BACKUP & RESTORE ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ These are two programs to help you transfer files across a Serial Link to a Series 3a. They are not complicated, but explaining exactly when you'll find them useful might be. And I'm no good at writing manuals. Still, here goes: BACKUP ÿÿÿÿÿÿ If you're the proud owner of a IBM PC or compatible, Macintosh or Archimedes, and a Psion Serial Link, you will be able to use the supplied software to treat your PC's (or whatever) drive(s) as Psion drives. Transferring files is then as simple as using the Series 3a's `copy' function. Easy. But what if, like me, you have another type of computer? In my case it's an Atari STE, but it could be an Amiga, or any other that has a serial (modem) port. You have to use the Series 3a `Comms' application to send files one at a time using one of the standard protocols: Xmodem, Ymodem or any variations thereof. You also need a program at the other end, to respond to the protocol. Tedious work, especially if you're doing a backup and need to transfer umpteen files. I have extra RAM in my Series 3a, and sending 3 megabytes file-by-file is no fun at all! So: here's a program to make the Psion end of the operation easier. BACKUP will scan through the drives you specify, listing all the files it finds, and create a `script' file. This can then be translated, and executed by the `Comms' application, to send all the files, one after another, automatically. If you have a file transfer program at the other end that will receive files one after another, you can go away for a well-earned cup of tea or coffee, while your computers chug away merrily! FEATURES ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ You can specify which of your Series 3a drive(s) (M, A and/or B) are to be backed up. You can specify the name of the script file to be created (the default is \SCR\BACKUP.SCR). You can set the serial port parameters: baud rate, parity, byte length, flow control, and file transfer protocol. You can also write out a list file for use with the RESTORE program (see below). To make backups easier, BACKUP can list only those files which have altered since the last backup. It makes use of the MS-DOS `archive' file attribute. This is set whenever a file is created or written to, but otherwise ignored. There are two options in BACKUP to control this: `only changed' will list only those files with the archive bit set, and `reset changed' resets the archive bit on those files, so they won't be listed next time. (Take care when using the second option, as if you make a mistake, you can't re-run BACKUP to get the same list of files.) USING BACKUP ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ The on-screen buttons are toggled by pressing their initial letter: they are activated when the `light' next to each turns black, and the button appears depressed. The other options are accessed by menu. Once you have set up the options you require, press ENTER or Psion-G to start scanning and creating the script, or ESCAPE or Psion-X to quit. To transfer the files, translate the script file in the `Script' application, and execute the result in the `Comms' application (both of which come with the serial link). RESTORE ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ BACKUP is for backing up files from your Series 3a to another computer. What about restoring files? Transferring them in the other direction is not so easy. I haven't yet found an Atari program which will send many files in one go, and so I have to send them one by one, by hand. But what happens at the Psion end? If you're using the Ymodem protocol, the filename is sent along with the file, so the Series 3a knows what to call the files it's receiving. But it doesn't know where to put them. So ... (blare of trumpets) ... here's RESTORE. Using the file list created (optionally) by BACKUP, it recreates all the directories and subdirectories, and moves all the files to their rightful places. In the dialog box, specify the drive where all the files to be restored are (they should all be in the root or top-level directory), and the name of the list file created by BACKUP, and press ENTER to restore, or ESCAPE to quit. MORE INFORMATION ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ BACKUP and RESTORE were written by me for my own use - I was so fed up with transferring files by hand. I hope they're of use to at least someone out there! If you have any comments, you'd like alterations made, or have any complaints, or even tokens of appreciation (well, I can hope, can't I?), please contact me: Andrew Giddings 71 Tyrone Road Thorpe Bay Essex SS1 3HD ENGLAND 081 - 534 5544 x2185 (daytime) 0702 - 585228 (evening and weekend) Although I'm happy with how these programs work, I'm afraid I can take no responsibility for any problems you may have. If your Psion forgets everything you've ever told it, or starts thinking it's a cabbage, please don't complain to me! This program is freeware: please distribute it freely to your friends, BBSs etc. The only restrictions are that this text file and the two programs are kept together, and that no alterations are made. Psion, Series 3a, IBM, Atari, Archimedes and Macintosh are probably registered trademarks. Finally, thanks to Steve Litchfield for 3-Lib! (c) 1994 UK Andrew Giddings.