Network (ftp) access to ms-dos hard disks ??

[Larry Williamson]

In my original article I wrote
>
>    I need to know if it is possible to access the hard disks on a
>ms-dos machine that is on a network of Unix and msdos machines.  The
>dos disk is to be accessed while the dos machine is busy with other
>work.  The dos machine is running a dedicated application (that we
>wrote). 

I received a number of email items with suggestions and ideas.  It
seems that the consensus is that I have one of three options. 

1.  use doubledos or desqview to provide psuedo multitasking and run
a tcp/ip application (such as KA9Q's ) on one window and our
application on another window

2.  use a package such as ftp sofware's development kit that gives
us tcp/ip function calls.  We would then call these functions at
strategic points from our application.  This is sort of a
multitasking function that we would be responsible for writing

3. run one of the 386 unix systems and vp/ix or locus' dosmerge and
run our application in this environment.

Of these three, number 2 seems to be the best solution to the problem
as I had defined it. It is not without problems, but it seems to be a
good idea.

But it turns out that we might be able to simplify our requirements.

I had originally thought that the output device HAD to be connected
to the SAME computer that had input devices.  This is not completely
true.  As it turns out, although there will be output devices on
these input systems, the output device that is to made available to
the network may be on a dedicated output computer.  This same
computer, because of relaxed throughput requirements, need not be a
dos machine.  If it is a dos machine, then it can poll the network
for data. 

I would like to thank all those how sent in the cards and letters. It
was very kind of you.

Thanks,
larry
-- 
Larry Williamson                      Focus Automation Systems
UUCP: watmath!focsys!larry    608 Weber St. N, Waterloo, Ontario N2V 1K4
                                          +1 519 746 4918