BBS in a Box 4/BBS in a Box - Macintosh - Volume IV (January 1992) (BBS in a Box).iso/Files/Word/Q-R/Read Me First DF Utils 7.0

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SuperMac Technical Notes                                          August 1,1988
Utility Disk 7.0


Congratulations on your purchase of a SuperMac DataFrame™ -
the performance leader in Macintosh mass storage.  Your new
DataFrame comes "bundled" with four best-selling application
programs, all regarded as tops in their respective catagories:

•    DiskFit™ (1.41df) creates a back-up copy of the data stored
on your DataFrame on diskettes, Bernoulli cartridges, another
DataFrame or a DataStream tape drive.

•    Sentinel™ (2.0df) protects the confidentiality of your data by
encrypting it with a password you supply.  Sentinel has a modular
construction allowing the use of different encryption schemes
including the government standard DES.  Use Sentinel to keep
sensitive information from prying eyes.

•    SuperLaserSpool™ (2.0df) prints to any Apple printer while
you continue to do work with your Macintosh.  SLS "spools" printer
output to a file on the DataFrame, and then controls the printing
automatically while you complete other tasks.

•    SuperSpool™ (5.0df) does the same as SuperLaserSpool, but it
is designed specifically for a direct-connect ImageWriter.  No more
waiting for printing to finish.


These DataFrame Utilities are all locked to your DataFrame.
That means you can only use them when your DataFrame is attached
to your Mac (and turned on).  Full, unlocked versions of these
applications are available as stand-alone packages from your dealer.
The locked DataFrame versions function identically to the commercial
packages worth $600.  The DataFrame Utilities are already installed
on your new DataFrame.  The DataFrame Utility Software diskette is
provided as a back-up copy.

For those of you who would like to backup your AppleShare™
fileservers or TOPS™ networks, SuperMac Software offers a
commercially available product called Network DiskFit.  It is
designed specifically for making backup files in a network
environment.  For more information contact your SuperMac dealer.

The DataFrame Utilities User's Manual describes how to use each
of the applications.  Please refer to it if you have any questions.
If your answer  can't be found in the DataFrame Utilities User's
Manual, call SuperMac Technical Support at 415/964-9660.


The Manager (3.26) program is the general purpose utility to
control your DataFrame.  Use Manager to set the SCSI ID, Test
the proper functioning of your drive, Reinitialize (erase and reformat)
or to Update (reinstall) the driver software if that becomes
necessary.  In the past, DataFrames used seperate programs
(Initializer, Change ID and SuperParker) to perform these
functions.  The Manager integrates everything into one program.

If you have a DataFrame that was formatted with the older
Initializer program, we suggest that you run Manager and select
the option to Update drivers only, particularly if you wish to use
a Macintosh SE or Macintosh II.  You DO NOT need to INITIALIZE
your drive as this will totally erase your data.


USING THE MANAGER

Changing the SCSI ID of your drive:

Boot your computer from your DataFrame System disk and run
the Manager from the System disk. Select the drive whose ID
you wish to change by clicking on it.  Click on the Set ID button.
A window will appear showing the drive you have selected and
the possible SCSI ID's that it can be changed to. Simply drag the
icon for the drive to the new SCSI ID and click OK.

Note: you must run the Manager from the System Disk or from
another drive in order to change the SCSI ID.


Parking the drive heads for DataFrame 30 and DataFrame XP30:

The hard disk heads should be parked anytime you are planning on
moving your DataFrame to a new location. This helps ensure that
your hard disk is not damaged by shock in transit. Parking the heads
means that the read/write heads of the hard disk are moved to an
unused area of the disk and locked in place.

Parking the heads can be accomplished by simply holding down
the Option key while selecting Shut Down from the Special menu
(System 4.0 or and Manager 3.0 or later).  This also works on the
older 20- and 40-megabyte DataFrames.  Please note that the
DataFrame XP60 and larger models park themselves automatically
upon power down; it is not necessary to manually park these drives.


Testing your Drive:

There are several tests that the Manager is able to run on your
DataFrame to determine if it is operating correctly. To test your
DataFrame, select the drive to test by clicking on it and then
clicking the Test button. Using Test will not damage any data
on your drive.

The tests are divided into three areas: Testing of the controller,
testing of the drive mechanism, and testing of the drive media.
After the tests are run a results screen is displayed showing any
problems detected. If your drive has been dropped or received any
other type of shock damage, this last test is very important and
should be run to ensure the integrity of your data. If you are
experiencing frequent system errors, or inconsistent booting, it is
also recommended to run the test program on your DataFrame. The
tests may be canceled during execution by simply clicking on the
Cancel button (wait a few seconds). If you desire to run a specific
test only, choose Configure Test from the File menu, and you can turn
off any of the three tests.

If the Manager indicates that there are problems with your DataFrame
you should contact your local SuperMac dealer or SuperMac Technical
Support at [phone].  Please attempt to contact your local
dealer first, as most SuperMac Dealers are also repair centers for
our products and should be able to quickly take care of any problems
that may arise.


SUPERMAC UTILITIES STACK

SuperMac now provides a HyperCard™ stack that gives basic
information about your new hard disk and the DataFrame Utility
software, along with some answers to the most frequently asked
questions.  Note that you will need the HyperCard program in order
to view this information.  If you do not have HyperCard, contact any
authorized Apple dealer.


WHAT TO EXPECT FROM AN XP DRIVE:

For those of you who have purchased or will buy an XP drive, this
section will give a brief description of the benefits of XP technology.
An XP drive will always improve the level of system performance over
competitive drives which employ a 2:1 or 3:1 interleave pattern.  This
means that consecutive data sectors are actually every second or third
sector physically on the disk.  Thus with XP technology data comes off
the drive at much higher effective speeds than is possible using other
Mac SCSI drives.  A few words on what to expect are appropriate.

First and most important is that the Mac is CPU (Central Processor
Unit) bound.  What this means is that doubling the data transfer rate
to the Mac won't double the speed of the machine.  The reason is that
in a typical application, data transfer accounts for a small fraction of
the time required to open or close an application or document.

To see the maximum improvements in speed, look at programs such
as Microsoft's Excel or Works, which have fast data transfer rates and
low processor overhead (when compared to an application like
MacWrite).  Also, look at operations which require a large amount of
disk time, such as running DiskExpress™ or PowerUp™, or copying
your DataFrame onto a backup drive or tape drive.

To get an idea of just how much time your Mac spends in CPU
operations during a process like opening an application, simply note
how much of the time the red LED (Light Emitting Diode) on the front
of the DataFrame is illuminated.  The times when there is no activity
on the LED indicate that the Mac is "thinking," and no disk operations
are occurring.  The times when the red LED is illuminated mean that
there is data being transferred between the machines.