Installing Micro Focus Cobol 4.0

[ari1956]

Hi!
We have a ten year old version of Micro Focus Cobol Workbench (ver. 4.0) and it is no more installing to windows 2000. We used to have Windows NT 3.51 (GUI Looks like Win 3.11) and were using it for mainframe cobol testing.
I have heard that it is necessary to change the installer,
after that it can be reinstalled into WIN 2000.
The local agent for MF Cobol tries to sell us a much newer version (Mainframe Express), but we could be satisfied with the old one.
Our 4.0 licenses are OK, but support is no more valid (we stopped paying the annual fee some years ago).

Do you have idea how to install the old version 4.0?
Thank you.

 

[fredericofonseca]

Try and change the compatibility options of the installer. You may need to copy the whole installation files to the hard drive, and then browse to the location of the setup executable and righ-click and go to the compatibility tab and change at will.

http://www.microsoft.com

may have some more information or programs dealing with this. Go there and search for it.

Regards

Frederico Fonseca
SysSoft Integrated Ltd

http://www.syssoft-int.com

 

[CliveC]

Also you can copy an installed version from a machine where it worked ok.

If you have to re-install to another older machine you must set the clock back to 1999 to be able to apply the update files.

Remember to also copy the the install.mf directory and make manual updates to environmental variables.

Clive

http://tubularity.com

http://PalliativeCareConsulting.org

http://port-lucaya.com

 

[ari1956]

... Also you can copy an installed version from a machine where it worked ok. ---

I wonder how this will work. Aren't there any important registry entries which should be correct? I'm not sure but I think NT 3.51 had also some kind of registry in it.
I remember that we started all the Workbench programs by clicking desktop icons. In the manual there was given an other alternative: Command-line.
If I just copy all the directories (+ subdirectories) and their contents, will that kind of installation work? If so, it must be a ms-dos program! Actually it is a 32-bit program, but not behaving exactly like the "real" MS windows programs.
With the help of Google I got some information from Micro Focus pages, and printed it. They say that version 4.0 works in Win Millenium, XP, ..., NT 4.0 (WIN 2000 was not listed).
Not good, since we have WIN 2000 workstations.
I work in a quite big corporation, and I'm not sure if I can get Win XP for this purpose only.

 

[MzKitty]

This is strange, but what you do is copy the whole cobol directory from the old pc to the new one. Go to \cobol\exedll\wbwg.exe and set up a shortcut for your desktop. You will need to print out your autoexec.bat that is on your old pc and enter the environmental variables in the new win2k PC. We're also running this and since dos is no longer part of Windows 2000, you can't install the old program, but can just copy it and run it. If you need more assistance just ask.
Cathy

 

[CliveC]

There were no registry entries made in 4.0. Environment variables were set up in install.mf and this was triggered when needed rather than being in autoexec.bat. As I recall there was an executable placed in the windows directory named setmfenv.exe.

I believe mzkitty is wrong about DOS. DOS is still alive and well in windows 2000 and the mf-dosprompt windows could be used for command line stuff.

Are you setting up for mainframe emulation or to create PC standalone modules?

Clive

http://tubularity.com

http://PalliativeCareConsulting.org

http://port-lucaya.com

 

[ari1956]

We are emulating mainframe programs and have an EBCDIC version of Workbench, IMS and Cics. There are only a couple of programs running in production (in pure pc platform) in ascii. The main purpose is to test mainframe programs, specially under CICS. Most programmers stopped using WB many years ago. It was quite laborous to prepare test files for both pc and mainframe. Actually many people never lerned how to download and prepare DL/1 databases for pc. I did it and showed it to the few interested guys. In new projects it is more wise to use Cobol WB, but our work mostly consist of maintaining old programs.

We are soon migrating from VSE to zOS, actually starting program conversion just now.
We are also running VM (using Xedit), I like most the capabilities of Xedit. I'm afraid of the new zOS, everybody who have seen the new TSO system and the editor which is included there say it's much less powerfull than Xedit. There is a limitation of concurrent sessions in TSO. The current ways how to work will all change.
My employer is not going to invest money for mainframe tools, since they are expensive. We should be satisfied only with those tools which are included in zOS (=MVS+???).

 

[CliveC]

OK then just copy everything preserving the directory structures.

Copy the directory c:\install.mf.

Copy anything in the windows directory with a prefix of MF (check that you are not overlaying any in case they are not MF modules). You also need a bat file setmfenv.bat

The final step is to make an environment wariable the same as was made on the NT version. I don't have Win 2000 but in XP, for example, it would be control-panel/performance & maintenance/system/advanced/environmental variables.

Clive

http://tubularity.com

http://PalliativeCareConsulting.org

http://port-lucaya.com

 

[ari1956]

I just wonder what is the list price of Mainframe Express?
I have found some M Focus texts where they promise discount when upgrading from Workbench 4.0 to Mainframe Express.
I think I have accidentally found pages which are not for
public use - for MF company only.
But our local dealer is not telling the price (yet) - I'm from Europe. I'd also like to know what is the price of Mainframe Express. The dealer likes to sell the Net express, but we do not have our self build systems connected to Internet. We have IBM e-commerce software package for our moderate size of web store. Most of our operative systems are running in IBM mainframe.
If there is not a fixed list price (starting price) everywhere in Europe, the discount is bullshit.
Buying the product would be the same as buying something in a bazar in Marocco. I'm not used to this kind of Business.
We need minimun 2 copies, maximum 10.
Let's see, if I can reinstall the old WB 4.0 this summer.
We are used to work without it for years now.
Thank you for all your advice.
Greetings,
Ari