ACB Ver.1.29b (Shareware Version) ARCHIVER FOR COMMUNICATION PURPOSES -"TAUGHT CHANNEL" ACB Ver.1.29b - is designed for preliminary information compression for communication purposes. The use of the ACB algorithm gives the best compression coefficient. The associative coding algorithm puts higher demands towards equipment. Sizes of archives are decreased by 15-60% compared to ARJ,PKZIP,RAR,UC2. This justifies to the most extent increased expenses on data compression in telecommunication tasks. ---------------------- TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS: ------------------------------ For the work of ACB the following hardware is necessary: - recommended - Pentium-133 RAM 16 Mb (512 Kb cache); - minimum - i486SX-33 RAM 16 Mb; - Operational systems are: MS-DOS 6.0+, DOS session in: WINDOWS_95 , WINDOWS_NT_4.0 , OS/2 Warp . - For running ACB under WINDOWS_95, OS/2_Warp, WINDOWS_NT_4.0 it is necessary to set: - minimum size of swapping 8 Mb; maximum not less than 16 Mb; - size DPMI must be 16 Mb (sometimes it is sufficient to have 15 Mb) Note: - Usage of archives in the background mode under WINDOWS is effective. It can be recommended for computers with 20 Mb RAM and more. - For the ACB-algorithm it is necessary to have 15550000 bytes of FREE RAM (Cnv+Ext), or if free memory is less, the program can be executed under WIN_95,WIN_NT_4.0,OS/2, as the program uses its swapping, that results in dramatic slower packing/unpacking in big sizes of data (with 3Mb free RAM, slowing down takes place with 100 Kb (or more) of nonpacked data). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------- OVER-ALL INFO: --------------------------------- Usage: ACB <[path\]archive_name>["context_name] [<[path\]mask>] [...] Commands: b - Backup files to archive with recurse subdirectories Note: command "b" has 3 modifications : "B" FAST, "b" NORMAL, "u" MAX. bf - Backup only files to archive without recurse subdirectories bN | bfN - Where N is size (Kb) of Volumes (enable multiple Volumes) r[PSW] - Restore files from archive l[PSW] - List archive contents p[PSW] - Error Protection c[PSW] - Error Correction d[PSW] - Deprotection of archive Note: PSW - password (len<17) can be absent After r-operation *.acp->*.acb or *.??p->*.??b (for multiple Volumes) EXAMPLES: ACB b win c:\win -packing of the catalogue WIN with subdirectories ACB B360 d:\awin c:\win\*.* -FAST packing in multivolume archive (360 Kb.) ACB r d:\awin e:\win3 -in catalogue WIN3 copy c:\win\*.* with subdirectories ACB uf53pKUK wrc c:\win\*.rc -MAX. packing of only files *.rc from catalogue WIN in multivolume archive (53Kb) with setting of protection mode with password=KUK ACB lKUK wrc -contents of wrc.??p ACB rKUK wrc -restore all data from wrc.??p in the current catalogue ACB pALmA wrc -setting of protection mode with password=ALmA wrc.??b->wrc.??p ACB cALmA wrc -testing and correcting of archive wrc.??p ACB dALmA wrc -deprotected wrc.??p->wrc.??b Commands: l,p,c,d can be used in the "Taught Channel"-mode (see below) ---- "TAUGHT CHANNEL" - MODE: ---- "Taught Channel" - compression of another portion of information taking into account all earlier compressed information -context. For example: you transmit by modem a corrected version of the text transmitted yesterday. In this case it's possible to expect 100-time compression, in other words, only the latest information was transmitted. Besides, there's a possibility to maximize compression of the data of a certain type. For example, create a context from the files *.txt and use this txt-context to compress txt-files. In addition, such an approach ensures additional data protection against non-authorised access -it's impossible in principle without knowledge of the whole background data being decoded. In unpacking the context should be the same as in packing. The context file is renewed each time it is used. For example: you packed the text of an agreement using the context, the context file was renewed and can't be used to unpack the received archive but the receiving party (in our example "office") has a yesterday's context identical to yours up to the latest packing, that is why the transmitted archive in the office will be unpacked and the context file will be renewed and identical to yours. If you want to ban renewal of the context file set it in Read_Only. Note: the size of a context file grows proportionally to the length of the channel background. When the length of the channel background reaches 1671 Kb, the size of the context file stabilizes and can vary within the range: 1.5 .... 1.9 Mb. EXAMPLE: ACB b john"office.jon john.txt - John transmitted to the office a renewed text, ACB r john"john.ofs - the office unpacked the transmitted text. In the given example the name of the context file is convenient to be interpreted as address, for John it has the name "office.jon" and in the office the name "john.ofs". OR: ACB Bf3pFANTOMAS john"office.jon john.txt ACB rFANTOMAS john"john.ofs c:\john\let The same but in the multivolume_FAST_mode and with the use of the EP_mode. --- UPGRATE OF SOFTWARE BY "TAUGHT CHANNEL" - MODE: --- "TAUGHT CHANNEL" - MODE can be used in replacing old versions of software by new versions. General idea: User has an old version of your software. The difference of a new version from an old version is not more than 10% of code and 10% of documentation. If you organize your distribution by modules with the size not more than 1.2 Mb of initial data, "TAUGHT CHANNEL"-MODE can be used to update the software of your users. The size of the ACB-archives containing a new version of your software will be 4-8 times less compared to compression without the use of the "TAUGHT CHANNEL" - MODE. EXAMPLE: You have the version ACB_1.23c. In order to give you the new version ACB_1.29b I create the ACB-archive with the use of the "TAUGHT CHANNEL" - MODE: ---- Create.bat ---- rem ACB.EXE - ACB_v1.23c ACB u tmp"acb.ctx acb.exe del tmp.acb rem acb129b.exe - ACB_v1.29b ACB u acb129b"acb.ctx acb129b.exe del acb.ctx -------------------- As a result we receive the following: ---------------------------- acb129b.acb <12292 bytes> against <35575 bytes> ---------------------------- Now you can unpack and will have the new version ACB_1.29b: ---- Restore.bat ---- rem ACB.EXE - ACB_v1.23c ACB u tmp"acb.ctx acb.exe del tmp.acb ACB r acb129b"acb.ctx del acb.ctx ------------------------- AGREEMENTS: --------------------------------------- ACB - does not have a possibility to add/take out one or several files in/out of the archive - only all the data. - Files with attributes: hidden, system, read_only are placed to archive too - Sizes of the compressed data are not limited, but the maximum separate file size is 64 Mb. - Maximum number of files in the archive is 4096. - Maximum size of the title is 256 Kb (PATH(s)\NAME(s).EXT(s)\ATTRIBUTE(s)). - Commands: l,p,c,d can be used in the "Taught Channel"-mode - In using FAST-mode (command "B") the speed of compression/decompression increases by 1.5 times but the sizes of the archives increase by 2-3% . - In using MAX.-mode (command "u") the speed of compression/decompression decreases by 1.5 times and the sizes of the archives decrease by 0.3...1%. - In using EP-mode (command "p") the sizes of the archives increase by 3.2 %. - Formats of previous versions are not supported. Creating a multivolume archive the following agreements are observed: - 1Kb == 1024 bytes - Name of the first volume *.00b...second *.01b...eleventh *.0ab...last *.acb - Unpacking begins with *.00b - If there is not enough disk space multivolume archive is created automatically! - For EP-mode (Errors Protection) names *.??b are renamed *.??p - For EP-mode always "multivolume archive" mode is set (by default size of volume is 13 Mb, if nothing else or more than 13 Mb is set) -------------------------- CONTENTS: -------------------------------------- ACB.EXE ACB-compressor v.1.29b (Shareware Version) ZIP2ACB.BAT convertor *.ZIP --> *.ACB README.TXT text of this file --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ==================== The Registered Version of this program can be purchased and received immediately on the Internet at Albert's Ambry. Registration at Albert's also eliminates shipping and handling costs. Please go to: http://www.alberts.com Search on: acb_129b.zip Click on the "Buy It" Hotlink to register this software. Thank you for registering this program. ==================== George Buyanovsky Internet E-mail: new < acb@online.ru > , old < george@acb.alma-ata.su > 11.30.1996