NOVELL TECHNICAL INFORMATION DOCUMENT TITLE: Installing Applications DOCUMENT ID: TID014937 DOCUMENT REVISION: A DATE: 09JUN94 ALERT STATUS: Yellow INFORMATION TYPE: Issue README FOR: NA NOVELL PRODUCT and VERSION: PERSONAL NetWare 1.0 ABSTRACT: This document contains some general suggestions for installing and sharing applications on a PERSONAL NetWare network. ------------------------------------------------------------------ DISCLAIMER THE ORIGIN OF THIS INFORMATION MAY BE INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL TO NOVELL. NOVELL MAKES EVERY EFFORT WITHIN ITS MEANS TO VERIFY THIS INFORMATION. HOWEVER, THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS FOR YOUR INFORMATION ONLY. NOVELL MAKES NO EXPLICIT OR IMPLIED CLAIMS TO THE VALIDITY OF THIS INFORMATION. ------------------------------------------------------------------ ISSUE INSTALLING APPLICATIONS ON A PERSONAL NETWARE NETWORK The following suggestions are general and not specific for any one particular application. The most reliable and detailed installation instructions should be obtained by reading the application documentation or by calling the vendor or manufacturer of the application. Instructions on sharing applications begin on page 20-30 of the Novell DOS 7 User Guide or on page 4-30 of the PERSONAL NetWare User Guide. Installing applications on PERSONAL NetWare may be different from installing applications on NetWare. NetWare is a very popular LAN; therefore, many applications have NetWare specific installation options. These installation options do not apply to PERSONAL NetWare networks. PERSONAL NetWare is a DOS peer-to-peer network. If the installation program for the application prompts you for your network type, select the DOS-based (or IBM COMPATIBLE, NETBIOS, PEER-TO-PEER, or OTHER) option instead of the Novell or NetWare option. Make sure the server's AUTOEXEC.BAT file loads SHARE with sufficient locks and file handles (/L and /F parameters), depending on how many files the application opens simultaneously. Most applications will need to be accessed by a common drive letter from all nodes (including the server-client machine the application is installed on). To accomplish this, use the DOS SUBST command to substitute a drive letter for the hard drive letter where the application is to be installed, that is, SUBST F: C:\. The application should then be installed to the substituted drive letter, that is, INSTALL F:. NOTE: The SUBST command can be placed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file to ensure the drive letter is always available. If the application will not install to the substituted drive letter, an alternate method would be to create a network directory and make it shareable, map a drive letter to your own network directory (to the directory just created), and install to the mapped drive. Information on creating a shared directory is discussed later in this document. NOTE: Mapping verses SUBSTing - If your machine is the server and you would like to map to the server, it is recommended that you SUBST to the server instead. SUBST is a DOS command that lets you assign a drive letter to a directory on another drive. Example: If you usually map to the server with the F: drive to the Network Directory APPS and APPS is actually the C:\APPS directory, the NET MAP F: APPS command could be replaced by the SUBST F: C:\APPS command. To remove this substitution, you would type SUBST F: /D. Using SUBST rather than mapping will result in better performance for operations done on the F: drive. After the application is installed you may need to set all the shared program files as READ ONLY with the DOS ATTRIB command (that is, ATTRIB +r filename.EXE or ATTRIB +r *.EXE). Be sure to do this only in the directory or directories for the application you just installed. This is commonly done on all files with the .EXE, .COM, and .OVL extensions. After the application is installed and the attributes are set properly, you will need to create a network directory and make it shareable. You can do this through NET ADMIN or by clicking on the PERSONAL NetWare icon in Windows. Instructions on creating and naming a shared directory start on page 20-24 of the Novell DOS 7 User Guide or page 4-24 of the PERSONAL NetWare User Guide. From the client machines you will now be able to connect to the shared directory and run the application. Again, you will want to map a common drive letter on all the nodes to run the application. Instructions for connecting to a shared directory can be found starting on page 21-9 of the Novell DOS 7 User Guide or on page 6-8 of the PERSONAL NetWare User Guide. NOTE: Connections are maintained as long as you are logged in, or until you delete them, but are lost when you logout, unless you have saved them. Refer to "Saving Connections" on page 21-8 of the Novell DOS 7 User Guide or page 6-38 of the PERSONAL NetWare User Guide. In general, some consideration should be given when installing applications. If the application requires configuration information at the time it is installed, then consideration should be given to the CLIENT machines that will use the application. Example: Suppose application TESTAPP.EXE is being installed and it prompts for the monitor type that will be used with this application. Suppose that the machine you are on has a VGA screen but no other machines on the network have VGA screens. If you were to select VGA then when this application is run from across the network from a CGA screen, it may not function properly. This is a general problem with application configuration on any network. Novell has no specific guidelines on this subject, and a general solution may not be possible. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Any trademarks referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners. Consult your product manuals for complete trademark information. ----------------------------------------------------------------