The Tape Librarian system's programs provides you with all the tools necessary for you to create and maintain a catalogue of the contents of your backup tapes. You will be able to easily find and restore any file on any tape. No more leafing through outdated handwritten logs or searching endlessly through each tape's volume directory. With the Tape Librarian you can master your backup tapes and create a true archival system which is easily assessable through your computer.
This shareware version will allow only one tape to be catalogued for evaluation purposes. The registered version will allow multiple tapes.
REQUIREMENTS
The Tape Librarian requires an IBM AT compatible PC with a hard drive, DOS 3.0 or above, 640K of RAM, and a CGA, EGA, or VGA monitor. Data files require approximately 1K per 5 Megs of backup. Your data files may be larger or smaller depending on the size and number of files backed up. The Tape Librarian requires that you are using either a Colorado Memory System's Jumbo or Trakker 120 or 250 tape drive, and that the backup tapes were created with CMS's TAPE.EXE program (versions 2.54 through 3.06, are currently supported). CMS's TAPE.EXE program MUST reside in the same directory as the Tape Librarian.
FUNCTIONS
The Tape Librarian system, Version 1.23, provides you with the following capabilities; Cataloguing an existing tape's volumes' contents (one, range, or all), deleting a tape's volumes' contents from the catalogue files (one, range, or all), printing a listing of the contents of a catalogued tape's volumes (one or all), locating all occurrences of a path or file name on all catalogued tapes, and restoring a specific path or file from any volume, or range of volumes, of a catalogued tape. As you can see the capabilities of the Tape Librarian are quite extensive.
INSTALLATION
Installation of the Tape Librarian is relatively easy. The first step is to identify the drive and directory in which CMS's TAPE.EXE program resides. Probably C:\TAPE. Attach to this directory. Place the Tape Librarian disk in your A floppy drive. Type "Copy A:\*.*" at the DOS prompt and press ENTER. After the DOS prompt has returned type "TL" to start the Tape Librarian system.
During the initialization of the Tape Librarian system, it checks for existence of CMS's TAPE.EXE program. If TAPE.EXE is not found you will receive a warning message. If you receive a warning message, please ensure that the correct file is present and that it is located in the same directory as the Tape Librarian system. The program will also check for and validate the system KEY and DATA files.
The first time you run the Tape Librarian system you will receive a series of messages indicating that the KEY and DATA files could not be found. Please follow the instructions to create the files. If, in the future, you receive these messages again you should quit out of the system and investigate the cause of the warnings.
When all Catalogue Files have been successfully validated you will be presented with the Menu Screen. The Menu Screen will display two windows; the Title Window and the Menu Window. The Menu Window will list four items which may be accessed by pressing the arrow keys, until the desired choice is highlighted, and pressing ENTER.
USING TAPE LIBRARIAN
Cataloging a Tape
One of the first things you'll probably do, will be to catalogue your first tape. Before you do, though, take a few minutes to develop a naming convention for your tapes. If your tapes contain off-loads of programs and/or data for long term storage, then the Tape ID's "Arch 1" (Archive, tape #1) or "STOR1092" (Storage October 1992) maybe sufficient. If your tapes contain a backup of a server's drives, then something like "SR101092" (Server 10/10/92) or "LAN 4392" (LAN Server 43rd week 1992) may be more appropriate. Maybe your tapes are archival backups of all the office PCs. In this case "Bill1092" (Bill's PC 10/92) or "SDF Oct" (Sam Donald Farquar's PC October) will do. Probably though, your tapes are backups of your own PC's hard drives and will be recycled many times, so ID's like "Total C" (Total Backup Drive C) or "Ttl C #2" (Total Backup Drive C alternate 2) will suffice. It is a good practice not to include a date in a tape name when the tape is going to be recycled many times. Whatever naming convention you develop, write down an explanation of the nomenclature and store it away for future reference. The Tape Librarian will accept Tape ID's constructed of up to eight alphanumeric characters, including spaces and most punctuation marks. Leading and trailing spaces are ignored.
Use the arrow keys to highlight the "Catalogue a Tape" item on the Main Menu and press ENTER. The Main Screen will be replaced with the Catalogue a Tape Screen. This screen will initially display two windows; the Title Window and the Tape ID Query Window. Enter your Tape ID and press ENTER. When your Tape ID has been accepted the Tape ID Query Window will be replaced with an Information Window stating the Tape ID that will be used in cataloguing your tape. Please note that the shareware version will always default to a Tape ID of "TL Share".
Once a valid Tape ID is entered and accepted the Volume Query Window will be displayed. Enter the number of the volume (1 through 256) or a range of volumes (format is [start number]-[end number]) that you want to catalogue, or "A" for all volumes, and press ENTER. When a valid volume number has been entered the Volume Query Window will be replaced with an Information Window stating the volume(s) to be catalogued.
If any of the Tape ID/volume number(s) entered had been previously catalogued, the system will request permission to delete the previous entries. If you answer "NO", the cataloguing process will be aborted. If you answer "YES", a series of Progress Windows will appear until the deletion processing has completed.
The next window will request that you place your tape in the drive and press "Y" to continue or "Q" to quit. If you select to quit, the cataloguing process will be aborted, but any deletions made will remain in effect. If you wish to continue, place the tape to be catalogued in the tape drive and press "Y".
While the tape is being catalogued, a Progress Window will be displayed keeping you informed of the status of the cataloguing process.
Cataloguing a tape will take about 60 to 90 seconds per volume, depending on the speed of your machine, the number of volumes, and the speed of your controller. Do NOT interrupt the cataloguing process or remove the tape while it is streaming!
Cataloging a Tape from a Batch File
For those of you who backup at night or during off-hours from a batch file, you can catalogue you tape automatically. The Tape Librarian system contains a program file named TL_CTBAT.EXE which will catalogue your tape (all volumes) immediately. Add the following lines to your backup batch file:
C: (or the drive on which the Tape Librarian system
resides)
CD\[Tape Librarian directory name- usually TAPE]
TL_CTBAT.EXE /[Tape ID]
Please note that, on any error, the TL_CTBAT.EXE program will pause until a key is pressed and that spaces are allowed in the Tape ID. The TL_CTBAT.EXE program must reside in the same directory as CMS's TAPE.EXE program along with the Tape Librarian data and key files. Also, the shareware version will always default the Tape ID to "TL Share".
Deleting a Tape or Volume
You may delete either all of a tape's contents, one of a tape's volumes, or a range of a tape's volumes contents from the Tape Librarian's Catalogue File at any time.
To delete a single volume or a range of volumes, select "Catalogue a tape" from the Main Menu. Enter the Tape's ID (shareware version will default Tape ID to "TL Share") and the volume number to be deleted. When the deletion process has been completed, select "Q" to quit.
To delete a tape's contents, select "Catalogue a tape" from the Main Menu. Enter the Tape's ID (shareware version will default Tape ID to "TL Share") and "A" for the volume number. When the deletion process has been completed, select "Q" to quit.
Printing a Tape or Volume
The Tape Librarian will allow you to print out a listing of either an entire tape's contents or one of its volumes.
Use the arrow keys to highlight the "Print Tape" item on the menu and press ENTER. The Main Screen will be replaced with the Print a Tape Screen. This screen will initially display two windows; the Title Window and the Tape ID Query Window. Enter your Tape ID and press ENTER. If you leave the Tape ID field blank or if the Tape ID does not exist in the Catalogue File you will receive a warning message instructing you to either press ENTER to continue or "L" to list the Tape ID's currently in the Catalogue File. Pressing "L" will open a window listing all the Tape IDs and volume numbers currently catalogued for you to review. If you press any other key a small message window will be displayed giving you the option to try again or quit.
When your Tape ID has been accepted, the Tape ID Query Window will be replaced with an Information Window stating the Tape ID that will be used in the printing process.
Once a valid Tape ID is entered and accepted, the Volume Query Window will be displayed. Enter the number of the volume (1-256) on the tape that you want to print or "A" for all volumes and press ENTER. When a valid volume number has been entered, the Volume Query Window will be replaced with an Information Window stating the volume(s) to be printed. You will then be offered the option of printing filenames or not. Make your selection by pressing "Y" or "N".
The Tape Librarian will then produce a print file containing the selected listings and display a Processing Window. The name of the print file will consist of the Tape ID (all spaces, if any, removed) and the volume number, or "A" for all, in the format [Tape ID].[volume number or "A"].
When finished, an Information Window will be displayed replacing the Processing Window. The Information Window will state the name and size of the print file and offer the option to print the file. Before you choose the Print option be sure that you printer is on-line and ready to print. If you choose not to print, the system will present you with the option to return to the Main menu or perform another print.
Finding a File
Cataloguing all that information about your backup tapes would be useless if you couldn't put it to use. The Tape Librarian system will enable you to easily find any file, in any volume, on any catalogued tape. Once more, once you've found a specific file, you can have it restored automatically!
Use the arrow keys to highlight the "Find a File" selection on the Main menu and press ENTER. The Main Screen will be replaced with the Find a File Screen. This screen will initially display two windows; the Title Window and the Path Query Window. Leaving the Path field empty, press ENTER.
The Path Query Window will be replaced with an Information Window stating that no path was selected and the File Name Query window will open. Enter the full name of the specific file you want to search for and press ENTER. Wildcard searches are allowed using the DOS " * " format, but you may not restore from the results of a wildcard search. The File Name Query Window will be replaced with an Information Window stating the name of the file(s) to be searched for, and presenting you with the option to continue or to abort the search.
If you choose to continue, the Find a File Screen will be replaced with the Find Screen. During the search process a Message Window will be displayed. If no matches are found, you will be presented with the option of either performing another search or returning to the Main Menu.
If you are searching for a specific file the Find Screen will display all the tapes and volumes in which the file was found. It will also display the date and time that each volume was created and the path in which the file was located when it was backed up. Each occurrence of the file will be assigned a FIND #. Up to 19 Finds may be displayed on a screen. If there are more that 19 Finds then you will be given the option to continue, abort or stop. If you choose to continue, another 19 Finds will be displayed. If you choose to abort, you will be asked if you want to perform another search. If you choose to stop or if all Finds have been displayed the View/Print Window will be displayed at the bottom of the Find Screen.
(The registered version of the Tape Librarian is initially configured to allow up to 300 Finds per search- shareware version will allow only up to 100 Finds. In the registered version you may raise or lower this limitation if you desire. The maximum number of Finds is set in the Tape Librarian configuration file, TLFNDFIL.CFG. You can use a plain ASCII editor to edit this file and change the maximum number of Finds. The absolute maximum is dependent on many factors, so you'll need to experiment with various values to find it.)
If you choose the "Y" (YES) option at the View/Print Window, or if you are performing a wildcard search, the View Window will be displayed. The View Window will display complete information on all Finds resulting from the search. To see the next screen of information press the "C" key. To stop viewing the Finds information press the "S" key. When the end if the Finds information has been reached, or if you choose to stop you will be given the option to either return or to print the Find information. Either choice will close the View Window.
If you choose to print, the Find # Print Window will be displayed and you will be asked to enter either the Find number to be printed or to enter an "A" to print all Find information. If you press ENTER without making an entry you will be returned to the Find Screen and the View/Print? Window will be re displayed.
After entry of a valid Find number, the Tape Librarian will print the information you've selected. Be sure that your printer is ready to print BEFORE you enter the Find number! After printing, the View/Print? Window will be re displayed. You may, at this point, choose to re-view the Find information by pressing the "Y" key. To continue press the "N" key.
If you were performing a search for a specific file, choosing not to View/Print the Find information will close the View/Print Window and display the Restore Find # Window. If you do not want to restore at this time enter a 0 (zero) as the Find number and press ENTER. You will be given the choice of either performing another search or of returning to the Main Menu.
If you were performing a wildcard file search, selecting not to View/Print will return to the Path Query Window.
Restoring a File
At the Restore Find # Window (presented after a successful path or specific file search) any valid entry will start the queries necessary to restore a file. You may choose to restore a single Find number or a range of Find numbers. To restore a single Find number enter the Find number and press ENTER.
To restore a range of Find numbers enter an "R" and press ENTER. A new window will be displayed asking you to enter the first Find number of the range. Then, another window will be displayed requesting that you enter the last Find number of the range. Entering a 0 (zero) in either of the last two windows will return you to the initial Find Screen. Lastly, a conformation screen will be displayed asking you to confirm the Find number range to be restored. If you press the "Y" key, the restore queries will continue. If you press the "N" key, you will be returned to the Restore Find # Window.
When you've entered either a valid Find number or a valid range of find numbers to be restored, the Find Screen will be replaced with the Restore Options Screen.
Two windows will be initially displayed. The first is an Information Window re-stating the file to be restored and the second is the Restore To Path Window.
The Restore To Path Window allows you to enter a new drive, path, and file name to restore the file to, other than the default values. To clarify (I hope), NOTE THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLES:
File Backed up as: \BPATH\FILENAME.EXT
Default drive is D, default path is DPATH
New Path Entry Restored to:
(blank) D:\BPATH\FILENAME.EXT
C:\ C:\BPATH\FILENAME.EXT
C:\NEWPATH\ C:\NEWPATH\FILENAME.EXT
C:\NEWPATH\NEWFILE.EXT C:\NEWPATH\NEWFILE.EXT
\NEWPATH\NEWFILE.EXT D:\NEWPATH\NEWFILE.EXT
\NEWFILE.EXT D:\NEWFILE.EXT
\NEWPATH\ D:\NEWPATH\FILENAME.EXT
\NEWPATH D:\NEWPATH
NEWFILW.EXT D:\DPATH\NEWFILE.EXT
The safest way is to enter a complete path (drive, path, filename) and move it to where you want it.
The third window to be displayed is the Sub Directories Window. When you perform a search on a file name, every occurrence of the file name in the Catalogue File will result in a Find number on the Find Screen. Sometimes that may result in several Finds that belong to the same volume on the same tape, but in different sub directories. If this is the case the Tape Librarian will tag these multiple occurrences on the Find Screen as follows: the first occurrence will be marked with a down-arrow, the last occurrence with an up-arrow, and any in-between with an asterisks. Why? Because if TAPE.EXE is executed with the "/S" parameter, ALL occurrences of the file name, in all sub directories, will be restored- even if you've specified only one Find number. Your choice in the Sub Directories? Window determines the setting of the "/S" parameter. If you choose YES, then the restore command will be executed with the "/S" parameter, but if you choose NO, only the Find number(s) you specified will be restored. The safest choice is to say NO.
After you make your Sub Directories choice, a message screen will be displayed telling you to press ENTER to continue.
If you have chosen a range of Find numbers to be restored, The Restore Options Screen will be replaced with the Command Conformation? Screen/Window. If you chose YES, then the display of the Command Conformation Window on the Restore Screen will be suppressed. It is recommended that you choose NO until you have become very familiar with the system and the restore process.
Next you will be asked if you want to overwrite any existing files. Pressing "Y" will allow the restore process to overwrite existing files; pressing "N" will not allow overwriting of files. It is recommended that you select "N" until you are fully familiar with the restore processing. Lastly, you will be given the opportunity to enter additional parameters. Please note that these entries will not be checked or verified by the program in any way!
The last screen is the Restore Screen. The first window displayed will Sound a double tone and Instruct you to place the required tape in the drive and to press "C" to continue or "A" to abort. If you chose to continue, the Command Conformation Window is displayed. This window displays the details of the restore to be performed along with the specific TAPE.EXE command which will be issued. Please read this Window carefully! To continue Press "C", or press "A" to abort. If you have specified a range of Find numbers to be restored, the Command Conformation Window will be repeated for each Find number.
Tape Librarian will then execute the TAPE.EXE program to perform the restore. After the restore is completed you will be returned to the main menu.
Finding a Path
Finding a path is very similar to finding a file.
Use the arrow keys to highlight the "Find a File" selection on the Main menu and press ENTER. The Main Screen will be replaced with the Find a File Screen. This screen will initially display two windows, the Title Window and the Path Query Window. Enter the full name of the path you want to search for and press ENTER. Wild card searches are not allowed. If you enter a "Q" the search will be aborted. After a valid path name has been entered, a window will be displayed asking if you want to include sub directories in the search. Select YES or NO by press either the "Y" or "N" key. The Path Query Window and the sub directories window will be replaced with an Information Window stating the name of the file to be searched for and present you with the option to continue or abort the search.
If you choose to continue, the Find a File Screen will be replaced with the Find Screen. During the search process a Message Window will be displayed. If no matches are found you will be presented with the option of either performing another search or returning to the Main Menu.
The Find Screen will display all the tapes and volumes in which the path was found. It will also display the date and time that each volume was created and the number of file in the path. (If you chose to include sub directories then the file in the all sub directories will be included.) Each occurrence of the path will be assigned a FIND #. Up to 19 Finds may be displayed on a screen. If there are more than 19 Finds then you will be given the option to continue, abort or stop. If you choose to continue, another 19 Finds will be displayed. If you choose to abort, you will be asked if you want to perform another search. If you choose to stop or if all Finds have been displayed, the View/Print Window will be displayed at the bottom of the Find Screen.
If you choose the "Y" (YES) option at the View/Print Window the View Window will be displayed. The View Window will display complete information on all Finds resulting from the search. To see the next screen of information press the "C" key. To stop viewing the Finds information press the "S" key. When the end of the Finds information has been reached, or if you choose to stop, you will be given the option to either return or to print the Find information. Either choice will close the View Window.
If you choose to print, the Find # Print Window will be displayed and you will be asked to enter either the Find number to be printed or to enter an "A" to print all Find information. If you press ENTER without making an entry, you will be returned to the Find Screen and the View/Print Window will be re displayed.
After entry of a valid Find number, the Tape Librarian will print the information you've selected. Be sure that your printer is ready to print BEFORE you enter the Find number! After printing, the View/Print Window will be re displayed. You may, at this point, choose to re-view the Find information by pressing the "Y" key. To continue press the "N" key.
Choosing not to View/Print the Find information will close the View/Print Window and display the Restore Find # Window. If you do not want to restore at this time enter a 0 (zero) as the Find number and press ENTER. You will be given the choice of either performing another search or of returning to the Main Menu.
Restoring a Path
At the Restore Find # Window any valid entry will start the queries necessary to restore a path. You may choose to restore a single Find number or a range of Find numbers. To restore a single Find number enter the Find number and press ENTER.
To restore a range of Find Numbers enter an "R" and press ENTER. A new window will be displayed asking you to enter the first Find number of the range. Next another window will be displayed requesting that you enter the last Find number of the range. Entering a 0 (zero) in either of the last two windows will return you to the initial Find a File Screen. Last, a conformation screen will be displayed asking you to confirm the Find number range to be restored. If you press the "Y" key the restore queries will continue. If you press the "N" key you will be returned to the Restore Find # Window.
When you've entered either a valid Find number or a valid range of find numbers to be restored, the Find Screen will be replaced with the Restore Options Screen.
Two windows will be initially displayed. The first is an Information Window re-stating the file to be restored and the second is the Restore To Drive Window.
The Restore To Drive Window allows you to enter the drive to restore the path's files to. Once a valid drive is entered (A through Z), the Restore To Path window will be displayed. The safest is to enter a completely new path and move the restored files it to where you want them.
The next window is the Sub Directories Window. This is your last chance to decide if sub directories and their files are to be restored. After you make your Sub Directories choice, a message screen will be displayed telling you to press ENTER to continue.
If you have chosen a range of Find numbers to be restored The Restore Options Screen will be replaced with the Command Conformation Screen/Window. If you chose YES , the display of the Command Conformation Window on the Restore Screen will be suppressed. It is recommended that you choose NO until you have become very familiar with the system and the restore process.
Next you will be asked if you want to overwrite any existing files. Pressing "Y" will allow the restore process to overwrite existing files; pressing "N" will not allow overwriting of files. It is recommended that you select "N" until you are fully familiar with the restore processing.
The last screen is the Restore Screen. The first window displayed will Sound a double tone and instruct you to place the required tape in the drive and to press "C" to continue or "A" to abort. If you chose to continue the Command Conformation Window is displayed. This window displays the details of the restore to be performed along with the specific TAPE.EXE command which will be issued. Please read this Window carefully! To continue Press "C", or press "A" to abort. If you have specified a range of Find numbers to be restored, the Command Conformation Window will be repeated for each Find number. Tape Librarian will then execute the TAPE.EXE program to perform the restore. After the restore is completed you will be returned to the main menu.
We hope that you will enjoy trying the Tape Librarian system. If you should encounter any problems, please report them to us. We want, also, to hear your suggestions for improvements. If you feel that you need a custom version of the program, or would like support for other tape drives, call at your convenience. We can be reached at:
It's Magic! PC Potions
9589 West Burgundy Avenue
Littleton, CO 80123-3408
(303) 933-3531
Registration information can be found in the file TL_REG.DOC.
LEGAL STATEMENTS
The Tape Librarian Version 1.23 software and manual ("documentation") are licensed property of It's Magic! PC Potions. Use of the software indicates your acceptance of the following DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY.
Disclaimer of Warranty
We have made every effort to verify that the Tape Librarian system is an effective tool for cataloguing back-up tapes. However, you must be aware that it is provided to you "as is", with out any warranty of any kind.
IN NO EVENT SHALL IT'S MAGIC! PC POTIONS BE LIABLE OR RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY PROBLEMS THAT ARISE BECAUSE OF DEFECTS WITH THIS SOFTWARE OR IT'S RELATED MATERIALS.
