Using /L Option on MS-DOS SHARE Command with FoxPro

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 3.0
• Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, versions 2.0, 2.5, and 2.5a
• Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.5 and 2.5a

The /L option on the MS-DOS SHARE command indicates the number of locks that can be placed on files. The /F parameter allocates file space (in bytes) for the MS-DOS storage area used to record file-sharing information.

The /L option specifies the maximum number of locks that can be used (the default is 20). Each time an application requests a portion of a file (such as a record in a database), a lock on only that portion of the file containing the desired information is issued. The locks remain in effect until the application program specifically removes them. Each lock requires that 7 bytes be reserved in memory. A /L setting of /L:500 may be sufficient for 1 to 10 users, but you should use /L:1000 for programs that frequently use multiple record locks. If the value used in the /L option is too low, a "File Access Denied" error can occur.

The default value for the /F option is 2048. A setting of 5100 is recommended. If the value used in the /F option is too low, a "File not Found" error can occur.