Suntan Special version 0.69

Suntan Special Web edition

### eComStation 2.2

eComStation 2.2 is Mensys release of their version of OS/2. Not yet released as of December, 2013, the software runs on Intel personal computers and servers. This version of the installation has been created especially for use with Blonde Guy's Suntan Special.

eComStation ended development without releaseing eCS 2.2. The last beta was on December 30, 2013.

My copy of the eComStation 2.2 comes on one DVD and two (2) CD-Roms. I refer to these as eCS CD #1, eCS CD #2 and eCS CD #3.

#### Installation Procedure

1. Boot the computer from eCS CD #1. The first screen to appear offers two boot choices. Select boot from eComStation CD-ROM. If there are no bootable partitons on the hard drive, this screen will not appear.
2. On the second screen, choose Boot with default values unless you know that you need to do otherwise.
3. The CD-ROM boot program will process for about a minute, then offer to do a self-check to ensure that the CD-ROM is correctly readable. Press esc to skip this test, which is not needed unless you have seen a problem with your CD-ROM media. If no input is received in 30 seconds, the installation proceeds as if esc was pressed.
4. When the screen named Begin the Installation appears, read the screen and press Next.
5. When the screen named License Agreement appears, check the box labelled Agree, and press Next.
6. The system will get disk information, then check disk integrity for a minute, then a screen named Select Installation Type will appear. Select Advanced installation, and press Next.
7. When the Registration screen appears, you will need to provide the license key. It is easiest to read this from a file. Use Import Registration Data to read the data from a file on the hard drive, a floppy, or a USB drive. Press Next to go on.
8. On the Select the Installation Volume screen, either select the installation volume from those provided, or press the Manage Volumes button to bring up the Maintenance and Installation Volume program. The new volume must be bootable to be a valid selection. I put the operating system, programs and home directory on one volume. I'd suggest a 20 GB size for that volume. When you have selected the volume, press Next.
9. On the Format Volume page, uncheck Check for errors while formatting, choose the JFS file system and press Format. Unless you have a disk that is pretty old, then you should not need to check for errors. If you will install your applications on a separate drive from the operating system, press Other volumes... and format that drive, too. Press Next when formatting is complete.
10. On the Locale and timezone settings page, choose your options. I only need to set the timezone. Press Next when done.
11. The system will detect hardware devices for a short time, then display the Hardware and peripherals configuration page. For a very old machine, under Standard Devices, deselect ACPI. For a desktop machine, it is likely that you can just take the defaults. For a laptop or notebook computer, select the appropriate model. Examine all of the choices just to make sure, then press Next.
12. On the Multimedia support page, choose carefully. On some machines, the default choice, which is usually UniAud, is fine, but on some IBM Thinkpads, it is better to go with the IBM support. If no audio adapter is chosen, but you think you have audio hardware, you can choose UniAud just to make upgrading to a new UniAud version easier. If you are uncertain, it is best to go with the default. Press Next after making your choice.
13. On the Installation options page, select the default programs directory, which is the same as the Suntan Special's appsDir setting. Do not include a trailing backslash, even for the root directory. Also choose the base path for ported software packages, which should also be the same as the Suntan Special apps directory. Press Next after making your choice.
14. On the Select Components page, some choices are not needed because Suntan Special will install them later. I usually deselect the games that come with eCS. Select Additional Features->Security enablement services. Deselect Bonus Application->RSJ and select 4OS2. Deselect Internet Apps Firefox, Thunderbird and VNC Client and Server. Press Next when you have made your choices.
15. On the Network Configuration page, I can deselect Other connection types, but you may need it, depending on the type of connection you have with the internet. If you are not sure, leave the defaults, and press Next.
16. On the Network Adapters and Protocols page, I have two network adapters in my computer, and it often chooses the wrong one. If this is the case for you, then select the adapter and press Change. Select the right network adapter from the list. Otherwise, no changes are likely to be needed on this page. Press Next.
17. On the TCP/IP settings page, I use DHCP, so I only need to fill in the hostname for my computer. It is a good idea to name your computer (one name with no spaces; case is ignored). If you use a static IP, then fill in the fields for that. If you are not sure, then fill in the hostname and press Next.
18. On the LAN settings page, fill out the fields. You should name the computer (no spaces; 15 char max; case is ignored). If you don't have a workgroup or domain, leave the field alone, and press Next.
19. On the Configuration Complete page, press Next to start the installation process. The Copying files... page will appear for some time, then the computer will reboot.
20. When the computer reboots, allow it to boot from the hard drive, which is the default setting. Note any errors during the boot process -- the exact message will be helpful in resolving any problems with the installation.
21. After copying more files, the computer will reboot again. Once again, allow it to boot from the hard drive. The Post-installation Tasks page will appear. The first tab of the page, Final Tasks announces the end of the installation. Press Next to go on.
22. On the Screen tab, press the Screen button to bring up the Screen settings. Set the resolution colors and refresh that are appropriate for your display adapter and monitor, then close the Screen settings. Press Next to go to the next tab.
23. On the Network User ID tab, fill out all the fields. Fill in the username and password. This will be your administrator account. Even if you do not currently use networking, enter these fields. Also check Allow your computer to be seen by others on the network and Allow sharing of resources in a peer network. Press Change to make the changes, then press Next to go on to the next page.
24. On the User Interface tab, make the changes that give you a system you like. My preference is to open the Workplace Shell settings and check the box Confirm on Copy, move, create shadow. Under eSytler Preferences, I prefer to set titlebar to bitmap. I also set the shutdown to include suspend on machines that support APM. When you have made your changes, press Next to go on.
25. On the ACPI tab, I do nothing. Press press Next to go on.
26. On the Printer tab, I do nothing. Suntan Special will configure the printers. If you prefer to set up with this page, that is fine, too. Press Exit when the printer changes are complete.
27. I clean up the desktop a little bit. I move the register online icon to the setup folder. I set the e-pager to 1 by 4 desktops. I replace ndpsmb.dll with the latest one. I copy my servers EVFS settings file, serbopeep.evp to \ecs\bin, and a logon file, logon_smb.cmd, so I can easily mount the server drive. I insert the temperature gauge on the eCenter. I modify power-off settings to remove the delay.
28. Remove the eCS CD-ROM from the drive. Shutdown and reboot the computer, and note any errors during the boot process. When the computer has rebooted, check the screen properties to make sure they are suitable. When the screen settings are OK, first make a desktop archive, then reboot from the CD-ROM, or from an alternate boot partition.
29. If booting from the eCS CD-ROM, choose the management console, and open a commandline. (Tools->Command Window). Back up your new installation with the following command.

                  zip -qrS xdrive.zip X:\* -x WP?ROOT.?SF

    Replace X with the drive letter of your installation. Keep this zip file handy to restore your original installation.

#### Results

I struggled to find a working VirtualBox setup for eComStation. I used these settings to get a working setup.

- 4096 MB RAM
- PIIX3 chipset
- Video RAM 33 MB
- PIIX4 disk controller (using IBM1S506.ADD, DaniS506.ADD does not work)
- 2 TB expanding drive
- 20 GB boot volume E: formatted JFS
- Intel PRO/1000 MT desktop (using IBM Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (OS/2) (IBMGU.OS2))
- USB 2.0

After performing the above steps, I had 16667 files, taking up 882,800,720 bytes with 3,878,120 bytes of extended attributes. The zip file took 467,271,065 bytes.

Last Modified: 11 Aug 2025
Graphics by Colorful Language
Copyright 2025 by Blonde Guy