[net.micro.cpm] DateStamper requirements

bridger@RAND-UNIX.ARPA (08/22/86)

DateStamper is a resident extension of the bios and bdos.  The
resident code is less than 1K for standard cp/m 2.2 and about 1.2 K
for apple/zrdos/... variants of cp/m.

Installation options are:

1. locate "above the bios" .  This requires free memory anywhere between
   the bios jump table and the top of memory.  Usually users need to run
   MOVCPM to create a 1K or 1.25K smaller system.  Some ZCPR3 users use
   the IOP buffer area (they don't use IO packages) and leave the system
   size unchanged.

2. locate below the ccp.  This makes the ccp resident too, and uses
   an additional 2K of memory.  The bios' warm-boot routine is bypassed,
   so the ccp/bdos remain resident.  A very few programs assume or require that
   nothing is resident below the ccp; they won't run with this
   installation option, nor with DDT or EX or ...

DateStamper runs with an unmodified cp/m 2.2 bdos and 8080 or z80-type
processors.  The longer (~1.2K) version runs with some non-standard
2.2-type dos's.  It is not compatible with cp/m 3, mpm, and most other networks.

DateStamper does not require a clock, but uses one if available.
If not, file access "times" are sequential numbers, plus the date.

The datestamping file is 1/2 the size of the directory for each disk
prepared for datestamping (usually 1 or 2K).  It must be the first
entry in the directory and occupy the first data groups on the disk.
Except for these requirements, datestamped disks are fully compatible
with any cp/m system.  The PUTDS utility creates this file, once, for
each disk.

--bridger mitchell