Atari Forever 4/Atari Forever 4.zip/Atari Forever 4.iso/PD_THEMA/HARDDISK/TURTL320/TURTLE.DOC

Text File | 1998-03-14 | 31KB | 571 lines

                              TURTLE
                   Version 3.20     December, 1990

                  A hard disk backup utility by:

                        George R. Woodside
                     5219 San Feliciano Drive
                    Woodland Hills, Ca. 91364




                      IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE,
                         AT LEAST READ THIS!

     To get started without reading any more of the documentation:

1) Copy  TURTLE.PRG,  TURTLE.RSC,  TTLEXEC.TTP, and TRAMDISK.PRG
   into the same directory.

2) Change the file type of any accessories to something other than
   .ACC to prevent them loading.

3) Remove all programs from your /AUTO folder except the hard disk
   boot program.

4) Power off your system and wait 10 seconds to insure a clean boot
   (especially if you have a reset-proof RAMdisk).

5) Restart your system, and open the directory with TURTLE.PRG and
   the other files.

6) Double click on TURTLE.PRG to start.

7) Select the necessary options.  They are all described in their
   dialog boxes, and again under the HELP menu.

8) Select BACKUP under the FILE menu to begin writing disks.

Notes:
   Only  the  RAMdisk  supplied with  TURTLE  will  work.  Do  not
attempt to use any other RAMdisk.  The keyboard is scanned between
files.  You  may cancel TURTLE at any time by pressing  CONTROL-C,
or press A or B to indicate a new disk is ready at any time.

                           INTRODUCTION

     TURTLE is an extremely fast hard disk backup utility program.
It requires no special hardware,   and the floppies  written   are
standard TOS disks. To accomplish this speed, certain simple steps
must  be taken.   TURTLE requires just about all the RAM you  have
in a one megabyte ST (for double sided disks). You  should disable
any accessories,  and  remove  any  unnecessary programs from your
AUTO  folder,  before  running  TURTLE.  You may re-establish your
accessories   and   AUTO   folder  programs  once  the  backup  is
complete,   but TURTLE will need  the RAM during the  backup.  The
speed  of  this program will make the  minor  inconvenience  of  a
little  file manipulating well worth it.  If your system has  more
than  a one megabyte ST,  you shouldn't need to disable any  /AUTO
programs or accessories.

     How can it be so fast, and  still  write  standard  floppies?
TURTLE creates a RAMdisk that has exactly the same characteristics
as a standard diskette.  It copies files from the hard  disk  into
the  RAMdisk,  writing as many files as can be fit into each disk.
When the RAMdisk is full, it dumps it as a track-by-track image to
a floppy.  It writes as many copies as you have requested, with or
without formatting the floppies.  The result  is  identical  to  a
floppy  that  was written directly, except that no time was wasted
moving back and forth to the directory and allocation  tables,  or
waiting  for  the  proper  sectors  to  be  available  during disk
rotation.  The time difference is staggering.  The only  catch  is
that   you  must  insure  that enough RAM is available before  you
begin.  That is very easy, and very well worth it.
     Why call it "TURTLE"?  Well, backing up hard disks is  always
a  slow  task,  so the name fits.  Since there are already several
programs available with the name "BACKUP", I had intended to  call
this one "HARDBACK".  Since turtles have hard backs anyway.....


                                DESKTOP

     TURTLE  runs  from  the  standard  GEM  desktop.  It  may  be
executed   by  double-clicking  on  the  TURTLE.PRG  file,  or  on
previously  save  Turtle options file (if  you've  installed  that
feature as a desktop application).   The resource file  TURTLE.RSC
must be in the same directory  as  TURTLE.PRG,   as must  be   the
backup   utility TTLEXEC.TTP and TRAMDISK.PRG.  If you used  saved
option files to store different Turtle configurations,  they  must
also be in the same directory.

      TURTLE requires a large amount of memory to use the  RAMdisk
and  execute   at  the same time.   You must  have  a  1  megabyte
machine,  or  larger,  to run TURTLE.  If your system has  only  1
megabyte,  you should disable any accessories and remove any  non-
critical programs  from  your  AUTO  folder  before attempting  to
execute it.

      It includes an ABOUT  menu  item  under  the  DESK  menu  to
identify itself.  Clicking on it will display a normal dialog box,
identifying the date and version of the program.

     Under the FILE menu is the usual QUIT item, to terminate  the
program  without  executing a backup.  There is also a BACKUP menu
item,  to initiate a backup, option file SAVE and LOAD selections,
and a SYSTEM RESET  item.  The  SYSTEM RESET item is there to make
it  easier  to free the RAM necessary to  execute  a  backup,  and
insure that the folders accessed before TURTLE is executed do  not
interfere  with the backup.  It is a good idea to do a reset  just
before  beginning  TURTLE  to clear the  folder  limits  (see  the
warning below).   Since a manually  triggered  system  reset,   by
pressing  the  reset  button, will not clear the bits in the drive
allocation map, this system reset  function  will  clear  the  bit
associated  with  drive M: before executing the reset.  If you are
using a reset-proof RAMdisk, however, there is no  choice  but  to
power  off  your  system and re-boot (without the RAMdisk) to free
the memory.

      Each of the OPTIONS selectable from the OPTIONS menu  has  a
default  setting.  These are the settings assigned when TURTLE  is
run. They may not be the settings you want for your system, so you
may redefine them.  Simply set the OPTIONS as you want them,  then
select  the SAVE OPTIONS menu item (under the FILE header)  before
running TURTLE.  The options will then be written to a  file.  You
can name the file anything you like, as a normal GEM file selector
box is provided when the options are written. Then, install TURTLE
using  the GEM Install Application item on the Desktop,  and  save
the desktop.  After this is done, you may execute TURTLE by double
clicking  on the saved OPTIONS file,  which will cause  TURTLE  to
load,  read the saved options,  and set them as they were when you
saved them.  You may save several sets of options,  and select the
one you want when you run TURTLE each time.  You may also use  the
LOAD OPTIONS menu item to call up any set of options you wish.  In
any  case,  the options files should be in the same  directory  as
TURTLE.PRG.

                             OPTIONS

     TURTLE runs from the desktop, using  standard  GEM  drop-down
menus  for  entering  options.  There is a HELP menu item for each
OPTION item, to provide information at any time.

Archive:
          This option inhibits  a  normal  function,  setting  the
          archive bit.  When a file is copied, TURTLE will set the
          bit unless the ARCHIVE option has been used  to  disable
          the   feature.   This   bit  can  be  used  to  instruct
          subsequent backups to copy only  the  files  which  have
          changed since the last time TURTLE (or some other backup
          utility which set the archive  bit)  was  executed.  The
          default for this switch is to set the archive bit.  When
          the checkmark is displayed beside  the  Archive  option,
          the archive bit will be set on all files copied.

??? Copies:
          This  option  is used to generate extra  copies  of  any
          disk written  during backup.  Normally, only one copy of
          each disk is written.   To request  additional   copies,
          enter  the  number  of  copies  desired.   The   default
          for  this option is to write one backup copy.  The  menu
          item changes to reflect the number of copies selected.

Full Backup:
          This  option  is  used to indicate  whether  the  backup
          should be full (all files in all the named  directories)
          or incremental (only the files in the named  directories
          which  have been altered since the last  backup).   This
          can  shorten  the  time required  to  back  up  a  drive
          when  few  files have been changed.   It  does  require,
          however,  that  the  user  keep the   original   backup,
          plus the intervening incremental backups,  to be able to
          re-construct  the contents of  the drive.   The  default
          for  this  option  is to backup all the  files  in   the
          paths entered.  The menu item will change to Incremental
          when that mode is selected.

Enter Directories:
          This  option  is  used  to  limit  the  path   following
          option of  TURTLE.   Normally,   TURTLE  will  begin  at
          the  path named,  and follow all folders in  that  path,
          copying  all files in all folders (unless INCREMENTAL is
          set).   Then,  after  all folders in the path have  been
          copied, all  the files  in  the  named  path are copied.
          The  Enter  Directories option can be  used  to  prevent
          TURTLE  from opening any of  the folders  in  the  path.
          When  the  Files Only option is selected  in  the  Enter
          Directories  dialog,  only the files in the  named  path
          will be copied.  The default for this option is to  open
          the folders, and back up all the files in the folders as
          well as  those  in  the  path.  When  the  checkmark  is
          not displayed  by  this  option,   only the files in the
          path named, but not those in the folders, will be backed
          up.

Verify:
          TURTLE writes diskettes as direct images of disk  tracks
          built  in  memory in the RAMdisk.  When the  RAMdisk  is
          full,  it is copied,  track-by-track,  to a floppy disk.
          The  track copy function does not read data back to  see
          if the disk write was successful. If you wish to re-read
          the data after it is written to the floppy,  select  the
          Verify option.  The data image will be re-read to insure
          the disk write was executed properly (it is not compared
          to the original image,  only read).This option  defaults
          to  write  the floppy without re-reading  it.  When  the
          checkmark is displayed, the data will be read back after
          writing.

Omit:
          You may have certain types of files which you don't want
          to include in the backup image (such as backup copies of
          other files).  You may inform TURTLE of certain types of
          files  which  you  wish to exclude from  the  backup  by
          selecting the Omit option.  In the dialog box, enter the
          1,  2,  or three character file extender of the types of
          files you wish to exclude. Do not enter the file name or
          the  period used to separate the name and type.  If  you
          wanted  to exclude all files with the ".BAK"  or  ".OLD"
          extender,  for example, you would enter "bak old" in the
          dialog  box.  When exclusion file types are  entered,  a
          question mark (?) may be used to match any character  in
          the input file type,  so that entering "BL?" would cause
          any  file  whose  type begins with BL  to  be  excluded,
          provided that the type has a third character.

Query:
          This  is another method of selecting which files are  to
          be  included  or excluded from  a  backup.  When  TURTLE
          starts copying files, it will offer a menu at the top of
          the  screen  for  each file  it  locates  (except  those
          already  excluded by types entered under  the  "Exclude"
          Option). For each file, you may press either the "n" key
          to not back up the file, or the Space bar to back up the
          file.  If you want to back up all the rest of the  files
          in the current directory, press the "d" key. To skip all
          the  rest of the files in the current  directory,  press
          the "s" key.  To back up all the remaining files in  the
          path,  press the "p" key.  To omit the rest of the files
          in the path,  press the "o" key.  To back up  everything
          else,  with no more queries,  press the "e" key. To quit
          backing up files,  press the "q" key.  To terminate  the
          program immediately, press Control-C.

Floppy Disk Type:
          This option is used to indicate what type of disks   the
          backup will be done on. It is imperative that the proper
          options be selected,  matching the diskettes to be used.
          If  the  backup  is executed  with  the  wrong  diskette
          options,  the  backup disks will not be useable and  may
          create errors during floppy writing. The options allowed
          are  for single or double sided disks,  80,  81,  or  82
          tracks per disk,  and 9,  10,  or 11 sectors per  track.
          While both 9 and 10 sector disks are reliable, 11 sector
          disks are not always re-readable. Turtle will not format
          disks  with 11 sectors.  Using more than 80  tracks  per
          disk may cause damage to your disk drive.  While  TURTLE
          will  support  use of 11 sector tracks,  and  81  or  82
          tracks,  the  recommended configurations are 80  tracks,
          and either 9 or 10 sectors per track.

          No  matter what configuration of disks you  select,  the
          disks  written  by TURTLE will be accessable  as  normal
          disks, with normal files.

Floppy Disk Numbering:
          This option is used to define the number assigned to the
          first   diskette   written.   Normally,   diskettes  are
          numbered beginning with one.  However, if  a  backup  is
          being  executed by paths (to avoid the 40 folder limit),
          subsequent disks may be better organized if the  numbers
          assigned  to the disks are sequential.  This option will
          offer a dialog box which can be used to set  the  number
          assigned  to  the first disk written.  The default is to
          start numbering disks with  1.  When  the  checkmark  is
          displayed  beside  this option, some number other than 1
          has been selected to begin assigning  to  disks.  Since
          TURTLE writes a label on each disk,  which includes  the
          date,  the drive from which the disk was copied, and the
          sequence  number of the disk,  it can be very useful  to
          keep the numbers in proper order.

Format Floppy Disks:
          This is the diskette format option.  TURTLE assumes that
          the disks to be written to are already formatted, unless
          this option is used to override that assumption.  TURTLE
          will format disks with 9 or 10 sectors,  but it will not
          attempt  to  format  11 sectors per  disk.   It  is  not
          necessary  that the disks be erased,  since anything  on
          them  will be over-written.  It is never harmful to  use
          the format option,  but it will cause the program to run
          a bit slower. The default for this option is to write to
          floppies  without  formatting.   When  the checkmark  is
          displayed  beside  this  option  the  diskettes will  be
          formatted before they are written.

Path(s) To Back Up:
          This  option  is  used to specify the  disk   paths   to
          read. All    files   (or  all  non-archived   files   if
          INCREMENTAL is set) in the named paths will be read  and
          copied   to  the diskettes.   Only  the  files  in   the
          named  paths will be read or marked with   the   ARCHIVE
          bit  (if  ARCHIVE  is enabled).   The  default for  this
          option  is the path from which  TURTLE  was   initiated.
          More  than  one  path may be specified  at  a  time,  by
          entering  one or more spaces between the different  path
          names.   When   the   checkmark   is displayed  by  this
          option, the path has been changed from the default.

RAMdisk Drive Name:
          TURTLE assumes that the RAMdisk it will use for creating
          the backup image will be drive M:. If you already have a
          drive M:  in you system, you'll want to change the drive
          name to something else.  Drives A and B are reserved for
          floppy disks,  and can not be re-assigned.  Drive  names
          are restricted to C through P.  You may use any of those
          names for the RAMdisk.  You may even assign the  RAMdisk
          to  a  drive  which already has a  hard  disk  partition
          assigned  to it.  You will not be able to back  up  that
          partition,  but you can back up any other partition  you
          wish.  You may then change the RAMdisk drive  name,  and
          back up the partition you could not previously access.


                            EXECUTION

     Before TURTLE can be executed, your system must not be in low
resolution,   and   there   must   be  an   adequate   amount   of
memory available.  You must disable any accessories or unnecessary
"AUTO"  programs  to  insure  that  there is space  available  for
TURTLE to execute.   They consume memory that is required for  the
RAMdisk. TURTLE contains code to help avoid folder crashes.

                     ===>>> WARNING!!! <<<===

    There is a problem in GEMDOS versions prior to TOS 1.4 dealing
with  folders (sometimes referred to as  sub-directories).  GEMDOS
becomes unstable when too many folders are accessed. Currently, 40
folders  is  assumed to be a safe limit for folders on  a  system.
TURTLE  uses  some  techniques to make  the  folder  problem  less
severe. When you specify the path you wish to backup, there may be
folders  in that path.  Folders which reside directly in the  path
name may themselves contain other folders. TURTLE will "clear" the
folder  count  each time it completes backing up  a  folder  which
resides  directly  in the named path.  TURTLE can  not  clear  the
folder count during the backing up of any other folder,  only when
it finishes a folder at the "top" of the named path.  For example,
if drive "C:" contains 80 folders,  and many of those contain more
folders, like this:

     C:\FOLDER00 (contains 15 more folders)
     C:\FOLDER01 (contains 12 more folders)
     C:\FOLDER02 (contains 24 more folders)
     C:\FOLDER03 (contains no more folders)

     C:\FOLDER78 (contains 31 more folders)
     C:\FOLDER79 (contains 13 more folders)

and  you  instructed  TURTLE to back  up  drive  "C:",  you  would
encounter no problems. As TURTLE backed up C:\FOLDER00, the folder
count would climb to 19 (15 folders,  C:\,  C:\FOLDER00,  M:,  and
M:\FOLDER00).  On the RAMdisk,  only the folders in the path being
are counted. All other folders on the RAMdisk are removed from the
count  as  soon  as they are completed.  When  the  last  file  of
FOLDER00 was copied, before FOLDER01 was started, the folder count
would drop to 3 (C:,  C:\FOLDER01, and M:), then rise to 4 as soon
as  M:\FOLDER01 was created.  Drive C:  itself could  contain  any
number  of  folders,  as far as TURTLE was  concerned.  You  would
probably have problems with other programs,  however,  so this  is
still not considered wise.  If any single folder at the top  level
of  drive C:  contained more than 40 folders,  though,  you  could
experience  problems with TURTLE.  If this is the case,  you  must
back up drive C:  by selecting groups of folders,  then re-running
with  the single folders which contain more than  40  folders.  If
FOLDER31  contained  90 folders (counting  all  folders  contained
within  those  folders),  you would have to back  up  all  folders
except 31,  then back up FOLDER31 by itself.  The PATH dialog  box
has been widened to make this easier.  The simplest way to explain
this is to think that the 40 folder limit has been moved one level
of folders lower in the path that you enter.  It may be easier  to
grasp  the idea if you watch the folder count climb as the  backup
is running,  then suddenly drop as a folder is completed.  TOS 1.4
has  nearly eliminated this problem.  It has raised the  limit  on
folder accesses to an undefined, but very large, value. If it does
approach  that limit,  it recognizes the danger in the  situation,
and stops executing with an appropriate warning message.

    Once TURTLE begins, it will start copying files,  even  though
there  are  no  disks ready.  Do not be concerned.  TURTLE will be
establishing the RAMdisk images,  and  no  floppies  are  required
until  the  RAMdisk is full.  Once the RAMdisk is full, it will be
dumped to the floppies, and will post messages to  identify  which
disk  is which in sequence.  If you do not stay ahead of TURTLE in
keeping disks ready, it will start ringing the console bell  until
you  return,  and provide more diskettes.  TURTLE will log on  the
screen  which  floppy drive and disk number it  expects  to  write
next.  The number of the disk will not change,  but if the desired
drive  is  not ready,  and the other drive  is,  TURTLE  will  use
whichever drive is available.

    TURTLE will keep all the files in a  folder  together,  in  an
identically  named  folder,  on  the  floppy  image.  Of course, a
single hard disk folder may be split across several  floppies.  If
no  files are to be copied from a folder, no empty folders will be
created.  The sequence of the files in  the  folder  will  be  the
largest  file  that  fits  first.  This  allows  TURTLE to use the
floppies as efficiently as possible.  TURTLE will not  attempt  to
copy  a  file that is too large to fit on a blank floppy, but will
log a message on the screen (remember that  each  folder  requires
1K,  so there is less space available when folders are nested). If
you  need  to make a copy of a file that is larger than  a  single
disk, use the companion program TERRAPIN.


                           THE DISPLAY

     TURTLE maintains an informative  display  during  the  backup
process.  It  requires  lines of 80 characters, so you must not be
in low res mode.  At the top  is  the  sign  on  banner,  and  the
current  version  number.  Next  is the status line for the floppy
drives.  Each drive will always have a status indicated:

DISK NEEDED
     Used  only  at  startup.  Be  sure  an  appropriate  disk  is
     inserted, and press the key corresponding to the floppy drive
     (A or  B,  upper  or  lower  case).  When  a  disk  has  been
     inserted,  and the proper key pressed, the status will change
     to READY.  You may change disks any time that the disk access
     for  the  floppy  drive  is not on, and press the keys at any
     time.  TURTLE is designed to allow you to set  up  two  disks
     and  walk  off.  It  will  use  them both, then start ringing
     bells to let you know when it needs a new pair.  It will  let
     you  know  what order the disks were written in.  If you stay
     ahead of TURTLE in keeping disks  ready,  it  will  alternate
     between  drive  A and B.  If both disks are full, it will use
     whichever one you key in as ready first.  If you do not  have
     a  second  drive,  do  not press the "B" key, and TURTLE will
     work with drive "A"  exclusively.  If  you  re-use  the  same
     disks  for  backup,  with  labels on them, it is very easy to
     keep them in sequence.

FULL Disk ##  Copy  #
     Informs you that the floppy in the designated drive is  full,
     and  must  be  changed.  The  ## is the number of the disk in
     sequence, and the # will show which copy it is, when multiple
     copies are requested.  You may change a disk at any time, and
     press the keys at any time, so long as you do not attempt  to
     remove a disk while the drive's access light is on. Each time
     this  message  is displayed,  a single bell  will  sound,  to
     indicate that a disk change is due.

READY
     You have indicated that a blank disk is in the  drive,  ready
     for  writing.  When  the  RAMdisk is full, this drive will be
     written to.  If both drives are READY, TURTLE will  write  to
     whichever one was not used last.

DISK ERROR
     Well,  these  things  happen.   TURTLE  is   very   good   at
     recovering, however.  Since the entire image of the floppy is
     in the RAMdisk, just insert a new floppy in the drive,  press
     RETURN,  and  TURTLE will start writing that copy over.  Just
     discard, re-cycle, or furiously  mangle  the  disk  with  the
     error.  It  is  unimportant.  Your  backup  will be perfectly
     valid, no matter how many diskette errors occur.  Ignore  any
     disks  with  errors,  and  keep the ones TURTLE identified as
     FULL.  When an error occurs, you must replace the disk in the
     drive  with  the error, and press RETURN.  TURTLE will not go
     off writing on other (possibly labelled) disks and leave  bad
     ones lying around.  This helps keeps things orderly.

TERMINATION PENDING
     You have pressed the terminate key "T".  TURTLE  will  finish
     writing   the   current   disk   (however  many  copies  were
     requested), then stop  executing.  If  the  Archive  bit  was
     being  set, only the files copied will be marked as archived.
     All files copied will  have  been  properly  marked,  so  the
     backup  may  be  restarted at a later time, and the remaining
     files will be copied.

Read error. Options: A=Abort Backup. S=Skip this file:
     A read error has occurred on the hard disk.  TURTLE is unable
     to  backup  the current file.  You may abort  the  backup  by
     pressing  A  (or a).  The abort is immediate.  Files  in  the
     RAMdisk  are not copied to floppies.  You may skip  the  file
     with the read error by pressing S (or s), and the backup will
     continue with the next file.

     Other lines on the display are clearly  labelled:  the  input
request being processed, the current path being copied, the number
of files in the path, how many  remain  to  be  copied,  and  byte
sizes.  There  is  a  folder count displayed.  Remember that it is
only the number of folders read or written  by  TURTLE,  and  only
during   the  current execution.   There is a display of the  next
floppy  which  TURTLE wants to write (remember that  it  will  use
whichever drive is available,  if the first choice is not  ready).
There  is a log of files that have been copied,  and their  sizes.
It starts  at  the  middle  of  the screen, and scrolls down.  The
file being copied is the one at the top of the list,  and it  will
scroll  down  and  off  the  page  as subsequent files are copied.

                             KEYBOARD

     While  the  backup  is running,  TURTLE  keeps  checking  the
keyboard.  You can type in commands at any time.  TURTLE will  see
them  within one or two seconds,  as soon as the current disk  I/O
operation is completed.  All commands are a single letter,  and do
not require that the RETURN key be pressed. The following commands
are active at any time, except when a disk I/O has occurred:

     A (or a) - a floppy disk has been inserted in drive A, and is
     ready for use.

     B (or b) - a floppy disk has been inserted in drive B, and is
     ready for use.

     T  (or  t) - terminate the program after the  current  floppy
     disk. All copies requested will be written before termination
     occurrs.  If the ARCHIVE option was requested, only the files
     backed up are marked as archived.

     Control-C  -   Cancel the program immediately.  Files  copied
     into the RAMdisk are not copied to a floppy.


                             SUMMARY

     TURTLE works quite well,  and with (I  think) good speed.  It
is  even  smart enough to not copy unused tracks at the end  of  a
diskette, but it will format them if formatting has been requested
(who needs a partially formatted disk?).  The most important thing
is to be sure you free enough RAM to build the RAMdisk and run the
program  before  beginning.  TURTLE is fairly bullet proof, and is
very informative while running.  You can kill it at most any  time
by  pressing  Control-C, and it will stop almost immediately.  You
can request that it stop at the end of all copies of  the  current
disk  by  pressing  "T".  You  do  not have to wait for it to need
disks to make them ready,  you  may  press  the  appropriate  keys
whenever you have inserted the disks.

     TURTLE is really only a GEM desktop front end for the program
which does the backup work, called TTLEXEC.TTP.  TURTLE writes one
command line, then uses it to invoke TTLEXEC.TTP to  do  the  real
work.  You can use TTLEXEC.TTP from the command line without using
TURTLE if you like.  See TTLEXEC.MAN for documentation.

     TURTLE is copyrighted,  but released for public distribution.
TURTLE  is  not to be sold except for nominal charges  for  media,
reproduction, and/or connect charges while downloading.

     If TURTLE gives you any trouble, or you have any suggestions,
please feel free to contact:

     George R.  Woodside            Compuserve  76537,1342
     5219 San Feliciano Dr.         GEnie       G.WOODSIDE
     Woodland Hills, Ca. 91364

     USENET: ..!{philabs|csun|psivax}!ttidca!woodside
     or      woodside@ttidca