PC Gen: Slow Performance with Version 3.22 of Novell NETX

• Microsoft Mail for PC Networks, versions 3.0, 3.0b, and 3.2

Version 3.22 of Novell NETX handles MS-DOS file commit application programming interface (API) calls differently than previous versions of NETX. Previous versions ignored the MS-DOS API interrupt 21h, function 68h call to flush disk buffers from RAM to disk. NETX treated the call as if it were already performed. Version 3.22 of NETX tells the workstation to stop processing until an acknowledgment of the cache flush is received. This delay can affect the performance of workstations.

To have NetWare ignore this API call, use the NetWare file server command, SET NCP FILE COMMIT = OFF. This command controls the behavior of file commit requests by a workstation. If the value is ON, a file commit request causes all pending writes to be written immediately. Setting the value to OFF causes the cache manager to flush pending writes to the disk later. (The default value for NetWare servers is ON.) Changing the parameter to OFF should show performance similar to previous versions of NETX. However, there is a slight risk of data corruption if the server fails before the disk writes are completed.

NETX is manufactured by Novell, Inc., a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance or reliability.