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QIC-BAT for CMS Version 1.0 A batch file generator for tape backup. Do Your Backups.... Right off the BAT Douglas East 3431 Florida Dr. Loveland, CO 80538 303-667-4566 FRPCUG BBS 303-484-0564 QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 2 OF 36 =========================================================== WARRANTY THE AUTHOR HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE AUTHOR WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT OR SIMILAR DAMAGES DUE TO LOSS OF DATA OR ANY OTHER REASON, EVEN IF THE AUTHOR OR AN AGENT OF THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR'S LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE. TRADEMARKS The following trademarks are referred to throughout this manual. As you read the manual please remember that they are the trademarks or registered trademarks of the companies below. Colorado Memory Systems (referred to as CMS in this manual) is a trademark of Colorado Memory Systems, Inc. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 3 OF 36 =========================================================== INSTALLATION The shareware version of QIC-BAT is delivered by means of a single self-extracting file. The name of this file is QICBAT10.EXE. Since QIC-BAT works in conjunction with the CMS backup software all of QIC-BAT's files should be located in the same subdirectory with CMS's TAPE.EXE. Normally this subdirectory is named \TAPE. Copy QICBAT10.EXE into the \TAPE subdirectory and then type QB and [Enter]. The file will self-extract yielding the following files: QICBAT.EXE The main program QICBAT.HLP On-line help file QICBAT.DOC User's manual (This file) REGISTER.DOC Registration information VENDOR.DOC Information for distribution of QIC-BAT LICENSE.DOC License information QICREG1.COM batch file registration screen QICREG2.COM batch file registration screen After extracting the files above, QICBAT10.EXE can be deleted if you wish. However, if you would like to give a copy of QIC-BAT to others or upload it to your local BBS then retain the QICBAT10.EXE file and use it for copying purposes. Start the program by typing QICBAT followed by the [Enter] key. QIC-BAT version 1.0 was designed to work with the command line language available with CMS DOS backup software through version 3.03. This was the latest version at this writing (5/1/93). QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 4 OF 36 =========================================================== INTRODUCTION Welcome to QIC-BAT(TM) - The quickest and easiest way to launch your tape drive software. WHY USE BATCH FILES FOR BACKUP? Your tape drive manufacturer supplied a software program with your tape drive that gives you the capability to backup your hard drive in a variety of different ways. The program uses a series of menus that guides you through the process of making several choices regarding how the backup is to be done. However, each time you wish to do the same backup you must open the software and make all the same choices over again. If you do daily backups as you should then this can become a daily time-consuming task. Recognizing this shortcoming, the manufacturer did provide a seldom used solution to automating the backup process. They provided a command line language that allows you to run your entire backup without ever opening the menu software. Unfortunately this language was written for programmers and not for the average user. It can be difficult to use and very prone to errors. This command line language is very powerful. It not only provides you with a means of saving your backup selections for future use but provides additional capabilities not available in the menu software (see below). With QIC-BAT you can now take full advantage of the software supplied with your tape drive. QIC-BAT unleashes the power of your backup software by providing a very easy-to-use, mouse driven solution for creating batch files for your backups. There are other advantages to using batch files for doing your backups: Faster backups - The backup software actually runs faster from a batch file. Your backups will be completed in less time. Less memory required - The amount of memory required to run the backup software is reduced by launching the software from a batch file. For some users who have stringent memory requirements this may be the only way that the software can be run. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 5 OF 36 =========================================================== Additional capabilities available only from batch files include: * Multi-Drive backups * Tag Files * File exclusion * Better date filtering Backing up your hard drive to a tape drive is a very repetitive process. Once you have decided on a backup strategy then performing the backup should be made as easy as possible. If you want to do the same type of backup today that you did yesterday then you shouldn't have to redefine it each time you want to repeat it. Batch files give you that capability. Once defined you can run them over and over again by simply executing the batch file. You can have numerous batch files, each one performing a different type of backup. USE OF THE MOUSE AND KEYBOARD QIC-BAT provides full mouse support. However, the program can be run very easily without a mouse. There are two methods for making selections from the keyboard. You can select an object on the screen by using the [TAB] key to set the focus to an object and then striking the [ENTER] key. The other method is to simply strike the access key for the desired object while holding down the [ALT] key. Each screen object has an access key highlighted in bright white. [Alt M] on the opening screen for example is the same as clicking with the mouse on the MAKE NEW BATCH FILE button. USE OF HELP BUTTONS There are over 30 help buttons distributed throughout QIC-BAT. To obtain help for a given function of the program simply click on the HELP button located closest to that function. To select a help button from the keyboard hold down the [Alt] key followed by it's highlighted access key. The access keys for all help buttons are a number from 1 to 9. Help buttons have a gray background and have the format <Help n> where n is the access key for that button. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 6 OF 36 =========================================================== Clicking on a help button brings up a white on gray window providing information about the desired subject. Help screens initially appear as half sized windows. The window may appear on the left or right side of the screen depending on the location of the help button that was clicked. This allows you to read the help screen and still see the window below it. The help screens, like many other screens in QIC-BAT, may be repositioned on the screen by clicking and dragging on the title bar of the screen. Also, while the help screen is showing, the active help button is temporarily colored yellow. Once a help screen appears you have several choices. You can view the screen full size by clicking on the FULL SCREEN button. You can also print the contents of the screen by clicking on the PRINT button. You exit the help screen by clicking on the OK button. Vertical Scroll bars are also provided. Keyboard editing keys such as [Home], [End], [PgUp] and [PgDn] are also active in the viewing area of the help screen. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 7 OF 36 =========================================================== TUTORIAL WRITING YOUR FIRST BATCH FILE Scenario: Full backup of all logical drives on your system. 1. Start the program by typing QICBAT at the DOS prompt. 2. At the opening screen select MAKE NEW BATCH FILE. 3. From the Select File Name screen enter the file name BAKFULL and click on the OK button. If this file name already exists, the program will warn you and ask if you wish to overwrite it or not. 4. The Drive Selection screen appears, displaying all logical drives from C to Z. All valid drives on your system will be highlighted. If drive C is your only drive it will already be selected. If you have more than one drive, select them all by clicking on the SELECT/CLEAR ALL button. Proceed to the next screen by clicking on the OK button. 5. At the Main Options screen the drives you selected on the previous screen will be displayed in the upper left-hand corner with the first drive highlighted. The options displayed on the remainder of this screen all apply to the drive that is currently selected. To select another drive simply click on the desired drive in the list. Note that all options for all drives have been set to a default value. These values are the normal settings for performing a full backup. Since a full backup is our goal for this example none of the options need to be changed. Proceed to the final screen by clicking on the OK button. 6. Your batch file has now been automatically created and is displayed in the window at the top of the screen. This window is "display only." No editing is allowed. However, you can scroll up and down or from side to side if necessary to view the entire batch file. 7. Click on the SAVE FILE AND EXIT button. Your batch file BAKFULL.BAT has now been saved and is ready to be run. It can be run now or anytime you desire by typing BAKFULL and [ENTER] at the DOS prompt. Congratulations! By entering one file name and clicking the mouse six times, you have just created a batch file that will perform a full backup on all the drives on your system. And, it can be used over and over again without ever opening the menu software that came with your tape drive. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 8 OF 36 =========================================================== BATCH FILE EXAMPLE USING THE EDIT PATH/FILE FEATURE Scenario: Backup of just the WINDOWS subdirectory. 1. Start the program by typing QICBAT at the DOS prompt. 2. At the opening screen select MAKE NEW BATCH FILE. 3. From the Select File Name screen enter the file name BAKWIN and click on the OK button. If this file name already exists, the program will warn you and ask if you wish to overwrite it or not. 4. The Drive Selection screen appears displaying all logical drives from C to Z. Select the C Drive by clicking on the check box next to "C:". Click on the OK button. Note: For this example we are going to assume that your Windows subdirectory is on the C Drive and that you have a Windows subdirectory. However, this brings up an important advantage in using QIC-BAT rather than the backup software supplied with your tape drive. You can write batches files for drives and paths that don't exist on your computer. This can't be done with your regular backup software since you can only select drives, paths and files that exist on the computer that is running the software. This is a particular advantage for MIS and consulting personnel who want to write backup routines for users in other departments or customers. 5. At the Main Options screen the C drive you selected on the previous screen will be displayed in the upper left-hand corner. It will be highlighted since it was the only drive selected. We will accept all of the default values for the various options except for the starting path. To change the starting path from the root directory to the WINDOWS subdirectory click on the EDIT PATH/FILE TYPE button. A window will appear that shows the default path "\" and the default file type "*.*". QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 9 OF 36 =========================================================== Assuming you have a WINDOWS subdirectory on your C drive, you can use the Browsing feature to the select the new path. Click on the BROWSE button. The window will expand and display a list box showing your C:\ root directory and the current directory (probably TAPE). Double click on the "C:\". This will set the current directory back to the root directory and display all of the subdirectories attached to the root. To select the WINDOWS subdirectory scroll down through the list or type the letter "W" on the keyboard repeatedly until the WINDOWS subdirectory is highlighted. Note that C:\WINDOWS\ now appears in the text box at the top of the dialog box. To accept this simply click on the OK button. If you don't have a WINDOWS subdirectory on your computer then ignore the browsing feature and click on the EDIT/PATH button. Another window appears which allows you to edit the default path "\". Type WINDOWS\ and then click on the OK button. If you forget to provide a slash "\" before and after the word WINDOWS don't worry the program won't let you forget it. Now click on the OK button just below the BROWSE button. You will be returned to the Main Options Screen where your new starting path selection will now be shown. Proceed to the final screen by clicking on the OK button. 6. Your batch file has now been automatically created and is displayed in the window at the top of the screen. 7. Click on the SAVE FILE AND EXIT button. Your batch file BAKWIN.BAT has now been saved and is ready to be run. It can be run now or anytime you desire by typing BAKWIN and [ENTER] at the DOS prompt. BATCH FILE EXAMPLE USING THE GROUP FEATURE AND DATE FILTER Scenario: Backup 10 drives. Do a full backup on the C drive. On the remaining nine drives only backup the files that were created on today's date. 1. Start the program by typing QICBAT at the DOS prompt. 2. At the opening screen select MAKE NEW BATCH FILE. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 10 OF 36 =========================================================== 3. From the Select File Name screen enter the file name BAKTEN and click on the OK button. If this file name already exists, the program will warn you and ask if you wish to overwrite it or not. 4. The Drive Selection screen appears, displaying all logical drives from C to Z. Click on the SHOW ALL? button. This will allow you to select any drive from A to Z rather than just the drives valid to your computer. Select the C Drive and nine other drives by clicking on the appropriate check boxes. Then click on the OK button. 5. At the Main Options screen the ten drives you selected on the previous screen will be displayed in the upper left-hand corner. We are going collect all of the drives except C into a group. This allows us to define the parameters for nine drives all at once without having to set them individually. The C drive will then be treated separately. 6. Click on the SET GROUP OF DRIVES button. The Set Group screen will appear, displaying the ten selected drives on the left side of the screen. To define a group you must transfer the desired drives from the left side of the screen to the right side of the screen. The easiest way to do this in this example would be to transfer all drives to the right first and then transfer the C drive back to the left by itself. 7. First click on the MOVE ALL DRIVES INTO GROUP ==> button. All ten drives now appear on the right side of the screen. 8. As soon as any drives appear on the right side of the screen two more buttons appear which allow you to transfer any or all drives back to the left. Highlight the C Drive which is now on the right side of the screen by clicking on it. Then click on the <== MOVE SELECTED DRIVE OUT OF GROUP button. The C drive will be transferred back to the list box on the left side of the screen. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 11 OF 36 =========================================================== 9. Click on the OK button. You will be returned to the Main Options Screen. Note that there are now only two items in the drive list box in the upper left hand corner of the screen. The C drive is still there but a new [GROUP] designation is also displayed. Also note that both items in the list are marked as (Defaults). This provides a quick method for determining if any options have changed from their default values. 10. To set a date filter for the [GROUP], first highlight it by clicking on the [GROUP] item in the drive list box. Then click on the SET MISC OPTIONS button. The MISC OPTIONS menu will be displayed in the middle of the screen. 11. Click on the ADD DATE FILTER button. An entry screen will appear providing a text box to enter a date. Since we want to use today's date as the date filter simply click on the small button label <Today>. Today's date will appear in the text box automatically. Exit this screen by clicking on the OK button. And then return to the Main Options Screen by clicking on the OK button on the Misc Options Screen. 12. Note that the [Group] designation in the drive list box now reads (Changed). We have now finished defining our selections so proceed to the final screen by clicking on the OK button. 13. Your batch file has now been automatically created and is displayed in the window at the top of the screen. Note that all ten drives have been included in the batch file and that the nine included in the group all have the same options including today's date as a date filter. Use the scroll bar to see the date. 14. Click on the SAVE FILE AND EXIT button. Your batch file BAKTEN.BAT has now been saved and is ready to be run. It can be run now or anytime you desire by typing BAKTEN and [ENTER] at the DOS prompt. BATCH FILE EXAMPLE USING THE TAG FILE GENERATOR Scenario: Backup the C and D drive. Do a full backup on the D drive. On the C drive backup only the WINDOWS and the EXCEL subdirectories and the subdirectories below them. However, do not backup any EXE or COM files on those directories. 1. Start the program by typing QICBAT at the DOS prompt. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 12 OF 36 =========================================================== 2. At the opening screen select MAKE NEW BATCH FILE. 3. From the Select File Name screen enter the file name BAKCND and click on the OK button. If this file name already exists, the program will warn you and ask if you wish to overwrite it or not. 4. The Drive Selection screen appears, displaying all logical drives from C to Z. Select both the C Drive and the D Drive by clicking on the appropriate check boxes. If your system does not have a D Drive then you will have to click on the SHOW ALL? button to highlight all drives before selecting D. Then click on the OK button. 5. At the Main Options screen the C and D drives you selected on the previous screen will be displayed in the upper left-hand corner. Since the D drive is to be a Full backup there will be no changes to it. With the C drive highlighted in the drive list box click on the SET MISC OPTIONS button. 6. The Misc Options screen will appear in the center of the screen. Click on the SPECIFY TAG FILE button. Then click on the CREATE/MODIFY TAG FILE button. The Tag File Generator Screen will appear. 7. To select the WINDOWS subdirectory first click anywhere on the Directories List Box in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Then find the WINDOWS subdirectory in the list by either using the scroll bar or by striking the "W" key repeatedly until the WINDOWS subdirectory is highlighted. Note that C:\WINDOWS\ now appears in the path text box. As with all selections in QIC-BAT you also could have typed in the path directly without using the browsing feature. 8. Now click on the INCLUDE PATH/FILE button. The Tag Parameters screen appears providing you with a means of appending several parameters to your current path selection. Since we want to backup the WINDOWS subdirectory and all of the subdirectories attached to that path then also click on the INCLUDE SUBDIRS? button. The "NO" indication to the right of the button changes to "YES" and a "/S" is appended to the path listing shown in the text box on this screen. Click on the ADD TO TAG FILE button. You are returned to the Tag File Generator Screen where the path and its parameters have been added to the Tag List Box. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 13 OF 36 =========================================================== A tag file can contain an unlimited number of lines. Each line will be added in a similar fashion. 9. Now repeat the process to add the EXCEL subdirectory as the 2nd line of the tag list: Select the EXCEL subdirectory from the Directories List Box and click on the INCLUDE PATH/FILE button. From the Tag Parameters Screen click on the INCLUDE SUBDIRS? button. Leave the screen by clicking on the ADD TO TAG FILE button. 10. Next we want to add two more lines to the tag list that will exclude all *.EXE file and all *.COM files from being backed up. First click anywhere on the Directories List Box and select the root directory "C:\" by either scrolling to the top of the list or by simply striking the [Home] key on the keyboard. Next change the *.* file type in the 2nd text box to *.EXE by placing the mouse cursor in the text box and editing the default entry. 11. This time click on the EXCLUDE PATH/FILE button since we wish to exclude these files rather than include them. The Tag Parameters will appear again. Now click on the ADD TO TAG FILE button. A warning message will appear telling you that this is not a valid entry for the tag file list. The primary rule for creating tag files is that you cannot exclude something that has not already been included by some other line in the tag file list. At this point the only files that we have included are the files in the WINDOWS and the EXCEL subdirectories. No files in the root directory have been included. The warning message suggests that if you were to add the /S parameter to this entry it would then be valid since the WINDOWS and EXCEL subdirectories are, of course, attached to the root directory. To remedy the situation simply click on the OK button of the warning message and then click on the INCLUDE SUBDIRs? button. The required /S parameter is now added and you can exit the screen by clicking on the ADD TO TAG FILE button once again. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 14 OF 36 =========================================================== 12. Now repeat the process to exclude all *.COM files from your backup. When you return to Tag File Generator Screen the path text box still contains C:\ so leave it there and simply edit the *.EXE in the file type text box and change it to *.COM. Then click again on the EXCLUDE PATH/FILE button. In the Tag Parameters screen click on the INCLUDE SUBDIRS? button followed by the ADD TO TAG FILE button. We now have four lines in our tag file list which completely define the backup scenario that we wanted to accomplish. Study these four lines briefly to insure that you understand how this was accomplished. You should be able to create your own custom tag files using these same principles with a little practice. 13. Exit the Tag File Generator by clicking on the OK button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. This will return you to the Misc Options Screen. Clicking on the OK button on this screen will return you to the Main Options Screen after an informational screen indicates that some of the options on the Main Options Screen will not be available since you are using a tag file for this drive. Click the OK button to continue. 14. Once you have returned to the Main Options Screen note that the designation next to the C drive in the Drive List Box has changed from (Defaults) to (Tagfile). 15. We have now finished defining our selections so proceed to the final screen by clicking on the OK button. 16. Your batch file has now been automatically created and is displayed in the window at the top of the screen. 17. Click on the SAVE FILE AND EXIT button. Your batch file BAKCND.BAT has now been saved and is ready to be run. It can be run now or anytime you desire by typing BAKCND and [ENTER] at the DOS prompt. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 15 OF 36 =========================================================== SCREEN MENUS AND CONTROLS QIC-BAT contains numerous screens or menus. There are four main screens. Each of the main screens then have several support screens that will appear depending on the selections made by the operator. The four main screens are as follows: 1. THE OPENING SCREEN 2. THE DRIVE SELECTION SCREEN 3. THE MAIN OPTION SCREEN 4. THE DISPLAY BATCH FILE SCREEN Each of the main QIC-BAT screens and their associated controls are described below. All other screens are described after the four main screens and contain a description of where they are called from and from which button. SCREEN DESCRIPTION: OPENING SCREEN (A main Screen) The opening screen is the first screen that appears after starting the program. Choices made at this screen direct the flow of the program and bring up different screens depending on the choices made. USER LEVELS The user level determines the number of options available to the user. BUTTON NAME: BEGINNING USER This choice allows you to easily backup your hard drive without being concerned about some of the more technical aspects of the backup process. Any options not available will be shown in half intensity. This allows you to see what options are missing and helps you decide if you need to be in the advanced user level. BUTTON NAME: ADVANCED USER This choice allows you access to all of the options available in QIC-BAT. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 16 OF 36 =========================================================== BUTTON NAME: MAKE NEW BATCH FILE Choose this button if you wish to create a new backup batch file. Several screens follow this choice, including: * File name selection * Drive selection * Selection of backup options * Display of completed batch file BUTTON NAME: MODIFY A BATCH FILE This button prompts you for the name of an existing batch file. If the selected file was created in QIC-BAT it will be loaded. All drives and options in QIC-BAT will be preset to match the contents of the file. After changes are made, it is then re-saved to the same file name. Great for making small changes without having to start all over. BUTTON NAME: VERIFY A BATCH FILE This button produces a verification report. The report lists each line in your batch file and provides an English description for each command. The report is initially printed to the screen with options to send the report to a printer or to a file. The verification report produced with this button verifies a previously saved batch file. A similar button is available at the end the program which allows you to verify a newly created batch file just prior to saving it. BUTTON NAME: QUIT Selecting this button terminates the program and returns you to DOS. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 17 OF 36 =========================================================== SCREEN DESCRIPTION: DRIVE SELECTION (A main Screen) This screen is used to select the drives to be included in your backup. Only valid drives for your computer are initially highlighted. The remaining drives are shown in half intensity. If your computer has only one logical drive (drive C) then it will be preselected for you. BUTTON NAME: SELECT/CLEAR ALL This is a toggle button. Select it once and all drives that are highlighted will be marked for backup. Select it again and all highlighted drives will be cleared. BUTTON NAME: SHOW ALL? toggles to SHOW JUST YOURS? Highlights all drives (C through Z). Selecting this button a second time highlights only those drives valid to your computer. The ability to select drives that are not valid to your computer allows you to create a batch file for another computer that may have different drive letters. BUTTON NAME: PREVIOUS Returns you to the first program screen to Modify a batch file, Verify a batch file, Create a new batch file or select a different user level. BUTTON NAME: OK Saves your selections and takes you to the main option selection screen. SCREEN DESCRIPTION: MAIN OPTIONS SELECTION (A Main Screen) CONTROL NAME: DRIVE LIST BOX The drives you selected for backup on the previous screen now appear in the drive list box. The options shown on this screen apply to the drive that is currently highlighted in this list. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 18 OF 36 =========================================================== When first entering this screen, each drive in the list is flagged as (Defaults). This indicates that all backup options for this drive have been set to their default value. As soon as you change any option on the screen the drive flag becomes (Changed). The drive will once again be flagged as (Defaults) if all changes are returned to their original setting. A third flag (Tagfile) appears whenever a tag file has been specified for that drive. If several drives have been gathered together using the "Group" feature then the single designation [Group] replaces all of the drive designations that are included in the group. BUTTON NAME: SET GROUP OF DRIVES This button brings up another screen that allows you to designate a "group" of drives. Once the "group" has been defined it is then treated as just another drive. However, every drive included in the group will then have the same options. This is especially handy for creating batch files for network drives. SELECTING A STARTING PATH AND A FILE TYPE This section of the screen determines which files on your hard drive you wish to make available for inclusion in the backup. Some of these files may later be filtered out by other backup options such as "modified only" or by a date filter. However, only this group of files will be considered by those options. BUTTON NAME: CHANGE PATH/FILE TYPE This button brings up another screen that allows you to change the starting path and the file type. The default for the starting path is "\". This starts the path at the root directory for a full backup. CHECK BOX NAME: INCLUDE SUBDIRECTORIES? Checking this option will direct the backup to include all subdirectories that are below the directory specified in the starting path. This option must be selected in order to perform a full backup. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 19 OF 36 =========================================================== AUTO-GENERATED VOLUME TITLE Each backup session that is written to the tape creates what is called a tape volume. You can have many volumes on one tape. For a multi-drive backup each drive is written to a different volume. These volumes are identified on the tape by a comment line or volume title. This title is the only way to identify one volume from another. QIC-BAT generates the volume titles for you. It gathers the important information about your backup and creates a volume title made up of this information. Later when viewing the volumes on tape you will know what batch file created the backup, if it was a full or partial backup, if it was a "modified only" backup and so on. BUTTON NAME: EDIT COMMENT Allows you to override the automatic volume title and enter one of your own. Contents of Auto-generated Volume Title: 1. Name of batch file 2. Modified Only (Mod) or All Files (All) 3. Full Backup (Full)* or 4. Drive backed up (C_Drv) Partial Backup (Partial) 5. Includes Subdirectories (+) 6. Reset Archive Bit (Arc) NOTE: Full backup is defined as a path starting at the root directory, including all files (*.*) and including subdirectories. APPEND OR OVERWRITE TAPE This pair of option buttons determines whether or not the tape is erased just prior to your backup. Only one choice can be made with option buttons. As soon as one button is selected, the other button(s) are de-selected. OPTION BUTTON NAME: APPEND TO THE TAPE? Adds your backup to backup volumes already on the tape. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 20 OF 36 =========================================================== OPTION BUTTON NAME: OVERWRITE THE TAPE? Causes the tape to be erased before your backup is added to the tape. Note: Overwriting the tape is only valid for the first drive in a multi-drive backup. Otherwise, each drive backed up would erase the backup of previous drives of the same multi-drive backup. QIC-BAT displays a warning message and prevents this option from being set for any drive other than the first drive. MODIFIED ONLY OR ALL FILES This pair of option buttons determines whether all files in your selected path are backed up or just the ones that have changed since a previous backup (see note 1). Only one choice can be made with option buttons. As soon as one button is selected, the other button(s) are de-selected. OPTION BUTTON NAME: MODIFIED ONLY FILES? This option includes only those files in your selected path that have changed or have been created since the archive bit was reset by a previous backup (see note 1). Selecting this option also inserts (Mod) in the comment line. OPTION BUTTON NAME: ALL-FILES? This option will backup all files in your selected path without regard to when they were backed up previously. Selecting this option also inserts the letters (All) in the comment line. Note 1: "Previous backup" is used rather than "last backup" since your "last backup" may not have reset the archive bit. ARCHIVE BIT/COMPRESSION/AUTO COMPARE This group of options doesn't control what files are backed up but rather what actions the backup program takes during the backup. For most backups these options can be left at the default value. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 21 OF 36 =========================================================== CHECK BOX NAME: RESET ARCHIVE BIT? Each time a file is changed or a new file is added to your hard disk the archive bit (or archive flag) is set by DOS. This bit (or flag) indicates that this file has not been backed up. Therefore, when the file is backed up this flag is normally reset to indicate that a backup copy of the file has been made. Resetting the archive bit will have no effect on the current backup. However, it will effect what files are backed up on your next "modified only" backup. CHECK BOX NAME: COMPRESS FILES? This option determines if files will be compressed before being written to the tape. Compression is transparent to the user and makes much more efficient use of your tapes. OPTION BOX NAME: SAVE SPACE? Only available when "compress files?" is checked. It gives you the greatest compression ratio but takes longer than "save time". OPTION BOX NAME: SAVE TIME? Only available if "compress files?" is checked. It provides a lesser compression ratio but saves time during the backup. CHECK BOX NAME: AUTO COMPARE? This option instructs the backup software to perform an automatic comparison immediately following the backup. Files just written to tape are compared to those same files on the hard disk. This provides the best confidence level but doubles your backup time. BUTTON NAME: SET MISC OPTIONS Clicking on this button displays another screen of options. This group of options although less often used provide access to some of the more powerful features of the command line language. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 22 OF 36 =========================================================== BUTTON NAME: PREVIOUS MENU Clicking on this button allows you to return to the Drive Selection screen. A warning is given first indicating that some of the options you have already selected may be lost by returning to the previous screen. BUTTON NAME: OK Clicking on this button stores all selections made on the main options screen, creates the final batch file and advances the program to the display batch file screen. SCREEN NAME: DISPLAY BATCH FILE (A Main Screen) BUTTON NAME: VERIFY BATCH FILE This button produces a verification report. The report lists each line in your batch file and provides an English description for each command. The report is initially printed to the screen with options to send the report to a printer or to a file. The verification report produced with this button verifies the batch file that you just created and have yet to save. A similar button is available on the opening screen of QIC-BAT that allows you to produce a verification report for a previously saved batch file. BUTTON NAME: SAVE FILE AND EXIT This button saves the batch file you have just created and exits the program. If you choose to use this batch file with Scheduler then a second copy of the batch file will also be saved using a file name compatible with Scheduler. BUTTON NAME: PREVIOUS MENU This button returns you to the main option selection screen. No warning is provided since no selections can be lost by returning to the previous screen from here. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 23 OF 36 =========================================================== BUTTON NAME: EXIT WITHOUT SAVING This button exits the program and returns you to the DOS prompt without saving your work. Use SAVE FILE AND EXIT if you wish to save your batch file before exiting. OTHER SCREENS SCREEN DESCRIPTION: SELECT FILE NAME CALLED FROM: The Opening Screen BUTTON: Make New Batch File This screen is provided to enter or select a filename for the new batch file you are creating. You can enter a valid DOS filename with or without the '.BAT' extension. If no extension is given then '.BAT' is automatically appended. QIC-BAT provides a warning if the file already exists and gives you a choice to Overwrite it or not. Double clicking (or pressing Return) in the File List Box will both select the file and execute the OK button. Also pressing any key (A to Z) while in the File List Box while cause the File List Box to advance to the first file starting with the letter pressed. BUTTON NAME: OK Saves the filename selected and exits the screen. BUTTON NAME: CANCEL Closes the screen and returns to the opening screen. No filename is saved. CHECK BOX NAME: USE BATCH FILE WITH SCHEDULER Check this box if you intend to use this batch file with the CMS Scheduler feature. If you select to use this batch file with Scheduler then a second copy of the batch file will be saved at the end of the program using a file name compatible with Scheduler. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 24 OF 36 =========================================================== SCREEN DESCRIPTION: MISC OPTIONS CALLED FROM: Main Options Selection Screen BUTTON: Set Misc Options The top section of the MISC OPTIONS screen controls several options available to your backup. The default values should suffice for most backup situations. BUTTON NAME: TURN OFF TAPE LINKING QUESTION? If your backup (uncompressed) is larger than the capacity of one tape then the backup software will interrupt the backup process and ask if you wish to use more than one tape (tape linking) during your backup. If you have selected "Compress Files" this question may be irrelevant and in fact cause what you thought was going to be an unattended backup to be interrupted by this question. Unless you are available at the keyboard to answer this question it will wait forever and your backup never performed. BUTTON NAME: SHOW FILE NAMES ON SCREEN? This option simply controls whether or not the file names that are being backed up are also shown on the screen. Normally, showing the files on the screen is a good practice in order to check on the progress of the backup. BUTTON NAME: UDPDATE DEFAULTS? Selecting this option causes the file TAPE.CFG to be updated by the option selections in your batch file. The update of course would not occur until you run the batch file. TAPE.CFG is a configuration file and a part of your backup software not QIC-BAT. QIC-BAT never depends on the contents of TAPE.CFG. All option switches are included in the batch files that QIC-BAT creates whether they are turned on or off. This precludes the need to know the contents of TAPE.CFG. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 25 OF 36 =========================================================== BUTTON NAME: DISABLE 486 CACHE? When selected, this option disables the high speed system cache memory found on 486 (or higher) processors during your backup. On some systems this cache memory is suspected of causing problems during backups. Caution: This option was added to the CMS backup software starting at version 3.03. If you include this option in your batch file and then run the batch file with software versions prior to version 3.03 the software will immediately return you to the DOS prompt and the backup will not be performed. BUTTON NAME: SPECIFY TAG FILE This button brings up another screen that allows you to specify a file name for a tag file and alternatively create your own tag file using QIC-BAT's tag file generator. A "tag file" is an ASCII file containing a list of paths, file specifications, and the names of specific files to either include or exclude in your backup. ERROR FILE NAMES During the backup process any errors that occur will be written to an error file if one is specified. QIC-BAT automatically specifies an error file name for each drive involved in your backup. The name of the file will be BATNAME.?LG where BATNAME is the name of your batch file and "?" is the drive letter. BUTTON NAME: EDIT ERROR FILE NAME This button brings up another screen that allows you to enter your own error file name. All file names entered throughout QIC-BAT are checked for proper syntax. BUTTON NAME: ADD A DATE FILTER This button brings up another screen that allows you to enter a date filter. Your backup will then include only those files that were created on or after this date. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 26 OF 36 =========================================================== QIC-BAT provides a very flexible date entry routine. You can enter dates in several different formats. Each format is then converted into the proper format required by the backup software. Only valid dates are accepted. I.e., 2/29/93 would not be accepted. BUTTON NAME: ADD A PASSWORD This button brings up another screen that allows you to enter a password. This password is stored on the tape along with the files you backed up. The password will be required later in order to restore any files from the tape volume created by your batch file. SCREEN DESCRIPTION: SELECT A GROUP OF DRIVES CALLED FROM: Main Options Selection Screen BUTTON: Set Group of Drives The purpose of this screen is to designate a "group" of drives from the list of drives you selected for your multi-drive backup. Once a group drive has been defined then all drives contained in the group will have the same parameters as the group. To designate the group simply move any (or all) of the drives listed in the "Individual Drives" list box on the left of the screen to the "Drives in Group" list on the right. All drives remaining in the right hand box when exiting the screen with "OK" will be included in the group. BUTTON NAME: MOVE ALL DRIVES INTO GROUP ==> Selecting this button will cause all drives listed in the left hand box to be moved into the right hand box, "Drives in Group". This button is not visible when the left hand box is empty. BUTTON NAME: MOVE SELECTED DRIVE INTO GROUP ==> Only the highlighted drive in the left-hand box, "Individual Drives" will be moved to the right-hand box, "Drives in Group", when this button is selected. This button is not visible when the left-hand box is empty. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 27 OF 36 =========================================================== BUTTON NAME: <== MOVE ALL DRIVES OUT OF GROUP Selecting this button will cause all drives listed in the right hand box to be moved into the left hand box, "Individual Drives". This button is not visible when the right hand box is empty. BUTTON NAME: <== MOVE SELECTED DRIVE OUT OF GROUP Only the highlighted drive in the right hand box, "Drives in Group" will be moved to the left hand box, "Individual Drives", when this button is selected. This button is not visible when the right hand box is empty. BUTTON NAME: OK Exits the screen and returns to the main options selection screen. The designation [Group] will appear in the list of the drives in the upper left hand corner of that screen if the group is not empty. All drives contained in the group will no longer be shown in the list. SCREEN DESCRIPTION: SELECT PATH/FILE TYPE CALLED FROM: Main Options Selections Screen BUTTON: Change Path/File Type This screen is used to enter or select a starting path for your backup for the currently selected drive. You can also enter a file type (file specification) using this screen. The default starting path is the root directory ("\") and the default file type is all files (*.*). For a full backup simply use these defaults. To start your backup from a path lower than the root directory either enter the new starting path by clicking on EDIT PATH or click on the BROWSE button and select your new starting path from the directory list. Enter a new file type if desired by first clicking on the EDIT FILE TYPE button and then keying in the new specification. (*.EXE) for example would cause only EXE files to be included in your backup. Note: only one starting path and one file type can be specified in the main batch file. If you wish to specify multiple paths and multiple file types then use QIC-BAT's unique TAG FILE GENERATOR. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 28 OF 36 =========================================================== SCREEN DESCRIPTION: EDIT COMMENT SCREEN CALLED FROM: Main Options Selections Screen BUTTON: Edit Comment This screen allows you to modify the automatic volume title or enter one of your own. If the comment has been modified and you wish to restore the automatic volume title then click on the DEFAULT button. The OK button saves the comment in the comment text box, exits the screen and places the saved comment on the MAIN OPTIONS screen. The CANCEL button exits the screen without saving any changes. SCREEN DESCRIPTION: ENTER TAG FILE NAME CALLED FROM: Misc Options Screen BUTTON: Specify Tag File This screen provides a place to enter the name of a tag file or to load QIC-BAT's Tag File Generator and create your own tag file. BUTTON NAME: OK Causes the tag file name in the Tag File box to be checked for validity. If the filename is valid you are returned to the miscellaneous options screen where the name of the tag file is displayed. BUTTON NAME: CANCEL Returns to the miscellaneous options screen without saving a new tag file name. BUTTON NAME: TEMPLIST.TAG Selecting this button automatically enters the tag file name generated by the CMS backup software after having done a selective backup. BUTTON NAME: CREATE/MODIFY TAG FILE This button displays QIC-BAT's TAG FILE GENERATOR. If you are creating a new tag file then the tag file list will be blank when the screen appears. However, if this drive had a tag file associated with it previously then the tag list will contain that information. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 29 OF 36 =========================================================== SCREEN DESCRIPTION: TAG FILE GENERATOR CALLED FROM: Enter Tag File Name Screen BUTTON: Create/Modify Tag File This screen provides a quick and efficient method of generating a tag file list for each drive in your backup. The tag file can contain a list of paths and file names to include in your backup. You can also exclude files that have been included in previous lines in the tag file. To create a tag file first select a path from the Directories list box and then select a file name from the Files list box. The path and file name will appear in the appropriate text box. Note: Selecting paths from the Directory list is very 'Windows Like'. Double clicking (or pressing Return) on a directory changes the current directory to that directory. Also pressing any key from (A to Z) will cause the directory list to advance to the first subdirectory in the current directory starting with that letter. This feature also works in the File List Box. Also Note: It is not necessary to use the browsing features. You can enter a path and a file name manually or edit the selections made from the Directory and File list boxes. This is especially handy if you are creating a batch file for use on another computer. Once you have selected a path and a file name then you must decide if you want to Include or Exclude your Path/File Name in the Tag List. Either choice will display the next screen which gives you the opportunity to select any additional options for this Path/File Name. The Exclude button will be disabled any time the Tag List is empty since you can't exclude anything until something has been included. Once you have at least one line in the Tag List then you can remove any lines in the Tag List by selecting the EDIT button. BUTTON NAME: INCLUDE PATH/FILE Selecting this button will mark your selection for inclusion and display the Tag Parameters screen. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 30 OF 36 =========================================================== BUTTON NAME: EXCLUDE PATH/FILE Selecting this button will mark your selection for exclusion and display the Tag Parameters screen. BUTTON NAME: EXAMPLES Selecting this button brings up a help screen that provides several examples of both valid and non-valid tag files. If the concept of using tag files is new to you, then studying these examples should help remove the mystery. See appendix A. BUTTON NAME: EDIT Selecting this button will display a small editing screen which will allow you to remove any lines already in the Tag List. Selecting EDIT when the Tag List is empty will cause an error message to appear. BUTTON NAME: REMOVE This button will appear only after selecting the EDIT button. Selecting this button will cause any highlighted line in the Tag List to be removed. BUTTON NAME: UNDO This button will appear only after selecting the EDIT button and only immediately after having removed a line from the Tag List. Selecting this button will reinstate the line that was just removed. BUTTON NAME: END EDIT This button will appear only after selecting the EDIT button. Selecting this button will remove the editing screen and allow you to select additional Path/File Names. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 31 OF 36 =========================================================== SCREEN DESCRIPTION: ADD TAG PARAMETERS CALLED FROM: Tag Generator Screen BUTTON: Include Path/File or Exclude Path/File This screen provides a convenient method for appending additional file selection parameters to your Path/File Name. After you make your selections, if any, then select the ADD TO TAG FILE button to place this line in Tag List. QIC-BAT will check your entry for validity and report any errors along with suggested fixes before it is added to the Tag List. Note: Included lines will be added to the top of the Tag List while Excluded lines will be added to the bottom of the list. BUTTON NAME: MODIFIED ONLY? Selecting this button will append a /M to your entry thereby including only files that have been modified since your last backup in this backup. BUTTON NAME: INCLUDE SUBDIRS? Selecting this button will append a /S to your entry thereby including any files that match your Path/File Name in lower subdirectories also. BUTTON NAME: BEGINNING DATE Selecting this button displays the date entry screen allowing you to enter a date filter that will include only those files having a date (on or after) the date you enter. Using a beginning date in conjunction with an ending date allows you specify a range of dates. BUTTON NAME: ENDING DATE Selecting this button displays the date entry screen allowing you to enter a date filter that will include only those files having a date (on or before) the date you enter. Using an ending date in conjunction with a beginning date allows you specify a range of dates. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 32 OF 36 =========================================================== BUTTON NAME: ADD TO TAG FILE Selecting this button causes your selected Path/File Name, along with any additional selection parameters added in this screen, to be added to the Tag List. Your selections will be checked for validity and if valid you will be returned to the main Tag File screen. BUTTON NAME: CANCEL Selecting this button returns you back to the main Tag File screen without saving any selections made in this screen. SCREEN DESCRIPTION: EDIT ERROR FILE LOG NAME CALLED FROM: Misc Options Screen BUTTON: Edit Error File Name This screen provides a place to edit the Error File name that was automatically generated by QIC-BAT for this drive. In most cases it will not be necessary to change the Error File name. If the name is left blank then no Error File will be included in the batch file for this drive. BUTTON NAME: OK Causes the Error File in the Error File box to be checked for validity. If the filename is valid you are returned to the miscellaneous options screen where the name of the Error File is displayed. BUTTON NAME: CANCEL Returns to the miscellaneous options screen without saving a new Error File name. BUTTON NAME: DEFAULT If you make a change to the Error File name and then wish to return back to the default Error File name generated by QIC-BAT simply select this button. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 33 OF 36 =========================================================== SCREEN DESCRIPTION: ENTER A DATE FILTER CALLED FROM: Misc Options Screen BUTTON: Add a Date Filter This screen is used to enter a date. The CMS backup software only accepts dates in the MM-DD-YYYY format. QIC-BAT however, allows you to enter dates in a variety formats. No matter which format you use it will be converted to the MM-DD-YYYY format for inclusion in your batch file. Examples of valid formats include: January 1, 1993 1/1/93 1-1-93 1 Jan 1993 All dates are checked for validity. For example: 2/29/93, 6/31/93 or 31/12/93 would not be accepted. Valid date range is from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2078. BUTTON NAME: <TODAY> This handy button automatically enters today's date based on the computer's system clock. BUTTON NAME: <- 1 DAY> This button automatically subtracts one day from the date showing in the date entry box. BUTTON NAME: <+ 1 DAY> This button automatically adds one day from the date showing in the date entry box. BUTTON NAME: OK Causes the date in the date box to be checked for validity. If the date is valid you are returned to the miscellaneous options screen where the date is displayed. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 34 OF 36 =========================================================== BUTTON NAME: CANCEL Returns to the miscellaneous options screen without saving a new date. Note: The backup software does not allow a date filter to coexist with the "modified only" option. QIC-BAT will monitor this incompatibility for you. If you attempt to select a date filter when you have already selected "modified only" (or vice versa) a warning box will appear with options to solve the problem. SCREEN DESCRIPTION: ENTER A PASSWORD CALLED FROM: Misc Options Screen BUTTON: Add a Password This screen provides a place to enter a Password for the tape volume that will be created for this drive when your batch file is run. If you use a Password then it will be required again when you attempt to restore from the password protected volume. Passwords are limited to eight characters. BUTTON NAME: OK Causes the Password in the Password box to be checked for validity. If the Password is valid you are returned to the miscellaneous options screen where the Password is displayed. BUTTON NAME: CANCEL Returns to the miscellaneous options screen without saving a new Password. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 35 OF 36 =========================================================== APPENDIX A - SAMPLE TAG FILES C:\WINDOWS\*.* /S This tag file will include all files in the WINDOWS subdirectory and all files in the subdirectories attached to it. Note: This would not have required a tag file since you can specify one path and one file type in the main batch file. C:\WINDOWS\*.* /S C:\EXCEL\*.* /S This tag file will include all files in the WINDOWS subdirectory and all files in the subdirectories attached to it. It will also include all files in the EXCEL subdirectory and all files in the subdirectories attached to it. Note: This scenario does require a tag file since there are two paths and file types specified. C:\*.* /S C:\WINDOWS\*.* /X/S This tag file will include all files in the ROOT directory and all files in lower subdirectories attached to the ROOT. However all files in the WINDOWS subdirectory and all files in the subdirectories attached to it will be excluded from the backup. Note: This scenario does require a tag file since you cannot exclude files in the main batch file. C:\*.* /D:4-01-93/E:4-30-93/M/S This tag file will include all files in the root directory and all files in lower subdirectories attached the root that have been modified since the last backup and have file dates during the month of April, 1993. Note: This scenario requires a tag file for two reasons. First of all you cannot specify an ending date in the main batch file. Secondly date filters and 'Modified Only' are incompatible options in the main batch file. QIC-BAT FOR CMS USER'S GUIDE PAGE 36 OF 36 =========================================================== C:\WINDOWS\*.* /S C:\EXCEL\*.* /S C:\*.EXE /X **NOT VALID** This tag file is NOT VALID. The first two lines include all files in the WINDOWS and EXCEL directories and any files in subdirectories attached to them. However, the third line is not valid since it attempts to exclude a path and files that have not been included. QIC-BAT would flag this entry as invalid and suggest that by adding a /S (include subdirs) it would be valid. Adding a /S would make it valid since it would then exclude all EXE files included by the first two lines in the tag file. C:\*.* C:\WINDOWS\*.* C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\*.TMP /X **NOT VALID** This tag file is NOT VALID. The first two lines include files in the root directory and files in the WINDOWS directory. However, the third line is not valid since it attempts to exclude a path and files that have not been included. QIC-BAT would flag this entry as invalid and suggest that by adding a /S (include subdirs) to either of the first two lines it would be valid. Adding a /S to either or both of the first two lines would cause the WINDOWS/SYSTEM subdirectory to be included and therefore the TMP files could then be excluded.