Night Owl 6

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Night Owl 6 / Night Owl's Shareware - PDSI-006 - Night Owl Corp (1990).iso / 001a / c1lookup.zip / LOOKUP.C01

Wrap

Text File | 1991-09-02 | 21KB | 506 lines

L O O K U P + R C R O S R E F ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The FWKCS(TM) Contents_Signature System, Version 1.13, provides a special way for Channel 1 Communications to help you. "Lookup" provides you with a quick, easy way to find out if we have any file which matches a particular file that you have. This matching is tested quickly, using contents_signatures which have much greater resolution than is provided by the older 32_bit CRCs. You can then use Rcrosref to follow up on any contents_ signature cross_references which we may provide in replying to your Lookup inquiry. To use this important capability, do these steps: 1. download FWKCS113.ZIP. 2. PKUNZIP FWKCS113 LOOKUP.* <enter> 3. PKUNZIP FWKCS113 RCROSREF.BAT <enter> 4. PKUNZIP FWKCS113 FWKCS.COM <enter> 5. PKUNZIP FWKCS113 REGISTER.DOC <enter> After you have done steps 1-5, for on_line help, type LOOKUP /* <enter> RCROSREF /* <enter> These two commands, above, will put instructions onto the screen, with an example you can use while you make your entry. Important: If you wish to install the FWKCS(TM) Contents_ Signature System on your own computer, first do PKUNZIP FWKCS113 GO.BAT <enter> then do GO <enter> and then follow the instructions on the screen. Do not remove Dr. Kantor's Authenticity Verification stamp from the FWKCS113.ZIP zipfile. When you unzip a file from Dr. Kantor's zipfile, always give at least part of the filename, as in steps 2 - 5. Always specify at least one letter or digit in the filename before you use an asterisk (*). After you have tested this software, register your copy of FWKCS as explained in REGISTER.DOC. "Lookup" helps you search for material on Channel 1: For a plain file, this ability to find matching file(s) does not depend on the name or date of the file. For a zipfile, this ability to find matching file(s) does not depend on the name or date of the zipfile, the amount of compression of different files in it, the names or dates of the files in it, file comments, the zipfile comment, nor on the order in which the files appear in the zipfile. Before you upload a file or a zipfile to Channel 1, you can upload an "inquiry file" which Lookup makes for you. We can quickly tell you if we already have any of that material in our public zipfiles, and, if so, in what zipfile(s) you can find that material, and by what name it is called in each of those places (which can be a different name in each place). You don't have to waste your time or run up your telephone bill uploading a file we already have. Before you lose sleep looking for the missing instructions for a computer game that also got renamed along the way, you can use Lookup to look for the whole package on Channel 1 -- in seconds. "Lookup" and FWKCS work together to let you use Channel 1 as a 6 Gigabyte high_speed reference library, from the comfort of your home or office, or from a portable computer -- even if you don't know the name of what you are looking up! How to use Lookup ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You just type LOOKUP FILENAME.EXE T1045.ZIP <enter> where FILENAME.EXE is the full filename and extension of the file you want to look up T1045.ZIP is any name you want to make up, to which you add the extension .ZIP (if the file you want to look up is located in the same directory with the output file, then the output file must have a different name. For a way around this, see Example 4, below.) "Lookup" prepares a special output file, with the name you choose. You then call Channel 1, and upload the special file that Lookup made. Channel 1 will tell you that the upload "failed" -- that means that you don't get any upload credit for having sent that special file -- but we will send you a special message prepared here by FWKCS, telling you whether we found anything which has matching contents_signature(s), and, if so, in what zipfile(s). The inquiry file you uploaded is automatically deleted, so that you can use the filename again. It will display your input item, and below that either a line which says "did not find cs_match", or two or more lines which say something like, for example, found: FILENAME.EXT ZIPFILNM.ZIP D: | | | 1 2 3 4 5 6 At these locations 1...6, you may see: 1. lower_case letters used as flags: w wipe (remove if found in non_AV zipfiles): for example, a known ad; x exclude (reject file or zipfile): for example, known commercial software (don't upload a file for which you receive such an x flag, because it will be rejected); others are listed in FWKCS113.REF under Special Column_17 Flags. 2. the name of a file in a zipfile, in which case the zipfile name is in location 4; or the name of a zipfile, in which case "z cs" appears in location 4; or the name of a non_zip file, in which case "f cs" appears in location 4. 3. lower_case letters used to indicate Authenticity Verification and/or encryption: a the file in 2 has authenticity verification in a zipfile, in which case the zipfile name appears in 4 and has a lower_case v in location 5 p the file in 2 is an apparently encrypted ("private") file in a zipfile u the file in 2 has authenticity verification and apparently encrypted material; if the name of a zipfile appears in location 4, then the file in location 2 is contained in that zipfile if "z cs" appears in location 4, then the file in location 2 is a zipfile which contains at least one file which has authenticity verification and at least one file which is apparently encrypted (possibly different files) v the file in location 2 is a zipfile which contains at least on file which has authenticity verification, and does not contain any apparently encrypted file. 4. the name of a zipfile which contains the file named in location 2; or "f cs" indicating that the file in location 2 is not a zipfile "z cs" indicating that the file in location 2 is a zipfile 5. may contain a lower_case "v", in which case the file in location 4 is a zipfile which contains at least one file which has authenticity verification. 6. may contain a drive_letter and colon, e.g., D:, indicating that the matching contents_signature which was found belongs to a file which may be currently available on the BBS. if there is no drive letter with colon, that means that the contents_signature which was found probably came from a file which is not available on the BBS, such as a file which has been retired from the system. (For use of "a" and "v", see Example 3, below). If we found the matching material in a zipfile, there may be special markers that tell you if the zipfile was an Authenticity Verification Zipfile (a lower_case "v" to the right of the name of the zipfile), and, if it was, whether that file inside specifically carried authenticity verification (a lower_case "a" to the right of the file inside the zipfile; see Example 3, below). Also, if some of your material was not found, we may tell you (in words) if any of the matching material you asked about was marked for automatic total exclusion (for example, commercial software might be marked for automatic exclusion). Whether or not you are told in words, any such exclusion is shown by a lower_case "x" in the left column next to each such item found. (One reason why you might not be told in words that an exclusion was found, is because a match was found for every entry in your inquiry list. That would ordinarily cause an uploaded file to be rejected, so the question of whether it should have been rejected for some other reason would not be reached. But, you have that information available to you, in response to your remote inquiry via Lookup. Just look in the left column for a lower_case "x" next to any one (or more) of the items below "found:".) There may be a special marker to tell you if one or more parts of the material you asked about was marked for Wiping (automatic removal from uploaded non_AV zipfiles). These are marked with a lower_case "w" in the left column next to the item found. For example, known spurious advertisements are marked for automatic removal. We may tell you whether there would be a question as to sufficient novelty were you to upload the material you asked about. Of course, if you are interested in downloading rather than uploading, such a comment does not apply to you, but Channel 1 doesn't know the reason for your call. Other information is also provided. Example 1 ~~~~~~~~~ Suppose you want to find out if a single, plain (non_zip) file is contained in one of the zipfiles we have. Type LOOKUP file t43012.zip <enter> Upload T43012.ZIP to Channel 1 Capture the screen to a file for use later, and read the message as it comes in. Here is one example of a message back, where it did not find any matching contents_signature: --- contents_signature(s) from the file T43012.ZIP which you just uploaded were compared with those of prior file(s). - re your request for a contents_signature search: - did not find any contents_signature match. --- the file T43012.ZIP has been deleted. (The message you actually receive will address you by name.) Example 2 ~~~~~~~~~~ Suppose you do this: LOOKUP FOO T43005.ZIP <enter> Upload T43005.ZIP to Channel 1 and receive: --- contents_signature(s) from the file T43005.ZIP which you just uploaded were compared with those of prior file(s). - re your request for a contents_signature search: - a contents_signature match was found for each input file; the input file(s) might be not ZIPped. ============================================================== > Referring to C:\CS\CSLIST.SRT ------------------------------ ============================================================== 6416DCA5 2AB FOO f cs C:\CS\CSK\3\1 did not find cs_match ============================================================== > Referring to C:\CS\CSLIST1.SRT ----------------------------- ============================================================== 6416DCA5 2AB FOO f cs C:\CS\CSK\3\1 found: FOOF f cs C: ============================================================== --- the file T43005.ZIP has been deleted. The "f cs" means that the "file contents_signature" was for a plain file. The "C:" to the right of the item found means that the contents_signature entry is not carried forward from a file which has been retired. If the file has been retired, its contents_signature is normally carried forward without a drive letter and without the ":". The contents_ signature continues to serve in preventing old material from accidentally being accepted as if it were new, and the space left by removing the retired file is available for current material. (For instance, this may happen when an author issues a revised version of one of his/her programs.) Example 3 ~~~~~~~~~ Suppose you do this: LOOKUP FWKDG108.SNT M.M <enter> "Upload" M.M to your own local system and receive: --- contents_signature(s) from the file M.M which you just uploaded were compared with those of prior file(s). - re your request for a contents_signature search: - a contents_signature match was found for every contained file, but not for zipfile_contents_signature; the contents may have appeared in a larger prior ZIP, or been spread among more than one prior ZIPfiles. ============================================================== > Referring to C:\CS\CSLIST.SRT ------------------------------ ============================================================== 168CA0F0 295B FWKDG108.SNT z cs C:\ZIPS did not find cs_match ** 299209E9 B59 FWKDG.COM FWKDG108.SNT C:\ZIPS found: FWKDG.COM FWKDG1A8.ZIP C: FWKDG.COM aFWKCS104.ZIPvC: ** 5FB1021A 49 FWKDG108.BAT FWKDG108.SNT C:\ZIPS found: FWKDG108.BAT FWKDG1A8.ZIP C: FWKDG108.BATaFWKCS104.ZIPvC: ** B8783FE7 1ADB FWKDG108.DOC FWKDG108.SNT C:\ZIPS found: FWKDG108.DOC FWKDG1A8.ZIP C: ** D4D15506 2DE FWKDG108.SCR FWKDG108.SNT C:\ZIPS found: FWKDG108.SCR FWKDG1A8.ZIP C: FWKDG108.SCRaFWKCS104.ZIPvC: ============================================================== > Referring to C:\CS\CSLIST1.SRT ----------------------------- ============================================================== 168CA0F0 295B FWKDG108.SNT z cs C:\ZIPS did not find cs_match ** 299209E9 B59 FWKDG.COM FWKDG108.SNT C:\ZIPS did not find cs_match ** 5FB1021A 49 FWKDG108.BAT FWKDG108.SNT C:\ZIPS did not find cs_match ** B8783FE7 1ADB FWKDG108.DOC FWKDG108.SNT C:\ZIPS did not find cs_match ** D4D15506 2DE FWKDG108.SCR FWKDG108.SNT C:\ZIPS did not find cs_match ============================================================== --- the file M.M has been deleted. The items which appear in two columns directly below the word "found:" are if there is a filename in the right column, then it is the name of the zipfile which contains the file listed next to it in the left column -- the cs_match (contents_signature match) was made to the file in the left column. if there is no filename in the right column, you typically will see either "f cs" indicating a plain_file contents_signature or "z cs" indicating a zipfile_contents_signature, in which all the files in a zipfile are taken together in a special way. (For technical discussion of this, see FWKCS113.DOC.) In these cases, too, the cs_match is made to the file in the left column. Example 4 ~~~~~~~~~ If you wish to save connect_time in testing whether a file or zipfile would be acceptable as an upload to Channel 1, you can use Lookup to ask if the contents are already known to us, and use the same filename as the one you want to upload later. The inquiry file is automatically deleted, so you can use the filename again. Start with the file you want to inquire about in a different directory than you are working in. For example, default <-- where you are now | sub1\FOO.ZIP <-- the file you want to get information about Type LOOKUP sub1\foo.zip foo.zip <enter> Then upload this new FOO.ZIP which was created in the default directory, to find out whether you should upload the original FOO.ZIP. How to use Rcrosref ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You just type RCROSREF BBS.CAP T1045.ZIP <enter> where BBS.CAP is the full filename and extension of the file you used to capture the BBS's reply to your Lookup T1045.ZIP is any name you want to make up, using the extension .ZIP If Rcrosref does not find any contents_signature cross_ reference in the BBS.CAP reply file, it will tell you so, and will not make the new inquiry zipfile. If Rcrosref makes a new inquiry zipfile, just upload it to the same BBS, and capture the reply in a new BBS.CAP, etc. Note: One way of organizing a cross_reference system is to use "nodes" to which many related files are linked. In that case, the first reply to a Lookup inquiry may include a small number of references to one or more such nodes. The first Rcrosref inquiry based on that reply may bring back a large number of cross_references from those nodes which were cited. The second Rcrosref inquiry may then bring back the names of the files (and, if they are contained in zipfiles, the names of zipfiles in which they can be found) for downloading. (The maximum number of input items for a single remote contents_signature search is 512. See Auxiliary Function 5, option i, in FWKCS113.REF.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Technical: ~~~~~~~~~~ To support this capability, Channel 1 Communications is running FWKCS Version 1.13, with option i (remote Inquiry) active when processing uploads. The flags in the left column are the special Column_17 flags, described in FWKCS113.REF. The contents_signature format, and the meaning of the fcs and zcs notation, are explained in FWKCS113.DOC. The statistical resolution is discussed in FWKCS113.DOC, with diagrams. On Channel 1, this typically has a statistical resolution more than two orders of magnitude better than would be provided solely by a 32_bit CRC. It removes the CRC effect of accidentally mistaking for each other files which have different lengths. Dr. Kantor introduced a new contents_signature because the 32_bit CRC does not represent enough information to meet the needs of large electronic bulletin board systems, for reasons which are explained in FWKCS113.DOC. "Lookup" and "Rcrosref" pass these benefits on to you.