[comp.protocols.appletalk] AppleShare sharing applications

gjocc@csv.viccol.edu.au (10/18/90)

  I am having trouble runnning applications from an AlisaShare 
file server. When more than one person tries to use the same copy
of NCSA Telnet they get the "Application in busy" message.

Is this a problem with NCSA Telnet or Alisashare?

What is the mechanisim that is used to stop multiple users from launching
the same copy of an application from a server?

Greg O'Sullivan    ( gjocc@csv.viccol.edu.au )

csteve@cc.curtin.edu.au (Steve Maddocks) (10/18/90)

In article <6443.271c6119@csv.viccol.edu.au>, gjocc@csv.viccol.edu.au writes:
> 
>   I am having trouble runnning applications from an AlisaShare 
> file server. When more than one person tries to use the same copy
> of NCSA Telnet they get the "Application in busy" message.
> 
> Is this a problem with NCSA Telnet or Alisashare?

Neither, really.

> What is the mechanisim that is used to stop multiple users from launching
> the same copy of an application from a server?

The 'Shared' bit setting of the application, I think.

Use ResEdit to select the application (NCSA Telnet), Get Info on it 
and make sure the 'Shared' box is checked. Save your changes.

From memory, you may have to do this with exclusive access to the 
volume, I'm unsure. Certainly you won't be able to do it if someone 
already has the application launched.

It doesn't work with absolutely every application. Some are poorly 
developed from a network sharing point of view. They try to write to 
themselves, insist on user settings documents in the same folder as 
the application etc...

We're sharing NCSA Telnet and its config document quite nicely from an 
AlisaShare volume, it does work.

Hope this helps.
______________________________________________________________________________
Steve Maddocks         Tel: (09) 351 2675       AARNET:csteve@cc.curtin.edu.au
Network Manager        Fax: (09) 351 2673              QuickMail:(09) 351 7415
Curtin University      Perth, Western Australia             AppleLink:AUST0176

mnc@us.cc.umich.edu (Miguel Cruz) (10/20/90)

In article <4107.271d79fc@cc.curtin.edu.au> csteve@cc.curtin.edu.au (Steve Maddocks) writes:
>In article <6443.271c6119@csv.viccol.edu.au>, gjocc@csv.viccol.edu.au writes:
>> 
>>   I am having trouble runnning applications from an AlisaShare 
>> file server. When more than one person tries to use the same copy
>> of NCSA Telnet they get the "Application in busy" message.
>> 
>> Is this a problem with NCSA Telnet or Alisashare?
>
>Neither, really.
>
>> What is the mechanisim that is used to stop multiple users from launching
>> the same copy of an application from a server?
>
>The 'Shared' bit setting of the application, I think.
>
>Use ResEdit to select the application (NCSA Telnet), Get Info on it 
>and make sure the 'Shared' box is checked. Save your changes.
>

You will also need to set the 'Cached' bit for this to work properly.

>From memory, you may have to do this with exclusive access to the 
>volume, I'm unsure. Certainly you won't be able to do it if someone 
>already has the application launched.

Actually, you can do it from any station that has write access to the
file, regardless of whether someone has it open. I don't think it will
take effect until the person who currently is using the application
quits, however.

>It doesn't work with absolutely every application. Some are poorly 
>developed from a network sharing point of view. They try to write to 
>themselves, insist on user settings documents in the same folder as 
>the application etc...

Most relatively new applications don't exhibit these problems. I've seen
MS Word, Pagemaker, Freehand, Illustrator 88, Cricket Graph, Excel,
and even new versions of MacWrite work successfully with this. My failure
to mention a program certainly doesn't mean it doesn't work this way;
just that I haven't tried it (and yes, the site does have licenses for all
the stations using the software. And you should too, or else you're
violating the software's licensing agreement. Even using it this way on
a network when you do own enough copies may be treading on thin ice; I'm
not exactly sure).

--
Miguel_Cruz@ub.cc.umich.edu

--
Miguel Cruz

csteve@cc.curtin.edu.au (Steve Maddocks) (10/21/90)

In article <1990Oct19.202323.19871@terminator.cc.umich.edu>,
                   mnc@us.cc.umich.edu (Miguel Cruz) writes:
>>
>>Use ResEdit to select the application (NCSA Telnet), Get Info on it 
>>and make sure the 'Shared' box is checked. Save your changes.
>>
> 
> You will also need to set the 'Cached' bit for this to work properly.
> 

Unless there is newer information than Tech Note #116, setting both 
the cached and shared bits is not recommended.

There used to be some confusion it seems, about the meaning of bits 6 
and 7, which was resolved with an updated Tech Note #40 and explained 
in detail in #116.

Using version 1.2 or later of ResEdit, check only the Shared bit, as
the 'real' cached bit is, and I quote from #116...

   '[a currently unused but reserved bit which should be left clear]'

Is this information out of date? Is there indeed some good reason for 
checking both cached and shared?
______________________________________________________________________________
Steve Maddocks         Tel: (09) 351 2675       AARNET:csteve@cc.curtin.edu.au
Network Manager        Fax: (09) 351 2673              QuickMail:(09) 351 7415
Curtin University      Perth, Western Australia             AppleLink:AUST0176