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/\_ ____________ ______/\__________/\___
/ ¬\/ |¬\ __ / \____ / ¬\ |\ __ /
/ | \ | \/ ¬\/ & | _ \ | \ _/ ¬\/
\_________/\__/ _____________/\__/
=================(pRESENTs)==============mk=
JuSt WHeN YoU THoUGHt THiNGS WHeRE BaCK To NoRMaL,
THe CRaZY GaNG rELeASe MoRE SHYtE.!
--->>> VIDEO BACKUP SYSTEM USERS MANUAL <<<---
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
INDEX
=====
1. INSTALLATION
1.1 Before you get started
1.2 What you should have
1.3 Hardware installation
1.4 Contents of the disk
1.5 Installing the software on Hard Disk
1.6 Copyright notice
2. USING THE VIDEO BACKUP SYSTEM
2.1 VBS main menu
2.2 Concepts behind VBS
2.2.1 Floppy vs Filesystem backup
2.2.2 Video connection check
2.2.3 Using the tape counter
2.2.4 Log Files
2.2.5 Visual Headers
2.3 Floppy Backup
2.3.1 Floppy requester
2.3.2 Backup operation
2.4 Floppy restore
2.4.1 Name requester
2.4.2 Restore operation
2.5 Filesystem functions
2.6 Log file functions
2.6.1 The file requester
2.6.2 Log file / Disable logging
2.6.3 Del log entry
2.6.4 Update log file
2.6.5 Create new log
2.7 Quit VBS
3. FILESYSTEM BACKUPS
3.1 File & Directory Selection
3.1.1 Selecting files
3.1.2 Menu options
3.2 Filesystem backup
3.2.1 Choosing the files
3.2.2 Backup requester
3.2.3 Filesystem backup operation
3.3 Filesystem restore
3.3.1 Name of the backup to restore
3.3.2 Restore operation
3.4 Filesystem verify
4. SOME HINTS
4.1 Configuration parameters
4.2 Using the right tapes
4.3 Additional hints
Congratulations !
=================
You have purchased one of the most convenient and
powerful backup systemns available for the Commodore
Amiga TM computer today. As creating and
manipulating video recordings is a main field of
interest in the Amiga community, the Amiga is often
used in conjunction with video equipment. The Video
Backup System cleverly provides an extra dimension
to this use of video with the Amiga.
You will find that the Video Backup System is a
powerful and versatile backup tool. To achieve
maximum security, an effective error-correction
scheme was incorporated. The system works with any
Amiga configuration, and it is useful for both hard
disk and floppy users. The connection to your
existing home VCR is easily made, as all necessary
cables are provided.
Software Developmnent: Hugo Lyppens
Hardware Development: Rob Langendoen
Box front cover artwork: Ardjan Dommisse
Copyright (c) 1992 Hugo Lyppens
1. INSTALLATION
===============
This chapter provides the basics on the Video Backup
System. The installation procedures for both hard
and software are explained.
1.1. Before you get started
---------------------------
You need to make a backup of the original Video
Backup System disk, for disks are sensitive to heat
and radiation. This copy is to be used as the
working disk. In the Amiga user's manual, you can
read instructions on how to copy a disk.
1.2. What you should have
-------------------------
In any case, you should check the contents of the
Video Backup System package to make sure that
nothing is missing. You will find the following
components:
Video Interface: this is a small grey unit which
has a 25 pin connector to connect to the Amiga`s
serial port and two PHONO plugs on the other side
Amiga to VCR cable: this is an ordinary PHONO to
PHONO cable to connect the Amiga`s video output to
the VCR input
One 3.5" disk
This manual
Product Registration Card: when you send it in
Lyppens Software Productions will keep you informed
of bugfixes, upgrades and related products. You can
write your comments on the product on the blank
side.
1.3. Hardware Installation
--------------------------
Figure 1.1 shows the hardware setup necessary for
operation of the Video Backup System at a glance.
Before you connect anything, be sure to turn off
your computer and video equipment first.
After these precautions, plug the Video Interface
into the Serial Port.
Next, connect its black plug to your VCRs video
output.
When you use a 1084S or equivalent monitor, you can
optionally connect the red plug to the composite
video input at the back of the monitor. You then
enjoy the facility to use the 1084 as a control
monitor for the video signal. Using the CVBS/RGB
switch on the front panel. You can either choose
the CVBS source (VCR) or the RGB signal (Amiga).
Use the other cable to connect the Amiga's composite
output to the VCR input jack. Via this connection,
data flow`s from the Amiga to the VCR.
1.4. Contents of the Disk
-------------------------
To checks the original disk, please put your working
copy in a drive and double click on the VBS disk
icon. After a few seconds, you'll see a window.
Figure 1.2 shows the structure of the VBS program
disk.
In the root directory you'll find the Video Backup
System program file, »VBS«. This single program
comprises all the video backup and restore
facilities of the Video Backup System. The separate
utility »HD Install« is provided for easy hard disk
installation.
The »Shell« icon gives you access to the Amiga's
command line interface. Futhermore, the following
drawers exist:
System
This is the standard drawer for system utilities
like »Format« and »DiskCopy«.
LogFiles
This is the standard drawer for Video Tape Log
Files. Initially, you'll find no log file here.
Later you will keep logs of your own video.
Fonts
This is the standard drawer for Amiga fonts. By
default, Video Backup System uses >>melba.font<< for
its visual headers (See 2.2.5).
1.5. Installing the Software on a Hard Disk
-------------------------------------------
In case you have a hard Backup System you probably
want to install the Video Backup System on it, so
that you can start it from there at all times. On
the disk there is a utility called »VBS_Install<<
which carries out this job for you.
Boot from your hard disk to make sure the FONTS path
is set to your hard disk's font directory. On
double clicking the »VBS Install« icon, a window
appears on the Workbench screen, as shown in Figure
1.3
Using the directory gadget above, you can indicate
which directory is to be used for the Video Backup
System. By default, the directory is set to
»work:VBS«.
Click »OK« to start the installation, or »Cancel« to
abort. After clicking »OK«, all necessary files are
copied to the hard disk.
To be able to start the VBS by double clicking a log
file icon (See 2.2.4), the logical device »VBS:«
needs to be ASSIGNed to the directory where VBS was
installed.
To accomplish this, your startup-sequence needs to
contain a line »Assign VBS : <path to VBS>«. Click
OK if you want the installation utility to insert
this line in your startup sequence automatically.
The default here is »s:Startup-Sequence« for systems
running AmigaDOS 1.3 or less, and »s:User-Startup«
for AmigaDOS 2,0 or above. Click Cancel if you
prefer to add it yourself.
After this, the installation is finished.
1.6. Copyright notice
---------------------
The Video Backup System Software is not copy
protected. This means that you can copy your
original disk without difficulties. But please
remember that copying this software for any use
other than for backup purposes violates copyright
laws. This means that it is illegal to make a copy
to give to another person. It is also illegal to
use a copy of this program on any two computers
simultaneously.
2. USING THE VIDEO BACKUP SYSTEM
================================
This chapter describes the use of the Video Backup
System software in full detail. If you did not
connect the hardware and your VCR to the Amiga yet,
please do so first.
The VBS software fully uses the capabilities of
Intuition to provide an easy to use and easy to
learn user interface. The main means of issuing
commands to the program is the mouse, as all
functions are accessible through gadgets and pull
down menus
2.1. VBS Main Menu
------------------
Please put your working copy into a drive and open
the disk's window on the workbench. A double click
on the icon labeled »VBS« starts the program.
When the program shows up, you`ll see the main
screen (Figure 2.1)
To the left, you see ten gadgets which give you
access to the program`s main functions. The large
black area at the right is still empty. It is used
to display the contents of log files (See 2,2.3).
At the top of the log file box there is a pad that
shows the name of the log file, now indicating
>>None<<.
2.2. Concepts behind VBS
------------------------
For a better understanding, it is important to be
familiar with some of the basic ideas behind VBS.
2.2.1. Floppy vs. Filesystem Backup
-----------------------------------
These are the two kinds of backups available. A
floppy backup is a track-by-track image of an 880K
AmigaDOS disk, written to video.
A filesystem backup is normally used to save the
contents of hard disks, but you can make a backup of
any filesystem device like RAM:, RAD: etc. It uses
the file system instead of reading raw tracks, so
that you can include and exclude individual files
and directories.
2.2.2. Video Connection Check
-----------------------------
The VBS software does this check before starting a
backup operation. This makes sure that your backup
really gets recorded on video tape, because the
check fails when:
Your VCR unit is not turned on
The connections are not OK
Your VCR is not tuned to the AUX channel (external
source). The channel display on the VCR should show
»0« or »AU«. Refer to your VCR's instruction manual
for details.
When the check fails, you will see a requester that
tells you so. Then, you can either correct the
mistake and click on »OK now« or click on »Abort« to
abort the operation
2.2.3. Using the Tape Counter
-----------------------------
The tape counter is necessary to find locations on
the video tape easily. For the Video Backup System,
it is assumed that your VCR has a real-time counter,
the format of which is H:MM:SS (Hours, Minutes and
Seconds).
When inserting a new video tape, make sure that
counter value 0:00:00 corresponds with the beginning
of the tape. This is achieved by rewinding the tape
and pressing the "counter reset" button on your VCR.
Many VCR have a Time Go-To function, which gives you
access to any point on the tape by simply specifying
the time from the beginning of the tape.
The Tape Counter also plays an important role when
using the log files.
2.2.4. Log Files
----------------
Log Files are a means of keeping track of what is on
a tape. For practical reasons. they are not kept
somewhere on the tape. Instead, they are stored as
a file on a floppy or hard disk.
For each tape that you use for video backups, you
should have a separate log file. To avoid
confusion, a good suggestion would be to write the
name you chose for the log file on the tape.
Log Files contain lines of the form:
START TIME - END TIME BACKUP TYPE NAME DATE
Each of these entries represents a backup once made.
START
This indicates the starting position of this backup
on the video tape. This value was specified when
the backup was made, as the Amiga cannot determine
the current counter value of the VCR automatically.
END
This indicates where the backup ends. This value
was computed from the starting time and the measured
duration of the backup operation.
TYPE
This is an indicator of the backup type. Currently,
two values are possible. "ADF" means AmigaDOS
floppy. "FS" means FileSystem.
NAME
In case of a floppy backup, this is the AmigaDOS
name of the floppy. In case of a Filesystem backup,
it indicates a name entered by the user.
DATE
In case of a floppy backup, it is the creation date
read from the disk. In case of the FileSystem
backup, it indicates the date on which the backup
was made.
Each time you make a backup, such a line is added to
the log file. NOTE: The software deliberately
doesn`t take any action when two entries overlap in
time, to avoid data losses when you make a mistake.
For instance, if you record something over a
previous recording, you get conflicting entries in
the log file table. You can remove obsolete entries
by using the >>Del Log Entry<< function.
2.2.5. Visual Headers
---------------------
A visual header is an image which is recorded on the
VCR for about 5 seconds, just before the actual
backup starts. In a large font the name of the
backup and other data are shown. See Figure 2.2 for
an example.
This concept enables you to locate backups easily.
Look at your control monitor (In case you connected
the 1084S as described in section 1.2, press the
CVBS/RGB button to select the VCR signal), and use
the search forward/backward buttons on your VCR
until you see the right visual header.
2.3. Floppy Backup
------------------
This function deals with the storage of AmigaDOS
floppies on video tape.
2.3.1. Floppy Requester
-----------------------
When you click on the gadget »Floppy Backup«. the
Floppy Requester comes up (See Figure 2.3).
Drive Selector
At the top, you see the drive selector. Units that
are not available are shown Ghosted (overlaid with a
faint pattern of dots).
Using the Left Mouse Button, you can select which
drive you want to backup from. The selected drive
is black.
Entering start time
When a video tape log file is in use (See 2.2.4),
you must enter the string tape location in the time
gadget after »Tape Start Position«. This will be
used to create a log file entry for this disk. A
good idea is to enter a time a few seconds ahead of
the current counter reading. This allows some time
for the VCR to get going after pressing RECORD, and
this allows a good synchronization as well
Multiple Disks
The Video Backup System also allows you to store
multiple floppies directly after one another on the
tape. This is useful to store large games or PD
collections on tape.
If you want to store multiple disks, toggle the
gadget »Multiple« by clicking on it with the Left
Mouse Button.
When »Multiple« is enabled, you may select more than
one drive. For instance. when you select both DF0:
and DF1:, the software will alternate between DF0:
and DF1:. This means that the first disk comes from
DF0:, the next from DF1:, the next from DF0: again
and so on until you stop the series.
Ending the floppy requester
Click »Cancel« to cancel the backup operation. To
continue, click »OK«.
2.3.2. Backup Operation
-----------------------
Making the backup involves the following steps:
First, the video connection is checked (see 2.2.2).
If this is OK, the screen gets black.
Make sure the disk to be backed up is in the
selected drive.
Make sure the right video tape is loaded and it is
at the desired position.
Press RECORD on the VCR.
Press the Left Mouse Button to start. In case you
use a log file, click when the video counter exactly
matches the value you typed in. Then you realize
the best synchronization.
Now, the backup starts. For 5 seconds, you will see
the Visual Header. Then, the actual backup takes
place for 1 minute. You can always abort this
operation by just clicking the Left Mouse Button.
When »Multiple« is not enabled, you get back to the
VBS main screen when the operation finishes. Press
STOP on the VCR at this moment.
If it is enabled, VBS will wake a backup of the next
disk. If you selected more than one drive, the next
disk will be read from another drive (the next in
line). You had a chance to insert the next disk in
this drive while the first was written.
After the last disk of your series, click the Left
Mouse Button to get back to the Main Screen. In
fact, you can do this at any time you want to abort.
2.4. Floppy Restore
-------------------
This feature enables you to retrieve floppy disk
contents from video. Within a minute, VBS writes
the floppy image from video directly to a blank
disk. This disk doesn`t even have to be formatted
beforehand!
2.4.1. Name Requester
---------------------
When you click on the »Floppy Restore«« gadget, the
Name Requester pops up. Now, you are requested to
enter the name of the floppy disk you would like to
restore. It is sufficient that the string you type
here matches the first few characters the real name
(case sensitive). This implies that entering
nothing is always OK: it matches the first floppy
backup found.
Click »OK« to continue, »Cancel« gets you back to
the Main Menu.
After clicking »OK«, the Floppy Requester pops up.
Here you select the drive(s) you want to restore to.
Read Section 2.3.1 for a description of this
requester.
In case you enabled «Multiple« to restore a series
of floppies, the name entered in the Name Requester
only applies to the first disk. For any subsequent
disks, this name doesn`t have to match anymore: the
following backup found on video is restored.
2.4.2. Restore Operation
------------------------
After completing the floppy requester, the screen
gets cleared and the text »Searching for AmigaDOS
floppy: <NAME><< appears. Remember, you can abort
at any time by pressing Left Mouse Button. Follow
this procedure:
Wind the tape to the location of the disk to be
restored. Use the Go-To function of your VCR if it
has one.
Make sure there is a write-enabled disk in the
selected drive and that it doesn't contain valuable
data. WARNING: All data on this disk will be
overwritten during a restore!
Press PLAY on the VCR.
If VBS, encounters a backup which doesn't have a
matching name or is of a different type (e.g FS) the
message »Encountered ...« is printed.
When the desired backup is found, a message saying
so is printed and the data are transferred from
video to floppy disk.
When »Multiple« is not enabled, you get back to the
VBS main screen when the restore operation finishes.
Press STOP on the VCR at this moment.
In the other case, VBS will restore the next disk it
encounters on the video tape. If you selected more
than one drive, the next disk will be written to
another drive (the next in line). This gives you
the chance to change disks in one drive while the
other is involved in a restore operation. The VBS
monitors the disk changes. It prevents you from
restoring twice to the same disk by accident, by
requesting you to remove that disk before
continuing.
After you got the last disk of your series, click
the Left Mouse Button to get back to the Main
Screen.
2.5. Filesystem Functions
-------------------------
The FileSystem functions can store and retrieve data
on a file-by file basis. In practice, they are used
to save the contents of hard disks on video tape.
Chapter 3 covers a description of these functions
2.6. Log File Functions
-----------------------
2.6.1 . The File Requester
--------------------------
The purpose of the File Requester is to enable you
to inform the Video Backup System of which file to
process. You specify the file name, and also the
drawer and disk device where this file is located.
Figure 2.4 shows the file requester in action.
At the top you see the operation which will take
place after selecting a file, in this case »Select
Log File«. Beneath, there is a file select box,
which shows the contents of the current drawer.
This drawer can contain files and sub-drawers.
Sub-drawers and files are shown separately:
sub-drawers (if there are any) are at the top part
of the box, marked »(DIR)«, and files at the bottom
part. The files and drawers are alphabetically
sorted. If the current drawer is not the root of
the current drive (i.e it is a subdirectory), there
will be a special name at the top of the list. It
is >>/ (DIR)<<, and it denotes the parent drawer.
This is the drawer that contains your drawer.
At the right of the file select box, you will see
arrow gadgets at the top and bottom edges, and a
slide bar between them. The arrow gadgets are of
use when there are more entries in the current
drawer than fit in the box. In this case, clicking
once with the left mouse button on the lower arrow
will shift the list one line up. Conversely,
clicking on the upper arrow will shift a line down.
The slide bar's knob has a variable size. It
indicates which percentage of files and drawers in
the current drawer are actually visible in the box.
So, when there are at the most 9 files and drawers,
the knob is full- size (100%). As there are more
entries in the list, the knob becomes smaller. The
other purpose of the knob is to indicate the
position of the part of the list currenly shown.
When you click on the knob with the left mouse
button and hold the button down, you can move the
knob to a new position. As soon as you release the
left mouse button, the corresponding portion of file
names will be shown in the file select box.
You can use the left mouse button to select items in
the file select box. When you click on a drawer
entry (labeled >>(DIR)<<, this drawer becomes the
current drawer and you see its contents in the file
box. It means, you get one level deeper in the disk
structure this way. If you click on »/ (DIR)<<
which is the parent drawer you will get one level up
in the disk structure, and the contents of the
parent drawer will be shown. And if you click on a
file name, the gadget labeled >>File« will display
this file name. You can then get this file by
clicking »OK«.
Beneath the file select box, there is a variable
number of gadgets. There's a gadget representation
for each disk device (>>DF0:<<, >>DF1:<< etc)
available in the current system configuration. For
instance, the number of gadgets here changes if you
add more disk drives, a hard disk etc. to your
system. If you click on one of these gadgets, the
file requester will switch to the new drive, and the
file box will show the contents of the root
directory of the selected disk.
The next gadget is labeled »Drawer«. It is a string
gadget and it shows the name of the currently
displayed drawer. You can also use this gadget to
change to a new drawer of your choice. To do this,
you click on the gadget to activate it. Now, a
cursor appears. You can delete the listing name by
typing <RAMIGA>+<X> or by using the <DEL> and
<BACKSPACE> keys. Then, type the the full name of
the new drawer Always use a drive name (like »DF0:«)
at the beginning of the name. Finally. confirm
your entry by pressing <RETURN>.
The gadget beneath this one is labeled »File«. This
is also a string gadget. It shows the name of the
file if you selected one in the file select box.
Alternatively, you can enter a name here yourself as
described above. As soon as you press <RETURN>,
this file will be used.
At the bottom, selecting the gadget »Abort« causes
the operation to be cancelled. The file requester
will disappear and nothing will happen.
Click on the other gadget, »OK« to finish your
selection. The file name, as displayed in the
»File« gadget will be used for the load or save. If
the »File« gadget is empty because you didnt either
select a file in the file box, or enter a file name
yourself, the file requester. will disappear and
nothing will happen.
2.6.2. Log File / Disable Logging
---------------------------------
Depending on whether you are already using a log
file, this gadget has text >>Log File ...<< or
»Disable Logging«.
See Section 2.2.4 if you're not yet familiar with
the concept of a Log File and its purpose.
Enable Logging
To select an existing log file and to enable
logging, you should click the gadget »Log File ..
«. In reaction, the File Requester appears.
Select the log file file that corresponds to the
video tape you want to use here.
Its contents will be listed in the Log File window
at the right of the screen. At the top, the name of
this log file is displayed.
If the file doesn't fit in this window entirely, use
the Scroll Bars at the right and at the bottom to
see more of it.
NOTE:
An alternative way to start the Video Backup System
is to double click a log file icon. Then, this log
file is immediately available after start up which
means you don't have to go through this prodedure
anymore.
Disable Logging
When you don't need to keep track of your backups
anymore or if you want to switch to another log file
because you changed the video tape, click on this
gadget.
If there are any unsaved changes in the log file,
you are asked whether you want to save the changes
first. When you click on »Yes«, the changes are
stored. After this, the log window becomes black
again.
2.6.3. Del Log Entry
--------------------
This function enables you to erase a line from the
current log file. This is useful when you record
something over a previous recording. In this case,
you get a new entry in the log file which conflicts
with that of the previous recording. VBS doesn't
automatically remove this obsolete entry, so you
should use the >>Del Log Entry« function.
You can also choose to edit the log file with your
favourite ASCII editor instead of using this
function.
2.6.4. Update Log File
----------------------
Use this gadget to write the log file from the
Amiga's memory back to the disk file it came from.
As a result of making some backups, entries may have
been added to the table. This function secures
those changes.
2.6.5. Create New Log
---------------------
When you start using a new video tape for video
backup purposes, you can use this function to create
a log file for it.
This feature is accessed by clicking on »Create New
Log«. However, it doesn't work when a log file is
already active. If so, please Disable it first,
then click this gadget again. Immediately, the File
Requester comes up. Go to the drawer where you keep
your log files and specify a new file name. Choose
a name which is easily connected with the new tape.
VBS will now create an empty file. If you started
from Workbench, an associated icon will be created
as well.
From now on, your backup operations will be recorded
to this log file.
2.7. Quit VBS
-------------
This is used to finish your session. If there are
any unsaved changes to the log file, you are asked
whether you want to save it first. When you choose
»Yes«. the file is stored. Then, the program quits
and you will return to Workbench (or CLI).
3. FILESYSTEM BACKUPS
=====================
A filesystem backup is used to store files and
directories on video tape. In practice, you will
use the Filesystem Functions to secure your hard
disk's contents. If you ever had the unfortunate
experience of losing data, you know the value of
doing this.
The VBS allows you to select the files and
directories to be included in the backup. The
directory tree provides a visual way to view and
select the directories and files you want to backup.
With the mouse, you need only point and click on the
files or directories you want. Furthermore, this
directory tree structure is preserved on the video
backup.
3.1. File & Directory Selection
-------------------------------
The VBS filesystem functions all use a windowed,
mouse driven environment to make choosing files and
directories to back up, restore or verify easy.
This section explains how to use the File &
Directory Selection Screen. Figure 3.1 shows its
layout.
From top to bottom, the Selection Screen contains
the following parts:
Menu Bar: This is the top line of the screen where
all menu selections are made. Also: drag bar to
slide screen up and down.
Backup Status Box: This box displays the currently
selected drive and path to be backed up. If you
want to change this, select »Cancel» from the menu
and adjust the Path Dialog Box. Furthermore, it
shows you just how many subdirectories you have
selected to back up, how many total files across all
subdirectories and how many bytes the files occupy.
Directory Tree Window: This is the window on the
left side of your screen. It lets you see and
select the subdirectories you wish to back up. You
can use the mouse to position the highlight bar in
the window. The highlighted directory is indicated
by a light blue bar. Using the scroll bars at the
right and at the bottom, you can reveal more of the
tree in case it doesn't fit entirely in the window.
File List Window: This is the window on the right
side of the screen. It lists all files in the
highlighted directory. These files are shown in
columns here by default; the software determines how
many columns will fit given the file name lengths.
You can toggle files on and off by clicking over
them with the Left Mouse Button. Yellow indicates
that a file will be included, black indicates
exclusion. When the file list is bigger than the
window permits, you can use the scroll bars to see
more.
3.1.1. Selecting Files
----------------------
Selected files and directories are highlighted in
yellow, unselected items are black. As you can see,
all files and directories, except for unreadable
files (which don't have their r protection bit set),
are automatically selected initially.
There will probably be occasions when you want to
back up only certain directories and/or files
instead of the entire tree. Mouse clicks and menu
commands give you flexible options to specify these
directories and/or files.
By clicking on different directory entry with the
Left Mouse Button, you can make the blue highlight
bar jump to that directory. The File List Window
will reflect the contents of this directory
immediately.
Clicking again on the highlighted directory toggles
its selection state. This means that its colour
changes from yellow to black or vice-versa. When
you select or deselect a subdirectory this way, the
whole tree of subdirectories and files beneath it
also gets selected or deselected.
This implies that all of the directories and files
can be unselected by moving the mouse to the root
directory and clicking on it once or twice,
depending on whether the highlight bar was already
at the root directory
If you then want to select your »IFF_Images<<
directory and all of its files, click twice on the
>>IFF Images<< entry in the tree list window.
If you only want to select certain files of your
»IFF_Images<< directory, click once on it to make it
the highlighted directory. Then go to the File List
window, and click once on each file you want to
include. Note that when you select a file of a
previously unselected directory, it automatically
gets selected as well.
Clicking again on a selected file brings it to the
unselected state again.
NOTE:
VBS will let you select and back up empty
directories.
3.1.2. Menu Options
-------------------
Press the Right Mouse Button to reveal the menus
available on the File Selection Screen.
Action Menu
The Action Menu consists of two items. The text
content of the first item depends on whether you
selected the Filesystem Backup, Restore or Verify
option. In all cases you select this item when you
are ready selecting files and directories and want
to continue the operation. This feature is also
accessible via short-cut Right Amiga S.
The second item is used to cancel the operation. It
brings you back to the VBS Main Menu. For a quick
Cancel, press Right Amiga-C.
Include/Exclude Menu
This menu provides powerful options to include and
exclude groups of files to backup. It consists of
these 6 items:
Include Files: On selecting this, all files in the
highlighted directory are included.
Exclude Files: On selecting this, all files in the
highlighted directory are excluded
Toggle Files: This item toggles the selection state
of all files in the directory.
Exclude all Archived: This item influences the
whole directory tree. It excludes all files which
have their Archive Bit set. The Archive bit is used
to Identify files that are unchanged since the last
backup operation. When you create or modify a file,
its Archive bit is cleared.
Include all Archived: This is the opposite of the
item above: all files which have their archive bit
set get included.
Long File List: Use this item to toggle between
long and short file list. When disabled, you get a
short file list only file names. arranged in as
many coluwns as will fit in the File Window. When
this item is enabled, you see a check mark next to
it. VBS will then show more information on the
files. They are listed in a similar way as the
»List« comwand of AmigaDOS would do: Name,
Filesize, Protection Bits, Modification Date and
Modifcation Time. For instance, this allows you to
see whether a file's Archive Bit is set or not, The
drawback is that less files will be visible
simultaneously, since each one occupies a whole
line.
3.2. Filesystem Backup
----------------------
This feature lets you make a backup of a filesystem
directory structure and its contents.
3.2.1. Choosing the Files
-------------------------
On selecting this gadget, the following dialog box
appears, as shown in Figure 3.2.
This is where you enter the drive and directory path
you want to backup. If you wish to back up an
entire hard disk you would normally enter »DH0««
here, and press <Return> or click »OK«.
You might not want to backup everything however.
For example, if you just want to backup IFF images
you just created type the path name for your IFF
directory (e.g. »DH0:IFF Images«). This will
select all files in this directory and its
subdirectories. The File Selection Screen will only
show the contents of the subtree »DH0.IFF_Images«.
After completing the Path Dialog Box, you get to the
File and Directory Selection Screen.
If you discover you made a mistake when typing the
path, just select »Cancel« from the menu to get back
to the Main Menu.
Otherwise, select the files to back up. After doing
this, select »Start Backup ...<<.
3.2.2. Backup Requester
-----------------------
Now, you will find yourself at the Backup Requester,
see Figure 3.3.
Assigning a Name to this Backup
Type the name which you want to give to this backup
as a whole in the string gadget at the top. This is
the name that appears in the Log File. When you
restore this backup later, you refer to it with this
name.
Entering start time
When a video tape log file is active (See 2.2.4),
you must enter the starting tape location in the
time gadget after >>Tape Start Position«. If it
isn`t, this gadget will not be shown. This time
value will be used to create a log file entry for
this filesystem backup. A good idea is to enter a
time which is a few seconds ahead of the current
counter reading. This allows some time for the VCR
to get going after pressing RECORD, and it allows a
good synchronization as well.
NOTE:
Especially with large hard disk backups, make sure
that there is enough room left on the tape, to avoid
disappointment. Expect a typical rate of about 40MB
per hour.
Archive Bits
This is a toggle gadget, which in disabled state by
default. Click on it with the Left Mouse Button to
change its state.
When this gadget is enabled, it causes VBS to set
the Archive bit on each backed up file.
The Archive bit is used to identify files that are
unchanged since the last backup operation. When you
create or modify a file, its Archive bit is cleared.
Reporting
At your option, VBS can generate a report after the
backup is finished. By the name after >>Send Report
To ...« is None, indicating no report will be made.
If you want a report, click on »Send Report To«.
Immediately, the File Requester shows up. Use it to
specify which file the report is to be written to.
It automatically proposes backup name (if already
specified followed by the extension ».Report«.
The following example report shows what is included
in the report:
Click »Cancel« to get back to the File Selection
again. Click >>OK<< if you decide to make the
backup.
3.2.3. Filesystem Backup Operation
----------------------------------
Making the backup involves the following steps:
First, the video connection is checked (see 2.2.2).
If this is OK, the screen gets black.
Make sure the right video tape is loaded and it is
at the desired position.
Press RECORD on the VCR.
Press the Left Mouse Button to start. In case you
use a log file, click at the moment the video
counter exactly matches the value you typed in.
Then you realize the best synchronization.
Now, the backup starts. For 5 seconds, you will see
the Visual Header. This header shows the name you
gave to the backup, the path from which the backup
is made and the current date.
The duration of the actual backup depends on the
amount of data to be stored, but expect it to take
about 1 hour / 40MB with the current version. A
good suggestion would be to make the backup at
night, or when you'll be out for a while.
You can abort the backup operation by pressing the
left mouse button. As a safety feature, the button
is only sampled once every few seconds, so you might
need to hold the button down for several seconds
before VBS actually aborts the operation.
When the backup finishes, you get back to the Main
Menu. Press STOP on the VCR at this time.
3.3. Filesystem Restore
-----------------------
This feature enables you to retrieve part or whole
of a file system backup. On restore, the original
tree structure is reconstructed. You can use this
to restore files lost after a disk crash, restore
files to a previous state, transfer files to a
different machine, etc.
3.3.1. Name of Backup to Restore
--------------------------------
On selecting the »Filesystem Restore« gadget, the
Name Requester pops up. Now, you are requested to
enter the name of the filesystem backup you would
like to restore. It is sufficient that the string
you type here matches the first few characters the
real name. This means that entering nothing is
always OK: it matchcs the first filesystem backup
found.
Click »OK« to continue, »Cancel« gets you back to
the Main Menu.
3.3.2. Restore Operation
------------------------
After completing the Name Requester, the screen gets
cleared and the text »Searching for FileSystem:
<NAME>« appears. Remember, you can abort at any
time by pressing Left Mouse Button. Follow this
procedure:
Wind the tape to the location of the filesystem
backup to be restored. Use the Go-To function to
get there of your VCR if it has one.
Press PLAY on the VCR.
If VBS encounters a backup which doesn`t have a
matching name or is of different type (e.g. ADF,
the message »Encountered ...<< is printed.
When the desired backup is found, a message saying
so is printed.
VBS then reads information that describes the tree
structure, This lasts a few seconds.
After this, you get to the File Selection Screen.
Within 5 seconds, you must press PAUSE (or STOP) on
your VCR.
If you want to do a full restore, simply select
»Start Restore To ...« from the menu. Otherwise,
select those files you wish to restore first (See
Section 3.1).
At this stage, a requester pops up. Type the drive
and directory to restore to. When you`re doing a
full restore of your hard disk, this could be »DH0:«
or »work:«. In any case, this entry must refer to
an existing directory, so if you need to restore to
a path which doesn`t exist yet, first use the
AmigaDOS command »MakeDir« to create it.
After finishing the requester, press PLAY again on
the VCR to continue the operation.
At this time, the actual files are transferred from
video tape. If errors occur during the operation,
they will be listed to the screen, VBS is able to
continue to restore after an error occurred. As
with making a backup, you can abort the operation a
by holding the left mouse button for a while.
NOTE:
Existing files will NEVER be overwritten, VBS will
create the directories necessary to reconstruct the
backup`s tree structure.
When the restore operation finishes, press STOP on
the VCR. Use the Left Mouse Button to get back to
the Main Menu.
3.4. Filesystem Verify
----------------------
This command is used to compare a backup to the
original data (on disk). It will not affect your
disk: it will check whether the backup is OK.
As VBS uses an effective error correction scheme, it
is very unlikely that the backup is bad. However,
if you want to be absolutely sure that your backup
is good, you should use the Verify function.
The user interface of this function is equal to that
of the Filesystem Restore feature (Section 3.3), so
its operation is not repeated here.
The only difference is that data isn`t written to
disk, but instead, disk data and video data are
compared.
Each file that is affected by a verify error will be
reported on screen.
4. SOME HINTS
=============
The previous chapters were concerned with a full
description of all features that the Video Backup
System offers. This chapter gives some important
hints which enable you to get the most out of VBS
4.1. Configuration Parameters
-----------------------------
When you start the Video Backup System software from
Workbench, it takes advantage of the Workbench
mechanism for setting program options. This feature
is called Tool Types. You can see the Tool Types of
VBS by clicking once on its icon and then selecting
»Information« from the Workbench menu.
The Tool Types gadget is a string gadget on the Info
window. It contains entries to allow you to set
some configuration values, which have influence on
the program`s behaviour. There are two arrows
associated with this gadget which allow you to
scroll up and down to scroll through the available
entries. The following settings are recognized by
VBS:
LOGDIR=VBS:LogFiles
Here you can specify which directory the log files
are to be kept. Of course. you can use any
directory for saving log files if you like. But
this will be initial proposal in the File Requester,
which can save a lot of mouse clicks!
WORKBENCH=ON/OFF
For this entry, you can specify either »ON« or
»OFF«. When it is »ON«, VBS leaves the Workbench
open. In case it is »OFF«, the Workbench is closed
on start-up of the program, This feature is used to
save memory. On 512K wachines, it it recommended
that you set this entry to »OFF«, since this gives
VBS some extra memory space.
LARGEFONT=melba.font-61
This specifies the name and size of the font to use
for the large characters in a Visual Header (See
Section 2.2.5). Of course, this font must be
available in the FONTS: directory of your system.
SMALLFONT=melba.font-29
Similarly, you can indicate here which font and size
to use for the small text in a Visual Header.
PADFONT=topaz.font-8
This indicates which font to use inside Pads. The
term »Pad« refers to windows having scroll bars at
the bottom and at the right, used to show Log Files,
Directory Trees and File Lists.
DISKCHANGE=ON/OFF
Normally VBS checks whether you changed the disks
properly when you use »Multiple« on floppy backups
and restores, This serves to avoid making a backup
of the same disk twice, or restoring twice onto the
same disk.
In the rare case you have non-standard disk drives
which have trouble with the disk change signal, you
can turn off this feature by specifying >>OFF<<
here.
VIDEOCHECK=ON/OFF
This feature controls whether Video Connection
Checks are to be performed prior to each backup
operation, See 2.2.2.
These checks are based on the fact that most VCRs
route the incoming video signal at the video into
the video-out directly when they are tuned to the
AUX or 0 channel. When your VCR doesn`t do this,
set this tool type to »OFF« to disable the checks.
4.2. Using the Right Tapes
--------------------------
To achieve maxiwum security, it is recommended that
you use High Grade tapes for Video Backup purposes.
To avoid losing data, don`t store the tapes near a
magnetic field.
4.3. Additional hints
---------------------
When experiencing problems, vary Picture Sharpness
or similar controls, if your VCR has them. Usually,
a sharper picture signal improves the backup
reliability.
During a backup operation. it is important to turn
off screen blankers or other utilities that might
affect the screen while it is being recorded.
For AGA chipset equipped Amigas it has to be made
sure that the Video Backup System can work in a
15KHz line frequency display mode. This can be
achieved by not using Mode Promotion and VGAOnly, or
similar setting.
aLL DoNE By SHaRD/N&B