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From: kenh@techbook.com (Ken Haynes)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.novell
Subject: Re: A Menu for Novell Networks (was Re: GO.BAT and RESTART.BAT)
Keywords: menu, novell, small bucks
Message-ID: <1991Feb14.143156.2119@techbook.com>
Date: 14 Feb 91 14:31:56 GMT
References: <91038.13515134HLEFG@CMUVM.BITNET> <1991Feb8.005302.24572@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> <1991Feb9.100800.26888@agate.berkeley.edu>
Organization: TECHbooks of Beaverton Oregon - Public Access Unix
Lines: 39

In article <1991Feb9.100800.26888@agate.berkeley.edu> hjstein@twinkies.berkeley.edu (Harvey J. Stein) writes:
>In article <1991Feb8.005302.24572@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> dab6@po.CWRU.Edu 
>(Douglas A. Bell) writes:
>
>I don't ordinarily send out product announcements over the network,
>but since this is the second time I've seen an inquiry about menu
>systems, I figured that it at least isn't unsolicited.
>
>I've written a menu system under the guise of Natural Intelligence Co.
>
>Although it does make batch files to run things, I wouldn't say that
>it fills the disk with batch files, because it keeps *all* batch files
>in one directory, and it cleans up after itself.  That is, even if the
>user turns off his workstation, the batch files that were in use will
>be removed when *any* user reenters the menu program.  So, I would say
>that point one above has been addressed.


This sounds like a nice product with a lot of features.... However,
*ANY* menu system that uses batch files for execution, will cause
the file server problems with performance.  NOVELLs blocking mechanism
uses a 4K block on the disk and in memory as a minimum size for each
file.  Thus if you have a .bat file that has 96 bytes for executing
a program, you will have 4000 bytes of unused memory in that block.
That block will hang around in memory and on disk, wasting space until
programs finally squeeze it out of cache.   Be careful when designing
systems or purchasing programs that use the batch file scheme of 
execution.  While it will work, and probably work OK, you will be 
wasting server memory in the process.  The more users and the more
unique .bat files you execute, the more server memory is wasted.

Just my 2 cents worth... for whatever it's worth.

Ken
-- 
******************************************************************************
Ken Haynes, Certified Netware Engineer
Technical Support Product Mgr.
900 Support