Original from  Paul Edwards  to Daniel Lynes on 10-08-1996
Original Subject: watcom and warp

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 PE> How can *I* increase the default number of file handles per address
 PE> space?  I think it's ridiculous that I can specify FILES=255 for DOS
 PE> programs, and get FILES=20 always (or at best!) under OS/2.  BFN. 
 
 DL> Try increasing your files= setting in your config.sys.
 
PE> That's what I just said above, the files= only affects DOS 
PE> programs under OS/2, not OS/2 programs under OS/2!  
PE> Bizaare!  Let's hope they changed that with Merlin.  BFN.  
PE> Paul.

 Not bizarre at all.. The Dos FILES= statement affects a system wide 
limit. The applications still have to do some work to use more than 20
handles in the app itself (more work than under OS/2). But no matter 
what these apps do, they cannot get themselves any more handles than
defined in the (Dos) config.sys "system" limit. 

 Under OS/2, there is no "user defined system limit" for open files, 
but there is still an application default limit of 20 handles (same 
as for Dos applications under real Dos). The application still has to
do some work to open more than 20 handles. 

 It is a common assumption that Dos "system limits" are "application 
limits" (well.. I guess they are, only one app at a time). You have to
more clearly separate the two in your mind under OS/2. 

 The FILES= statement in OS/2 is just the default for each VDM
*session*, and allows a closer approximation to a real Dos 
enviroment. Dos applications still have to allocate an area for the 
larger file handle table and call the "OS" to enable more handles for 
themselves.
 OS/2 apps just have to make a similar call, but they let the OS take
care of allocating memory for a new JFN (handle) table, nor does the 
user have to set a larger "system" limit to enable the application to 
utilize more handles. 


   Denis       

 Certified OS/2 Engineer, Certified OS/2 Instructor, Certifiable....
 All opinions are my very own, IBM has no claim upon them
 
.
--- Maximus/2 3.01