Category : Windows 3.X Files
Archive   : DP.ZIP
Filename : DP.HLP

Configuration,20 |
File,44 |
New File,67 |
Open File,79 |
Exit,90 |
Slices,98 |
Add Slice,132 |
Update Slice,169 |
Remove Slice,192 |
Reports,199 |
Slice List,218 |
Slice Status,228 |
Crumbs List,255 |
Slice Monitor,278 |
Window,306 |
Clear,311 |
Print,315 |
Example of Use,328 |
TEXT_TERM, ---------------------------------------------------|
Configuration |
|
Once installed, Disk Police has several configuration options,|
controlled by statements entered into the DP.INI file. Use |
of these statements is documented below. |
|
|
DP.INI has statements of the form: |
|
[DISKPOLICE] |
DataPath=C:\DP\ |
SliceLimit=XXX |
|
The DataPath variable tells the program where to look for |
the standard Slice data file (DP.DAT) and the help file |
(DP.HLP). These files may be located in any directory you |
choose. |
|
The SliceLimit variable is used to increase the limit on the |
maximum number of slices. Set this to a value from 0 to 100. |
|
|
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
File |
|
The File menu item allows you to create and open Slice data |
files. A Slice data file is the place where Slices are |
stored (see Slice help for more information). |
|
When Disk Police starts, the standard data file: DP.DAT is |
always opened automatically for you. This file may be the |
only one you ever need. Slices that you create will be |
automatically saved in this file every time you exit, and will|
be loaded from this file every time you start the program. |
|
If you wish to maintain multiple slice files, or if you wish |
to name the file something other than DP.DAT, use the New File|
and Open File menu items to create a new file and to open it. |
|
The File menu popup also displays the name of the currently |
open file. This will be DP.DAT at startup, but will change as|
you open other files. |
|
Remember that slices are always automatically saved in the |
file whenever you exit the program or change to another file. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
New File |
|
The New File menu item creates a new Slice data file. A |
dialog box will pop up allowing you to change directories and |
view existing files. To create a new file, change to the |
directory where you want the file to reside and type the name |
of the new file in the edit box. When you press OK, the file |
will be created, ready for storage of new slices. |
|
New File automatically closes any currently open Slice data |
file, saving all slice data in it. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
Open File |
|
The Open File menu item opens an existing Slice data file and |
loads all of the slice data in it. A dialog box will pop up |
allowing you to change directories and pick the file you wish |
to open. You may also type the name of the file to open in |
the edit box. Press OK to open the file. |
|
Open File automatically closes any currently open Slice data |
file, saving all slice data in it. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
Exit |
|
The Exit menu item exits Disk Police. This is identical to |
Close on the System menu. |
|
Exit automatically closes any currently open Slice data file, |
saving all slice data in it. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
Slices |
|
A slice is a portion of disk space, with a designated owner. |
You define slices for a disk in order to manage its space. |
|
A slice is defined by selecting from 1 to 10 directories from |
the disk and providing a maximum slice size limit. Any |
directory or sub-directory may be used in a slice definition, |
and directory names may appear in more than one slice defini- |
tion. |
|
The owner of a slice is responsible for maintaining all files |
within the directories that make up the slice so that the |
total disk space consumed does not exceed the maximum slice |
size. You can check the current sizes of all slices by run- |
ing the Slice Status report. |
|
All directories on the disk should be included in slices. Some|
directories may not belong to any single person, but they |
should still be defined in a slice. The best method is to |
create one or more System slices. These are slices like any |
other, but they are owned by the "System". Directories that |
typically are placed in a System slice are \DOS, \WINDOWS, |
etc. If you name the System slices: ~System1, ~System2, etc.|
they will always appear at the end of the slice list. |
|
Disk Police will never alter any file or directory on the |
shared disk. It will never delete files when slice space has |
exceeded the maximum limit. It is a reporting system that |
shows who is in violation and why. This allows you to take |
whatever action is necessary to maintain the shared disk |
space (for example, asking the owner of the slice to remove |
files). |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
Add Slice |
|
The Add Slice menu item is used to add new slice defintions. |
A dialog box is used to provide the slice name, maximum size, |
and directory list. For shared network disks, the slice name |
is commonly a person's name, but it can be anything. Fill in |
the information and select "Ok" or "Cancel". The dialog box |
remains active until you select "Cancel" to allow you to enter|
several slices. |
|
Make up to 10 selections from the Available Directories list. |
Use the "Select Dir" button to add the currently highlighted |
directory to the Slice Directories list. Use the "Expand Dir"|
button (or double click the mouse) on any directory or disk |
to see the list of sub-directories below it. Expand the [..] |
directory to see the list of directories above the currently |
displayed list. Use the "Remove Dir" button to remove a |
directory from the Slice Directories list. |
|
The list of directories that make up a slice is always the |
full path name for each directory, including the disk name |
(C:, D:, etc.). This allows support for partitioned disks |
and provides considerable flexibility in slice definitions. |
For example, a single slice can be used to keep track of space|
owned by one person, even though the directories reside on |
multiple partitions (or even multiple disks). |
|
However, using full path names also means that network slice |
definitions may not be portable. For example, a slice that |
references a directory on the network server as "N:\MYDIR" |
could not be physically moved over to the network server, |
since the server thinks of that same directory as "C:\MYDIR". |
Just remember that, while it is perfectly acceptable to use |
any network computer to define slices for any server in the |
network, once the slice is defined it should remain on the |
same computer. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
Update Slice |
|
The Update Slice menu item is used to update an existing slice|
definition. A dialog box is used to display and edit the |
slice definition. First pick the slice to update from the |
list or currenly existing slices. Then use the slice |
definition dialog box to update the slice definition as |
needed. When complete, press "Ok" to save the change, or |
"Cancel" to leave the definition unchanged. |
|
Remove existing directories from the Slice Directories list or|
make additional selections from the Available Directories |
list. Use the "Select Dir" button to add the currently |
highlighted directory to the Slice Directories list. Use the |
"Expand Dir" button (or double click the mouse) on any |
directory or disk to see the list of sub-directories below it.|
Expand the [..] directory to see the list of directories above|
the currently displayed list. Use the "Remove Dir" button to |
remove a directory from the Slice Directories list. |
|
See the Add Slice help topic for more information on |
portability of slice definitions for networked computers. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
Remove Slice |
|
The Remove Slice menu item is used to remove an existing slice|
definition. Pick the slice to remove from the list of |
currently existing slices. Press "Ok" to remove it, or |
"Cancel" to abort. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
Reports |
|
Reports are the output from Disk Police and are selected from |
the Reports menu item. Three reports are available: |
|
Slice List Provides a list of all currently defined |
slices. |
|
Slice Status Checks each slice for space violations. |
|
Crumbs List Checks a disk for files that lie outside |
of any slice. |
|
Each of these reports displays its information on the screen |
in the scrolling window. The report may then be printed by |
selecting the Print menu item. |
|
See each individual report help topic for more information. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
Slice List |
|
The Slice List report displays a list of all currently defined|
slices. This report consists of the name, maximum size, and |
directory list for each slice. |
|
Once the report has been displayed on the screen you can use |
the scroll bars to find the slice of interest or use the Print|
menu item to print the list. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
Slice Status |
|
The Slice Status report checks each slice for space viola- |
tions. This is the principal purpose of the Disk Police pro- |
gram. |
|
Each slice is examined one at a time. Each directory in the |
Slice Directory list is checked for files, summing the file |
sizes. Additionally, any sub-directories within the slice |
directory are examined, summing their file sizes, and follow- |
ing down into their sub-directories. This continues until the|
sum of all files in the directory and all of its sub- |
directories is computed. If this sum exceeds the maximum |
slice size limit, the slice is marked as being in violation. |
|
This report takes no action against slices in violation, it |
only reports which slices are in violation and by how much. |
It is the responsibility of the slice owner to bring disk |
usage into compliance. |
|
As the report runs (which can take several minutes for large |
disks), a status box shows which slice is in progress. You |
may cancel the report at any time. |
|
Results are displayed on the screen. Use the scroll bars to |
review it, or use the Print menu item to print the report. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
Crumbs List |
|
The Crumbs List report examines a single logical disk (C:, D:,|
etc.), looking for stray directories (crumbs) that are not |
included in any slice definition. These directories represent|
disk usage outside of the managed space, as defined by the |
slices. As such, crumbs are considered violations, just like |
slices that have exceeded maximum size limits. |
|
A crumb is defined as a directory with at least one file that |
is not included in any slice definition, and is not a sub- |
directory of another directory included in a slice definition.|
|
For example, if "\USER\JOHN" is a directory that is defined |
in a slice, then "\USER\JOHN\DOCS" cannot be a crumb, since |
it is a sub-directory to a directory that is defined in a |
slice. Also, if "\USER" is not defined in any slice, but has |
no files of its own (i.e. zero size, because it only contains |
sub-directories), then it also is not a crumb. |
|
However, another directory, say "\USER\JOHN2", that has files |
and is not defined in any slice will be reported as a crumb. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
Slice Monitor |
|
Use the Slice Monitor report to automatically monitor the |
status of slices. This report is very similar to Slice Status|
except that it runs by itself, repeatedly. You designate how |
often you wish to recheck the status of the slices. |
|
Slice Monitor also differs from Slice Status in that you can |
choose to report violation slices only (Slice Status reports |
the status on all slices). |
|
To start Slice Monitor, select it from the menu. A dialog box|
will be presented and will remain on the screen as long as |
monitoring continues. Enter the number of minutes you wish |
to wait between successive slice checks (anything between 1 |
and 9999 minutes). To report violation slices only, check the|
"Display violations only" check box. If you check the "Auto |
print" check box, the results of each slice check will be |
automatically printed. |
|
Press the Start Monitoring button to start monitoring slices |
for violations. Monitoring will continue indefinately. Press|
the Stop Monitoring button to end the monitoring of slices. |
|
Note that, while Disk Police is monitoring slices, you can |
change to any other Windows program, or make Disk Police an |
icon. It will continue monitoring normally. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
Window |
|
Use this menu item to clear or print the current contents of |
the main window. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
Clear |
|
The Clear menu item clears the contents of the main window. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
Print |
|
The Print menu item is used to print a report. First run the |
report. The output will be displayed in the window. Then |
select Print to send it to the printer. |
|
Print always sends the last report run. If no reports have |
been run since starting the program, Print will do nothing. |
|
Print sends the output to the active Windows printer. Refer |
to your Microsoft Windows User's Guide for information on |
installing printers. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|
Example of Use |
|
The main reason to use Disk Police is to manage a network |
file server that is used by many people. The example below |
shows how to define slices and run reports to manage this |
type of disk. There are, however, other uses for the program |
in addition to server management. |
|
Assume, for this example: |
|
1) A network with a 80 mb file server, partitioned into |
three logical disk drives. All system files (DOS, |
WINDOWS, etc.) reside on the first partition. |
2) Members of the network see the server disk partitions |
as logical drives F:, G:, and H:, with partition sizes |
of 32 mb, 32 mb, and 16 mb respectively. |
3) We wish to reserve 20% of the total disk space for |
system use, provide another 20% for use by a special |
project team, and divide the remainder equally among 6 |
network users as general disk space. |
|
|
STEP 1. DECIDE WHERE THE REPORTS WILL BE RUN |
|
When you define slices, full directory paths, including |
disk drive designations (C:, D:, etc.) are stored. Thus |
the reports should be run on the same computer where the |
definitions were made to avoid network disk naming confusion. |
|
In most networks, it is best to use a network workstation as |
the place where the slices are defined and the reports are |
run - not the network server. Avoiding the network server |
avoids memory limitations common to servers, allows the |
server to concentrate on file serving, and usually provides |
greater flexibility and convenience. |
|
Check to be sure that Windows recognizes the server by start- |
ing Windows and observing the F:, G:, and H: drive icons. |
|
|
STEP 2. DEFINE SYSTEM SLICES. |
|
Use Add Slice to create a System slice. Don't worry about the|
slice size for now: |
|
NAME MAX SIZE DIRECTORIES |
|
System 0 F:\DOS |
F:\NETWORK |
F:\WINDOWS |
F:\SYS |
F:\BIN |
F:\SYSTEM1 |
F:\SYSTEM2 |
|
Note that you can't just define one slice and use F:\. If |
you did, the reports generated wouldn't tell you anything |
useful. You can name the System slices anything you wish. |
If you begin the name with "~", the slice will always appear |
at the end of the list, for convenience. |
|
|
STEP 3. RESERVE SYSTEM SPACE |
|
Run the Slice Status report. It will compute the current size|
of the System slice you have defined (it will also report it |
as being in violation). Decide how much space you would like |
to reserve to allow future growth. In this example, |
|
CURRENT SIZE WISH TO RESERVE |
|
System 6950 K 16384 K |
|
This allows plenty of room for future growth in the System |
directories. In fact, the System slice may never need all |
that space, but another System slice could be created later |
that would use it. The space reserved is 16 mb, or 20% of the|
total disk space. |
|
|
STEP 4. ALLOCATE USER SPACE |
|
We need 20%, or 16 mb, of the disk space for a special project|
team. These people don't need individual space, so a single |
slice will do. Assuming the project team keeps their files in|
one directory, then the slice definition is: |
|
NAME MAX SIZE DIRECTORIES |
|
ProjectX 16384 K F:\PROJECTX |
|
This slice plus the System slice now account for all of the |
space on the F: partition. |
|
The 6 network users get the remaining space, divided among |
them equally. This is 48 mb total, 8 mb each. Thus we define|
6 more slices, using directories created for user space on the|
remaining partitions: |
|
NAME MAX SIZE DIRECTORIES |
|
John 8192 K G:\USER\JOHN |
Tara 8192 K G:\USER\TARA |
Dave 8192 K G:\USER\DAVE |
Jim 8192 K G:\USER\JIM |
Carol 8192 K H:\USER\CAROL |
Angela 8192 K H:\USER\ANGELA |
|
These slices now account for all of the remaining disk space. |
Note that it is not necessary to account for all space. For |
example, if more users are expected to join the network in the|
future, it may be wise to give the existing users smaller |
allotments, leaving some space unaccounted for, but available |
for future use. |
|
|
STEP 5. RUN REPORTS |
|
To review the slice definitions, run the Slice List report. |
This will also allow you to get a printed list of the slice |
definitions. |
|
To check for slice space violation, run the Slice Status |
report. This report will check the contents of each slice, |
summing file sizes in every directory and sub-directory in |
the slice. If the total file size exceeds the maximum slice |
limit, the slice will be marked as in violation. The program |
will NOT take any other action (such as removing files). Its |
job is to inform you so the owner of the slice can take the |
appropriate action to comply with the space restriction. |
|
Use the Crumbs List report to identify stray files that have |
been created outside of the slice directories. For example, |
if John creates the directory "G:\USER\JOHN2" and creates |
some files in it, the Crumbs report will flag that directory |
as a crumb (a stray directory). Crumbs are violations of |
shared disk space, just as violations of maximum slice size. |
|
|
STEP 6. MANAGE SLICES |
|
Usually shared disks fill up because people don't take the |
responsibility of cleaning off unneeded files. The Disk |
Police program takes care of that problem by reporting |
violators before their files consume the whole disk. |
|
However, in some cases, users really need more space. It |
is often a good policy to allocate a disk so that each user |
gets some minimum space (say 2 mb in this example). When |
someone exceeds their limit, they should evaluate their space |
needs and justify an increase in their limit. If the space |
is available (and unallocated to other slices), then the |
increase in slice size is authorized. |
TEXT_TERM ----------------------------------------------------|