Ndbm databases across architectures

[andyb at coat.com]

Our network has a mixture of Sun 386's and Sparcs.  Most directories are
NFS mounted so they can be accessed from any machine.

I have just discovered that ndbm databases that have been created on a 386
cannot be accessed from a Sparc.  Inspection of the .pag file shows that
it contains pointers or offsets (used by the dbm routines); these pointers
are architecture-dependent ints.  When I try to read the file from the
wrong kind of machine, the pointer is interpreted with its bytes swapped,
and the dbm routines blow up.

Is this a known problem?  Does anyone have a workaround?

Live justly, love gently, walk humbly.
					Andy Behrens
					andyb at coat.com

also:   andyb%coat.com at dartmouth.edu
uucp:   {uunet,rutgers}!dartvax!coat.com!andyb
Burlington Coat, PO Box 729, Lebanon, N.H. 03766	(603) 448-5000