Chapter 13 - Configuring and Managing OS/2 Workstations
This chapter describes how to manage and configure VINES software using the VCLIENT, PCCONFIG, and NEWREV programs. Figure 13-1 lists the functions executed by each command.
Note: If you use a LAN driver written to the Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS), also use the PROTOCOL.INI file to configure your software. See the Banyan NDIS Configuration Guide for a discussion of the PROTOCOL.INI file.
Using VCLIENT to Configure Workstation Components
The VCLIENT program can be used to configure workstation components. It allows you to pre-configure VINES software before copying it to the installation diskette. To configure a workstation using VCLIENT, follow these procedures:
1. Log in to the network.
2. Run VCLIENT from drive Z.
3. After you complete your changes, reboot the workstation so that the next time you start VINES at the workstation, VINES and OS/2 interprets the new settings.
Use VCLIENT to configure the following workstation components:
Adding or removing LAN drivers Changing the default LAN driver Adding or removing Named Pipe support
Instructions for adding or removing Named Pipe support are described in Chapter 14. See the section "To Select the Default Driver" for information about changing the default driver.
Instructions for adding and removing LAN drivers at a workstation are similar to those for configuring LAN drivers during the building of installation diskettes. Refer to "To Add or Remove LAN Drivers," which follows.
1. Log in to the network.
2. At an OS/2 command prompt, enter vclient. The VINES Installation Options screen, Figure 13-2, appears.
3. Select CHANGE LAN Drivers. The Driver Modification/Confirmation screen, Figure 13-3, appears.
4. You can select additional drivers, delete installed drivers, or change the default driver at this screen.
Note: Select only one default LAN driver. If only one driver is installed, it is used as the default.
5. When you complete your selection, press F10. The Update CONFIG.SYS screen, Figure 13-4, appears.
6. Save the new CONFIG.SYS if you want to enable the workstation with its new settings. The "VINES Installation Complete" message appears when the workstation software update is complete. The VCLIENT program exits and returns you to the OS/2 command prompt.
7. Shut down the workstation and restart your workstation for your changes to take effect.
1. At an OS/2 prompt, enter vclient. The VINES Installation Options screen appears.
2. Select CHANGE LAN Drivers. The Driver Modification/Confirmation screen appears.
3. Select CHANGE Default Driver. The Driver Selection screen, Figure 13-5, appears.
4. Press ENTER to select the default driver. Press F10 to save your changes. You return to the Driver Modification/Confirmation screen.
5. Check that the new default driver is now marked with a plus sign (+). To save the change, press F10. You return to the VINES Installation Options screen.
Note: If you change the default driver to an NDIS driver, make sure the driver is loaded as a device driver in the workstation's CONFIG.SYS file. Refer to the Banyan NDIS Configuration Guide for information on installing NDIS drivers.
6. Press F10 to save your changes and exit the VCLIENT program.
Using PCCONFIG to Configure a Workstation
This section provides guidelines for configuring the following elements of workstation software using the PCCONFIG program:
Selecting the default communications driver Setting the login group searchlist
If your workstation has both a Token-Ring adapter and an Ethernet adapter, follow the steps in the section, "To Select the Default Communications Driver," which follows. Otherwise, proceed to the section, "To Set the Login Group Searchlist."
You may also want to enable Token-Ring Source-Level Routing (SLR). On an OS/2 workstation, VINES NDIS software requires you to use PCCONFIG. Refer to Chapter 3 for a discussion of Source-Level Routing and the PCCONFIG program.
To Select the Default Communications Driver
1. At the OS/2 command prompt, use the CD command to change to the VINES directory.
2. Enter pcconfig. The Configuring a PC for the Network menu, Figure 13-6, appears.
3. Select Login Environment Settings. The Login Environment Settings menu, Figure 13-7, appears.
4. Select Select Default Communications Driver. The Default Communications Driver screen, Figure 13-8, appears.
5. Select the appropriate driver and press ENTER. You return to the Login Environment Settings screen.
You can use this screen to edit or view the Login Group Searchlist, as described in the next section.
To Set the Login Group Searchlist
1. At the OS/2 command prompt, use the CD command to change to the VINES directory.
2. Enter pcconfig. The PCCONFIG Main menu appears.
3. Select Login Environment Settings. The Login Environment Settings menu appears.
4. Select Edit/View Login Group Searchlist. The Login Group Searchlist screen, Figure 13-9, appears.
5. Follow the instructions in this screen to add names to the search list. Press F10 to save the changes and return to the Login Environment Settings screen.
6. Press ESC to return to the Configuring a PC for the Network menu.
7. Press F10 to save your changes.
Changing Workstation Communications Settings
To provide your workstation with greater communications capacity, you may need to change the workstation's communications settings. Use the OS/2 System Editor or another text editor to edit the CONFIG.SYS file. You can change the maximum default settings for the following parameters:
Maximum number of VINES sockets - A socket acts as an interface between a transport layer protocol such as the Sequenced Packet Protocol (SPP), and a Banyan networking program. Whenever a program communicates with another program, at least one socket is open. Each open socket requires approximately 90 to 100 bytes of the communications buffer, as well as space for the data being sent or received.
Maximum number of VINES SPP connections - Some Banyan networking programs communicate using an SPP connection. SPP is a transport protocol that transfers large amounts of data as a single entity. Each SPP connection requires approximately 100 to 120 bytes of communications buffer, as well as space for the data being sent or received.
In general, the type of SPP connections required are:
One SPP connection for each network file volume mapped One SPP connection for each session with a Netbios application, a PCPRINT session, or a session with a host of any type One SPP connection for each Named Pipe connection
Maximum size of VINES communications buffers - The communications buffer is a portion of workstation memory reserved for VINES SPP connections and sockets. Each active SPP connection and open socket requires memory in order to maintain communications and accept the data sent through the connection or socket.
The communications buffer must be large enough to handle the maximum number of concurrent SPP connections and open sockets allowed. These settings are described in "Editing Banyan Networking Communications Settings," which follows.
On OS/2 workstations, the Banyan communications environment is loaded in the OS/2 CONFIG.SYS file as an OS/2 device driver. To change the Banyan communications environment, you must change the DEVICE= line that loads BANCOMM2.SYS in the CONFIG.SYS file. These settings are described in "Editing Banyan Networking Communications Settings," which follows.
Editing Banyan Networking Communications Settings
To change Banyan networking communications settings, use the OS/2 System Editor or another text editor to edit the CONFIG.SYS file.
Note: When you install Banyan networking software on an OS/2 workstation, the program adds VINES-specific information to the CONFIG.SYS file. Because these modifications are added in a specific manner, do not change the order of the lines in the section of the file containing the VINES information.
To Edit an OS/2 CONFIG.SYS File
1. Locate the following line in CONFIG.SYS:
DEVICE=C:\VINES\BANCOMM2.SYS /SOCKETS=60 /SPP_CONNECTIONS=60 /KBYTES_COMMBUFFERS=96
Where \VINES is the directory name in which VINES is currently installed at this workstation. Due to page constraints, this line appears as two lines in this document.
Default settings and available setting range for the three switches are listed in Table 13-1. You can adjust settings anywhere within the allowable range, providing the workstation has enough memory.
2. To configure the maximum number of open sockets, change the argument to the switch /SOCKETS=. For example:
/SOCKETS=75
3. To configure the maximum number of open SPP connections, change the argument to the switch /SPP_CONNECTIONS=. For example:
/SPP_CONNECTIONS=310
4. To configure the communications buffer size, change the argument to the switch /KBYTES_COMMBUFFERS=.
For example:
/KBYTES_COMMBUFFERS=460
5. When you finish making changes, save the CONFIG.SYS file.
6. Reboot the workstation to allow the new settings to take effect.
Upgrading and Downgrading Software
To upgrade or downgrade Banyan workstation software to match a particular software revision available on one of the Banyan servers on the network, use the NEWREV program as described in the Command Reference and in Chapter 4.
To Create Installation Diskettes for Specific Banyan Software Revisions
1. Use the NEWREV /L command to list the available software revisions for the workstation. This command displays both the server revision and the client revisions.
2. Use the SETDRIVE command to temporarily map a drive to a VINES Files File Service on the server with the software revision you want to copy.
3. Use the MAKEVCL command to copy the software from that drive to the diskettes.
Example Using the MAKEVCLI Command
The SETDRIVE /ROOT command maps drive Q to the \OS2\USA subdirectory in the VINES Files File Service located on server labnet-1. The MAKEVCLI command then copies the files from drive Q to the diskette in drive A:
setdrive q "vines files@labnet-1@servers" /ROOT:os2\usa makevcli master q
