This chapter gives reference information about the SoftWindows environment variables and command-line options, and the Windows, MS-DOS, and UNIX utilities supplied with SoftWindows .
This section provides information about the environment variables used by SoftWindows:
Specifies the name of the host and display number to use. It is usually set up by the X11 initialization process.
The directory which HyperHelp uses for bookmarks and annotations.
The directory containing the Help-On-Help resource file hoh.hlp.
The pathname of the SoftWindows license file or the host name and TCP/IP port number of a valid license server.
$SWINHOME/FLEXlm/license.dat
If LM_LICENSE_FILE is set in the environment, the default value is appended to it to form a path before it is used. To use a license server using the default TCP Port Number (744), type the following command at the UNIX prompt:
setenv LM_LICENSE_FILE 744@servername
Enables SoftNode error reporting.
Not set.
It can be set to one of the following values:
SNERROR | Effect |
|---|---|
X | SoftNode errors are displayed in an error dialog box. |
console | SoftNode errors are output to the system console. |
This environment variable should only be used if network problems are being encountered.
See also “-snerror.”
Set to TRUE to use the microphone port for audio input. By default SoftWindows uses the port specified in the Audio Control Panel on the host workstation.
Set to TRUE to use the jack port for audio input. By default SoftWindows uses the port specified in the Audio Control Panel on the host workstation.
Set to TRUE to use the line in port for audio input. By default SoftWindows uses the port specified in the Audio Control Panel on the host workstation.
Set to TRUE to use the CD in port for audio output. By default SoftWindows uses the port specified in the Audio Control Panel on the host workstation.
Set to TRUE to use the internal speaker port for audio output. By default SoftWindows uses the port specified in the Audio Control Panel on the host workstation.
Set to TRUE to use the headphone port for audio output. By default SoftWindows uses the port specified in the Audio Control Panel on the host workstation.
Set to TRUE to use the line out port for audio output. By default SoftWindows uses the port specified in the Audio Control Panel on the host workstation.
Set to any value to make use of the HyperHelp environment variables (HHHOME, HHPATH, HOHPATH, HHLOCAL, XPPATH, HH_WARNING).
If SWIN_USEHHENV is not set, default values of these variables are used when SoftWindows runs HyperHelp, even if they are set in the SoftWindows environment. This means that if you have another application that uses HyperHelp and you need to set any of the HyperHelp variables, the SoftWindows on-line help operation will not be affected.
If you want SoftWindows to use a copy of HyperHelp that is not part of your SoftWindows installation, you can set SWIN_USEHHENV and make use of the HyperHelp environment variables. Be aware that you may experience compatibility problems if the other version of HyperHelp is not the same as that supplied with SoftWindows. If in doubt, do not set SWIN_USEHHENV; use the version of HyperHelp in the SoftWindows installation instead.
Set to TRUE to overcome the following problem:
On some 24 bit True Color display adaptors, SoftWindows may fail to start, reporting an error similar to:
X Error of failed request: BadValue (integer parameter out of range for operation) Major opcode of failed request: 91 (X_QueryColors) |
Specifies the DPI (Dots Per Inch) value for the SoftWindows Windows Driver when running Windows 3.11. The default value is 96. Used to change the sizes of characters within applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel. Setting to a number larger than 96 increases character size.
To change the font size in Windows 95 use the Font Size settings in the Display control panel.
This section gives details of the SoftWindows command line options which can be used to gain extra functionality from SoftWindows.
Allows the SoftWindows Microsoft Windows driver to make use of the backing store facility within the X server.
If this facility does not exist, SoftWindows will not display correctly when the -backing_store option is used.
Instructs SoftWindows to select the default option whenever an error or dialog panel appears.
This allows the user to run batch jobs in SoftWindows without intervention. Note that even with this option selected, setup errors, such as the hard disk file specified in the SoftWindows configuration file not being present, will still wait for user input. It is therefore important to ensure that the SoftWindows configuration is correct before using this option.
For Windows 3.11 and MS-DOS disks only. Executes an MS-DOS command or a series of MS-DOS commands. When SoftWindows boots to MS-DOS, it will execute the commands specified.
SoftWindows95 -c win |
SoftWindows will boot into MS-DOS, and then start Microsoft Windows. Alternatively, if you type the command:
SoftWindows95 -c "cd workdir;testprog.exe" |
SoftWindows, once booted to MS-DOS, will change to the directory workdir, and execute the program testprog.exe. Please note that the symbol ";" above gets translated into an <Enter> keystroke before the commands are executed in MS-DOS.
For Windows 3.11 and MS-DOS disks only. Executes a specific -DOS commands, executingMS-DOS command which currently resides on the UNIX system. The user passes the full UNIX pathname including the filename to SoftWindows, which then sets up the K: drive as an FSA drive and executes the DOS command from that drive.
SoftWindows95 -C /usr/users/john/testprog.exe |
SoftWindows will set up the K: drive to be /usr/users/john, and will execute testprog from K:. The filename specified must be a valid MS-DOS executable, with a .BAT, .COM, or .EXE extension. If the user has a K: drive already set up in the user's SoftWindows configuration file, this option will first detach the drive before reassigning it to the user-specified pathname. It will then leave the K: drive set up to point to the new drive path.
Enables SoftNode error reporting.
swin -snerror |
This command line option should only be used if network problems are being encountered.
See also “SNERROR.”
The version of Microsoft Windows shipped as part of the SoftWindows product has been optimized for use with SoftWindows. If you want to use a different version of Microsoft Windows, specify this option when starting SoftWindows.
Specifies which visual display SoftWindows will run on. This option should be followed by the number of the visual display as a hexadecimal number.
Executes a specific Windows command which currently resides on the UNIX system. The user passes the full UNIX pathname including the filename to SoftWindows, which then sets up the K: drive as an FSA drive and executes the Windows command from that drive.
swin -w /usr/users/john/testprog.exe |
SoftWindows will set up the K: drive to be /usr/users/john, and will execute testprog from K:. The filename specified must be a valid Windows executable, with a .BAT, .COM, or .EXE extension. If the user has a K: drive already set up in the user's SoftWindows configuration file, this option will first detach the drive before reassigning it to the user-specified pathname. It will then leave the K: drive set up to point to the new drive path.
The device driver which interfaces an MS-DOS CD-ROM program such as Microsoft MSCDEX to a CD-ROM device connected to your UNIX workstation. CDROM.SYS must be loaded before running MSCDEX. The UNIX device name is configured in the SoftWindows Open Disk Drives dialog box.
In C:\CONFIG.SYS include the line:
DEVICE=C:\INSIGNIA\CDROM.SYS |
See also “USECD.BAT,” “MSCDEX options” (standard MS-DOS command), and the sections Using CD-ROMs in the SoftWindows User's Guide, and “Setting up the CD-ROM.”
Allows users to load MS-DOS device drivers which are normally loaded in from the CONFIG.SYS file, after MS-DOS has fully booted. It is supplied courtesy of Jim Kyle and the authors of Undocumented DOS.
One of the uses of this utility is to allow Microsoft LAN Manager and Insignia's FSA to coexist. If you want to use both of these at the same time, load LAN Manager first, and, when you have logged into the LAN Manager server, load HOST.SYS to enable Insignia's FSA system with the following command:
C:\INSIGNIA\DEVLOD C:\INSIGNIA\HOST.SYS |
To automatically enable Insignia's FSA system, add the command to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file after the commands which load Microsoft LAN Manager. You must also move the line:
C:\INSIGNIA\FSADRIVE |
to be after this command.
An application licensing interface, to check licenses for MS-DOS applications. This is normally included in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
In AUTOEXEC.BAT, include the line:
C:\INSIGNIA\DOSLIC.EXE |
 | Note: DOSLIC.EXE does not need to be loaded if only Windows applications are to be licensed. |
See also “WINLIC.EXE.”
Converts text files between MS-DOS and UNIX formats.
UNIX and MS-DOS conventionally store text files in slightly different formats. MS-DOS files have two characters at the end of each line (Carriage Return followed by Line Feed), and have a CTRL-Z (Decimal 26, Hex 1A) character at the end of the file.
UNIX files have only a Line Feed character at the end of each line and have no special character at the end of the file.
DOS2UNIX.EXE converts the input file, which is assumed to be in MS-DOS format, to UNIX format.
UNIX2DOS.EXE converts the input file, which is assumed to be in UNIX format, to MS-DOS format.
In both cases, if only one filename is given it is used as both the input file and the output file. That is, the file is converted without changing its name. If two filenames are given, the first is used as the input file and the second as the output file.
Always be sure that the files you are converting are simple text files which can be edited using a simple MS-DOS editor like EDIT.COM or a UNIX editor such as vi. Converting other file types, such as files in the normal storage format of a word processor, may damage the files or lose data. If you are in doubt, always use the two filename format of the command, leaving the original file unchanged.
The SoftWindows Ethernet ODI driver. It allows PC-based protocol stacks to transmit and receive information via the host's own Ethernet connection.
| Note: A SoftWindows network session uses the same physical address as the host on which it is running. |
Exits from SoftWindows. Include the /S switch to save any changes that have been made to the SoftWindows configuration. Otherwise, any unsaved changes to the configuration will be lost.
Provides access to the UNIX file system using the SoftWindows FSA drives. This utility is normally included in AUTOEXEC.BAT.
If the utility is entered on its own, all assigned FSA drives are started. If FSADRIVE.COM is followed by one or more drive letters, the assigned FSA drives will be started. Also the named drives will be reserved and can be assigned from within the SoftWindows user interface.
| Note: HOST.SYS must be loaded before FSADRIVE.COM is executed. |
A redirector which provides access to the UNIX file system using the SoftWindows FSA drives. It is normally loaded by CONFIG.SYS.
See “SMRTCP32.EXE.”
The SoftWindows MS-DOS Mouse Driver.
This must be loaded to use the mouse in MS-DOS applications, and is normally loaded by AUTOEXEC.BAT. To use the mouse, run an application that can use a mouse (such as the MS-DOS EDIT program) and attach the UNIX mouse to MS-DOS by pressing Ac middle mouse button.
Note: It is not necessary to load MOUSE.COM to be able to use the mouse in Windows, since SoftWindows loads a separate mouse driver when Windows is started.
Logically joins a disk drive to a subdirectory in another drive.
A typical JOIN command, such as
NET JOIN E: F:\MY_FILES |
means that MY_FILES, which is the name of an existing directory, becomes a new subdirectory on drive F:, so all the data on the disk in drive E: is now in the directory structure of drive F:.
To delete a join, you use the /D argument, as in:
NET JOIN E: /D |
| Note: Insignia's NET command is installed in C:\INSIGNIA. |
Substitutes a drive letter for a path.
The SUBST command:
NET SUBST E: F:\LEVEL1\LEVEL2 |
causes the subdirectory specified in the command line to be substituted for the root directory of drive E:. All references to drive E: now access this subdirectory.
To delete a substitution, use the /D argument. For example:
NET SUBST E: /D |
will delete any substitution applied to drive E:.
| Note: NET JOIN and NET SUBST only work with FSA drives; they do not work with hard disk drives. |
Assigns and removes FSA drives.
NET USE supports the following options:
Option | Description |
|---|---|
/D | This removes the assignment of an FSA drive. For example, to remove the FSA drive H: type the command: |
| NET USE H: /D |
/CS | This is for use when the FSA file system uses 8.3 format names and the server responds to both upper case and lower case filename requests. This is required for file systems on some OS/2 servers. On such a server, without the /CS, each file name will be mapped. For example: |
| NET USE J: /servers/os2_sys /CS |
| New files are created with lower case names. |
| The /CS option should not be used on file systems where case may be used to distinguish between two different files. |
/UC | Lower case names are mapped provided they can fit into an 8.3 format, and upper case names are not mapped. This is the opposite of the default action where upper case names are mapped and lower case names are not mapped. For example: |
| NET USE J: /users/MS-DOS-FILES /UC |
| New files are created in upper case. |
| This can be used for file systems on servers which use all upper case filenames. It can also be used if you have a directory structure on a UNIX file system which you want to use exclusively for MS-DOS files, and you want the names to be all upper case. |
| Note: Insignia's NET command is installed in C:\INSIGNIA. |
Executes a UNIX command from MS-DOS.
To use RUNUX.COM the required UNIX command must be accessible on an FSA drive. The argument to RUNUX.COM must be the full path to the UNIX command.
The standard output of the UNIX command is the same as that of SoftWindows. Therefore, if SoftWindows is started from a terminal window, the output of the UNIX command will print to that window. If SoftWindows is started by another method for example, from a display manager menu or a file manager, the output of the UNIX command may not be visible or it may be written to the system console.
Normal UNIX permission and ownership rules apply when accessing and executing a command. That is, the command must be readable, and the user must have execute permission.
The command may use forward or backward slashes as delimiters (/ or \), but should otherwise conform to UNIX rather than MS–DOS conventions (case sensitive, and not limited to the 8.3 format).
Use the /Q option to suppress printing to the MS-DOS display except where an error occurs in executing the command.
Enables keys which are disabled during the boot phase when SoftWindows is configured to run in Secure Mode.
The keys enabled are 5, 8 and S. SECURITY.COM should be run from AUTOEXEC.BAT when SoftWindows is in Secure Mode.
SECURITY.COM has no effect when SoftWindows is not in Secure Mode.
Include the following line in AUTOEXEC.BAT:
C:\INSIGNIA\SECURITY.COM
Loads the MS-DOS MSCDEX.EXE program, to enable a CD-ROM device to be configured as the F: drive under MS-DOS.
C:\INSIGNIA\CDROM.SYS, the Insignia CDROM interface driver, must already be loaded in CONFIG.SYS when USECD.BAT is run. The UNIX device name is configured in the SoftWindows Open Disk Drives dialog box.
USECD F: DIR |
See also “CDROM.SYS,” “MSCDEX options,” Using CD-ROMs” in the SoftWindows 95 for UNIX User's Guide, and “Setting up the CD-ROM.”.
An application licensing utility that checks licenses for Windows applications. WINLIC.EXE must be loaded when Windows starts up by including a line in the [windows] section of the user's WIN.INI file.
| Note: WINLIC.EXE does not need to be loaded if only MS–DOS applications are to be licensed. |
In C:\WINDOWS\WIN.INI, include the following line in the [windows] section:
load=c:\insignia\winlic.exe |
See also “DOSLIC.EXE.”
Converts files between MS-DOS text format and UNIX text format.
This allows you to share text files between MS-DOS and UNIX.
Overcome a problem that can occur when printing PostScript.
When printing PostScript some MS-DOS or Windows applications include the Ctrl-D character which signifies the end of file to UNIX, and this may result in incomplete print jobs.
PS uses PSfilter to extract the Ctrl-D character, avoiding the problem. When setting up your LPT/COM port, you simply need to pass your remote printer name to PS. For example, if you have a remote printer called lp-1, you would use the following:
PS -dlp-1 |
When printing to a remote printer note that, once the MS-DOS/Windows print job has finished, you should flush the LPT/COM port to indicate to SoftWindows that the job is complete. SoftWindows will then send the whole print job to the remote printer. Alternatively, you can use the Auto Flush feature to configure SoftWindows to automatically send print jobs to the remote printer after a preset time period.
See also, “To flush output automatically” in the “Printing, input, and output” section of SoftWindows 95 for UNIX User's Guide.