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1998-05-02
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Short: Backup and restore RDB along with data before it.
Rigids v1.0 beta
© 1997 by Tadek Knapik
*** The most important part - what is it for?
This program lets you backup your RigidDiskBlock along with
possible data placed before it. This means it will help you when you,
like me, have an Amiga hard disk with a fully-qualified pc-partition. On
block 0 there is pc MBR (Master Boot Record), and Amiga RDB starts on
block 3. Rigids by default saves to a file all data from block 0 to the
end of RDB data. And it can restore it, if course :)
It can also backup only RDB, or start backup at specified
offset. When restoring, default action is to write data from the file
exactly to where it was on the disk. But you can choose to write only
RDB at specified offset as well.
Still considered beta, because I hadn't too many volounteers for
betatesting :))
Some lines below you will find the template, at the end of the
docs there are some examples.
*** The part no one ever reads.
This program is let's-say-freeware. Freeware means you have
right to use it, spread it etc. as you want, but you have no right to
modify it. This is about the binary, source and docs. Let's-say means
that if you take part of the source and use it in your program, I
probably won't even think bad of you (well, you should notice my name
somewhere:) I wouldn't like modyfying it and spreading with this name,
or under my name, that's all. If you want to make this program better,
e-mail me you suggestions, or just send me source of your modyfications
to it, and I will take care. And.. Oh er, enough of this stuff...
I would appreciate a postcard or sth in this kind if it helped
you much, that's the more important thing in this copyright stuff:))
Oh, I almost forgot ;) I am not responsible for any damages this
program causes, use it at your risk etc. It is tested not to make your
fridge blow up, but... you never know ;)
Hmm, but seriously. If I had mistaken, you wouldn't be very
happy (would you?:). Use it carefully.
*** The part almost no one reads, but everyone should.
By default, the proggy searches for RDB start on first 16 blocks
of the device. When it finds it, it reads to a file all data from block
0 to the end of RDB. When writing, it searches for start of RDB in the
file (on first 16 "blocks"), and writes the data just where it was
before. There are some things in this behaviour you can change.
The template is:
D=DEVICE/K,U=UNIT/K/N,O=OFFSET/K/N,RDB=RDBONLY/S,WRITE/S,FORCE/S,F=FILE/A
D=DEVICE/K,U=UNIT/K/N
Default values for DEVICE and UNIT are scsi.device unit 0.
WRITE/S
If you don't specify this, the program will read data to a file. If
you do, it will write data from a file to the disk.
FORCE/S
All RDB data structures are checksummed. If the checksum is wrong,
Rigids will deny to do anything. But you can FORCE it to do what you
want.
Note, that Rigids has to find RDB first :) When you have no RDB, it
won't do anything. Even FORCED to :))
RDB=RDBONLY/S
Instead of taking care of all data, you can process only RDB. It
means that (on reading) all stuff before RDB on the disk is ignored, and
the file is filled only with RDB. On writing, only RDB data is written
to the disk (just in place where it was when backing up).
O=OFFSET/K/N
Here you choose where Rigids should start to search for RDB on the
disk. Also, it will start the backup begginnig from this block (unless
RDBONLY is specified).
When restoring, giving OFFSET tells Rigids to pick up from the file
only RDB data (it toggles on RDBONLY option automatically) and save it
beginning at given block.
Valid range is from 0 to 15.
This is rarely needed, but may help for example when you are writing
MBR's from an old backup (or creating it in some way), and then have to
write RDB which was on block 0 before.
F=FILE/A
Quite obvius - where to save or from where to read.
But watch out for WRITE flag - easier than to give it is to _forget_
to give it. Then you overwrite the valid data in your file with
(probably messed up) RDB from your hard disk. I managed to do it, and
then had a lot of "fun" putting everything altogether.
*** The part you will sure look at.
Here are some examples of use Rigids:
Rigids Work:Backup/TadekRDB - saves data to the end of RDB
Rigids RDBONLY Work:Backup/TadekRDB - saves RDB to a file
Rigids WRITE Work:Backup/TadekRDB - restores all data from a file
Rigids device=gvpscsi.device unit=2 ram:RDB - backup to the end of RDB
Rigids OFFSET=2 Trash:RDBFile - backups from block 2 to the end
Rigids WRITE RDBONLY ram:RDBetc - picks up RDB and writes it where it was
Rigids WRITE OFFSET=0 ram:RDBetc - picks up RDB and writes it at block 0
Rigids FORCE Trash:MessyRDB - backups even if cheksum is wrong
Rigids WRITE FORCE ram:MungledRDB - restores data even if checksum is wrong
Hope you got the idea :)
*** The part authors write when they're happy they did it.
Well, sorry for unconsistence of those docs. As my friend says,
this is the worst part of the program :))
Here I want to thank David Balazic for his RDB-Informer. It
helped me really much, both by possiblity to see some source code
reading RDB, and by providing a way to check if I write the data
correctly. Also, in my proggy I used a few of his routines, which were
very good start for me to write the source :)) If you'd like to know
what RDB is all about, how it looks like etc, I encourage to use the
RDB-Informer :)
And if you decide to write me a postcard or an e-mail, write to
him, too :)) His address is David.Balazic@uni-mb.si. Thanks David :))
I would also like to mention Gérard Cornu, the author of
ReadRDB, which was very helpful until I managed to make my hard disk a
hybrid :)
*** Last words
So, you have the proggy. You have the source, too. Hope you'll
find both useful. On the other side, the best way would be not to need
such programs :)
Future plans are to accept VERBOSE swicth and then print some
info about the RDB. Maybe even recognizing MBR (and printing info as
well). If I have docs on it :)
Bug reports, flames, thanks, letters, postcards appreciated.
It is always nice to know you didn't send your program to /dev/null :))
Tadek Knapik.
14th of December 1997, Cracow.
E-mail: tadek@malenstwo.iinf.polsl.gliwice.pl
Snail-mail:
ul. Duza Gora 35/88
30-857 Cracow
Poland
"Be yourself, no matter what they say" - Sting