFIG.SYS files,
read the DOS manual.

Note: If you don't have a local hard disk and are booting from a floppy
drive, set BUFFERS=4. If you are booting from a diskless workstation,
set BUFFERS=1. BUFFERS are used for local drives only and have no effect
on network drives. You save 1k of memory for every 2 buffers you don't
use.

THE AUTOEXEC.BAT FILE

After the CONFIG.SYS is loaded the AUTOEXEC.BAT runs next. Here you load
up your TSRs and network drivers. There are some important tricks to be
used here as well.

First of all, never load your network shell from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
Always have it branch to another batch file called LOADNET to load the
network shell. Use the autoexec.bat only to load special TSRs and the
IPX. An autoexec.bat might look like this:

 @Echo Off
 Cls
 IPX
 SET NET=NET4.COM
 SET COMSPEC=X:COMMAND.COM
 LOADNET

The two SET commands are very important. The first sets a variable
called NET to NET4.COM. This will be used later in LOADNET.BAT. By using
this variable, you can have users running many different versions of DOS
and still use the same LOADNET.BAT file. You could also use a command
SET NET=LOADHI EMSNET4.EXE to take advantage of advanced memory manager
software.

Another trick is to run BESTNET from the Network Survival Kit. BestNet
will automatically pick the best network shell and set the NET
environment variable for you. You would use the command BESTNET instead
of SET NET=NET4.COM in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

The SET COMSPEC=X:COMMAND.COM is important if you are booting off of
either a floppy drive or a diskless workstation. This assumes that X:
will eventually be mapped to a directory on the network that has a valid
COMMAND.COM in it.

It is important to set the comspec BEFORE loading your NET shell. This
prevents a problem where Netware wants to go back to the boot disk even
after you change the comspec. I don't know why this works but it does.
Trust Me. If you are going to use COMMAND.COM on drive C:, ignore this
paragraph.

Now we go to the LOADNET.BAT file.

 @Echo Off
 %NET%
 SET NET=
 F:
 STARTUP

The big concept behind LOADNET is that this file is NEVER CHANGED. You
put in on all your workstations and in the LOGIN directory and it is
EXACTLY THE SAME for every computer in your network. Any changes to
individual computers are made in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

So why is this important. Because if you are running diskless
workstations what happens is that while you are booting you have a
mythical drive A:. As soon as your NET shell loads this drive
dissappears out from under you and you end up in F:\LOGIN. If you are
running LOADNET.BAT when this happens you drop out of A:LOADNET.BAT and
land in the middle of F:\LOADNET.BAT. And if your LOADNET.BAT is exactly
the same file as the LOADNET.BAT in the \LOGIN directory, you take off
running like the transition never occured.

Even if you are not running on diskless workstations now, you might go
to it someday. It also creates good programming habits and helps you
boot up cleanly.

Lets see what LOADNET does. The first line is @ECHO OFF, that's easy.
The second line %NET% executes the network shell that you specified with
the SET NET=NET4 command. This actually loads the network shell. The
third line clears the NET variable freeing up space for other
environment variables. F: switches you to drive F if you aren't there
already. And finally STARTUP is the name of yet another batch file you
jump to.

The STARTUP.BAT file controls what happens AFTER LOADNET runs. This file
can be freely changed so that LOADNET.BAT can stay the same. This lets
you modify what happens AFTER the network shell is loaded.

If you are using Novell's login program STARTUP.BAT might look like
this:

 @Echo Off
 LOGIN

THE SHELL.CFG FILE

The SHELL.CFG file is used by Netware to configure the Netware shell.
You should read the manuals on this to see if you need any of the many
option available. I suggest you at least have the following commands in
your SHELL.CFG file.

 cache buffers=4
 show dots=on

The master network gurus tell me that cache buffers are just a waste of
memory and do not provide any better performance. Every 2 cache buffers
not used saves you 1k of memory. Show dots makes your network compatible
with more software utilities and should be set on unless you have some
other reason not to.

USING A MENU FILE TO LOG IN

If you are going to use MarxMenu to log in instead of Novell's
utilities, you will want to print out the sample file LOGIN.MNU on your
MarxMenu disk and study it. Your STARTUP.BAT file might look like this:

 @Echo Off
 SET BOOTUP=LOGIN
 MarxMenu Login
 %BOOTUP%

If MarxMenu works correctly, it will change the environment variable
%BOOTUP% to point to a file that it creates. If for some reason it fails
(you make a mistake in the login), it will execute Novell's login and
let you get in and fix it.

One word of caution. After modifing this menu, always run MARXCOMP LOGIN
to compile it. Otherwise, if you boot up into it you won't have enough
access rights to recompile automatically.

THE NOVELL MENU TRANSLATOR

One nice bonus with Novell networks is that MarxMenu can translate your
Novell menus to MarxMenu. This saves you the time of having to recode
your system. What you do is type:

 MARXMENU NOVTRANS <menu>

This translates your Novell MNU file to a MarxMenu MRX file. Your MNU
file is unchanged. MarxMenu creates a TMP file containing the source
code for the MRX file. Once you are satisfied with the MarxMenu file,
you just delete the MNU file and rename the TMP file to MNU and forget
that you ever had a Novell menu.

Once the menu is translated you run it by typing MARX <menu> instead of
MENU <menu>. MarxMenu can run Novell's menu better than Novell runs
their own.