From: mrs AT netcom DOT com (Morgan Schweers)
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1993 11:11:22 PDT
To: Dave Mason <dmason AT plg DOT uwaterloo DOT ca>
Subject: Re: Novell is broken
Cc: djgpp AT sun DOT soe DOT clarkson DOT edu

Greetings,
    Some of what you describe here isn't necessarily 'Novell' problems,
and may be attributable to something else.

On Jul 30, 10:53am, Dave Mason wrote:
} Subject: Novell is broken
} > Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1993 04:14:25 -0400
} > From: John Williams <j DOT williams AT aston DOT ac DOT uk>
} > 
} > I am trying to run djppp/gcc on a Novell fileserver but it just hangs
} > the system.  I have got the latest fixes of gas and binutl but cannot
} > fix the problem. 
} 
} Novell is so broken it is amazing.  I *presume* are some semantics
} documented somewhere, but I haven't seen them.
} 
} Example problems that I've seen:
} 
} 1) creating files on the network from one PC, and it not appearing
}    elsewhere until you change directories, or logout, or something.

    Believe it or not, this could be a problem from the PC's side.  If
you can replicate the problem, try creating the file, then pressing ^C
(from the DOS prompt), then checking to see if it's there.  It may be
a problem of the directory gets loaded into a buffer, and it's not
marked as 'modified' when the file is created.  This is a relatively
common problem.

} 2) the most recent (and weird) one: we were opening a file in the
}    current directory in append mode, but it was appearing in another
}    directory!  Turns out that if the file doesn't exist in the
}    specified directory, but already exists *somewhere*else* Novell
}    will open that file for you, rather than create the new one in the
}    current directory.  It doesn't appear that that ``somewhere else''
}    has to be in any way related to the specified directory!

    Check to see if you're using the 'APPEND' program to extend your DOS
and data paths.  Unfortunately, I've seen more weirdness attributable to
this program (APPEND) than anything else.  Including such strangeness as
you describe, and weirder things.  (Such as doing a PKZIP of a bunch of
files and getting files from all over my drives into the ZIP file...)
What you describe sounds *EXACTLY* like the APPEND problem.

} 3) I also had gcc hang (when used from batch files), but DJ suggested
}    it might be an old version problem and I haven't had time to try it
}    again with the new version.

    Very possibly...  I generally don't have any problem running GCC off
of the network, or on the network.  But then I've optimized my machine in
some strange ways.

} The first 2 were not with gcc, they are clearly generic Novell
} problems.

    No, sadly, I believe they were both generic DOS problems.

} ../Dave
} 
} Novell Netware - Just say NO!
}-- End of excerpt from Dave Mason

    Another thing you might consider doing is getting the latest Netware
shell (i.e. NETX) off of the net or Compuserve, or such.  (I believe the
latest is NETX version 3.22 or something close.)

                                               --  Morgan Schweers