From: ed@balrog.aecom.yu.edu (Ed Geraghty)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: OS of the future....RFD about configuration
Date: 28 Dec 92 13:47:53 GMT
Organization: Albert Einstein College of Medicine -- Dynamic Brain Imaging Lab


Greetings,

I have been using OS/2 since LA and been a very satisfied customer. I
had two questions that some might want to kick around.

/***********/
System for Applying Patches and System Software Revision
/***********/

   I didn't realize how much a pain applying patches was until I downloaded
 and applyed the CSD for TCP/IP, PMX, NFS and the SP. Each CSD installed with
different commands and the NFS(?) package's install script required changes 
because it copied files directly from drive a:.

Another thing I find lacking is that the syslevel files are all over the
drives. If I type syslevel and I have mounted CD-ROMS(over a network),
NFSed disks from Unix boxs. The syslevel command will take 10 minutes to run.
The results displayed by syslevel only show the previous CSD level not a
history.

I am also using the RS/6000 AIX while the installp updatep programs may
have their own problems. It is convienient to use one command to install 
updates. Also the lslpp command is nice because it can give you a list
of products installed and what revision you are running with a complete
history. The product history and inventory is located in one area for
quick retrieval.



/***********/
System Configuration: config.sys
/***********/

Another thing I realized while Installing products on an OS/2 machine
(this is not limited to OS/2 DOS/WINDOWS is another such problem) that
the config.sys is loaded at boot time and tends to get mangled. I installed
LAN server and It tacked on 15-20 lines then TCPIP 10 more  lines to my 
config.sys. With this jumble how would you uninstall something from that
machine(what line to blow away). Installing programs just tackon stuff to the
config.sys sometimes with disasterous results.

Is there a better way of handling system configuration then config.sys?
How does Macintosh doit. The UNIX rc file system while similar to config.sys
does split the tasks among different files. (rc.net rc.local rc.boot).

Would it be good to have a rc.wp51, rc.win31, etc...

/***********/

These are problems that I see with todays OS offerings. None of these problems
will be fixed anytime soon but I'm interested in where things are going or
should be going in the future(with regards to these two areas). As more
users are networked the config.sys will get longer and more complicated.
The time required to configure and maintain machines will increase. 
Admin people are busy enough and don't need questions like I installed
a new package and now my news reader doesn't work.

                          Looking forward to hearing ideas,

                          Ed G


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Ed Geraghty                         |  "There is no true escape - I am watching 
Systems Manager                     |   all the time..." - JP "Electric Eye"
Albert Einstein College of Medicine | 
Dynamic Brain Imaging Lab           |  "Whenever you dream, you're holding a 
Bronx, NYC 10461                    |   key. It opens a door to let you be 
email: geraghty@aecom.yu.edu        |   free" - Ronnie James Dio
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Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc