332 lines
8.0 KiB
Markdown
332 lines
8.0 KiB
Markdown
# mars_dosutils
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DOS client-side utilities for **mars_nwe** and compatible NetWare-style NCP environments.
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This repository contains the source for a small DOS utility suite built around a **single multi-call executable**, `net.exe`. The program can be used either as:
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- `net <command> [args...]`, or
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- a renamed executable such as `login.exe`, `map.exe`, `capture.exe`, or `logout.exe`
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That design is explicit in the command table in `net.c`, and the install rules also deploy the same binary under multiple command names. The original project documentation describes it as a “simple DOS-client program to allow standard NCP network actions, mainly for mars_nwe,” and also notes that it was still incomplete at the time of writing.
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## Features
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- Login and logout against an NCP server
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- Password change support
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- DOS drive mapping and unmapping
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- Search-path management (`PATH`, `PATHINS`, `PATHDEL`)
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- Printer capture and release (`CAPTURE`, `ENDCAP`)
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- Scripted session setup through command files
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- External program execution via `SPAWN` and `EXEC`
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- Optional mars_nwe debug control hooks
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## Available commands
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The current command dispatcher includes these built-ins:
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- `LOGIN`
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- `LOGOUT`
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- `PASSWD`
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- `PROFILE`
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- `SPAWN`
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- `EXEC`
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- `MAP`
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- `MAPDEL`
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- `PATH`
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- `PATHINS`
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- `PATHDEL`
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- `CAPTURE`
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- `ENDCAP`
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- `DEBUG`
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- `ECHO`
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- `CD`
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- `TESTS` (developer/testing only)
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`SLIST` is present in the historical build/install metadata, but the command is disabled in the dispatcher and the provided `slist.c` is only a stub in this source snapshot.
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## How it works
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The program resolves the command from either:
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1. the executable name itself, or
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2. the first command-line argument
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That means all of the following styles are valid:
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```text
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NET LOGIN alice secret
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NET MAP F:=SYS:
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LOGIN.EXE alice secret
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MAP.EXE F:=SYS:
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CAPTURE.EXE LPT1 Q1
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```
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This is one of the key design ideas of the project, and the original README specifically recommends copying or linking `net.exe` to `login.exe` for convenience.
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## Command reference
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### `LOGIN`
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Authenticate to an NCP server as a user.
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```text
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LOGIN [-u] [user | user password]
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```
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- `-u` forces the older unencrypted login path.
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- If no username is provided, the tool prompts interactively.
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- If no password is provided, it prompts for one after the username.
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- Successful login clears and rebuilds NetWare search-path state before running a local post-login script named `login` from the executable directory.
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### `LOGOUT`
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Log out from the current NCP session.
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The implementation also removes configured network search paths before performing logout.
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### `PASSWD`
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Change a user password.
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```text
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PASSWD [user]
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```
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Notes:
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- If no username is supplied, the tool attempts to resolve the currently logged-in user. fileciteturn1file2L162-L190
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- The source comments note that password changes currently use the older unencrypted password-change call.
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### `PROFILE`
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Execute a command script.
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```text
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PROFILE <filename>
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```
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This is a central part of the workflow. The command reader parses non-empty lines, ignores `#` comments, uppercases the command token, and dispatches it through the same internal command table used for direct invocation. `ECHO` is treated specially so the rest of the line is preserved as a single string.
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### `SPAWN`
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Run an external program and wait for it to finish.
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### `EXEC`
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Execute an external program using overlay-style execution.
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Both commands share the same implementation and differ only in whether they use `spawnvp(..., P_WAIT, ...)` or `execvp(...)`.
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### `MAP`
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List current drive mappings or map a DOS drive letter to a network path.
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```text
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MAP [d:[=[path]]]
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```
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Examples:
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```text
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MAP
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MAP F:=SYS:
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MAP H:=HOME:
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```
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The implementation lists active mappings, distinguishes local vs. redirected drives, and uses DOS-style drive letters.
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### `MAPDEL`
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Remove an existing drive mapping.
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```text
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MAPDEL d:
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```
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Example:
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```text
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MAPDEL F:
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```
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### `PATH`
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List or set a search-path entry.
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```text
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PATH sn:[=[path]]
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```
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Where `sn` is `s1` through `s16`. The original documentation notes that this updates the path environment rather than directly creating a drive mapping.
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### `PATHINS`
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Insert a search-path entry instead of overwriting one.
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```text
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PATHINS sn:[=[path]]
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```
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### `PATHDEL`
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Delete a search-path entry.
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```text
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PATHDEL sn:
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```
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### `CAPTURE`
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List printer captures or redirect a local printer device to a queue.
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Typical usage:
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```text
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CAPTURE [device [queue]]
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```
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Examples:
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```text
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CAPTURE
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CAPTURE LPT1 Q1
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CAPTURE PRN Q1
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```
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`PRN` is normalized to `LPT1` internally. The command can also display existing captures.
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### `ENDCAP`
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Cancel a printer redirection.
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Typical usage:
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```text
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ENDCAP device
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```
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Example:
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```text
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ENDCAP LPT1
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```
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### `DEBUG`
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Set mars_nwe debug levels for selected server-side modules.
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```text
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DEBUG NCPSERV|NWCONN|NWBIND level
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```
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- `level` must be between `0` and `99`.
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- The original docs say this requires `FUNC_17_02_IS_DEBUG` to be enabled in `mars_nwe/config.h`.
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### `ECHO`
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Print a string, mainly for use inside profile/login scripts.
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### `CD`
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Change the current DOS directory. It also adjusts the active drive if a drive-qualified path is supplied.
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### `TESTS`
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Internal developer test routines. Not intended as a regular end-user command.
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## Login script workflow
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A particularly important feature is the automatic execution of a file named `login` located beside the executable after a successful login. The historical README gives this example:
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```text
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map f:=SYS:
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map h:=home:
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map z:=SYS:PUBLIC
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path s16:=z:.
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capture lpt1 q1
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profile h:\profile
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```
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This makes the tool suite useful not just for authentication, but for setting up a full DOS network session: drive mappings, search paths, printer capture, and then a user-specific profile script.
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## Building
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### Historical DOS build
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The included `makefile.bcc` is the primary historical build file and targets **Borland C / Borland tools** on DOS.
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Key settings from the makefile:
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- compiler: `bcc`
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- linker: `bcc`
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- assembler: `tasm`
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- memory model: `-ml`
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- define: `-Dmsdos`
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- output: `net.exe`
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The object list includes:
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- `net.c`
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- `tools.c`
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- `netcall.c`
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- `ncpcall.c`
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- `login.c`
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- `map.c`
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- `slist.c`
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- `nwcrypt.c`
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- `nwdebug.c`
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- `nwtests.c`
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- `capture.c`
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- `kern.asm`
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### CMake status
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A `CMakeLists.txt` is present, but in this snapshot it is only a **partial modern build description**. It defines include paths, version-related macros, and install rules, while the actual `add_executable(...)` line is still commented out. That means it is better understood as packaging metadata than a ready-to-use complete build system.
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## Installation layout
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The CMake install rules deploy the same binary multiple times into `SYS/public`:
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- `net.exe`
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- `login.exe`
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- `profile.exe`
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- `spawn.exe`
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- `passwd.exe`
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- `path.exe`
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- `pathins.exe`
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- `pathdel.exe`
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- `map.exe`
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- `mapdel.exe`
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- `logout.exe`
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- `slist.exe`
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- `capture.exe`
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- `endcap.exe`
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They also install minimal `login.exe` and `map.exe` copies into `SYS/login`.
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## Project status and limitations
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This is legacy DOS networking code from the mid-1990s, and a few caveats are worth keeping in mind:
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- The original README explicitly says the program was still incomplete.
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- `SLIST` is not implemented in the provided source snapshot.
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- Parts of the authentication and password-change path still rely on older unencrypted operations when the newer keyed flow is unavailable or disabled.
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- The code is tightly coupled to DOS, IPX/NCP behavior, and mars_nwe-specific expectations.
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## Historical metadata
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From the included project metadata:
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- project: `mars_dosutils`
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- version: `0.10`
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- entered: `21-May-96`
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- keywords: `mars_nwe`, `dos`, `dosemu`
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- platforms: `DOS`, `DOSEMU`
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- author/maintainer: Martin Stover
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## License
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No standalone license file is included in the provided snapshot. The source files do contain copyright notices naming **Martin Stover**. Anyone planning to redistribute or modernize the project should verify licensing status before publishing derivative releases.
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