Conference bulova::decw_jan-89_to_nov-90

3040.0. "Subprocess creation problem from Session Manger" by CSC32::D_COHN (Semiprodigious) Thu Jul 05 1990 17:22

Note:	I couldn't bring up anything specific with a "DIR/TITLE=" concerning
	this issue but if one does exist - Please point me off to it.

	Thanks

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
	I have a question to which I hope someone has an answer...

	A customer is modifying her Session Manager's "Applications" menu in 
order to execute a command procedure.  This command procedure runs an image 
which goes off and does some useful work.  The problem/question that I am 
trying to help her resolve involves the use of the "/MAILBOX" qualifier on her 
"$ RUN" command.  When she creates a "/DETACHED" process everything works 
"as advertised"...  When she removes the "/DETACHED" (thereby creating a 
subprocess) it fails and apparently leaves no useful information behind as to 
why it fails.  She claims that when the "/MAILBOX" qualifier is removed the 
subprocess creation works!  Her run command is essentially:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
$ RUN -
	/PROCESS_NAME="TEST" -
	/DETACHED -  ! obviously removed when testing the subprocess creation...
	/OUTPUT=TEST.OUT -
	/ERROR=TEST.ERR -
	/INPUT=DISK1:[D_COHN]WAIT.COM -
	/BUFFER=30000 -
	/ENQUEUE=20 -
	/PAGE_FILE=20000 -
	/AST=10 -
	/EXTENT=1000 -
	/WORKING=500 -
	/MAILBOX=nn - 
	/MAXIMUM=1000 -
	SYS$SYSTEM:STARTUP.EXE 
$EXIT
[Note:  Quotas specified when creating a subprocess will be ignored.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
	I have been testing this out on my workstation (running "loginout.exe"
not "startup.exe") and have gotten the the detached process to work but can't 
get the subprocess command procedure to work regardless of whether or not it 
has a "/MAILBOX" qualifier on it.  The ACCOUNTING information left 
behind has a "Final status code: 00000000" and my DECW$SM.LOG file is empty!  
I converted the "$ RUN" to a "$ SPAWN" and "viol�!" - it worked!

	Someone has suggested that this "complication" with the subprocess 
creation is due to an "associated mailbox device for the Session Manager"(?).
Any insight and/or information would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dennis

    
    Perhaps this has to do with the way the session manager creates
    processes to execute the commands.   It creates a process which runs
    loginout, then executes the given command, and then logs out.  So, for
    example, a command cannot be create/terminal since this creates a
    subprocess, and the minute that the logout command executes, the parent
    process is gone, and the subprocess goes as well.   This sounds like
    what is happening in your case.
    
    There is a note with all the details explained in this notes
    conference, but I don't know what the number is.  I am sure it has
    "Session" in the title.
    
    Things will work "better" in the next release of DECwindows.
    
    Karen