VERSIONS: All
SUBJECT: Users with different CFG files
BY: MIKE IRWIN
Date: 3 July 1999
Each user can have a different, local, CFG file if you want (is better that way, if Paradox is installed locally !). Here are some items: I know
that this develops slowly, but I'm trying to cover everything before adding it to the FAQs !
There are several versions of Paradox (1, 4.5, 5, 7, 8, 9) and two types (Development and RunTime). We consider only Windows here.
- A user may have two or more Paradox apps installed locally.
- A user may have two or more versions of Paradox installed locally
- A single PC (single or multi-cpu) can run multiple instances of Paradox simultaneously
- The instances referred to in (3) need not be of the same version or type.
- Only one code instance of the BDE can be loaded and running on a PC
- (5) means that all simultaneous instances utilise the same BDE and the same BDE Config
- The BDE can only be configured one time - on loading
- To run two applications in separate instances, (7) requires that they use the same BDE config file
- BDEs on separate machines are totally independent, allowing Paradox to run on a stand-alone machine
- BDEs that wish to "communicate" do so using .LCK files in table directories and the shared .NET file
- Each .LCK file refers to a coordinating .NET file
- Each BDE Config file refers to a coordinating .NET file
- Each BDE instance will only work with .LCK files that refer to the same .NET file as does the Config file used to start that BDE
instance
- (13) explains the error messages about tables being locked using another .NET file.
- (13) et al imply that it is possible to have instances of the BDE running simultaneously on a network of linked PCs where there are two sets of
instances, two sets of data directories, and two .NET files. This may also be known as installing two applications onto the same network
- (15) is implemented by providing a separate BDE Config for each application.
- In the case of (15), the sets involved MUST remain disjoint at all TIMES (not spaces !) A particular PC can be a member of both sets, but not at the same time (see 8)
- If a PC must join both applications, then the applications must first be harmonised. This involves ensuring that the two applications use the same .NET file, and that their aliases do not conflict. If they do use the same alias, then the files within the two directories must have no name clashes, and the two directories must be merged.