Mapping Netware Drives with the AT Scheduler

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 3.5
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 3.5
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Windows NT AT command to schedule a process that requires a drive to be mapped to a NetWare volume (through Gateway or Client Service for NetWare), the drives that are mapped by the scheduled process are not accessible to any user or application except those started under the scheduler service. Similarly, the scheduled process cannot access Netware mapped drives that were not established by the scheduler service. If you attempt to map that drive, the following message appears:

   System Error 85: The local device name is already in use.

The mapped drive does not show up as a valid drive in File Manager, but in some cases it may show up in the disconnect network drive list from the toolbar. If you try to disconnect that connection from within File Manager, the following error message appears:

   Access Denied

RESOLUTION

The scheduled command or batch file that establishes the connection should also terminate that connection by adding a NET USE <drive> /DELETE command to the end of the file. The drive will be unusable for any other application or process until the system is restarted if the drive is not disconnected by the originating process.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT Workstation and Server versions 3.5, 3.51, and 4.0. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.