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Getting started with NeTraverse Merge
With NeTraverse Merge, you install the Microsoft® Windows operating system from the standard CD-ROM installation media and then install and use off-the-shelf Windows applications in a multiuser, multitasking environment.
UNIX is the master operating system that controls the physical hardware and file systems on your PC, while NeTraverse Merge provides a complete virtual PC environment for the Windows operating systems. Windows applications execute in this environment as they would on a standard PC, with UNIX providing the needed protection and resource arbitration underneath. Each user has their own private installation of Windows to work with, so on multi-user systems, the way one user uses or mis-uses Windows will not adversely affect any other users or the underlying UNIX system.
Note:
NeTraverse Merge requires the use of a standard X Windows display.
All the standard requirements for running normal X Windows client
applications are thus also required by NeTraverse Merge.
For instance, the DISPLAY environment
variable must be set properly and an xterm or similar terminal
emulator window must be used to execute commands.
On some systems icons are either available or can be created to execute
the commands documented in this guide.
See Chapter 2, ``Installing Windows'' for instructions on installating Windows. Once Windows is installed, users can start up Windows sessions (and DOS session too) by following these simple steps:
The Win and DOS icons or buttons are used to start Windows and DOS sessions on your desktop. The WinSetup icon or button is used for administration of Windows and DOS environment. The equivalent commands for these three are:
win
dos
winsetup
Running Windows in full-screen (fwin)
If your display supports multiple virtual console screens,
then you can start a Windows session
in a full-screen configuration.
This dedicates that console screen for your Windows session.
To do this, execute the following command:
If you are using the OpenServer desktop, then this command must be run from a virtual console prompt, (i.e. not from within the X environment.) It then uses that virtual console for your Windows session.
On other desktops, this command can be run from any prompt, and it finds an unused console screen and uses that for your Windows session.
You then can adjust the resolution setting of Windows to match the resolution of the virtual console display, so that the entire screen is used for your Windows session.
Note: You can bring the NeTraverse Merge menu and status bars into view with the Show Menu key, which is by default <Shift><F12>. (When the Windows frame covers most or all of the display then the menu and status bars will cover up a part of Windows.) To hide them again, select the Hide Menu option from the Window menu. The menu bar is mostly useful for accessing the Help item, which give you access to this user's guide and other NeTraverse Merge information. The use of the menu bar is covered later in this chapter.
You can now use the NeTraverse Merge environment just as you would use a standard computer running Windows or DOS. See Chapter 3, ``Working in the NeTraverse Merge environment'' for details.
Most common DOS commands work exactly as they do on a conventional DOS computer. For the few restrictions, see ``Restricted DOS commands'' in Chapter 3. You can also install and use most off-the-shelf Windows applications by simply following the application's manufacturer's installation instructions. Section ``Installing applications'' in Chapter 3 provides some tips.
Ending NeTraverse Merge sessions
To
end a Windows session,
use the standard Windows method. (Start button > Shutdown)
Note that the
Windows options to shut down or restart your computer result in
shutting down or restarting only
your current Windows session, not the whole computer.
To
end a DOS session
properly, type
the following at your DOS prompt:
quit
If, for some reason, a DOS or a Windows session doesn't shut down,
you may have to kill it. Before you do this,
try to exit any applications you are running in the session.
Killing a DOS or a Windows session results in the loss of any unsaved data.
To kill a session use the "kill" button on the window manager frame (usually a big X). Another method is to choose Exit from the Window menu on the NeTraverse Merge window menu bar. If you are using NeTraverse Merge without a window manager (i.e. with fwin) you will have to use this. (If the menu bar is not visible, you can bring it up by entering the Show Menu key combination, which is by default <Shift><F12>.)
WinSetup
Even though running DOS and Windows under NeTraverse Merge is very much like running
on a stand-alone PC, there are differences in the environment due
to the underlying presence of UNIX.
Hardware devices, memory, and file systems have to be shared by UNIX,
DOS and Windows sessions,
and this creates a need for an
additional configuration layer, which NeTraverse Merge
provides through the WinSetup
graphical utility.
You use the WinSetup icon or button,
or execute the "winsetup &" command
to start the WinSetup utility.
This utility is the starting point for performing system-wide or individual NeTraverse Merge user configuration. On-line help is provided along the way via "Help" buttons, so you can simply use WinSetup to see what you can do. You can also read Chapter 4, ``Configuring DOS and Windows sessions'' and Chapter 5, ``NeTraverse Merge resource administration'' for more information.
If you are not working in the Desktop environment, NeTraverse Merge provides a command-line interface for configuring your DOS and Windows sessions and for administering resources. See Chapter 6, ``Using NeTraverse Merge from the command line'' for information.
Controlling the NeTraverse Merge window
When you start a NeTraverse Merge session on your X Desktop,
you can move the window, close it, or iconify
it just like any other Desktop window.
Note: although you can do some resizing operations using your UNIX Window manager, the results may not be what you expect. In general, for resizing Windows sessions, you should use the Windows display properties "Settings" panel.
You can control various other aspects of the NeTraverse Merge session from the special menus available from the NeTraverse Merge menu bar. (If the menu bar is not visible, you can bring it up by entering the Show Menu key combination, which is by default <Shift><F12>.)
The menus on the menu bar are:
The Window menu provides the following options:
To unzoom (that is, return back to the X environment), use the Unzoom key, which is by default <Shift><F12>. (You can redefine this key if the default is not convenient or conflicts with your application. See Unzoom key tune option below.)
To bring the menu and status bars back into view, use the Show Menu key, which is by default <Shift><F12>. (You can redefine this key if the default is not convenient or conflicts with your application. See Show Menu key tune option below.)
The Options menu provides these options:
When Mouse Focus to DOS is selected, the mouse cannot be used outside of the DOS window. You also cannot use the mouse to move or resize the DOS window.
To return the mouse to Desktop use, use the Show Menu key, which is by default <Shift><F12>. (You can redefine this key if the default is not convenient or conflicts with your application. See Show Menu key tune option below.)
Clicking OK accepts the settings you have selected; clicking Cancel abandons your changes.
The Help menu provides online information on various topics.