Easy workaround for bug encounterd by users of the Novell Client for Windows

[Nathan Vick]

Hello,

I just thought I'd share an easy workaround for a problem I was 
having. It seems the that my new Novell Netware client (on 
Windows 95 and Windows 2000) is still setting my HOME 
environment variable to an old-style Novell Netware path, even 
though these kinds of paths have not been supported for a long 
time. Old Novell Netware clients for DOS used to (somehow) let 
you use the cd command at the DOS prompt to change to Novell 
Netware network paths. For example you could type the following:

cd server/volume:directory\subdirectory

This, of course, confuses cvs which finds the HOME environment 
variable on my computer is set to the following:

HOME=ZEUS/VOL2:USERS\CSS\nvick

When I tried to run cvs.exe, I often got errors like the following:

cvs [commit aborted]: can't chdir(ZEUS/VOL2:USERS\CSS\nvick): 
No such file or directory

The simple workaround is to clear the HOME environment variable, 
so as to force cvs.exe to use the HOMEDRIVE and HOMEPATH, 
which are being set correctly by the Novell Netware client. Do this 
by typing the following at the DOS prompt, or in batch files:

SET HOME=

You can check that this works by typing this:

set

The set command will list all your environment variables. Make 
sure the HOME environment variable is not listed, and that the 
HOMEDRIVE and HOMEPATH variables are listed correctly.

Nathan Vick


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Nathan Vick
* Programmer, Capilano College
* 604-986-1911 ext. 3441
* nvick@capcollege.bc.ca