PicLan Version 2.0.0.4 Release Announcement

(C) Copyright 1990-1996 Modular Software Corporation. All rights reserved.
For more information about PicLan contact: sales@modsoft.com or visit http://modsoft.com

PicLan Version 2.0.0.4 is now available

November 11, 1996

PicLan version 2.0.0.4 for host and client is currently being released. This is for all platforms. This document discusses the elements that this release addresses. This release is considered a minor upgrade.

New Features

The following new feature have been added to version 2.0.0.4:

PL-TERM

The PL-TERM program will now swap memory to disk or EMS when executing a DSG "EXEC ..." type of printer redirection.

PL-DSGW

The PL-DSGW program will now access NDS (Novell Directory Services) print queue configurations including the ability to auto-connect to NetWare servers hosting print queues. The new syntax for NDS printer redirection is documented in the on-line manual with the PL-ASSIGN verb.

PLTW / PLTW32

The PLTW and PLTW32 programs now include a raster font (PL_FONT.FON) that is optimized for running full-screen on 640x480 and 800x600 screens. If you wish to use this font, select the font name "PicLan" in the change fonts dialog box.

Code Changes

SETUP changes

The SETUP script has been modified to warn that other Windows applications should not be executing during setup.

PL_SETUP changes

The PL_SETUP program has been enhanced to include configuration support for the following elements:

Monitoring the SERVER-PROCESS

The PL-STAT and PL-SPOOL verbs now check to see if the SERVER-PROCESS appears to be active and will display error messages if not.

Internationalization Issues

Several changes have been made to make it easier to use PicLan with non-US character sets and systems as well as allowing dealers and users to translate PicLan messages into other languages.

PLTW / PLTW32

The PLTW and PLTW32 programs have been modified so that their keyboard layouts should honor local code page definitions. This has not been tested with other languages as of the release date, so feedback will be appreciated.

PL-LOAD / PL-CONFIGURE

The PL-LOAD and PL-CONFIGURE programs have been modified so that their messages are contained in the file PL.BP,DATA in the items PL-LOAD and PL-CONFIGURE. This should allow dealers to create language specific versions of these programs. If this effort is successful, other PicLan programs will be modified in a similar manner.

Additional Testing and Documentation

The following additional testing and documentation is included with this release:

DSG Printing with Windows 95

DSG printing with Windows 95 now includes methods to print to local Win95 printers using PL-DSGW.

DSG Printing with Windows NT

DSG printing with Windows NT has had additional testing and docuementation added.

Routed Printing with DOS

DOS routed printing has had additional testing.

Using NT RAS with PicLan

NT RAS (Remote Access Server) has been tested with PicLan and a Windows 95 client.

Bug Fixes

The following bugs are fixed in version 2.0.0.3:

Ethernet-II Frame Type Processing

The processing for Ethernet-II frames in the native Ethernet driver has been fixed. This bug prevented PicLan from loading in native NDIS-2 and WFW networks. The bug was introduced because of other changes made to the PicLan driver in version 2.0.0.1 that fixed several frame-type related phenomenon.

Network Number Mismatches

The code logic for filtering IPX packets based on network numbers has been loosened to allow for easier configuration of Windows 95 and Windows NT systems on networks that do not have IPX routers.

PL-DSGW Page Fault

A bug in PL-DSGW under Windows 95 (and possibly Windows NT) was fixed. This bug required a mis-configured network number between the workstation and Pick host system.

PLTW / PLTW32 Maximize

The logic for painting scroll bars has been fixed when PLTW and PLTW32 are maximized.

Sequoia PRO 2.4.5

Driver logic sensing for Sequoia PRO version 2.4.5 has been added. Previous versions of PicLan would display a warning message if installed with this Sequoia PRO release.