ICD FAST TAPE BACKUP AND RESTORE v2 PRELIMINARY DOCUMENTATION
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I: GENERAL
1. PURPOSE: this preliminary documentation is included with the version
2 Tape program to explain the differences between the program and the
manual which was written for version 1. There will be a revised manual
available as soon as possible.
2. The "look and feel" of the program has been maintained as much as possible,
although many new features have been added. Experienced users should
have no problem using version 2 software. New users should read the
manual for a general overview, then study this document in detail.
3. Tape program version 1 tapes are compatible with the version 2 software.
4. REQUIREMENTS: this program requires a minimum of 1 Megabyte of memory
(RAM). If you have less memory than that, you will need to either upgrade
your memory, or use Tape program version 1, available by request from ICD.
If you have only 1 megabyte, you may have to remove your AUTO folder programs
and ACCessories to have enough memory to run the program.
5. COPYRIGHTS: this software and documentation is copyrighted material.
All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of any part of this
work (beyond that permitted by sections 107 and 108 of the United States
Copyright Act) without permission of the copyright owner is unlawful.
6: DISCLAIMER: in no event will ICD, Inc. be liable for any damages whatsoever
(including without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business
interruption, loss of business information, or the like) arising out of the
use of, interruption in the use of, or inability to use this software,
even if ICD Inc. has been advised of any possibility or likelihood of such
damages.
7: Every effort has been made to make this software as bug free as possible.
The program has been exhaustively beta tested.
Notify ICD immediately of any bugs, problems, or wishes concerning this
software. Call 815 968-2228 and ask for Howard in Tech Support. He is
available from 10 AM to 2 PM Monday through Friday except for holidays.
8: ADVICE: always run CLEANUP-ST or similar software to make sure your hard
drives are free of defects before doing file backups.
It is recommended to use both file and image backups. Remember that major
corporations make multiply-redundant backups on a daily basis. The value
of your data far exceeds the cost of another tape, so have several!
II. PROGRAM EXECUTION FROM SCRIPTS.
It is now possible to execute the Tape software from a script file.
Scripts are documents that can be created with any text editor or
word processor which can save in ASCII mode. You can automatically
execute the Tape software with a script named TAPE.RUN. Any other
script can be automatically executed by supplying its name as a command
line argument (via Hotwire, or a command shell). Scripts can also
be executed from the Main Menu dialog. Scripts are for backup only.
The following script commands are available: (examples)
file c (back up drive C)
file cd (back up drives C and D)
file all (back up all GEM and BGM partitions)
image 0,0 1 (back up partition 1 on ID 0, LUN 0)
image 0,0 65 (back up entire disk of ID 0, LUN 0)
go (start without alert, when not running from menu)
stop (exit program, when not running from menu)
noabort (do not allow key interrupt during backup)
rewind (rewind after completing backup)
bell (sound bells during warning before/after backup)
optimize off (turn optimizing off)
optimize on (turn optimizing on)
See the file TAPE.RUX on this disk for a detailed description of these
commands.
Notes:
1. Scripts for unattended backup (i.e., run by a BBS program) must
include "go" and "stop".
2. Optimizing is set by the last optimize command in the script.
3. Variables will be restored to their previous condition after
execution of a script.
4. Script backups ALWAYS start at the beginning of a tape. There
is no provision to append.
Experienced users will probably find it convenient to set up a number
of scripts for their various backup tasks. One advantage of using
scripts is that you can put the partitions on the tape in the order
you desire. If you run Automatic File backup from the Main menu,
choosing drives C, D, and E, they will be put on the tape in that
order. But if you set up a script with the lines
file d
file e
file c
the backups will appear on the tape in that order.
III. CHANGES IN THE MAIN MENU DIALOG.
1. Menu bar: the ICD Tape software now allows access to your desk
accessories. They will be operational only from the Main Menu
dialog and from the manual Copy dialog. A few desk accessories
must be configured to allow the GEM system to send a full window
redraw to the Tape program. An example is Universal Item Selector
III. UIS_III will not be useable if you do not reconfigure it to
allow the redraw message. Control will never return to the Tape
program. See the UIS documentation for further details. Most
accessories will work fine as is.
2. RUN button: displays the file selector, allowing you to choose
and execute a script file.
3. BACKUP button (both Automatic File and Image modes): the program
keeps track of the space available on a tape. If you choose a backup
and there is not enough space calculated to be available for it,
you will be alerted and the backup will not continue. After a backup,
you will be informed of the approximate amount of space, in megabytes,
left on the tape. This space is calculated; it is not directly
available from the tape drive. Therefore, it is conceiveable that
due to an abnormally short tape, you may get a dialog stating that
the end of tape has been reached. You will also be informed of
the partition currently being backed up. At this point you should
insert a fresh tape and continue your backup beginning with the
partition you were on when the end of tape was reached.
You can number a tape, if desired, for any library or archival purpose
desired. When showing a Catalog or Tree, if the tape is not numbered,
you will be asked if you wish to assocate a number with it.
4. BACKUP button (Image mode only): clicking on any part of the line
showing the information about the partition will select that partition
for image backup. You do not have to click on the small square box.
If there is not sufficient room on the tape for the backups selected,
you will be told and the backup will not proceed. Upon completion
of the backup, you will be told the approximate amount of space left
on the tape.
5. RESTORE button (Image mode only): you will be asked to optionally
specify search parameters before scanning the tape for image partitions.
You can scan for: ID, LUN, Partition number, or key on information
entered at the time of the backup. If you do not choose a parameter,
each partition will be displayed as it is found and you can either
select it for restore, or continue the search.
You can now restore the image of a partition onto a different partition.
PROCEED WITH CAUTION. After finding an image partition on the tape,
you will see a dialog with the header "Choose Partition for Image Restore".
You can select OLD, in which case the partition will be restored to the
ID, LUN, and partition from which it was made. You can choose NEW,
in which case information about available hard drive partitions will
be shown. If multiple hard drives are available, you must use the
NEXT or PREVIOUS buttons to show the partitions on them. Only partitions
containing enough room will be selectable.
If restoring an entire drive image, you can choose to restore it
to a different ID/LUN. As above, USE CAUTION. After finding an
entire drive image partition on the tape, you will see a dialog with
the header "Choose Hard Disk for Image Restore". You can select OLD,
in which case the restore will go to the same disk as the backup
came from. Or you can choose NEW and you will see a display of
all available hard disks. Only those disks with sufficient space
will be selectable.
6. SORT button: you can choose how files in the manual Copy dialog will
be sorted for display. Options included are Sort by: Name, File Size,
Date, Type or Extension; Sort order: Normal, Reverse.
7. OPTIMIZE button: a new type of backup is available. If Optimizing
is enabled, all files will be put on the tape in contiguous order;
if Optimizing is not enabled, the files will be fragmented just as
they were on the source drive. Tape program version 1 tapes are
not Optimized. If you make an Optimized backup, then zero the
source drive and restore from tape, the drive will be defragmented.
Note that Optimized backups will be up to 25 percent slower than
non Optimized backups, due to the necessity of stopping and restarting
the tape.
When Optimizing is enabled, you can restore files to hard drive
partitions of a different logical sector size from the source.
You can also perform Archival backup from the manual Copy dialog,
or select only certain files to be copied from disk to tape in
the manual Copy dialog. None of these are allowed if the tape was
made with Optimizing disabled.
8. DATA button: you can set options for output of Tree and Catalog.
(See section on OPTIONAL TAPE FUNCTIONS for further details on
Tree and Catalog). Options available are: send formfeed after
printing Tree, send formfeed after printing Catalog, include tape
and partition number in Tree, include Catalog information in Tree,
use paged mode in displaying of Tree to screen. Formfeed options
are useful with laser printers.
9. BELLS button: you can have the Tape program sound the bell at
completion of tasks (i.e. after backup, restore, or tape scan),
or when an error or alert box is displayed. The number of bells
is editable from 0 to 9.
10. SAVE button: after configuring the above options to your liking,
you can save them in a file called TAPE.CFG and they will be loaded
automatically when you run the Tape program.
11. QUIT button: following a backup or restore, when you quit, you
will generally be asked whether or not you intend to return to
this same tape to continue backup or restore operations. If you
choose Yes, a file called TAPE.POS will be saved containing
information about all the present partitions on the tape. Upon
resuming the Tape program, if TAPE.POS is found, you will be asked
if you are resuming backup or restore from a previous session.
If you choose Yes, you will be asked if the tape drive has been
powered down, or the tape latch opened. If either of these events
has taken place, the tape will have rewound and the TAPE.POS data
will be invalid. Since there is no way for the software to know
if these things have happened, be sure to give a truthful answer;
if you don't, the program will have false information about the
partitions and position on the tape in the drive, which could cause
corruption of your tape.
Unless you have previously indicated that you will resume a session,
and TAPE.POS is found in the same folder as the Tape program, the
tape will automatically rewind before scanning for partitions.
If you choose No when asked if you plan to resume, you will also
generally be asked if you wish to rewind the tape after exiting
the program.
IV. CHANGES IN THE MANUAL COPY DIALOG.
1. Display:
a. The source box shows the number of selected files and number
of Kbytes they take up. The destination box shows the amount
of space left on the destination, but only if the destination
is a hard drive.
b. Double clicking on the closer will return you to the root
directory from any level of folder or subdirectory.
c. Read-only files are displayed with a check mark next to their
name.
d. Hidden or System files are displayed in "grayed out" text.
e. If a folder contains files selected within it, a plus will
be displayed next to its name.
2. TREE button: you can print out a directory Tree for either the
source or destination.
3. DELETE button: you can delete files in the destination box. If
a Read-only file is encountered, you will be asked if it is all
right to erase it.
4. ALL FILES buttons: will select or deselect all files of the current
folder and all children.
5. ARCHIVE button: if Optimizing is enabled, and the source is a
hard drive, and the destination is tape, this button will select
all files with the archive bit set. If archive mode is selected,
a check mark is displayed in the button. After an archival backup,
the Tape program will clear the archive bits in the source.
6. WILDCARD buttons: allow you to select files by typing the name,
with wildcard characters optional. Examples: *.PAS will select
all files of the type PAS. TAPE????.??? will select all files
with TAPE as the first 4 letters of their name. READ.ME will
select all files with that name.
7. Menu bar: if you open any accessory while the source or destination
boxes are displaying a hard drive partition, upon closing the
accessory, the directory on the hard drive will be remapped. This
is because the user may have changed file information on the drive
with the accessory.
8. SELECT UNIT button: if the source selected is tape, you will be
asked if you want to specify search parameters on the tape. You
can scan for: drive backed up from, partition number on the tape,
partition containing a specified file name, or key on information
about the backup typed in when the backup was made. If you do
not choose any parameter, information about each tape partition
will be displayed as it is found during the scan.
There are two new buttons on the information dialog: FIRST and PREVIOUS.
FIRST rewinds the tape, then automatically advances to the first
partition on the tape and displays the information about it.
PREVIOUS is only available if: you have an Advantage or AdSCSI host
adapter connected to the tape drive, and the partition displayed
is at least the second on the tape. Selecting this button will
cause the program to reposition the tape to the previous partition.
When selecting destination, you are now allowed to choose floppy
disks or ram disks. You will be allowed to copy only one file at
a time onto such a destination. This is envisioned as an emergency
provision; i.e. your hard disk is down, and you need a file from
the tape.
8. COPY button: if copying to tape, if the tape is not calculated
to contain sufficient space, you will be alerted and the copy
will not proceed. After copying, the amount of space left on the
tape is displayed.
If copying to hard drive, and there is insufficient space available,
you will be alerted and the copy will not proceed.
V. CHANGES IN OPTIONAL TAPE FUNCTIONS DIALOG.
1. ERASE button: you can erase an entire tape, either for data security
or in some cases to restore a previously unuseable tape to usefulness.
2. TREE button: you can display a directory tree of the GEM/BGM file
partitions on an entire tape. Display can be put to the screen or
printer or to a file. If file output is chosen, you can choose either
a single large file or individual files for each partition.
>>> TAPE: 1 PARTITION: 1 <<<
>>> TAPE:\ << Partition: 1
HOWARDS 10/23/90 Partition: 1
EDIT RSC 5262 11/05/87 Partition: 1
EDITOR PRG 34620 11/05/87 Partition: 1
>>> TAPE:\HOWARDS\ << Partition: 1
SPEECH 10/23/90 Partition: 1
CLEANUP 10/23/90 Partition: 1
>>> TAPE:\HOWARDS\CLEANUP\ << Partition: 1
DMA 08/08/91 Partition: 1
ADSPEED 10/23/90 Partition: 1
TAPE 10/23/90 Partition: 1
CLEANUP PAS 425647 12/27/91 Partition: 1
etc., until the entire tree is done...
This tree was made with the show tape number and partition option
selected. Some users wished to make a database of their software
library on tapes; this is the reason that Partition: (number) is
included after each line. See the DATA button section.
3. CATALOG button: you can display certain information about the
partitions on a tape:
>>> TAPE: 1 PARTITION: 1 <<<
Mode : File
Backup from : Drive E
TAPE.PRG Version: 2.x
Optimized : No
Partition type : BGM
Bytes/Sector : 1024
Partition size : 63211
Date backed up : 01/13/92
Total files : 2175
Information : SCRIPT BACKUP - FILE MODE.
Partition #1
This information can be included in when doing a Tree; see the
DATA button section.