ArticlesWorkstation Setup for Escape ClassicThis document describes setup options for workstations running Escape Classic. OverviewEscape Classic requires a number of special settings for each workstation that will run the program. Setup requirements covered in this document are:
Workstation System RequirementsAll currently manufactured IBM compatible personal computers are capable of running Escape. The minimum specification is:
Workstation Memory RequirementsEscape for DOS is a database application made up of hundreds of data files, many of which are "open" at the same time. The operating system default for the number of files opened is rather low under both DOS and Windows. For Escape to function properly, you must increase the allocation for open files, and in some cases the buffer space. At this time, we highly recommend you run Escape under Windows 98 or Windows NT, whether your network is Novell NetWare or Windows NT Server. The required statements for files and buffers are:
Special OS Considerations:
Windows will take care of managing memory required by the program. No other special memory setup is required to run Escape, unless you are running Pay. If you are running Pay, please see the Escape Payroll Memory Configuration section of this FYI. Windows Swap File SizeSince Escape's program files are actually copied to the Windows swap file, you must make sure that the size of the swap file is large enough for the largest program. Escape's largest program is PSL.EXE, currently 4.2mb. Remember that if you are running other programs, they also take up space in the swap file, so the swap file must be large enough to handle those programs, plus Escape. NOTE: By default, Windows is set to manage memory automatically, so you should not specify the size of the virtual memory swap file. Stranded FilesIf users reboot their workstations or turn off power while executing an application, a temporary file will be left on the system, in the \ESCAPE\VIRTUAL Directory. This will usually be the size of the Escape program file. The temporary file name will vary with different versions of DOS and is typically a mixture of letters and numbers with no extension. TIP: These files can be removed as a regular maintenance task. Setting Date and TimeIn addition to setting the file opens on the server, there are certain workstation configurations that need to be made, including ensuring that the date and time on each workstation is synchronized with the date and time on the network. There are serious results of having some workstations on a different time than others, so make sure that this is done. This section provides instructions on how to do this. Setting Date and TimeIf your Escape software runs on a Novell network, coordinating the date and time on all workstations is easy. The Novell Client takes care of this automatically. On Microsoft NT networks, one way to do this is by using the following NT command at workstation startup to synchronize the workstation and network time. This command does not require any human intervention; however, it is assumed that the user shuts down their machine every night. This command should be placed in a batch file that is in the startup folder of each workstation attached to the network. NET TIME \\SERVERNAME /SET /Y Symptoms of Incorrect System TimeThere are serious results of having some workstations on a different time than others. Some of the symptoms of this are:
Optional Set StatementsThere are other optional SET statements that you can use to customize settings for Escape. The SET statements should be entered in the AUTOEXEC.BAT or AUTOEXEC.NT, depending on your operating system. User Files SET StatementEscape creates permanent files for every user. These permanent files are created if they do not exist at sign on. Each time a user exits Escape, the files are not deleted, but closed and emptied. Because they do not have to be created, but only opened during each sign on, it speeds up the process. There are two ways to control where these files reside. You can use the default set by Escape's ETCONFIG file (i.e., \ESCAPE\USRS directory on the server), or you can change this default to another directory on a local server or a hard drive. Remember, this statement can be put in the batch file that runs Escape (which would change the default for all users) or put it in the AUTOEXEC.BAT/NT for individual users. SET ET_USRS=L:\ESCAPE\USRS Time-out SET StatementThe Time-out SET statement is used to sign the user out of Escape if no keyboard activity has occurred after a certain amount of time, as specified in the ET_TIMEOUT statement. The SET statement has two options:
Automatic Sign-outThe first option is to sign users out of Escape automatically after a user-specified number of minutes without keyboard activity. A sample command line is shown below: SET ET_TIMEOUT=10 The number specified after the equal sign is the number of minutes to wait before Escape signs the user out. Any unsaved work will be saved when the user is signed out. In the above example, the user will be signed out after 10 minutes of no keyboard activity. Automatic Screen BlankingAnother feature of the ET_TIMEOUT statement is the ability to provide password protected screen blanking. Many times users may get called away from their desk before they have had a chance to finish their work. What they are working on may be confidential, or at least not for public scrutiny, so blanking the screen and protecting it with a password can be very handy. The syntax for the ET_TIMEOUT statement is: SET ET_TIMEOUT=[sys logout time];[screen blanking time] For example: SET ET_TIMEOUT=20;10 The parameter SYS LOGOUT TIME controls how many idle minutes must pass before automatically logging the user out of Escape. The parameter SCREEN BLANKING TIME controls how many idle minutes must pass by before automatically blanking the screen and requiring the password to continue working. Once the screen has been cleared, the user must hit a key on the keyboard and THEN enter their password. After four tries at the password, they are logged out of the software. NOTE: Please do not set screen blanking time-out on any host dial-in PCs. Manual Screen BlankingIn the paragraphs above, we described how to cause automatic screen blanking after a specified number of minutes. To manually blank the screen anytime, you can press CTRL-B at any screen. To return to the program, press a key, then you must type in your Escape password when prompted. If after four attempts at typing in the password, you have not entered the appropriate password, whatever record was on the screen is saved and you are signed out of Escape. This prevents hackers from trying to guess your password! Printer ConfigurationBecause Escape is a DOS program running under Windows, a number of printer properties must be configured to allow Escape to print properly. The following discusses the required settings. Configuring Printers on Windows 98For a DOS program to print to a printer managed by Windows, the printer must be captured. In workstations running Windows 98, this is done using the Capture Printer Port button on the screen shown below. Once captured, the port definition should begin with the port number, such as LPT1: or LPT2:.
The other required change is for spool settings. You need to change the spool data format from EMF to RAW, as shown below.
The windows defaults for port settings should work just fine. If printing fails after making the above suggested setup changes, try deselecting the two options shown below.
Configuring Printers on Windows NT (2000 or XP)For Windows NT (2000 or XP) machines, you can capture the printer by typing a command like the example below at the DOS prompt: NET USE LPT2: \\servername\devicename The device name cannot contain any dashes or spaces. You can also point to TCP/IP addresses by typing a command like the example below at the DOS prompt: NET USE LPT1: \\195.246.45.12 /PERSISTENT:YES The PERSISTENT:Yes retains the connection even if you reboot! To release the port, you enter: NET USE LPT1: /d The /d deletes the current capture, allowing you to switch to another printer. Configuring Printers on NT ServerIf your network printer is attached to an NT Server, and print jobs delay a minute or more before starting to print, make the following changes in the workstation's SYSTEM.INI: [Network] PrintBufTime=10 [IFSMGR] PrintBufTime=10 NOTE: If the [Network] or [IFSMGR] sections do not exist in the SYSTEM.INI file, add the sections after the [386Enh] section of the file. (These settings are in seconds.) Configuring Printers on Novell SystemsOn the user's desktop right click on the Network Neighborhood (or My Network Places) icon.
You can also use the "map" command in Dos. If you know the name and location of the printer you capture it with the following command at a Dos prompt: MAP LPT2: \\servername\printername /PERSISTENT:YES The PERSISTENT:Yes retains the connection even if you reboot! Windows Desktop SetupThis section describes the steps required to set up Escape icons on the desktop. Mapping DrivesOn most networks, logical drives are assigned to physical drives and directories. This is done via drive mapping, usually defined in the system login script and/or other scripts (like batch files). Escape needs particular drive mappings in order to function. \ESCAPE directory needs to "look" like it is off the root of the mapped drive! There are two ways to map a network drive:
Map Drive M: for EscapeOur default drive for Escape is M:. If you have already assigned that drive to another application, J: or K: may be used. For WANs (Wide Area Networks), please reserve L: for LOCAL Escape files. Map O: for the Test DatabaseMost customers also have test and/or training databases for Escape. If you will be setting up a test or training database, please reserve drive O: for that. Symptoms of Setup ProblemsIf the mappings as described above are not set up properly, users will be unable to start the program properly. They may see errors such as BAD COMMAND OR FILE NAME or FILE NOT FOUND on a particular data file. Creating an Escape Program FolderFor users that require access to multiple Escape modules, an Escape program folder may be useful. This conserves desktop space and groups the Escape programs for your users.
Above is a sample Escape folder with several program shortcuts. NOTE: If you would like to use Escape's logo icon, for your program shortcuts, it is ETICON.ICO, found in the \ESCAPE directory. Creating Shortcuts for EscapeCreating program shortcuts for Escape is easy, but correct settings are crucial to successful use of the system. If Escape is the only MS-DOS-based program, you can change the _default.PIF in the Windows directory. All shortcuts created from then on will use those settings. This can be very convenient if you are creating a number of shortcuts for a particular user. If you use other MS-DOS-based programs or you have already created the shortcuts, you should change the settings of the individual shortcut. To modify the _default.PIF or the shortcut, right-mouse click on the file/shortcut and choose Properties. This will display a dialog for defining the settings. The following lists the changes you should make. Program optionsProgram properties include the following fields:
Now you need to click on the Advanced button at the bottom of the dialog box.
NOTE: You also want to check the autoexec and config files for use of the %SystemRoot% variable. Explicitly stating the path frees up more memory for DOS applications. Memory OptionsAll available memory settings should be set to Auto, as shown below.
Screen OptionsWe recommend running Escape in a window, as set below. Why? Two reasons. First, it is important to not run multiple Escape sessions with the same user id. Second, Escape requires background processing be on when you toggle to another window. Running Escape in a window helps you monitor these requirements.
Miscellaneous OptionsSeveral miscellaneous settings must be modified for Escape to function correctly:
Escape Payroll Memory ConfigurationPay module users need to configure virtual memory for Escape by setting environment variables CLAVM0 and CLAVM1. These variables are used by Escape to control the allocation priority and placement of virtual memory. The virtual memory variables may be set in the AUTOEXEC.BAT/NT file or a batch file which starts up Escape. Expanded Memory Your first step would be to add the following bolded statements to the CONFIG.SYS or CONFIG.NT file. files=255 buffers=20 DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\HIMEM.SYS DOS=HIGH,UMB C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE RAM (For Windows 98) EMM=RAM (For Windows NT, 2000 and XP To ensure that the Payroll shortcut is taking advantage of the new settings, you need to check the setup of the shortcut on the user's desktop
Virtual MemoryIf you continue to get Error Code 8 messages, your next step would be to configure virtual memory for Escape by setting environment variables CLAVM0 and CLAVM1. These variables are used by Escape to control the allocation priority and placement of virtual memory. The virtual memory variables may be set in the AUTOEXEC.BAT/NT file or a batch file which starts up Escape. To allocate virtual memory to a drive, the command syntax is: SET CLAVM0=path,size where: 0 is 0 (zero) to 4 = DO NOT place spaces before or after the equal sign. path is the drive directory of the network drive or hard disk. size is the maximum number of kilobytes to allocate. CLAVM0 specifies the drive and is allocated first. Upon overflow, the other allocations are used in order. Below are sample SET statements, which point at the user's hard drive: SET CLAVM0=C:\ESCAPE\VIRTUAL,1024 SET CLAVM1=C:\ESCAPE\VIRTUAL,1024 Be sure that the \ESCAPE\VIRTUAL directory exists so that these statements will work. We also suggest that you make sure the SET statements are added to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file on the user's hard drive or the batch file that starts up Escape. Verify the Virtual Memory SetupAfter modifying the appropriate files, you should verify that the virtual memory configuration is correct. This is extremely important! You don't want to take the time to set up the virtual memory statements, then find out a week later that it is not working properly. The steps you should take to verify the set up is correct are:
For example, if you use the SET statements, contained in this section, the number on the right should add up to approximately 1024 kilobytes (512 + 512). You might see something like this at the top of the Escape Main Menu: 62 ♦ 1024. If the number on the right is not close to the total of the numbers specified in the SET statements, it could mean that you have a typographical error in one of the SET statements and you need to edit them again. Protected ModeIf you still cannot run Pay without receiving Error Code 8 messages, you will need to contact Escape Customer Care to obtain specially modified programs (PPAY, PPAYDAY and PPAYRPTS) that will work on most any machine. The downside is that these programs will run slower than the traditional programs. Workstation Setup ChecklistFollowing is a list of items to configure/verify at each workstation that runs Escape. Each of these items is discussed in detail in a previous section of this document:
|
|
