00426: READ.ME for PRO/5 Data Server (TM) for Windows NT REV. 1.05

Title:

READ.ME for PRO/5 Data Server (TM) for Windows NT REV. 1.05

Description:

        READ.ME for PRO/5 Data Server (TM) for Windows NT REV. 1.05 
        BASIS International Ltd. 
        February 10, 1997 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
================= 
1. Important Information 
2. Limitations and Restrictions 
3. Forced and Involuntary Data Server Termination 
4. Known Deviant Behavior from the PRO/5 Data Server 


1. IMPORTANT INFORMATION 
======================== 

1. The new command line option, ‘-n’ has been added, and 
causes the Data Server to attempt to enable the 
TCP_NODELAY socket option on all client connections. 
This causes the TCP/IP to disable the Nagle algorithm 
from the connection on that socket. BASIS does not 
recommend or endorse the use of ‘-n’ command and may 
remove it from any future releases or updates of the 
PRO/5 Data Server for Windows NT. 

The Nagle algorithm is used to reduce the number of small 
packets sent by a host (i.e., by buffering unacknowledged 
send data until a full-size packet can be sent). For the 
reading and writing of a large number of small records 
to/from the NT Data Server the disabling of the Nagle 
algorithm can have a positive impact. However, the 
utilization and performance of the physical transmission 
mediums like Ethernet can be negatively impacted by the 
disabling of the Nagle algorithm. YOU SHOULD NOT USE THE 
‘-n’ OPTION TO DISABLE THE NAGLE ALGORITHM UNLESS YOU 
UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT. 

For further information on the NAGLE algorithm, and its 
possible effects, consult the following sources: 

Comer, Douglas E., “Internetworking With TCP/IP, Volume 1: 
Principals, Protocols, and Architecture (Third Ed.).” 
Prentice Hall, 1995. 

Stevens, W. Richard, “TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: 
The Protocols.” Addison-Wesley, 1994. 


2. The directory for the log file has changed from “C:\TMP” to 
“C:\TEMP” in the PRO/5 Data Server Guide and will be created 
in this directory. 

3. Any capable TCP/IP PRO/5 client is fully supported. Your 
TCP/IP stack must be fully configured and functional to run 
the NT Data Server. If you have not done this, please do so 
before proceeding any further. 

4. Previous versions of BBx (e.g., BBxPROGRESSION/4 (R)) or 
earlier clients are NOT supported by any PRO/5 Data Server. 
This includes the Windows NT version of the PRO/5 Data Server 
for Intel platforms. 

5. An Intel Pentium processor is highly recommended. 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: 
Do not run the PRO/5 Data Server with Windows NT on any hardware 
that has BIOS POWER SAVING (DPMS) enabled. 

2. LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS 
=============================== 

1. Currently, you should not use the Windows NT system for any 
other purpose than for running the PRO/5 Data Server. This is 
especially true if you have heavy file activity that will be 
utilizing the PRO/5 Data Server. 

2. The PRO/5 Data Server for Windows NT has been tested as fully 
functional on both PRO/5 Revision 1.0 and Revision 1.01 
clients. 

3. FORCED AND INVOLUNTARY DATA SERVER TERMINATION 
================================================= 

1. The PRO/5 Data Server is a Windows WIN32 based Console 
application. If a failure occurs (e.g., execution of a 
non-activated version of the program), the console window 
will remain visible for 10 seconds before being unmapped 
from the display, but only if it was started from the Program 
Manager. This allows the user to read any message(s) that may 
be printed to the console. 

2. The time delay is only valid upon a clean exit. A Control-C 
(holding down the Ctrl key and pressing the C key at the same 
time) will cause termination of the PRO/5 Data Server. The 
PRO/5 Data Server will immediately exit, and all connections 
from its clients will be lost. The window (or icon if 
iconified) will be unmapped and removed from the display. 

3. If an unrecoverable error is experienced the PRO/5 Data Server 
could terminate, without the time delay of the window. If this 
continually happens, it is suggested that you run the PRO/5 Data 
Server from an MS-DOS command line window. This will allow you to 
record messages and other useful information reported at the 
PRO/5 Data Server termination. 

Note: Please keep all of this information because it could be 
very useful. It may be referred to by BASIS Support and 
Engineering groups to help resolve the unexpected failure 
problem. 

4. KNOWN DEVIANT BEHAVIOR FROM THE PRO/5 DATA SERVER 
==================================================== 

1. If the primary connection control process (daemon) for the 
Windows NT version of the PRO/5 Data Server terminates, all 
active and open files from any client will no longer be 
accessible. The PRO/5 Data Server must be restarted and all 
client open files must be closed and reopened to use the 
restarted PRO/5 Data Server. 

Note: Whether this behavior will be in the next release of 
the Windows NT version is undetermined at this time. 

2. The current implementation of PRO/5 Data Server for 
Windows NT does not allow the Data Server to be started 
automatically at system boot time. With Windows NT, there is 
NOT an initialization script file that is executed at 
operating system boot time like on most UNIX platforms. The 
Data Server can be started at user login time, by putting its 
Icon in the Start-up Program Manager group. 

3. This version of the PRO/5 Data Server does not support the 
UNIX style “.rhost” form of user authentication, and neither 
does Windows NT. There is no remote to local user 
authentication in the PRO/5 Data Server for Windows NT. It has 
not been determined at the time of this writing if BASIS will 
attempt to implement something similar to the UNIX style 
“.rhost” with a future release of the PRO/5 Data Server for 
Windows NT. 

(All products names and brand names are service marks and/or trademarks 
or registered trademarks of their respective companies.) 

[End of File] 

Last Modified: 12/31/1998 Product: PRO/5 Data Server Operating System: Windows NT

BASIS structures five components of their technology into the BBx Generations.