--- loncom/lonnet/perl/lonnet.pm	2001/01/11 10:43:09	1.95
+++ loncom/lonnet/perl/lonnet.pm	2001/01/19 17:21:15	1.98
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ sub appenv {
 
     my $lockfh;
     unless ($lockfh=Apache::File->new("$ENV{'user.environment'}")) {
-       return 'error';
+       return 'error: '.$!;
     }
     unless (flock($lockfh,LOCK_EX)) {
          &logthis("<font color=blue>WARNING: ".
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ sub appenv {
     {
      my $fh;
      unless ($fh=Apache::File->new("$ENV{'user.environment'}")) {
-	return 'error';
+	return 'error: '.$!;
      }
      @oldenv=<$fh>;
      $fh->close();
@@ -693,8 +693,7 @@ sub coursedescription {
     if ($chome ne 'no_host') {
        my $rep=reply("dump:$cdomain:$cnum:environment",$chome);
        if ($rep ne 'con_lost') {
-           my $normalid=$courseid;
-           $normalid=~s/\//\_/g;
+           my $normalid=$cdomain.'_'.$cnum;
            my %envhash=();
            my %returnhash=('home'   => $chome, 
                            'domain' => $cdomain,
@@ -1595,9 +1594,6 @@ sub EXT {
       if ($ENV{'request.course.id'}) {
 # ----------------------------------------------------- Cascading lookup scheme
        my $symbp=&symbread();
-       unless ($symbp) {
-           &logthis('No symb for '.$ENV{'request.filename'});
-       } 
        my $mapp=(split(/\_\_\_/,$symbp))[0];
 
        my $symbparm=$symbp.'.'.$spacequalifierrest;
@@ -1642,17 +1638,14 @@ sub EXT {
       }
 
 # -------------------------------------------------------- second, check course
-        my $section='';
-        if ($ENV{'request.course.sec'}) {
-	    $section='_'.$ENV{'request.course.sec'};
-        }
+
         my $reply=&reply('get:'.
-              $ENV{'course.'.$ENV{'request.course.id'}.$section.'.domain'}.':'.
-              $ENV{'course.'.$ENV{'request.course.id'}.$section.'.num'}.
+              $ENV{'course.'.$ENV{'request.course.id'}.'.domain'}.':'.
+              $ENV{'course.'.$ENV{'request.course.id'}.'.num'}.
 	      ':resourcedata:'.
    &escape($seclevelr).'&'.&escape($seclevelm).'&'.&escape($seclevel).'&'.
    &escape($courselevelr).'&'.&escape($courselevelm).'&'.&escape($courselevel),
-		   $ENV{'course.'.$ENV{'request.course.id'}.$section.'.home'});
+		   $ENV{'course.'.$ENV{'request.course.id'}.'.home'});
       if ($reply!~/^error\:/) {
 	  map {
 	      if ($_) { return &unescape($_); }
@@ -1661,11 +1654,11 @@ sub EXT {
       if (($reply=~/^con_lost/) || ($reply=~/^error\:/)) {
 	  &logthis("<font color=blue>WARNING:".
                 " Getting ".$reply." asking for ".$varname." for ".
-                $ENV{'course.'.$ENV{'request.course.id'}.$section.'.num'}.
+                $ENV{'course.'.$ENV{'request.course.id'}.'.num'}.
                 ' at '.
-                $ENV{'course.'.$ENV{'request.course.id'}.$section.'.domain'}.
+                $ENV{'course.'.$ENV{'request.course.id'}.'.domain'}.
                 ' from '.
-                $ENV{'course.'.$ENV{'request.course.id'}.$section.'.home'}.
+                $ENV{'course.'.$ENV{'request.course.id'}.'.home'}.
                  "</font>");
       }
 # ------------------------------------------------------ third, check map parms
@@ -1850,16 +1843,19 @@ sub numval {
 sub rndseed {
     my $symb;
     unless ($symb=&symbread()) { return time; }
-    my $symbchck=unpack("%32C*",$symb);
-    my $symbseed=numval($symb)%$symbchck;
-    my $namechck=unpack("%32C*",$ENV{'user.name'});
-    my $nameseed=numval($ENV{'user.name'})%$namechck;
-    return int( $symbseed
-	       .$nameseed
-               .unpack("%32C*",$ENV{'user.domain'})
-               .unpack("%32C*",$ENV{'request.course.id'})
-               .$namechck
-               .$symbchck);
+    { 
+      use integer;
+      my $symbchck=unpack("%32C*",$symb) << 27;
+      my $symbseed=numval($symb)%$symbchck << 22;
+      my $namechck=unpack("%32C*",$ENV{'user.name'}) << 17;
+      my $nameseed=numval($ENV{'user.name'})%$namechck << 12;
+      my $domainseed=unpack("%32C*",$ENV{'user.domain'}) << 7;
+      my $courseseed=unpack("%32C*",$ENV{'request.course.id'});
+      my $num=$symbseed+$nameseed+$domainseed+$courseseed+$namechck+$symbchck;
+      &Apache::lonxml::debug("$symbseed:$nameseed;$domainseed|$courseseed;$namechck:$symbchck");
+      &Apache::lonxml::debug("rndseed :$num:$symb");
+      return $num;
+    }
 }
 
 sub ireceipt {