By Janet Sheldon and Jennifer Mills

Have you ever wondered if configuration files were important to set up the PRO/5 Data Server® or Client? If it is your belief that configuration files are not very important, you will want to read this article.

Q: Do I need configuration files (config.bbx) for both the PRO/5 Data Server and the Client?

A: No, but it is recommended by BASIS technical support that you have configuration files for each application because BASIS documentation continually refers readers to these files.

Q: What should be included in the configuration files?

A: Several items need to be included in the config.bbx for the Data Server and the Client. BASIS recommends enabling Data Server access in the SETOPTS vector by making it available at the startup of each application. Make sure to set the syntax in byte 04, bit $20$ in each of the config.bbx files as follows:

setopts 00000020

An !ERROR 12 will result if the Data Server is referenced or attempting to open local files in the Client config.bbx prefix without setting this bit. While not required, both files can contain a PREFIX line. This allows for better configuration of the system with optimal performance and security measures. More specific information regarding PREFIXes is available in the Data Server Guide, The BASIS Advantage Magazine, Winter 1996, and in this article. Another item to include in each config.bbx file is the ALIAS lines to the different system devices, including security factors, printer spooling, etc.

There are also config.bbx items specific to each product:

The Data Server Config.bbx

When installing the PRO/5 Data Server, the config.bbx file should contain the SETOPTS line listed above, a PREFIX, and the standard variables (e.g., DEVS, FCBS, and CIBS). These all have default values that are automatically set when the Data Server is installed. To increase these parameter values to the entire system, change them in the Data Server's config.bbx file.

Another important config.bbx item is the ALIAS lines for a printer through the Data Server. For example:

ALIAS P1 /dev/lpt1 "Printer on Server" CR,...etc

From the client PRO/5®, you can open that device with the following:

open(1)"/<your_server,port=1100>P1"

The Client Config.bbx

When installing the Visual PRO/5™ Client, a config.bbx file is created in the same directory as the executable. The Visual PRO/5 TCP/IP Clients can either contain:

1. A single centralized config.bbx available on the network, which is easier to maintain.
2. Workstations with their own config.bbx version, which would include various security measures for the different files. Each Client should include the SETOPTS line (listed above), a PREFIX, and ALIAS lines to terminals and devices.

Q: For the PRO/5 Data Server® for Windows NT, are there any special configuration considerations?

A: Yes. You will need to DSKSYN all invalid drives in the Data Server config.bbx since Windows NT or the TCP/IP Client uses the concept of disk drives. The config.bbx for the PRO/5 Client will not DSKSYN the drive on which it resides, but it will for all other drives. For example, the PRO/5 Data Server is installed on drive E:\ of the file server and the Visual PRO/5 TCP/IP Client is installed on drive C:\ of your machine.

Here is a comparison of the two different DSKSYN'd lists (notice the lines where the drives are missing):

Data Server	Client
DSKSYN A: DSKSYN B: DSKSYN C: DSKSYN D: --------- DSKSYN F: (and so on) DSKSYN Z:	DSKSYN A: DSKSYN B: --------- DSKSYN D: DSKSYN E: DSKSYN F: (and so on) DSKSYN Z:

Q: Can you show some examples for setting up a PREFIX after installing the PRO/5 Data Server for Windows NT and Clients?

A: Yes. Here are three different examples, using the assumptions regarding the drive designations listed on the previous page.

1. This is the simplest method. The Client's config.bbx PREFIX references the Data Server and it determines the directory structure. The Client PREFIX would be similar to this example:

   prefix /<ntserver>

   The prefix for the Data Server would then reference the directories to be searched. For example:

   prefix E:/basis/data/ E:/basis/data2/

2. The Client's config.bbx file directly references the Data Server for each directory search. For example:

   prefix /<ntserver>E:/basis/data/ /<ntserver>E:/basis/data2/

3. A combination of both the Data Server access and mapped drive access can be used. For example:

   prefix /local/ f:/mapped/nt/drive/ /<ntserver>

Data Server configuration files can be very tricky and confusing due to the vast amount of combinations you can configure. Hopefully, this short discussion shows how important these files are for the correct set up of your Data Server and Client.