Letters to the Editor

More on Open Files
James Turner's Reader to Reader: "Determine Who Has a File Open" (May 2002, InstantDoc ID 24503) provides a Visual Basic (VB) script for getting user and path information. Here's an easy way to access the information if you're using Windows NT or Windows 9x:

1. Run winfile.exe (in \%systemroot%\system32).
2. Browse to and select the file you want*even across a network share.
3. Press Alt+Enter to view that file's properties.
4. Click Open by to determine who has the file open. (You can even close connections for that file.)

If you've upgraded to Windows 2000 from NT or Win9x, Winfile will still work. Win2K's Shared Folders Microsoft Management Console (MMC) add-in performs a similar role but only over shares.

—Jeff Rausch
jrausch@meetingexpectations.com

For my environment (with a lot of open files and shared folders), using the automated program is much easier!

—James Turner

Mobile Computing Nirvana
Sean Daily's Windows Client: "My Quest for Win2K Computing Nirvana" (May 2002, InstantDoc ID 24553) addresses something I've been after for years: absolute mobile control. I agree with Sean's choice of the Sony VAIO C1 PictureBook subnotebook, but readers might be interested in knowing that Sony has released an even smaller system, the Sony VAIO U1, in Japan. For more information, go to http://www.transmeta.com/everywhere/products/notebooks/sony/vaio_u1.html.

—Tim Metcalfe
timm@idl-systems.com

Fujitsu also has some nice subnotebooks (P-2000 and P-1000) with similar feature sets, sans the C1's Bluetooth option. Find more information at http://webshop.fujitsupc.com/fpc/Ecommerce/buildseriesbean.do?series=P2.

—Sean Daily

Gigabit Ethernet Performance
Tom Iwanski's Lab Feature: "Gigabit Ethernet Switches" (May 2002, InstantDoc ID 24551) presents interesting results. I've been testing with FireWire recently, having finally obtained a controller with a chipset that supports full 400Mbps throughput. Whether running on Windows XP or Windows 2000 machines, I've noticed that a full data transfer makes the machine a little jumpy. I've always felt that Windows' maximum throughput was probably a bit less than 500Mbps, and my informal FireWire testing seems to confirm it.

Your report of Gigabit Ethernet throughput seems to back my theory because in your tests, you hit a wall at just under 500Mbps throughput. I wonder how much of the problem is hardware-related (e.g., bus speeds) and how much is just a limitation of the OS's throughput capabilities.

—Don Jones
donj@braincore.net

Your theory might be correct, but Microsoft would disagree. The company claims that the revamped kernel of XP and Win2K is capable of higher throughputs.

I'm confident that the performance limits I experienced were due to bus limitations because I spoke with several people (an IBM bus engineer in particular) who shared similar results from their tests. A performance limit within the Win2K kernel is likely, but the Lab hasn't done any testing to confirm that claim.

—Tom Iwanski

OOPS
"Personal Firewalls" (July 2002, InstantDoc ID 25348) includes an incorrect URL for the expanded version of the article. The correct URL is http://www.winnetmag.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=25348. We apologize for any inconvenience this error might have caused. Submit your comments about the magazine to letters@winnetmag.com.

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