Windows Query

Hobart

Is it possible to run 2 seperate iterances of a single application on the one machine? i.e. can I run MS-Word twice simultaneously on a single machine with a single OS? (BTW my query does not directly concern MS-Word, I am merely using that as an example). Thanks in advance.

Hobart.

seamus

Yes. (Basically)

Hobart

seamus wrote:

Yes. (Basically)

Thanks for that reply. Would you care to elaborate?

Sherifu

Depends on the program.
Programs like win med player are specified as single instance.
If you try to run a second one it pops up the one already running.

seamus

Hobart wrote:

Thanks for that reply. Would you care to elaborate?

Heh.

It all depends on how the application is written. Winword and other types of applications are written so that on startup, they check to see if another instance of themselves is running, and if so, tell that instance to spawn a new thread, then the duplicate process shuts down (or something similar to this).

But in theory, there's nothing to stop you running multiple instances of any application.

However, many applications will use the same address space in RAM and on disk, so even though there are multiple instances running, they may all be using the same resources, and as such, Interprocess communication will be taking place, meaning that none of the instances are truely autonomous from their brethern.

It's a very vague question tbh

Capt'n Midnight

Depends on the APP, some apps share dll's n' stuff between multiple instances thus guaranteeing that when (not if) one crashes you probably loose all data in all of them.

no idea if running each in a separate memory space means they also load a copy of their shared components

BWT: word 95 was one of the first multitasking apps touted by M$, as long as you classified the ability to background print as multitasking..

VMware will let you do lots of neat stuff - but it ain't cheap,
anyone know if Terminal services shares apps across different users ?

VMS allowed you to run virtual OS's - IIRC from day one.
(as do most versions of UNIX)

Hobart

seamus wrote:

Heh.

It all depends on how the application is written. Winword and other types of applications are written so that on startup, they check to see if another instance of themselves is running, and if so, tell that instance to spawn a new thread, then the duplicate process shuts down (or something similar to this).

But in theory, there's nothing to stop you running multiple instances of any application.

However, many applications will use the same address space in RAM and on disk, so even though there are multiple instances running, they may all be using the same resources, and as such, Interprocess communication will be taking place, meaning that none of the instances are truely autonomous from their brethern.

It's a very vague question tbh

Fair enuf, it is quite vague. However the application I am talking about is a very specific application. I understand how address space works wrt applications. Let me flesh out the issue a bit more.

I have an installation of a 32bit application running on win2000. The application is customisable through the use of perl and its own native scripting tools. Because this application has such a powerful scripting tools, I have been able to modify it in such a way as to allow different functionalities to be available to the users dependant on the startup options they use. The startup options are loaded from 2 different areas:

1) The local hard drive

or

2) A UNC

2 icons represent the application, and dependant on which icon you choose, it follows which derevation of the application you are presented with. However the application runs from a single .exe and if you try to launch the application twice, you are presented with the application which is already running in memory.

The product is called 3B2 link=> www.3b2.com . The licensing is done via dongle, using rainbow technologies. I have checked with advent and running two iterences of the application on a single machine is not in breach of the licensing agreement, although they do not know if it is possible. My question is as follows:

Is there anyway of fooling the os into believing that an iterance of the application is not already running?

Capt'n Midnight

Don't forget they have to share the dongle which should be easy if it only looks on startup. but if it looks at timed intervals or if the dongle serving app locks it then won't matter if you get it running twice.

clean boot - use msinfo32 or whatever to see what is in memory
then load the app - note what other junk has loaded too

you can use procexp to check what else the program is calling / registry settings etc.

again which OS ?
ask the vendors what is the story with running the app on a terminal server - as if it can't run multiple copies on that then less chance on workstation or home,

Hobart

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Don't forget they have to share the dongle which should be easy if it only looks on startup. but if it looks at timed intervals or if the dongle serving app locks it then won't matter if you get it running twice.

The dongle is not an issue.

clean boot - use msinfo32 or whatever to see what is in memory
then load the app - note what other junk has loaded too

You are begining to loose me here

you can use procexp to check what else the program is calling / registry settings etc.

Ok.

again which OS ?

Win2000

ask the vendors what is the story with running the app on a terminal server - as if it can't run multiple copies on that then less chance on workstation or home,

Will do.

JDxtra

anyone know if Terminal services shares apps across different users ?

Terminal Services is just the business. It has run multiple instances of any app I 've thrown at it so far.