OSDANOVL - CREATING A VMB FOR THE NETWARE LAN REQUESTER 10/19/94 ================================================================ CREATING A DOS IMAGE FILE FOR OS/2 2.x TO BE USED WITH THE NETWARE V2.1 LAN REQUESTER FOR OS/2 VMB - (Virtual Machine Boot) ================================================================ Please Read Entire Document For Full Explanation of Procedure ---------------------------------------------------------------- SYMPTON: Applications that run off the Netware Lan Requester for OS/2 do not run in a VDM session. RESOLUTION: Create a VMB for the Netware Lan Requester PROCEDURES: SECTION I - CREATING A VMB DISKETTE 1. Each Image file you create equals the size of the diskette you use, for example, 360k, 720k, or 1.44mb high density diskette. There are two ways to create a VMB diskette: METHOD A: Start from a DOS bootable diskette that includes the FORMAT.COM file from native DOS. Type: FORMAT A: /S and press Enter. When you see a message asking you to Press any key, insert a blank diskette for the VMB in Drive A, and press Enter. COMMAND.COM is on the diskette when this step is completed. METHOD B: If you have native DOS installed on your computer, start from there. Insert a blank formatted diskette you want to use for the VMB in Drive A, and, from the DOS root directory, type: SYS A: and press Enter. COMMAND.COM is on the diskette when this step is completed. After completing one of the above steps, insert the VMB diskette in Drive A: and start the system. If it starts correctly, continue with the following procedures. If not, try the previous steps again. NOTE: After creating a VMB diskette, you can: - Start from OS/2's Command Prompts Icon View (DOS from Drive A) - Start from the VMB Image Icon on your Desktop NOTE: Use the following instructions to create the VMB. Make certain it running before you customize the VMB image. Then, you can add other device drivers, native DOS files, and statements in the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT specific to your application, network, etc. You have to create several VMBs for each program that has special requirements. 2. Start in OS/2 and copy the following files from the OS2\MDOS directory to the VMB diskette: ANSI.SYS FSFILTER.SYS FSACCESS.EXE EMM386.SYS HIMEM.SYS LPTDD.SYS MOUSE.COM You may add any number of NATIVE DOS files to this diskette, but not until the VMB is running. 3. The VMB lets you read/write to Drive A: using an alternate drive letter. You can change the AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, and add files after the Image file is on the hard disk - this is Drive A. (Instructions below) 4. Each time you install a new version of OS/2 or a ServicePak, you need to update the IMAGE with the current version of the files from the OS2\MDOS directory listed in step 2 above. INSTRUCTIONS ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. On the VMB diskette create the following AUTOEXEC.BAT file with a text editor: PRIVATE OR GLOBAL ----------------- ECHO OFF PROMPT $P$G MOUSE.COM PATH C:\;C:\VMB;C:\NETWARE SET DOS=VDM FSACCESS G=A C: CD\NETWARE NETX.EXE (Private Only) H: (Lastdrive+1 - Example: G+1 = H) NOTE: If you start DOS from an Image File, you cannot use physical Drive A until you release the Image File. FSACCESS G=A releases Drive A and assigns "G" which is the drive after the last assigned drive on your workstation. This lets DOS applications read/write to physical Drive A - which is logical Drive G. When retrieving/saving a file from/to physical Drive A, rename the Application's drive destination to "G" instead of "A". LAN USERS: Do not use FSACCESS Z=A if your Lan assigns logical Drive Z as the network drive. 2. On the VMB diskette create the following CONFIG.SYS with a text editor: PRIVATE OR GLOBAL ----------------- DEVICE=FSFILTER.SYS FILES=40 BUFFERS=40 DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS DEVICE=EMM386.SYS LASTDRIVE=G DOS=HIGH,UMB DEVICE=ANSI.SYS DEVICE=LPTDD.SYS DEVICE=C:\NETWARE\DOSVIPX.SYS NOTE: LASTDRIVE=G is the same as the FSACCESS assigned drive from the AUTOEXEC.BAT. 3. Make a directory called C:\VMB for the VMB image. Copy the COMMAND.COM from the VMB diskette to the VMB directory. Go to C:\VMB and type: VMDISK A: DOS.IMG and press Enter. This creates an image of the diskette you created. The Image File is named DOS.IMG and is in the C:\VMB directory. 4. When completed, remove and store the diskette. Return to the desktop. ================================================================ SECTION II - CREATING A VMB DESKTOP ICON 1. Creating the Icon: a. Open the OS/2 System folder. b. Select the Command Prompts Icon. c. Copy the DOS Full Screen icon to the Desktop by holding down the Ctrl key and dragging the icon to Desktop while holding down the right mouse button. d. Close Command Prompts and the OS/2 System Folder. 2. Change the DOS Settings For the VMB Icon: a. Select the Icon created in Step 1. b. Press the right mouse button to display the menu. c. Select the Arrow on Open. d. Select Settings to open the Settings notebook. e. Select Session. f. Select DOS Settings. g. Change the following settings: EMS_MEMORY_LIMIT to: Default is 2048 DOS_UMB to: ON DOS_HIGH to: ON DOS_STARTUP_DRIVE to: C:\VMB\DOS.IMG XMS_MEMORY_LIMIT to: Default is 2048 (Min. Requirement) PRIVATE GLOBAL ------- ------ NETWARE_RESOURCES to: PRIVATE GLOBAL DOS_FILES to: 214(MAX) 214(MAX) DOS_LASTDRIVE to: G G NOTE: In a PRIVATE session, the DOS_LASTDRIVE needs to be set to the drive letter past your last OS/2 workstation drive. EXAMPLE: If you have drives A: B: C: D: E: F: your DOS_LASTDRIVE should be set to G. H: will be you LOGIN drive for that session. h. Use these settings for applications that use DOS PROTECTED MODE INTERFACE (DPMI). DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT to: 4 (Minimum Requirement) DPMI_DOS_API to: ENABLE i. If your PC has a LAN adapter, or other board that uses RAM memory, add the range it uses to the MEM_EXCLUDE_REGIONS settings (i.e., D8000-DFFFF for an Ethernet Adapter). NOTE: There may be other settings you want to change, but do not do it until the VMB is running. 3. Select Save. 4. Select General and change the Title field to VMB or the name you want to call your Desktop Icon. 5. Close the window. 6. Select the new DOS VMB Desktop Icon. 7. To EXIT the VMB from within the VMB, create a batch file in the VMB directory called X.BAT containing the following: @ C:\OS2\MDOS\EXIT_VDM 8. Save the file. 9. Type X at the command prompt. NOTE: If you have problems with the above steps, check all your file and directory names, especially the ones in the DOS Settings.