When designing a service to use with the LAN Server software, keep in mind the following requirements:

• An executable file of a service must be listed under the Services section in the IBMLAN.INI file.

• A service must not call screen or keyboard functions; this can be done indirectly by calling a pop-up function such as the VioPopup API (an OS/2 program function).

• A service must, by calling the NetServiceStatus API, dynamically notify the LAN Server software about a change in the service's status, so that other applications can respond correctly to the change.

• When any signal is sent by an application, a service must respond by calling the NetServiceControl API to change its current state of operation.

An IBMLAN.INI entry of a service must include the name of the service and a valid path name of an executable file used to start the service; the service entry can have additional parameters that supply other information. Applications requesting to use the service can call the functions in the Configuration category to obtain the additional information. For information about using the Configuration functions and a description of IBMLAN.INI components, see Configuration Category.