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Setting NFS Options

NFS Assistant lets you configure connections to remote workstations so that you can access files on remote filesystems or print files on networked printers served by an NFS server.

Adding NFS Servers

To add an NFS server to the Windows 3.x NFS Servers list:

  1. Open the Servers tab in the NFS Assistant window.

    If you have not already added NFS servers to the NFS Assistant, the Servers tab appears first. If you have already added a server, the Connections tab appears.

  2. Enter the host name or IP address of the NFS server in the New Server Name field.
  3. Click Add.

    The name appears in the Servers List.

You can now map a drive to the desired directory on the NFS server.

Configuring Connection Options

To configure options for a new connection:

  1. In the NFS Assistant Connect dialog box, click the Options button.

    The Connect Options dialog box appears.

  2. Check the Persist After Network Failure check box to indicate that NFS Assistant should attempt to reconnect to the NFS server every second indefinitely if it loses the connection to the NFS server. If you check both this check box and the Wide Area Network check box, NFS Assistant attempts to reconnect every 30 seconds.

    Clear the Persist After Network Failure check box to indicate that if the connection to the NFS server is lost, the NFS Assistant should time out after 30 seconds.

    In either case, if the connection is lost, it appears in the Current Connections list on the Connections tab until you remove it.

  3. Check the Wide Area Network check box to compensate for delays when connecting across long- distance telephone lines or by satellite. Clear this check box to indicate your site is local and does not require compensation for network delays.

    Note

    You can check or clear the Wide Area Network check box only when you first create a connection; it is not available in Modify Connection Options dialog box. If you need help in determining whether your system is on a wide-area network, contact your network administrator.

  4. Check the Convert Text Files to Stream-LF to view OpenVMS or UNIX text files with the proper format. If you only examine text files on DOS systems, clear this check box.

    Note

    This option affects how long it takes to access a directory. If you check this option, accessing a directory takes longer since NFS converts each text file to Stream-LF format. We recommends you use this option selectively when you want to view a file.

  5. Check the Enable Data Caching check box to increase NFS performance when building applications between mounted filesystems. This increases NFS performance for programming applications accessing NFS mounted files. Clear this check box if your system runs out of resources or memory, or has 4 MB of RAM memory.
  6. Check the Enable Network Locking check box to ensure that others cannot access files while you are using them. This option is significant if you are working in a shared-files environment. Clear this check box if you are the only one accessing files on the file systems to which you are connected.
  7. Check the Enable Fast Write check box to specify that the NFS server should increase NFS performance when saving data to disk. This feature works by the NFS Assistant not waiting for verification from the NFS server that a write is successful; data is written, but the NFS Assistant does not wait to be sure. If a problem occurs on the NFS server, the next read or write request detects the problem and data is resent, or should the NFS server fail, queued until the server is back online. Clear the Enable Fast Write check box to disable this feature.
  8. Check the Read Only Filesystem check box if you only want read access for this NFS connection. Clear this check box if you want write or delete access for this NFS connection. If you clear this check box, the NFS directory must be configured for write or delete access for you to take advantage of it.
  9. To specify a different port on the NFS server for NFS communications, enter the new port in the NFS Server Port field. Contact your network administrator before changing the port. This option is not available in the Modify Connection Options dialog box.
  10. The Maximum Packet Size field lets you specify the number of characters (bytes) to be stored in a packet before it is sent to the NFS server. We recommend a packet size of 8192 bytes. If you have performance degradation over NFS, use 1024 bytes. Contact your network administrator for more information.
  11. Click OK.

    The NFS Connect dialog box appears.

  12. Click OK.

    NFS Assistant maps the specified directory to the selected drive and displays the newly mapped entry in the Current Connections list in boldface type. You can now access the remote directory as if it were on your local system, either through the Windows File Manager or a DOS shell that you start from Windows.

Setting NFS Global Options

To set NFS global options, use the Global Options tab in the NFS Assistant window.

To set global options:

  1. Open the NFS Assistant window.
  2. Click the Global Options tab.

    The Global Options tab dialog box appears.

  3. To use the same user name for all NFS connections, enter the user name in the Default User Name field.

    Note

    This user name is the default setting only; you can specify a different user name in the Connect dialog box when you connect to the NFS server.

  4. To automatically enable all Reconnect at Startup check boxes for all connections, check the Enable Permanent Connections at Startup check box. To automatically disable all Reconnect at Startup check boxes for all connections, clear the Enable Permanent Connections at Startup check box.
  5. To view warning messages when the network is not running, check the Enable Warnings When Network Is Not Running check box.
  6. To set the default file protection mask for any files you create on an NFS server, check the desired file protection radio button in the Default File Protection Mask group.

    Note

    The settings in the Default File Protection Mask group are default values only.

  7. Click Close to accept your entries and close the NFS Assistant window.

Modifying Current NFS Connections

NFS Assistant lets you change connection options after you have mapped a drive through the Modify Connection Options dialog box.

To modify options for existing connections:

  1. Open the NFS Assistant window.
  2. Click the Connections tab.
  3. In the Current Connections list, select the connection you want to modify.
  4. Either double-click the desired connection or click the Modify... button.

    The Modify Connection Options dialog box appears.

    This dialog box contains the same options as the Connect Options dialog box, the Enable Fast Read option, and the Reconnect at Startup option.

  5. Check and clear the check boxes as desired.

    Note

    The Wide Area Network, NFS Server Port, and Maximum Packet Size controls are grayed in the Modify Connection Options dialog box.

  6. Click OK to accept your changes and close the Modify Connection Options dialog box. Click Cancel to close the Modify Connection Options dialog box without accepting your changes.

Modifying File Protections

Windows 3.x NFS Assistant lets you modify the protection rights for files you own on NFS servers. To modify file protection rights on existing files:

  1. Using the File Manager, select the file (or files) on the NFS server whose rights you want to modify.
  2. Choose the Properties... option from the File menu of the File Manager.

    The Windows 3.x Properties dialog box appears.

    Note

    Do not change any settings in the Attributes group in this dialog box. Doing so can produce erratic results when attempting to access files.

  3. Click the Network... button.

    The Network Properties dialog box appears.

  4. In the File Protection Mask group, check and clear the Read, Write, and Execute check boxes as desired for the specified file.
  5. If you select multiple files, you can see checked, clear, and gray check boxes. A checked check box indicates that all selected files are enabled for that access; a clear check box indicates that all selected files are disabled for that access; and gray check boxes indicate that the selected files differ for that access.
  6. To accept your changes, click OK. To close the Network Properties dialog box without accepting your changes, click Cancel.

    If you click OK, NFS Assistant modifies the file's protection settings as specified.

Removing an NFS Mapping

To delete an existing connection:

  1. Close any applications that are accessing files on the NFS Server.
  2. Open the NFS Assistant window.
  3. Click the Connections tab.
  4. In the Current Connections list, select the mapping you want to delete.
  5. Click the Delete button.

    NFS Assistant displays a message box asking you to confirm the deletion.

  6. Click Yes to remove the current connection. Click No to leave the current connection intact.

    If you click Yes, NFS Assistant removes the selected mapping from the Current Connections list.

Accessing Other Network File Systems

To access other network file systems for which your workstation is configured:

  1. Open the NFS Assistant window.
  2. In any tab dialog, click the OtherNet button.

    You can now modify the other network file system's settings as desired.

Viewing Non-DOS File Names

NFS servers running on OpenVMS, UNIX, or Macintosh systems use different file-naming conventions than workstations. For example, file names can be longer than eight characters or case-sensitive. When presented with file or directory names that do not adhere to DOS naming conventions, the NFS and Print Assistant:


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