About This Guide
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## About This Guide

## About SoftWindows Help

The documentation for SoftWindows for Unix is provided in two guides:

- This “SoftWindows 2.0 for Unix Administrator's Guide” describes how to install SoftWindows, and configure it to take advantage of specific features of your Unix installation. It is designed for use by advanced users, and assumes familiarity with Unix.

- A separate “SoftWindows 2.0 for Unix User's Guide” provides the information you need to use SoftWindows on your Unix workstation.

There are two ways to access the SoftWindows Guides:

- You can find both of these guides in your Iris InSight bookshelf. To access the InSight books:

  1. Choose Help from your Toolchest.

  2. Select Online Books.

  3. Choose the User's Guide from the SGI_EndUser bookshelf, or the Administrators Guide from the SGI_Admin bookshelf.

- For quick access to online help, use the Help pull-down menu from the SoftWindows application window. The Help menu does not represent the full SoftWindows Guide contents, but is a convenient way to get help on many commonly sought-for topics.

## About the Administrator's Guide

The “SoftWindows 2.0 for Unix Administrator's Guide” consists of the following chapters. Click on the Chapter Title to go there.

- Chapter 1, “Introduction”—Gives an overview of the features provided in SoftWindows for Unix.

- Chapter 2, “Installation requirements”—Lists the installation requirements for SoftWindows running on Silicon Graphics workstations.

- Chapter 3, “Installation”—Describes how to install SoftWindows from the installation CD–ROM and how to set up the default values for each user.

- Chapter 4, “Setting up SoftWindows”—Describes how to set up the SoftWindows emulation of a PC's memory, disk drives, display, and keyboard.

- Chapter 5, “Additional installation information”—Describes how to upgrade from a previous version or deinstall SoftWindows, and lists the files that are installed by the installation procedure.

- Chapter 6, “SoftWindows licensing”—Describes the FLEXlm licensing system and explains how to use the SoftWindows built-in licensing function to modify a license.

- Chapter 7, “Configuring SoftWindows”—Lists the variables in the SoftWindows configuration file and the SoftWindows X resource file and explains how to modify their default values.

- Chapter 8, “Tuning the performance of SoftWindows”—Describes the factors affecting the performance of SoftWindows and explains how to configure them for maximum performance.

- Chapter 9, “Networking with SoftWindows”—Describes the networking features built into SoftWindows and gives information on setting up different network packages.

- Chapter 10, “Licensing MS-DOS and Windows applications”—Describes how to use SoftWindows to administer licenses for MS–DOS and Windows applications.

- Chapter 11, “Reference”—Lists the environment variables and command-line options and describes the MS-DOS and Unix utilities shipped with SoftWindows.

- Chapter 12, “Error messages”—Lists the SoftWindows error messages together with an explanation and suggested action.

## Conventions

For clarity, this guide uses the following conventions:

- Linked references to other sections in the book are colored blue.

- Linked references to other books are colored red.

- Steps in a procedure are numbered.

## Abbreviations

This guide uses the following abbreviations:

Table 1. Abbreviations

This abbreviation | Refers to this
--- | ---
SoftWindows | SoftWindows version 2 for Unix workstations
Insignia | Insignia Solutions
MS-DOS | Microsoft Disk Operating System for the IBM PC
PC | An Intel-based computer
Windows | Microsoft Windows 3.11

## Technical support

Insignia Solutions is committed to helping you get the most out of your software. As a registered customer of Insignia Solutions you are entitled to free warranty support for your Insignia products.

Insignia Solutions offers various types of product support programs beyond the initial 30 days of free warranty technical support. In addition to providing technical support, these support programs include options to automatically receive product upgrades and maintenance releases when they become available.

Before you call technical support please follow this pre-call checklist so that our technicians can help you as effectively and efficiently as possible:

1. Consult the documentation included with your product. It should provide answers to the majority of your questions.

2. Have your software serial number available when you call. To display your serial number, run SoftWindows as root and choose Licensing from the Actions menu. If you are using a license server on another workstation, look in the appropriate license file on that workstation to see the SoftWindows serial number. This is identified by a line beginning with Insignia_SoftWindows, and it is a set of 16 characters in groups of four; for example, 1234 5678 1234 5678.

3. Prepare the following information, which may be helpful:

### Host computer

- Workstation model, memory, and keyboard type.

- Operating system version.

- Printer type and interface, if the problem relates to printing.

- Networking information.

### SoftWindows configuration

- The SoftWindows settings, as contained in your “.swin2config” file.

- Listings of AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS.

### Application

- The application name and version number.

- Any error messages produced by either SoftWindows or the application.

- Details of where the application was running from; for example, floppy disk drive, hard disk file, or FSA drive.

- Whether the drive is local or on a network.

- Whether the problem is repeatable or random.

### Technical support USA/Canada

Phone: (415) 694-7694

Fax: (415) 694-3705

AppleLink: INSIGNIA.TCH

Internet: unixtech@isinc.insignia.com

World Wide Web: http://www.insignia.com/

Technical support is available from 6am through 5pm, PST, Monday through Friday.

#### Europe, Middle East, Africa, and CIS countries

Phone: +44 131 451 6900

Fax: +44 131 451 6910

Internet: support@isltd.insignia.com

Technical support is available from 9am through 5pm, UK time, Monday through Friday.

In other countries support is provided through the authorized dealer in your country.

## Software registration

Software registration is the key to receiving the full benefits of Insignia Solutions' customer services. Please be sure to fill out and mail the Warranty Registration Card.

Periodically, Insignia Solutions will make available upgrade/update versions of certain programs at a modest charge to registered customers. As a registered customer, you will be notified by Insignia of upgrades/updates.

As a registered user, you will have full access to Insignia's customer service and technical support organizations.

### Media replacement

Replacement CD-ROMs are available only if your Warranty Registration Card is on file. A charge will apply in some circumstances.

Please contact our technical support organization to verify defective media. For information on how to contact us, refer to “Technical support.”

### Product upgrades

To upgrade your Insignia product, contact our sales and customer services representatives at the numbers listed below:

#### USA/Canada

Phone: 800-848-7677 or (415) 694-7677

Fax: (415) 694-3705

Internet: unixcs@isinc.insignia.com

Customer service is available from 6am through 5pm, PST, Monday through Friday.

#### Europe, Middle East, Africa, and CIS countries

Phone numbers:

UK: 0800 667706

France: 0590 8201

Germany: 0130 81 40 90

Italy: 1678 77164

Netherlands: 060 225531

Sweden: 020 791480

Rest of region: +44 131 458 6849

Fax: +44 131 451 6981

Internet: info@isltd.insignia.com

or contact your local software supplier.

Customer service is available from 9am through 5pm, UK time, Monday through Friday.

In other countries customer service is provided through the authorized dealer in your country.

## For more information

In addition to the information provided in the SoftWindows 2.0 for Unix User's Guide and SoftWindows 2.0 for Unix Administrator's Guide, Insignia Solutions also provides SoftWindows technical information via Insignia's World Wide Web server on the Internet and Insignia's fax response service.

### Insignia's World Wide Web server

Insignia Solutions' Technical Support Group is pleased to report that Insignia's World Wide Web server is now serving customers over the Internet

Figure 1. Insignia's World Wide Web Server

Use a Web browser to connect to the server at:

    http://www.insignia.com

This server is maintained by Insignia Solution's Technical Support Group to provide the most up-to-date information on SoftWindows for Unix subjects such as printing, container files, FSA drives, the SoftWindows licensing system, networking, and the use of peripheral devices under Unix.

### Insignia's fax response service

Insignia provides a fax response service for users who do not have access to the Internet. Users can request a subset of the documents found on Insignia's World Wide Web server using a touch tone telephone, fax machine, and Insignia's fax back server.

To use the fax response service, call the following telephone number using a touch-tone phone:

Toll-Free: 1-800-876-3872 (only in USA)
Toll: (415) 694-7655

### Microsoft information sources

For more information about setting up MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows we recommend the following resources:

- Compuserve (GO MSWIN).

- Microsoft's FTP server (ftp.microsoft.com).

- Microsoft Windows Resource Kit, which provides administrator-level Microsoft Windows-specific information.

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SoftWindows™ 2.0 for Unix Administrator's Guide |  | Chapter 1. Introduction