From: medici@dorm.rutgers.edu (Mark Medici)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.novell
Subject: Re: A question about PATHS
Date: 21 Jul 92 20:16:56 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

DKEARNS.TCC@KLAVEN.TCI.COM (Dave Kearns) writes:

>>Our LAN admins have set up their system so I lose my own boot path
>>(D:\;C:\DOS;C:\NU etc) whenever I log in.  This is a real piss off and
>>they refuse to do any thing about it.
>>
>>Is there a way (for me &/or them) to "append" the Novell mapping to the
>>end of my boot path so that I do not lose the value of the utilities that
>>I have set up on my own hard drive?

>If they're mapping search drives in the SYSTEM login script, then there's
>nothing you can do about it, except to point out to them that by using
>the syntax
>    MAP INS S1:=
>rather than
>    MAP S1:=
>they get lots of folks mad at them.

Actually, I think you meant to put that the other way around.  Use of
"MAP S1:=SYS:FOO" has the effect of overwriting the 1st entry in the
DOS search path.  However, the syntax "MAP INS S1:=SYS:FOO" will push
the current DOS search path over one position and insert the NetWare
search mapping as the first entry.

>If you don't have a personal login script, then create one. If you do,
>then modify it so that you add back in your DOS paths:

>     MAP S16:=D:\
>     MAP S16:=C:\DOS
>     etc.


You may also want to consider this work-around (saved from my old IBM
PC LAN Program days):

  1.  Make sure you have a good amount of environment space.  I set
      mine to 1024 bytes as SOP.

  2.  Include the command "set OPATH=%PATH%" in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
      just before it calls to the NetWare LOGIN facility.  This saves
      the current PATH into a variable named OPATH (aka Original
      PATH).

  3.  In your personal LOGIN script, insert the command:

	DOS SET PATH = "%<PATH>;<%OPATH>"

      This will append your original search path to the search path
      defined by your (somewhat facist) NetWare system adminstrators.

      You can use SYSCON to edit your personal login script,
      just select "User Information" -> your_login_name ->
      "Login Script" and you'll be put into an editor.

Note: If your sysadmins are truly facist, they may have restricted you
from creating or changing your personal login script.  In this case,
create a .BAT file to do the same as above.

There are also ways of overriding the system login script with one of
your own design.  Although this is commonly available information, I
urge you to NOT be tempted to do so.  Such action, if discovered,
would probably be considered a Bad Thing by your sysadmins (as it
would impede their ability to maintain the network environment) and
would probably result in some form of retribution.

As always, you should make yourself very aware of what is going on in
your personal login script before making changes.  Seemingly trivial
modifications can cause big problems.  A better approach to this might
be to explain to your sysadmin's, in detail, the problems caused by
the smashing of your local path.
-- 
_________________________________________________________________________
RUCS     | Mark A. Medici, Systems Programmer III, User Services Division
User     | Rutgers University Computing Services, New Brunswick, NJ 08903
Services | [medici@gandalf.rutgers.edu]                    [908-932-2412]
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU