Use of the %0\..\ Syntax in SMSLS.BAT

• Microsoft Systems Management Server versions 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2

SUMMARY

When programs are run from a logon script, and they are located in the NETLOGON share, the actual logon script does not know what drive or path from which to execute the program, and the NETLOGON share is not included in the DOS path statement. To resolve this, Systems Management Server utilizes a little known feature of DOS to "determine" the drive and path the script is running from.

MORE INFORMATION

During a logon and when the logon script is running, the LMSCRIPT.EXE program runs its commands from the NETLOGON share. However, batch files have no way of determining where they are running from, and the current directory set by LMSCRIPT.EXE is not the NETLOGON share.

As a workaround, Systems Management Server uses the %0\..\ path to indicate the argv[0] present when the batch file was run. The batch file can then refer to this path and know its own location and look for other files there.

An example of this can be found in the Slow Network detection portion of the SMSLS.BAT logon script file:

   REM SNET_DOS
   %0\..\netspeed
   if not errorlevel 1 goto NET_DOS
   if not errorlevel 2 goto END
   if errorlevel 2 %0\..\choice /T:Y,30 Slow network detected. Continue
   if not errorlevel 2 goto NET_DOS
   goto END