Each program that the EXEC function loads inherits a data structure called an environment block from its parent. The pointer to the segment of the block is at offset 002CH in the PSP. The environment block holds certain information used by the system's command interpreter (usually COMMAND.COM) and may also hold information to be used by transient programs. It has no effect on the operation of the operating system proper.
If the environment-block pointer in the EXEC parameter block contains zero, the child program acquires a copy of the parent program's environment block. Alternatively, the parent program can provide a segment pointer to a different or expanded environment. The maximum size of the environment block is 32 KB, so very large chunks of information can be passed between programs by this mechanism.
The environment block for any given program is static, implying that if more than one generation of child programs is resident in RAM, each one will have a distinct and separate copy of the environment block. Furthermore, the environment block for a program that terminates and stays resident is not updated by subsequent PATH and SET commands.
You will find more details about the environment block later in this chapter.