Using the administrative tool snap-in in the Microsoft Management Console
(MMC), you can create two identically named Data Description Files (host
column definition files, HCD files). (One physical file, so-named and
having an .hcd extension, appears in the ..\sna\system subdirectory.)
It is possible, using the administrative tool, to make changes to both
files listed in the MMC snap-in tree. However, when you do an MMC refresh,
only one of the previously listed files remains. The changes are combined
in it.
The combined changes indicated in the snap-in also appear in the single
physical file in the ..\sna\system subdirectory.
There is an additional side-effect: A new file named New File.hcd appears
in the ..\sna\system subdirectory and appears in the MMC snap-in tree list.
It contains only a [Stats] section with a date-time stamp.
To work around the problem before it occurs, avoid defining Data
Description Files with duplicate names.
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft OLE DB Provider
for AS/400 and VSAM version 1.00, included with SNA Server version 4.0.
This problem was corrected in the latest SNA Server version 4.0 U.S.
Service Pack. For information on obtaining this Service Pack, query on
the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):
S E R V P A C K