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1993-04-07
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\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////
TrapTrxID
v1.4
Time Synchronizer
User Manual
by
Giuseppe Vicari
2:331/105.4@Fidonet.Org
////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
**** Index Line
. What is it? 38
. What's this tool for? 46
. Why to use TrapTrxID? 55
. How to use? 79
. Special notes about TrapDoor? 124
. How does it work? 137
. Bugs and troubles? 163
. How to reach me in case of troubles? 176
. History of TrapTrxID? 184
. How much is it? 219
. Who I'd like to thank? 238
. How to check out this is the original program? 252
. End of the document 262
**** End of the index
>>>> What is it?
TrapTrxID is a tiny tool be used in conjunction with TrapDoor. It
allows to syncronize the system clock by using the information
included in TrapDoor log file. Such information is recorded during an
EMSI connection to the node you want to synchronize with.
>>>> What's this tool for?
Some nodes may have their system time synchronized with the
"famous" atomic clocks (either by using special devices or connecting
to other nodes. In this way, you may have your clock set at the right
time. How connect to the node you want to synchronize with TrapDoor,
then run TrapTrxID and, automagically, you'll get it!
>>>> Why to use TrapTrxID?
There are a lot of interesting features that other existing
programs do not offer, such as:
1. It has been built to be the shortest and fastest program on the
earth ;-)
2. Full scanning of the log file: it avoids loosing data if the
last session had been very long.
3. It tells the system when a synchronization takes place, by
writing a line in the log file.
4. It does not repeat the synchronization if you run the program
several times and such a line exists in the log file.
5. It can syncronize the internal clock.
6. It's a PURE program, i.e. it can be made resident. This means
you can run it many times without having to load it from the
storage memory.
>>>> How to use?
TrapTrxID can be run either from CLI (from a script file such as
User-StartUp or StartUp-Sequence) or just after an EMSI session. In
this second way, a synchronization takes place at each session: this
can be done using the TrapDoor option AFTERSESSION (look documents
that come along with TrapDoor package).
TrapTrxID takes five arguments:
1) the file name of TrapDoor log file (add the path, if necessary);
you MUST supply this parameter
2) the number of the node you want to synchronize with. If you omit
this parameter, TrapTrxID synchronizes with the last node you had
a EMSI connection with.
3) the size of the internal buffer
4) the ASK flag, if you want TrapTrxID to request confirmation before
setting the clock
5) the SET flag, if you want to synchronize also the internal clock.
Here it is the string of the parser:
"LOGNAME/A,NODE,ASK/S,SET/S,BUFFER/N".
Example (from CLI):
TrapTrxID Mail:Logs/TrapDoor.log 2:333/100.0
Add a line like this one in a script file or use it to run
TrapTrxID from the CLI.
Example (from TrapDoor):
AFTERSESSION "TrapTrxID %l 2:333/100.0"
Add a line like this one in TrapDoor configuration file. TrapDoor
will replace the string %l with the (full) name of the log file.
>>>> Special notes about TrapDoor?
This version of TrapDoor was developed using and referring to
TrapDoor version 1.83. Neverthless, previous releases of TrapDoor can
do as well, as long as they allow the reception of TrxID, Name or AKA
messages (examine TrapDoor documentation to find out wheter this is
case fit to you or not).
TrapDoor configuration file is something I really must talk about.
In order to let TrapTrxID to work properly, it is required a string
LOGLEVEL 8:n (n>2) to appear in the file.
>>>> How does it work?
TrapTrxID search in the log file for lines like the following
ones:
: 26-Dec-92 12:11:01 Name: Nome BBS (2:334/155.0)
: 26-Dec-92 12:11:01 AKA: 2:23331/1.0 3:1/1.0
then it compares the address given as argument with the ones in these
lines. If they match, it means that the next line of type
: 26-Dec-92 12:11:01 TrxID: 2b3c4bd0/2b3c4ad7
will be good to get the time difference between our system clock and
the remote one: it evaluate the difference between the two
hexadecimal parameters on the line just after the keyword TrxID:.
Hence it gets the difference (in seconds) between the local node and
the remote one. Of course this operation concern the last session.
After updating the clock, TrapTrxID add a line of kind
" 26-Dec-92 12:34:24 TrapTrxID v1.4 Adjusted by -4:09 (3:1/1.0)
in order to prevent TrapTrxID from re-updating the time until a new
EMSI session takes place.
>>>> Bugs and troubles?
No known bugs exists or, at least, they never showed up till
today. Though, there is a slim problem: the program tends to be slow
as the log file gets bigger. This is due to the fact that TrapTrxID
analyzes the whole file to ensure a right parsing of the log file (Oh
yeah! There are programs that seem to do the same much faster... but
are you sure their parsing is not bugged?). I'd suggest to use the
BUFFER option if you have got a fast computer or the log file is on a
slow peripheral: this option increases the size of the internal
buffer for the file and reduces the disk accesses.
>>>> How to reach me in case of troubles?
In case of troubles or bugs, you can reach me at the following
e-mail address:
Giuseppe Vicari 2:331/105.4@Fidonet.Org
>>>> History of TrapTrxID?
. v1.4 7 Apr 93:
New coding using the typical AmigaDOS functions: the
executable code got considerably shorter and more efficient; the
line parser is AmigaDOS compatible; changed the text line
TrapTrxID writes in the log file (it's still compatible with the
older releases); added the BUFFER option; added the ASK and SET
flags; an english manual is now available.
Try 'version TrapTrxID' ;-)
. v1.3 31 Jan 93:
Fixed a bug that caused the computer to crash. It was not my
fault, but compiler-optimizer's.
. v1.2 30 Jan 93:
Now you can avoid specifying the name of the node you want to
perform the synchronization: it will take the last one. If
TrapTrxID runs from WorkBench, it opens a small window, shows the
syntax and closes it after 5 seconds. Replaced the function
main() with the _main(): got a shorter code.
. v1.1 22 Jan 93:
Fixed a very insignificant bug, added an error message and
optimized some parts of the program.
. v1.0 3 Jan 93
First version.
>>>> How much is it?
This program is Freely Distributable and Usable. Permission is
given to freely distibute this program provided no fee is charged and
no changes or modification of the code and of the documentation are
made. In other words, this is a FD (Freely Distributable). Of
course, I won't be disappointed if you send me any money donation $-).
Furthermore, I'd like get a nice postcard from your country (oh
well... a *very* nice postcard!). Send whatever kind of donation to
the following address:
Giuseppe Vicari
via Torni, 7
I-21051 Arcisate (VA)
ITALIA
Thanks in advance for your generosity.
>>>> Who I'd like to thank?
I'd like to thank the following people:
Matteo Taveggia
for the revision and english translation of this manual.
Flavio Stanchina and Maurizio Frizzo
for their suggestions.
Maximilian Hantsch e Martin J. Laubach
for their superb programma TrapDoor.
>>>> How to check out this is the original program?
In the archive there is program called CheckFiles. This is an
useful tool to verify that the files in the archive are the original
ones. After you extracted the files from the archive, from inside the
directory where such files are run CheckFiles (it is case-sensitive,
so type it paying attention!): it will automatically tell you which
(if any) files had been altered.
>>>> End of the document