PDEXPERT.PRG

(C) 1992 DragonWare Software Inc.

This Program is a FREEWARE release ALL RIGHTS RESERVED!

This file MUST accompany the PDEXPERT.PRG and PDEXPERT.RSC

The PowerDOS Expert program will allow you to modify the CONFIGUR file
in the POWERDOS folder.  PDEXPERT will only modify the first 21 lines
of the CONFIGUR file.  A user may NOT add or delete ANY lines in this 
first 21 lines or PDEXPERT.PRG will not work.

Functions:

Select Node:
           You can modify any CONFIGUR file on the network by selecting
           this option and opening that node's POWERDOS folder.
           This will load the CONFIGUR file into PowerDOS expert 
           for editing.
           
REVERT:    
           This option reverts to the orignal settings for the current
           node's CONFIGUR file.  A Revert will work as long as a NEW 
           node's Configur file has not been loaded.  It will work even
           if you have saved new settings.

Make .BAK
           This function renames the old CONFIGUR file to CONFIGUR.BAK
           when new settings are saved. If an existing CONFIGUR.BAK 
           exists it will be deleted.

Save New Config:
           This saves the new CONFIGUR file and makes the CONFIGUR.BAK 
           file if Make .BAK file is selected.

QUIT:
           Quits the PowerDOS expert program.

POWERDOS VARABLES 
Task timeslice =50
                    Task Timeslice, gives length of a process timeslice.
                    Can be 200, 100, 50, 25 or 12. Default=50.

system priority=128        
                    Initial system priority. All processes inherit their
                    parents priority. Lower numbers give lower priority,
                    higher numbers give higher priority. Has little effect
                    unless many processes are running. Default=128

RAMTOP K Bytes =50 
                    Memory to reserve at top of ram. This is used to keep
                    memory hog programs from grabbing every available byte.
                    The network requires small blocks of ram to be avail-
                    able at all times. The next variable controls the size
                    of blocks allocated within the reserve area. Size given
                    as *1024 (50=51,200 bytes). Default=0, no reserve.

Ramtop Blocks =5
                    Max size of blocks of ram that can be allocated within
                    the reserved area. This insures that network server
                    processes (which require < 5k each) can have enough
                    memory to run in when all other memory is used by hogs.
                    Size given as *1024 (5=5120 bytes). Default=0.

Max program Ram=4
                    Maximum memory size given to a program. When a program
                    is run, it is normally given all of memory to run in.
                    This memory is divided into text+data+bss+heap, with
                    the first three strictly defined by the program, the
                    fourth (heap) being all the rest of memory. The program
                    is supposed to free what it doesn't need of the heap,
                    but many don't, tying up all of memory. This variable
                    can be used to control the total memory given to a
                    program at startup. Size *1024K. Default is no limit. 


Maximum Drives =26
                    Number of drive descriptors created. GemDOS will only
                    recognize 16 drives, A through P, without the MetaDOS
                    extension loaded. PowerDOS has no limit on the drives
                    it can access. It only requires a device descriptor to
                    be created for each drive. This variable lets you set
                    the number of drives from 1 to 26 (setting it to 1
                    would allow only drive A to be recognized). Note that
                    you would still need a BIOS driver that recognized
                    drives beyond P. Default is 16.

Fastloadm Size =32  
                    Number of k of heap to clear on progam load. This is
                    similar to the popular public domain program 'PinHead'
                    by Charles F. Johnson. It controls the amount of memory
                    to clear when a program runs. If not used (default),
                    PowerDOS will clear all of the program's heap, unless
                    the fastload bit is set in the programs header, in
                    which case only 32k will be cleared. If a value is
                    given, then that much heap will be cleared for all
                    programs, and the fastload bit will be ignored.

Cache Sectors =200
                    Number of disk cache sectors to create. A disk cache
                    will greatly increase the speed of a hard drive by
                    storing commonly used sectors in ram. This cache is
                    built into the PowerDOS disk file system, and testing
                    shows it to be the fastest write through cache for
                    the ST (a write cache, like that built into ICD
                    software, is faster for many operations involving
                    writes). Legal values are 50-999. Less than 50 results
                    in a 50 sector cache. Default is no cache.

Auto Folder Boot =YES
                    Used to control how PowerDOS handles the AUTO folder
                    on bootup. Since PowerDOS is run from the AUTO
                    folder itself, and replaces GemDOS, which was running
                    AUTO folder programs, PowerDOS must restart the AUTO
                    process itself. After it initializes itself, it runs
                    programs listed in this file. It then searches the AUTO
                    folder for programs, skipping all of them until it
                    finds the name 'POWERDOS.PRG'. It then runs any .PRG it
                    finds after that. This variable alows you to control
                    this process. If this is set to 'NO', then no AUTO
                    programs will be run. If it is set to a number, then
                    that many AUTO programs will be skipped. Setting it
                    to YES means that it will run all AUTO programs.
                    Default is to look for 'POWERDOS.PRG'.

Auto FOLDER DRIVE =C:
                    Drive to continue auto folder operations from. The
                    network makes it possible to have a machine with only
                    a floppy disk boot with direct access to hard drives.
                    It is possible, therefore, that by the time PowerDOS
                    restarts the AUTO folder process, that there is a
                    drive C. Normally, however, PowerDOS would look for the
                    AUTO folder on whatever drive it was booted from. This
                    variable allows you to force PowerDOS to look in a
                    different drive for the AUTO forlder. It could even
                    be used to force bootup to continue on another drive
                    completely, like D or E (many programs might fail,
                    though, as they expact to run form A or C). Default
                    is whatever drive PowerDOS boots from.

Force Bios Calls =YES
                    Force the use of standard handles from the BIOS. One
                    of the things a network provides is the ability to use
                    the devices of another machine over the network, like
                    a printer. The easiest way to do this is to redirect
                    standard handle number 3 (PRN) to the printer desired.
                    Any printer output using the function call Cprnout will
                    then go to the printer over the network. However, some
                    programs call the BIOS directly for printer support,
                    and so could not be redirected. This variable, when set
                    to YES, will cause these BIOS calls to be re-issued as
                    regular DOS calls, where redirection can be performed.

Negitive Force =YES
                    GemDOS provides the ability to bypass redirection of
                    the standard handles by using a negative number. If
                    a program used -3 for a handle, then output would
                    go to the PRN device, regardless of whether handle
                    3 had been redirected. GFA Basic is one source of
                    programs that do this. This would prevent redirection
                    just like using the BIOS directly. This variable, when
                    set to YES, will force these negative handles to act
                    like the regular handles and perform redirection.


END of PDEXPERT.TXT
