mcormick@unm-la.UUCP (Patrick McCormick) (02/14/89)
Hi, Here is a summary of the replies I recieved about cache software. I applogize for not having all the replies I recieved -- I was forced to clean up some of the files on the system to save space. Thanks to all who replied to my posting. My orginal posting was close to this : Hi, I've just ordered a IBM PS/2 Model 30 - 286 with a hard drive and was wondering what experience the net has had with cache software... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From: hc!ames!uw-beaver!june.cs.washington.edu!robertb (Robert Bedichek) > >I use Vcache from Golden Bow Systems (I bought it thru PC Connection). >It is about $53 I think. It works fine and it is certainly worth it >to have some kind of disk caching software running. MS-DOS has a >cache of some sort, but it doesn't seem to do anything of value. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From: unmvax!gatech!topaz.rutgers.edu!jjoshua (Jon Joshua) > >Get a copy of pctools deluxe. It includes a cache, a print spooler, >and an excellent backup/restore program. It should cost you well >under $70. I use this product and I highly recommend it. Oh, you >also get a disk compress program. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >I use MicroSoft SMARTDrive - it seems to work just fine. >I also have used a shareware utility called EMC110 - that also >seemed fine but I was a little wary of using shareware for such a >critical task. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From: svirsky@tab.tti.com (William Svirsky) >Make sure that you get PC-Tools Deluxe version 5. It adds MANY new >features. I've got it and its great. The cache program that comes with >it was rated very favorably by PC-Mag. Its actually a version of PC-Kwik's >disk cache program, which was one of the Editor's Choices. In my informal >testing, on both a PC-XT and a Compaq 386, it decreased program execution >time by about 25% and decreased disk accesses by 40-50% (saving a lot of >wear and tear on the disk drive). > >However, PC-Mag has a free disk cache program called Dcache which is >almost as good, within a couple of percentage points of PC-Tools disk >cacher. Dcache is not quite as flexible. It can use expanded memory >but not extended and it always reads 8 sectors at a time. The author >did some extensive analysis and found out that 8-sector reads are, by >far, the most common on the IBM PC. The trick with Dcache is to also >use MSDOS's caching, ie. BUFFERS=. I found that best results on my PC-XT >with a cache of 64K were with BUFFERS=17. > >I can post Dcache, send it to comp.binaries.ibm.pc, or e-mail it, as >long as I won't violate any copyrights. I don't have any online docs, >just the magazine article. Get PC-Mag 11Oct88 issue for full details. >Entering "DCACHE ?" displays help on the command syntax. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Overall, the big winner of all the replies I recieved was pctools deluxe. From what PC Magazine had to say this sounds just about right. (I don't have my copy of it so, I can't remeber which issue it was.) If I have left any of the replies out of those that replied, whose message was deleted or never got here, I would urge you to reply to this posting so we all can get the chance to see some of the other good cache software available. Thanks once again, Patrick McCormick mcormick@unm-la.LANL.GOV lanl!unm-la!mcormick@uunet.uu.net --or-- uunet.UU.NET!unm-la!mcormick@cs.utexas.edu
Devin_E_Ben-Hur@cup.portal.com (02/15/89)
The current issue of PC Mag has a product comparison review of about a dozen disk-cache programs. Their editor's choice was Super PC-Kwik from MultiSoft (Beaverton, OR). The cache program supplied with PC-Tools is a slightly crippled version of Super PC-Kwik. Devin_Ben-Hur@cup.portal.com ...!ucbvax!sun!cup.portal.com!devin_e_ben-hur
raphael@hpcuhb.HP.COM (Bert Raphael) (02/18/89)
I just replaced SuperPCKwik cache by PC-Tools V.5 pc-cache, which I run in 384K of Extended memory. As far as I can tell the performance is identical (as measured by coretest), but pc-cache uses only 14K of resident main memory, vs. about 40K that superpck used. A definite win!
ppa@hpldola.HP.COM (Paul P. Austgen) (02/18/89)
There shouldn't be any problem with a cache and ramdisk in extended memory. I do it by having the ramdisk setup in config.sys and the cache call in autoexec.bat. I use HP's VDISK and PC-Tools pc-cache.