WABI QUESTIONS, AND PC TO ACCESS WABI QUESTIONS.
ITEM: RTA000043164
QUESTION:
My customer is looking to buy an UNIX box to run an UNIX based
application. They are also interested in PC based applications.
So we are proposing a RS/6000 and AIX for the UNIX application,and
WABI for the PC based applications (Microsoft Words, and Excel).
1) How do I configure WABI with the DOS application I need? I did not
see a feature for WABI on the configurator; furthermore, do I need to
specify, out of the 13 supported DOS applications, the ones I
specifically need? Or do I select WABI, and I get all 13 applications?
What kind of liscening charges are associated with the 13 applications?
2) I understand that in order to invoke WABI on the RS/6000, I need
graphical display, AIX Windows Env/6000 with WABI feature.
However, my customer will be accessing the RS/6000 using
PC's via an ethernet LAN. Are there special requirements for the PCs
to access WABI on the RS/6000? Typically, I'd recommend, for
example, DOS, Microsoft Windows, TCP/IP for DOS, Hummingbird or
Reflections (3rd party packages to run X windows on PCs); is that
efficient? Anything else I'd need on the PC?
3) They are currently standardized on a DOS based EDI package (text
based) and a DOS based statistical analysis package (called Mini Tab,
a Microsoft window graphical interface application). They are afraid
that by buying a RS/6000 with WABI is locking them to UNIX , hence
they have to support two operating systems, and it adds to complexity
of their environment (multiple servers). How easy is it to take an
application, say Mini Tab, to recompile and let it run under WABI?
3) When my customer is out on the road, and would like to dial in
from his laptop to access home office application (UNIX application,
WABI's MS Words, WABI's MS Excel, the DOS EDI server, and Mini Tab).
What can we recommend for mobil users to access application on the
RS/6000? What hardware/software are required on the RS/6000? What
hardware/software are required on the mobil laptop?
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A: There are lots of misconceptions about Wabi, which we're going
to have to deal with here. Wabi is intended to enable a machine
to run Windows applications for a few users. It is NOT intended
to set the RISC up as a Windows network server.
Think of Wabi as a new improved version of PC-Simulator, and not
as IBM's competition to Novell.
I recommend that only the user using the HFT console or a few
Xstations use Wabi. The PC's can and should run the Window's
applications native on the PC. The Intel laptops should run
Windows natively. The RISC laptop (N40) can run Wabi.
And if all these users want to share datafiles, they can
mount the datafiles with TCP/IP and NFS.
1a. Wabi is not yet available. It is not in configurator.
Watch for an upcoming announcement.
b. You order Wabi from IBM. You purchase any of the 13 applications
you need separately. They do not come with Wabi.
c. Each user of a Windows application must purchase a copy and
install it in their home directory. Wabi does not change or
enforce licensing in any way. You cannot purchase multiple licenses
and then install the software only once. Windows applications
are written as though the user is root. The applications store
configuration .ini files in the application executable directories.
If multiple users use the same executable directory, all the
users try to update the same .ini file and the .ini files
become corrupted; and the recovery involves re-installing
the application. Don't try it.
2. The configuration you describe is very inefficient.
I want to discourage anyone from doing this.
Install Windows on the PC's and install the Window's application
on the PC's. Then if you want to share data, use TCP/IP and NFS
and mount the shared datafiles.
Then use Hummingbird to run the Unix application in an aixterm
withing the PC Windows environment. (Users of graphically intense
applications often find this to require far more memory than
they expected).
3. Only the 13 applications are officially supported under Wabi.
Other applications may very well work if they are "well behaved".
I have asked the vendor (SunSelect) for documentation on what
constitues "well behaved". I am still waiting for a response.
Other windows applications do not have to be recompiled in order
to run under Wabi. However if the applications have problems
running under Wabi, those problems will not be accepted as a bug
in the Wabi product. The vendor is working to expand the
list of 13 programs in the next release, but for the first
release we do not expect the list of 13 to be extended.
4. Many laptops have an internal modem that can connect via telephone
to create a slip connection serving TCP/IP communications.
This connection could ftp files from the host to the laptop
for use by the laptop application running native under Windows.
The application could also NFS mount a datafile over slip
although I don't like this one as well because the laptop could
not continue running the application without the active NFS mount.
File transfer is the way to go, since you can continue running
the application after hanging up the phone.
The laptops would be running MicroSoft Windows and the Windows
application and TCP/IP for DOS.
No Wabi would be needed. I do not believe the lines would be
reliable enough or fast enough to access application interactively.
The line speed is certainly not fast enough and reliable enough
to run an X11 application interactive over a cellular network.
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QUESTION:
Thank you for your prompt response, and for clearing up some points
regarding WABI.
0) "WABI is intended to enable a machine to run Windows applications
for a few users." What's a "few" users? 1-2 users? 3-4 users? 5-6 users?
It's interesting you should mention WABI not in competition with Novell
server. Originally the corporate headquarter is dictating that they
buy a UNIX box for the UNIX appl, and a Novell server for Words and
Excel. But we suggested that they combine the 2 servers into 1. Run
both the UNIX appl, and Words and Excel all on the RS/6000. They have
only 4 users that need to access Words and Excel. Can those 4 users
run Words and Excel on the RS/6000?
1b)"You order WABI from IBM. You purchase any of the 13 applications
you need separately." Does my customer just buy Microsoft Words and
Excel off the shelf, Window version of Words and Excel? And those
packages can be installed on top of WABI in AIX?
1c) and 2) From reading your responses, here are the scenerios for my
customer that will work:
scenerio a: Have the RS/6000 house the UNIX application (by the way,
it's text based only), and allocate some filesystems
for the users to share data files (for Words, and Excel).
Let the users have PCs with Words and Excel installed
(using NFS mount onto the RS/6000, and access the shared
files), and an emulation package to access the UNIX appl
via the LAN. So the PC has DOS, Windows, TCP/IP and/or
VT100 emulation package, Excel, and Words.
scenerio b: Have the RS/6000 house the UNIX application, and WABI
with Excel and Words. Via a LAN, use Xstations to access
the UNIX application, Excel and Words.
In this scenerio, can the Xstations, say 4 of them, access
Excel and Words at one time? From your response to 1c)
this is not recommended. Is that right? Sounds like
WABI is only good for single user RISCstation, right?
4) Since the laptop will be dialing in to access the shared files,
and to gain access to the UNIX text based application, the software
you recommended (DOS, Windows, Excel, Words, and TCP/IP) will allow
them to do just that. On the RS/6000 side all we'd need is a modem
and define the userid to have access to those shared files, and
the UNIX application. Am I missing anything here?
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A: 0. By a "few" users, I mean in relation to the size of the machine.
In a recent class, I used one session of Wabi on a 530 with 64 Mb
memory. Response was good, but that one session took over most of
the machine's memory. If you were to have 5-6 users doing constant
access I would recommend a faster machine with lots more memory.
Perhaps a 370 with 128 Mb memory.
1b. You are exactly right.
1c. Either scenario would work; my preference is scenario a.
Scenario a: Since the Unix application is text based, you do
not need graphical capabilities of Hummingbird. This
application would run in an standard TCP/IP for DOS telnet
session. Therefore TCP/IP for DOS is the only special
code needed on all the PC's for both mounting a common
shared file, and also running the Unix application.
Scenario b: This would also work. You will need to buy
4 copies of Word, and 4 copies of Excel and install all
8 copies in the user's home directories.
Yes, that's right, lots of disk space used.
Do not create one common "Excel userid" and have every one
log into the common userid. The multiple instances of that
userid will corrupt the excel .ini configuration files.
However, if each of the 4 users are accessing their own
installed version of Excell, then the 4 users can co-exist.
When the application updates the .ini file, it will update
the /usr//wabi/excell/.../.ini file. Because the
userid is a high level qualifier in the path, user1 and
user2 will not corrupt each others .ini files.
4. You are exactly right.
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This item was created from library item Q661035 CRXXT
Additional search words:
ACC ACCESS CRXXT IX JUN94 OP OZIBM OZNEW PC QUESTION RISCOSO
RISCSYSTEM SOFTWARE SYS WABI
WWQA: ITEM: RTA000043164 ITEM: RTA000043164
Dated: 11/1996 Category: RISCOSO
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