Manual V.6a-1a.27May91 (c) DMW '91
SYSTEMS server VERSION 6a
(c) Duncan Webster 1991
USERS MANUAL
***** IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT NOTICE *****
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This program (SYSTEMS server VERSION 6a) is available subject to the
condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise be lent,
sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the author's prior
consent. Action may be taken against any person deemed to be in
infringement of this notice. The distribution of this program through
any unauthourised media is strictly prohibited.
Working copies of this program can only be made for the SOLE use of
the purchaser. Please be warned that the serial numbering system
employed within SYSTEMS server means that any unauthourised copy of
the program can be traced back to it's source. Please do not let your
copy of SYSTEMS server be misused. Remember that software piracy only
stunts the development of further software.
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SECTION 1
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Introduction
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Welcome to the SYSTEMS server. I hope that, as you work through this
manual and become familiar with the SYSTEMS environment, you find it
as useful and informative as other people before you. Should you have
any questions when using the program, then please feel free to write
in, using the users feedback/problems sheets provided. I hope that in
the meantime, this program serves you well.
The SYSTEMS server has been designed to finally organise your discs in
a way that no other "menu" program has done before. It is not "just
another menu program", but a fully comprehensive program database
which holds information on every program you own - all on one disc.
The "menu" element which loads and runs your programs is but a small
operation of SYSTEMS server as a whole. The best way to describe
SYSTEMS server is to refer to it as a database which is tailor made
for storing information on computer programs.
If you are one of the rare "organised" computer users, you may have a
small menu program on each one of your discs which presents itself
when you boot up the disc. This is ok, but it does not help you find
a program you might be looking for, and it is very wasteful on disc
space with having to have the same (or similar) menu program on every
disc you own. Would it not be better to set aside one single disc for
one "super menu" which would hold information on ALL your programs
thus eliminating the need for a menu program on each disc, and
providing invaluable backup when searching for a program, when
cataloguing a single disc, when printing a list of your sofware etc?
You can even retain your existing menu programs if you wish, as
SYSTEMS server can even load and run these for you. For example, once
you have located the program of your choice using SYSTEMS server's
searching facilities, you can configure it to *EXEC the !boot file on
your chosen disc, thus loading up the menu program already resident on
such a disc. This is not strictly necessary at all, as the SYSTEMS
server is designed to load and run any disc based program DIRECTLY,
but some people may wish to retain their existing menu system, and
just use SYSTEMS server to co-ordinate them all.
This is just a small measure of the flexibility incorporated within
SYSTEMS server. Whilst it is beyond doubt a very large and
comprehensive database, it is also very easy to get used to, and
requires NO big changes to any menu or referencing system you may
already use. Once you have got the hang of SYSTEMS server, you might
well wonder how you ever managed your discs without it.
The rest of this manual explains in detail, giving examples wherever
necessary of how to get the best from SYSTEMS server. Please take the
time to read this manual thoroughly in order to get the best from the
program. It is IMPORTANT that you back up your SYSTEMS master disc
regulary in order to minimise any loss of data caused through disc
errors etc.
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Index to Inside Pages
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SECTION 1 ... Introduction & Index ........................... i-iv
(Machine Specifications)
SECTION 2 ... The Master/Slave Principle ..................... 2.1
Preparing a Master Disc ........................ 2.2
Preparing your Slave Discs ..................... 2.3
Program Databases .............................. 2.4
Running SYSTEMS server ......................... 2.5
Creating New Databases ......................... 2.6
SECTION 3 ... "Signing-on" your database ..................... 3.1
SYSTEMS server Main Menu ....................... 3.2
Selecting and Entering Commands ................ 3.3
Information Required for Each Record ........... 3.4
Adding Records to the Database ................. 3.5
BROWSING Facilities ............................ 3.6
PRINTER ............................. 3.6.1
SCREEN .............................. 3.6.2
RECORD .............................. 3.6.3
FINISH .............................. 3.6.4
REVISING Facilities ............................ 3.7
UPDATING ............................ 3.7.1
DELETE .............................. 3.7.2
DRPATH .............................. 3.7.3
NOTES ............................... 3.7.4
DONE ................................ 3.7.5
SEARCHING Facilities ........................... 3.8
Other Searching Facilities ..................... 3.9
DELETING Facilities ............................ 3.10
Marking Records for Deletion ........ 3.10.1
Removing Single Records ............. 3.10.2
Removing a Range of Records ......... 3.10.3
Removing Selected Records ........... 3.10.4
Removing Entire Database ............ 3.10.5
General points on "marked" Records .. 3.10.6
Compacting your Signed-on Database ............. 3.11
Installing a New Database ...................... 3.12
Extending your Database ........................ 3.13
Finishing SYSTEMS server ....................... 3.14
SECTION 4 ... Loading and Running Software from SYSTEMS ...... 4.1
Using the Loading Gateway ...................... 4.2
Loading Programs on DFS and ADFS ............... 4.3
What if a Program Fails to Load? ............... 4.4
Points to Remember ............................. 4.5
SECTION 5 ... Problems Encountered? .......................... 5.1
Converting old SYSTEMS version 4 + 5a files .... 5.2
Users HELP SHEET ............................... 5.3
Users FAULT SHEET .............................. 5.4
Users REVIEW SHEET ............................. 5.5
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Machine Specifications
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You should have one disc containing the SYSTEMS source files which
consist of the following (all in the $ (root) directory)...
SERVER1
SERVER2
SERVER3
SERVER9
!boot
There are further filenames present in other sub-directories. These
extra filenames contain the text for this manual on various Word
Processor Formats and ASCII Text files. Full details of how to
prepare your SYSTEMS disc for use are given later in the manual.
*** IMPORTANT ***
You should make sure that the value of PAGE does NOT fall below &1900
when running the SYSTEMS program. There is normally no need to
perform any special operations prior to booting the program as the
value of PAGE will automatically reset when autobooting the program.
However in the event of MANUALLY CHAINing the program, you should
ALWAYS remember that PAGE must be &1900 or higher to ensure correct
operation of the program.
SYSTEMS server should work without conversion on all of the following
machines ....
a. BBC Model B (32k minimum) issue 3 or higher
b. Any ADFS or DFS (8271 or 1770) system
c. BBC Master Series (any level apart from ET)
d. BBC 6502 Second Processor (tube) interface
e. Acorn A3000 under !65Host or 65Tube Emulators (not tested)
SYSTEMS server is NOT compatible with ...
a. Acorn Archimedes Range under Basic V
b. Acorn Electron without Mode 7 Interface
c. BBC Model A (unexpanded)
d. Acorn Atom
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