OS/2 Professional/OS2PRO194.ISO/os2/wps/system/sysnote/sn.inf

OS/2 Help File | 1994-03-18 | 41.7 KB | 1,122 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

System Notebook, formerly System Configuration Editor, is a program designed to
allow you to easily and quickly set up your computer for use with OS/2.

Let's face it, editing an OS/2 CONFIG.SYS file can sometimes be a daunting
task. Make a mistake, and you could end up with your computer just sitting
there doing nothing, until you boot from a floppy disk, repair the damage with
a text editor, and try again.

So, This program was written to make things easier for those of us that are
comfortable with things, and for those of us that aren't.

New Features

System Notebook sports some new features, some of which are listed below.


Optimize
For most settings, you can now press the "Optimize" button, and System Notebook
queries your system for RAM size, number of fixed disks, etc., and supplies settings
that can enhance the performance of your system. This is accompanied by an "Undo" button
on each page that gets optimized, allowing you to quickly undo the settings on any
given page, if you don't find them to be what you want. The optimizations can be
global, or confined to a particular page.

Details pages
For each page in System Notebook, there is an accompanying help page covering the
various settings on that page, including what you should and should not do for each
setting. If you want more information, a Details page gives more detailed
information on each setting, and various hints and tips for enhancing the performance
of your system.

Note:  Some of the features mentioned in this document are included only in the
registered version of System Notebook.

This document discusses the various aspects of System Notebook, and how you can
use it. Each page in the notebook has an associated help section, discussing
what the recommended settings are for each field. To view the help on a page,
just turn to the page, and press the "Help" button. Good luck, and happy
configuring.

 Some relevant topics include:

Shell Settings Page
Startup Settings Page
Tasks Settings Page
Paths Settings Page
HELP Paths Settings Page
System Settings Page
Swapfile Settings Page
FAT Cache Settings Page
HPFS Cache Settings Page
DOS Settings Page
User Settings Page
Entering Comments
About Configuration Editor


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. DOS Settings Page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The DOS settings page lets you specify settings for DOS sessions running under
OS/2.

 The Files field is where you specify the maximum number of files that can be
open in a DOS session. The default is 20. The maximum value is 255.

 The PATH setting determines where the command processor will look for program
files when they are invoked from the command line, or from within applications.
There is no default.

CAUTION:
The PATH setting should include at least the \OS2, \OS2\MDOS, and OS2\SYSTEM
directories.

Example

C:\OS2;C:\OS2\SYSTEM;C:\OS2\MDOS;C:\OS2\MDOS\WINOS2;

Click on the "+" button to add a directory to the list of directories in the
listbox, or the "-" button to delete the highlighted directory from the list.

 The Prompt setting sets the appearance of the DOS command prompt. The default
of  $i$p$g  will create a prompt that looks like this:

C:\>

Note:  to remove the white help bar from the top of DOS sessions, remove the
"$i" at the beginning of the prompt specification.

 The RAM Size setting controls the maximum amount of memory a DOS session can
have access to. If none is specified, the default is the total amount of low
memory installed on the computer. (either 512 or 640 KB).

 Check the DOS=High checkbox if you want to load DOS into high memory.

 Check the UMB's checkbox if you want OS/2 to control upper memory blocks.

Note:  If this checkbox is checked, then a DEVICE=VXMS.SYS statement will be
added to the CONFIG.SYS file, if one is not already there.

 The Break On checkbox should be set if you want DOS to intercept programs with
presses of the Ctrl+Break or Ctrl+C keys.

 Check the Undelete and the DOSKey on checkboxes to enable Undelete and DOSKey.

Note:  If the Undelete option was previously unchecked and you check it, this
program looks in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file for the following statement:

REM SET DELDIR=C:\DELETE,512;D:\DELETE,512; (etc.)
and then copies this information into a new statement in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
If this information is not found, you must edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT file and add
your own settings manually. While you are editing the file, you should add a
line similar to the above example with the REM statement in front of it, so the
next time you change this setting, no warning message will be displayed.

Note:  Checking this option will NOT allow files that have already been deleted
to be undeleted.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.1. FILES Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

FILES is a standard DOS command which sets the maximum number of files that DOS
can access at the same time.  OS/2 sets the default at 20, but some DOS
programs may require that you increase this number.  The maximum number is 255.
FILES is for DOS only and has no effect on OS/2 sessions which can have up to
64,000 files open at the same time.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.2. DOS PROMPT Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you type PROMPT without a parameter, the prompt will return its default of
the current drive, followed by a ">".

 Options for the DOS prompt include:

 $B: The | character
 $C: The open parenthesis (
 $D: Current date
 $E: ASCII code 27 (escape character) so you can use ANSI codes.
 $F: The close parenthesis )
 $G: The "greater than" > symbol
 $H: BACKSPACE over the previous character
 $I: Turns help line on
 $L: The "less than" < character
 $N: Default drive
 $P: Current directory of default drive
 $Q: The equal = character
 $S: The space character
 $T: Current time
 $V: OS/2 version number
 $_: Carriage return or line feed

Tip

 You can also add ANSI control sequences to your prompt. For example, to
display the current time in yellow characters above your prompt, you can
specify $E[1;33m$T$_$E[0;00m[$P] in the Prompt field.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.3. RMSIZE Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

RMSIZE is a DOS command and sets the amount of memory available for use in each
DOS session. The maximum is 640k.  Since some DOS programs require 640k, it is
often best to have RMSIZE set to 640.

Tip

 If you only have 4MB of RAM or don't have any DOS programs that need a full
640k, you should consider reducing this parameter to 512.  Many DOS
applications will run in a 512k DOS environment. Doing this will free up some
additional RAM which will help performance.

Tip

 If you need maximum memory in a DOS session and can get by on CGA or MONO,
change the RAM Size field to 639. (It has to be 639k due to a bug in OS/2).
Then in the "DOS Settings" of your application's Settings Notebook, change
VIDEO_MODE_RESTRICTION to CGA or MONO. (Note that there are some instances
where this procedure does not work on certain hardware.)

Tip

 DOS=[HIGH|LOW,UMB|NOUMB] is a standard DOS command that controls how DOS uses
memory. The OS/2 default is DOS=LOW,NOUMB and is considered to be the best
setting since it conserves memory for OS/2. DOS=HIGH (including ,UMB) reduces
available memory for OS/2, but increases the available memory in every DOS
session. Few DOS sessions need maximum memory. Also remember that you can move
DOS HIGH for a specific program by changing that programs DOS. This is done in
the programs Settings Notebook and is likely the better way to go. Finally,
keep in mind that in OS/2 many device drivers are not taking up room in your
640k DOS area. So you generally have more memory in the typical OS/2 DOS
session than in a standard DOS session.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. FAT Cache settings page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The FAT Cache settings page allows you to specify settings for the cache used
with the FAT file system.

Note:  If the "Enabled" checkbox is not set, you can not enter any information
in this page.

 The Size setting controls how large the disk cache will be. The optimum size
varies with the total amount of physical RAM installed on your computer, but a
good rule of thumb is no more than 10% of the physical memory. If the disk
cache is too large, memory used by applications will be depleted faster,
causing a drop in performance.

 The Threshold setting specifies a number from 4 through 128 that indicates the
threshold size for the number of sectors that will be placed into the cache.
The default value is 4.

 The AutoCheck field displays the letters of the drives that will be checked on
startup. For example, if you have 3 fixed disks or partitions, C, D, and E, you
would enter "CDE" into this field to specify that you want all of the fixed
disks checked on startup.

 Check the LazyWrite Enabled checkbox to enable lazy writes on the cache. When
lazy writes are enabled, the contents of the disk cache are written to disk
only during disk idle time, or when the cache buffer is full. When lazy writes
are disabled, the contents of the cache are immediately written to disk, with
no wait. Enabling lazy writes gives a slight gain in performance. The default
value is Enabled.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. FAT Cache Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you are using the FAT file system, the FAT Cache page sets up the RAM disk
cache.

Tip

 If you have the RAM, increase the size to improve system performance, but
don't make the cache too large, as this will do more harm than good. The
maximum FAT cache size is 14MB.

You can get better performance from your system by using your available cache
and RAM in the most efficient and effective way. Select the case that best
describes the file system or amount of RAM you use.

CASE 1

You use only HPFS or only FAT, but not both:

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Γöé ...       ΓöéHPFS only  ΓöéFAT only   Γöé
Γö£ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö╝ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö╝ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöñ
ΓöéSystem     ΓöéSet HPFS   ΓöéSet FAT    Γöé
Γöémemory of  ΓöéCache to   ΓöéCache to   Γöé
Γöéat least   Γöé           Γöé           Γöé
Γö£ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö╝ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö╝ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöñ
Γöé16MB       Γöé2048       Γöé2048       Γöé
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Γöé12MB       Γöé1536       Γöé1536       Γöé
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Γöé8MB        Γöé1024       Γöé1024       Γöé
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CASE 2

You use HPFS and FAT, with FAT being used more:

ΓöîΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö¼ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö¼ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÉ
ΓöéSystem     ΓöéSet HPFS   ΓöéSet FAT    Γöé
Γöémemory of  ΓöéCache to   ΓöéCache to   Γöé
Γöéat least   Γöé           Γöé           Γöé
Γö£ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö╝ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö╝ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöñ
Γöé16MB       Γöé1024       Γöé2048       Γöé
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Γöé12MB       Γöé768        Γöé1536       Γöé
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Γöé8MB        Γöé512        Γöé1024       Γöé
ΓööΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö┤ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö┤ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÿ

CASE 3

You use HPFS and FAT, with HPFS being used more:

ΓöîΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö¼ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö¼ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÉ
ΓöéSystem     ΓöéSet HPFS   ΓöéSet FAT    Γöé
Γöémemory of  ΓöéCache to   ΓöéCache to   Γöé
Γöéat least   Γöé           Γöé           Γöé
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Γöé16MB       Γöé2048       Γöé512        Γöé
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Γöé12MB       Γöé1536       Γöé256        Γöé
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Γöé8MB        Γöé1024       Γöé128        Γöé
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Note:  Remember, with either HPFS or OS/2's FAT file systems, caching is a lot
more efficient than it is with DOS, so cache sizes can be much smaller.

 The AutoCheck field specifies which drives should be checked with CHKDSK when
the system starts after an improper shutdown, such as shutting the computer off
without first using "Shutdown" from the desktop menu. Setting this value to
check all of your fixed disks is highly recommended, as it will keep the file
system from becoming corrupted in the event of an improper shutdown.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. HPFS Settings Page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The HPFS Cache settings page allows you to specify settings for the cache used
with the High Performance File System.

Note:  If the "Enabled" checkbox is not set, you can not enter any information
in this page.

 The IFS File field is where you specify a path to the IFS file to be used.
This field cannot be blank.

 The Cache field is where you specify a path to the cache program file to be
used. The default is \OS2\CACHE.EXE. This field cannot be blank.

 The Cache Size setting controls how much of the memory, in KB, will be used
for the disk cache. Like the FAT disk cache setting, the optimum size varies
with the amount of physical RAM installed in the computer, but the HPFS cache
can normally be set to a smaller size, typically no more than 5% of the total
physical memory.

 The Max. Record Size setting specifies the maximum record size for caching
where the maximum record size is a multiple of 2KB. The smallest maximum size
for caching is 2KB, and the largest maximum size for caching is 64KB. The
default is 4KB.

 The AutoCheck field displays the letters of the drives that will be checked on
startup. For example, if you have 3 fixed disks or partitions, C, D, and E, you
would enter "CDE" into this field to specify that you want all of the fixed
disks checked on startup.

 The Max. Age field specifies how much time, in milliseconds, the system waits
before transferring data to another area of cache memory. The area data is
transferred to is where code and data are stored that have not been recently
used. The default value is 5000.

 The Disk Idle field specifies how much time, in milliseconds, a disk must be
idle before it can accept data from the cache memory. The default value is
1000. The minimum amount of disk idle time must be greater than the value in
the Buffer Idle field.

 The Buffer Idle field specifies how much time, in milliseconds, that the cache
can be idle before the data in it must be written to disk. The default value is
500.

 Check the LazyWrite Enabled checkbox to enable lazy writes on the cache. When
lazy writes are enabled, the contents of the disk cache are written to disk
only during disk idle time, or when the cache buffer is full. When lazy writes
are disabled, the contents of the cache are immediately written to disk, with
no wait. Enabling lazy writes gives a slight gain in performance. The default
value is Enabled.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. CACHE Size Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

/CACHE:nnn sets up an HPFS disk cache and its size.

Tip

 Change the size of your disk cache based upon the information provided in the
tables below.

Note:  Keep this one truth in mind about cache size:  an excessive cache takes
memory directly out of RAM available for programs and therefore could have a
negative impact on overall system performance.  E.g. if you set a 2MB cache on
a 6MB system, you will notice a substantial negative performance hit.

CASE 1

You use only HPFS or only FAT, but not both:

ΓöîΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö¼ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö¼ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÉ
Γöé ...       ΓöéHPFS only  ΓöéFAT only   Γöé
Γö£ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö╝ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö╝ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöñ
ΓöéSystem     ΓöéSet HPFS   ΓöéSet FAT    Γöé
Γöémemory of  ΓöéCache to   ΓöéCache to   Γöé
Γöéat least   Γöé           Γöé           Γöé
Γö£ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö╝ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö╝ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöñ
Γöé16MB       Γöé2048       Γöé2048       Γöé
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Γöé12MB       Γöé1536       Γöé1536       Γöé
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Γöé8MB        Γöé1024       Γöé1024       Γöé
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CASE 2

You use HPFS and FAT, with FAT being used more:

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ΓöéSystem     ΓöéSet HPFS   ΓöéSet FAT    Γöé
Γöémemory of  ΓöéCache to   ΓöéCache to   Γöé
Γöéat least   Γöé           Γöé           Γöé
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Γöé16MB       Γöé1024       Γöé2048       Γöé
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Γöé12MB       Γöé768        Γöé1536       Γöé
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Γöé8MB        Γöé512        Γöé1024       Γöé
ΓööΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö┤ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö┤ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÿ

CASE 3

You use HPFS and FAT, with HPFS being used more:

ΓöîΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö¼ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö¼ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÉ
ΓöéSystem     ΓöéSet HPFS   ΓöéSet FAT    Γöé
Γöémemory of  ΓöéCache to   ΓöéCache to   Γöé
Γöéat least   Γöé           Γöé           Γöé
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Γöé16MB       Γöé2048       Γöé512        Γöé
Γö£ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö╝ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö╝ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöñ
Γöé12MB       Γöé1536       Γöé256        Γöé
Γö£ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö╝ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö╝ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöñ
Γöé8MB        Γöé1024       Γöé128        Γöé
ΓööΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö┤ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö┤ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÿ

Note:  Remember, with either HPFS or OS/2's FAT file systems, caching is a lot
more efficient than it is with DOS, so cache sizes can be much smaller.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.2. CRECL Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

/CRECL sets the maximum record size for caching, from 2k to 64k in multiples of
2k with a default of 4k. Performance can be improved by increasing this value
to the maximum in most cases.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.3. HPFS Autocheck Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

/AUTOCHECK:dd tells the system to run CHKDSK and sets the drives to be checked
at startup if the drives are improperly shut down, for example when the
computer is turned off without initiating the "Shut down" procedure from the
desktop menu. Setting this to check all of your fixed disks is highly
recommended. Bear in mind, however, that it will add to the time it takes to
boot the computer after an improper shutdown.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.4. MAXAGE Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

/MAXAGE sets how long data waits in the cache before it is moved to another
area of the cache where less used information is stored, or how long data waits
in the cache before it is written to the hard disk.  It is expressed in
milliseconds.  The default is 5,000 or about 5 seconds. For a performance
improvement, you can set this to a long value such as 30000(30 seconds), but
you run the slight risk of losing data if your system should have to be shut
off in that time. Set this to a lower value to minimize this risk.

Note:  Pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del to shut down your system will not normally result
in data loss, as OS/2 flushes the cache before restarting. The aforementioned
"risk" is minimal, in most cases.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.5. DISKIDLE Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

/DISKIDLE sets how long your hard disk must be idle before it will accept data
from the cache. It is expressed in milliseconds and the default is 1000(one
second). A performance improvement can be gained from setting this value
higher, say to 60000(60 seconds), but you run the increased risk of data loss
in the event of a system crash.

Note:  Pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del to shut down your system will not normally result
in data loss, as OS/2 flushes the cache before restarting. The aforementioned
"risk" is minimal, in most cases.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.6. BUFFERIDLE Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

/BUFFERIDLE sets how long the cache buffer must be idle before its contents
must be written to disk. It is expressed in milliseconds and the default is
500(1/2 second). Setting this to a higher value can improve the performance of
your system, but with that gain in performance, again, comes with an increased
risk of data loss if the system should crash. The optimum value to set this at
is 60000.

Note:  Pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del to shut down your system will not normally result
in data loss, as OS/2 flushes the cache before restarting. The aforementioned
"risk" is minimal, in most cases.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.7. HPFS Lazywrite Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

/LAZY determines if lazywrite is ON or OFF, that is, whether the contents of
the cache will be written to disk immediately or when your hard disk is idle.
The default is ON. Lazywrites ON improves performance, but keep in mind that
since the system delays writing data to your hard disk, you can lose data if
your system should crash.

Note:  Pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del to shut down your system will not normally result
in data loss, as OS/2 flushes the cache before restarting. The aforementioned
"risk" is minimal, in most cases.

Note:  Disabling Lazywrites causes the Max. Age, Disk Idle, and Buffer Idle
settings to be ignored.

Tip

 Lazy writes can also be turned ON or OFF at an OS/2 command prompt.

Note:  There is a bug in OS/2 version 2.1 that causes a situation where you can
not turn lazy writes off from the CONFIG.SYS file. The Workplace Shell always
turns Lazywrites ON when it loads regardless of what the CONFIG.SYS CACHE
command does. So, if you want lazy writes off, you will need to run the CACHE
command AFTER the Workplace Shell starts. Create a CMD file to turn it off and
place it in your startup folder.  The Workplace Shell has already started when
the objects in the startup folder are opened. You can also turn it off from a
command prompt.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Paths Settings Page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The PATHS settings page lets you specify the search paths for OS/2 programs.

 Program Path(PATH): Specifies where the system will look for program files
when they are invoked, either from a command line, the Workplace Shell, or an
application. The default is
C:\OS2;C:\OS2\SYSTEM;C:\OS2\MDOS\WINOS2;C:\OS2\INSTALL;C:\;C:\OS2\APPS;

Click on the "+" button to add a directory to the list of directories in the
listbox, or the "-" button to delete the highlighted directory from the list.

 Library Path(LIBPATH): Specifies where the system will look for Library files,
dynamic link libraries(DLLs), etc. used by applications and the Workplace
Shell. The default is .;C:\OS2\DLL;C:\OS2\MDOS;C:\;C:\OS2\APPS\DLL;

Click on the "+" button to add a directory to the list of directories in the
listbox, or the "-" button to delete the highlighted directory from the list.

Warning:  Be sure to include the "." path specification in the LIBPATH
statement. This ensures that DLLs found in a program's current directory can be
found.

 Data Path(DPATH): Specifies where the system will look for data files used by
applications and the Workplace Shell. The default is
C:\OS2;C:\OS2\SYSTEM;C:\OS2\MDOS\WINOS2;C:\OS2\INSTALL;C:\;C:\OS2\BITMAP;C:\OS2\MDOS;C:\OS2\APPS;

Click on the "+" button to add a directory to the list of directories in the
listbox, or the "-" button to delete the highlighted directory from the list.

Note:  The defaults shown above assume that OS/2 is installed on the C: drive
of your system, and Win-OS/2 support is installed on your system.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.1. PATH Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The PATH, LIBPATH, and DPATH statements in the CONFIG.SYS file determine where
OS/2 looks for programs(PATH), dynamic link libraries(LIBPATH), and data
files(DPATH). (The DPATH is only used by certain programs.)

Tip

 You can gain a slight performance increase by placing the \OS2, \OS2\DLL,
\OS2\APPS, \OS2\APPS\DLL, and \OS2\SYSTEM directory names first in their
respective statements. OS/2 has to search through every directory named in
these statements until it finds the program, DLL, or data file it needs, and
placing these directories first in their respective PATHs shortens the time
OS/2 has to search for these files.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Help Paths Settings Page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The HELP Paths settings page lets you specify where the OS/2 help system will
look for online Help files, Glossaries, and online reference files.

Click on the "+" button to add a directory to the list of directories in the
listbox, or the "-" button to delete the highlighted directory from the list.

 Help Path: Specifies where the system will look for help files when they are
accessed from the online help system in an application or other object that
uses the OS/2 IPF help system. The default is C:\OS2\HELP;C:\OS2\HELP\TUTORIAL.

Click on the "+" button to add a directory to the list of directories in the
listbox, or the "-" button to delete the highlighted directory from the list.

 Glossary: Specifies where the system will look for Glossary files, such as the
OS/2 Glossary in the Information folder. The default is C:\OS2\HELP\GLOSS.

Click on the "+" button to add a directory to the list of directories in the
listbox, or the "-" button to delete the highlighted directory from the list.

 Bookshelf: Specifies where the system will look for online reference manuals
in the .INF format. The default is C:\OS2\BOOK.

Click on the "+" button to add a directory to the list of directories in the
listbox, or the "-" button to delete the highlighted directory from the list.

Note:  The defaults shown above assume that OS/2 is installed on the C: drive
of your system.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.1. HELPPATH Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The HELP, GLOSSARY, and BOOKSHELF statements in the CONFIG.SYS file determine
where OS/2 looks for help and .INF(online book) files.

Tip

 As with the PATH, LIBPATH, and DPATH statements in OS/2's CONFIG.SYS file, you
can shorten the time it takes for OS/2 to find a requested file by placing the
paths where OS/2 will look most often at the beginning of the appropriate
statement in this section. For example, if you constantly need help on a
specific application and this application's help is in a diretory named in your
HELP statement, move this directory name to the beginning of the HELP
statement. This will shorten the time it takes OS/2 to find the help files you
will be accessing.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Shell Settings Page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The SHELL settings page lets you specify which program will act as the OS/2
shell, and which program will be the main command-line processor.

 Workplace Shell: Specifies the program that will act as the Workplace Shell.
The default is C:\OS2\PMSHELL.EXE.

 COMSPEC: Specifies the program that will act as the main command processor.
The default is C:\OS2\CMD.EXE.

Note:  The above defaults assume that you have OS/2 installed on the C: drive
of your computer.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.1. RUNWORKPLACE Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This entry tells OS/2 what interface program is to be used. The default is
PMSHELL.EXE, the Workplace Shell. Other programs can be specified here,
providing an alternate interface for OS/2.

Tip

 To conserve memory, set this value to the name of the command-line processor
of your choice, for example, CMD.EXE. The Workplace Shell, while very
functional, uses quite a bit of memory, which can be used for other things if
it is not present. On systems with 4 MB of memory, this can make OS/2 a lot
more fast and usable.

CAUTION:
If you run without the Workplace Shell as noted in the above section, you can
not perform a "shut down" from a command line.  To do a shut down, at a command
line, type PMSHELL and press enter.  This starts the Workplace Shell.  Once the
Workplace Shell is open, you should be able to perform a standard shut down.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.2. COMSPEC Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The COMSPEC field specifies the command-line program to be used, and its
location. This serves the same function as the DOS environment variable of the
same name.

Tip

 To use an alternate command-line shell, such as 4OS2, specify its name in the
COMSPEC field.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Startup Settings Page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The STARTUP settings page determines which parts of the Workplace Shell are
automatically started. When OS/2 is installed, all options except Startup
Folders Only are enabled.  Turning any of these options off means that the next
time OS/2 is started, the unchecked options will be disabled. For example,
turning the Folders option off will prevent all folders, including the
Workplace Shell, from starting. Turning off the Programs option means that
programs, except ones in the Startup folder, cannot be started from the
Workplace Shell. Turning off the Task List option means that the Task
list(Window list) will not be started. Turning off the Connections option means
that Network connections will not be started.

CAUTION:
Modifying these options is not recommended for general use.

Note:  Occasionally a running program will cause a lockup in the system, and
force you to reboot. If this happens, then the next time OS/2 starts, the
offending program will also start, possibly causing another lockup, forcing
another reboot, and so on. To prevent this, check the Startup Folders Only
checkbox. When this option is checked, the Workplace Shell will start in its
normal state, without starting any programs that were running when it was shut
down. Checking the Reboot Only checkbox will enable this feature only when the
machine has to be rebooted.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. Startup Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Startup page is used to set which parts of the OS/2 Workplace Shell start
when OS/2 starts.

CAUTION:
If you remove any of these options, then you may not get OS/2 to respond or you
will be restricted from accessing portions of the shell.  For example, if you
leave out Folders, folders, including the Desktop(which is also a folder), can
not be opened.  If you uncheck Tasklist, then you will not obtain the OS/2
Tasklist when you press Ctrl-Esc. If Programs is not included, only programs in
your startup folder will be available.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2. Restart Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Restart Objects group of options tells OS/2 what applications to start
after you suspend operations with or without doing a Shutdown (as in doing a
Ctrl-Alt-Del because some faulty program has locked up your system). The
default is Yes, i.e., start all objects that were running at the time of
Shutdown or reboot. Other options are:

 No: do not start any applications that were running at time of shutdown or
reboot.

Startup Folders Only: Start objects only in the Startup folder. This parameter
is also handy for another purpose. If you have one or more programs in the
Startup folder and do a shutdown without closing the programs (i.e. left the
programs open at shutdown), then reboot, OS/2 will restart the programs left
open AND the Startup folder will start another copy, and you will have two
copies running. Setting this option eliminates this.

Reboot Only: Start objects only if the OS/2 Workplace Shell is starting from a
reboot (Ctrl-Alt-Del) or at power on. Objects will not restart if the Workplace
Shell is restarted as a result of its own error correction recycling.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Swapfile Settings Page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The Swapfile Settings page allows you to change the settings for the
SWAPPER.DAT file.

 The edit window on this page contains a text string that may look something
like this:

C:\OS2\SYSTEM\ 512 2048

 The first part of the string is the path to the SWAPPER.DAT file. The default
is C:\OS2\SYSTEM\.

 The second part of the string is the minimum free space(in KB) allowed on the
drive referenced in the first part of the string. When the free space on this
drive reaches a value equal to or less than this value, OS/2 will display a
warning message.

Warning: If you specify a drive that does not contain enough free space, you
may run out of disk space, and lose data! Be sure and specify a drive with
ample room.

The third part of the string is the inital swap file size. Bear in mind that
this is only an Initial size. If OS/2 has to overcommit memory, the size of the
SWAPPER.DAT file can grow dramatically. The default size is inversely
proportional to the amount of total physical memory on the computer, because
the more physical RAM available in the computer there is, the less the swapfile
is usually needed.

Example:

D:\ 2048 4096
specifies that the SWAPPER.DAT file will be stored on the root directory of
drive D:, the minimum free space allowed on drive D: will be 2048KB, and that
the initial size of SWAPPER.DAT will be 4096KB.

Note:  If you specify a path for the SWAPPER.DAT file that does not exist, it
will not be saved, and an error message will be displayed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1. SWAPPATH Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SWAPPATH is the statement that determines the location and size of the
SWAPPER.DAT file.

Tip

 To increase performance slightly, increase the size of the SWAPPER.DAT file to
the size it will be most often. For example, if you start out with a 2MB
swapfile on startup but the size increases to 8MB and generally stays there
while you are using OS/2, increase the SWAPPER.DAT size to 8MB. This saves OS/2
having to take time to continually change the size of the swapfile.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. System Settings Page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The System Settings page allows you to set some general parameters for OS/2.

 The Buffers field sets the number of disk buffers that the system uses. The
default is 30. Values of more than 100 and less than 3 are invalid, and will be
ignored.

 The Prompt setting sets the appearance of the OS/2 command prompt. The default
of  $i[$p]  will create a prompt that looks like this:

[C:\]

Note:  to remove the blue help bar from the top of OS/2 sessions, remove the
"$i" at the beginning of the prompt string.

 The Keys on checkbox should be set if you want to be able to recall previously
typed commands by pressing the up arrow in an OS/2 session.

 Check the Enable Undelete checkbox if you want to enable Undelete in OS/2
sessions. If this option was previously unchecked and you check it, this
program looks in the CONFIG.SYS file for the following statement:

REM SET DELDIR=C:\DELETE,512;D:\DELETE,512; (etc.)
and then copies this information into a new statement in the CONFIG.SYS file.
If this information is not found, you must edit the CONFIG.SYS file and add
your own settings manually. While you are editing the file, you should add a
line similar to the above example with the REM statement in front of it, so the
next time you change this setting, no warning message will be displayed.

Note:  Checking this option will NOT allow files that have already been deleted
to be undeleted.

 The Protected Mode Only checkbox will allow OS/2 programs to use memory
normally reserved for DOS programs, i.e., in the lower 640KB of memory.
Checking this option, however, will prevent OS/2 from running DOS and/or
Win-OS/2 sessions. This option is normally not checked.

 The Priority Disk I/O option specifies that applications running in the
foreground will get priority for disk I/O over applications running in the
background.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.1. OS/2 Prompt Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you type PROMPT without a parameter, the prompt will return its default of
the current path in brackets.

 Options for the OS/2 command prompt include:

 $B: The | character
 $C: The open parenthesis (
 $D: Current date
 $E: ASCII code 27 (escape character) so you can use ANSI codes.
 $F: The close parenthesis )
 $G: The "greater than" > symbol
 $H: BACKSPACE over the previous character
 $I: Turns help line on
 $L: The "less than" < character
 $N: Default drive
 $P: Current directory of default drive
 $Q: The equal = character
 $S: The space character
 $T: Current time
 $V: OS/2 version number
 $_: Carriage return or line feed

Tip

 You can also add ANSI control sequences to your prompt. For example, to
display the current time in yellow characters above your prompt, you can
specify $E[1;33m$T$_$E[0;00m[$P] in the Prompt field.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.2. BUFFERS Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

BUFFERS Tells OS/2 how many disk buffers to set aside.  The range is from 3 to
100.  Each buffer takes up to 512 bytes of RAM.  30 is the default and usually
works well.  If you are using HPFS only, see tip below.  Disk buffers are
blocks of memory set aside by OS/2 for use in reading and writing blocks of
data.  For example, if a program wants to change 80 bytes of a file, it needs
to read the 512 byte sector that contains the original data, change the
information and then write the corrected 512 byte sector back out.  A "buffer"
is the 512 byte temporary staging area for this partial sector operation.
According to sources at IBM, "OS/2 allows multiple simultaneous I/O operations
to be queued up for both diskette and hard disk.  Each 'concurrent' operation
may need a buffer.  If there are not enough buffers, overlap can be inhibited.
Because OS/2 has more 'simultaneous' queued I/O than DOS, it needs more
buffers."

Tip

 Generally, you can speed up your system by increasing the number of BUFFERS.
But, keep in mind that as you increase the number, you reduce available memory.
30 is the default, but you may wish to experiment with a higher number, like 50
or 60.  Be careful about using a lower number unless you only have 4MB of RAM.
With 4MB of RAM you may wish to set BUFFERS to 20.  This gives you some more
valuable memory.

Tip

 If you are using only HPFS (i.e., no FAT partitions), set BUFFERS to 3.  With
HPFS you don't need BUFFERS.  Remember that 3 is the minimum parameter.  If you
set BUFFERS to 1 or 2, OS/2 will default to 30 since 1 and 2 are out of range.
There is one exception to this tip.  If you access your floppy disks a lot,
then a reduced BUFFERS setting will impact floppy performance.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. Printing page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The Printing page lets you specify the size of the parallel port device driver
buffers to enhance the performance of devices attached to the parallel ports on
the system. Enter the desired size of the buffer for each port in each of the
edit controls.

Note:  None of these fields can be blank, even if you are not attaching a
device to that port. Specify a value of 0 if you do not wish to attach a device
to a specific port.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.1. PRINTMONBUFSIZE Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PRINTMONBUFSIZE sets the size of the print buffers for your parallel ports.
The syntax is PRINTMONBUFSIZE=LPT1,LPT2,LPT3 where LPT1 is the buffer size for
the parallel port LPT1, LPT2 is the buffer size for LPT2 and LPT3 is the buffer
size for LPT3. The default and minimum is 134 bytes and the maximum is 2048
bytes.

Note:  You must define a buffer for LPT2 and LPT3 even if you don't use these
ports. You will get an error message at startup if you don't.

Tip

 You may be able to improve printer throughput by  increasing buffer size no
the ports that are being used, and setting ports that are not being used to
zero. On systems with less than 6MB of RAM, don't increase the size of these
buffers.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12. Tasks Settings Page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The TASK settings page allows you to specify how the system will behave with
regard to multitasking.

 The Max. Wait field sets the amount of time(in seconds) a ready-to-run thread
waits before the system assigns it a higher priority. When a normal thread is
denied processor time for a defined number of seconds, it recieves a temporary
increase in priority.

 The Timeslice Field sets both the minimum and maximum amount of processor time
allocated to processes and programs for both DOS and OS/2 sessions. Typically,
this field will either have the word "default" in it, meaning that there is no
setting for the timeslice in the CONFIG.SYS file at this time, or it will have
a combination of numbers and commas, like this:

40,125
,32
23,

 To set the Timeslice setting back to the default setting, either delete any
entries in the Timeslice field, or type the word "default" in it.

The first number sets the maximum time in milliseconds to be applied for a
system boost. It must have a value greater than, or equal to, 32, and has no
meaning if the Absolute radio button is checked. The second number sets the
maximum timeslice value in milliseconds. This must be greater than or equal to
the first value, and less than 65536.

Note:  If either of the 2 numbers is omitted, the comma means that the missing
number is set to the system default. See the OS/2 command reference for more
information.

 The Threads field sets the maximum number of threads allowed in the system. It
must be an integer value between 63 and 4096.

 The Priority radio buttons select which type of scheduling the system will use
for different processes that are running. The default is Dynamic.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.1. MAXWAIT Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

MAXWAIT sets the longest period a program will wait to execute before OS/2 ups
its priority. This makes sure that no program is put on hold forever while some
other program hogs the system. You can set MAXWAIT from 1 to 255 seconds. The
default is 3 seconds.

Tip

 When running heavy background programs, such as a BBS, change the setting to
1. This will keep the background programs running at top speed. For general
use, setting MAXWAIT to a value of 2 makes the system more responsive.

Note:  MAXWAIT only has an effect if the Priority setting is DYNAMIC.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.2. TIMESLICE Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

TIMESLICE allows you to manually control the minimum and maximum amount of
processor time any thread can receive at once. The syntax is TIMESLICE=x,y
where x is the minimum time slice (in milliseconds and must be at least 32) and
where y is the maximum length (must be less than 65536).

Tip

 OS/2 handles time slicing dynamically.  This means that the system is
adjusting the time slice values based on the actual processes active on the
system as the workload changes.  Therefore, it is best not to attempt to
manually set TIMESLICE.  OS/2 can handle this process effectively without
intervention in most cases.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.3. THREADS Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

OS/2 programs can have several different processes running at the same time.
These are called threads.  THREADS sets the maximum number of threads that OS/2
can run at the same time.

Tip

 On systems with only 4MB of RAM, set THREADS to 128 to free up memory. If you
have more than 8MB of RAM and run lots of OS/2 specific programs, you may be
able to improve system responsiveness by increasing the number of threads,
because well written OS/2 programs will use threads to improve program
performance.  Therefore, the more OS/2 programs in use, the more threads that
could be needed.  Bear in mind, however, that this only holds true if you are
using a large number of OS/2 specific programs.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12.4. PRIORITY Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

OS/2 automatically assigns processing priorities to each thread of a program as
it begins processing. A thread running in the foreground will generally have
priority over a thread running in background. Thread priorities are adjusted on
an ongoing basis by OS/2, based upon how active they are, to make sure each
thread has adequate processing time. On the rare occasion that you need to run
a program which must never change in priority, you should set
PRIORITY=ABSOLUTE. Otherwise, don't change it.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13. User Settings Page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The User settings page allows you to set up System Notebook for use with your
system.

The CONFIG.SYS File field allows you to select which CONFIG.SYS file will be
changed with System Notebook. The default is C:\CONFIG.SYS. If you specify a
file that cannot be found, an error message will be displayed.

The AUTOEXEC.BAT File field allows you to select which AUTOEXEC.BAT file will
be changed with System Notebook. The default is C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT. If you specify
a file that cannot be found, an error message will be displayed.

 Click the Comments button if you want a dialog box to appear whenever you
press the "Save" button, so you can insert comments at the top of the
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files.

 The Set as backups button allows you to copy the current CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT files to the backup files.

Use the Refresh button to reinitialize System Notebook after you change the
file specification in the aforementioned fields.

Use the Save Settings button to save the references to the specified files in
CSED.INI.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14. Backups dialog box ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The Backups dialog box lets you specify which files will be used as backups in
the event you decide to abandon all changes you have made to the startup files.

The Backup CONFIG.SYS File  field allows you to select a backup CONFIG.SYS
file.  The default is in the \BACKUPS subdirectory. If you specify a file that
cannot be found, you will be asked if you want to use the currently loaded
CONFIG.SYS file as the backup file. If you answer "Yes", a copy of the current
CONFIG.SYS file will be made to the specified filename.

The Backup AUTOEXEC.BAT File  field allows you to select a backup AUTOEXEC.BAT
file.  The default is in the \BACKUPS subdirectory.  If you specify a file that
cannot be found, you will be asked if you want to use the currently loaded
AUTOEXEC.BAT file as the backup file.  If you answer "Yes", a copy of the
current AUTOEXEC.BAT file will be made to the specified filename.

Note:  The UNDO ALL option will not be available until you set the backup files
to use.

Warning: If you didn't use the included INSTALL program to install System
Configuration Editor and the \BACKUPS directory does not exist, you will be
unable to save the backup files to the \BACKUPS directory.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15. Select Ports dialog box ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Select the checkbox corresponding to the ports on your system that are being
used.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 16. Add Path dialog box ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Type in the name of the directory you wish to add to the appropriate path
setting.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 17. Comments Dialog box ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 You can use this dialog box to insert comments into the CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT files, when you make a change to them and save it. The text you
enter in the edit field will be printed in a REM statement at the top of the
corresponding file, along with the date and the time it was inserted. This will
create a log of changes at the top of the file, beginning with the most recent
change, and ending with the least recent.

Note:  If you don't want to put a comment in a file, do not enter any text in
the field for that file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 18. ABOUT System Notebook ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This is the unregistered version 1.3 of System Notebook. It has all of the
functionality of the registered version, except for the following:

o Enabled Undo last, Undo ALL, and Restart functions.

o Another page for setting HELP, BOOKSHELF, GLOSSARY environment variables.

o Another page for printer monitor buffer size settings.

o Optimize Page/Optimize Global functions.

o Various other features.

To obtain the registered version of this program, send $15.00, plus $4.00
Shipping and Handling to:

VacNat Software, Inc.
1370 White Oak St.
Harrisonville, MO 64701

When you register, you will receive the latest version of this program.
Improvements are being made all the time, and by the time you read this, a new
version with more features will be waiting.

 Thank you for trying it out. If you wish to talk to me and suggest changes,
etc., I can be reached at 70572,1247(CIS) or on the OS/2 conference of FidoNet.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 18.1. Details not available ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Sorry, "Details" help is not available in the demo version.