hellier%skat.usc.edu@usc.edu (Chuck Hellier) (03/17/90)
Greetings,
Is anyone using SCANRES with PC TOPS v. 2.1?
I am a network systems analyst for the University of Southern
California. We have a large variety of MicroComputer networks on
campus (Novell and AppleTalk, to name a few). TOPS is not very
prevalent.
The problem: whenever SCANRES is loaded before TOPS, something happens
to the DOS file control system. After the TOPS kernel has loaded and
resources have been published, files will not open normally:
1) WordPerfect complains about "insufficient FILES=" in config.sys
2) EDLIN complains that there are too many files open and
3) "TYPE [filename]" returns file not found! I can see [filename] in
the directory!
This is the configuration of the machine:
HARDWARE : PC Clone, Turbo; 640K RAM ; TOPS Flashcard
OS : MS DOS 3.21
CONFIG.SYS : FILES=20
BUFFERS=8
AUTOEXEC.BAT : SCANRES
ECHO OFF
PROMPT $P$G
PATH=C:\;C:\TOPS
ATALK.EXE
PSTACK.EXE
TOPSTALK.EXE
TOPSKRNL.EXE
TOPS.EXE /q STATION elizabeth
TOPS.EXE /q PUBLISH C:\ as driveC /RW
When SCANRES is moved to the end of AUTOEXEC.BAT, everything works
fine- WP launches OK, EDLIN works OK, and TYPE [filename] does what
it's supposed to. However, this is only a trivial solution to the
problem (if someone boots that machine with infected diskette, which
infects ATALK or TOPSTALK or TOPS {but not the system files :-)}, and
then reboots from C:, the solution fails).
Notes: I have not yet tried moving SCANRES down AUTOEXEC.BAT line by line to
find the culprit (not enough time and it still would be a trivial solution).
I have tried all versions of SCANRES (v.39 - v.59) with the same results.
Does anyone know why loading SCANRES before TOPS would cause this
problem?
Does anyone use SCANRES and TOPS?
Can anyone from Sun (TOPS) or McAfee shed some light?
Note: I have not seen this problem occur in any environment other than
TOPS - DOS, Novell, D-Link, LANSmart, PC-NFS, AppleShare PC, 3Com.
- --
Chuck Hellier (hellier@skat.usc.edu) For you are young and life
PC Systems Programmer is long and there is time
University of Southern California to kill today.