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Baan IV and Infor LN BSE Command-Line Tools Reference

This reference lists the programs, configuration files, directories and clients under $BSE that Baan IV and Infor LN administrators use, with what each one does and a typical usage example. Version notes show where Baan IVc uses the 6.1 file set and where LN 10.x differs.

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Name	Type	Purpose	Typical usage example	Baan IV / LN 10.x availability	Notes
bshell	executable	The virtual machine (logic server) that runs sessions and scripts	Options passed from the BW configurator, e.g. -set CORE=1 -keeplog	UNIX bshell6.2, Windows ntbshell.exe; Baan IVc environments use the 6.1 file set	-logfile <file> logs stdout and stderr to a file; -keeplog keeps $BSE_TMP/bshell.<pid>.
bshcmd	executable	Change log and debug settings of a running bshell, or kill bshells	bshcmd -p (process list); bshcmd -k <pid> (kill one bshell)	Enterprise Server porting sets	-d sets the debug level (octal); -m shows memory usage.
ba	executable	ASCII display server	Used for job management on UNIX	UNIX only, not used on Windows	Character-based client path.
bdbpre	executable	Export tables to a sequential dump	bdbpre -Ntcmcs023 -C100 -O tcmcs023_100.dmp	UNIX bdbpre6.2, Windows bdbpre.exe	-C takes a list or range (000-005); -I reads table names from a file; related session ttaad4226m000.
bdbpost	executable	Create or append tables from a bdbpre dump	bdbpost -c 200 -A -I tcmcs023_100.dmp	UNIX bdbpost6.2, Windows bdbpost.exe	-c target company, -A append without overwrite, -R replace, -k drop existing tables; related session ttaad4227m000.
bdbreconfig	executable	Reconfigure tables to a new data dictionary; analyse differences	bdbreconfig6.2 -m -c -A <source pacc> -A <target pacc> -C 0	Enterprise Server porting sets	Normally called by 4GL sessions; run it directly only for the -A change analysis.
refint	executable	Check or repair referential integrity	Run for a list of tables with -I file	Enterprise Server porting sets	Use after imports done with bdbpost -n.
bic	executable	3GL program compiler (Baan C compiler)	Called when you compile scripts from the development sessions	Baan IV and LN	std_gen is the 4GL preprocessor; repgen the report generator.
bic_info	executable	Show information about a compiled object	bic_info <object> to check what an object contains	Enterprise Server porting sets	Useful to confirm which object version is deployed.
shmmanager / shmserv	executable	Shared memory manager	shmmanager6.2 -i (initialize), -s (show contents)	shmmanager on UNIX, shmserv on Windows	-k deletes and -r resets shared memory only when no process is attached.
shmtimer	executable	Daemon that keeps the current time in shared memory	Started when shared memory is initialized	UNIX porting sets	Part of shared memory start-up.
srdd_init6.2	executable	Loads the data dictionary for the bshell from shared memory	Part of the shared memory set-up	LN and Baan 5 file set (6.2)	Which components load is set in srdd_tab6.2 (srdd_tab6.1 for Baan IVc).
pdaemon6.2	executable	Printer daemon for print requests	pdaemon6.2 -r in rc.start	UNIX only	Must be started by root; defaults in $BSE/lib/defaults/pdaemon6.2.
ipc_boot	executable	Start remote processes such as database drivers	Looks up the server name in $BSE/lib/ipc_info	Enterprise Server porting sets	fs handles remote file I/O and is also configured in ipc_info.
rc.start / rc.stop	executable	Start or stop the environment: shared memory, printer daemon, database	$BSE/etc/rc.start at system boot	UNIX only	rc.startjobdm and rc.stopjobdm start and stop the job daemon.
$BSE/lib/tabledef6.2	config file	Which database driver and server serve each table	Read by bdbpre and the bshell to pick the driver	tabledef6.2 for Baan 5 and LN; tabledef6.1 for Baan IVc	Error 505 ENOSERVER points here.
$BSE/lib/compnr6.2	config file	Mapping of logical to physical companies	Used for logical table sharing	compnr6.2 for Baan 5 and LN; compnr6.1 for Baan IVc	Generated by tools; do not edit by hand.
$BSE/lib/ipc_info	config file	Server name, protocol (socket, pipe, direct) and executable for each service	bshell s $BSE_BIN/bshell6.2 style lines	Enterprise Server porting sets	Direct connections load the driver into the client (combo driver).
$BSE/lib/defaults/db_resource	config file	Database driver resources	Driver tuning resources set by the DBA	Enterprise Server porting sets	Takes precedence over the same resource in $BSE/lib/defaults/all.
$BSE/lib/user	directory	u<User> files with each user's start menu, package combination and default company	Generated from user data in the tools sessions	Baan IV and LN	Optional r<User> remote user files live here too.
$BSE/log	directory	Program log files	bshell.log, or bshell-001.log with rotation (porting set 9.0b and later)	Older porting sets use log.<program name>	log_size and log_rotation_count resources control rotation.
BSE_TMP	variable	Directory for temporary files	BSE_TMP=$BSE/tmp	Baan IV and LN	The running bshell writes bshell.<pid> here.
BW (Infor BW)	client	Windows client for Baan and LN sessions	BW configurator command field passes bshell options	Baan IV and LN releases that still support it	BwPrint is part of the BW installation.
LN UI	client	HTML5 browser user interface	Standard client for LN 10.4 and later	LN 10.3 supports LN UI, Web UI and WorkTop; LN 10.4 and later support only LN UI	Web UI and WorkTop are not supported from LN 10.4.

Names, options and version statements follow the Infor Enterprise Server Technical Manual. On UNIX most binaries carry the 6.2 suffix (bdbpre6.2), on Windows the .exe extension (bdbpre.exe), and a few have different Windows names (ntbshell.exe). The manual advises not to edit files in $BSE/lib by hand, because many are maintained by Infor tools.

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How the pieces fit

The bshell is the virtual machine that runs every session. It reads the runtime data dictionary from shared memory, which shmmanager (UNIX) or shmserv (Windows) manages, and it reaches the database through a driver chosen from $BSE/lib/tabledef6.2. ipc_boot starts the driver or other servers using $BSE/lib/ipc_info, which lists each server name, the protocol and the executable. On UNIX, rc.start in $BSE/etc brings shared memory and the printer daemon up at boot and rc.stop shuts them down. Logs land in $BSE/log, temporary files in BSE_TMP, and per-user files in $BSE/lib/user. Database tools such as bdbpre and bdbpost use the same tabledef6.2 lookup as the bshell, so they reach the same database.

Worked example: copy a general table to another company

To copy item groups from company 100 to company 200, export with bdbpre -Ntcmcs023 -C100 -O tcmcs023_100.dmp. Check the record count bdbpre prints. Import with bdbpost -c 200 -A -I tcmcs023_100.dmp, where -c sets the target company and -A appends without overwriting existing codes; use -R instead to replace matching keys. If you import a range of related tables with -n to skip reference checks, repair the reference counters afterwards. Read Log.bdbpost in $BSE/log if the import fails. Try the import in a test company first.

Export: bdbpre -N table -C company -O file
Import: bdbpost -c company -A or -R -I file
Same sessions: ttaad4226m000 and ttaad4227m000

Baan IV versus LN 10.x

Baan IVc environments use the 6.1 files (tabledef6.1, compnr6.1, srdd_tab6.1, include6.1), while Baan 5 and LN use the 6.2 set. Clients changed most: Baan IV and older LN used BW and the ASCII client, LN 10.3 supports LN UI, Web UI and WorkTop, and LN 10.4 and later support only LN UI. bdbreconfig is normally driven by the 4GL conversion sessions; run it by hand only for the -A change analysis that reports which tables need an ALTER or an export and import.

Common mistakes

Editing files in $BSE/lib by hand is the classic one: the manual warns that many files are delivered by Infor or regenerated by tools, so manual changes are lost or break start-up. Running shmmanager -k or -r while processes are still attached fails or disrupts users, so stop sessions first. Importing with bdbpost -k drops existing tables, which is rarely what you want on a live company. And forgetting that UNIX binaries carry the 6.2 suffix while Windows uses .exe causes scripts copied between platforms to fail on the first line.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main Baan tools under $BSE?

The bshell virtual machine, the database tools bdbpre, bdbpost, bdbreconfig and refint, the bic compiler with std_gen and bic_info, the shared memory manager, the printer daemon on UNIX, ipc_boot and fs for remote processes, and the start and stop scripts rc.start and rc.stop. Configuration lives in $BSE/lib.

What is BW in Baan IV?

BW is the Windows client for Baan and LN sessions, configured through the BW configurator, whose command field can pass options to the bshell. It includes BwPrint for local printing. From LN 10.4 the supported user interface is LN UI, the HTML5 browser client.

What does tabledef6.2 do?

tabledef6.2 in $BSE/lib tells the bshell and database tools which database driver serves each table and, for remote tables, on which system. Baan IVc uses tabledef6.1. If no server is defined or the driver cannot start, sessions fail with error 505 ENOSERVER.

How do I export a table in Baan IV or LN?

Use bdbpre with -N for the table, -C for the company and -O for the output file, or session ttaad4226m000. Import the dump with bdbpost, setting the target company with -c and choosing -A to append or -R to replace. On UNIX the programs are bdbpre6.2 and bdbpost6.2.

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