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€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€TM WELCOME TO C&D PROGRAMMING CORP.'S: €€ €€ €€ €€ CacheAll(tm) €€ ‹‹‹€€€€€€€€€€€€ €€ €€ ‹€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ €€ The Cache of the 90's!(tm) €€ ‹€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ €€ €€ €€€€€€€€€\ ﬂ€€€€€€ €€ Order Line: (800) 847-5676 €€ €€€€€€€€€\ \ ﬂﬂﬂﬂﬂ €€ Orders Outside U.S.A.: (801) 582-0503 €€ €€€€€€€€€\ \ \ €€ BBS: (516) 434-8712 €€ €€€€€€€€€‹ \ \ \ ‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹€€‹‹‹ €€ €€€€€€€€€€€‹ \ \ \ ﬂ€€€€€€€€€€€€€€‹ Corporate Headquarters: €€ ﬂ€€€€€€€€€€€€‹ \ \ \ ﬂ€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ PO Box 1305 €€ ﬂ€€€€€€€€€€€€€‹ \ \ \ ﬂ€€€€€€€€€€€€€ Brentwood, NY 11717 USA €€ ﬂﬂﬂ€€€€€€€€€€€‹ \ \ \ ﬂ€€€€€€€€€€€ €€ €‹ \ \ \ ﬂ€€€€€€€€€ €€ €€€‹ \ \ \€€€€€€€€€ €€ €€€€€‹ \ \€€€€€€€€€ Sales Office: €€ €€€€€€€‹ \€€€€€€€€€ PO Box 581012 €€ €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ﬂ Salt Lake City, UT 84158 €€ €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ﬂ USA €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ﬂﬂﬂ FAX (801) 581-0883 P R O G R A M M I N G Copyright (c), 1992-93 C&D Programming Corp. All Rights Reserved. This evaluation version of CacheAll(tm), The Cache of the 90's!(tm), may be freely copied and distributed for the purpose of evaluating CacheAll(tm) under the conditions that CacheAll(tm), CUtil(tm) and the accompanying software, (1) will not be sold, (2) will not be reverse engineered, (3) will not be modified, (4) will not be incorporated, in whole or in part, into any other computer program, CacheAll, CUtil, AppTrack and "The Cache of the 90's!" are trademarks of C&D Programming Corp. All product names and services identified throughout this manual are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page i -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents About CacheAll(tm), The Cache of the 90's!(tm), . . . . . . . . . . . 1 About The Evaluation Version of CacheAll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 How to Order CacheAll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 What do you get when you purchase CacheAll? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Technical Support -- How to reach us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Welcome to CacheAll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Before Installing CacheAll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Application Compatibility for CacheAll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Software Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Preparing Your System For CacheAll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 About INSTALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Starting INSTALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 BEGINNERS: CacheAll is SMART! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Running CacheAll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Unloading CacheAll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 CacheAll Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 CacheAll Option File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 CacheAll Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 CUtil(TM) Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 CUtil for DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 CUtil Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 CUtil for Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Benchmarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Caching only specific drive directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Using CacheAll to Speed up Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Swap Files for CacheAll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Removing the swap file from your hard drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Maximizing CacheAll's Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 What CacheAll will not do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 CacheAll's Automatic Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Common Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Common Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Notes to CD-ROM Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Notes to Network Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 FileTest(tm) -- A simplistic cache benchmarking program . . . . . . . 54 AppTrack(TM) Makes Software audits a nuisance rather than a concern . 56 Reseller Qualification Form: C&D Welcomes Resellers! . . . . . . . . 57 CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- About CacheAll(tm), The Cache of the 90's!(tm), CacheAll is the only technology-independent cache program ever that can speed up file access over 1000%! CacheAll is only 21 Kilobytes in size and may be loaded high! CacheAll's advanced abilities don't stop there: CacheAll is the only cache on the market that does all this - 1) CacheAll has no limit to the types of devices it can cache, ˘ Caches CD-ROMs & networked CD-ROMs ˘ Caches Opticals & networked Opticals ˘ Caches Hard Drives & networked Hard Drives ˘ Caches Etc.! & networked Etc.! 2) CacheAll uses RAM and an optional SWAP FILE for cache data storage ˘ Supports cache sizes up to 64 Megabytes ˘ SWAP FILE allows emulation and conservation of expensive RAM and, ˘ Can specify how devices are cached: RAM or SWAP FILE - Balances cache performance across slow and fast devices - Reduces server loading and network traffic 3) CacheAll speeds up Microsoft Windows & multimedia, ˘ CD-ROM applications fly ˘ And networks too! 4) CacheAll Increases Network performance when run on WORKSTATIONS ** ˘ 64 Megs of server data can be cached locally at workstation - Reduces network traffic - Reduces server loading ˘ Artisoft(TM) LANtastic(TM) Compatible 5) CacheAll allows you to cache specific sections of a resource ˘ Cache data YOU want to cache, rather than entire device ˘ Can eliminate the need for cache-locking 6) CacheAll includes CUtil ˘ DOS & Windows cache control ˘ Provides real time viewing of files currently in cache - Excellent "tweaking" & management tool - And, of course, this feature works for network drives ˘ View statistics, reset statistics, and more 7) CacheAll can reconfigure itself automatically ˘ CacheAll can optimize it's own parameters on startup ˘ CacheAll is user friendly for beginners yet flexible for experts CacheAll provides all these features for only $79 (retail $129). Hurry, this pricing is for a limited time only! ** FOR NETWORK DATA BASE USERS ONLY -- To prevent potential loss of your data, CacheAll will not cache shared data files which are simultaneously updated by multiple users across a network UNLESS you set these files to read only status. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- About The Evaluation Version of CacheAll This evaluation version is only limited in three ways. First, is that it expires after March 1994. Secondly, it will only run for 60 minutes before automatically disabling itself. When it CacheAll get disabled, you will hear a multi-tone beep to let you know CacheAll has turned itself off. CUtil will report CacheAll as disabled when this situation occurs. Also, simply changing the system date will not be enough to bypass the date limitation built into this evaluation version. Lastly, it can not be unloaded from memory. The commercial version has this feature enabled. Because CacheAll uses new caching techniques, many cache benchmarking programs DO NOT accurately detect the presence of CacheAll and therefore erroneously report no performance increase! This is simple to prove: simply run {your application} without CacheAll and time with a stopwatch, then install CacheAll and run {your application} again TWICE measuring the time each time. Note that the last time {your application} was run it took considerably less time because of CacheAll! How to Order CacheAll This abbreviated manual covers only basic CacheAll and CUtil operation. This manual is for your evaluation of CacheAll and CUtil, should you continue to use CacheAll or CUtil you are required to purchase the commercial version of CacheAll: If you are an ENDUSER: To purchase C&D products including CacheAll, - Visit your favorite software store or computer retailer - Call C&D Programming Corp. @ 800-847-5676 (outside U.S. 801-582-0503) - CacheAll's price is only $79 for a limited time. - NOTE: Sending in your registration form FROM THIS EVALUATION SOFTWARE will make you eligible for future upgrade discounts! - Please send your registration form to the address noted on the form. If you are a RESELLER: To purchase C&D products including CacheAll, Please mail the completed qualification form which appears at the end of this document to the noted address, or fax to 801-581-0883. After we receive your properly completed qualification form we will send you a reseller package which includes information necessary to order all C&D products. NO RESELLER INFORMATION WILL BE GIVEN UNTIL WE RECEIVE A PROPERLY COMPLETED FORM, NO EXCEPTIONS! CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you get when you purchase CacheAll? 1) The commercial software, ˘ Is not time limited ˘ Does not disable itself after 60 minutes usage. ˘ Allows you to unload CacheAll from memory as desired. 2) The commercial software provides: for everyone, ˘ 2 color, 124 page manual ˘ Spiral Bound! (lays flat on a table, desk, etc.) ˘ Easy to read ˘ Organized layout - 12 sections - Dictionary like tab bleeds => easy to find desired sections - Fully indexed - Table of contents inside at beginning as you are learning - Quick reference inside back cover for experienced users ˘ Glossary of terms for experienced computer users, ˘ Details of CacheAll and CUtil operation ˘ Performance tips - For options settings - For specific computer configurations - Importance of specific options and settings ˘ Glossary of terms 3) Update notices and discounts on future releases CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Technical Support -- How to reach us Note that after the evaluation period a valid registration/serial number will be required for all technical support regarding CacheAll! C&D Programming Corp. will provide product support to unregistered users only during the evaluation period. Please be prepared to give: ˘ The contents of your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS ˘ A description of your computer including, - CPU type and speed - Optical drive type and speed - CD-ROM type and speed - Hard drive type and size - Network type and version numbers - Type and manufacturer of cards (VGA, etc.) to the technician before contacting C&D and include this information with all correspondence. You may contact any one of the following sources for technical support: This Document: Try reading through this manual BBS: (516) 434-8712 for the latest technical tips and the latest versions of utilities, such as CacheAll's CUtil. Modem setup is: 8 data bits, no parity & 1 stop bit Modem speed is: 9600 baud, 38,400 with compression Phone: VOICE: (516) 434-3214 FAX: (516) 434-7603 FAXes -- Please remember to include YOUR FAX number! Postal: C&D Programming Corp. Technical Support (CAEVAL) PO Box 1305 Brentwood, NY 11717 CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to CacheAll CacheAll instantly speeds up access to all of your personal computer's data. CacheAll, unlike any other cache software available, is a technology-independent cache which means it can speed up virtually all storage devices! CacheAll can even extend laptop and notebook battery life by reducing storage drive usage! CacheAll's advanced features don't stop there ... it also automatically detects and efficiently responds to the presence of storage devices. Just install CacheAll and without further work, sit back and enjoy faster computing! When speed is important CacheAll's 1000%+ speed increase also saves you money by avoiding costly and difficult upgrades of network drives, CD- ROM drives, Optical drives, Bernoulli disks, and Hard drives, assuming an upgrade is even available! Installed on all network workstations and non-dedicated servers, CacheAll can dramatically reduce network traffic and server loading. CacheAll accomplishes this by locally caching as much as 64 Megabytes of data (Using RAM AND a SWAP FILE!) at the workstation -- after the first read, workstations obtain data from CacheAll's local copy instead of having to use the network. CacheAll operates in the background making fast copies of your data in RAM (and an optional SWAP FILE) as you are using your personal computer. Thereafter CacheAll immediately provides this copied data and eliminates the long access times of CD-ROMs, opticals, networks, etc. Using this technique, CacheAll makes your storage devices appear as if they have been replaced with faster more expensive models, assuming a faster model even exists! Congratulations on purchasing CacheAll -- The Cache of the 90's!(TM) CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before Installing CacheAll Please take the following steps before installing CacheAll: - Please refer to the section entitled "Application Compatibility for CacheAll" for important information regarding the use of CacheAll with other applications. - Have a stamped envelope handy and your printer ready to print so that you can immediately print and return the Registration Information form. Returning this form entitles you to receive: ˘ Future upgrade discounts ˘ New product announcements System Requirements Installation Program - IBM AT, PS/2, or 100% compatible computer - 300Kb of conventional memory during installation - MS-DOS versions 3.3 or later; or DR DOS 5.0 or later CacheAll and CUtil for DOS - Minimum CONFIG.SYS settings of ˘ FILES = 40 ˘ BUFFERS = 30 - IBM AT, PS/2, or 100% compatible computer - MS-DOS versions 3.3 or later; or DR DOS 5.0 or 6.0 - When CacheAll is used to cache fast storage devices, such as a hard drive: ˘ 512Kb (minimum) of extended, EMS or XMS allocated to CacheAll ˘ 300Kb free hard drive space - When CacheAll is used to cache slow storage devices, such as CD-ROMs: ˘ 1Mb (minimum) of Extended Memory allocated to CacheAll ˘ 4.2Mb of free hard drive space, 300Kb for CacheAll program files plus 4Mb for the recommended swap file - Conventional RAM usage: 21Kb when loaded high using a memory manager; 50 to 150Kb without a memory manager (depending on configuration) CUtil for Windows - IBM AT, PS/2, or 100% compatible compute - Approximately 200Kb of memory while executing - MS-DOS versions 3.3 or later; DR DOS 5.0 or 6.0 - Microsoft Windows Version 3.0+ CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Application Compatibility for CacheAll Microsoft Windows 3.x When using CacheAll with Windows, you must load CacheAll before starting Windows. If CacheAll is not loaded first, unpredictable results may occur. If you are using Windows 3.0, you must also add the line InDosPolling=1 to the [386Enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI file. Please refer to your Microsoft Windows documentation for the procedures to change the SYSTEM.INI file. Quarterdeck DESQview CacheAll must be loaded before DESQview, not under a DESQview task. Loading CacheAll in a task may cause unpredictable results. Artisoft LANtastic When loading CacheAll on a LANtastic network, you must load CacheAll after all network components; this includes REDIR and SERVER. Loading CacheAll before the SERVER may cause unpredictable results. Novell Netware When loading CacheAll on a Netware network, you must load CacheAll after the NET component. Loading CacheAll before the NET component may cause unpredictable results. Other networks When loading CacheAll on a network, you should load it after all network components. Loading CacheAll before the network components may cause unpredictable results. Street Atlas USA Version 1.0 Street Atlas USA has a single very large file called WEST.DAT. To take full advantage of CacheAll, BLOCKSIZE must be greater than 7. If BLOCKSIZE is not greater than 7 only part of WEST.DAT will be cached. Disk compression programs When using disk compression programs, be sure not to place the swap file (specified with the DISKPATH option; see CacheAll options section for full details of the DISKPATH option) on a compressed volume. If you do put the swap file on a compressed volume, unpredictable results may occur. Remember: the effective swap file size will change and possibly overflow the volume of a compressed drive. For this reason placing any swap file, such as Microsoft's Windows swap file, on a compressed should be avoided! SCSI Drives CacheAll does not support double buffering. If you own a SCSI drive which requires double buffering, you must run double buffering software with CacheAll. Silver Platter and other CD-ROM based retrieval systems To cache CD-ROMs with CacheAll your software may need to be set for networks regardless if CD-ROM is local. Use CUtil's LIST command to determine if CacheAll requires this configuration change. If very CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- few or no files are listed with the CUtil LIST command, you should try to have your retrieval system set up as if it is on a network. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 9 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Software Installation This SECTION takes you step by step through the CacheAll installation procedure. CacheAll's installation program is very easy to use since CacheAll is a "smart" program which eliminates complicated installation procedures: Each time your computer is restarted CacheAll analyzes your system and reconfigures itself appropriately. This allows you to make future changes to your system, including adding CD-ROMs and network drives WITHOUT EVER HAVING TO MAKE ANY CHANGES TO CacheAll! Simply install and enjoy CacheAll's increase of your systems performance! The install procedure consists of a series of display screens which are described in the following text. If at any time during the installation you are not sure how to answer, simply press ENTER to accept the default selection. Preparing Your System For CacheAll This section discusses a few tasks which are necessary before installing CacheAll. It is good practice to backup all of your writable storage devices whenever making a change to your system. CacheAll does not harm the information contained on these devices but it is good practice to back them up in any case. Please refer to your DOS manual for backup instructions if you do not already have a method to backup your system. If you are currently using a DOS version earlier than DOS 3.3 then you will have to upgrade in order to use CacheAll. If you are not using DOS 5.0 or later and were thinking of upgrading then do so before installing CacheAll to take advantage of the many benefits over previous DOS versions, especially memory management facilities which CacheAll will take full advantage of. About INSTALL The CacheAll installation program is designed to automatically determine your hardware configuration. First it will attempt to determine the type of video display you have. Whether you have a monochrome or color display, it will automatically adjust to display the best view for that particular type of video hardware. CacheAll's INSTALL program is "mousable", which means that if a mouse is connected to your system, you can use it to make selections within the dialog boxes. (If you wish to use your mouse and the mouse cursor does not appear when INSTALL has started, it should look like a small square block in the upper left hand corner, make sure your mouse driver is properly loaded. Refer to the documentation for your mouse regarding the loading procedure.) To make selections without the mouse you may move between the offered selections by pressing Tab or Shift-Tab followed by the ENTER key. You may also use the "hot keys" which are described in the following text. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You must have at least 200Kb of conventional memory available before running the CacheAll installation program. Starting INSTALL Some notes before starting: - We assume you are installing CacheAll from your A: drive. If you choose to install from another drive simply replace all the following references to A: with the proper reference for the drive you are using, such as B:. - When you see the text ENTER it means to press the Enter key. At any time during the installation, the Esc or Escape key will abort the installation and return you to the DOS prompt. - INSTALL will present you with a sequence of "dialog boxes" which allow you to enter necessary information and, make choices as to how you wish to proceed to the next dialog box. To move between the selections offered by each dialog box you may press Tab or Shift-Tab. Press ENTER to accept a selection. - To begin the installation of CacheAll, create an installation diskette by placing the evaluation software onto a floppy disk and do the following: 1. Put the installation disk into your A: drive. 2. Type: A: ENTER This will change your default disk drive to the A: drive. 3. Type: INSTALL ENTER This will execute the installation program for CacheAll After you complete step 3, it will take a few moments to start the installation program. At this point, you will enter the directory into which you want to install the CacheAll files. If you want to accept the default directory of C:\CACHEALL, simply press ENTER. If you want a different directory, enter it now and press ENTER. If the directory you entered does not exist, you will be prompted with a dialog box. Note that in some cases it may be necessary to create the directory BEFORE running the installation software, although this situation is very rare. If the directory specified in this dialog box is correct, press the ENTER key or press the Y key. If the directory specified in this dialog box is not correct, press the N key. When you press the N key, the installation program will return you to the screen which asks for the installation directory. This will give you another chance to select the directory to install CacheAll into. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 11 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After the installation program creates the selected directory, you will be asked if your computer is a standalone computer or is connected to a network. If your computer IS NOT connected to a network press Y, press N if this computer is connected to a network. Be sure to select YES if you are not certain how to answer! After selecting the installation type, INSTALL will display the Registration Information dialog box. At this point you should be sure your printer is turned on. (If you do not have a printer, you may save this information in a file that can be printed later). To move between the fields, use Tab to move to the next field and the Shift-Tab key to move to the previous field. You must complete all requested information (name, company, address 1, address 2, city, state, zip, phone, fax). If you do not have a company name or a fax number, you may leave those entries blank. Once you have completed all fields, you have three choices. You can: 1. Print out the registration form. Press Alt-P (hold down the Alt key and press the letter P). 2. Save the registration form to disk and print later. Press Alt-S (hold down the Alt key and press the letter S). This will save the registration information to the file CACHEALL.REG in the directory you specified on the first screen of the installation program. 3. Cancel the installation and return to DOS. Press Alt-C (hold down the Alt key and press the letter C). If you elect to print the registration form now, you will see a dialog box which allows you to select the printer port to print the registration form to. To select the printer port, use the up and down arrow keys until desired printer port is highlighted. If your printer is installed on LPT1: (printer port number 1), you can just press Alt-P or ENTER and the registration form will be printed. To make "last minute" changes to your registration information, you may return to that screen by pressing Alt-C. Seal the registration form in an envelope and mail to: C&D Programming Corp. User Registration (CAEVAL) P.O. Box 1305 Brentwood, NY 11717 Do this right away or, FAX it to us at (516)434-7603 right away! While sending the registration form to C&D, the installation program will be copying the CacheAll program files to the directory you specified. While the files are being copied you will see a status screen which shows you how far the installation process has proceeded. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You must now decide if you want to update your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Updating this file, by pressing ENTER, will cause CacheAll to automatically start each time you turn your computer on. If you do not update the file by pressing ALT-N, CacheAll must be started manually by running the RUNCA.BAT file in the CacheAll directory (When starting CacheAll manually be sure to do so AFTER all device drivers, redirectors and network software is installed!). At this point, installation is almost complete. All that remains is to review the README.TXT file which contains important information regarding CacheAll. INSTALL displays this file for you and allows you to scroll through the file by using the arrow keys. Should you wish to view this information after the installation program ends, you can use the DOS "TYPE", DOS "PRINT" command or the DOS 5.0 "EDIT" command. You have now completed the installation of CacheAll, The Cache of the 90's. By rebooting your computer you will experience the tremendous benefits CacheAll provides! CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 13 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- BEGINNERS: CacheAll is SMART! CacheAll is very user friendly to beginners. Since unlike other programs CacheAll is capable of configuring itself, you just install and enjoy it without doing any more work! CacheAll will even automatically detect the installation of a new storage device, such as a CD-ROM, hard drive, network drive, etc., without your changing CacheAll in any way! CacheAll is an especially powerful program which provides many features not found in any other program. Because CacheAll is so powerful, CacheAll automatically sets it's own options for novice users. When changes are made to your system, by you or the programs you run, CacheAll will detect these changes and reconfigure itself automatically so that you don't have to! More advanced users should note that you are always free to override one or all of CacheAll's automatic features. Refer to the CacheAll Options Section to find out how to make these changes. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 14 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Running CacheAll The installation program will create a batch file called RUNCA.BAT in the directory specified during the installation procedure. This batch file contains all the information necessary to run CacheAll and will be called by your AUTOEXEC.BAT file (unless you told the installation program not to modify your AUTOEXEC.BAT file). While customizing certain parameter values for your particular system can sometimes lead to increased performance, the average user should find the automatic settings to be quite acceptable. Note that, depending on how you installed CacheAll RUNCA.BAT will use STDALONE.OPT (for standalone installations) or NETWORK.OPT (for network installations). When infrequently using a network you may wish to consider using a batch file to switch back and forth between the appropriate OPT file. The section titled CacheAll Options describes all the available parameters of CacheAll. Again, it is not necessary to use these parameters unless you would like to fine tune the performance of CacheAll. Unloading CacheAll (***Not available in evaluation version***) CacheAll can be unloaded from memory by running the CACHEALL.EXE program with the parameter UNLOAD (or the abbreviation U). To do this you must make sure you are in the subdirectory which contains CacheAll. For this reason, you may want to consider adding CacheAll to your PATH. For example, if you specify the command: C:\CACHEALL\CACHEALL UNLOAD from the DOS command line, CacheAll will unload itself from memory. Note that if CacheAll is not the last program loaded into memory, CacheAll will be deactivated but will remain in your system's memory until your computer is turned off or rebooted. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 15 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- CacheAll Options Spaces are not allowed, except between options. Equal signs or colons are valid as keyword/value separators. Example valid command lines are: CACHEALL MEMSIZE=8192 BLOCKSIZE:4 VERBOSE CACHEALL MS:8192 BS=4 V These lines are identical in CacheAll and signify a memory size of 8192Kb (MEMSIZE=8192 or MS=8192) and a block size of 4096 bytes (BLOCKSIZE=4 or BS=4). It will also show all CacheAll settings upon startup (VERBOSE or V). NOTE: Numeric parameters always signify kilobytes. CACHEALL MEMSIZE=4000 BLOCKSIZE:4 DISKSIZE:5000 CACHEALL MS=4000 BS:4 DS=5000 These lines are identical in CacheAll and signify a memory size of 4000Kb (MEMSIZE=4000 or MS=4000), a disk size of 5000Kb (DISKSIZE=5000 or DS=5000) and a block size of 4096 bytes (BLOCKSIZE=4 or BS=4). NOTE: Numeric parameters always signify kilobytes. Options which have a value after the equal sign must not include spaces around the equal sign. Adjacent options must have at least once space separating them. You can create an option file to store your most commonly used parameters. See the section titled Creating a CacheAll Option File for full details. The next several pages detail each of CacheAll's command line options. Each page consists of the option name in large bold characters followed by a series of sections describing the option. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 16 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALLFILES ** USE THIS OPTION WITH EXTREME CAUTION! ** Shortcut: AF Example: ALLFILES=C-ER This will tell CacheAll to cache all files on drives C through E (C,D,E), and R. Default: CacheAll automatically sets this option for all local CD-ROM drives. Details: If this option is set on a networked drive, loss of data can occur on that drive! Example: Using 2 networked personal computers as an example, if PC 1 reads some part of a file (which then becomes cache data in CacheAll) just before PC 2 writes to the same file, CacheAll's cache data on PC 1 does not reflect the file changes made by PC 2! Notes: It may be necessary to manually set this option when using CD-ROMs over a network. BLOCKSIZE Shortcut: BS Example: BLOCKSIZE=4 This will tell CacheAll to use a 4Kbytes block size for managing its internal cache. Default: Automatically chosen to minimize overall memory usage. Notes: Setting BLOCKSIZE to it's maximum value of 16 WILL NOT necessarily give maximum CacheAll performance! To tweak this option, slowly raise and lower BLOCKSIZE setting until maximum performance is achieved. DISKPATH Shortcut: DP Example: DISKPATH=D:\TEMP This will tell CacheAll that you want the disk cache swap file to be stored in the TEMP directory on the D drive. Default: C:\ is the default path. Details: Place the swap file on a local hard drive and avoid compressed disks (such as a Stacker volume) and network drives since loss of data may result. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 17 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISKSIZE Shortcut: DS Example: DISKSIZE=6000 This will tell CacheAll to use 6000 Kilobytes (Kb) (6 Megabytes) for its swap file. Default: Automatically chosen based on free disk space -- equal to 50% of free disk space up to 4 Megabytes. Choices: Any number from 0 through 64000. Notes: MEMSIZE + DISKSIZE can not exceed 64 Megabytes. DRIVES Shortcut: D Example: DRIVES=FN-PR-T This will tell CacheAll to cache only drives F, N through P (N,O,P) and R through T (R,S,T). Default: All non-removable drives found in your system are cached (as determined at startup of CacheAll). Choices: Any drive letters from A through Z. Details: Even if you use one of the other drive selection options (ALLFILES or SLOW), you must still specify the drive letter using the DRIVES option. You can think of the DRIVES option as the "complete set of drives which CacheAll will cache." Notes: Removable drives, such as floppies, will not be cached by CacheAll unless you specifically tell CacheAll to do so with the DRIVES option. CD-ROMs are not considered to be removable. HELP Shortcut: H or ? Example: HELP Details: This option causes CacheAll to show the help screen listing all available CacheAll options. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 18 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAXFILES Shortcut: MF Example: MAXFILES=200 This tells CacheAll to keep cache information for a maximum of 200 files. Default: This option varies depending on the cache sizes specified in MEMSIZE, DISKSIZE, and BLOCKSIZE. Choices: Number must be equal to or greater than the number of FILES specified on the FILES= line in your CONFIG.SYS (we suggest setting FILES=30 and BUFFERS=10 if no such lines appear in your CONFIG.SYS). This option is allowed a maximum value of 400 files. MEMSIZE Shortcut: MS Example: MEMSIZE=2048 Tells CacheAll to use 2048 Kilobytes (Kb) or 2 Megabytes (Mb) for its memory cache. Default: Automatic memory cache size is 50% of your available Extended, XMS or EMS. CacheAll will search in that order, and will take 50% of whichever memory it finds first. CacheAll may be forced to use a specific memory type using the MEMTYPE option. Choices: Any number from 64 through 64000. Notes: MEMSIZE + DISKSIZE can not exceed 64 Megabytes. MEMTYPE Shortcut: MT Example: MEMTYPE=EXT Tells CacheAll to use extended memory for the memory cache. Default: CacheAll will search for all types of memory. It will search memory types in this order: 1. extended 2. XMS 3. EMS The first memory type found will be used to satisfy the MEMSIZE setting. Choices: The available choices are EXT, XMS and EMS. Details: If you are not using a memory manager, such as QEMM or EMM386, you will be forced to use extended memory since no other memory type is available. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 19 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MPX Shortcut: MPX Example: MPX=C8 This specifies a multiplex id of C8. Default: CacheAll will search for the first available multiplex id starting from C0. Choices: The valid choices are C0 through FF (it is specified as a hexadecimal number). Details: Other applications, such as Microsoft Windows, use the multiplex id extensively and if a multiplex id conflict does occur, this is how you would change it. READAHEAD Shortcut: RA Example: RA=DF-H:5 This specifies a readahead of 5 blocks for drives D:, F:, G:, and H:. Default: CacheAll defaults all drives to a readahead of 0. Choices: The valid readahead range is 0 through 99 blocks. Details: The readahead value tells CacheAll how many additional blocks to read on a single read request which is not found in the cache. This is particularly important for SLOW devices, especially in the BBS environment. Each drive can have a different readahead value. To set multiple drives, you would specify multiple readahead statements on the Cacheall command line, such as the following: C:\CACHEALL\CACHEALL RA=D:5 RA=E-G:10 The above line would set a readahead value of 5 for drive D: and a readahead value of 10 for E:, F:, and G:. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- SLOW Shortcut: S Example: SLOW=ABF-LN-Z This will tell CacheAll to use the swap file and memory to cache drives A, B, F through L and, N through Z. All other drives (specified using the DRIVES parameter) are to be cached using memory only. Default: All local CD-ROMs. Choice: Any drive letters from A through Z. Details: If you use this option, any drive letters you specify here must be specified using the DRIVES parameter. This option tells CacheAll which drives to cache using memory and the swap file (versus using only memory). Normally as CacheAll replaces old data in the memory cache with new data, the old data is passed through to the swap file (thus becoming "new data in the swap file, in other words the swap file is the most recent collection of the memory's old data). Properly setting SLOW helps avoid the pointless situation of caching a hard drive to itself and dedicates your swap file to slower (relative to the drive upon which the swap file is placed) storage devices such as CD-ROMs and network drives. SMALLFILES Shortcut: SF Example: SMALLFILES=Y Default: Y is the default for this option. Choices: The available choices are Y to have CacheAll cache all small files or N to have CacheAll ignore all small files. Details: If use have an application which opens many small files only once (such as Norton Desktop for Windows or Microsoft Windows), you might want to set SMALLFILES=N. CUtil's LIST command can be used to determine if small files are monopolizing the cache and so SMALLFILES should be set to N. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 21 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- UNLOAD (**Not available in the evaluation version**) Shortcut: U Example: UNLOAD Tells CacheAll to remove itself from memory. Details: This option is used to unload CacheAll from memory. If CacheAll was not the last program loaded into memory, it will be disabled but not removed from memory. In either case, CacheAll will stop caching data. VERBOSE Shortcut: V Example: VERBOSE Tells CacheAll to report the value of all options after startup. Default: This option is turned off by default Details: This option causes CacheAll to display all of the option settings when it starts up. @ Shortcut: There is no shortcut for this option since it is only one character. Example: @CACHEALL.OPT This will tell CacheAll to read its options from the file CACHEALL.OPT in the current directory. Details: This option allows you to specify the filename of an option file which will provide the desired options settings for CacheAll instead of their being typed on the command line. In some cases this option will be a convenience, in other cases an option file must be created because the command line will not provide enough space to enter all the necessary options. For full details on creating an option file, see the section titled Creating a CacheAll Option File. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 22 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ; Shortcut: There is no shortcut for this option since it is only one character. Example: ; This is a comment The above represents a comment section of a line in an option file. Default: There is no default for this option. Details: This option allows comments to be placed in your option file. When processing an option file the semicolon and all characters following it on a line are ignored. It is acceptable to place comments on the same line as option settings so long as the comments are placed after (to the right of) the option setting on that line. For full details on creating an option file, see the section titled Creating a CacheAll Option File. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 23 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- CacheAll Option File CacheAll allows the use of an option file to specify the settings of it's options. The option file is a DOS TEXT file which contains a list of option settings for the CacheAll program. The CacheAll option file makes it easy to maintain a list of custom parameters. These files can be created with any text file editor such as DOS's EDLIN or EDIT (for DOS 5.0+ users). The following is a sample option file: ; Sample CacheAll Option file DRIVES=A-Z SLOW=D AF=R ; This option tells CacheAll to cache ALL files on R: MS=4000 ; This option tells CacheAll to use 4000Kb for the ; cache. DS=8000 ; The below option tells CacheAll to display complete startup ; info VERBOSE Key points to notice in the example above: - Comments may be used anywhere as long as a semi-colon is placed before the comment text. - Both full commands and abbreviations can be used - Only one option may be specified per line. If you specify more than one option per line, an error will result. To use an option file, run CacheAll as follows: CACHEALL @C:\CACHEALL\CACHEALL.OPT This command line will load CacheAll with an option file called C:\CACHEALL\CACHEALL.OPT. The @ followed by a filename tells CacheAll to read all the options from that file. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 24 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- CacheAll Error Messages BLOCKSIZE must be between 2-16. Reason: Occurs when you specify a BLOCKSIZE outside the valid range for BLOCKSIZE. Solution: Let CacheAll decide on the optimal BLOCKSIZE or choose a value which is between 2 and 16, inclusive. CacheAll is already installed. Reason: Occurs when you try to load CacheAll after CacheAll has already been loaded. CacheAll will not load itself more than once. Solution: If you want to reconfigure the parameters, use the UNLOAD option to remove CacheAll from memory (the UNLOAD option will release memory if CacheAll was the last memory-resident program loaded, therefore remove other programs before UNLOADing CacheAll) then "reload" (rerun) CacheAll with the desired option settings. Notes: Do not try to unload CacheAll from within Windows, a DOS shell or other operating environment. Doing so may cause your system to "hang". CacheAll is not installed! Reason: Occurs when an error occurs during the startup of CacheAll. Solution: If you see this message, there are probably other error messages shown. Refer to this section for details on the other error messages. Once you fix the other errors this error should disappear. Cache exceeds max allowable pages. Cache truncated. To use a larger cache increase the BLOCKSIZE. Reason: Occurs when MEMSIZE and DISKSIZE are too large for the specified BLOCKSIZE. Solution: Do not specify a BLOCKSIZE, let CacheAll automatically choose a block size for acceptable values of MEMSIZE and DISKSIZE values. Notes: If you want to know complete details, refer to the commerical CacheAll manual. Drive x is not valid Reason: Occurs when swap file is placed on an invalid drive. Solution: Check the DISKPATH option to ensure the pathname specified is valid. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 25 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- EMS driver is not responding. Tables will be in real memory. Reason: Occurs when you ask CacheAll to use EMS memory and it cannot find any EMS memory. Solution: To provide EMS memory, a memory manager such as QEMM or EMM386 must be installed. Notes: Lack of EMS memory will not affect CacheAll's operation but additional conventional memory will be used. When using a memory manager CacheAll will take as little at 22Kb of conventional memory, and can be loaded high. Error (xxx) reading parameter file! Reason: Occurs when CacheAll cannot read the option file specified with the @ option. The xxx will be replaced by the DOS error when CacheAll attempted to open and read the file. The most common errors will be 2 (File not found) or 5 (Access denied). Solution: Check the filename specified for the option file to ensure that it is valid and that CacheAll has exclusive access to it (ie. be sure the file is not being used by another network user). Error allocating cache pages. Solution: Contact C&D Programming's technical support staff. Error allocating file list. Solution: Contact C&D Programming's technical support staff. Error allocating EMS memory. Reason: Occurs when CacheAll is told to use EMS memory but CacheAll cannot find such memory. Solution: Try using another type of memory (by using the MEMTYPE option) or ensure that a memory manager is properly loaded and providing EMS memory. Error finding page frame. Solution: Contact C&D Programming's technical support staff. Incorrect DOS Version! Need DOS 3.30 or above. Reason: Occurs when trying to run CacheAll using a version of DOS before version 3.30. Solution: Upgrade to DOS 3.3 or higher. Invalid option 'xxx' Reason: Occurs when an invalid option is specified on the command line or in the option file. Solution: Check the command line parameters you have entered and try running CacheAll again. When using an option file, be sure all options within the file are valid and all comment lines are prefixed with a semi-colon. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 26 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Must have a MEMSIZE of at least 64. Reason: Occurs when MEMSIZE is specified to be less than 64. Solution: Only use MEMSIZE settings from 64 to 64000 or let CacheAll choose the MEMSIZE automatically. Multiplex Id xxx is already in use. Reason: Occurs when the specified MPX is already in use. Solution: Let CacheAll choose the MPX value automatically. In most cases CacheAll will choose an MPX which is available and does not conflict with other software. Multiplex Id must be between C0-FF. Reason: Occurs when a multiplex id (specified with the MPX option) is outside the valid range of C0 through FF. Solution: Let CacheAll choose its own MPX or respecify the MPX between the C0 through FF range, as a hexadecimal number. No available Multiplex Ids. Solution: Contact C&D Programming's technical support staff. No swap file!! Error (xxx) Reason: Occurs when CacheAll cannot create a swap file. Solution: Be sure the pathname specified in the DISKPATH option is valid and enough disk space is available for the value specified in the DISKSIZE option. Out of Disk Space. Swap file has been disabled. Reason: Occurs when CacheAll determines there is not enough disk space to create a swap file. Solution: You should free some disk space for the swap file or designate a smaller swap file with the DISKSIZE option. Out of Memory!! Error (xxx) Reason: Occurs when CacheAll can not allocate enough memory to satisfy the options specified. Solution: Free up some memory (extended, EMS, or XMS) and try running CacheAll again. If possible add more memory to your computer. If neither of these solutions work, lower the value specified with MEMSIZE. Warning!!! swap file drive is not a local hard disk. This may result in slower response times. Reason: This error message occurs when the DISKPATH option points to a drive which is not local (such as a network drive). Solution: No change is necessary. This is only a warning message. If you want to get the greatest performance from CacheAll, you should put the swap file on the fastest storage device you have available (usually your local hard drive). You may have a maximum of xxx files. Decreasing files. Reason: Occurs when MAXFILES is specified to be greater than 400. Solution: Reduce MAXFILES setting to less than 400. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 27 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- CUtil(TM) Introduction CUtil, which stands for CacheAll Utility, provides an interface to the CacheAll program. CUtil is used to view and control CacheAll's operation. CUtil provides the following: - Display of CacheAll statistics, such as Read Hit Rate, etc. - Resetting CacheAll statistics - Flushing CacheAll's cache - Display current CacheAll parameters - Modification of certain CacheAll parameters - Enabling and disabling the swap file - View which files CacheAll is caching and to what efficiency Just as we have made CacheAll easy to use by giving it the power to automatically examine your system and set it's own parameters, CUtil automatically detects whether it is run under DOS or Windows and provides a different operating mode for each. In the following section, the DOS and Windows modes of CUtil will be discussed. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 28 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- CUtil for DOS The DOS mode of CUtil has several command line parameters which are: FLUSH Flushes specified drives from CacheAll's memory HELP Displays a short help screen of the command line options LIST Displays the list of files which are currently being cached by CacheAll, and the hit rate for each file PARAMS Displays the current parameters for CacheAll RESET Resets the CacheAll's statistics STATS Displays the current CacheAll statistics (this option is assumed when no options are specified) SWAPFILE Allows enabling or disabling of CacheAll's swap file Note that if no parameter is specified on the command line the STATS parameter is assumed. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 29 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- CUtil Options The next section describes all the options that CUtil supports. These command line options are valid only when CUtil is running in DOS mode. In Windows mode CUtil uses menus to implement the available options. Windows mode is documented in the section titled "CUtil for Windows." Unlike CacheAll, CUtil allows only one option on its command line. Some example command lines are: CUTIL FLUSH=D-G CUTIL F=D-G These lines are identical in CUtil. They tell CUtil to flush all cache data for drives D through G, (drives D:, E:, F:, G:). CUTIL PARAMS CUTIL P These lines are identical in CUtil. They tell CUtil to display the current value of CacheAll's options. Note that options which have a value after the equal sign must not include spaces around the equal sign. Note that if no option is specified on CUtil's command line then CUtil will assume the STATS option is desired. The next several pages detail each of CUtil's command line options. Each page consists of the option name in large bold characters followed by a series of sections describing the option. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 30 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- FLUSH Shortcut: F Example: F=CE-G This command will flush cache data originating from drives C:, E:, F:, and G:. Choices: Any drive letter from A through Z. To specify all drives a wildcard of * is also allowed. Details: To flush all cache data specify the command line as: F or FLUSH HELP Shortcut: H or ? Example: HELP This command will display a short help screen which lists all the commands CUtil supports. LIST Shortcut: L Example: LIST Details: This command will display the list of files which are currently being cached by CacheAll along with the following information for each file, 1) number of bytes read while file was in the cache 2) hit rate, percentage of requested bytes read from cache. 3) size in bytes 4) filename (including complete path) PARAMS Shortcut: P Example: PARAMS This command will display the current value of CacheAll options. Details: All CacheAll command line options will be displayed. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 31 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- RESET Shortcut: R Example: RESET This command will reset the CacheAll's statistics. Details: The statistics which are reset are Read Requests, Read Hits, and Read Hit Rate. STATS Shortcut: S Example: STATS This command will show the current statistics for CacheAll. Details: If you run CUtil for DOS without specifying any command line options, the STATS option is assumed. SWAPFILE Shortcut: S Example: SWAPFILE=E This command will enable the swap file. Choices: The available choices are E for enabling swap file and D for disabling swap file. Details: This option allows you to enable and disable the use of the swap file "on the fly". Occasionally you might run into an application which is time-critical, such as full motion video. If time is taken to write data to the swap file, your time-critical application might not work as desired. In this case, you can leave CacheAll running, but disable all the swap file activity. Another way to eliminate possible undesirable effects is to be sure to place the swap file on your fastest drive. Notes: If a DISKSIZE of zero was specified on the CacheAll command line, this option cannot be used. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 32 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- CUtil for Windows CUtil for Windows takes advantage of Microsoft Windows by providing graphical option settings and a "real-time" statistics display. With CUtil you can see CacheAll in action while you read and write to your cached drives! To add CUtil's icon to Windows, follow the steps below. These instruction assume the default directory settings were chosen during the installation procedure, if you didn't make this selection then you must specify the directory in which CacheAll is installed: - If you are in the Windows environment: 1) Activate the Program Manager window 2) Select the File menu. 3) Select the Run option. 4) Type: C:\CACHEALL\MAKEGRP 5) Click on the OK button. 6) Once MAKEGRP starts, just follow the on-screen prompts. - If you are not running Windows: 1) Execute the following command from the DOS prompt while in your windows directory: WIN C:\CACHEALL\MAKEGRP 2) Press ENTER 3) Once MAKEGRP starts, just follow the on-screen prompts. Executing CUtil for Windows When CUtil is executed under Windows the current CacheAll statistics will be displayed. Each field of this display gives important information about the current state of CacheAll. These fields are summarized below: - Memory Total The total cache memory CacheAll has allocated. This number is specified by the MEMSIZE option on the CacheAll command line. If you do not specify the option, CacheAll will automatically choose a value. - Memory Avail The amount of memory left for use by CacheAll. This number will always be less than or equal to Memory Total. The amount of memory in use would be Memory Total minus Memory Avail. - Disk Total The size of the swap file on your disk. This number is specified by the DISKSIZE option on the CacheAll command line. If you do not specify DISKSIZE, CacheAll will automatically choose a value. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 33 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Disk Avail The amount of swap file space left for use by CacheAll. This number will always be less than or equal to Disk Total. The amount of swap file space in use would be Disk Total minus Disk Avail. - File Total The maximum number of files CacheAll can manage at one time. This number is specified by the MAXFILES option on the CacheAll command line. If you do not specify the option, CacheAll will automatically choose a value. - File Avail The number of file slots available for use by CacheAll. If this number goes to zero (or close to zero) you may want to specify a larger value for the MAXFILES option to increase performance. - Read Requests Number of bytes which were read through CacheAll. This includes reads from all drives specified in the CacheAll DRIVES command line option. If you do not specify the DRIVES option, CacheAll will intelligently select which drives to cache. - Read Hits When some data is requested which is already stored in the cache memory, it is called a hit. The Read Hits value represents the number of bytes which were read from the data cached by CacheAll. The closer this value is to the Read Requests value, the more CacheAll is increasing your performance. - Read Hit Rate The percentage of read hits. This is simply the Read Hits divided by the Read Requests. The closer this value is to 100%, the more CacheAll is increasing your performance. CUtil for Windows File Menu - Exit Exit is included for compatibility with all other Windows applications (and for those of you that are used to pressing Alt-F then X to exit a Windows program). Selecting Exit will cause the CUtil session to be closed, you may also use Alt-X to exit CUtil for Windows. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 34 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- CUtil for Windows Options Menu The Options menu contains most of the "good stuff" which CUtil can do. Each option is discussed in detail on the following pages. - Select Drives to Flush... This option will show a dialog box with a check box for each drive. You can select the drives you want to flush by clicking next to or on top of the desired drive letter. When you are through selecting drives, click on the "OK" button. If you decide not to flush any drives, press the "Cancel" button. If you want to clear all your drive selections, you can use the "Clear All" button. If you want to select all the drives, you can use the Select All button. If you want to flush all the drives, you should use the "Flush All Drives" option, since it is easier to select. - Flush All Drives Choosing Flush All Drives results in a conformation box. This option will flush all cache data from the cache but before doing so you will be asked if you really want to flush all data. If you click on the Yes button, all cache data will be flushed. If you click on the No button, you will return to CUtil with all cached data still in CacheAll. - Reset Statistics This option will reset the statistics which CUtil displays. This is useful if you want to see how much CacheAll improves the execution of a specific application. The information which is reset is the Read Requests, Read Hits, and Read Hit Rate. - Swap File Active The Swap File option will be in either of two states, active (on) or inactive (off). This option will either activate or deactivate the use of the swap file by CacheAll. If a small checkmark appears next to the menu option, that means the swap file is active, and when CacheAll decides data needs to be pushed from cache memory into the swap file, it will do so. If there is no checkmark next to the menu option, CacheAll will behave as if no swap file was defined. Why would you want to disable the swap file? If a swap file is being used by CacheAll, the drives specified by the SLOW option will be cached to the swap file. If you are also running a time sensitive application from one of these "slow" drives then the added delay of CacheAll writes to the swap file may be undesirable. Disabling the swap file will stop the added delay of the writes to the swap file. You may also wish to consider placing the swap file on a faster drive to reduce the delay instead of disabling the swap file. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 35 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Change Parameters This option allows you to change some of CacheAll's current settings. When you select this option, you will see a dialog box outlining each CacheAll option yolu can change and its current value. Just select the option to want to modify and follow the prompts. - Show Parameters This option allows you to see, but not change, CacheAll's current settings. When you select this option, you will see a dialog box outlining each CacheAll option and its current value (Notice that each option displayed in this dialog box refers to an option used on the CacheAll command line). For the items which appear in the "Drive Selection" group box, you will notice buttons which say "Click here to view". When you click on one of these buttons a dialog box is displayed along with the currently selected drives for that option. - Show File List This command will display the list of files which are currently being cached by CacheAll along with the following information for each file, 1) number of bytes read while file was in the cache 2) hit rate, percentage of requested bytes read from cache. 3) size in bytes 4) filename (including complete path) - Refresh Rate This option allows you to change the update rate of CUtil's statistics display. The default rate is once every 5 seconds, and you may choose a value from 1 to 60 seconds. CUtil for Windows Help Menu - About This box shows version and copyright information. - Product Support Choosing Product Support will show you information on how to get product support, including C&D Programming Corp.'s telephone number. This dialog box will also show your serial number and the name you entered during the installation process. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 36 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Technical Specifications Benchmarks Tests 1 & 2 are network drive benchmarks using the industry standard PC Magazine LAN Labs Benchmark Version 3.03 with a one megabyte file size test (All numbers are megabits per second), 2 Meg RAM cache and 0 Meg swap file. Although not included, similar performance increases from local hard drives have been measured. Test 3 shows CD-ROM benchmark results using Aris Entertainment's MPC Wizard CD-ROM test. (All numbers are kilobytes per second). 1) The setup for test 1 was a 386/40Mhz PC workstation connected with an Artisoft AE-2 Ethernet adapter to a 486/33Mhz LANtastic Server. This test shows CacheAll to improve the workstation's network drive access speed by 411%. 2) The setup for test 2 was a 386/25Mhz PC workstation connected with a Xircom PE10B2-32K parallel port adapter to a 486/33Mhz LANtastic Server. This test shows CacheAll to improve the workstation's network drive access speed by 1759%. 3) The setup for test 3 was a 386/25Mhz PC with a local Mitsumi CD-ROM drive (600 millisecond seek time and 150Kbytes/sec sustained throughput). This test shows CacheAll to improve the PC's local CD-ROM access speed by 2607%. Cache Size A maximum cache size of 64 Megabytes can be implemented. The 64 Megabytes may be implemented totally in RAM, almost totally in a swap file (minimum MEMSIZE setting is 64 Kilobytes) or, may be partitioned between RAM and a swap file. Operating Systems MS-DOS 3.3+ and DR DOS 5.x+ are supported. Operating Environments DOS, Windows 3.0 and 3.1 and DESQview are supported. Microprocessor Compatibility 80286, 80386, 80486 and all 100% compatibles are supported. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 37 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Program Size The program size for CacheAll varies depending on the parameters used at startup. In general, when CacheAll is loaded using a memory manager (such as Quarterdeck's QEMM or DOS 5.0+'s EMM386) which provides EMS memory, CacheAll will use 22Kb of conventional and 96Kb of EMS when you have EMS enabled. If no EMS is enabled 22Kb of conventional and 30Kb-80Kb of UMB memory. Loading in the presence of a memory manager is the recommended configuration. If you do not have a memory manager, CacheAll will use from 59Kb to 159Kb of conventional memory depending on the configuration. To eliminate conventional memory usage, CacheAll can be loaded high, using a memory manager. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 38 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Caching only specific drive directories Through the use of DOS's substitute command ("SUBST.EXE") CacheAll may be configured to cache only part of a drive. Use CUtil's LIST command to determine which drive directories will benefit most by caching. Next, use DOS to substitute an unused drive letter for the directory to be cached. By caching the substituted drive and not the original drive, you focus the caching resources on files which will show the most benefit when cached. Be sure to properly set the LASTDRIVE option inside CONFIG.SYS to create "free" drive letters. Example: You wish to cache your entire D: drive but only the "MYSTUFF" directory of your C: drive. One method would be: 1) Include the line, LASTDRIVE=E in your CONFIG.SYS 2) Include the line, SUBST E: C:\MYSTUFF before the call to CacheAll in your AUTOEXEC.BAT 3) Use the following line in your CacheAll OPT file, DRIVES=DE 4) Use the MYSTUFF directory from the E: you have just created Since CacheAll will "not cache" the C: drive but will cache the E: drive you effective will cache only the MYSTUFF directory of the C: drive by accessing the MYSTUFF directory via the E: drive. In other words, do not bother accessing the C:\MYSTUFF directory because it will not be cached, access the E: drive instead because the E: drive will be cached. Some application cannot be broken up into multiple directories or across multiple drives. Therefore it may be necessary to cache their entire directory and not just an isolated few files within the directory. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 39 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Using CacheAll to Speed up Networks Installed on all network workstations and non-dedicated servers, CacheAll can dramatically reduce network traffic and server loading. CacheAll accomplishes this by locally caching as much as 64 Megabytes of data (Using RAM and a SWAP FILE) at the workstation -- after the first read, workstations obtain data from CacheAll's local copy instead of having to use the network. In the following example, workstations will accumulate local copies of server data, and therefore will no longer need to go through the network to the server to acquire frequently used data. This situation is shown in the diagrams below: Workstation's first access of specific server data: ⁄ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒø ⁄ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒø ≥ WORKSTATION (WS) ≥ ≥NETWORK SERVER≥ √ƒƒƒƒø ⁄ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒø ⁄ƒƒƒ¥ Network √ƒƒƒø ⁄ƒƒƒƒƒƒ¥ ≥ WS ≥<->≥CacheAll≥<->≥NOS≥<---------->≥NOS≥<->≥Hard ≥ ≥Apps≥ ≥ cache ≥ ≥ ≥ connection ≥ ≥ ≥Drive ≥ ¿ƒƒƒƒ¡ƒƒƒ¡ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒ¡ƒƒƒ¡ƒƒƒŸ ¿ƒƒƒ¡ƒƒƒ¡ƒƒƒƒƒƒŸ Notice that to initially acquire the needed data the following data path must be taken: 1. CacheAll monitors workstation application request 2. Workstation Network Operating System (NOS) sends request to network server. 3. Network connection carries request to server. 4. Server NOS receives request. 5. Server hard drive reads data. 6. Server NOS sends requested data to workstation. The requested data then traverses this path (noted by arrows) in the opposite direction. During the Workstation's second access to above data the following will occur: ⁄ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒø ⁄ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒø ≥ WORKSTATION ≥ ≥NETWORK SERVER≥ √ƒƒƒƒø ⁄ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒø ⁄ƒƒƒ¥ √ƒƒƒø ⁄ƒƒƒƒƒƒ¥ ≥ WS ≥<->≥CacheAll≥ ≥NOS≥ ≥NOS≥ ≥Hard ≥ ≥Apps≥ ≥ cache ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≥Drive ≥ ¿ƒƒƒƒ¡ƒƒƒ¡ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒ¡ƒƒƒ¡ƒƒƒŸ ¿ƒƒƒ¡ƒƒƒ¡ƒƒƒƒƒƒŸ Notice that the second time the workstation requests the server data, a much faster data path results: 1. CacheAll interprets data request from application. 2. CacheAll immediately returns the requested data. Thus CacheAll allows applications to run without going through the network and it's operating system, which can result in faster workstation operation, reduced network traffic and reduced server loading! NOTE TO NETWORK DATA BASE USERS -- To prevent potential loss of your data, CacheAll will not cache shared data files which are simultaneously updated by multiple users across a network UNLESS you are able to set these files to read only status. CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 40 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- CUtil's LIST command allows viewing the cache activity of each workstation. Using this command allows you to see CacheAll cache local and network drives and also see which files are being cached! CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 41 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Swap Files for CacheAll What is a swap file? A swap file is an area of your hard drive which you set aside for use as additional "memory". Applications, such as CacheAll and Microsoft Windows, use a swap file to create the illusion that your PC has more memory than it really does. CacheAll is the first disk caching program that allows you to take advantage of a swap file to caching your storage devices. Using your hard drive as additional memory is inexpensive and can be quite beneficial, especially when using CacheAll to cache devices which are slower than your hard drive. For example, 1) Dedicating your RAM to cache your fast devices, such as your hard drives, and dedicating a swap file to slow devices, such as CD-ROMs, allows you to provide a balanced performance increase across all of your devices. In this example, your hard drives would be made to appear almost as fast as RAM drives and your CD-ROMs appear to be almost as fast as hard drives. Note that you are always free to dedicate RAM to fast and slow devices, you must examine each CacheAll application on a case-by-case basis to determine the optimal caching method. Remember, when RAM is used for both fast and slow devices (i.e. Hard Drives & CD-ROMs) the slower devices can potentially monopolize the RAM cache at the expense of "fast" device performance gains. 2) By installing CacheAll on each workstation of a network and creating very large caches through the use of RAM and SWAP FILE, a network manager can substantially reduce network traffic and server loading. This occurs because CacheAll will keep local copies of frequently used server data at each workstation. Therefore workstations do not need to go through the network to obtain data. How does CacheAll use the swap file? To understand how CacheAll uses the swap file let's review basic cache operation. Caches maintain a copy of the most recently accessed data, and provide its copied data to applications much faster than the media on which the data was originally stored. When the cache program determines that new data should be added to the cache, data may have to be removed in order to make room for this new data. To achieve absolute maximum performance, we would prefer no data to be removed from the cache, but this is impossible since all computers have finite resources and so eventually run out of room. CacheAll addresses this issue by putting data removed from the cache RAM into a cache swap file (please refer to CacheAll's SLOW option in section entitled CacheAll Options). Classical cache programs are only capable of using your computer's expensive RAM, and compete with other programs for this valuable resource. This is another example of CacheAll's advantages over other cache CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 42 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- programs. CacheAll can use a swap file to effectively extend the amount of memory your computer contains. This also allows CacheAll to cache data other cache programs would have to throw away. This particular aspect of CacheAll is most useful for slow devices (slow relative to the speed of drive on which the swap file is placed), such as CD-ROMs, slow network adapters, and when CacheAll is used to reduce network I/O by implementing large local data caches. Defining a swap file for CacheAll When CacheAll is started, it examines your C: drive for its available disk space. Unless you specify otherwise, CacheAll will automatically use 50% of your available disk space (up to 4 Meg) for the swap file. You may use the DISKPATH option (See CacheAll's option section) to place the swap file anywhere on any of your writable drives. The default location is the root directory of your C: drive. Note: to prevent potential loss of data, you should avoid placing the swap file on a compressed drive. You may use the DISKSIZE option to override the automatic setting and specify the desired size of the swap file. Note: to disable the swap file, simply specify a DISKSIZE of zero. Place the swap file on the fastest device you have connected to your system to achieve maximum cache speed. Note that it is wasteful to place the swap file on a RAM drive! It will work, but you will get better performance from CacheAll if you dedicate the memory used for the RAM drive to CacheAll directly as cache RAM. Use DRIVES and SLOW to cache specific drives to the SWAP FILE. EXAMPLE: You wish to place the SWAP FILE in the TEMP directory of the E: drive, and you wish to use the SWAP FILE to cache networked CD-ROMs H: & J:, network drives K: & V:, and no other drives are to be cached using the SWAP FILE. Option file or command line option settings: DISKPATH=E:\TEMP DRIVES=C-Z SLOW=HJKV CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 43 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Removing the swap file from your hard drive ABSOLUTELY DO NOT REMOVE THE SWAP FILE WHILE CACHEALL IS RUNNING! When CacheAll creates the swap file, it sets the "hidden" attribute of the file to keep it from being inadvertently deleted. You can remove the file by using the DOS ATTRIB command BUT DON'T DO IT WHEN CacheAll IS RUNNING! If you use the default CacheAll settings for the swap file, you can execute the following commands to delete the swap file: ATTRIB -H C:\CACHEALL.SWP ATTRIB -S C:\CACHEALL.SWP DEL C:\CACHEALL.SWP If you chose a different swap file path with the DISKPATH option, you will have to substitute that path for C:\ (as used in the example). CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 44 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maximizing CacheAll's Performance To achieve maximum CacheAll performance there are several things to consider when "tweaking" CacheAll's options. Some guidelines are listed below: - Use DOS's FASTOPEN program to help minimize the time it takes to open a file. Refer to your DOS manual for instructions to setup up FASTOPEN. NOTE: This does not apply to CD-ROM's or networks. - Make sure that BUFFERS is set to a minimum of 30 in CONFIG.SYS - Install a memory manager. - Specify TABLES=REAL on CacheAll's command line or in your .OPT file. This will also cause CacheAll to use more memory when installed. - Use the swap file to cache slow devices like CD-ROMs, and when doing so use the DISKSIZE option to specify the largest swap file size possible. Doing this increases speed because more of the slow device's data will be read from the faster swap file drive. - BE SURE CACHEALL IS NOT RUNNING WHEN PERFORMING THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURE! To maximize access speed to the swap file run a drive defragmentation program so that CacheAll's swap file will be contiguous. - Use the SMALLFILES=N option. If you are working with many small files (files which are smaller than the BLOCKSIZE used by CacheAll), this option can increase your performance by telling CacheAll not to cache small files. An example of when this would is useful is when running Norton Desktop for Windows. - If you are caching very large files, greater than 128Mb, be sure your BLOCKSIZE is large enough. (Full details in commercial manual). - Use CUtil's LIST function to determine when and which files are being used by your applications (use CUtil's FLUSH=* to flush the cache and erase the file list). In this way the LIST command can help you to determine which files are most frequently used and so are most beneficial to cache. By grouping these frequently accessed files together in a directory and only caching that directory you may be able to substantially increase your system performance by focusing cache resources on that directory. See manual regarding caching specific areas of a drive to see how to cache specific directories.To achieve maximum CacheAll performance there are several things to consider when "tweaking" CacheAll's options. Some guidelines are listed below: CacheAll Evaluation Manual Page 45 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- What CacheAll will