In addition to the graphical interfaces provided by SNA Server Setup and SNA Server Manager, SNA Server also offers a command-line interface. The command-line interface can be useful in certain situations, such as when you want to view a configuration setting quickly without starting the graphical interface, or when you want to store configuration commands in a command file, so that they can be carried out easily in the future. (Command files are described later in this chapter.)
Before using the command-line interface, you must install SNA Server with SNA Server Setup and run SNA Server Manager at least once. This initializes important elements of the SNA Server configuration that cannot be controlled with the command-line interface.
For information about accessing the command prompt, see your Windows NT documentation.
You can use the command-line interface to modify an offline configuration file (as well as a regular on-site configuration file). However, when you work with an offline configuration file, validation of server names, link names, and user names cannot take place, and errors may result. For information about specifying the name of the configuration file to modify with the command-line interface, see "Specifying the Configuration File" later in this chapter.
Some other actions are also not available. For example, you cannot use the command-line interface to configure ranges of LUs, or to configure LUs for a DFT connection.
Certain SNA Server commands must be used with great care if the /add option is used with them. With these commands — snacfg server, snacfg link, and snacfg user — the information you type must match existing information in your system or on the Windows NT domain.
Important If you specify server names, link service names, adapter properties, or user names by using the /add option with snacfg server, snacfg link, or snacfg user, these names or properties must match existing names and properties in your installation, or a nonfunctioning configuration may result. To protect against errors with these commands, use SNA Server Manager instead.