BBS Toolkit/BBS Toolkit.iso/pc_board/arcid100.zip/ARCID.DOC

Text File | 1992-09-18 | 13KB | 313 lines

    ┌──────────────────────────────┐
    │                              │
    │  ╖────╖            ╖     ┐   │           Archive Identifier
    │  ║    ║            ║     │   │
    │  ║────╢ ┐──┐ ┌──┐  ║ ┌───│   │              Version 1.00
    │  ║    ║ │    │     ║ │   │   │
    │  ╜    ╜ ┘    └──┘  ╜ └───┘   │    (c) Copyright 1992 - Stacy Smith
    │                              │
    └──────────────────────────────┘


                                Courtesy of:

                        The Bloom Beacon-Picayune BBS
          Node 1: [phone] (USRobotics Courier Dual Standard)
             Node 2: [phone] (USRobotics Courier V.32bis)
                              FidoNet 1:276/112
                                  Intelec

                                Stacy Smith
                              Route 6 Box 189
                           Forest, Virginia 24551


┌────────────────────┐
│  1. Introduction:  │
└────────────────────┘

Archive Identifier (ARCID) is a derivative of the UpLoadProcessor (ULP) system;
users of ULP do not require this program, as each of the ULP programs have
ARCID's abilities built into it.

ARCID is intended for use by people who wish to be able to accurately detect a
archive's format without relying on the file extension, but do not wish to use
ULP. These people may be sysops using EXZTEST, ZIPLAB, ZDCS, FWKCS, etc., or
may be using their own homemade batch files for testing archives, or even other
purposes I haven't thought of.

Regardless, ARCID is an extremely simple and fast tool for people who deal with
compressed files on a regular basis.


┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│  2. Features of Archive Identifier:  │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘

      ∙ Identifies ARC, ARJ, HYP, LZH, PAK, ZIP, ZOO and GIF files, regardless
        of their file extensions (ideal for software distribution networks,
        like .SDN files).
      ∙ Identifies ARJ, LZH, PAK and ZIP self-extracting (SFX) archives.
      ∙ Can filter other file types based solely upon file extension.
      ∙ A total of 97 archive formats and files extensions can be defined for
        conditional branching of batch files.
      ∙ Fully network-aware using DOS SHARE-compatible locks.
      ∙ Written mostly in C (and a little assembler) for optimal speed, using
        Borland C++ 3.1 and Turbo Assembler 3.1.
      ∙ Lifetime registration; pay ONCE and your registration number will work
        on all future versions!


┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  3. Files Included in the ARCID Distribution Archive  │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

        ARCID.COM       Archive Identifier processing program.
        ARCID.DOC       This file.
        PCBTEST.BAT     Sample PCBTEST.BAT file for using ARCID.
        HISTORY.TXT     ARCID revision history in reverse order.
        REGISTER.FRM    Registration form for ARCID.
        FILE_ID.DIZ     Internal description file.

When you unzip the distribution archive, you should see my PKZIP authenticity
verification stamp, and a '-AV' after every file in the archive:

        # SSU301    The Bloom Beacon-Picayune BBS

If there are any files missing or added, or the -AV stamp is missing, the
archive has been tampered with. It would be advisable to call my BBS (listed at
the top of this document) for the latest version of ARCID.


┌───────────────────────────┐
│  4. Program Requirements  │
└───────────────────────────┘

To the best of my knowledge, this program will run on most any machine capable
of running PCBoard 14.5+. I have personally tested and developed ARCID on the
following machines, with no problems:

        10 MHz 80286 computer (CompuAdd) with:
           ∙ 1 megabyte of motherboard memory with a 2 megabyte EMS card
           ∙ 42 megabytes of MFM hard disk space
           ∙ MS-DOS 5.0 with 4DOS 4.01 command interpreter
           ∙ CGA graphics subsystem

        33 MHz 80486 computer (CompuAdd Express) with:
           ∙ PCBoard 14.5a/10
           ∙ 12 megabytes of motherboard memory
           ∙ 245 megabytes of IDE hard disk space
           ∙ MS-DOS 5.0 with 4DOS 4.01 command interpreter
           ∙ SVGA graphics subsystem

Other sysops that I have been in contact with have successfully implemented
ARCID on setups with CD-ROMs, networks (Ethernet and LANtastic) and other
varying hardware.

ARCID has been developed and tested using archives created by the following
archiving packages:

        ARJ 2.30 (by Robert Jung)
        ARJ 2.39a (by Robert Jung)
        HYPER 2.5 (by P. Sawatzki and K. P. Nischke)
        LHA 2.13 (by Haruyasu Yoshizaki)
        LHarc 1.13c (by Haruyasu Yoshizaki)
        PAK 2.51 (by NoGate Consulting)
        PKPAK 3.61 (by PKWare)
        PKZIP 1.10 (by PKWare)
        PKZIP 1.93 Alpha (by PKWare)
        ZOO 2.10 (by Rahul Deshi)

The ARCID system requires DOS 3.x or later, as it uses DOS SHARE-compatible
file reads and writes.

ARCID's memory requirements are extremely small (less than 64K). It would be a
good idea to have as much free conventional memory as possible (ARCID itself
cannot use EMS or XMS memory, and really couldn't use it if I wanted it to).


┌───────────────────┐
│  5. Registration  │
└───────────────────┘

The ARCID system is not free; nor is ARCID is crippled to force registration.
ARCID is fully functional, and will always remain so. The only variation with
the registered copies is no beg message.

Why register? Besides a clean conscience, you will get a registration code that
will work for all future versions of ARCID, and will remove the message at the
end of execution of ARCID.

Also, registered users get a large time limit and unlimited downloading from
my BBS, if they choose to do so...

The registration fee for your unique code is $5 for non-commercial BBSes. The
registration fee for commercial BBSes, defined if you run your BBS in the
course of a commercial business, or your if BBS turns a profit, is $10. Other
variations are available; refer to the file REGISTER.FRM for all registration
options. Please print the file REGISTER.FRM and fill it out. You can print out
the form by issuing the following command from the DOS prompt:

        TYPE REGISTER.FRM > PRN


┌───────────────────────────────────────┐
│  6. License, Warranty and Disclaimer  │
└───────────────────────────────────────┘

I'll keep this part short and sweet, and dispense with the legal-ese:

    License: You are allowed to use ARCID for 30 days, after which you must
        either register ARCID or stop using it completely. ARCID registration
        is a license for your use of ARCID; I retain ownership of the software.
        A single registration applies to a single BBS system, regardless of the
        number of computers used in the system. If you run two or more distinct
        BBS systems on the same computer (with different names), you require
        two or more ARCID registrations. Refer to the registration form for the
        currect pricing structure.

    Warranty: There isn't one. The only thing I'll guarantee is that ARCID will
        take up disk space, and will disappear when deleted.

    Disclaimer: I'm not responsible for anything bad that happens. ARCID works
        here, but I cannot be held responsible for it not working on your
        computer or doing any damage to hardware or software.

If these aren't agreeable with you, then the best thing to do is delete ARCID
right now. I'll do my best to help any user (registered or not) that wants to
use ARCID, and I'll act on bug reports quickly, but I simply cannot and will
not be responsible for anything bad, like lost data, disk crashes, or whatever
else you can think of.


┌───────────────────┐
│  7. Installation  │
└───────────────────┘

GENERAL:
────────
Copy the file ARCID.COM into a subdirectory that is included in the DOS path,
so that ARCID may be executed from anywhere. I would suggest your PCB home
directory, usually 'C:\PCB\'.

If you are running PCBoard under a network or a multitasking operating system,
you should already have DOS's SHARE.EXE loaded. You must have SHARE loaded in
order to take advantage of the file sharing and locking methods used by the
ARCID program to prevent data loss. (If you are running a single-node system
without a multitasker, SHARE is not needed).

Note that for the ARCID program, you can obtain a limited program syntax screen
simply by executing the program with no arguments.

FOR UPLOAD TESTING USING 'PCBTEST.BAT':
───────────────────────────────────────
NOTE: If you are unfamiliar with the operation of PCBTEST.BAT, you will need
to refer to the PCBoard manual on pages 200-202 for an explanation of
PCBTEST.BAT and TESTFILE.EXE.

As necessary, refer to the sample PCBTEST.BAT file included in this
archive. This simple batch file will test archive integrity and check for
viruses for any of the detectable formats of ARCID. This batch file can
easily be expanded to perform more tests.

ARCID.COM is a drop-in replacement of PCBoard's TESTFILE.EXE. If you are
already using TESTFILE.EXE, then simply replace the TESTFILE command in your
batch file with ARCID. For example, if your current PCBTEST.BAT has the
following line:

    TESTFILE %1 ZIP ARJ LZH GIF

simply change it to:

    ARCID %1 ZIP ARJ LZH GIF

ARCID will return a DOS errorlevel corresponding to the archive's position in
the extension list. ARCID is capable of automatically detecting the formats
identified by the following extensions, regardless of the file's true
extension:

    ARC     for ARC/PKPAK archives
    ARJ     for ARJ and ARJ self-extracting archives
    GIF     for GIF files
    HYP     for HYPER archives
    LZH     for LHA/LHARC and LHA/LHARC self-extracting archives
    PAK     for PAK and PAK self-extracting archives
    ZIP     for PKZIP and PKZIP self-extracting archives
    ZOO     for ZOO version 2.x archives

Do not add 'EXE' to the extension list; ARCID will automatically return to
corresponding errorlevel for an identified self-extracting archive.


┌───────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  8. Branding with Your Registration Code  │
└───────────────────────────────────────────┘

To brand the ARCID executable with your registration code, type the following
command from the DOS prompt:

    ARCID BRAND

ARCID will then ask you for your registration information (sysop name, BBS
name and registration code). All of this information is case sensitive; you
must enter it exactly as provided to you. After completion, ARCID will insert
the codes inside of the executable, and the beg message will go away.

* NOTE: Do not attempt the brand an ARCID.COM executable that has been
        compressed with PKLITE! This will corrupt the file, and may cause
        ARCID to not function properly.


┌──────────────┐
│  9. Support  │
└──────────────┘

If you require support for ARCID, I can be contacted by any of the following
means:

    ∙ Fidonet Netmail addressed to Stacy Smith, node 1:276/112 (aka 1:276/100)
    ∙ Intelec Shareware conference
    ∙ Intelec PCBoard conference
    ∙ The ULP support conference (#42) on Salt Air (PCBoard support BBS)
    ∙ The Support conference (#2) on my BBS (listed at the top of this
        document).


┌───────────────────────────┐
│  10. The Future of ARCID  │
└───────────────────────────┘

ARCID will be supported as long as I'm in the BBSing business (which will be
quite a while...once it's in your blood, you can never shake it <grin>). The
ARCID system will be rapidly expanding it's features; some current plans:

      ∙ Incorporate code to detect archives containing explicit paths.
      ∙ Incorporate code to detect defective or hacked archives.

If you have any other suggestions, or want other archivers supported, please
contact me by U.S. snail-mail or on my BBS at the number at the top of this
document.

Thanks for giving ARCID a try!


┌────────────────────────────────┐
│  Appendix A:  DOS Errorlevels  │
└────────────────────────────────┘

The errorlevels returned to DOS by the ARCID system programs are consistent
among all of the programs (primarily with the error conditions); the following
is a list of the errorlevels than can be returned by the ARCID programs, along
with which programs return the codes:

        0       Successful brand of the ARCID executable
        1-97    Successful execution, archive identified
        98      Successful execution, archive NOT identified
        99      Unsuccessful execution, no arguments passed (help screen
                   displayed)
        101     Unsuccessful brand of the ARCID executable
        110     Unable to allocate heap memory
        112     Invalid registration code
        115     Invalid filename provided by user on command-line