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PC-KAT (TM) The Easy, Practical, Super Capacity Diskette Cataloger USER MANUAL by R.H. Martin Applied Foresight (TM) P.O. Box 20607 Bloomington, Minn. 55420 January 17, 1986 Version 1.2 Copyright 1986 by R.H. Martin All Rights Reserved A DB-SHARE Software Product A limited license is hereby granted to copy and distribute wholly unmodified copies of the PC-KAT Software Diskette which contains this manual (Read the manual, "THE DB-SHARE PROGRAM" for full details about this limited license) Trademark Pending USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 About This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 General Trademarks Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Overview Philsophy Of PC-KAT Using PC-KAT With The IBM AT PC-KAT Base System Features Hardware Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Minimum Requirements Recommended Options Commentary Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Overview Installation Instructions Installation For Non-IBM Compatible MS-DOS PC Additional Install Information For Hard Disk Users Who Power On Their Computer With A Startup Diskette Updating The PC-KAT System Control Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Cataloging Diskettes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Inquiring Against The PC-KAT Catalog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Taking Care of Your Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Overview Conservative Updating Backup The Log File Integrity Analysis Trouble Shooting Tips Online Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Appendix A: The KPRINT Print Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Appendix B: Provided PC-KAT Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 3 ABOUT THIS MANUAL ----------------- GENERAL A section is designated by a centered and underlined heading. Centered but NOT underlined headings are referred to as a subsection. Absolutely, do not use PC-KAT prior to thoroughly following the installation instructions, including restarting your computer after following the installation instructions. This manual explains what you minimally need to read in order to use the software. After you are comfortable with the program, or if you have additional questions, you can print out and read the TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL. Please read each section of this manual before using PC-KAT. It won't take you long. TRADEMARKS: "COMPAQ and COMPAQ PLUS" are trademarks of COMPAQ Corporation. "MS-DOS" is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. "PC-DOS and IBM" are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp. "PC-WRITE and Quicksoft" are trademarks of Quicksoft. "DB-VISTA" is a trademark of RAIMA Corporation. "Lattice" is a trademark of Lattice Inc. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 4 INTRODUCTION ------------ OVERVIEW PC-KAT is an easy, practical, super capacity diskette cataloger for owners of IBM PC computers and compatibles. Without sacrificing processing performance, it can manage up to 9,999 diskettes and 16 million filenames in one central database. PC-KAT is primarily aimed at hard disk owners, who utilize floppy diskettes for backup and archival purposes. However, if the hard disk owner has a tape device which fools DOS into thinking it is a large diskette, then PC-KAT should also be able to process the filenames on those tape cartridges. If you are able to do so, please report your success to Applied Foresight. There are other diskette catalogers, all of which seem to be addressed to floppy disk owners, for only one of them can contain more than a few thousand file names, and that one only 32,000 file names. These other products, in the reviewed version levels, respectively can only handle a maximum of 780, 3000 and 4,326 filenames in one diskette catalog file. PC-KAT is 99% written in the C programming language (Lattice C), the remainder in Assembler. It uses a run-time royalty-free and license-free network model database manager, called DB-VISTA by RAIMA Corporation, 11717 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98178. Another benefit of PC-KAT is the printer program which printed this manual for you. KPRINT has an abundant number of printer features which makes it ideal for printing out source code of programs and other types of plain ASCII files. It has gone through over 30 upgrades because of numerous upgrade requests. Online help is available by just typing in KPRINT and pressing the ENTER key. PHILSOPHY OF PC-KAT PC-KAT follows the DB-SHARE distribution concept, developed by PC-KAT's author and separately explained in THE DB-SHARE PROGRAM manual. The purpose of the PC-KAT software is to maintain a master catalog of all diskette filenames that can be inquired against quickly to inform you which diskette(s) contains the filename(s) you are looking for. Simply put, PC-KAT requires that you physically label all your diskettes starting with the label 0001 up through 9999 and that you stack your diskettes sequentially in numeric order. It makes no difference how unrelated any neighboring sequenced diskette is, for PC-KAT will provide the logical organization to your diskettes. Then all you have to do is let PC-KAT "look" at each one of your diskettes as they are used. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 5 Simply doing this, PC-KAT can always tell you quickly where is something you want. You can start using your diskettes to contain critically needed current files. You can delay updating the hard disk capacity of your computer. You can start thinking of your diskettes as being as accessible to you as another hard disk subdirectory, for you will be able to find out directory information about any file you have worked with, regardless of whether it is currently on your hard disk or now on a floppy. The philosophy of PC-KAT is to make managing your diskette filenames as effortless as possible. Once you have installed PC-KAT, and set up your PC-KAT system control record, the minimal amount of typing you have to do in the lifetime of a single diskette, while you are inside the PC-KAT program, is to assign a 4 digit ID number, once, to the diskette. Everything else is automatically done for you based upon the directory information contained on the diskette and the default information for diskettes existing in the system control record. Alternatively, if you so desire, you can maintain unique information about individual diskette volumes. When you invoke the PC-KAT program at the DOS system prompt, you indicate whether you want to be prompted for manual entry of volume label textual information or whether you desire to avoid these prompts and to instead have default information apply. The subdirectory which a diskette file may optionally reside in is cataloged by PC-KAT without requiring any action by the user. Many IBM AT owners may appreciate this PC-KAT feature. With the 1.2 MB capacity floppies, there is increasing use of making subdirectories on floppies. You do not need an IBM AT to make subdirectories on your floppies. Just type: MD A:\SUBDIR and press ENTER to create the directory called, \SUBDIR, on drive A. PC-KAT BASE SYSTEM FEATURES OVERALL FEATURES: * Accomodates 9,999 diskettes containing up to 16 million filenames in one central database. * Diskette filenames cataloged without any data entry required. * Designed to meet the diskette cataloging needs of hard disk owners. * Enables hard disk owners to consider their diskettes an extension of their hard disk subdirectories. * Condensed online help screen. * Feature-rich programmer source code print program included. * Thorough documentation, including recovery documentation. CATALOG UPDATING FEATURES: * Add or change a 4 digit diskette volume label within program. * Optionally create unique header record for each cataloged diskette. * Diskette header carries freespace and filesum number for each diskette without any user entry involved. * User-created default answers to diskette header fields, which can be changed or over-ridden. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 6 * Files located in diskette subdirectories are automatically cataloged. * Does directory lists, deletes, or format of diskettes within program. * Does a database backup while in the program. * Alternate between diskette drives A: and B: while within program. * Empty diskettes are specially processed as scratch diskettes. * Optimized for speed, written in C using DB_VISTA database manager. * Recognize a previously cataloged, unchanged diskette, informs the user and bypasses recataloging. * Optional support for RAM disk utilization for program work files. * Uses file compression techniques. * Maintains a log file of 4 digit volume IDs processed, which can aid database recovery if the database is ever damaged. CATALOG INQUIRY FEATURES: * Password required to view contents of database, --database owner can change this password (i.e., 2 passwords: user's & owner's). * Lists all database filenames or diskette header records, or subsets of either. * Can list diskettes by volume ID order or by descending free space order. * Can list diskettes whose header record meets the selection criteria given by user. * Provides list of scratch diskettes. * Easy method to list what diskettes hold backups of PC-KAT database. * Diskette list shows the previous & following diskette volume for a multi-diskette set. * Identifies BACKUP or other type volume. * Lists uncataloged diskette numbers available. * Selection can be by exact or partial match. * User's search phrase can be exact length or be a left justified substring or floating substring. * Selection can include the filename, file extension, and/or subdirectory name. * Retrieval can be limited to entries cataloged at home, work or at both locations. * Listings can be directed to the screen, printer or file. * Listings can be interrupted by pressing the ESC key. * Screen listings pause until any key is pressed. * Listings carry a date/time stamp and headings. * Retrieval list can be sorted in reverse chronological order. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 7 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS --------------------- MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS You minimally need the following for PC-KAT: 192K RAM memory free (256 KB RAM available); Fixed Hard Disk -- see exception note below; 80-column monitor; MS-DOS or PC-DOS 2.0 or higher; a CONFIG.SYS file [create or modify yours as instructed in this manual]; IBM PC,XT,AT or compatible You are advised to have at least 196,608 bytes of RAM or 192K RAM free before running PC-KAT. Therefore, you should have at least 256K RAM available. PC-KAT may run slightly under that amount of RAM free space, but you do so at your own risk. RECOMMENDED OPTIONS The following options are recommended. a computer printer capable of continuous printing and printing 80 columns per line; a RAM disk-emulator (requires additional memory and RAM software) to hold frequently called subprograms and run-time, temporary work files; The printer will allow you to use those PC-KAT options which utilize the printer. The RAM disk-emulator will not give you any extra features, but will provide better performance. If you are a novice DOS 2.00+ user, you don't need to immediately worry about what a "RAM disk" is and how to create one. Over the weeks or months that you use PC-KAT, you might want to buy a DOS tutorial book, which will educate you about DOS and what a "RAM DISK" is. But for now, ignore discussions about "RAM DISKS". If you have an IBM AT, it's PC-DOS 3.0 supplies the capability to create a RAM disk. If you consider yourself past the DOS novice stage, read up on your CONFIG.SYS and VDISK.SYS files. COMMENTARY In lieu of a fixed hard disk, if you own an IBM AT with dual floppy drives, one of them being a high capacity 1.2 MB disk drive, you could conceivably use this software. With the PC-KAT software and even a small PC-KAT database (after a month's usage), you'll be using up at least 500,000 bytes or 0.5 MB of USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 8 disk space. Covering 523 diskettes and 11,550 filenames, will require less than 1.25 MB of space). This 1.3 MB figure includes the PC-KAT software space requirements. You may ask: "How will PC-KAT help me avoid needing extra hard disk space if PC-KAT will swallow between 1.25 MB of disk space?" The answer is that if you could rapidly access data files from your diskettes as easy as you currently do a DOS DIR command for the location of a desired file and your subsequent change to another hard disk directory to access that file (else your COPY command against that file residing in the other directory), then chances are that you would find yourself with 20-40% more free space on your hard disk. PC-KAT allows you to offload between 20-40% of your hard disk space, which is probably now eaten up by moderately or infrequently accessed data files, on to floppies. You can leave your hard disk to keep executeable programs and required companion files (e.g., program Help or Screen files), as well as constantly accessed data files or databases. You are advised to always offload files twice to different diskettes before deleting these files on your hard disk. There are other reasons for PC-KAT, which offset the disk space that PC- KAT imposes. These other reasons are rapid access to archived files and prior version files. If you acquire the add-on PC-KAT software modules, you'll have additional reasons to put up with the slight loss of hard disk space because of PC-KAT. Type KAT -O for a printout about the PC- KAT add-on software modules. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 9 INSTALLATION ------------ OVERVIEW Installation requires that you configure your operating system environment to satisfactorily accomodate database management processing and that you install the PC-KAT software on your hard disk. For those users who understand DOS well and are impatient to proceed on to the next section, I'll state the installation procedure fast. If you don't know what is being talked about, skip the following subsection and print out and refer to the accompanying manual, INSTALLATION FOR NEW COMPUTER USERS. In that manual, you'll be walked through the installation procedure step-by-step, slowly. At the end of either installation method, you'll end up with some install files that don't need to be on your hard disk. To delete these files and the print process from your hard disk, position your cursor in the same directory on your hard disk where you installed PC-KAT and type: DEL KATAD.* and press ENTER. DEL USQ.* and press ENTER. DEL KATBOOK*.* and press ENTER. DEL *.OQT and press ENTER. DEL READ.ME and press ENTER. SHORT INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE DOS 2.0+ EXPERIENCED USER Installation requires the following specific acts (assume drive A is a floppy and drive C is a hard disk): 1. Make a duplicate copy of your PC-KAT diskette for archival purposes. 2. Put the PC-KAT diskette in drive A. Type: COPY A:KATDB.* C:\/V and press the ENTER key. You are highly recommended to put your KATDB.* files in your root directory. If you put them in a subdirectory, then you must always invoke a PC-KAT program with a -L option and be sitting in that directory at run time. Specific syntax examples are given later. Putting the KATDB.* files in your root, means that you can be anywhere on your hard disk and from that location run PC-KAT. However, this assumes that you have a PATH statement which minimally encompasses your root directory. The following PATH statement is minimally correct: PATH=C:\ USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 10 If you need to create or update your PATH statement, include the PATH command line (such as the above) in your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If you don't have a C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file, then minimally create one which looks like the one below. Use any editor which can update a plain vanilla ASCII file (e.g., EDLIN, PC-WRITE, EC). The PROMPT line is optional. It will show you to the left of the prompt sign, your current directory area. A minimal C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file should include: DATE TIME PATH=C:\ PROMPT $P$G If you are DOS 1.1 experienced, the filename "C:\MYFILE", means a file, of the name "MYFILE" which resides in the root directory "\" of drive "C:". If your cursor is positioned already in the root directory of C:, then you can ignore the "\" symbol. 3. Put the remaining PC-KAT diskette files somewhere along your PATH. Also include in your path, your DOS programs, SORT, MORE and FORMAT. If you don't have or want a PATH statement in your environment, put the entire PC-KAT diskette files in your root directory. For instance, type: COPY A:*.* C:\/V and press the ENTER key to put everything in your root directory. 4. Either create, update, or verify that your C:\CONFIG.SYS file exists and has the following two lines in it: FILES=20 BUFFERS=15 If you have an IBM AT, you could make the BUFFERS=25 instead. The BUFFERS line is not needed by PC-KAT, but since you're changing CONFIG.SYS, you might as well optimize your BUFFERS line. 5. This is an optional step and not required. If you don't have a RAM disk, proceed to step 6. If you have a RAM disk, which is uploaded with files at power up time with file copying going on in your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file, consider putting the following files in your RAM disk. This is not required, but will give you performance improvement. The files include SORT.EXE, which comes on your original DOS diskette. The files that you should consider putting in your RAM disk are: SORT.EXE KATDRIVE.EXE Also consider leaving spare space on your RAM disk of at least 30,000 bytes. This empty space can be used by PC-KAT for its run- time, temporary work files. For your information, the names of these run-time files are KATWORK1.DIR, KATWORK2.DIR, and KATWORK.VOL. You may have to also update your C:\CONFIG.SYS if your RAM disk space alottment is done in that file. If you use USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 11 IBM AT high capacity floppies and store a high number of files on them, you may need to allocate more than 30,000 bytes to accomodate these work files. The last advise for RAM disk owners, is to put the drive designation for your RAM disk at the start of the left hand side of your PATH statement, so that your RAM disk gets looked at first down your PATH. If drive D is your RAM disk, then minimally your PATH statement should include: PATH=D:\;C:\ 6. Restart your computer now. 7. Excepting those with less than 100% IBM PC Compatibility or those who power on their computer with a startup diskette, you can go to the next section, "Updating The PC-KAT System Control Record." Those whose computers are neither IBM nor as compatible to an IBM as a COMPAQ is, should read the next subsection before proceeding to the next section. Those who use a startup diskette should read the section immediately following. INSTALLATION FOR NON-IBM COMPATIBLE MS-DOS PC The author has not tested this software on non-IBM compatible MS-DOS computers. It was developed on a COMPAQ PLUS computer however. The rapid display of PC-KAT's signon and usage screen is the most IBM specific piece of code knowingly used. As said, this does work on a COMPAQ PLUS. However, it might not work on less compatible MS-DOS computers. For this reason, the user can disable this direct IBM-type screen use. To do this, type in the following, with your prompt at the "C" level. Type: ECHO X>\IAMNOTAN.IBM and press the ENTER key. This is all you have to do. What you've done is create a one byte file in your root directory of your hard disk. The drive must be the same as the drive where your PC-KAT database resides. PC-KAT will utilize a less machine specific screen display method if it finds this file to exist. ADDITIONAL INSTALL INFORMATION FOR HARD DISK USERS WHO POWER ON THEIR COMPUTER WITH A STARTUP DISKETTE 1. These instructions will assume that drive A is your floppy and that drive C is your hard disk. Also assumed is that during your following the PC-KAT installation instructions, that you inspected, and if needed, updated the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT on a bootup floppy diskette. Insert your bootup floppy in drive A. Make sure you don't have a write-protect tape on your floppy. If so, temporarily remove it. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 12 2. Type: COPY A:COMMAND.COM C:\/V and press ENTER. If you ever update your operating system, be sure to repeat this operation with the new COMMAND.COM. 3. You must add a "SET COMSPEC" line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file first so that PC-KAT will think you powered on off your hard disk. Do the below: 3.A. At the "C" prompt, type: EDLIN A:AUTOEXEC.BAT and press ENTER. 3.B. At the "*" EDLIN prompt, type: I and press ENTER. 3.C. Type: SET COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM and press ENTER. 3.D. Press the F6 function key and press ENTER. 3.E. Type: E and press ENTER. 4. Restart your computer now, using your updated bootup floppy disk. Also, if you have a backup of your bootup floppy disk, make sure the backup gets the new AUTOEXEC.BAT put on it. You must do this restart of your computer in order for PC-KAT to work correctly. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 13 UPDATING THE PC-KAT SYSTEM CONTROL RECORD ----------------------------------------- Before you can regularly use PC-KAT to process and inquire against diskettes, you must first update PC-KAT's System Control Record, which keeps track of your PC-KAT database as well as holding your default value entries. This manual explains the program prompts. You can then actually update your PC-KAT system control record, taking mostly the default values, except where it is obvious that you should over-ride the provided default. If you update your system control record after reading this section, come back to this manual and read the remaining sections before using the rest of PC-KAT's features. You minimally only need to update your system control record during PC- KAT's install process. The program used to update the system control record is a subprogram within the inquiry program, KATLOOK.EXE. To perform this, you should be somewhere on your "C" drive with your prompt ready to receive a command. Either type: KATLOOK -M and press ENTER or type: KAT -M and press ENTER. Don't forget the minus sign (hereafter called the "dash") if you type: KAT -M. Typing KATLOOK -M will actually load the program faster, as the other method first loads the KAT program which in turns loads KATLOOK with the "-M" option. After receiving a logo display, you'll get the message "No System Control Record, --Putting you into add mode." You'll be prompted for a variety of fields, in each case you'll be shown the allowed maximum width of your answer. In some cases, you'll be shown a default answer you'll get if you just press ENTER. The prompts that you will be shown are reproduced below. Supporting comments are provided, when needed, alongside. Alternatively, if you have previously added a System Control Record, you'll be put in the update mode where the prompts are so similar, that they do not needed to be documented here. However, you are not allowed by this program to update the database owner's name, once you insert it into your PC-KAT database. This is because of the security arrangement of DB-SHARE, -see the manual on DB-SHARE for more information. When PC-KAT is done processing the system control record, your PC-KAT database is closed and you are exited back to the DOS prompt. For the current software release of PC-KAT, you are also unable to change the database owner's password, which is the password needed to change the user's password. The reason for this is unrelated to security reasons, and if enough users request it, the ability to change this password will be allowed in a future release. However, if you misspell your name or the database owner's password, you are allowed at the end of the system control add function to start the add process over again. Once you've added the system control record, USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 14 then unless you want to start again with a totally empty PC-KAT database, you will be unable to change these two fields again using this program. You can update the database owner's name, by ordering an add-on PC-KAT software module, because when you order with the PC-KAT order form, you specify the new (or same) database owner's name which the add-on software program will use to update your old PC-KAT database. All prompts require a response except where specified as "optional." When you are given a default response (shown above the allocated space for your answer), you can take the default response by just pressing the ENTER key. Many of these prompts will be repeated during each diskette you process, unless you chose at run time to have PC-KAT skip prompting you and to instead use the default answers set up in the system control record. These prompts which are capable of being repeated for each diskette being processed have the parenthetical statement "(for diskette vol. info.)" shown beneath the prompt. At run time, the actual wording of the prompts may in some cases be up to 10 percent longer. For space reasons, they are shortened here to allow more space for the right hand commentary. PROMPT ----------------- COMMENT--------------------------------------- Database Owner's Name You are required to enter your name or that of your company. This name will be shown to you each time that you run PC-KAT in the manner described in the DB-SHARE manual. This field is the only field which will preserve lower case input. All other fields in PC-KAT will upper case your input as it is stored in the PC-KAT database. Database User Password The only place that PC-KAT can optionally have (optional) a security concern is in the inquiry function and password maintenance function. Anyone can always update your database (except the password portion). The thinking behind this decision is that you might have your secretary or assistant update your PC-KAT database as they update your diskettes. However, if you have hundreds of diskettes, you might have some of them devoted to confidential topics, which might be revealed in their file name or volume (PC-KAT entered) heading. You might want the location of these diskettes hidden. Thus you can ask that PC-KAT checks for a user password (which you set up) of anyone asking to inquire against the PC-KAT database. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 15 Password to chg password Since you may allow more than yourself the (optional) right to inquire into your database and you may later change your mind about another person's right to look into your data base, a password beside the user password was needed. Consider this the owner's or administrator's password. IMPORTANT !!! Do not ever forget this password !!! If you forget it, there is no way you can use either the existing PC-KAT software or DEBUG's dump command to uncover this password. A proprietary encryption method stores this password in your PC-KAT database. Use a password that is impossible for you to forget, yet which is one that few other persons would ever guess, such as a childhood nickname no longer used, or your first date's name, etc. Alternatively, you may want to write your password down and store it in your safe or safety deposit box. Note: if you decide not to implement this administrator's password during the initial add system control process, you are never given the opportunity to change your mind. At least by the present PC-KAT release. If you aren't excited about requiring a password at inquiry time, you might want to implement an administrator password, but skip for the time being a user password. If you know the administrator password, you can always assign a new user password via the update system control process. Enter begin no. for home The default number is 0001. PC-KAT allows designating the location of your diskettes to be either at work or at home. Some of the PC- KAT users may be using a COMPAQ PLUS (like the author), and thereby be tracking diskettes at both locations. The purpose of this field is to save you keystrokes in assigning the volume ID for your diskette. You are always allowed to over-ride the prompted default value. Enter begin no. for work The default number is 5001. # of disk upds b4 sugg.bu Because PC-KAT involves a database, you are USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 16 suggested to periodically back up your database, in case unpredicatible interruptions, whether hardware or otherwise caused, destroy your database. At the start of each diskette to be processed, you are given the option to backup the database. However, you may decide to methodically back up the database every so many diskettes. If you desire a periodic reminder, insert the desired interval here, otherwise assign a very high number (e.g., 99). Enter diskette drive char Typically, you'll probably choose the default letter, A. However, you can choose any legitimate floppy disk drive, or drive which acts to DOS like a floppy disk drive (refer to earlier comments in the Hardware Requirements Section). If you have an IBM AT, and alternate between drive A and B, you should pick the letter used the most often. You are given the opportunity inside the cataloging program to over-ride this letter. Enter KATWORK.VOL drive PC-KAT during its processing of a diskette, will do a DOS "VOL" command and redirect it's output to a disk file, called KATWORK.VOL. If you have an electronic RAM DISK, indicate its drive letter here. The default drive letter is the typical hard drive letter, C. Enter KATWORK1.DIR drive PC-KAT during its processing of a diskette, ENTER KATWORK2.DIR drive will run another program, KATDRIVE.EXE, which creates a directory display file of your entire diskette, even if it has subdirectory- located files on it. The unsorted directory display file is called KATWORK1.DIR. PC-KAT then runs your DOS program, SORT.EXE, against this KATWORK1.DIR file and outputs the sorted version of this file under the name KATWORK2.DIR. If you have an electronic RAM DISK, indicate its drive letter here. The default drive letter is the typical hard drive letter, C. Min bytes floppy file hogs Let's say you create a 1 byte file on an empty diskette. Try it. Type: ECHO X>A:MYFILE and press ENTER. Now do a DIR A: and press ENTER. Write down the number of remaining bytes left. Now type: DEL A:MYFILE and press ENTER. Write down the number of remaining bytes left. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 17 Subtract the two. Typically, you'll find 1024 bytes used up by that 1 byte file! This number, or a different one, if you are using a different type of drive, needs to be indicated. The purpose of this information is for PC-KAT to figure out how many bytes the total number of your files use on a diskette. PC-KAT will minimally use this number for each filename if your filesize is smaller than this number. Default From Hd Drive Typically this is drive C, the default. If (for diskette vol. info.) you ask PC-KAT to prompt you for each diskette being processed, you'll be prompted for the source hard disk drive, and be given this letter as the default answer. Default vol. pathname The default hard disk source pathname for your (for diskette vol. info.) diskette file is "VARIES". If you catalog a diskette with no files on it, and you've asked not to be prompted for volume heading information, PC-KAT substitutes a blank pathname. The idea behind the pathname is to have the inquiry function act similar to how you interrogate your directory on your hard disk. On your hard disk, you'll typically move yourself to a directory, and then query a file set against only that directory. For example, if you are in a directory for your word processing files, the DIR *.DOC will scope word processing files, whereas if you have a directory for your programming development, the DIR *.DOC might scope program development or usage documentation files. However, to minimize database overhead both to reduce disk space utilization and update processing time, the directory database is not structurally segmented by pathname. Doing an inquiry similar to a DIR *.DOC against your \WORK directory, will involve scanning your PC-KAT database from the very first record through the very last record. Thus, you'll probably want to minimize inquiries where the leading characters of the filename are irrelevant. Default vol. note This is a 13 character field, which can be USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 18 (for diskette vol. info.) thought of being a commentary field on the diskette's contents or a place for extended path information, in case your source hard disk pathname is longer than 8 characters long (e.g., \LOTUS\TEMPLATE\DOC). Examples of appropriate comments might be "NORTON UTILS", "XTALK" or "LOTUS". The default note for your diskette volume heading is "MISC". If you catalog a diskette with no files on it, and you've asked not to be prompted for volume heading information, PC-KAT substitutes "SCRATCH" for the volume heading note. Default YY+Qtr buy disk You might want to keep track of how old a (for diskette vol. info.) diskette is. The default answer, zero, will substitute the current YEAR and QUARTER (concatenated together as a 3 digit number). When first entering in all your old diskettes, if they are on the average 9 months ago, you might want to indicate the YY+Qtr for that period. Then after your initial database load, you could change the default value back to zero. Diskette Format OP SYS Indicate here the default for whether the (for diskette vol. info.) diskette is normally formatted under IBM PC DOS ('P'), which is the default, or under MS DOS ('M'). These letters do not cause anything special to happen, except that they will be redisplayed on some screen outputs. You can use alternative letters if you wish. OP SYS Ver. (no dec.pt.) Indicate here the default for which DOS (for diskette vol. info.) version number, the diskette was formatted under, however do not use a decimal point (wasted storage & display space to carry the decimal). Thus 200, the default, refers to 2.00 DOS. Usual seq_typ is You may be processing a group of related (for diskette vol. info.) diskettes. The grouping may be because you are using the DOS BACKUP command (type 'B'), which is the default, or because you are using the JET COPY utility (discussed in the TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL), which is type 'J'; or because you are cataloging a software package containing more than one diskette (type 'P'). USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 19 You are free to invent other sequence types. However, use 'B' for the DOS BACKUP sequence type. Future PC-KAT software may act upon this information. For now, just indicate, that when you are processing a sequence of diskettes, what will be the normal sequence type. Don't worry if most of the time you will not be processing a sequence of diskettes. Disk usually part of set Indicate 'Y' or 'N' (the default), whether the normal diskette you intend to catalog will belong to a sequentially related set of diskettes, such as a full backup set, etc. Enter DOS cmd for B/U You are highly recommended to perform your PC KAT database backup under PC-KAT supervision. The default method is via the DOS BACKUP command ("BACKUP C:\KATDB.* A:"). You can insert any valid DOS command here to accomplish your backup. Your DOS command could even be the .BAT file name to do your backup (leave out the ".BAT"). The PC-KAT database will be updated that you are about to do a backup, then the database will be closed prior to your backup. Also, your PC-KAT log file will note the occurrence of a backup being performed. More about this log file later in the manual. Enter label utility name PC-KAT comes with the free, user group program, VOLSER Version 2.00, Copyright 1983 by T. A. Davis. As T. Davis does not provide an address either in his program or his documentation, Applied Foresight is unable to ask his permission or to ask users of PC-KAT to voluntarily contribute an appreciation token to Mr. T. A. Davis. VOLSER is a label utility. With VOLSER or an alternative software label utility, which you would select here, you can update your diskette with the volume ID four digit number (use leading zeros to make the volume ID 4 digits). Having the volume ID software embedded onto the diskette, saves PC- KAT from having to ask you each time what is the number on the sticky label outside your diskette. Oh yes, you should have a four USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 20 digit volume ID on a sticky label outside your diskette. If you don't care to use VOLSER, indicate the label utility program of your choice. Norton's Utilities comes with the program, LABEL. IBM PC DOS 3.0 comes with its utility program, LABEL. Make your choice known to PC- KAT. The unaltered documentation on VOLSER by T. A. Davis, is in the file, VOLSER.DOC, which is on your PC KAT diskette. Entries Okay The default answer is 'Y' for Yes. If you want to change one of your answers made above, you should answer 'N' for No. You'll be reprompted for every field again, starting from the first prompt. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 21 CATALOGING DISKETTES -------------------- INVOKING PC-KAT Efficient and rewarding use of PC-KAT involves continually keeping your PC-KAT database up to date about the contents of all of your diskettes. This is done by the PC-KAT diskette cataloger program function, which can be invoked in a variety of ways. You can enter the commands in upper or lower case, it makes no difference. These commands are entered at the DOS prompt level. INVOKE CMD COMMENT------------------------------------------------- KAT -U Catalog diskettes until requested to exit or backup my PC- KAT database. Provide prompts, with defaults shown, to add or update unique diskette volume information. Will be asked by PC-KAT at the start of the program if location is Home or Work. KAT -UH Same as above, except prespecified location is Home. KAT -UW Same as above, except prespecified location is Work. KAT -U2 Same as KAT -U, except only process for two diskettes. KAT -U2H Same as KAT -UH, except only process for two diskettes. KAT -UN Same as KAT -U, except bypass prompting for unique diskette volume information. Use the default values based upon the system control record. For those users who habitually name their files in such a manner that just remembering the spelling of part or all of the file name is all that is necessary to know about, those users might be satisfied running PC-KAT this way. It saves about 30-60 seconds per processed diskette, to use the -N option. Alternatively, on many of your diskettes, you might want to not use the -N option. For instance, you might want to state that the involved diskette belongs to the path, UTIL, and in the note field, state "PC-TALK III", and so forth. However, some users, lazy like the Author, might not care about volume heading information, and rely upon the fact that on this diskette, retrieving by the file name, "PC- TALK", will always enable PC-KAT to tell me which diskette volume to look for PC-TALK III. On diskettes which habitually get reused for totally different file storage purposes, you might want to always use the -N option. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 22 While inside PC-KAT, you can toggle having this "N" option on or off. KAT -UNH Same as KAT -UN except prespecified Home as the location. KAT -U2NH Same as KAT -UNH, except only process for two diskettes. KAT -UA Same as KAT -U, except floppy to process is on drive A:, regardless of what drive letter the system control record points to. KAT -UB Same as KAT -U, except floppy to process is on drive B:, regardless of what drive letter the system control record points to. KAT -LU Same as KAT -U, except use the PC-KAT database in the current directory. Without the -L option, PC-KAT will move to the root (\) directory to process a PC-KAT database there. The user can invoke PC-KAT using valid combinations of the above. Of course, -A and -B can never be used together. Nor can -H and -W ever be used together. The order in which the options are stated are irrelevant, except that only a number can follow the -U option, immediately to the right of the "U". Thus, typing KAT -UN and KAT -NU will perform the same thing. Some of the above options can be chosen from a menu which drives the program. This menu is shown in the "CATALOGING PROCEDURE" subsection below. DISKETTE HANDLING WITH PC-KAT You should physically and software label all your diskettes with a four digit number. Write-protected diskettes need not be software labeled. A physically labeled diskette means that with a soft felt tip pen, you have written a four digit number which is visible on the diskette gum label which sticks on the outside of the diskette. A software labeled diskette means that when you do a DOS DIR A: against the diskette, that you are shown something like the below as the first two lines of the display: Volume in drive A is 0175 Directory of A:\ PC-KAT provides you with means to do software labeling from inside the cataloging program. Refer back to the last prompt in the System Control Record. The recommended route is to use the numbers 0001-5000 for diskettes initially cataloged at Home, and to use the numbers 5001-9999 for diskettes initially cataloged at Work. If you only have one location, then use the numbers 0001-9999. These are only recommendations. The only requirement is that the volume ID must be either blank or a four digit number. Blank volume ID labels should be USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 23 minimized to write-protected diskettes, because each time you catalog the diskette, you have to remind PC-KAT of the volume label number. Diskettes which are software labeled, are automatically recognized by PC- KAT as to what volume label ID it contains. In your diskette containers, you should stack all your diskettes sequentially in numeric order. It makes no difference how unrelated any neighboring sequenced diskette is, for PC-KAT will provide the logical organization to your diskettes. However, you'll still find it convenient to keep sequentially logically related diskettes in sequential numeric order, such as for full hard disk backups, etc. The author reserves three neighboring numbered diskettes for his PC-KAT database backups, since with its some 13,400 plus filenames, it goes a little into the third diskette to back up a PC-KAT database this big. Doing this is a convenience not a necessity, for the diskette volume inquiry process will remind you of what follows or precedes a diskette (assuming you told PC- KAT about the sequencing originally). A "scratch" diskette is one which is either empty of files, or one which has junk or obsolete files on them and can be erased without worry. When PC-KAt processes a scratch diskette, it labels the database volume header with the word "SCRATCH." You can ask PC-KAT for a screen or printout of your SCRATCH volumes. However, if you don't want to have to run this inquiry to find out where your scratch diskettes are, you could consider temporarily locating your scratch diskettes in a scratch diskette container or separate location. THE CATALOGING PROCEDURE The cataloging program is menu driven and your choices for action are displayed as follows: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- PT: DESCRIPTION OPT: DESCRIPTION P Insert diskette now to PROCESS E EXIT program now H change location to HOME W change location to WORK V change database VOLUME header L change diskette volume LABEL D diskette dir/w & DEL option F FORMAT a diskette T TOGGLE vol hdr prompting on/off S SWITCH to another diskette drive B BACKUP database & exit program PARMS ON: Locn=> HOME; Prompting=> ON; Directory=> ROOT; Floppy=> A: P Do: B,D,E,F,H,L,P,S,T,V,W ? > < ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Most of the prompts and activity occurring in the PC-KAT cataloging procedure is self evident, based upon the user understanding the system control record update process and being able to read the cataloging procedure displays and prompts. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 24 This documentation will cover the portions of this procedure which may not be completely self-evident. 1. In the overview section, PC-KAT was discussed being smart enough to know that you hadn't made any changes since your last cataloging process against that diskette. There is one ramification to this smartness. If your only change to a previously processed diskette, is that you renamed a file, then PC-KAT will not process the diskette, because renaming an existing file on a diskette will not impact either of the two captured totals. These two totals, you will recall, deal with the total number of files on the diskette, and the sum total of file dates + times + sizes covering that diskette. 2. When you are displayed the volume heading information for a previously cataloged diskette, you are given the following column headings: VOL# --PATH-- NOTE/EXT-PATH LAST UPDATE #FIL KBLF L F O VER BUY NV TSQ NEXT LAST The unobvious column headings above mean the following: KBLF The number of kilobytes available for additional file use. L Location where the prior cataloging processing took place. F The letter of the hard disk from which these files came from. O The operating system type under which the cataloged diskette was formatted. VER The operating system version number under which the cataloged diskette was formatted. NV The newest version file of all files on this diskette. This information is only available if the add-on software module, which does the aging analysis, is owned and ran against your PC-KAT database. This add-on software module is not yet available, as of the release time of this document. It will be available in a matter of months. When this field is operational, if it contained the number "2" or higher, it would mean that nothing on this file is most recent compared to same named files on other diskettes. You could conceivably reuse this diskette if you aren't interested in prior versions of your files. TSQ This represents two columns of information without a separating blank space between them: T Sequence type (eg, B=BACKUP, J=JET, P=SOFTWARE USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 25 PACKAGE) SQ Sequence number (ie, 01-99). 3. You can remove the diskette from the disk drive which is being cataloged when you see on your screen either of the following two messages. If you have another diskette to process, you can insert it at this time. a) "Will display each input directory filename as it is processed:" b) "Input directory has no files on it--processing as a scratch volume." USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 26 INQUIRING AGAINST THE PC-KAT CATALOG ------------------------------------ INVOKING PC-KAT Before you actually update and inquire against your PC-KAT database, you should read the last remaining section, which comes in the next section "MAINTAINING AND RECOVERING YOUR DATABASE." The main purpose for having PC-KAT is to ask it which diskette(s) has such and such file on it? This is done by the PC-KAT catalog inquiry program function, which can be invoked in a variety of ways. You can enter the commands in upper or lower case, it makes no difference. These commands are entered at the DOS prompt level. INVOKE CMD COMMENT------------------------------------------------- KATLOOK This is the quickest way to look at your PC-KAT database. If you chose the alternate route of KAT -D, it would invoke KATLOOK anyway. So you save having to have the computer first load KAT.EXE followed by then loading KATLOOK.EXE if you just type KATLOOK and press ENTER. KAT -D Same as KATLOOK, except computer takes a couple of seconds longer to function. KATLOOK -P Same as KATLOOK, except you request that PC-KAT does not show in the PATH & EXT PATH/NOTE columns the subdirectory information if the file entry sat in a subdirectory on the diskette. The only thing that would be shown in these two columns would be information from the diskette volume header record. Since most users will not be utilizing subdirectories on their diskettes, KATLOOK gives the same results as entering KATLOOK -P. KATLOOK -P was inserted into the product during the debugging phase of catching the individual file entry elongated directory name at display time. You'll recall from the Overview subsection in the Introduction that the database only carries a numeric code for the subdirectory diskette location it belongs with in each database record. However, this feature was left in the program, since some users might want to take advantage of this option, and it really causes no overhead to the program's performance to leave it in. KAT -DP See above discussion about KAT -D. Otherwise, this is the same as entering KATLOOK -P. KATLOOK -L Inquire against the PC-KAT database located in the current directory. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 27 KAT -LD See above discussion about KAT -D. Otherwise, this is the same as entering KATLOOK -L. THE INQUIRY PROCEDURE The inquiry program is menu driven and your choices for action are displayed as follows: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHOOSE TYPE OF DIRECTORY DISPLAY DESIRED: 1. Process individual dir argument line. 2. Process all cataloged files for a given volume number. 3. Process all cataloged files for the entire database. 4. Listing of cataloged diskette volumes. 5. Listing of uncataloged diskette volumes. 6. Exit program. 6 Enter option number: > < ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Most of the prompts and activity occurring in the PC-KAT inquiry procedure is self evident, based upon the user understanding the PC-KAT cataloging process and being able to read the inquiry procedure displays and prompts. This documentation will cover the portions of this procedure which may not be completely self-evident. 1. If your PC-KAT database was set up with a user password, you are asked for it in this program. You must provide the user password in order to inquire against the PC-KAT database. When you type in your password, you will not see what you type in nor will your cursor move. That is normal. This way, your friend behind you won't see your password. 2. When you are displayed the filename heading information, you are given the following column headings: VOL# FILENAME.EXT FLDATE FLTM --SIZE- --PATH-- NOTE/EXT-PATH LTSQGT LAST-UPDATE With the exception of "FILENAME.EXT" and "LTSQGT", the above column headings also appear in the previous section in "THE CATALOGING PROCEDURE" subsection. Two exception to being the same as THE CATALOG PROCEDURE heading are the "--PATH-- NOTE/EXT-PATH" headers. These columns will show the actual diskette subdirectory (the first 22 characters) which the cataloged file sits in, if such is the case, rather than the volume heading Note/Ext-Path information. Again, if the diskette file does not reside on the diskette in a subdirectory, the shown information derives from the volume label record. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 28 LTSQGT represents five columns of information without a separating blank space between them. L Location where the prior cataloging processing for this disk took place. T Sequence type (eg, B=BACKUP, J=JET, P=SOFTWARE PACKAGE). SQ Sequence number (ie, 01-99). G How many generations old is this filename in relationship to the most current file with this same FILENAME.EXT, which is generation 0. Generation 9 would be for the 9th plus higher generations. This information and that of the following adjacent field is not updated by the base PC-KAT package. An add-on software module program, which does the aging analysis, will update this field. T Is the generation number for this FILENAME.EXT tied ("Y" or blank). 3. If you choose the directory display option number 1 (Process individual dir argument line) and ask to "Suppress console output", you can ask that the displayed output go either to the printer or to a file. If you choose a file output, you are given the opportunity to use the filename, KATDIR.OUT, or you can create your own valid filename. File-directed output will not contain the column headings. A DOS batch command file, KATSORT, is provided which will sort KATDIR.OUT in reverse chronological order. You must exit this program and execute the procedure, KATSORT, at the DOS prompt level. 4. If you choose the directory display option number 1 (Process individual dir argument line), you might be a little unfamiliar with your search options. The program at this point displays the following instructions: "For your search argument, you'll be asked for a string value and how to use this string in the search (exact compare, anchored substring compare, or un-anchored substring compare - E, A, U). You are not allowed to use the following characters: '*', '?', '+'. Just pressing ENTER for a string value indicates no restriction." The DOS DIR command provides an anchored substring search capability. If you typed: DIR AUTO* and pressed ENTER, you would be doing an anchored substring compare. Although DOS does not provide an un- anchored substring search, if it did, typying: DIR *TO* and pressing ENTER, would provide you with a list of filenames where floating anywhere in the filename portion are the two neighboring characters "TO". This is an example of an un-anchored substring search. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 29 Although, PC-KAT provides an un-anchored substring compare, this type of search on the filename portion will cause every filename entry in your PC-KAT database to be scanned, which can take awhile depending on the size of your PC-KAT database. The TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL overviews the structure of PC-KAT's database design and provides an elaborate example list representing a range of searchs ordered by a most efficient search argument to a least efficient search argument. However, don't be afraid to use the search strategy you need to accomplish the job you want done. With a 12,000 record database, best case searches are a few seconds long and worst case searches are a few minutes long. 5. If you choose to provide a path argument search and to have it used against cataloged filenames, it is only used against the diskette volume label pathname, and not against an individual diskette file directory. 6. If you choose to only provide a path argument search (no filename/ext search argument), you'll be asked if you want the search to be only against cataloged volume header records rather than against cataloged filenames. Choosing the volume header search will make your scan a whole lot faster. 7. Diskettes that are marked "SCRATCH" have that indication in the volume heading "extended path/note" field whereas in the accompanying "path" field, it is left blank. Nevertheless, if you choose to provide a path argument search with the value "SCRATCH" or "scratch" and to have it used only against cataloged volume header records, you will be provided with a list of scratch diskettes. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 30 TAKING CARE OF YOUR DATABASE ----------------------------- OVERVIEW This section covers the following activities: 1. Conservative Updating 2. Backup 3. The Log File 4. Integrity Analysis A related section on Recovery is included in the TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL, because not every user will ever need it. However, every user should be prepared for it by following the recommendations below. CONSERVATIVE UPDATING Databases are delicate creatures. Most programs which work with databases, assume that all the proper connections are made between the different records in a database. Such programs, when they come across the first data record with its associated pointer addresses to another record failing to properly point, will abort. Thus often a very large database is at the mercy of one bad pointer. Pointers, like other portions of a disk file, can be disturbed by a variety of external hardware and software factors, many of which lie totally outside of the software which is specifically written for the database. Conservative practices are to frequently backup up the PC-KAT database and to do a periodic integrity analysis of the database. If you're doing a hundred or more diskettes in the beginning in a day, then maybe every 33-50 diskettes, back up your PC-KAT database. If you're updating a few diskettes per day, then one or two days a week you should back up the PC- KAT database. BACKUP You are advised to back up your database while inside the KAT -U (or any variation of the -U option) program. Your database backup will be made according to the instructions you gave PC-KAT in updating your system control record. Most persons will want to take advantage of the default backup command which one is prompted with during the system control record add process. During the KAT -U program session, you can choose to backup your database at the beginning of each processing loop, or after you have processed the number of diskettes equal to the reminder interval count you provide PC- KAT in your system control record update process. The existence and usefulness of your PC-KAT log file is discussed USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 31 shortly, however it relevant to note now that PC-KAT records in this log file when you made a backup of your database. It also makes a record entry, including the volume number, of each updated diskette. For the above reason, it is a good idea to update PC-KAT against the diskettes you just backed up your database onto, right after doing the backup and before processing any other diskettes. This way, when you interrogate your PC-KAT log file, those diskettes which immediately follow a backup record entry are the diskettes which contain your database. This is useful, when looking for your couple-to-several generation old set of PC-KAT database backup diskettes to reuse. You can also use PC-KAT's inquiry function to find out the same information, but some people may prefer one method over the other method. The PC-KAT log file's main purpose is for recovery and not for locating backup diskette. Despite PC-KAT's ability to inform you of which diskette follows in a sequence, you'll still find it more convenient, if your PC-KAT database backup span across neighboring numbered diskettes. Thus when you initially number your diskettes, you might want to set aside 3-4 neighboring sequence for backing up your PC-KAT database. It currently takes about 2.5 diskettes to backup a PC-KAT database containing 13,400 plus directory entries, which covers about 600 diskettes. You should felt-tip label these diskettes, beside the normal 4 digit number, with information such as: 0333 KATDB.* 1 of 4 See 0334-0336 Verified: 850301/850501/850701 850901 The above label shows the following information: 1. The volume ID number for this diskette. 2. Information that the diskette contains a backup of the PC-KAT database. 3. Information that this diskette is number 1 of a set of 4 backup diskettes. 4. The numerous different dates for which this database was a backup of a PC-KAT database right after it had been okayed via a database integrity analysis run. In this instance, the verify dates spill over onto line four of the label. In conjunction with using the DOS BACKUP command, one should periodically perform a CHKDSK /F. In the April 23, 1985, issue of PC WEEK, a letter to the editor by a VP of SyntheSys Consulting Inc., Syracuse, NY, entitled "Fixing BACKUP Bugs," refers to "problems with the [BACKUP] program if CHKDSK detects any errors on the disk you are trying to back up. The user should be sure to use CHKDSK to correct any problems with the hard disk before using BACKUP (i.e., use CHKDSK with the /F option)." THE LOG FILE Each diskette that you process by PC-KAT causes a record to be written to a plain ASCII-type file (useable by most word processors), called USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 32 KATDB.LOG. When you backup the PC-KAT database is recorded here too. The information written about the diskette processed is in the following format (example data displayed beneath the format). The format heading here does not appear in the file, KATDB.LOG, nor by the KATLOG printout. LN LOC VOL# YYMMDD HHMM TOT-REC-COUNT 1 H 0075 850503 1354 13035 2 H B/U 850503 1355 3 H 0174 850503 1400 13039 4 H 0175 850503 1400 13043 5 H 0176 850503 1401 13047 6 H 0199 850503 1401 13099 The main reason for this log file is in the unlikely event that something happens either to your hard disk or to your database and you need to do a recovery using an earlier backed up PC-KAT database. The exact procedures you'll follow are given in the TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL. Another usage for the log file, if you want to use it in such a manner (as shown in the above example), was earlier discussed in the subsection, BACKUP. The above example reflects the fact that after processing volume 0075, the user backed his database over three diskettes, 0174-0176, after which he updated PC-KAT with the directory information of diskettes 0174- 0199. A DOS batch procedure file, called KATLOG.BAT, is provided to aid you in inquiring against your PC-KAT log file. KATLOG can be invoked in a variety of ways. You can enter the commands in upper or lower case, it makes no difference. These commands are entered at the DOS prompt level. INVOKE CMD COMMENT-------------------------------------------------- KATLOG Typing just this causes the entire log file to be continuously printed, using the KPRINT program. KPRINT is explained in Appendix A. Lines numbers are printed for this option. KATLOG 35 Any number is allowed. Typing this causes the last 35 lines of your log file to be displayed to your screen. KATLOG uses your DOS program, MORE.COM, so be sure to have it available (via your PATH) to be executed in the directory from which you execute KATLOG. With the MORE program, if you ask for more than a screen worth, you'll be shown a screen worth at a time. Pressing any key (except the CTRL-BREAK combination) will cause the next page to be displayed to the screen. Holding down the CTRL key while pressing the BREAK key will abort KATLOG -- you'll be asked if you want to terminate the batch procedure then. If you answer "Y", the batch procedure will immediately abort. KATLOG 35 PRN Same as KATLOG 35, except output is printed, and the DOS program, MORE.COM is not used. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 33 INTEGRITY ANALYSIS Every once in awhile (perhaps once a month), an integrity analysis should be done. It really takes no work on your part, and doing it while you are out to eat is the easiest way to schedule it into your day. More is said about doing an integrity analysis in a subsection below. There is nothing magic about the database integrity check program. It is an option in the KATLOOK (or KAT -D option) program. First, get inside to KATLOOK's menu choice. Refer to the section, INQUIRING AGAINST THE PC-KAT CATALOG, if you forget how to invoke KATLOOK. To the following prompts, make the following responses: PROMPT------------------------ RESPONSE COMMENT---------------------- Enter option number: 3 "Process entire database" option Suppress console output? ENTER Default is "N", the correct choice Printout desired? ENTER Default is "N", the correct choice Pause for each screen? ENTER Default is "N", the correct choice KATLOOK will thereupon start from the beginning of your database and display every entry in your PC-KAT database. Every single record in every portion of your database will be retrieved. This can take an hour and a half if using a COMPAQ PLUS with 12,500 directory entries and 580 diskettes cataloged. If you have an IBM AT, your response time will be better. A good time to do this, as earlier said, is during eating time. When you come back to your machine then, you'll immediately know if any problem was encountered. If the last two lines displayed show the last entry in your database followed by the successful database close message, then you have a clean database. At this point, you are advised to backup up your database and label it as a "VERIFIED" backup. Do not recycle these backup diskettes until you have done at least another verified backup in the future using another set of diskettes. Once you have done this backup, you no longer need the current hard disk resident KATDB.LOG file. Type: DEL KATDB.LOG and press ENTER. Don't worry, immediately upon doing your next PC-KAT process, KATDB.LOG will be recreated and start growing again. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 34 TROUBLE SHOOTING TIPS If you are ever aborted from PC-KAT during the cataloging program, or if the cataloging program processes less than the full number of filenames on a diskette, check the free space on the device holding the three work files, KATWORK.VOL, KATWORK1.DIR, KATWORK2.DIR. Also, type out these three work files and see if the operating system issued any error messages. If you see the message "Exec Failure," it may mean that your "FILES=" statement is either missing or understated in your CONFIG.SYS file. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 35 ONLINE ASSISTANCE You already know about the online assistance that the command, KATBOOK, provides. That is what you executed to print out this manual. KATBOOK also prints out three other manuals: (1) INSTALLATION FOR NEW COMPUTER USERS, (2) TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL and (3) THE DB-SHARE PROGRAM. Typing: KAT and pressing the ENTER key will display the commands you can type in to run the various functions of PC-KAT. Typing: KAT > PRN and pressing the ENTER key will print out the above display. Typing: KAT -O and pressing the ENTER key will print out an order form, along with an explanation of registration benefits. Typing: KAT -P and pressing the ENTER key will print out a problem form which can be used for submitting problems and/or enhancement requests. Typing: KPRINT and pressing the ENTER key will display the features of the KPRINT programmer's print program. Typing: KPRINT -?C>PRN and pressing the ENTER key will print out the above display. Typing: KPRINT -?K and pressing the ENTER key will display how to interface your printer with the KPRINT program. Typing: KPRINT -?KC>PRN and pressing the ENTER key will print out the above display. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 36 APPENDIX A: ERRATA RE: KPRINT PROGRAM Note: for additional information about the KPRINT programmer's print program, refer to the preceeding section, "Online Assistance." Due to the Lattice C Compiler not supporting LPT2 and COM2, KPRINT will not work with either of these two ports. Carl Warren in MINI-MICRO SYSTEMS, April 1985 (page 187), provides a way for your computer to think of LPT2 as LPT1 (and vice-versa) though. A BASIC program, he provides, based upon printer port information discussed in the IBM Technical Reference Manual, pages 5-25, is used to swap printer port locations for the duration of a power-on session. The program is reproduced below: 05 REM DEFINE THE SEGMENT LOCATION 10 DEF SEG = &H40 15 REM FIND THE CONTENTS OF THE PORTS 20 A = PEEK(&H8): B = PEEK(&H9) 30 C = PEEK(&HA): D = PEEK(&HB) 35 REM NOW SWAP THEM 40 POKE &H8,C : POKE &H9,D 50 POKE &HA,A : POKE &H8,B 55 SYSTEM If this program was located in your root directory under the name, SWAPLPT.BAS, and you added the line, "BASICA \SWAPLPT", to your \AUTOEXEC.BAT file, this would be done for you automatically when you power on the computer. If you need to use COM2, use the DOS MODE command to associate COM2 with your LPT1 port. For both the LPT2 and COM2 solution discussed here, your KPRINT.CTL file would use a "T P 1" line. USER MANUAL Ver. 1.2 Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin Page 37 APPENDIX B: PROVIDED PC-KAT FILES The PC-KAT distribution diskette contains these files: READ ME A short introductory note. To be read first. MANUAL OQT The compressed PC-KAT user manual. NOVICE OQT The compressed install manual for novice computer users. TECHREF OQT The compressed PC-KAT Technical Reference Manual. DBSHARE OQT The compressed manual explaining DB-SHARE Software. KATBOOK BAT The DOS Batch process to print manual. Type: KATBOOK. KATBOOK2 BAT Used by KATBOOK to print manual. Do not execute this. KAT EXE PC-KAT program to update control record and catalog diskette directory information into PC-KAT database. KATLOOK EXE PC-KAT program to allow inquiry against PC-KAT database. KATDRIVE EXE PC-KAT program used by KAT.EXE to scan diskette directory. KPRINT EXE Multi-feature print program. Made for programmers. KATLOG BAT This & KATSTRIP.BAT are used in maintaining & recovering KATSTRIP BAT PC-KAT. KATSORT BAT Batch file to sort cataloged filenames in reverse chronological order. Use KATLOOK to output a file first. KATORDER FRM Type: KAT -O to print this PC-KAT order form. KATBUG FRM Type: KAT -P to print this PC-KAT problem report form. KATDB DBD The PC-KAT database comprises this and the next 5 files. KATDB DA1 " ". KATDB DA2 " ". KATDB DA3 " ". KATDB KE1 " ". KATDB KE2 " ". KATAD BAT This & KATAD.KP, if copied to hard disk, support printing KATAD KP the PC-KAT announcement sheet. Type: KATAD & press ENTER. USQ COM This & SQ (both public domain programs by Bill Pearson) allowed the PC-KAT manual to be compressed/decompressed. SQ.EXE and SQ.DOC files are not provided with PC-KAT. VOLSER COM This is a device volume labeler program in the public domain written by T. A. Davis. Can be used by PC-KAT.