claudetools/clients/dataforth/dos-test-machines/README.md

Dataforth DOS Test Machines Project

Client: Dataforth Corporation Status: 90% Complete, Working Project Start: 2025-12-14 Last Updated: 2026-01-22

Project Overview

Automated update and management system for approximately 30 DOS 6.22 test stations running QuickBASIC 4.5 data acquisition software at Dataforth's engineering facility.

Primary Challenge: Legacy DOS machines require SMB1 protocol, Windows Kerberos authentication incompatible with DOS networking.

Solution: D2TESTNAS (TrueNAS) acts as SMB1-to-SMB2 proxy with bidirectional sync to AD2 production server.

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Architecture

┌─────────────────┐         ┌─────────────────┐         ┌─────────────────┐
│  DOS Machines   │◄──SMB1─►│   D2TESTNAS     │◄──SMB2─►│      AD2        │
│   (TS-XX)       │         │  (192.168.0.9)  │         │ (192.168.0.6)   │
│  DOS 6.22       │         │  TrueNAS/proxy  │         │ Production Svr  │
└─────────────────┘         └─────────────────┘         └─────────────────┘
                                    │
                                    │ Sync every 15 min
                                    ▼
                            [Bidirectional Sync]
                            /root/sync-to-ad2.sh

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Network Configuration

Device	IP	Role	OS	Credentials
D2TESTNAS	192.168.0.9	NAS/SMB1 proxy	TrueNAS	admin / Paper123!@#-nas
AD2	192.168.0.6	Production server	Windows Server 2008 R2	INTRANET\sysadmin / Paper123!@#
UDM	192.168.0.254	Gateway/Router	UniFi Dream Machine	admin / [see credentials.md]
DOS Stations	192.168.0.x	Test stations (TS-XX)	DOS 6.22	N/A

Network: 192.168.0.0/24 (Dataforth engineering network)

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Key Components

1. SMB Shares

D2TESTNAS Shares (SMB1)

• test: /data/test/ - Main working share for DOS machines
• datasheets: /data/datasheets/ - Engineering documentation and configs

AD2 Shares (SMB2)

• \AD2\test - C:\Shares\test\ (production working directory)
• \AD2\datasheets - PENDING (waiting on Engineering input)

2. UPDATE.BAT - Remote Management Utility

Location:

• NAS: /data/test/UPDATE.BAT
• AD2: C:\Shares\test\UPDATE.BAT
• DOS: T:\UPDATE.BAT (via mapped drive)

Usage:

REM Update all components for station TS-27
T:\UPDATE TS-27 ALL

REM Update specific component
T:\UPDATE TS-27 GPIB
T:\UPDATE TS-27 AUTOEXEC

Functions:

• Deploys configuration files from central location
• Updates AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS
• Syncs GPIB drivers and QuickBASIC modules
• Creates station-specific directories

3. TODO.BAT - Automated Task Execution

Location: T:\TS-XX\TODO.BAT (created by admin on AD2)

Behavior:

• Placed in station-specific folder: \\AD2\test\TS-XX\TODO.BAT
• Sync copies to NAS (every 15 min)
• DOS machine runs on boot via AUTOEXEC.BAT
• Automatically deletes after execution
• Results logged to TS-XX\TODO.LOG

Example Use Cases:

• Remote diagnostic commands
• Configuration updates
• File collection
• System information gathering

4. Bidirectional Sync System

Script: /root/sync-to-ad2.sh on D2TESTNAS

Credentials: /root/.ad2creds

username=sysadmin
password=Paper123!@#
domain=INTRANET

Log: /var/log/ad2-sync.log

Schedule: Every 15 minutes via cron

*/15 * * * * /root/sync-to-ad2.sh >> /var/log/ad2-sync.log 2>&1

Sync Strategy:

• NAS → AD2: rsync with --update (newer files win)
• AD2 → NAS: rsync with --update (newer files win)
• Deletions: Not synced (safety measure)
• Conflicts: Newer timestamp wins

Monitoring:

# View recent sync activity
ssh root@192.168.0.9 'tail -50 /var/log/ad2-sync.log'

# Check sync status file
smbclient //192.168.0.6/test -U sysadmin%'Paper123!@#' -c 'get _SYNC_STATUS.txt -'

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DOS Machine Configuration

Network Setup

Each DOS station uses Microsoft Network Client 3.0:

AUTOEXEC.BAT:

@ECHO OFF
C:\NET\NET START
NET USE T: \\D2TESTNAS\TEST
IF EXIST T:\TS-XX\TODO.BAT CALL T:\TS-XX\TODO.BAT

PROTOCOL.INI:

• Workgroup: WORKGROUP
• ComputerName: TS-XX
• Protocol: NetBEUI over SMB1 CORE

WINS Configuration

Critical: WINS server (192.168.0.254) required for NetBIOS name resolution.

Without WINS, DOS machines cannot resolve \\D2TESTNAS to 192.168.0.9.

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File Locations

On D2TESTNAS (192.168.0.9)

/data/test/
├── UPDATE.BAT              # Central management utility
├── TS-XX/                  # Per-station folders
│   ├── TODO.BAT           # Remote task (if present)
│   └── TODO.LOG           # Task execution log
├── CONFIGS/               # Master config templates
├── GPIB/                  # GPIB driver files
└── _SYNC_STATUS.txt       # Last sync timestamp

/data/datasheets/
└── CONFIGS/               # Full DOS image from TS-27
    └── [1790 files, 44MB]

On AD2 (192.168.0.6)

C:\Shares\test\
├── UPDATE.BAT
├── TS-XX\
│   ├── TODO.BAT
│   └── TODO.LOG
├── CONFIGS\
├── GPIB\
└── _SYNC_STATUS.txt

On DOS Machines

C:\
├── AUTOEXEC.BAT          # Network startup + TODO execution
├── CONFIG.SYS            # Device drivers
├── NET\                  # Network client files
├── GPIB\                 # GPIB ISA card drivers
└── QB45\                 # QuickBASIC 4.5

T:\ (mapped to \\D2TESTNAS\TEST)
├── UPDATE.BAT
├── TS-XX\
│   └── TODO.BAT (if present)
└── [shared files]

---

Common Operations

Accessing Infrastructure

SSH to NAS

ssh root@192.168.0.9
# Uses ed25519 key from ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

SMB to NAS (from Windows)

# Via PowerShell
New-SmbMapping -LocalPath T: -RemotePath \\192.168.0.9\test -UserName admin -Password Paper123!@#-nas

# Via Command Prompt
net use T: \\192.168.0.9\test /user:admin Paper123!@#-nas

SMB to AD2

# Via PowerShell (from GuruRMM/Jupiter)
$password = ConvertTo-SecureString 'Paper123!@#' -AsPlainText -Force
$cred = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential('INTRANET\sysadmin', $password)
New-PSDrive -Name AD2 -PSProvider FileSystem -Root "\\192.168.0.6\C$" -Credential $cred

Deploying Updates to DOS Machines

Method 1: UPDATE.BAT (Normal Operation)

REM Edit UPDATE.BAT on AD2
\\192.168.0.6\test\UPDATE.BAT

REM Wait for sync (every 15 min) or trigger manually:
ssh root@192.168.0.9 '/root/sync-to-ad2.sh'

REM On DOS machine:
T:\UPDATE TS-XX ALL

Method 2: TODO.BAT (Remote Execution)

REM Create TODO.BAT on AD2
echo DIR C:\ > \\192.168.0.6\test\TS-27\TODO.BAT

REM Wait for sync
REM DOS machine runs on next boot, then deletes TODO.BAT

REM Check results
type \\192.168.0.6\test\TS-27\TODO.LOG

Monitoring Sync

# View sync log
ssh root@192.168.0.9 'tail -50 /var/log/ad2-sync.log'

# Check last sync status
smbclient //192.168.0.6/test -U sysadmin%'Paper123!@#' -c 'get _SYNC_STATUS.txt -'

# Manual sync trigger
ssh root@192.168.0.9 '/root/sync-to-ad2.sh'

Testing DOS Machine

REM From DOS machine:
C:\NET\NET VIEW
C:\NET\NET USE
DIR T:\

REM Test UPDATE.BAT
T:\UPDATE TS-XX ALL

REM Check for TODO.BAT
IF EXIST T:\TS-XX\TODO.BAT TYPE T:\TS-XX\TODO.BAT

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Tested Machines

Station	Status	Last Test	Notes
TS-27	✅ Working	2025-12-14	Reference machine, full config captured
TS-8L	✅ Working	2025-12-14	Network config updated
TS-8R	✅ Working	2025-12-14	Network config updated
TS-XX (others)	⏳ Pending	N/A	~27 machines need config updates

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Remaining Tasks

High Priority

• Create \\AD2\datasheets share (waiting on Engineering input for folder location)
• Update network configuration on remaining ~27 DOS machines
• Document QuickBASIC application details (if Engineering provides info)

Medium Priority

• Create comprehensive DOS machine inventory
• Test TODO.BAT on all stations
• Set up automated health monitoring

Low Priority

• Explore VPN access for remote management
• Investigate modern DOS alternatives (FreeDOS, etc.)
• Create backup/restore procedures for DOS machine images

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Troubleshooting

DOS Machine Cannot Access T: Drive

Check:

1. Network cable connected?
2. WINS server reachable? ping 192.168.0.254
3. NetBIOS name resolution? Try IP: NET USE T: \\192.168.0.9\TEST
4. NAS share accessible? Test from Windows: \\192.168.0.9\test

Common Fixes:

• Restart network client: C:\NET\NET STOP then C:\NET\NET START
• Check PROTOCOL.INI for typos
• Verify WINS server setting in UDM

Sync Not Working

Check:

1. Cron running? ssh root@192.168.0.9 'ps aux | grep cron'
2. Credentials valid? cat /root/.ad2creds
3. SMB mount successful? ssh root@192.168.0.9 'mount | grep /mnt/ad2-test'
4. Recent errors? ssh root@192.168.0.9 'tail -50 /var/log/ad2-sync.log'

Common Fixes:

• Re-mount AD2 share: Run sync script manually
• Check AD2 reachability: ping 192.168.0.6
• Verify sysadmin credentials

UPDATE.BAT Fails

Check:

1. Batch file has DOS line endings (CR+LF)?
2. Paths correct for DOS (8.3 format if needed)?
3. Files exist on T: drive?
4. Sufficient disk space on C: drive?

Common Fixes:

• Convert line endings: unix2dos UPDATE.BAT
• Test manually: Run commands one by one
• Check sync: Files may not be on NAS yet

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Technical Details

DOS 6.22 Limitations

• Filenames: 8.3 format only (FILENAME.EXT)
• Line Endings: CR+LF (\r\n) required for batch files
• Networking: SMB1 CORE protocol only
• Authentication: No Kerberos, plaintext passwords
• Memory: 640KB conventional + extended via HIMEM.SYS

SMB Protocol Versions

• SMB1 CORE: DOS machines (1985, insecure)
• SMB1: Windows XP / Server 2003
• SMB2: Windows Vista / Server 2008+
• SMB3: Windows 8 / Server 2012+

TrueNAS Configuration

• SMB service enabled with SMB1 support
• Guest access disabled
• User: admin with password authentication
• Shares: test, datasheets

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Documentation

Original Implementation

Session Log: ~/claude-projects/session-logs/2025-12-14-dataforth-dos-machines.md Implementation Time: ~11 hours Date: 2025-12-14

Additional Documentation

• CREDENTIALS.md - All access credentials
• NETWORK_TOPOLOGY.md - Network diagram and IP addresses
• SYNC_SCRIPT.md - Bidirectional sync documentation
• DOS_BATCH_FILES.md - UPDATE.BAT and TODO.BAT details
• GITEA_ACCESS.md - Repository access instructions
• PROJECT_INDEX.md - Quick reference guide

Source Repository

git clone --no-checkout https://git.azcomputerguru.com/azcomputerguru/claude-projects.git
cd claude-projects
git sparse-checkout init --cone
git sparse-checkout set dataforth-dos
git checkout main

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Project History

2025-12-14: Initial implementation, sync system created, TS-27/TS-8L/TS-8R tested 2025-12-20: VPN access configured for remote management 2026-01-13: Dataforth DOS project recalled for additional work 2026-01-19: DOS deployment verification, AD2-NAS sync enhancements 2026-01-20: DOS Update System comprehensive documentation created 2026-01-22: Project documentation imported to ClaudeTools

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Support Contacts

Client: Dataforth Corporation Engineering Contact: [Pending] Network Administrator: [Pending]

Technical Support:

• Arizona Computer Guru (MSP)
• Phone: 520.304.8300
• Email: support@azcomputerguru.com

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Related Projects

• GuruRMM: Remote monitoring system (AD2 has agent installed)
• ClaudeTools: Project tracking and documentation system
• Session Logs: Complete work history in claude-projects/session-logs/

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Project Status: 90% Complete, Operational Next Steps: Datasheets share creation, remaining machine configs Maintenance: Automated sync, minimal intervention required