═══ 1. Introduction ═══ PSnS/2 is a program which allows you to safeguard your system against possible loss of information. PSnS/2 has the facilities to take backups of files automatically or manually, and can restore these files selectively. PSnS/2 achieves automatic backup by means of a system of rulebooks. A rulebook is a file containing information about which files you want to back up, and to which device. When PSnS/2 notices that you have updated a file or files, it decides if they should be backed up by this system of rulebooks. There are two types of rulebook; Local rulebooks and Global rulebooks. Local rulebooks are for the individual user, so that he or she can ensure that the files which they consider the most important are backed up to the device of their choice. For example, a programmer and a secretary would need to keep backups of different types of file. Global rulebooks, on the other hand, are provided for the use of many users on a local area network. They are intended to be used to ensure that files which are generally considered to be of importance to the company or department are backed up - providing greater security by not depending on the individual priorities of the user. Hence the file specifications in global rulebooks are likely to be more general, and the frequency of suggested backup lower. Rulebooks also contain information about the device to which files should be backed up. PSnS/2 can use OS/2 supported drives which the machine can access directly, and many external storage devices. For example, a disk on a remote host machine that can be accessed by file transfer commands, or an optical disk drive may be used. It can cope with removable volumes and their (relatively) limited size, and has the ability to split large files across volumes, keeping track of where particular files have been sent for back up. PSnS/2 will carry out automatic backups on two occasions: o when it notices that a file has been updated more times than are specified in its rulebook entry o at a certain time of day. This means that a user who wants to take backups but does not like PSnS/2 carrying them out automatically during the day can back up all the files necessary at night. As long as the process of backup does not require diskettes or other removable volumes to be inserted, then backup will take place automatically. PSnS/2 can also be set into a manual backup mode. In this mode PSnS/2 acts in the same way as conventional backup programs and will only perform backups when specifically requested by the user. PSnS/2 offers several other functions -- the ability to compress files as they are backed up, and to substitute your own compression function to achieve maximum space-saving, and to keep different numbers of old copies ('generations') of files. Older copies are automatically deleted when fresh backups are made. It also backs up its own control files whenever it takes a backup, and so can be used to restore an entire system, including itself, after a full crash. ═══ 2. Welcome to PSnS/2 ═══ Welcome to PSnS/2, the first fully automatic backup system for a Personal Computer. As this is the first time you are running PSnS/2, you should be following the instructions in the manual for how to back up the files you want. In addition to the manual, PSnS/2 comes with its own online help facility which you can access at all times by either pressing the help button on the panel you are using, or F1 on your keyboard. For more information about how PSnS/2 works and what it does, refer to the introduction to this help facility. If you have any comments about PSnS/2, please send them to: PSnS/2 Support Warwick Development Group IBM (United Kingdom) Ltd Birmingham Road Warwick CV34 5JL United Kingdom Or phone the UK helpline: 0926-464000 (ask for Personally Safe'n'Sound Support). ═══ 3. Backing up with PSnS/2 ═══ The Backup pull-down menu allows you to take backups of files. There are three ways of choosing files to backup: o Do afull backup now o Files spotted by the program o Files selected by pattern. ═══ 3.1. Backup modes and their time setting ═══ The Setup Timed Start pop-up window allows you to select which backup mode you want PSnS/2 to use, and to change the times used for each mode. The first mode is the incremental backup mode. The time given is the interval between finishing one disk check and starting the next. The second possible mode is the timed backup mode. This shows the time of day at which PSnS/2 will check the disks and do any required backups. Finally there is the manual backup mode. There is no time setting - when in this mode PSnS/2 will only back up when you ask it to. You can change either the interval time or the time of day, but the mode will only change when you click on the radio buttons and then OK ═══ 3.1.1. Incremental backup mode ═══ If PSnS/2 is in Incremental backup mode, it will check the disk for files to back up every few minutes. PSnS/2 looks for files which o Have the archive bit set on, and o Are selected for backup by the active rulebooks If it finds any such files, it adds them to the files spotted list. When a backup is triggered, all the files on this list are backed up. ═══ 3.1.2. Timed backup mode ═══ If PSnS/2 is in Timed backup mode, it will only check the disks for changed files at the time specified by the user. (The user may change this time using the Setup Timed Start menu selection.) When the disks have been checked, any files which: o Are in the files spotted list, or which - Have the archive bit set on, and - Are selected for backup by the active rulebooks are backed up. ═══ 3.1.3. Manual backup mode ═══ If PSnS/2 is in Manual backup mode it will only take a backup if the user selects one of the three options on the Backup pull-down menu. (See Backing up with PSnS/2 .) In this mode PSnS/2 acts like any other backup application in that it will ONLY make a backup when you tell it to do so. The mode is entered through the Setup Timed start menu selection. ═══ 3.2. Full backup now ═══ If you select this option, PSnS/2 will make a backup of all files as specified in your active rulebook(s) whether or not there have been changes since the last backup was made. ═══ 3.3. Backup files by pattern ═══ You can get to this pop-up window by selecting the By pattern... item from the Backup option on the main menu. This pop-up window is used to back files up manually. There are two fields in which you enter the specification for files to be backed up. In the first entry field, put the directory. In the second entry field, put the file name pattern. Note: The directory cannot contain wildcards such as * or ?. It must have a full drive and directory name. The name field, however, can contain a pattern including such wildcards. For example, you might put C:\BURNSIDE in the first field, and LEMMA.* in the second field. In addition, you may use the first checkbox to cause PSnS/2 to check subdirectories of the directory you have selected (and any subdirectories of those subdirectories, and so on!) for files needing back up. So, if you enter C:\ in the directory pattern field, and check this button, PSnS/2 will search all directories and subdirectories on your C-drive for files to back up. PSnS/2 will back up all the files that satisfy the pattern condition and also satisfy one or more of the pattern conditions specified in your active local or global rulebook. Each file will be backed up according to the rules in the rulebooks. To check your rulebooks select the Rulebooks... option from the Setup item on the main menu. The final entry field contains a date. Only files that have been changed since this date will be backed up. So if you did a lot of work on the 25th of March 1991, you may want to enter 25-03-91 in this field. The final checkbox at the bottom of the screen allows you to specify whether you want to back up all the files that satisfy the above conditions, or just files that have the archive bit set on. To proceed with the backup when you have entered the information, select OK. To return to the main menu without performing any backups, select Cancel. ═══ 3.4. Backup files spotted ═══ To get to this pop-up window, select the Files spotted option from the Backup item on the main action bar. This window will list the files which have been spotted as changed from the list of files which the user has specified for back up (in the active rulebook(s)). To proceed with the backup of these files immediately, rather than waiting for PSnS/2 to back them up, select the Backup all files radio button, and press OK. Files can also be backed up selectively, by o Choosing which files are to be backed up o Choosing which files are to be removed from the list. If this radio button is selected, the files will be removed from the files pending backup list and will only be put back if they are changed again. To leave this window without backing up, select Cancel. ═══ 3.5. Show backup box ═══ This tick item can be found in the Backup item on the main menu. If this item is ticked, then a small pop-up window will appear when files are being backed up in the background (that is, when PSnS/2 is iconised). This window will appear at the bottom of the screen. It shows the name of the file currently being backed up (with an (EA) if the extended attribute is also being backed up), and a Stop button. ═══ 3.6. Update titlebar text ═══ This tick item can be found in the Backup item on the main menu. If this item is ticked, then the text in the titlebar of the PSnS/2 main window (or, if the window is minimised, the text underneath the PSnS/2 icon) will change to show the name of the file currently being backed up (with an (EA) if the extended attribute is also being backed up). ═══ 3.7. Stopping backup ═══ If the Stop button is pressed, the backup process will stop after the current file has been backed up. If PSnS/2 was backing up the files spotted, then the rest of the list of files is saved for future backup. If the backup was started by the user from the Backup by pattern... window, the backup is simply terminated, without an option to restart at that point. After backup has been stopped, files can be removed from the list by selecting the files in the list box and pressing the Remove button. The user can then continue backup by selecting the radio button to do so, and pressing OK Halting backup altogether can be achieved by selecting the default radio button, Halt backup, and then pressing OK. If files have been removed, then PSnS/2 remembers them and removes them from the files spotted for backup list until they are changed again. The Cancel push button cancels the Selected for Backup window only and returns to the Copying files window. This means that backup will continue, and any changes made to the files spotted list will be discarded. ═══ 3.8. Halting backup ═══ When backup is halted, by pressing the Interrupt push button on the Copying Files screen, the Backup Interrupted panel is displayed. From here, the user may choose whether to: o Continue backup o Halt backup Files can be removed from the list of files spotted for backup by selecting the appropriate files in the list box and then pressing the Remove button. These files are then removed from the files spotted for backup list until they are changed again. Select Continue to allow PSnS/2 to carry on with the backup. Select Exit to halt backup altogether. The user will then be returned to the main menu. ═══ 4. Restoring files with PSnS/2 ═══ The Restore pull-down menu allows you to restore (or delete) files which you have backed up. You may list all the files that you have backed up, and select any group of them, using the Restore selected files action. You can then restore these files or delete them. You can also restore files directly by typing in a wildcard and a date as of which to restore files, using the Restore by pattern action. ═══ 4.1. Restore files by pattern ═══ You can get to this window by selecting Restore from the main menu, then selecting By pattern.... You can use this window to restore backed up files, if you know their name and directory. In the first field enter the specification of the files that you want to restore. This may be a particular file name, for example C:\CARD\ALEPH.NUL Alternatively, it could be a pattern specification, for example C:\XYZ\*.* If you use a pattern, you can restore more than one file at the same time. So C:\CARD\ALEPH.* would restore all files which were backed up from the C:\CARD directory, and which have a file name of ALEPH (for example, files such as ALEPH.NUL, ALEPH.ONE, and ALEPH.TWO). The second and third fields allow you to enter a date and a time; they are used to select the generation of backup to restore. The backup generation chosen to be restored will be the last backup taken before the time and date you specify. So, if you want to restore a file to the state it was in at 9 o'clock in the morning on the 17th July 1990, you might put 17-07-90 in the date field, and 09:00 in the time field. If the last backup taken before then was for 18:00 on the 16th, that is the generation which would be restored. Note: The exact format for the date depends on the date format you have selected from the Country... option on the OS/2 Control Panel The date format you should enter is taken from this setting. ═══ 4.2. Restore selected files ═══ You can get to this pop-up window by selecting the Specific files option from the Restore item on the main menu. This window allows you to list the files that have been archived, and select the files that you want to restore or delete. If PSnS/2 has made some backups (manually or automatically) then this window will display the files that have been backed up and the directory structures that they were backed up from. When this window first appears, PSnS/2 does not know which directory you require, so it gives you a choice by listing the drives that PSnS/2 has backed up from in the Directories (on the right). Double-clicking on one of the entries in the Directories list box produces a list of files that have been backed up from that directory. The list appears in the Files list box, on the left. Any further subdirectories, and a .. entry to allow you to go back up one directory level, will be listed in the Directories list box, along with a list of all the drives that files have been backed up from. So if you had backed up the file C:\XYZ\FRED.DAT, you would have to click on the [C:] entry and then on the XYZ entry in the Directories list box and FRED.DAT would appear in the Files list box. To only display files in the current directory that match a certain wildcard, type a pattern other than *.* in the File name entry field at the top of the window. For example, a pattern of *.WK1 would mean that only files with an extension of WK1. would be shown in the Files list box. To select a particular file from the Files list box, click on it once. To select several files, click on each of them; if the list of files is longer than one list box, use the scroll bars to scroll through them. Once you have made your selection of one or more files: o Select Restore to restore these files o Select Drop to remove these files from the archives ═══ 4.2.1. Select generation of backup to restore ═══ You get this pop-up window by selecting a file to restore from the Restore specific files window, which can be accessed from the Specific files item from the Restore pull-down on the main menu. Use this window to restore a file that you selected from the list of files backed up on the previous window. The entry field will contain by default the directory from which the file was backed up; however you may change this by overtyping it. For example, if you had backed up the file C:\XYZ\FRED.DAT then PSnS/2 would put C:\XYZ in this field. The list box contains a list of the generations of archives of this file. The date and time at which each backup was taken is thus displayed. Select a certain generation to restore by clicking on the relevant line. ═══ 5. Files spotted list ═══ This is a list which PSnS/2 keeps of all files which have been spotted for back up. When a backup is triggered, either by the user with the Backup Files Spotted option, or by PSnS/2 during disk checking, the list of files will be completely backed up. The number of files in the list is displayed on the main panel. ═══ 6. Setting up or customising PSnS/2 ═══ Use the functions on the Setup pull-down on the main menu bar to customise PSnS/2 for your own use You can adjust the drive definitions that PSnS/2 uses, the removable volumes (for example, floppy diskettes) that PSnS/2 can use for backing up, and the time of day that you want the automatic backup feature to run (if you want it to run at all). You can also customise the rulebooks, to choose which files are backed up and which device should be used. ═══ 7. Rulebooks ═══ Rulebooks are the way in which you can tell PSnS/2 which files you want it to back up, where you want to store the backups, and other details (if required) about the actual backup. Rulebooks are either local or global, depending on who set up the rules they contain. An example of a rulebook is shown in the Rulebook example Local rulebooks are for individual users. This allows you to ensure your most important files are backed up to the place of your choice. When adding new rulebooks, the default is set to global. Global rulebooks, on the other hand, are provided for the use of one or many users. They should be used to ensure that files which are considered to be of general importance are backed up - providing greater security by not depending on the priorities individual users might have. Hence the file specifications in global rulebooks are likely to be more general, and the frequency of suggested backup may be somewhat lower. ═══ 7.1. Patterns for backup selection ═══ Patterns are used in the rules in a rulebook and to select files to restore. They are just "templates". (An example of a rulebook, and the patterns in it, is shown in Rulebook example.) PSnS/2 uses it to see if the action applies to a particular file. It can contain the OS/2 wildcard characters, * and ? anywhere within it, as well as normal characters. For example, MYFILE.DOC is allowed, and would match any file in any drive and path with a name of MYFILE and an extension of DOC. Similarly, C:MYFILE.DOC is allowed, and would match such a file in any path on the C drive. However, C:\MYFILE.DOC or C:\MYDIR\MYFILE.DOC would only match the particular file in the given path on the given drive. Note: Upper or lower case is not significant in patterns. Wildcards Wildcards are the characters * and ?. ? This indicates that any single character may appear in this position * This allows any number of characters, including none at all, to occupy this position A colon is a special case because it will only be recognised when it is the second character of a specification. For example, c?xyz will include c3xyz but not c:xyz. The last backslash is also a special case. Any characters after the last backslash are assumed to refer only to the file name and extension. If there are no backslashes, all the characters refer to the file name and extension, and all the drives and paths are checked. Some examples of patterns are: aa?bb includes the files aa3bb and aacbb but not aaccbb . aa*bb includes all of these files, as well as aa32bb . *.* includes any file, as would * but *. would match only files that had no extension. C:\ALPHA.* includes all files called ALPHA , with any extension, in the root directory of the C drive. C:ALPHA includes all files called ALPHA , with no extension, in any directory of the C drive. C:\harry*\* includes all files, with any extension, in any subdirectory within a directory whose name starts with harry . It includes, for example, the file C:\HARRY\AND\UNCLE.BOB because the * after harry can match any number of \ characters. However, *JIM*\* also includes C:\COUSIN\JIM\AND\UNCLE.BOB because the * before JIM can match anything as well. Patterns should be used with care because if they are too vague many files which are not required for backup may be included. In particular, *s on their own should be used with caution. It is best to specify exactly what you need, and no more. ═══ 7.2. Example rulebook ═══ This section contains a typical list of rules from a rulebook, and explains them. A rulebook is used to determine which files to back up. Each rule consists of a pattern, and a drive to which matching files are to be backed up. The word [None] is used if no backup is to be taken. OS2.INI ─ D \OS2\* ─ [None] *.EXE ─ [None] *.COM ─ [None] *.WK? ─ E *.* ─ D Here you can see to where a typical list of files will be backed up: C:\OS2\OS2.INI will go to drive D C:\OS2\DOSCALLS.LIB will not be backed up C:\OS2\VDISK.SYS will not be backed up C:\OS2\E.EXE will not be backed up D:\123\123.EXE will not be backed up D:\123\AUG90.WKS will go to drive E C:\OLD123\JAN88.WK1 will go to drive E D:\MKTG\PLAN.SCR will go to drive D For more details, see the patterns and rulebooks sections. ═══ 7.3. Listing the Rulebooks ═══ You can get to this pop-up window by selecting the Setup option from the main action bar, then selecting the Rulebooks... option from within the pull-down menu. The pop-up window displays a list of the rulebooks that are currently available on the system. It allows you to alter the rulebooks, change which one the system is to use, or to simply view them. Local rulebooks are listed under the heading '* Local', and Global rulebooks are listed below, under the heading '* Global'. If a rulebook is active, that is, if PSnS/2 uses it for checking against when it performs a backup, the rulebook name will have an sign by it. To select a rulebook from the list, scroll to its name, or select it with the mouse. When you press one of the push buttons at the bottom of the screen, the selected rulebook will be affected. You can also change any of the information which is displayed about the current rulebook, in the Edit Rules window. o Description o Backup device used in new rules o Backup device for PSnS/2 control files o Backup trigger level for new rules o Backup generations for new rules Note: In the case of the "initial" settings, changing the value for this setting WILL NOT alter the setting for existing rules. It is only the setting used for creating new rules. BEWARE: You must always have a global rulebook in use. The system will not allow you to leave this window without one. ═══ 7.3.1. Description ═══ The description is intended to help you decide whether to use a particular rule or rulebook. Hence this might be a general description of the files the rulebook refers to, a contact point for the service of the rulebook (in the case of a rulebook on a Local Area Network), or details about why a rule is present. ═══ 8. Testing Rulebooks ═══ This panel can be accessed from the Test Active Rulebooks... option in the Rulebook pull-down menu from the Rulebooks action bar. It tests the rulebooks which are marked as in the Available Rulebooks list box. The rulebooks being tested are displayed at the top of the panel, along with the checking order. This can also be changed from the Rulebooks action bar, by selecting Options. The default is to check the Global rulebook before the Local. The files which would be backed up using the particular rulebooks which have been tested are shown in the list box at the bottom of the window. Note: These files have not actually been backed up, as this facility is designed for use by those who have created rulebooks and wish to ensure that they will back up the expected files. Selecting OK returns the user to the Rulebooks window. Selecting Stop halts the test. ═══ 9. Changing defaults for new rules ═══ This window is brought up when the Change defaults item on the Options pull-down from the Rulebooks menu bar is selected. It can be used to alter the device which new rules will back up to, the number of generations which can be kept, and the number of times a file has to be changed before it is spotted for backup. The backup device for new rules, and for control files, can be changed in the same way. The drives available are displayed in the drop-down list, and new drives can be added in the Drive letter details window. This can be accessed from the Setup option on the main PSnS/2 menu bar. Select another drive to change the default. The trigger level is the number of times a file has to be changed before it is added to the files spotted for backup list. ═══ 9.1. Backup device used in new rules ═══ This is the letter of the device which is most commonly used for backup by this rulebook. For example, "A" would mean a floppy disk drive, and "C" would mean the hard disk. The possible values are displayed in a drop-down list. (Selecting the  button will display the full list). The drives available are taken from those shown in the Setup drives pop-up window. The device which PSnS/2 uses for back up, according to the rulebooks which are active, is displayed in the List of Rulebooks window. To change this, go to the Change defaults for new rules window from the Options pull-down in the List of Rulebooks panel. ═══ 9.2. Backup device for PSnS/2 control files ═══ This is an alternative to the initial backup device for the rulebook, in case you want the PSnS/2 system files and the backups of your personal files to be stored on different devices. The possible values are displayed in a drop-down list. (Selecting the  button will display the full list. Alternatively, use of the up and down arrow keys will move through the items in the list, when this box has the focus.) The drives available are taken from those shown in the Setup drives pop-up window. The device which PSnS/2 control files are backed up to is displayed in the List of Rulebooks window. This can be changed by selecting the Change defaults item from the Options pull-down menu. ═══ 9.3. Backup trigger level for new rules ═══ This is the initial setting for the backup trigger value for rules in this rulebook. This is the minimum number of times that a file needs to be noticed as updated by PSnS/2, when running in incremental backup mode, before the file can trigger a backup. So if this has the value 3, backup will only be triggered when a file is spotted as changed three times. Note: When backup is triggered by any file, all spotted files are backed up. ═══ 9.4. Backup generations for new rules ═══ This is the initial value for the number of backup generations kept for rules in this rulebook. A generation of backup is a copy of a file, as it was on a particular date and time. A small number (for example, two or three) generations means the you save space on the backup device. A larger number (ten, for example) will, of course, take up more space on the backup device, but will provide an audit trail of changes to the file. The number of generations can range from one to ninety nine. Note: Large numbers in this field are only recommeded where storage costs are low, for example, when backing up to CD-ROM. ═══ 9.5. Change search order ═══ This tells PSnS/2 to check for matches in the active global rulebook first. However, it can be changed so that PSnS/2 searches the active local rulebook first, by selecting the Change search order item from the Options pull-down menu in the List of Rulebooks panel. If no match is found, the active local rulebook is then searched, or vice versa. ═══ Rulebook pull-down menu ═══ To change, add or test the rules for the rulebook which is currently selected, choose this option from the List of Rulebooks action bar. ═══ Add item ═══ To add a new rulebook, select this item. You will then see the Add New Rulebook pop-up window. ═══ Delete item ═══ To delete a local or global rulebook, select this item. You will be asked for confirmation of your action. ═══ Cancel button ═══ Selecting this button will allow you to leave the rulebook list screen without saving changes you might have made. Note that changes to rules in rulebooks, and any other changes for which you have already selected OK (such as creating or copying a rulebook) CANNOT be cancelled using this button. They can only be cancelled at the point of the change by selecting the cancel button available then. ═══ Copy item ═══ To create a copy of a local or global rulebook, or to copy a rulebook of one type to another, select this item. You will be prompted to type in the name of the new rulebook, and to select the type (local or global) of the new rulebook, using the Copying a rulebook pop-up window. ═══ 9.6. Adding a new rulebook ═══ You can get to this pop-up window by pressing the Add option in the Rulebooks pull-down on the List of Rulebooks menu bar. This window asks you to enter the name for the new rulebook you are creating. The new rulebook can either be local or global, although the default is set to local. It can be changed using the radio buttons. Type the name for the rulebook (up to eight characters of letters or numbers, without any spaces) in the entry field in the centre of the window. To accept the new rulebook name, and create the rulebook, select OK. To return to the main menu without creating a new rulebook, select Cancel. ═══ 9.7. Copying a rulebook ═══ You can get to this pop-up window by pressing the Copy option in the Edit item on the List of Rulebooks action bar. This window asks you to enter the name for the copy of the rulebook you are creating. It also allows you to select whether the new rulebook will be a local rulebook or a global rulebook. Enter the name (up to 8 letters or numbers, no spaces) of the new rulebook. Select one of the two radio buttons, to make the new rulebook a local or a global rulebook. To complete a copy, using the name and type you have chosen, select the OK button. To return to the list of rulebooks without creating a copy, select the Cancel button. ═══ 9.8. List the rules in a rulebook ═══ You can get to this pop-up window by selecting the Open item from the List of Rulebooks action bar. You are then in the Edit rules window which displays the rules contained in the selected rulebook. You can use this window to update the rules within a rulebook. The rules determine which files are to be backed up, where they should be backed up to, and the number of generations of backup to be kept. The following entry fields are visible: o Pattern o to drive: o Description o Trigger backup when files changed this many times: o Keep this many generations of backup: o Compress command: o Uncompress command: The Add... push button allows you to add a new rule to the rulebook. The Delete push button deletes the rule that is selected. The OK push button returns the user to the List of Rulebooks screen, and saves the changes made. The Cancel button cancels the Edit Rules window and returns the user to the List of Rulebooks panel.. ═══ 9.9. Adding a new rule to a rulebook ═══ This pop-up window can be found by selecting the Add option from the Edit item on the action bar in the List of Rulebooks window. You can use this window to add a new rule to a rulebook. As the order of rule entries is important, the new rule will be added just before the selected rule in the list of rules window. The following entry fields are shown on this screen: o Pattern for files to match o Drive to be used to backup files matching the pattern o Description of this rule. When you have filled in the fields, press OK to add the rule to the rulebook, or Cancel to leave the window without adding the rule. ═══ 9.9.1. Description of this rule ═══ Use this field to type in a description which will help you understand the purpose of the rule when you or others are looking at the rulebook. This will appear on the main rulebook editing panel when this rule is selected in the list box. ═══ 9.9.2. Pattern for files to match ═══ The pattern is a "wildcard" specification for the files you want to select. Files selected by this rule are either backed up or ignored; if the value of the to drive: field is [None], the files selected are not backed up. If the value is the name of a drive in the Setup drives table, the matching files will be backed up to the specified drive. Rulebooks are scanned from top to bottom whenever a file is found which has changed. When a file is found to match the pattern in a rule, the associated trigger level field is used to decide whether to back the file up or not. (When a file has matched one pattern, the scanning of the rulebook stops in any case; this is why ordering of rules is important.) ═══ Backup drive for a rule. ═══ This field, in the List of rulebooks window, contains the drive letter of the backup destination for files matching the pattern. If the field contains the value [None], files matching the associated pattern are not backed up. If the field contains a valid drive letter (from the list in the Setup drives table), files matching the pattern are backed up to the specified drive. ═══ Trigger level ═══ This field is in the List the rules in a rulebook window. A record is kept of how often a file has been noted as changed. After a file has been noticed this many times, a backup is triggered. All files awaiting backup (not just the one which triggered the backup) are then backed up. ═══ Backup generations ═══ This field is in the List the rules in a rulebook window PSnS/2 can keep many generations of backup for a particular set of files. Two generations is usually enough for most circumstances, but if an audit trail is required, for example, more generations can be specified. PSnS/2 allows any number of generations up to 99, although more generations require more space on the backup device. ═══ Compress command ═══ This field is to be found on the Edit Rules screen. This is the command that is used to compress the backup files during backup. Leaving this field blank indicates that no compression is required. Putting an asterisk (*) in this field indicates that PSnS/2 is to use its own tersing function. To use your own command, type in the command and its arguments just as you would on a command line, except instead of typing in the file names, you must substitute the following tokens: &s the file name of the original (non backed-up) file. &t the file name of the target file - the back up. So if you have a command called TERSE, you could type TERSE &s &t in this entry field. ═══ Uncompress command ═══ This field is in the Edit Rules window. Like the compress command, this command is used to decompress the backup files during backup. The use is the same as for the compress command above. Therefore, if you have a command called UNTERSE, you could type UNTERSE &t &s in this field. ═══ 9.10. Rulebook password ═══ This window is for entering a new or current password. This window is asking you either to enter the password for the currently active global rulebook (if you are changing it) or the password for a new global rulebook (if you are creating one). If you are currently using a global rulebook with a password, then you cannot alter that or any other global rulebook without using the password. The password may be blank (in which case any password will later match it), or it may be a word or a phrase of up to forty characters. Enter the password in the entry field in the middle of the window. When you have entered the password, select OK, or press enter. To return to the previous window without entering a password, select Cancel. ═══ 10. Setup drive table ═══ You can get to this pop-up window by selecting the Drives option from the Setup option on the main action bar. Use this window to inform the system of the drives that backup can be made to and how to make backups to them. Most users will not need to use this screen; when PSnS/2 is first run on a machine, it will check out all the drives and make entries for the OS/2-supported drives in the drive table. Only if the user wishes to use non-OS/2 supported drives do they need to use this screen. On the left of the window is a list box containing a list of the drives that the system has been configured to recognise. To select a particular drive, scroll to its entry in this list. Information about the drive will be displayed on the right. The appropriate radio button will be checked in the Drive Type group, these show the type of device selected for backing up. This information shows : o whether the drive is OS/2-supported o whether the drive has volumes (such as diskettes) which can be changed by the user o whether files should be batched when they are backed up to the drive o the commands required to transfer files to and from the drive Note: There are special considerations if you are using OS/2 Extended Edition and wish to back up files to a host using Communications Manager. See below for details. The following fields occur in this window: o To tell the system whether the drive is for removable volumes, tab to the checkbox marked The volume in the drive can be changed by the user and press Enter. A checked checkbox indicates that the drive is for removable volumes. o To tell PSnS/2 whether the drive is supported by OS/2 commands, mark the checkbox labelled Drive is directly supported by OS/2 commands. o The field Files should be batched when they are backed up to this drive should only be checked for tape drives. When asked to back up to this drive, PSnS/2 will then make a list of changed files and pass the whole list to the software (separate from PSnS/2) that makes the actual backups. Command to back up to this drive If the drive is not OS/2-supported, (for example, a disk on a host machine), specify the file transfer command in this box. See notes below on the form to be used for the command. Note: There are special considerations if you are using OS/2 Extended Edition and wish to back up files to a host using Communications Manager. (See below for details.) Command to restore to this drive Again, if the drive is not OS/2-supported, PSnS/2 needs to know what commands to use to retrieve files from the drive back to the PC or PS/2. Enter the appropriate command here. Notes on entering commands You must know the commands you would use at the command line to transfer files to and from this device. Then type the commands exactly as you would if you were performing the file transfer manually; however you must use the following substitutions for the file names on the source and target drives: &s The token represents the full specification (drive, path, name and extension) of the source file (the file that has been or is to be backed up). &t This token represents the full specification of the target file (the backup file). &d This token represents the drive letter of the target file (without a colon). &n This token represents the file name of the target file (without a dot or extension). &x This token represents the extension of the target file (without a dot). Notes for OS/2 EE host backup If you want to back up files to the host (a mainframe running the VM or MVS operating systems), you must use a special command. There are restrictions in OS/2 Extended Edition which mean you cannot use SEND and RECEIVE. Instead, you must use PSSSEND and PSSRECV. So you should put PSSSEND &s a:&n &x in the Command to Back Up field, and PSSRECV &s a:&n &x in the Command to Restore field. To add another drive specification to the list, select Add. To delete a drive specification from the list, select the drive (by scrolling to it in the list) and then press Delete. To save the new drive information and return to the main menu, select OK. To return to the main menu without saving the new drive information, select Cancel. ═══ 10.1. Add a new drive to the drive table ═══ You can get to this pop-up window by selecting the Add button on the Setup Drives pop-up window. Use this window to add a new drive definition to the system. Enter the letter for the new drive in the entry field labelled Letter for new drive. The radio buttons below are to allow the user to specify which type of drive they wish PSnS/2 to use for backing up. Use the two checkboxes (marked Volumes in the drive can be changed by the user and Drive is directly supported by OS/2 commands) to specify whether the new drive uses removable media (such as diskettes) and whether the drive is OS/2-supported or not. If the new drive is a tape drive then check the third box to tell PSnS/2 that files being backed up should be batched (see Setup drive table). To add this information to PSnS/2's list of drives, select OK. To return to the previous screen without adding this new drive, select Cancel. ═══ 10.1.1. OS/2-supported drives ═══ An OS/2-supported drive is one which can be accessed by OS/2 commands such as DIR and COPY. This includes all the hard disks and diskette drives built into your machine, but excludes, for example, optical drives and host systems. ═══ 11. List of Removable Volumes ═══ Use this window to inform PSnS/2 of the removable volumes (eg diskettes) that it has at its disposal. In the list box on the left hand side of the window is a list of the removable volumes that PSnS/2 knows about; these are referenced by a unique number. To select a volume from this list, click on its name. Information about the volume (the drive it is used in and the amount of space free on it) is displayed beside the volume list. To add a new removable volume to the system, select Add To delete a volume from the system, click on its number in the list, and then select Delete Warning: If you delete a removable volume then all the backups on that volume will be lost irretrievably. To refresh the contents of the removable volumes, select Refresh ═══ 11.1. Add a removable volume to PSnS/2 ═══ Use this option to inform PSnS/2 of another removable volume (such as a diskette) that it can use for backing up. In the List of Removable Volumes window select the number you want for the new volume. In most cases you would accept the number shown, but if you no longer need the data on one of your existing volumes you could delete it from the list and then re-use that volume number. This function enables you to keep volume numbers down to a reasonable size. Then select the Add button to bring up the Add Removable Volumes window. Type the letter of the drive where the removable volume is used in the Home Drive entry field. Select the Format new volume check box if you want the new volume to be automatically formatted. PSnS/2 will then format it to the highest density. If you want the volume to be formatted to a different density, you must format it yourself and set the capacity to the lower density. If you do not want to format the new volume, and if the removable volume is OS/2-supported, you can ask the program to find out how much space is available on it automatically. If the volume is not OS/2-supported then you must enter the amount of space available on it (in kilobytes) in the Kilobytes free on new volume entry field. To add the new volume to the system (and format it, if required) select OK. To return to the previous window without adding a volume to the system, select Cancel. If there is no free space available on the removable volumes PSnS/2 already knows about then the program will bring up the Add Removable Volumes window automatically. ═══ 11.2. Refreshing the Contents of Removable Volumes ═══ PSnS/2 performs automatic management of removable volumes, and keeps track of how much space is available on them. However, because the program is designed to perform backups while causing the least possible disruption to the user, it will not always delete obsolete backups of files. This is because unnecessary swapping of removable volumes may be required. While these old backups will not affect the backing up and restoring of files, they do take up space. You get to this function by selecting the Refresh button on the List of Removable Volumes window. You can then choose to refresh either the main backup volumes, or those containing control file backups, or both. The refresh function will ask for each removable volume in turn, and refresh its contents. ═══ 12. The PSnS/2 Log File ═══ PSnS/2 will keep a log file of files which have been backed up. You can choose whether to record the good backups and the bad backups using the items on this pull-down. The log contains: o the date and time of each backup o an error number (if an error occurred) o the drive to which the file was backed up o the full file specification (drive, path, and name) for the backed up file. For example, a few lines might look like: - 03-05-90 08:30 >C C H C myfile Then view the file. /I Start up iconised. This causes PSnS/2 to start in the iconised state. /B PSnS/2 will perform a backup as soon as it is started, using the active rulebooks. /BL= PSnS/2 will perform a backup as soon as it is started, using the specified local rulebook. /BG= PSnS/2 will perform a backup as soon as it is started, using the specified global rulebook. /C When used with the /B, /BL or /BG switches this causes PSnS/2 to backup only changed files when it is started. ═══ 13.1. Backing up on Startup ═══ A backup can be performed as soon as PSnS/2 is started by using the /B switch on the command line. In its simplest form, /B will backup all files that are covered by the active rulebooks. This might be useful in a critical environment as it ensures that you have a complete set of backed up files every time the program is run. Using /BL= or /BG= performs a similar task, except that instead of using the active rulebooks, the program will use the rulebooks specified by name. Note that the switches only over-ride the type of rulebook to which they refer, so /BL=DAILY will over-ride any local rulebook, but will not affect the active global rulebook. Similarly /BG=ONCE will over-ride the active global rulebook, but will not affect any local rulebook. Using the /C switch causes PSnS/2 to back up only those files which have been changed since the last backup. So, for example, /B /C will cause a backup of all files covered by the active rulebooks which have been changed since the last backup. One possible use of /BL= and /BG= would be to allow a daily backup to diskette, by using appropriate rulebooks in the switches, combined with regular background backing up to hard-drive during normal operations. This not only provides greater security, but also avoids repeated interruptions when the program backs up to diskette during normal working hours. ═══ 13.2. Setting Priorities for PSnS/2 Threads ═══ Using this panel allows you to change the priorities of the threads that PSnS/2 uses to scan your disks and perform backups. You might want to do this to avoid interference from other programs (such as OS/2 system monitors and some DOS applications) which affect the way OS/2 works in background mode. The 2 modes available are High priority and Normal Priority. High priority means that OS/2 will try to give that thread a set proportion of the system's time, so the backup or disk scan will run and a regular rate, regardless of other programs you may be running. This can be disruptive if you are using another application while PSnS/2 is working. To get around this problem, PSnS/2 usually works at normal priority, which means that it will operate only when nothing else is happening on your machine. This is usually the best mode to operate in, as OS/2 will let PSnS/2 work in between your key or mouse presses, or after an application has finished a particular calculation. However, if you are using an application that works continuously (like a system monitor, or a DOS communications program), then PSnS/2 might never be given the opportunity to perform a disk scan, or back up. In this case you should select high priority for the threads affected. Once you have chosen the priorities you require, select OK. You will be asked to allow PSnS/2 to shut down, and then restart it for the changes to take effect. ═══ 13.3. Credits ═══ Project Leader Bruce Nash Original Idea John Armstrong Original Coder Clive Freeman Team Members Charles Cooper Gary Wooding Mike Rigby Ian Thomas John May Sally Dent Lucy Campbell With special thanks to: Richard Huijing, Paul Nol, Geoff Bott, Vinciane Ollington and Ian Nussey. ═══ 14. Leaving PSnS/2 ═══ Press F3 or select Exit from the first pull-down to exit the program. You will be asked if you are sure you want to exit, to prevent you from accidentally shutting down PSnS/2. ═══ 15. PSnS/2 Help choices ═══ Use these choices to find out: o how to use help o how to get extended help o how to go to a list of keys o how to go to the help index. Help for help Provides detailed information on the kinds of Help available and how to use Help. Extended help Displays general help. Keys help Displays a list of keys. Help index Displays the help index. ═══ 16. Help for PSnS/2 Help ═══ Use this choice to obtain information on how to use the Help facility. ═══ 16.1. Extended Help ═══ This in intended as an introduction to PSnS/2. ═══ 16.2. Help for Keys ═══ Use this choice to see a list of keys and a description of the function of the keys. The list of keys is arranged in groups. ACCELERATOR KEYS F1 Obtain help F3 Exit program HELP KEYS F1 Get help F2 Get extended help (from within any help window) Alt+F4 End help F9 Go to a list of keys (from within any help window) F11 Go to the help index (from within any help window) Esc Previous Help Panel, or End help if only one panel Alt+F6 Go to/from help and programs Shift+F10 Get help for help SYSTEM KEYS Alt+F6 Switch to the next windowed program Alt+Esc Switch to the next program, including full-screen programs Ctrl+Esc Switch to the Task List WINDOW KEYS F3 Close a window F10 Go to/from the action bar Arrow keys Move among choices End Go to the last choice in a pull-down Esc Cancel a pull-down or the system menu Home Go to the first choice in a pull-down PgUp Scroll the contents of the window up one page PgDn Scroll the contents of the window down one page Underlined letter Move among the choices on the action bar and pull-downs Alt+F10 Go to/from the action bar Alt+F4 or F3 Close the window Alt+F5 Restore the window Alt+F7 Move the window Alt+F8 Size the window Alt+F9 Minimize the window Alt+F10 Maximize the window Ctrl+PgDn or Shift+F8 Scroll the contents of the window right one page Ctrl+PgUp or Shift+F7 Scroll the contents of the window left one page Shift+Esc or Alt+Spacebar Go to/from the system menu Shift+Esc or Alt Go to/from the system menu of a text window ═══ 16.3. Help for Help Index ═══ Use this choice to display the help index. The help index lists the titles of the help information that is available. ═══ ═══ Removable volumes are backup volumes,such as diskettes, which can be changed by the user. The criterion for removable volumes is: might PSnS/2 try to back up to this device with the drive empty, or with the wrong thing in it? If so, it is a removable volume drive; the volumes in the drive can be changed by the user. ═══ ═══ You can change the interval which PSnS/2 will use from the Setup Timed Start screen. ═══ ═══ The archive bit is one of the OS/2 file system attributes. Whenever a file is changed, OS/2 sets it to on. ═══ ═══ Drives are displayed thus: [C:] for the C-drive, [D:] for the D-drive, and so on. ═══ ═══ Backups are kept in generations. A generation of backup corresponds to one complete backup of a file. So if you have three generations of backup for a file, there are up to three backup copies of the file in the system. When a fourth backup is taken, the oldest of the three copies will be overwritten. Note: Old generations of backup will only be overwritten on a directly OS/2-supported device such as a hard disk, a LAN disk, or diskettes. On devices such as an optical drive, which require a special command to write to them, old generations are not overwritten. The user may delete them manually if necessary, but this practice is strongly discouraged. ═══ ═══ If files are compressed in size during backup, they will take up less space on the backup device, although backup will take slightly longer. Since backup in OS/2 takes place in the background, without interrupting user tasks, the extra time taken by compression will probably not affect the user. Since there are considerable benefits to using less space on the backup device, use of PSnS/2's compression options is recommended. ═══ ═══ A good backup is one which was successful. The file has been backed up, and all appropriate entries made in PSnS/2 control files. ═══ ═══ A bad backup is one which failed for some reason. The reason can be determined by examining the error number in the Log File.