gmw1@CUNIXD.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU (Gabe M Wiener) (03/14/89)
I'm looking for a backup program that'll work with Apple's tape drive and will run substantially better than the Apple-included program (i.e., faster, will run under multifinder, etc.) People have recommended DiskFit 1.4 for this job. But I've now heard that Dantz, the same people who developed DiskFit, are coming out with something called Retrospect, which is another archiving utility. Anyone know about it? (particularly how it'll differ from DiskFit) Thanks.... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-\******/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Gabe Wiener -- Columbia University \****/ \**/ "At times it is wiser to remain INTERNET: gmw1@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu \/ silent and be considered a fool BITNET: gmw1@cunixc /\ than to speak and remove all COMPUSERVE: 72355,1226 /**\ doubt." WUI: 650-117-9118 /****\ - Shaw =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/******\=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
chuq@Apple.COM (Chuq Von Rospach) (03/15/89)
>People have recommended DiskFit 1.4 for this job. But I've now heard that >Dantz, the same people who developed DiskFit, are coming out with something >called Retrospect, which is another archiving utility. >Anyone know about it? (particularly how it'll differ from DiskFit) Actually, the current release of DiskFit is 1.5. It's considerably faster than 1.4 was and interfaces with Multifinder better. DiskFit and Retrospect really are similar products that do things differently. DiskFit is designed specifically to do backups of a partition to protect against failure. Retrospect is a program designed more towards long-term archiving and retrieval. The difference between, say, keeping your hard disk backed up and storing/organizing your public domain floppies. Retrospect is in beta. Because of that, I can't really say much, since I'm under non-disclosure. But I think that people who are thinking that Retrospect as a replacement for DiskFit don't understand the product. They do different things. While they're similar in intent, the approaches are much different. They're very much complimentary products.
delaney@XN.LL.MIT.EDU (John R. Delaney) (03/15/89)
Without violating non-disclosure, Chuq, can you tell us if one of the differences between DiskFit and Retrospective is the ability in Retrospective to maintain "backups" of files after they have been deleted from a hard disk? In other words, can you tell us if Retrospective is a genuine archive maintenance utility instead of a hard disk backup utility? Why do I want to know? Because I very much want a genuine archive maintenance utility that will allow me to keep on floppies versions of files that I don't use any more but am too conservative (read chicken) to permanently delete. John
chuq@Apple.COM (Chuq Von Rospach) (03/15/89)
>In >other words, can you tell us if Retrospective is a genuine >archive maintenance utility instead of a hard disk backup >utility? Yes. DiskFit's purpose is to let you make a copy of your disk so it can be re-created if something happens to it. Retrospect is designed to handle the archiving and retrieval of files in long-term storage. Without going into any details, the idea behind Retrospect is to let you squirrel stuff away and then help you find it again without spending hours rummaging for it.
werner@utastro.UUCP (Werner Uhrig) (03/15/89)
if you can FTP, you can get the Dataframe specific software from the
archives at RASCAL.ICS.UTEXAS.EDU in directory mac/dataframe-support.
Roger Long, moderator of comp.binaries, has Diskfit 1.5df waiting in his
queue for Usenet-distribution ...
--
-----------> PREFERED RETURN-ADDRESS FOLLOWS <--------------
(ARPA) werner@rascal.ics.utexas.edu (Internet: 128.83.144.1)
(UUCP) ..!utastro!werner or ..!uunet!rascal.ics.utexas.edu!wernerdanm@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM (Daniel Milliron) (03/16/89)
In article <1303@xn.LL.MIT.EDU>, delaney@XN.LL.MIT.EDU (John R. Delaney) writes: > > Why do I want to know? Because I very much want a genuine > archive maintenance utility that will allow me to keep on > floppies versions of files that I don't use any more but am > too conservative (read chicken) to permanently delete. > > John Recently, I came up with an idea for a disk archiver that I don't mind sharing because I will never have the time to implement it anyway. My ideal disk archiver would create a virtual hard disk of infinite length that has every file I own. This virtual disk would be implemented as a combination of my hard disk(s) and the zillions of floppies I have floating around. My real hard disk(s) would be used as a most-recently-used file cache. The icon for the virtual disk would replace my hard disk icon(s) on the desktop. When I open a file, the disk archiver would determine if it is resident on a hard (read "fast") disk. If it isn't then the disk archiver would ask me to insert the floppy that contains the file. It would then copy it over to the hard disk, maintaining the most-recently-used files on the faster medium. When the faster hard disk(s) become too full, the archiver would put the least recently used files on floppy, collaborating with the me the user to insert diskettes. This would be a wonderful utility, IMHO. Dan Milliron
chips@tekchips.LABS.TEK.COM (Chip Schnarel) (03/17/89)
In article <3890@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM>, danm@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM (Daniel Milliron) writes: > My ideal disk archiver would ... > > the archiver would put the least recently used files on floppy, collaborating > with the me the user to insert diskettes. > Now just replace the floppies with an optical disk, or a 4.4GB 8mm tape. > This would be a wonderful utility, IMHO. > Indeed it would. > > Dan Milliron Chip Schnarel
Fabian@cup.portal.com (Fabian Fabe Ramirez) (03/17/89)
John, Just to add to what Chuq (THANKS!) has said, DiskFit's is a BACKUP application; whereas, Retrospect is probably the first, true ARCHIVAL application for the Mac. DiskFit's main goal in life is that if in the unfortunate event of complete data loss, your last incremental backup should have been a full and complete backup. Essentially, a SmartSet is a "shadow" or virtual copy of your hard disk at the time of that backup. Retrospect, on the other hand, is designed to archive information...not backup information. There are subtle differences, but as Chuq mentioned, the two products are complimentary. Fabian Ramirez SuperMac Technology fabian@cup.portal.com sun!cup.portal.com!fabian
lim@iris.ucdavis.edu (Lloyd Lim) (03/18/89)
If Retrospect is an archiving utility for old and less frequently used
files then I would expect it to have some options for compressing these
files. File searching is necessary for an archiver but it also needs to
save you some space or else it's not really that useful. Does it have this?
No comment necessary if it violates non-disclosure.
+++
Lloyd Lim Internet: lim@iris.ucdavis.edu
Compuserve: 72647,660
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