This directory contains some programs that will help you to "contiguize" a 
fragmented file.

There are basically 3 Digital-supplied methods of allocating disk space:

1. /CONTIGUOUS which will fail if the entire allocation quantity is 
   unavailable as one piece.

2. /CONTIGUOUS_BEST_TRY won't fail, but will give up if it can't allocate the 
   space in 3 pieces or less.  When CBT gives up, it resorts to method number 3.
   No message is given if it gives up.

3. (Default)  Space is allocated starting at the beginning of the disk and 
   continuing until enough space is allocated.

The programs contained here provide you with some tools to implement your 
own space allocation scheme.

The original program, BIGCONTIG.ORIGINAL came from the Digital Software
Information Network. All DSIN articles are copyrighted, but we were 
enthusiastically granted permision to distribute the article on the SIG tape.
As mentioned, it is available via DSIN (I think it was filed under Symptoms and
solutions, VMS 4.n, keyword = CONTIGUOUS.) The program was written by Ken
Blaylock and Jerry Wood of the Digital Customer Support Center in Colorado
Springs.  The full title of the DSIN article is, "Example Program To Find
Largest Contiguous Space On A Disk". 

The program works by first finding out how big the disk is.  It then uses an ACP
QIO to create a file that is as large as the entire disk.  Unless you  have a
very empty disk, the create will fail (if through some quirk the file gets
created, the program will delete it.)  The program then prints a message telling
how big the largest contiguous space is. If you have quotas enabled on your
disk, you will need EXQUOTA privilege to run the program.  Presumably a very
large quota would also do. 

For my own use, I changed the program into a subroutine which is passed 
the name of the disk and returns the largest contiguous space.  The 
subroutine is in the file BIGCONTIG.MAR.  A main program that drives the 
subroutine and handles the user interogation is in CONTIGUIZE.MAR.  
CONTIGUIZE makes repeated calls to the subroutine to find out how big the 
remaining largest free space on the disk is.  It then allocates that space for
the  output file.  This is repeated until there is enough space allocated to the
output  file.  The input file is then copied to the output file. 

*** NOTE *** This program should not be used indiscriminately, since it tends to
gobble up the large pieces of contiguous space on your disk which might be
needed later.  I recommend that you only use it for performance-critical files
and only as a work-around until you can compress your disk. 

For most people, CONTIGUIZE will have to be installed with EXQUOTA privilege.
The command syntax for CONTIGUIZE is: 

$ CONTIGUIZE[/switches] input_file [output_file]

Where "/switches" can be any of the following:

/ALLOCATE=nnnn
	Instructs contiguize to pre-allocate "nnnn" blocks of space for 
	the output file.  Default is input file size.

/[NO]SHOW_COUNT
	Instructs CONTIGUIZE to display a log of its activity.  Default is 
	to display the log.

"input_file" is the name of the file that is to be "contiguized".

"output_file" is the name of the "contiguized" output file.
	If "output_file" is omitted, the output file will have the same name but
	higher version as the input file.

You are free to contact me regarding these programs at:

Roger Jenkins
Wycliffe Bible Translators
19891 Beach Blvd.
Huntington Beach, CA 92703

(714) 536-9346


TCOPY is a fast tape to tape copy utility which is double buffered.
On dual controller systems, it moves the tape with amazing
speed. It asks what devices to use and is quite reliable.