JD>
  > I have written a program that takes the place of $backgnd, gets called by
  > $lnotes, twiddles the modem, and then calls the original
  > $backgnd. Right now, $backgnd is complaining because it
  > can't get access to the comm port. What I think I'm missing
  > is either the process of sharing a comm port between
  > processes, or the process of inheriting a comm port from a
  > process, so I need to see a relevant example of each.
JD>

  Inheritance of open file handles is done for you by OS/2.  All that
  you need to do is to somehow transfer the number of the handle that is
  being inherited from parent to child (most BBS softwares do this with
  a command line option that simply contains a number).

  If, however, the child process opens the COM device explicitly, then
  you need to ensure that you open it with the correct share modes in
  DosOpen().  OPEN_SHARE_DENYNONE seems like a good bet here.

  One thing to remember is that any handles opened by your intermediary
  process at the point that you call spawn (or DosExecPgm) will be open
  in $backgnd.  More importantly, they will *remain open* in the child
  even if you close them in the parent.  If this causes sharing problems
  (i.e. it $backgnd requires that no other processes have the COM device
  open) then ensure that you turn on the "no inherit" flag when you open
  the COM device.

  Since we use Notes at the office along with replication between
  servers, I'd be interested in passing details of your fix along to the
  relevant admin people at work when you complete it.

  > JdeBP <
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