                        IRBACKUP Read Me File
                            Version 1.0
                            11/14/1998

CONTENTS
     What's new in this version?
     What does IRBACKUP do?
     How do I get my files back to the PSION?
     How is the data protected?
     Are all files backed-up?
     Can I backup less than the entire disk?
     How long will it take?
     What if I interrupt a backup?
     How much space do I need?
     Does IRBACKUP write any data to my PSION drives?
     Is a log file kept?
     What IR hardware do I need?
     Where can I get the latest shareware version?
     IMPORTANT
     DISCLAIMER
     Requirements:
     Files in this package:
     Installation:
     Running IRBACKUP.
     Permanently setting the IR port.
     Selecting different IR Link speeds.
     Aborting the program:
     How can I tell if my IR port is working:
     What if my PSION sees the PC but the PC fails to find the PSION?
     Where did the ICON come from?
     Improvements:
     Registration:

What's new in this version?
  1. Interrupts are no longer used. This makes the program better suited to run
  under Windows 95/98.

  2. New "/ALL" keyword that forces all files to be backed-up even if they
  are already in the PC directory and even if newer ones are overwritten by
  older ones.

  3. A new feature provides the user with information necessary to
  keep the Psion's files and the PC backup directory's files exactly
  synchronized. Between backups deleting files from the Psion results in the
  accumulation of orphan files in the corresponding PC backup directory since
  they are no longer on the Psion. This becomes a problem when it is
  necessary to do a complete restore. The restore program attempts to
  restore all the files it finds in the backup directory even if they are not
  needed anymore. This can eat up Psion storage space with unneeded files or
  result in not being able to restore needed files because old ones have
  stolen their space. This feature warns of ophan files at the end of each
  backup cycle.

  Before a backup is started the PC's backup directories are scanned and all
  file names are recorded. As the backup procedes files found on the Psion
  are marked active if found in this list. At the end of the backup a warning
  is given if any file name remains unmarked idicating it is not on the Psion.
  A list of these unmarked files is saved at the end of the log file
  (bckuplog.txt). If a file were accidentally deleted since a previous backup
  it would also be in this list and could then be restored back to the Psion.
  Files that are no longer needed on the Psion should be moved to a separate
  archive directory to avoid getting the warning each time a backup is made.

  4. A warning is given when newer files then are on the Psion are detected in
  the PC backup directory if the "/ALL" option has not be specified. The file
  name is written to the screen and to the bckuplog.txt file.

  5. If a comport is not specified or is invalid then all eight possible
  comport register sets are dumped to the screen. The register dump can be used
  to help determine which comports are actually present on the system.

What does IRBACKUP do?
  IRBACKUP backs up all your Siena/3c files to a Notebook or Desktop computer
  equipped with an IRDA compliant IR port (internal or external) preserving the
  date/time and directory structure of each file. The PC files are checked and
  only newer files are sent over the IR link and backed-up.

How do I get my files back to the PSION?
  Use the companion program iRestore. There is a shareware package for
  iRestore and when you register for the irBackup package iRestore is
  included too.

How is the data protected?
  Each data block transferred is protected by a 16 bit CRC check code
  (x^0+x^5+x^12+x^16) and a 16 bit sequence number. Bad and missing blocks are
  automatically resent until received correctly by the PC. The number of
  resent blocks is typically less than 1% of the total blocks sent.

  The resend function was tested by placing the PSION on a slowly revolving
  turntable. A backup was then run while the IR beam was continually
  interrupted as the PSION slowly turned in front of the target notebook
  computer.

Are all files backed-up?
  No. Files that are being used by a still running application program cannot
  be backed-up.  When the Psion server program first starts it makes a check
  for active programs that could have files open and provides a list of these
  to the user. The user may then use the direct application keys or
  Shift-System to switch to each application and terminate it.  The user can
  then rerun the test to insure that nothing else is running.  The warning
  can be ignored but this risks not backing-up important files and is not
  recommended.

  If the /ALL option has not been specified then only new or newer files are
  copied to the PC. If the PC file has the same date/time it is not
  overwritten nor is it overwritten if the PC file is newer than the PSION
  file. In the latter case a warning is given that a newer version exists on
  the PC.

Can I backup less than the entire disk?
  Yes. As little as one subdirectory or one file can be backed-up. Instead
  of specifying a single drive letter (m:) just add a subdirectory or file
  name. You may also use wildcard characters like '?' or '*'. Example path
  names:
          m:\opl               (all files in directory opl)
          m:\o*                (all subdirectories that start with 'o')
          m:\app\irbackup.opa  (a single file)
          m:\app\*.app         (a group of files with the same extension)

  In this case the tests for newer PC files and orphan files are only made
  within the selected subdirectories.

Note: IRBACKUP uses the OPL command DIR$ to scan for files.

How long will it take?
  This depends on the link speed (9600 to 115200 baud), the speed of your PC
  or Notebook, and how many files need to be backed-up.  The default link speed
  is 19,200 baud.  Since the PSION server code must scan your entire disk there
  is a fixed time based on the number of files you have on your PSION even if
  no files are transferred.  For example if you have 140 files it will take the
  PSION approximately 40 seconds to scan and send the directory, name, date,
  time, and size of each file to your PC.  The actual transfer of the file
  depends on its size and the PC/operating system the client code is running
  on.  At 19,200 baud typical DOS times are 1450 bytes/sec or 88KB per minute.
  Providing a path name instead of just a drive letter reduces the number of
  files that need to be scanned and therefore the time.

  The complete backup of a Siena which has 750KB of data in 174 files takes
  less than 4 minutes at 57600 baud. Below is a list of times for a number of
  baud rates backing up the same 750KB of files. Note that there is very
  little time decrease when going from 57,600 baud to 115,200 and is probably
  the result of reaching the maximum speed the Siena can process files.

          19200    8 min 24 seconds     PC System:
          38400    4 min 58 seconds        CTX Notebook 200MHz Pentium MMX
          57600    3 min 53 seconds        Windows 98
         115200    3 min 47 seconds

What if I interrupt a backup?
  A backup can be suspended at any time by breaking the IR link or aborting the
  program. If you pick up the PSION, switch to another application and at a
  later time switch back placing the PSION within IR range, the backup will
  startup where it left off. There are NO timeouts on retries in either the
  PSION or PC. If you abort either the PSION (Psion-ESC) or PC (left&right
  shift) you must abort the other as well. When you restart both backup
  programs they skip over all the previously backed-up files until they reach
  the files that were not backed-up and start backing up from there.

How much space do I need?
  The OPA file is about 4.8KB and when running takes about 30KB.

Does IRBACKUP write any data to my PSION drives?
   No. IRBACKUP only reads the directory information about a file and when
   sending the file to the PC it reads the data in the file. The file is opened
   in "Read Only/Share" mode.

Is a log file kept?
   Yes, the results of each backup cycle are written to a log file in the
   starting directory for the backup. The file name is 'BCKUPLOG.TXT'.
   The size of this file grows with each backup taken so it may be necessary to
   prune (remove older lines from the top) the file from time to time.

What IR hardware do I need?
   Any Notebook or Desktop with a built-in IR port should work. Support for the
   following external IR adapters has also been added:

   KEYWORD
   ACTisys: IR220L (9600,19200,57600,115200 Baud)
   AIRport: 1000 & 2000 (9600,19200,38400,57600,115200 Baud) may be discontinued
   JETeye:  (9600,19200,115200 Baud)
   REDeye:  (9600,19200,38400,57600,115200 Baud)
   TEKram:  (9600,19200,38400,57600,115200 Baud)
     (Temic)  (9600,19200,38400,57600,115200 Baud) chip used in some IR kits
   TM0   :  Temic chip with no inverters in RTS or DTR lines
   TM1   :  Temic chip with inverter in DTR line
   TM2   :  Temic chip with inverter in RTS line
   TM3   :  Temic chip with inverters in both the RTS and DTR lines

   Add "/KEYWORD" (where keyword is from the table above ie REDeye) to the end
   of the command line to enable support for the appropriate external adapter.
   To avoid having to add this to the end of each command line type
   "set IRTYPE=keyword" at the DOS prompt or add it to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file
   to permanently select the adapter of your choice.

Where can I get the latest shareware version?
   A web site has been setup at:

       http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/3947

   It has the latest version of IRBACKUP plus access to other Psion IR programs
   such as IRESTORE and information about current and future plans.

IMPORTANT  IMPORTANT  IMPORTANT  IMPORTANT  IMPORTANT  IMPORTANT  IMPORTANT
==============================================================================
It is highly recommended that you verify the accuracy of a few large files
after doing your first backup. If you have text files, open an editor and view
the file, checking the beginning and end for correctness. If you have a binary
compare program try comparing the backed-up version of a program with a
known good copy (one you previously loaded into your PSION from your PC).
==============================================================================
                             DISCLAIMER
Use this software at your own risk. I will not be held responsible for any
damage to you, your machine and/or your information as a result of using
IRBACKUP.
==============================================================================

Requirements:
  PSION: Siena or 3c
  PC   : x86 with IRDA compliant IR port or an external IR adapter
  Operating System: DOS, Windows 3.1, OS/2 2.1, OS/2 Warp 3,
                    Windows 95/98

Files in this package:
  IRBACKUP.COM    Backup Client software. Runs on your PC.
  README_B.TXT    This file.

Installation:
  irBackup includes support to use the PSION's native IR Receive function
  to transfer the IRBACKUP.OPA server code to your PSION. You must always
  delete the current version of IRBACKUP.OPA from your PSION's /APP directory
  before sending another copy.

  Press the IR Receive key or key sequence on your PSION then type the
  following on your PC:

       IRBACKUP 1 send         (where 1 is your comport 1,2,3 or 4 or xxx )
       IRBACKUP 1 send /act    (or this line if you have the ACTisys IR unit)

  or if you have done a "SET IRPORT=1" on the DOS command line then just:

       IRBACKUP send

  If you have trouble transferring the file try restricting the IR Link
  speed to 9600 baud by typing "set IRSPEED=9600" at the DOS prompt.

  Once IRBACKUP.OPA is on your PSION use Psion-I to install it. If you had
  an older version of IRBACKUP installed be sure to Uninstall then Install
  to get the new ICON to show up on the system screen.

Running IRBACKUP.
  Be sure to set the IR Link to run at HIGH power if the distance between the
  Psion and PC IR windows will be greater than 6". To select HIGH power go to
  the system screen and press Psion-L, select Infrared, then Power setting to
  HIGH. Once you have selected HIGH you can go back and select NONE since
  IRBACKUP.OPA will automatically turn on the IR link when needed. You cannot
  have the Serial cable selected: use only NONE or Infrared. If you get the
  error 'File or device in use' when starting IRBACKUP make sure you have not
  chosen the Serial cable option.

  If your batteries are very low you can still do a backup by selecting LOW
  power and keeping the distance between PC and PSION IR windows to less than
  6".

  Syntax of IRBACKUP.COM:

 irbackup <IR port> <Psion Drive> <PC path> <Block size> <type> <ext type> <debug>

defaults    none        m:         current      2048     (newer) builtin   none

  range    1..8       a: b: m:     c:\mine   128 - 4096   /ALL  /ACTISYS   /TRACE
            xxx      m:\opl        *=current                    /AIRPORT
                     m:\app\*.opa                               /JETEYE
      Where xxx is the com port address                         /PSION
                                                                /REDEYE
                                                                /TEKRAM
                                                                /TM0 thru TM3
    Examples:
      irbackup 2             (IR on COM2, Backup M: drive using current path)
      irbackup 1 a: c:\jim   (IR on COM1, Backup A: drive to path c:\jim)
      irbackup 3E8 b: e:\jean (Specify com port address instead of com number)
      irbackup 3 m: * /ACT   (backup to current directory with Actisys IR unit)

  You can start either the PSION or PC program first. It does not matter which
  and they do not have to be in line of sight of the other IR detector when
  started. Once both IRBACKUP.OPA and IRBACKUP.COM are running align the two IR
  windows so they are facing each other and no farther than three feet apart
  (6" on LOW power).

  The PC will display a scrolling list of file sizes, paths, and names for each
  file backed-up. A series of dots is displayed for each file skipped either
  because it has the same date/time as the one on the PC or the PC file is
  newer (unless /ALL is specified). You may also see the 'In-Use' warning
  message if you did not shutdown all the applications that access files
  (Agenda, Database). A running program can lock its files preventing
  IRBACKUP from accessing them.

  During the actual file transfer a sequence of digits is displayed to the
  right of the file name after the open bracket '['.  Each digit represents the
  low order three bits of the unique sequence number for the block currently
  being transferred.  The digit wraps back to 0 after reaching 7. The sequence
  number is incremented for each block successfully transferred.  If the block
  is resent due to an error the sequence number is repeated.  If the /TRACE
  command line option has been specified then additional debug information is
  displayed for each block resent.  The general format of this debug
  information is a single letter code followed by the sequence number of the
  block being resent.  The code gives the reason for resending the block as
  define in the following table:

    k    = Timed out looking for sync sequence at start of data block
    t<n> = Timed out waiting for all bytes of data block
           where n = number of bytes not received
    c    = CRC error on data block
    s    = All data received, CRC good, but wrong sequence number.

  The default data block size for data is 2KB.

Permanently setting the IR port.
  The IR port can be permanently set by setting the environment variable
  IRPORT. The syntax is "set IRPORT=x" or "set IRPORT=xxx" depending on
  whether you have a standard or non-standard IR port. This can be typed
  at the DOS prompt for testing and then added to your AUTOEXEC.BAT. Once
  set you no longer need to supply it on the command line when running
  IRBACKUP. To do a complete backup of the m: drive to the subdirectory
  myfiles just type:

  irbackup m: myfiles

Selecting a different IR link speeds.
  The IR link speed can be changed from the default speed of 19,200 baud by
  setting the environment variable IRSPEED. The syntax is "set IRSPEED=x"
  where x can be 9600,19200,38400,57600, or 115200. Only the first two
  digits of the speed value are actually checked so IRSPEED=11 selects
  115200 baud and IRSPEED=96 selects 9600 baud. Not all baud rates are
  available on some external IR adapters.

  The IRSPEED value does not affect the IR link speeds used by the SEND option
  unless the lowest link speed (9600) is selected. In this case the SEND
  option link speed is also limited to 9600 baud. The SEND option normally
  uses 9600 baud to locate the PSION and then steps up to 19,200 for the actual
  OPA file transfer.

  Be sure to select the same link speed when starting the Psion IRBACKUP
  server code as you specified with the IRSPEED variable.

  Selecting links speeds greater than 19,200 baud can reduce the overall
  backup time but can increase the number of blocks resent to about 20%.

Aborting the program:
  To abort a backup on the PC just hold down both the left and right shift
  keys for a few seconds. Then after the statistics have been displayed press
  any key.

  To abort the PSION IRBACKUP program press Psion-Esc or go to the system
  screen and highlight IRBACKUP then press the 'Del' key.

How can I tell if my IR port is working:
  If you have a camcorder get it out and go into record standby mode and look
  through the viewfinder.  You should see a flashing light coming from the IR
  window on your PSION or Notebook when they are sending.  When the IRBACKUP
  program is running it makes the PC the master and it starts sending looking
  for the PSION to respond.  Look for a flashing light from your PC's IR
  window (you don't even need the PSION running at this point).  You should
  see a flash about once a second as the PC looks for the PSION.  Next startup
  your PSION and place it so you can watch its IR window for the return
  response.

Where did the ICON come from?
  Thanks to Jon Ashley for providing the Icon for IRBACKUP.

Improvements:
  If you have any suggestions for improvements please email me with them.

Registration:
  If you find this program useful please register your copy. Registered users
  will receive an unrestricted version without the 2KB limit that backs-up any
  size file plus the companion iRestore to send files back to your Psion.

  Registration is now available online through RegNet ($35 = $26.50 + $8.50
  RegNet handling fee). This gets you both irBackup and iRestore.

  To register online go to:       http://www.reg.net/product.asp?ID=840

Jim Pollock <jpollock@ix.netcom.com>
===========================End of Readme======================================
