ArticlesLocked Escape FilesThis document describes programs used to identify and remedy problems resulting from inadvertent locking of Escape data files by users. The symptom will be that the program appears to "hang" for all (or some) system users. In most cases, the program will resume functioning after a delay. The primary cause for the problem is a user toggling out of the Escape window while the program is reading data files, and Windows does not background process the Escape window. This can occur when the program properties are set incorrectly, the user inadvertently hits the background button on the toolbar, and sometimes Windows just decides to turn off processing of the window! Escape has three utility programs designed to deal with the file locking problem.
Finding and Releasing Locked FilesLOCKED.EXE is a utility used to identify which Escape data files are locked. It should reside in the \ESCAPE directory. To run it, change to \ESCAPE and type LOCKED and press ENTER. You will be prompted for how many times you want the LOCKED utility to run. Enter 1. The program will then read through the Escape data files that are the most likely to be locked. When it encounters a locked file the program will stop on it. If you are using a Novell network, you can run SCANLOCK.EXE to identify the connection that has the file(s) locked. This utility should be found in the \ESCAPE\UTIL directory. To unlock the file, go to the user's workstation that has the file locked, and exit the user from Escape. If this can't be done, go to the file server and disconnect the user connection at the console. Once the file is unlocked, the LOCKED.EXE will continue checking files until it has gone through all of files it checks. What LOCKED.EXE Reports to YouThe files checked are reported on screen as the program runs. A small sample of what is reported is shown below: Checking OVERSEER.DAT File is not locked Checking MENUGRPS.DAT File is not locked Checking FINUSERS.DAT File is not locked Checking VENDOR.DAT File is not locked Checking INVITEM.DAT File is not locked Checking INVTRANS.DAT File is not locked Checking POSCHGS.DAT File is not locked Checking PSLAUDIT.DAT File is not locked No files appear to be locked. Total Elapsed Time: 17 Where Potentially Locked Files Are LocatedTo assist in identifying locked files at the server console, the directory structure for files checked is:
Running SCANLOCK.EXESCANLOCK.EXE is a very spartan Novell utility that we have used on Novell 3.x and 4.x to find files that are locked and report the connection that has locked the file. However, NOvell's support web site no longer references SCANLOCK so it may not be supported on higher versions of Novell. To run this utility, you must have supervisory rights on the network in order to run this program. The syntax for running the program is: SCANLOCK [volume]:[path] Example, if the volume is called V5 and you wish to run the scanlock utility on the ETCONFIG.DAT file, the syntax would be as follows: SCANLOCK V5:\ESCAPE\COMMON\ETCONFIG.DAT The response message appears just under your command line and it might look like: Conn Start End Physical Record Locks 4600 16180FC0 118011E8 Logged Locked SCANLOCK will return the following error codes: 0x0000 SUCCESSFUL 0x8801 INVALID_CONNECTION 0x890A NLM_INVALID_CONNECTION 0x88FF Scan Completed 0x8996 SERVER_OUT_OF_MEMORY 0x8998 VOLUME_DOES_NOT_EXIST 0x899B BAD_DIRECTORY_HANDLE 0x899C INVALID_PATH 0x89C6 NO_CONSOLE_PRIVILEGES 0x89FD BAD_STATION_NUMBER 0x89FF NO_FILES_FOUND_ERROR The FIXUSERS UtilityThe FIXUSERS Utility program is more of a preventative maintenance program. It should be run regularly, say weekly, after a back-up of the system. It must only be run when no one is in the system. Please see the FIXUSERS FYI for more information about running this program. |
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