PRB: Using Remote Procedure Calls on a VINES Network

• Microsoft SQL Server for OS/2, version 4.2

SYMPTOMS

A workstation that is running on a Banyan VINES Network will stop responding (hang) when it attempts to process a Remote Procedure Call (RPC).

CAUSE

The problem may occur for either of the following reasons:

• Remote and/or Local SQL Server named pipes are incorrectly configured. When an RPC is executed, two pipes will be opened between the Remote and Local SQL Server. The pipe that is sending information to the Remote SQL Server or the Local SQL Server will need to function as a named pipe client. The second pipe is used to return information from the Remote SQL Server to the Local SQL Server. In this case, the Remote SQL Server must function as a named pipes client.
  
  When the VINES OS/2 software is installed on the SQL Server computer, there is a choice to install either Named Pipes Server Support, Named Pipes Client Support, or both. If only Named Pipes Server Support is loaded, the computer is unable to function as a Named Pipes Client, and RPCs will not work.
  
  To check whether Named Pipes Client Support is loaded, run Makepipe/Readpipe from different OS/2 screen groups using a server name. If the test fails, Named Pipes Client Support is not functioning. The quickest way to resolve this is to re-install the VINES OS/2 software.



• VINES Named Pipes do not allow multiple threads to use the pipe. In the implementation of RPCs on SQL Server version 4.2 for OS/2, the processing of RPCs will at times have two threads accessing the same pipe. The original implementation of VINES Named Pipes Support does not allow this. A patch is now available from Banyan Systems that will resolve this problem. As of June 3, 1992, the patch is referred to as Site Specific Patch 5.0 5AC-1. The patch was written for VINES version 5.0, but may be applied to 4.1 or 4.11 servers.

Additional query words: prodsql Transact-SQL RPC dblib

Keywords          : kbprg SSrvDB_Lib SSrvGen SSrvServer 
Version           : OS/2:4.2
Platform          : OS/2 
Issue type        : kbprb 

Last Reviewed: March 13, 1999