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1993-09-03
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Tape Librarian Version 1.23
(C)1993 It's Magic! PC Potions
9589 W. Burgundy Avenue
Littleton, CO 80123
(303) 933-3531
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 No more leafing through outdated handwritten logs or searching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 4.01, 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".
At this point, if you are using version 4.01 of the TAPE.EXE program, you
will be given the option of renaming the tape to match the Tape ID you
entered. Please note that the shareware version does not support this
option.
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.