B.22 SET (NetWare)

Use at the server console to view and configure operating system parameters.

HINT:You can also modify server parameter values with the Set Parameter link in Novell Remote Manager for NetWare.

The default SET parameter values give maximum performance for most systems. Server parameter values seldom need to be modified.

B.22.1 Syntax

set [parameter]=[value]

Parameter Categories

This section describes only those parameters related to managing NSS file systems on NetWare. For information about other SET options, see SET in the NW 6.5 SP8: Utilities Reference.

B.22.2 Using SET

Default values of the server parameters provide the desired performance for a majority of deployment scenarios.

Server parameter settings are persistent in NetWare. If the server goes down, any settings that you have made to tune your server for performance are not lost.

Displaying and Changing Current Settings

  • If you type SET without a parameter, a list of numbered categories appears. When you select a category, the current settings for the server parameters in that category appear along with a brief description of each parameter, the range of valid values, and the default value.

  • If you type SET with a parameter but no value, the current setting, range of valid values, and a brief description of the parameter are displayed.

  • If you type SET with a parameter and a value, the operating system is reconfigured according to the specified value.

Entering Parameters

  • You can modify the values of most SET parameters at the console prompt. The system is immediately configured to that setting. Any setting in the autoexec.ncf file is overridden.

  • You can enter SET commands that you execute at the console prompt in the autoexec.ncf file. When a parameter value is set in this file, the server configures itself to that setting each time the server is booted, unless the value is modified.

  • Some commands can be also saved in the startup.ncf file. Use NWCONFIG to edit both the autoexec.ncf and the startup.ncf file.

B.22.3 Common File System Parameters

The following Common File System parameters apply to both the NSS file system and the NetWare Traditional file system.

Parameter

Description

 
Maximum Transactions = number

Specifies how many transactions can occur at the same time.

Supported Values: 100 to 10000 (default)

Owning NLM: filesys.nlm 

Maximum Concurrent Directory Cache Writes = number

Specifies how many write requests from directory cache buffers are put in the elevator before the disk head begins a sweep across the disk.

Supported Values: 5 to 500

Default: 75

A high number creates more efficient write requests. A low number creates more efficient read requests.

Owning NLM: filesys.nlm 

Minimum File Delete Wait Time = time

Specifies how long a deleted file remains salvageable on the volume.

Supported Values: 0 seconds to 7 days

Default: 1 minute 5.9 seconds

Files deleted for less than this minimum are not automatically purged even if the volume is full and users can’t create new files.

Owning NLM: filesys.nlm 

Immediate Purge of Deleted Files = value

Supported Values: On or Off (default)

If this parameter is set to On, all files are purged immediately when they are deleted.

Owning NLM: filesys.nlm 

Compression Daily Check Stop Hour = number

Specifies the hour when you want the file compressor to stop scanning enabled volumes for files that need to be compressed.

Supported Values: 0 to 23

Default: 6

Hours are specified by a 24-hour clock. For example, 0=midnight; 23=11 p.m.

This parameter can be set in the startup.ncf file.

Owning NLM: filesys.nlm 

Compression Daily Check Starting Hour = number

Specifies the hour when you want the file compressor to start scanning enabled volumes for files that need to be compressed.

Supported Values: 0 (default) to 23

Hours are specified by a 24-hour clock. For example, 0=midnight; 23=11 p.m.

Note: If the Compression Daily Check Stop Hour parameter is the same as the Compression Daily Check Starting Hour, then the file compressor starts checking every day at the Compression Daily Starting Hour time and runs as long as necessary to finish all files that meet the compressible criteria.

This parameter can be set in the startup.ncf file.

 
Minimum Compression Percentage Gain = number

Sets the minimum percentage a file must compress to remain in a compressed state.

Supported Values: 0 to 50

Default: 20

This parameter can be set in the startup.ncf file.

Owning NLM: filesys.nlm 

Enable File Compression = value

Specifies whether file compression is suspended.

Supported Values: On (default) or Off

On allows file compression on compression-enabled volumes.

Off suspends compression. Immediate Compression requests are queued until the value is reset to On, when the files meeting criteria are compressed.

This parameter can be set in the startup.ncf.

Owning NLM: filesys.nlm 

Maximum Concurrent Compressions = number

Specifies the maximum concurrent or simultaneous compressions allowed.

Supported Values: 1 to 8

Default: 2

Concurrent compressions can occur only if there are multiple volumes.

This parameter can be set in the startup.ncf file.

Owning NLM: filesys.nlm 

Convert Compressed to Uncompressed Option = value

Specifies what the file system does with a decompressed version of a file after the server has decompressed it.

Supported Values:

0 = Always leave the file compressed

1 = Leave the file compressed until second access if it is read only once during the time specified by the Days Untouched Before Compression parameter

2 = Always leave the file decompressed

Default: 1

This parameter can be set in the startup.ncf file.

Owning NLM: filesys.nlm 

Decompress Percent Disk Space Free to Allow Commit = number

Specifies the percentage of free disk space required on a volume for file decompression to permanently change compressed files to decompressed.

Supported Values: 0 to 75

Default: 10

This parameter prevents newly decompressed files from filling up the volume.

This parameter can be set in the startup.ncf file.

Owning NLM: filesys.nlm 

Decompress Free Space Warning Interval = number

Specifies the time between alerts when the file system is not changing compressed files to decompressed because of insufficient disk space. Setting the interval to 0 turns off the alert.

Supported Values: 0 seconds to 29 days 15 hours 50 minutes 3.8 seconds

Default: 31 minutes 18.5 seconds

This parameter can be set in the startup.ncf file.

Owning NLM: filesys.nlm 

Deleted Files Compression Option = number

Specifies whether and when deleted files are compressed.

Supported Values:

0 = Don’t Compress deleted files

1 = Compress deleted files the next day

2 = Compress deleted files immediately

Default: 1

This parameter can be set in the startup.ncf file.

Owning NLM: filesys.nlm 

Days Untouched Before Compression = number

Specifies the number of days the system waits after a file was last accessed before it is compressed.

Supported Values: 0 to 100000

Default: 14

This parameter can be set in the startup.ncf file.

Owning NLM: filesys.nlm

B.22.4 Disk Parameters

The following Disk parameters control aspects of disk reads and writes.

Parameter

Description

 
Auto scan for devices = value

Automatically scans for devices when a HAM is loaded. If it is turned off, the operator must issue a Scan for New Devices on the command line before the devices are seen.

Supported Values: On, Off; Default: On

Owning NLM: nwpa.nlm 

Auto load of CDM modules = value

Automatically scans and loads defined generic Custom Device Modules (CDMs). If it is turned off, the desired CDMs must be loaded manually or added to the startup.ncf file.

Supported Values: On, Off; Default: On

Owning NLM: nwpa.nlm 

Sequential Elevator Depth = number

Sets the maximum elevator depth for sequential requests.

Media Manager sends the number of sequential requests up to this value to the same device. When the device contains this number of requests and another device in the mirror group is empty, Media Manager begins sending requests to the idle device.

Supported Values: 0 to 4294967295, Default: 8

You can set this parameter in the startup.ncf file.

Owning NLM: mm.nlm 


Enable IO Handicap Attribute = value

Enables drivers and applications to inhibit read requests from one or more devices.

Supported Values: On, Off; Default: Off.

Setting this parameter to On enables the Inhibit attribute to function. Setting this parameter to Off prevents the attribute from functioning.

IMPORTANT:Do not set this attribute to On unless instructed to do so by a device manufacturer.

You can set this parameter in the startup.ncf file.

Owning NLM: mm.nlm 

Mirrored Devices Are Out of Sync Message Frequency = time

Sets the frequency (in minutes) for checking out-of-sync devices.

Supported Values: 5 to 9999, Default: 28

You can set this parameter in the startup.ncf file.

Owning NLM: mm.nlm 

Remirror Block Size = number

Sets the remirror block size in 4 KB increments. (1=4 KB, 2=8 KB, 8=32 KB, etc.)

Supported Values: 1 to 8, Default: 1

Owning NLM: mm.nlm 

Concurrent Remirror Requests = number

Sets the number of remirror requests per Mirror object.

Supported Values: 2 to 32 Default: 32

Owning NLM: mm.nlm 

Ignore Partition Ownership = value

Specifies whether partitions owned by other servers in a cluster can be activated on this server.

Setting this parameter to On allows partitions owned by other servers in the cluster to be activated on this server.

Supported Values: On, Off; Default: Off

Owning NLM: mm.nlm 

Ignore Disk Geometry = value

Creates nonstandard and unsupported partitions.

Supported Values: On, Off; Default: Off

If you set this parameter to On before modifying or creating a partition, the software ignores disk geometry when creating the partition. This allows you to create nonstandard partitions.

Caution: Setting this parameter to On might harm other file systems contained on the disk.

You can set this parameter in the startup.ncf file.

Owning NLM: mm.nlm 

Multi-path Support = value

Enables or disables support for multipath devices or adapter failover.

Supported Values: On, Off; Default: Off

Owning NLM: mm.nlm 

Enable Hardware Write Back = value

Enable hardware write back, if supported.

Hardware write back means that I/O write requests might be cached at the device and succeeded before data is committed to the media. Hardware write back usually improves write performance.

Supported Values: On, Off; Default: Off

You can set this parameter in the startup.ncf file.

Owning NLM: mm.nlm 

Enable Disk Read After Write Verify = value

Controls whether information written to disk is read back and compared with the original data.

Supported Values: On, Off; Default: Off

Setting this parameter to On might decrease performance significantly.

You can set this parameter in the startup.ncf file.

Owning NLM: mm.nlm

Auto LFVMount

Controls whether any local FAT volumes not recognized by DOS are automatically mounted and assigned a local drive letter when they are detected.

Supported Values: On, Off; Default: Off

On automatically mounts and assigns a local drive letter when the drive is detected.

When set to Off, you must use the LFVMOUNT command to manually mount local FAT volumes.

Owning NLM: fatfs.nlm

B.22.5 Novell Storage Services Parameters

The following are the default settings in NetWare 6.5, OES NetWare, and later for the NSS file system SET parameters.

Parameters

Default Value

NSS Auto Locks HFS CD-ROM Disc in device

 
Off

NSS Auto Update CDHFS Volume Objects To NDS

 
Off

Mount ISO 9660 multi disc set as one CD9660 volume

 
Off

NSS Auto Locks CD-ROM Disc in device

 
Off

NSS Auto Update CD9660 Volume Objects To NDS

 
Off

Emulate Classic NetWare Directory Quotas

 
Off

NSS Work To Do Count

This parameter can be set only in the nssstart.cfg file.

 
50

NSS Maximum Cache Balance Buffers Per Session

 
1024

NSS Cache Balance Timer

 
30

NSS Cache Balance Percent

 
60

NSS Cache Balance Enable

 
On

NSS Buffer Flush Timer

In OES 2 Linux, this timer is not used. It has been replaced by the Group Write timers for Journal, Metadata, and User Data.

 
1

NSS Minimum OS Cache Buffers

 
256

NSS Minimum Cache Buffers

 
256

NSS File Flush Timer

 
10

NSS Closed File Cache Size

This parameter can be set only in the nssstart.cfg file.

 
50000

NSS Open File Hash Shift

 
16

NSS Auth Cache Size

This parameter can be set only in the nssstart.cfg file.

 
1024

NSS ASCII Name Cache Enable

This parameter can be set only in the nssstart.cfg file.

 
On

NSS Name Cache Enable

This parameter can be set only in the nssstart.cfg file.

 
On

NSS Name Cache Size

 
2111

NSS Low Volume Space Alerts

 
On

NSS Low Volume Space Warning Reset Threshold

 
15

NSS Low Volume Space Warning Threshold

 
10