DOS Merge -- "access denied"

[Steve Dyer]

One of our users is trying to run a large Clipper database
application under DOS Merge under AIX PS/2 1.2, using
the UNIX file system as a DOS network drive.  The Clipper
application apparently runs using some form of internal
overlays, meaning (I presume) that the .EXE file contains
overlays within itself and the linker adds code to open
the EXE after it starts running.

One apparent consequence of this is that it is not possible
to run more than one copy of the application on the same PS/2
at a time.  That is, if I start up two copies of DOS Merge
and attempt to run the EXE, the first DOS Merge successfully
runs the application, but the second DOS Merge returns at
the C: prompt with 'Access Denied' when the program is
invoked.

Exactly what the problem is is isn't very clear, but
it seems to be at the interstices between DOS/network
drives/UNIX protections and DOS Merge's emulation of
same.  The developer of the Clipper application reports
that he can run multiple copies on a network provided
that the EXE is set to be 'read-only'.  Well, setting
this attribute under both UNIX and DOS has no effect here.

Can anyone DOS network savvy and/or DOS Merge savvy
comment on a workaround?

---
Steve Dyer
dyer at ursa-major.spdcc.com aka ...!{harvard,linus,ima,m2c,rayssd}!spdcc!dyer
dyer at arktouros.mit.edu, dyer at hstbme.mit.edu