How to run a set of parallel batch files sequentially - windows

Question

I am trying to write a test bat file that will do the following:
Download a file from a server
Upload a file to the same server
I need three laptops to perform download and upload simultaneously. therefore, I create such a script named 3-chanD.bat:
*echo /////////3-channel-Downloading////////
start cmd.exe /k >time2 timeit chan6D.bat
start cmd.exe /k >time3 timeit chan11D.bat
start cmd.exe /k >time1 timeit chan1D.bat*
chan6D.bat is basely a script coping file from a server to one of my laptops:
*xcopy "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\test" "\\192.168.0.102\SharedDocs\test" /Y /E /S*
same as chan1D.bat and chan11D.bat:
*echo /////////channel 6 Downloading////////
xcopy "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\test" "\\192.168.0.102\SharedDocs\test" /Y /E /S*
*echo /////////channel 11 Downloading////////
xcopy "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\test" "\\192.168.0.104\SharedDocs\test" /Y /E /S*
The upload script does the opposite job.
The problem is I need to sit beside laptops to wait those three laptops complete downloading, then manually run the upload script. I try to write a script:
*#echo off
echo /////////3-channel-Downloading////////
call 3-chanD.bat
echo /////////3-channel-Uploading////////
call 3-chanU.bat
pause*
but it just run the 3-chanD.bat and 3-chanU.bat in a second. It doesn't wait till download is finished.
Is there a way to execute a set of commands in parallel, then execute another set of commands in parallel?

Answer 1

Have each batch file create a flag file, perform the xcopy, and delete the flag file when the xcopy has finished.
type nul > "%temp%\xcopy1.tmp"
xcopy "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\test" "\\192.168.0.102\SharedDocs\test" /Y /E /S
del "%temp%\xcopy1.tmp"
Your launching batch file can check for the existence of all three flag files in a loop, and launch the upload processes when they no longer exist.