Lars wrote after me:

> The "all uppercase issue" could probably be addressed by using the
> smb.conf directive "default case = upper" together with "short preserve
> case = no" for the share of interest. However, the PC program should
> not use a file extension, as Doug recommends.

Well now I'm a little bit embarrassed, and even a bit puzzled. I knew about
the "short preserve case" directive, but I embarrassed to say that I failed
to add it to the share I have been testing with. I didn't know about
"default case = upper" directive. Very nice. Thanks Lars.

I am puzzled because I added "short preserve case", "preserve case", and
"default case" directives and it allowed me to do exactly what I wanted; to
create and modify files in the MPE namespace. As a test I removed the
"default case" and created a file with a lower-case filename, and it still
put it in the MPE namespace so I am puzzled by the necessity of "default
case". Obviously more experimentation is required. Also, I have the
Windows98 option "Allow All Uppercase Names" enabled. Does anyone know how
much affect (if any) this has in combination with the Samba directives?

Thanks again Lars. Now I can ammend my original statement to:

To write MPE named files instead of HFS files the following must all apply:
- The SMBD program (and the group it runs from) from must have PM capability
- Use the "force user" directive to "log on" to the account in question.
Actually SMBD does a change UID to that user.
- The file names must conform to MPE naming conventions. They must be 8
characters or less, start with an alpha character.
- You must use a PC application that allows you to save files with no
extension. Using Wordpad/MSWrite you can put quotes around the filename to
prevent it from automatically appending the .txt extension to the file.
Furthermore, Wordpad (unlike Notepad) understands a CR/LF combination is a
record delimiter.
- Include the directives "short preserve case = no" "preserve case = no" and
"default case = upper"

Here is a sample share definition that I am using that works.

[Werth]
comment = Werth Account

  guest ok = yes
  guest only = no
  write ok = yes
  path = /WERTH/
  short preserve case = no
  preserve case = no
  default case = upper
  force user=doug.werth

One remaining stumbling block I see to seamlessly editing MPE files via
Samba is that the files are saved as bytestream files. The text editor you
choose should use CR/LF pairs as a record delimiter for command files and
job streams to work properly. PFE will write files in this manner when the
"Unix format" checkbox is set but I have had trouble getting it to initially
open an MPE flat file, although it has no trouble with bytestream files in
the MPE namespace. Wordpad can read and format the MPE files, but when it
saves the file it only uses a LF record separator. So I'm still looking for
the "perfect" text editor.

Doug.

Doug Werth                             Beechglen Development Inc.
[log in to unmask]                               Cincinnati, Ohio