MTC V49 PDF

DIPLOMAT
COPY
Tape Copy & Utility Program
Software Version : 4.9
Software Helpline - +44 (1689) 824777
Copyright (c) DPTS Ltd

Unit 2.02 Crayfields Industrial Park, Main Road, St Pauls Cray, Kent, BR5 3HP , England
Diplomat Copy User Manual

May 2005
Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction to Diplomat COPY ...............................................................................................................1
1.1 Description.......................................................................................................................................................1
1.2 Hardware and Software Requirements ............................................................................................................1
1.2.1 Computer System ......................................................................................................................................1
1.2.2 Supported Tape Devices and Tape Drivers ..............................................................................................1
1.2.3 Plotting .....................................................................................................................................................2
1.2.4 Online Help...............................................................................................................................................2
1.2.5 Assumed Knowledge .................................................................................................................................2
1.3 Licensing .........................................................................................................................................................2
1.4 Environment Variables ....................................................................................................................................3
1.5 Site File............................................................................................................................................................3
1.6 Other DPTS Programs running under Windows..............................................................................................3
1.7 Update History.................................................................................................................................................4
1.7.1 Version 4.9 April 2005..............................................................................................................................4
1.7.2 Version 4.8 April 2004..............................................................................................................................4
1.7.3 Version 4.7 September 2003 .....................................................................................................................4
1.7.4 Version 4.6 October 2002 .........................................................................................................................5
1.7.5 Version 4.5 February 2002 .......................................................................................................................5
1.7.6 Version 4.4 July 2001 ...............................................................................................................................5
1.7.7 Version 4.2 December 2000......................................................................................................................5
1.8 Program Activation Methods...........................................................................................................................6
Chapter 2 User Guide ................................................................................................................................................7
2.1 Start-Up screen ................................................................................................................................................7
2.2 HOW TO READ A TAPE...............................................................................................................................7
2.2.1 Purpose of Reading...................................................................................................................................7
2.2.2 Associated Commands/Online Help .........................................................................................................7
2.2.3 Showing the Available Tape Devices........................................................................................................8
2.2.4 Assigning the Input Tape Device ..............................................................................................................8
2.2.5 The READ command.................................................................................................................................9
2.2.6 REWIND/UNLOAD/RELEASE commands...............................................................................................9
2.2.7 Controlling LISTING frequency .............................................................................................................10
2.2.8 Log file output.........................................................................................................................................10
2.3 HOW TO COPY A TAPE .............................................................................................................................10
2.3.1 Purpose of Copying ................................................................................................................................10
2.3.2 Associated Commands ............................................................................................................................10
2.3.3 Showing Available Tape Devices............................................................................................................11
2.3.4 Assigning the Output Tape Device..........................................................................................................11
2.3.5 The COPY command...............................................................................................................................11
2.3.6 REWIND/UNLOAD/RELEASE commands.............................................................................................12
2.3.7 Controlling LISTING frequency .............................................................................................................12
2.3.8 Log file output.........................................................................................................................................12
2.3.9 Reading back the Output Tape................................................................................................................12
2.4 HOW TO DUMP A TAPE ............................................................................................................................13
2.4.1 Purpose of Dumping ...............................................................................................................................13
2.4.2 Assigning the Input Tape ........................................................................................................................13
2.4.3 Showing Dump Parameter Settings ........................................................................................................13
2.4.4 The DUMP command .............................................................................................................................13
2.4.5 Limiting the Dump Quantity ...................................................................................................................13
2.4.6 Dumping to an Output File .....................................................................................................................14
2.4.7 Changing the Character Code................................................................................................................14
2.4.8 Interrupting the Dump ............................................................................................................................14
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2.4.9 Dump Display Layout .............................................................................................................................14

2.4.10 REWIND/UNLOAD/RELEASE commands...........................................................................................15
2.4.11 Dump Example Summary......................................................................................................................15
2.5 HOW TO COPY A BATCH OF TAPES ......................................................................................................15
2.5.1 One to One..............................................................................................................................................15
2.5.2 Many to One ...........................................................................................................................................16
2.5.3 One to Many ...........................................................................................................................................16
2.6 HOW TO SELECT FILES FROM MULTI-LINE TAPES...........................................................................16
2.6.1 BATCHCOPY 1-1 copying with multi-line input tapes. ........................................................................17
2.6.2 BATCHCOPY M-1 copying with multi-line input tapes. ......................................................................17
Chapter 3 Command Reference...............................................................................................................................18
3.1 Command Categories.....................................................................................................................................18
3.2 Command Category - Functions ....................................................................................................................18
3.2.1 Backupcopy.............................................................................................................................................18
3.2.2 Backupread .............................................................................................................................................19
3.2.3 Batchcopy ...............................................................................................................................................19
3.2.4 Checkfile .................................................................................................................................................20
3.2.5 Checkread...............................................................................................................................................21
3.2.6 Compare .................................................................................................................................................21
3.2.7 Copy........................................................................................................................................................22
3.2.8 Copyrode ................................................................................................................................................22
3.2.9 Dump ......................................................................................................................................................23
3.2.10 Indexcopy..............................................................................................................................................23
3.2.11 Labelcopy..............................................................................................................................................24
3.2.12 Labelread..............................................................................................................................................24
3.2.13 Multicopy ..............................................................................................................................................25
3.2.14 Read ......................................................................................................................................................25
3.2.15 Readrode...............................................................................................................................................26
3.2.16 Rodecopy ..............................................................................................................................................26
3.2.17 Split.......................................................................................................................................................26
3.3 Command Category - Control........................................................................................................................27
3.3.1 Reset........................................................................................................................................................27
3.3.2 Rewind ....................................................................................................................................................27
3.3.3 Skip .........................................................................................................................................................27
3.3.4 Unload ....................................................................................................................................................27
3.3.5 Weof ........................................................................................................................................................28
3.4 Command Category - Assign.........................................................................................................................28
3.4.1 Input........................................................................................................................................................28
3.4.2 Output .....................................................................................................................................................28
3.4.3 Release....................................................................................................................................................29
3.4.4 Set ...........................................................................................................................................................29
3.4.5 Unit2 .......................................................................................................................................................29
3.4.6 Unit3 .......................................................................................................................................................30
3.5 Command Category - Parameter....................................................................................................................30
3.5.1 Buffersize ................................................................................................................................................30
3.5.2 Defaults...................................................................................................................................................31
3.5.3 Drop........................................................................................................................................................31
3.5.4 Idoffset ....................................................................................................................................................31
3.5.5 Listing .....................................................................................................................................................32
3.5.6 Lnspoffset................................................................................................................................................32
3.5.7 Logfile.....................................................................................................................................................33
3.5.8 Parameters..............................................................................................................................................33
3.5.9 Reel .........................................................................................................................................................34
3.5.10 Retry......................................................................................................................................................34
3.5.11 Rode ......................................................................................................................................................35
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3.5.12 Spoffset..................................................................................................................................................35
3.5.13 Terminator ............................................................................................................................................35
3.5.14 Translate ...............................................................................................................................................36
3.5.15 Zero.......................................................................................................................................................36
3.6 Command Category - Info .............................................................................................................................36
3.6.1 Directory.................................................................................................................................................36
3.6.2 Help ........................................................................................................................................................37
3.6.3 Show........................................................................................................................................................37
3.7 Command Category - Others .........................................................................................................................38
3.7.1 Exit..........................................................................................................................................................38
3.7.2 Jobinfo ....................................................................................................................................................38
3.7.3 System .....................................................................................................................................................38
3.7.4 Test .........................................................................................................................................................38
3.7.5 Text .........................................................................................................................................................39
3.8 Command Category - TAR............................................................................................................................39
3.8.1 Tarlist......................................................................................................................................................39
3.8.2 Tarinp .....................................................................................................................................................40
3.8.3 Tarout .....................................................................................................................................................40
3.8.4 Tarextract ...............................................................................................................................................41
Chapter 4 Miscellaneous Topics..............................................................................................................................42
4.1 File Versioning ..............................................................................................................................................42
Appendix A Disk-file Encapsulation Formats.........................................................................................................43
A.1 Disk-file Encapsulation Formats...................................................................................................................43
A.1.1 ARC........................................................................................................................................................43
A.1.2 TIF .........................................................................................................................................................43
A.1.3 MTD.......................................................................................................................................................43
A.1.4 BIN.........................................................................................................................................................43
A.1.5 SGY ........................................................................................................................................................43
A.1.6 TXT ........................................................................................................................................................44
Appendix B Tape Device Characteristics ................................................................................................................45
Appendix C Tape Device Management...................................................................................................................46
C.1 Displaying the Available Tape Devices ........................................................................................................46
C.2 Making a Tape Drive Available ....................................................................................................................46
C.3 DPTS_MEM Memory Allocator...................................................................................................................47
Appendix D AUXILIARY FILES...........................................................................................................................48
D.1 Index Files ....................................................................................................................................................48
D.2 Runlist Files ..................................................................................................................................................49
D.2.1 SELECT Program - Generating Runlist Files for SP Selection .............................................................50
Appendix E DIALOG BOX REFERENCE.............................................................................................................51
E.1 General Parameters Dialog............................................................................................................................51
E.2 INDEXCOPY, BACKUPCOPY, BACKUPREAD Settings Dialog.............................................................52
E.3 DUMP Parameters Dialog.............................................................................................................................53
E.4 RODE Parameter Dialog ...............................................................................................................................54
E.5 CHECKREAD Trace Header Definition Dialog...........................................................................................55
E.6 BATCHCOPY Dialog...................................................................................................................................57
E.7 SEGY to SEGY Settings Dialog ...................................................................................................................60
E.8 SEGD to SEGD Settings Dialog ...................................................................................................................64
E.9 Input Disk File Specification Dialog.............................................................................................................66
E.10 Output Disk File Specification Dialog ........................................................................................................66
E.11 BATCHCOPY Plotting Parameters Dialog.................................................................................................67
E.12 XVU-Parameter Dialog...............................................................................................................................69
E.13 TAREXTRACT Dialog...............................................................................................................................71
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Chapter 1 Introduction to Diplomat COPY

This section explains the features of the DPTS copy and utility program (Diplomat COPY).
1.1 Description
DIPLOMAT COPY is a flexible copying program suitable for small or large-scale projects. It handles a variety of
devices and media types - ancient and modern - commonly found in the geophysical exploration industry such as 9track, 21-track, 7-track and cartridges. It can be used to reduce data volumes by concatenating to higher density
media. Seismic record lengths (i.e. long) are fully supported.
Data can be recovered successfully from badly recorded or deteriorating media. Auditing can be performed to assess
the condition of media. Hexadecimal dumps can be produced to allow detailed examination down to the bit level for
format analysis. Comparison checks can be made to verify copies.
Index files suitable for loading into a database or spreadsheet can be produced describing media content. The
original record structure as on tape is preserved during copying. File encapsulation can be performed to facilitate
disk file interchange. Record encapsulation can be performed to optimise media capacity.
Cartridge stackers are supported to minimise operator workload and achieve maximum throughput. Copying can be
driven from batch lists although this is not a requirement. Transcription speed is limited only by the hardware.
Plotting of SEGY and SEGD formats is optionally performed for online QC.
A rich variety of support functions and parameters is available to tailor the program to the particular needs of the
user, project and data.
1.2 Hardware and Software Requirements

1.2.1 Computer System
The following describes the minimum system required to run Diplomat COPY.
Intel compatible Single-CPU
Operating system - Windows NT V4 SP3+, Windows 2000/XP
SCSI Host Adaptor - Adaptec families preferred
Network Interface Card must be present for Ethernet licensing
USB hardware key (issued by DPTS) must be present for USB licensing
Parallel port hardware key (issued by DPTS) must be present for parallel port licensing
1.2.2 Supported Tape Devices and Tape Drivers

Generally, any tape device with a SCSI interface is supported. However, for long record capability and enhanced
error recovery it is recommended that tape device drivers written by DPTS are used. The current range of supported
tape devices is as follows:
7-track half-inch open-reel

9-track half-inch open-reel
21-track one-inch open-reel
IBM-3480 half-inch cartridge
IBM-3580 half-inch cartridge (LTO Ultrium)
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EXABYTE 8mm cartridge
Mammoth 8mm cartridge
DLT half-inch cartridge
Sony DTF cartridge
DAT, Sony DTF, QIC
It is generally a simple matter for DPTS to incorporate new devices by writing a specific tape driver for that device.
Available DPTS tape drivers are listed below:
DPTS_3480_V5 - IBM 3480-style cartridge

DPTS_3580_V5 - IBM 3580-style cartridge (LTO Ultrium)
DPTS_3410_V5 - Qualstar 3410 9-track open-reel
DPTS_9914_V5 - STK 9914 9-track open-reel
DPTS_EXB_V5 - EXABYTE-style and Mammoth
DPTS_DLT_V5 - DLT
DPTS_DTF_V5 - Sony DTF
DPTS_PT97_V5 - 7-track,9-track,21-track
DPTS_UNK_V5 - DAT, QIC
DPTS_MEM_V5 - allocates contiguous physical memory for tape block transfers greater then 64Kb. See
DPTS_MEM Memory Allocator in the Appendix.
Note that the driver names above are for Windows 2000 and Windows XP. For Windows NT Version 4 the driver
names do not have the "_V5" suffix.
1.2.3 Plotting
For the plotting features of the Diplomat COPY program to work, the DPTS program XVU.EXE must be present in
the directory pointed at by the DPTS_EXE environment variable. XVU is run by Diplomat COPY as a detached
process to handle any plotting.
1.2.4 Online Help

For the online help features of Diplomat COPY to work, the "help" file MTC4_BC_HELP.HLP must be present in
the directory pointed at by the DPTS_EXE environment variable. Note that this help file is still undergoing
development and does not include all the documentation.
1.2.5 Assumed Knowledge

It is assumed that the user has sufficient knowledge of the seismic tape formats and navigation tape formats defined
by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (S.E.G.), and of hexadecimal dumps, in order to establish correct
parameters. Familiarity with the Windows NT/2000/XP operating system is also required.
1.3 Licensing
All major DPTS software products require a licence. Products can be licensed in three ways: by Ethernet card, by
USB hardware key, or by parallel port hardware key. There are two components to this licence: the CPU Licence
Key file and the Product Licence Key file. The CPU Licence Key file covers all DPTS software products running on
one system and is called "DPTSREG.LIC". The Product Licence Key file covers a single product and is called
"product.KEY" for Ethernet licences, "product_USB.KEY" for USB licences or "product_PAR.KEY" for parallel
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port licences. "product" is the name of the DPTS software product.

Diplomat COPY is a licensed product and cannot be run without both a CPU Licence Key File and a Product
Licence Key file. The Product Licence Key file can be generated by running DPTS program REGLIC3 and entering
additional information supplied by DPTS. The Product Licence Key file is called "MTC4.KEY",
"MTC4_USB.KEY" or "MTC4_PAR.KEY". The CPU Licence Key file can also be generated by REGLIC3.
The licence depends on the System Time being correctly set, and on the presence of an Ethernet network interface
card, a USB hardware key, or a parallel port hardware key. Windows NT/2000/XP bases System Time on
"Universal Co-ordinated Time" (UTC) which is defined as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Local Time is the date
and time for your time zone. Changes should only be made to Local Time.
The Licence Key files must reside in the directory (folder) pointed to by the DPTS_LIC environment variable.
Environment variables are described in a later section.
The file HASPMS32.DLL must be copied to the directory pointed to by the DPTS_EXE environment variable or
MTC4 will not run.
1.4 Environment Variables

Certain environment variables must be defined before the program can be run. These point to where the DPTS
executable files (programs) are kept and to where the DPTS Licence Key files reside. The environment variables
which need to be given values are DPTS_EXE, DPTS_LIC and DPTS_HLP. The example below shows typical
values:
DPTS_EXE = F:\DPTS\DPTSEXE\
DPTS_LIC = F:\DPTS\DPTSLIC\
DPTS_HLP = F:\DPTS\DPTSHLP\
where "F" is the disk drive letter. Note that the trailing "\" is important, and note that these variables are not search
paths.
1.5 Site File

A site file is a text file describing the site where the DPTS software is being used. At present, the site file should
contain the name of the company as a single word. For example, the site file at DPTS contains the single word:
"DPTS". It is used by software to decide which client-specific defaults should be presented to the user. The site file
resides in the same directory as the licence key files - DPTS_LIC - and is called DPTSSITE.TXT. DPTS program
MTC4 allows you to create a site file if none exists. Alternatively, you can used NOTEPAD or a text editor to create
one.
1.6 Other DPTS Programs running under Windows

Other DPTS programs running under Windows
MTC4 - Tape Copy and Utility program (DIPLOMAT COPY)
DMX5 - Seismic Tape Demultiplexing program (DIPLOMAT DMX). Handles SEGA, SEGB, SEGC,
SEGD, and all known variations such as Sercel. Outputs to SEGD or SEGY. Vibroseis correlation.
Navigation data merging (3D). QC plotting.
YVU - Trace sequential SEGD or SEGY QC plotting program.
SEGDCHK - SEGD format checking and indexing program.
SEGYCHK - SEGY format checking and indexing program.
SEGYNAV - Merges shot positions into SEGY header (2D).
LOGMAN - Well-Log Manager program. Performs utility functions such as reformatting, listing,
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extracting files, curves and depth ranges. Reads DLIS, LIS, BIT, LAS, etc. Writes DLIS, LIS, LAS and
SEGY.
WELLMAN - Well-Log Automatic digitising program. Vectorises raster images.
UKLIST - Navigation Format Utility program. Lists, converts UKOOA and SEGP.
MAPLOT - Navigation Plotting program.
REGLIC3 - DPTS Licence Key registration program.
SHOWETH - Network interface card network address display program.
DPTSCHK - Checks DPTS environment parameters and setup.
PURGE - Deletes all but highest numbered version of a file.
SELECT - Allows generation of runlists using a SP selection list and DPTS index files.
DPMUTIL - DPTS Production Monitoring system utility program.
1.7 Update History

This section describes the new features which have appeared in the various versions of DIPLOMAT COPY.
1.7.1 Version 4.9 April 2005
New SEGY settings parameter: "Confirm no. of data and aux traces"
New RODE parameters: "Ignore checksum bit" and "Full diagnostic"
More sophisticated wildcard specification for TAROUT. Allows you to select files from sub-directories.
Preserves full file spec in TAR file.
Implemented new "select by area using mid-point" SEGY Selection settings parameter.
Implemented new "select by area using specified locations" SEGY Selection settings parameter.
SEGY settings parameter "Relaxed check" now does not check data and aux counts.
New XVU - now annotates Shotpoint numbers.
1.7.2 Version 4.8 April 2004
New "One to Many" BATCHCOPY tape ratio parameter. Allows you to copy from high density media to
low density media, preserving SEGY headers, etc.
New TAREXTRACT command
Disk file names specified on the command line can now contain spaces, when surrounded by double
quotes.
New option on SEGY settings dialog: "SEGY Header retention tape frequency". This allows you to keep
every nth header which would otherwise be dropped if compatible. Allows you to limit the size of the files
on an output.
Implemented SEGY selection by SEL_FILE for SEGY.
Implemented SEGY selection by area - using a polygon rather than xmin/xmax/ymin/ymax.
Implemented DPTS Production Monitoring system
1.7.3 Version 4.7 September 2003
New licensing system introduced (USB, Parallel or Ethernet)

BATCHCOPY now handles multi-line input tapes. Multiple entries per output tape allowed in run-list
New BATCHCOPY parameter "Automatic QC" which allows the index file to be cross-checked with the
tapelist to produce a QCn file (like MTQC)
SEGY selection parameters extended
TARINP and TAROUT now have a "COPY ALL" option
TARINP and TARLIST now handle BAR format (an older TAR)
New RODE parameter to Concatenate if physical length shorter than expected. Allows reading of "chopped
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up" long records.

SHOW DEVICES command now displays the operating system version
New parameter: drop/keep/ask on parity error
New retry option for zero-length records
New blank tape action options
1.7.4 Version 4.6 October 2002
COPYRODE command enhanced to split RODE files

You can now restart mid-RODE tape - the SUL is saved between mounts
Data to be copied can be selected by X/Y coordinates during BATCHCOPY
Site file introduced
1.7.5 Version 4.5 February 2002
General Parameters dialog changed and now has online help

Enable CHECKREAD during COPY and READ
Allow editing of SEGY headers during BATCHCOPY and COPY
DROP command functionality changed
"Consecutive EOF's" functionality for COPYRODE command
BATCHCOPY SEGD now copies and displays SEGD revision 2 headers
Various minor bug fixes
1.7.6 Version 4.4 July 2001
New "Drop" command added to mimic the functionality of the existing "Drop duplicate blocks" option in
the General Parameters dialog.
New "Test" command. Allows write-tests to be performed for media capacity checking.
Old "Media" command has been removed
New Batchcopy SEGY settings:
Drop reel headers if compatible - Relaxed check
Defer writing last partial ensemble - Ask
Batchcopy dialog - new option: "Rewind output on restart"
New Dump parameters: "Frequency" and "Frequency scope". Allows dumping of every nth tape block.
General Parameters dialog - "Checkread" button replaces "Job" button. Allows modification of Checkread
parameters.
New field recognised in tapelist import file called "SEL_FILE" for specifying file (record) ranges to copy.
When plotting to a disk file, plot-windows are not retained.
Various minor bug fixes
1.7.7 Version 4.2 December 2000

BATCHCOPY command added
PARAMETERS command added
Plotting facility for SEGD and SEGY added
HELP file introduced
It is recommended that you now use the BATCHCOPY command rather than the INDEXCOPY, BACKUPCOPY,
BACKUPREAD and MULTICOPY commands. BATCHCOPY provides equivalent functionality to these
commands. It is recommended that you now use the PARAMETERS command instead of the DEFAULTS
command.
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1.8 Program Activation Methods

The Diplomat COPY program should always reside in the folder pointed to by the "DPTS_EXE" environment
variable (typically, F:\DPTS\DPTSEXE ) and is called MTC4.EXE. The program can be activated in various ways
depending on how your system is configured. To activate the program from the Windows NT/2000/XP command
prompt window, enter the full path name at the command prompt, for example, "F:\DPTS\DPTSEXE\MTC4". If
"F:\DPTS\DPTSEXE" has been included in the search path then simply entering MTC4 will activate the program.
To see what directories have been included in the search path enter "PATH" at the Windows NT/2000/XP command
prompt. See the Microsoft documentation on how to set up the search path, or type "PATH /?" at the Windows
NT/2000/XP command prompt. If a shortcut has been set up to run DIPLOMAT Copy, simply clicking on its icon
will activate the program.
If plotting is required, DPTS program XVU.EXE must also reside in the DPTS_EXE directory. For online HELP
(still undergoing development) the help file MTC4_BC_HELP.HLP must also reside there.
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Chapter 2 User Guide

2.1 Start-Up screen
When the program is activated, the program version and build date are displayed on the screen. This information
should be quoted in any communication with DPTS if it is suspected that a software problem has occurred. A series
of questions is then asked concerning the default location of any output files produced by the program and
concerning the log file name. The questions and typical responses are shown below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------Diplomat Copy Version V4.9 (M0542071126) Copyright (c) 1996-2005 by DPTS Ltd
---------------------------------------------------------------------------Enter new directory (def = F:\DATA):
Current directory set to F:\DATA
Enter log file name (def = SCRATCH.MTCOPY):
File SCRATCH.MTCOPY already exists
Overwrite, Append, re-enter Filename, new Version, or Quit (O/A/F/V/Q) (def=V):
The "Enter new directory" prompt allows you to override the current default directory location. Any files generated
by the program will be located in the selected directory. A check is made to ensure that the chosen directory already
exists.
The "Enter log file name" prompt allows you to specify a name for the log file. The log file will contain a record of
all commands entered and any informational output produced by the program. In common with other DPTS
programs, any files generated by DIPLOMAT COPY support File Versioning. This is a safety feature that
eliminates accidentally overwriting a file. If you try to create a file that already exists, DIPLOMAT COPY will
rename the existing file by appending a version number to the filename. In the example above, it can be seen that the
file name "SCRATCH.MTCOPY" already exists. For safety, the default to the prompt is "V", so that a new version
of the file is created.
2.2 HOW TO READ A TAPE

This section describes how to read a tape using the READ command function by way of an example. It also
demonstrates associated commands and parameters that influence the reading operation.
2.2.1 Purpose of Reading

A read is perhaps the simplest form of tape operation. Reading a tape is useful because it allows you to examine the
physical structure, troubleshoot problem tapes, and generally verify the contents. During a read, the length of each
tape block is displayed, parity errors listed, and any physical errors (like blank tape) brought to light. Also, statistics
are displayed describing the quantity of data read. The physical structure shows how the tape volume is organised
into tape blocks and file marks and in most cases can reveal the tape format. A tape is usually terminated by two
consecutive file marks. Any data following these filemarks is generally of no interest. Note that the READ
command function does not preserve any actual tape data.
2.2.2 Associated Commands/Online Help

The DIPLOMAT COPY commands used in the example in this section are:
HELP
SHOW DEVICES
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INPUT
LISTING
READ
REWIND
UNLOAD
RELEASE
IDOFFSET
ctrl/c
Note that all command names and any keywords used to qualify the commands can be abbreviated, so long as their
meaning is not ambiguous. For clarity, commands are not abbreviated in this documentation. These are described in
more detail in the online help facility and in the Command Reference. To obtain online help for the LISTING
command, enter "HELP LISTING". To obtain a list of available commands simply enter HELP. To obtain help on
any command enter "HELP" followed by the command of interest.
2.2.3 Showing the Available Tape Devices

It is useful to see what tape devices are available on the system and what their names are. This can be done by using
the SHOW DEVICES command. A display similar to the following will appear.
Command: SHOW DEVICES
Operating system: Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6 Build 1381
Type
Addr
WORM
TAPE
TAPE
TAPE
TAPE
TAPE
DISK
CD
A100
A200
A201
A400
A500
A600
B000
B500
Devnam Onl
Tape0
Tape1
Tape2
Tape3
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Vendor
Product
Rev.
Inquiry Header
YAMAHA
STK
STK
EXABYTE
HP
EXABYTE
QUANTUM
TOSHIBA
CDR100
4280
4280
EXB-850085QANXRC
HP35470A
EXB-85058SQANXR1
FIREBALL1080S
CD-ROM XM-5301TA
1.10
2730
2730
06X0
1009
0781
1Q09
1895
04
01
01
01
01
01
00
05
80
80
80
80
80
80
00
80
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
27
33
33
65
23
65
7D
5B
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
18
18
10
18
10
18
98
This shows all the available SCSI devices on your system, which includes magnetic disks, CD's, and tapes. See
Tape Device Management in the Appendix for more information on these devices, and how to connect new ones.
We are interested only in tape devices, those with "TAPE" in the "Type" column. The "Onl" column (Online) must
be "Y" for the device to be available for use. If the device you require is not online, see Tape Device Management
in the Appendix for further information on how to make it available. The "Vendor" and "Product" columns describe
the device.
To obtain a hardcopy listing enter the following:
Command: SHOW DEVICES LOGFILE
2.2.4 Assigning the Input Tape Device

Once you have identified the tape device you require, A201, for example, you need to make it known to
DIPLOMAT COPY. To make it an input device use the "INPUT" command as follows:
Command: INPUT MKA201
Note that the device address is prefixed with "MK". Once you have entered this command a series of questions is
asked to obtain the tape device characteristics. These characteristics differ between device types, the questions asked
for an EXABYTE are different to those asked for an IBM 3590. A full list of possible questions is described in Tape
Device Characteristics in the Appendix. Normally, you can default all these questions, however, you must ensure
that the "Blocksize" characteristic is set to zero, at present.
-8-

May 2005
2.2.5 The READ command

Once the input drive has been assigned, you are ready to read the input tape as follows:
Command: READ TO DEOF
This will cause the tape to be read until two consecutive file marks are encountered. (DEOF stands for "doubleEOF" - double end-of-file mark.). To interrupt the READ operation before it has finished, press the CTRL/C key
combination. Pressing CTRL/C will cause you to be asked whether you wish to continue or abort. The length of
each tape block is displayed as the read progresses. An example display, with CTRL/C pressed after 10 blocks, is as
follows:
Command: READ TO DEOF
Length =
3200 ID = C340F140 (
Length =
400 ID = 000003EB (
Length =
6508 ID = 00000001 (
Length =
6508 ID = 00000002 (
Length =
6508 ID = 00000003 (
Length =
6508 ID = 00000004 (
Length =
6508 ID = 00000005 (
Length =
6508 ID = 00000006 (
Length =
6508 ID = 00000007 (
Length =
6508 ID = 00000008 (
Operation terminated by operator
Data successfully transferred = (
Transfer total 55664 bytes, 0.05 Mb,
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
0,
10,
0.0001 Gb
1)
2)
3)
4), Parity
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
10)
The columns in the display are:

Length
ID
- the length in bytes of the tape block

- the first 4 bytes of data from the block displayed in
hexadecimal format (as set by the IDOFFSET command)
(x, y, z) - These three items are:
x - the file counter (all blocks encountered before the
first EOF are considered to belong to file 1)
y - the block-within-file counter (reset to zero when an
EOF is encountered)
z - the block counter since the read function was initiated
"Operation terminated by operator" indicates that the operation was interrupted by CTRL/C. "Data successfully
transferred" shows the final counter total. "Transfer total" shows the quantity of data read expressed in bytes, Megabytes, and Giga-bytes, respectively. Note that a parity error occurred on block number 4, indicated by "Parity" in the
display listing.
If you do not want to read to the DEOF, but just want to read a number of tape blocks, then other forms of the
READ command are:
Command: READ 12
Command: READ 12 BLOCKS
Command: READ 50 FILES
The first two forms will read 12 tape blocks and then stop. The third will read until 50 EOF marks have been
encountered before stopping. Click READ command for more information.
2.2.6 REWIND/UNLOAD/RELEASE commands

To rewind the tape to the beginning-of-tape reflective marker (BOT), enter the REWIND command as follows:
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May 2005
Command: REWIND
DIPLOMAT COPY will wait for the tape to rewind before giving control back to you unless you specify the
"NOWAIT" command qualifier:
Command: REWIND NOWAIT
The input tape drive remains assigned to DIPLOMAT COPY after this command. Use the "UNLOAD" command
(which is similar to the "REWIND" command) to physically dismount or eject the media from the drive. After an
"UNLOAD" command the drive has to be re-assigned before use. The "RELEASE" command is similar to the
"UNLOAD" command in that the drive is de-assigned, but differs in that the tape is not rewound to BOT and the
media is not ejected. Click REWIND command, or UNLOAD command, or RELEASE command for more
information.
2.2.7 Controlling LISTING frequency

In this example, which is a read of a SEGY format tape, rather a lot of display listing will be produced because the
blocks are of short length. It is advisable, therefore, to make use of the "LISTING" command that controls the
frequency of listing. Because no listing option was used in our example, the default listing value is equivalent to the
"LISTING ALL" command, which lists every block. (To see what listing options have been set, use the
<a=href=#show_commandSHOW command or <a=href=#show_commandSHOW PARAMETERS command.) For
SEGY format, it is common to use the "LISTING CHANGE" option that only lists a tape block if its length has
changed from the previous block, or if it's an EOF, or if a parity error occurred. Click LISTING command for more
information.
2.2.8 Log file output

Most of what is displayed on the screen is also written to the log file. The log file is created when DIPLOMAT
COPY is activated and was described earlier in this chapter. Any commands or command qualifiers that were
abbreviated are expanded before being written to the log file for clarity. The "LISTING" command can be used to
control what is written to the log file independently to that displayed on the screen.
2.3 HOW TO COPY A TAPE

This section describes how to copy a tape using the COPY function by way of an example. It also demonstrates
associated commands and parameters that influence the copying operation. There is very little difference between
reading and copying and most of the information described in the How to Read a Tape section applies equally to
copying. The significant difference is that we are going to use an output tape, and use the COPY command instead
of the READ command. The syntax of the COPY command is very similar to that of the READ command.
Characteristics will be different for setting up the output drive. For example, you are prompted for the density at
which to write.
2.3.1 Purpose of Copying

Copying allows you to produce an identical copy of an input tape. It also allows you to reduce the data volume by
choosing a higher capacity output medium or by selecting a higher density output device characteristic.
2.3.2 Associated Commands

In addition to the commands associated with the READ command, the DIPLOMAT COPY commands discussed in
the example in this section are:
OUTPUT
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May 2005
COPY
REWIND
UNLOAD
RELEASE
2.3.3 Showing Available Tape Devices

This is described in the How to Read a Tape section and Tape Device Management.
2.3.4 Assigning the Output Tape Device

Once you have identified the output tape device you require, A200, for example, you need to make it known to
DIPLOMAT COPY. To make it an output device use the "OUTPUT" command as follows:
Command: OUTPUT MKA200
Note that the device address is prefixed with "MK". The tape media must be present and ready before issuing the
OUTPUT command. Once you have entered this command a series of questions is asked to obtain the tape device
characteristics. These characteristics differ between device types, the questions asked for an EXABYTE are
different to those asked for an IBM 3590. A full list of possible questions is described in Tape Device
Characteristics in the Appendix. Normally, you can default all these questions, however, you must ensure that the
"Blocksize" characteristic is set to zero, at present.
2.3.5 The COPY command

Once the input and output drives have been assigned, you are ready to copy the input tape to the output tape as
follows:
Command: COPY TO DEOF
This will cause the input tape to be read and the output tape to be written until two consecutive file marks are
encountered. (DEOF stands for "double-EOF" - double end-of-file mark.) To interrupt the COPY operation before it
has finished, press the CTRL/C key combination. Pressing CTRL/C will cause you to be asked whether you wish to
continue or abort. Like the READ command, the length of each tape block read is displayed as the copy progresses.
When a DEOF has been copied, you will see the following message:
"Reversing output by one block"
This has the effect of leaving the output tape positioned between 2 EOF marks. If you have finished with the output
tape, the output tape is correctly terminated by the DEOF, and it can be unloaded. If you have not finished and wish
to concatenate more data onto it, then the output tape is correctly positioned for this also. When you start another
copying operation the 2nd EOF mark will be overwritten.
Command: COPY TO DEOF
Length =
3200
Length =
400
Length =
6508
Length =
6508
Length =
6508
Length =
6508
Length =
6508
Length =
6508
Length =
6508
Length =
6508
End-of-File
End-of-File
ID
ID
ID
ID
ID
ID
ID
ID
ID
ID
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
C340F140
000003EB
00000001
00000002
00000003
00000004
00000005
00000006
00000007
00000008
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
- 11 -
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
2,
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
1,
1)
2)
3)
4), Parity
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11) (55664 bytes)
12) (0 bytes)

May 2005
Reversing output by one block

Data successfully transferred = (
2,
0,
Transfer total 55664 bytes, 0.05 Mb, 0.0001 Gb
12)
Note that whenever an EOF mark is encountered, the total number of bytes within the file is displayed.
If you do not want to copy to the DEOF, but just want to copy a number of tape blocks, then other forms of the
COPY command are:
Command: COPY 12
Command: COPY 12 BLOCKS
Command: COPY 50 FILES
The first two forms will copy 12 tape blocks and then stop. The third will copy until 50 EOF marks have been
encountered before stopping.

If you have more than one drive assigned, you must specify which drive or drives you wish to rewind, unload or
release. If only one is assigned, then there is no need to specify which drive.
To rewind the input tape to the beginning-of-tape reflective marker (BOT), enter the REWIND command as follows:
Command: REWIND INPUT
To rewind both the input tape and the output tape enter the REWIND command as follows:
Command: REWIND INPUT OUTPUT
If you don't want to wait for the rewind to complete, specify the "NOWAIT" command qualifier as follows:
Command: REWIND NOWAIT INPUT OUTPUT
The UNLOAD and RELEASE commands operate in a similar fashion to the REWIND command. Click REWIND
command, or UNLOAD command, or RELEASE command for more information.
2.3.7 Controlling LISTING frequency

This is described in the How to Read a Tape section.
2.3.8 Log file output

This is described in the How to Read a Tape section.
2.3.9 Reading back the Output Tape

If you wish to read the output tape without explicitly assigning it as an input tape, you can use the optional drivespecifier in the READ command. For example, to read from the drive allocated as the output drive use the following
forms of the READ command:
Command: READ OUTPUT 10 BLOCKS
Command: READ OUTPUT TO DEOF
The first will read and list 10 blocks from the OUTPUT tape. The second will read from the OUTPUT tape until a
DEOF is encountered.
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May 2005
2.4 HOW TO DUMP A TAPE

This section describes how to dump a tape using the DUMP command function by way of example. It also
demonstrates associated commands and parameters which influence the dumping operation. For detailed DUMP
command syntax, enter "HELP DUMP" for online help.
2.4.1 Purpose of Dumping

Dumping allows you to produce a hexadecimal representation of the data contained within a tape block. Translation
of any character codes (such as ASCII and EBCDIC) can also be displayed. It can help in identifying the tape format
as well as trouble-shooting tape format problems.
2.4.2 Assigning the Input Tape

An INPUT tape drive needs to be assigned before dumping can proceed. This is described in the "How to Read a
Tape" section.
2.4.3 Showing Dump Parameter Settings

To show the current settings of the dump parameters enter:
Command: SHOW DUMP
A display (showing the default settings) similar to the following is produced:

DUMP PARAMETERS
Offset 0, Size 99999999, Character ASCII, Group WORD, Omit NONE, Wide OFF
Max groups per line 0, Mode HEXADECIMAL, Type NORMAL, Channel dump OFF
Frequency 1, Frequency scope TAPE
2.4.4 The DUMP command

There are two forms to this command: one form allows dump parameters to be set, the other allows blocks to be read
from the INPUT drive and dumped. These two forms are described in the examples that follow. To change the dump
parameters, the DUMP command keyword is qualified by a second keyword indicating which parameter should be
modified. Enter "HELP DUMP" to obtain the possible parameter names.
2.4.5 Limiting the Dump Quantity

Assuming that an INPUT drive has been assigned, to dump the first 40 bytes from 10 consecutive tape blocks, the
following command should be entered.
Command: DUMP 10 40
The first tape block would be displayed thus:

Length =
3200 ID = C340F140 (
1,
1,
1)
0 C340 F140 D1D6 C240 D5E4 D4C2 C5D9 7A40 F0F0 F1F0 F0F3 4040
24 D9C5 C5D3 40D5 E4D4 C2C5 D97A 40F0 F0F0
C@q@QVB@UdTBEYz@ppqpps@@
YEES@UdTBEYz@ppp
Alternatively, you could use the DUMP SIZE parameter to limit the size of all subsequent dump operations:
Command: DUMP SIZE 40
Command: DUMP 10
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May 2005
2.4.6 Dumping to an Output File

The output from the DUMP command will be displayed both to the screen and to the log file. If you want the output
to go to a file other than to the log file, enter:
Command: DUMP OUTPUT filename.dmp
All dump output will be written to the "filename.dmp" file, and not to the screen or to the log file. Details of each
tape block will be listed to the screen and log file in a similar way to the listing produced by the READ command. If
the filename extension is omitted, the default is "DMP".
2.4.7 Changing the Character Code

If you know that the tape block contains EBCDIC character code (a SEGY Reel Header, for example), then you
could get a translation by entering:
Command: DUMP CHARACTER EBCDIC
Length =
3200 ID = C340F140 (
1,
1,
1)
24 D9C5 C5D3 40D5 E4D4 C2C5 D97A 40F0 F0F0
C 1 JOB NUMBER: 001003

REEL NUMBER: 000
If you know that the data doesn't contain any character data or if you are not interested in it, you could turn off the
character code translation to save space, as follows:
Command: DUMP CHARACTER NONE
Length =
3200 ID = C340F140 (
1,
1,
1)
0 C340 F140 D1D6 C240 D5E4 D4C2 C5D9 7A40 F0F0 F1F0 F0F3 4040 D9C5 C5D3
28 40D5 E4D4 C2C5 D97A 40F0 F0F0
2.4.8 Interrupting the Dump

It is very easy to forget to set the dump size parameter, and find that you are dumping a few megabytes to the screen.
To interrupt the dump, use the CTRL/C key combination.
2.4.9 Dump Display Layout

As each tape block is read, the Length, ID, and counters are displayed in a manner similar to the READ function.
After this, the display has three portions:
a column containing the byte offset from the start of the tape block to the first byte on that dump line
a series of columns containing the hexadecimal representation of the data
a character code translation (optional)
For example:
Length =
3200 ID = C340F140 (
1,
1,
1)
24 D9C5 C5D3 40D5 E4D4 C2C5 D97A 40F0 F0F0
C 1 JOB NUMBER: 001003

REEL NUMBER: 000
^
------------------------------------------------------------|
^
---------------------|
|
^
|
|
|
+--- byte offset
+---- hexadecimal disp
+- character translation
In the example above, the 1st byte of the tape block is at offset 0 and contains "C3" in hexadecimal. The 2nd byte is
at offset 1 and contains "40". The 25th byte is at offset 24 and contains "D9".
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May 2005

These are described in the How to Read a Tape section.
2.4.11 Dump Example Summary

To dump the first 40 bytes from 10 consecutive tape blocks and write the output to a file, enter the following
sequence of commands.
Command:
Command:
Command:
Command:
Command:
INPUT MKA200
DUMP SIZE 40
DUMP OUTPUT FILE.DMP
DUMP 10
UNLOAD NOWAIT INPUT
2.5 HOW TO COPY A BATCH OF TAPES

This section describes how to copy a batch of tapes (or disk files) using the BATCHCOPY function. The
BATCHCOPY command activates a dialog box from which certain parameters can be set up and from which
transcription is initiated. Each item in this dialog is described in detail in the BATCHCOPY dialog reference.
A tapelist needs to be created whose entries indicate the input tapes to be copied and the output reels to which they
are to be copied. The layout of this list depends on the batch copying mode (1-1, M-1, 1-M). The tapelist can be
imported from a CSV file (which might have been exported from a spreadsheet). Important column headings in the
tapelist are: TAPEID (the input tapeid) and OPREEL (the output reel id). Generally, a new output reel is started
whenever the output reel id changes in the tapelist (except for 1-M mode). Another column heading is LINE
(indicating the line name). See later for multi-line input tapes.
From the BATCHCOPY dialog, you can specify the format of the input tape. If SEGD or SEGY is chosen, you can
enter further "settings" specific to that format. You can also specify the type of index to be produced (if any).
There are 3 modes of batch copying which are distinguished by the ratio between the input and output tapes. The
required "Tape Ratio" is selected from the BATCHCOPY dialog box. The 3 tape ratios are: One to One, Many to
One, and One to Many, and are described in the sections which follow.
2.5.1 One to One

This mode will copy one input tape to one output tape. Generally used when the input tape density is the same as the
output tape density. For example, when copying 3590 cartridges to 3590 cartridges.
An index file is created for each output which will describe the content of that output tape.
Each entry in the tape list for this mode represents a single copy - one input is copied to one output. An example
follows:
OPREEL,LINE,TAPEID,
101,LINE1,INP1
102,LINE1,INP2
103,LINE2,INP3
104,LINE2,INP4
The above tapelist will copy input tape INP1 to output reel 101, INP2 to 102, INP3 to 103, and INP4 to 104. Index
files will be created for outputs 101, 102, 103 and 104.
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May 2005
2.5.2 Many to One

This mode will copy many input tapes to one output tape. Generally used when copying from low density media to
high density media. For example, when copying from 3480 cartridges to 3590 cartridges.
The tape list would contain a list of different input tapes (TAPEID) which are to be copied to the destination output
reel (OPREEL). Each entry in the tape list which shares the same OPREEL will be copied to the same output reel.
An index file is created for each output which will describe the content of that output tape.
For SEGY format, you can optionally drop SEGY reel headers for tapes subsequent to the first.
OPREEL,LINE,TAPEID
101,LINE1,INP1
101,LINE1,INP2
101,LINE2,INP3
101,LINE2,INP4
The above tapelist will copy all 4 input tapes (INP1, INP2, INP3, and INP4) to output reel 101. One index file for
reel 101 will be created. If the format is SEGY, the SEGY reel header will be retained for LINE2.
2.5.3 One to Many

This mode will copy one input tape splitting it across multiple output tapes. Generally used when copying from high
density media to low density media. For example, when copying from 3590 cartridges to Exabyte.
You will need to use the "Capacity" BATCHCOPY dialog parameter to specify the maximum number of bytes to
copy to any one output reel.
For SEGY format, a new card image header is written at the start of each output.
An index file is created for each output which will describe the content of each output tape. The OPREEL column in
the tapelist is not used - you will be prompted for the initial output reel number, which will be incremented
whenever a new output is required.
An example of a tapelist is as follows.
OPREEL,LINE,TAPEID
101,LINE1,INP1
101,LINE1,INP2
101,LINE2,INP3
101,LINE2,INP4
The OPREEL column in the above tapelist will be ignored and you will be prompted for the initial output reel
number. If you specify 201 as the initial output reel number and, depending on the capacity you've specified, INP1
might be copied to 3 output reels numbered 201, 202, and 203. INP2 might be copied to 3 output reels numbered
204, 205, and 206. Similarly for INP3 and INP4. Index files will be created for each output produced.
2.6 HOW TO SELECT FILES FROM MULTI-LINE TAPES

This section describes how to select files for copying from multi-line tapes using BATCHCOPY. For SEGY there
are two methods of selecting records to copy but for SEGD there is only one method. For both formats the
SEL_FILE column in the tapelist can be used to specify which files are to be selected. You can select different
ranges for each line in the tapelist. See runlist_filesfor a fuller description of the SEL_FILE column.
- 16 -

May 2005
For SEGY you can also specify "global" selection (which applies to all tapes in the tapelist, regardless of line) by
using the BATCHCOPY SEGY SETTINGS "Selection Settings" parameter button. You can select by Area
(specifying a polygon), or by FFID, CHAN, INLINE, and/or XLINE number. If selecting by Area, the X and Y
coordinates must be present in each SEGY trace header.
The problem in selecting from multi-line input tapes is the fact that the starting position of each line on the input
tape is not generally known. If the multi-line input tape was generated by a prior BATCHCOPY M-1 operation, then
the position of the lines will be known as this would have been recorded in the index file. Such index files can be
imported as tapelists. The position of each line is defined by the file sequence numbers on the multi-line input tape.
Record numbers and shotpoint numbers are generally not reliable as they might not be unique.
For SEGY, the count of each ensemble of traces from the start of the tape is the file sequence number. The first
ensemble is implicitly file sequence number 1, the second ensemble is file sequence number 2, and so on. This
numbering continues across SEGY reel headers. It is important, therefore, to identify the position of the ensemble
number correctly in the trace header. For field data this is typically in bytes 9-12. For stack data this is typically in
bytes 21-24.
For SEGD, the count of SEGD files from the start of the tape is the file sequence number. A SEGD file is bounded
by a SEGD record header and an EOF mark.
2.6.1 BATCHCOPY 1-1 copying with multi-line input tapes.

Normally, 1-1 runlists have one input and output tape per runlist entry. However, BATCHCOPY will handle
multiple entries for a single output so that different lines can be identified, and a file selection can be made for each
line.
OPREEL,INPFMT,SURVEY,LINE,TAPEID,SEL_FILE
11,SEGD8024,MLINE1TO1SELTEST,LINE1,TAPE8024_01_10,F;1-3;
Note that the input TAPEID is the same for a single output OPREEL. Note that you can only restart a whole output,
you cannot append to an output.
2.6.2 BATCHCOPY M-1 copying with multi-line input tapes.

Here is an example runlist generated by the SELECT program. Normally, M-1 runlists have one input tape per
runlist entry. However, BATCHCOPY will handle the case when the same input tapeid appears in more than one
entry (to differentiate the lines).
OPREEL,INPFMT,SURVEY,LINE,TAPEID,SEL_FILE
91,SEGD8024,MLINEMTO1SELTEST,LINE1,TAPE8024_01_10,F;1-3;
91,SEGD8024,MLINEMTO1SELTEST,LINE6,TAPE8024_21_30,
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May 2005
Chapter 3 Command Reference

3.1 Command Categories
Commands are grouped into categories as follows:
Function - involve some form of data transfer (excluding TAR commands)
Control - access tape drives or disk files without data transfer
Assign - assign/deassign tape drives or open/close disk files
Parameter - set some program parameter influencing program operation
Info - display information
Others - do not fit into any other category
TAR - deal with TAR savesets
All the commands accepted by Diplomat COPY are summarised in the following sections. In most cases, examples
are given of correct input except where the command meaning is obvious and requires no explanation.
DIPLOMAT COPY has a built in help facility allowing access to help information at the command prompt while
running the software. This enables an inexperienced user to correctly input commands without reference to the
DIPLOMAT COPY manual.
Commands need not be entered in full, as long as an abbreviation is not ambiguous.
Available DIPLOMAT COPY commands are as follows:
Category
Command
Function
Function
Function
Control
Assign
Parameter
Reel,
Parameter
Info
Others
TAR
Read, Copy, Dump, Compare, Split, Labelread, Labelcopy

Multicopy, Indexcopy, Backupcopy, Backupread, Checkread, Checkfile
Batchcopy, Rodecopy, Readrode, Copyrode
Skip, Weof, Rewind, Unload, Reset
Input, Output, Unit2, Unit3, Release, Set
Buffersize, Idoffset, Spoffset, Lnspoffset, Listing, Logfile, Drop,
Retry, Terminator, Zero, Defaults, Translate, Rode, Parameters
Directory, Show, Help
Exit, Jobinfo,Text, System, Test
Tarlist, Tarinp, Tarout, Tarextract
For more information on the COPY command, for example, enter "HELP COPY". For information on all
commands, enter "HELP *". This information will be written to the logfile as well as to the screen.
3.2 Command Category - Functions

3.2.1 Backupcopy
Allows the user to make one to one backup copies and generate an index, for data produced by the Indexcopy
command. For SEGY and SEGD80xx formats only. Note that an identical copy is not necessarily produced.
Format:
BACKUPCOPY
Before issuing this command, ensure that no devices have been allocated and that any listing options, etc. have been
set. This command executes in a loop until finished, interrupted, or until an error occurs. Initially, it prompts you for
more parameters. It allocates the input and output drive, copies to DEOF, unloads the input and output, waits for the
- 18 -

May 2005
next input and output tapes to load, repeatedly, until the requested number of tapes has been copied.
Example:
BACKUPCOPY
The runlist file must be in CSV format, called id.RL2, where id can be anything. Each entry in the runlist file
describes one input tape and one output reel. One index file is generated for each entry after a reel has been copied.
The index file will be in CSV (Comma Separated Value) format, called ipreel.IX2
The runlist must at least have columns: OPREEL, INPFMT, SURVEY, LINE, TAPEID. The values in the INPFMT
column must be one of: SEGY, SEGD8015, SEGD8022, SEGD8024, SEGD8036, SEGD8038, SEGD8042,
SEGD8044, SEGD8048, SEGD8058.
The index file will contain the columns: OPREEL, INPFMT, OUTFMT, SURVEY, LINE, TAPEID, FIRST_FSEQ,
LAST_FSEQ, FIRST_FFID, LAST_FFID, FIRST_SP, LAST_SP, U_TAPEID, NTRACE, DT_SP, RTYP, PFILE,
NPAR, BLKERR, HDRPAR, DTAPAR, NSAMP, LAST_TIME, FCODE, RETRY, OPER, TRANS, MACHINE,
PVER, IVER. The BLKERR, HDRPAR, DTAPAR, NSAMP, LAST_TIME columns will always be blank.
3.2.2 Backupread
Allows the user to read a tape made with BACKUPCOPY and generate a new index, currently for field data in
SEGY and SEGD80xx formats only. It is similar to BACKUPCOPY except that no output reel is generated.
Format:
BACKUPREAD
more parameters. It allocates the input drive, reads to DEOF, unloads the input, waits for the next input tape to load,
repeatedly, until the requested number of tapes has been read.
Example:
BACKUPREAD
The runlist file must be in CSV format, called id.RL2, where id can be anything. It contains a list of reel ids. One
index file is generated for each reel id present in the run list. The index file will be in CSV (Comma Separated
Value) format, called ipreel.IX3.
The runlist must at least have columns: OPREEL, INPFMT, SURVEY(or AREA), LINE, TAPEID (or REEL). The
values in the INPFMT column must be one of: SEGY, SEGD8015, SEGD8022, SEGD8024, SEGD8036,
SEGD8042, SEGD8044, SEGD8048 or SEGD8058.
3.2.3 Batchcopy
This command can be used in place of the INDEXCOPY, BACKUPREAD, BACKUPCOPY, and MULTICOPY
commands. A dialog box is displayed which allows you to select which copying operation you require and to modify
the parameters which influence it. Clicking on the question mark at the top right hand corner allows you to obtain
context sensitive help on any item in this dialog box. The dialog appears as follows.
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Each item in this dialog is described in detail in the BATCHCOPY dialog reference.
3.2.4 Checkfile
Allows you to compare and analyse files created by the CHECKREAD command. Comparison involves comparing
two CHECKREAD files for equality - no checks are made on the validity of the format. Analysis involves checking
a CHECKREAD file for errors in format syntax, bad headers, missing traces etc. No tape devices are accessed by
the command.
The command operates in two modes. The first mode uses two runlists and each runlist contains a list of tapeids
from which the CHECKREAD filenames are derived. The second mode doesn't use runlists - a single
CHECKREAD filename pair is obtained interactively. The second mode allows you to do a "one- off" Comparison
or Analysis. Results of a comparison or analysis operation are written to a file whose name is of the form
tapeid1_tapeid2.CHECKFILE.
Format:
CHECKFILE
You will be prompted for the following information:

Use RL2 runlists (No/Yes) (def=Yes):
Enter directory for runlists (def=F:\):
Option 0 - Quit
Option 1 - Compare and Analyse checkread file pairs
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Option 2 - Compare checkread file pairs only

Option 3 - Analyse checkread file only
Enter option: 0/1/2/3 (def=1):
Option 1 will compare a file pair, if equal will then analyse the first; if not equal will analyse the first and second.
Option 2 will do a comparison only. Option 3 will analyse a single file only.
The runlists must be the same as those used in the CHECKREAD command. (or REEL), however, only the TAPEID
and INPFMT columns are used.
There is no need to examine a *.CHECKFILE if the status on the screen is "OK". OK indicates that no errors or
warnings occurred.
3.2.5 Checkread
Allows you to read a tape or a disk file and generate a CHECKREAD file describing the tape's content. A
CHECKREAD file is a CSV (comma-separated-value) file which can be read by a spreadsheet program or a text
editor. It differs from normal CSV files in that more than one set of columns is defined. A column- set is tied to the
data-set by use of a column-set key. This key is simply a letter.
If reading from a disk file, a runlist file is not necessary. CHECKREAD can be used for field data in UNKNOWN,
SEGY and SEGD80xx formats only. It is similar to BACKUPREAD except that a CHECKREAD file is generated
rather than an index file, and unknown formats can be read. Essentially, it decodes headers and stores this
information into the CHECKREAD file, it does not do any format checking - checking is done by the
CHECKFILE command.
For SEGY formats only, you can influence which items are pulled off and inserted into the CHECKREAD file.
These parameters are accessed via the "Checkread" button on the General Parameters dialog. See the Trace Header
Definition dialog in the appendix. (Note that if these parameters are modified, then CHECKFILE will not work on
the CHECKREAD files produced).
Format:
CHECKREAD
more parameters. For tape input devices, it allocates the input drive, reads to DEOF, unloads the input, waits for the
next input tape to load, repeatedly, until the requested number of tapes (from the runlist) has been read. For input
disk files, the operation stops after the single disk file has been processed.
Example:
CHECKREAD
The runlist file must be in CSV format, called id.RL2, where id can be anything. It contains a list of reel ids. One
checkread file is generated for each TAPEID present in the run list. These files will be in CSV format, called
tapeid.CHECKREAD.
The runlist must at least have columns: OPREEL, INPFMT, SURVEY (or AREA), LINE, TAPEID (or REEL),
however, only the TAPEID and INPFMT columns are used. The values in the INPFMT column must be one of:
UNK, SEGY, or SEGD
Another way of performing a CHECKREAD is to set the "Enable Checkread" mode from the General Parameter
screen. With this mode enabled, a checkread file will be generated during execution of a READ or COPY command.
3.2.6 Compare
Allows "compare" parameters to be set and a quantity of blocks or files to be compared between the input drive and
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the UNIT2 drive.

Formats:
COMPARE
COMPARE
[qty] [item]
TO [dest]
qty - the number of "items" to compare

item - either BLOCKS or FILES (default is BLOCKS)
dest - either EOF or DEOF or END
If "dest" is specified as "END", the end is decided by the setting of the Terminator parameter.
Formats:
COMPARE
COMPARE
COMPARE
COMPARE
COMPARE
OVERLAP [keyword]
STOP [keyword]
COUNT [keyword]
DISPLAY [keyword]
XOR [keyword]
keyword - either ON or OFF
To display the current compare parameters, enter SHOW COMPARE.
3.2.7 Copy
Allows a quantity of blocks or files to be copied from the input drive to the output drive.
Formats:
COPY
COPY
[qty] [item]
TO [dest]
qty - the number of "items" to copy

item - either BLOCKS or FILES (default BLOCKS)
dest - EOF, DEOF or END
Example: COPY TO DEOF
This would be the usual command, in which a whole input will be copied completely onto an output. Most tapes
have a double EOF to signify the end of data on a reel. When a double EOF is reached on the input, the output tape
has a double EOF written but the tape is positioned after the first EOF. This allows you to copy another input tape
onto the output without having to manually reposition the output tape.
Example: COPY TO EOF
This will copy to and including the first EOF encountered on the input drive.
3.2.8 Copyrode
Allows the underlying logical format of a RODE encapsulated tape to be copied. i.e. it allows you to de-encapsulate
a RODE tape.
Formats:
COPYRODE
COPYRODE
COPYRODE
[qty] [item]
TO [dest]
SPLITFILES

item - either RECORDS or FILES (default FILES)
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Example:
COPYRODE TO DEOF
This will cause all logical files to be copied from the input to the output drive
Example:
COPYRODE SPLITFILES
This will cause each logical file to be copied to its own output disk file. This disk file is given the name of the
RODE FILE-HEADER ID. You should not allocate an output prior to issuing this command.
Note that RECORDS means logical records and FILES means logical files.
3.2.9 Dump
There are 2 forms to this command: one form allows dump parameters to be set, the other form allows a quantity of
blocks or files to be read from the input drive and displayed in hexadecimal format(and others for 21-track).
Format:
DUMP
[qty]
[item]
[nbytes]
[offset]
qty
- the number of "items" to copy
item
- either BLOCKS or FILES (default BLOCKS)
nbytes - the number of bytes to dump from each block
(default is all, or as specified by DUMP OFFSET)
offset - the byte offset at which to start dumping
(default is 0, or as specified by DUMP SIZE)
Format:
Format:
Format:
Format:
Format:
Format:
Format:
Format:
Format:
Format:
Format:
Format:
Format:
DUMP
DUMP
DUMP
DUMP
DUMP
DUMP
DUMP
DUMP
DUMP
DUMP
DUMP
DUMP
DUMP
OMIT
CHARACTER
GROUP
SIZE
OFFSET
OUTPUT
CLOSE
WIDE
MAX
MODE
TYPE
FREQUENCY
CHANNEL
NONE, ZERO, or REPEAT, or a combination

NONE or ASCII or EBCDIC or BCDIC
BYTE or WORD or LONG
[nbytes]
[offset]
[filename]
ON or OFF
[groups-per-line]
HEXADECIMAL or OCTAL or RAW
NORMAL or ONE-INCH
[freq] TAPE or FILE
ON or OFF [ichan] [nchan] [fps] [format]
Where format is 9K, 10K, DFS3, DFS4, TIAC,
SN328, or SN338, and fps is a multiple of
30 for SN338, or 32 for the other formats.
To display the current dump parameters, enter SHOW DUMP. The dump is always displayed on the screen and to
the log file unless a dump file has been opened. The MODE, TYPE, and CHANNEL parameters are for 21-track
data only, and CHANNEL parameters are required only for a channel dump. You should specify TYPE only if
dumping 21-track data from a disk file. The program can deduce the TYPE automatically if dumping from tape. The
FREQUENCY parameter allows you to dump every nth block found if the TAPE keyword is supplied. If the FILE
keyword is supplied, the nth block within each file is dumped. (A file being terminated by an EOF mark.)
3.2.10 Indexcopy
Allows the user to copy and index multiple input tapes with one command. Uses a run-list and generates an index
file for a single output reel. Currently for copying field data in SEGY and SEGD80xx formats only, and for
reformatting from Western Code 4 to SEGY.
Note that an identical copy is not necessarily produced.
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Format:
INDEXCOPY
Before issuing this command, ensure that the output has been allocated and that any listing options, etc. have been
more parameters. It allocates the input drive, copies to DEOF, unloads the input, waits for the next tape to load,
repeatedly, until the requested number of tapes has been copied.
Example:
INDEXCOPY
The runlist is in CSV format and contains one entry per input tape. It describes all input tapes to be copied to the one
output reel. The runlist must be named opreel.RL1, the index file will be called opreel.IX1.
The runlist must at least have columns: OPREEL,INPFMT,SURVEY(or AREA),LINE,TAPEID(or REEL). The
values in the INPFMT column must be one of: SEGY, WC4, WC4U, SEGD8015, SEGD8022, SEGD8024,
SEGD8036, SEGD8038, SEGD8042, SEGD8044, SEGD8048, or SEGD8058.
3.2.11 Labelcopy
Allows the underlying logical format of a standard labelled tape to be copied.
Formats:
LABELCOPY
LABELCOPY
[qty] [item]
TO [dest]

item - either RECORDS or FILES (default FILES)
Example:
LABELCOPY TO DEOF
This allows all logical files to be copied from the input to the output drive
Note that RECORDS means logical records and FILES means logical files. A logical file consists of 3 physical files:
header file, data file and trailer file. If an EOV1 label is reached, it is considered to be the physical end of volume.
Note that the labels themselves are not copied to the output.
3.2.12 Labelread
Allows the underlying logical format of a standard labelled tape to be read.
Formats:
LABELREAD
LABELREAD
[drive-spec]
[drive-spec]
drive-spec
qty
item
dest
[qty] [item]
TO [dest]
either INPUT, OUTPUT, UNIT2, or UNIT3

the number of "items" to read
either RECORDS or FILES (default is FILES)
either EOF or DEOF or END
If the "drive-spec" is not specified, INPUT is assumed. If "dest" is specified as "END", the end is decided by the
setting of the Terminator parameter.
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Example:
LABELREAD 10 FILES
This will cause 10 logical files to be read from the input

Note that RECORDS means logical records and FILES means logical files. A logical file consists of 3 physical files:
header file, data file and trailer file. If an EOV1 label is reached, it is considered to be the physical end of volume.
3.2.13 Multicopy
There are two modes of operation and which mode is chosen depends on how many outputs you have allocated. If
one output is allocated, then multiple inputs are copied to a single output. If more than one output is allocated, then
each input is copied to all the allocated outputs. The inputs and outputs may be tapes, perhaps in stackers, or disk
files.
Formats:
MULTICOPY
MULTICOPY
inp-drive ntapes
DISK ntapes
[wait]
inp-drive - input tape device name of the form MKXzzz

ntapes
- number of tapes left to do in the stacker
(or no. of disk files)
wait
- the no. of seconds to wait for the next
tape to load (default 20)
Before issuing this command, ensure that the required outputs have been allocated and that any listing options, etc.
have been set. The command executes in a loop until finished, interrupted, or until an error occurs. For single output
mode, it allocates the input drive, copies to DEOF, unloads the input, waits for the next tape to load, repeatedly,
until the requested number of tapes has been copied. For more than one output, it allocates the input drive, copies to
DEOF to all drives, unloads the input, unloads the outputs, waits for the next tape to load, repeatedly, until the
requested number of tapes has been copied.
Example:
Example:
Example:
MULTICOPY MKB400 10
(one output allocated)
You will be prompted for the reelids for 10 input tapes.
Then the 10 input tapes are copied from MKB400 to the output.
MULTICOPY MKB400 10 (two outputs allocated)
You will be prompted for the reelids for 10 input tapes.
Then the 10 input tapes are copied from MKB400 to 20 outputs.
MULTICOPY DISK 10
You will be prompted for input disk file information and then
for the reelids for 10 inputs. The actual input disk files
must have the reelid as the filename. Then the 10 disk files
are copied to the output in turn.
3.2.14 Read
Allows a quantity of blocks or files to be read from the present position on any designated drive.
Formats:
READ
READ
[drive-spec]
[drive-spec]
drive-spec
qty
item
dest
[qty] [item]
TO [dest]

either BLOCKS or FILES (default is BLOCKS)
either EOF, DEOF or END
If the "drive-spec" is not specified, INPUT is assumed.

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Example:
READ 10 FILES
This will cause all blocks to be read from the input
until 10 EOF marks have been encountered.
3.2.15 Readrode
Allows the underlying logical format of a RODE encapsulate tape to be read.
Formats:
READRODE
READRODE
[drive-spec]
[drive-spec]
drive-spec
qty
item
dest
[qty] [item]
TO [dest]

either RECORDS or FILES (default is FILES)
either EOF or DEOF or END
setting of the Terminator parameter.
Example:
READRODE 10 FILES
This will cause 10 logical files to be read from the input

Note that RECORDS means logical records and FILES means logical files.
3.2.16 Rodecopy
Allows you to write RODE encapsulated data. You must allocate the output drive first, but not the input drive. A run
list (containing OPREEL,INPFMT,SURVEY,LINE,TAPEID) is used to determine the names of the input tapes to
be copied.
3.2.17 Split
Allows data from an input drive to be copied to multiple output disk files. A new output disk file is created for each
file mark encountered on the input. You must assign an input drive first.
Formats:
SPLIT [qty] [FILES]

SPLIT TO [dest]
dest - either DEOF or END
Example:
SPLIT TO DEOF
This will cause records to be copied from the input to the output drive - if a filemark is encountered, a new output
file is created.
Note that you are prompted for the following 5 items of information:
Limit filenames to 8.3 form
Output file name prefix
Initial output file sequence number
Output file name extension
Output file encapsulation format
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The output filenames are automatically generated using this information.
3.3 Command Category - Control

3.3.1 Reset
This command will cause the input drive to be reset. It works only for devices connected to the PT971 controller
(e.g. 21-track or 7-track drives).
Format:
RESET
3.3.2 Rewind
Causes the specified drives or disk files to be rewound to the start of data.
Format:
REWIND
[wait] [drive-list]
wait
- either NOWAIT or WAIT (default is WAIT)
drive-list - a combination of INPUT, OUTPUT, UNIT2 or UNIT3
Example:
REWIND INPUT OUTPUT
This will cause both the input and output to be rewound to BOT and wait until this is done before giving control
back to the user.
Example:
REWIND NOWAIT INPUT
This will cause the input to be rewound to BOT and give control back to the user immediately.
3.3.3 Skip
Allows a quantity of blocks or files to be skipped from the present position on any designated drive.
Format:
SKIP
drive-list
drive-list
direction
qty
item
[direction]
[qty]
[item]
a combination of INPUT, OUTPUT, UNIT2, UNIT3

either FORWARD or REVERSE (default = FORWARD)
the number of "items" to skip
either BLOCKS or FILES (default = BLOCKS)
If the "direction" is not specified, FORWARD is assumed. If the "item" is not specified, BLOCKS is assumed.
Example:
SKIP INPUT OUTPUT REVERSE 1 FILE
This would reposition the input and output drives by skipping back one end of file marker, leaving the drives
positioned in front of that file mark.
3.3.4 Unload
Causes specified tape drive(s) to be unloaded, or the specified disk file to be closed.
Format:
UNLOAD
[wait] [drive-list]
wait
- either NOWAIT or WAIT (default is WAIT)
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Example:
UNLOAD INPUT OUTPUT
This will physically dismount the input and output tapes.
3.3.5 Weof
Causes file marks to be written to the output drive(s).
Format:
WEOF
[drive-list] [qty]
drive-list - any drive designated as an output (default OUTPUT)

for example: OUTPUT, UNIT2, UNIT3
qty
- the number of file marks to be written (default is 1)
Example:
WEOF 2
This will cause 2 EOF marks to be written to the output.

Example:
WEOF OUTPUT UNIT3 2
This will cause 2 EOF marks to be written to the output and UNIT3.
3.4 Command Category - Assign

3.4.1 Input
Defines a tape drive or disk file so that it is available to the program for reading from.
Format:
Format:
INPUT [TAPE] drive-name

INPUT DISK file-name [encap]
drive-name - tape device name of the form MKXuzz (most)
or PTXuzz (Pertec PT971)
PTXu00, PTXu06, PTu07 - reserved, do not use
PTXu01, PTu02 - 9-track units 0 and 1
PTXu03 - 7-track ODD parity unit 0
PTXu04 - 7-track EVEN parity unit 0
PTXu05 - 21-track unit 0
file-name - file name - enclose name in double quotes if it contains spaces
encap
- disk file encapsulation keyword: TIF, BIN,
TXT, MTD, ARC or SGY (default is ARC)
Example:
Example:
Example:
Example:
INPUT
This
INPUT
This
INPUT
This
INPUT
This
MKB201
will allocate an input drive for reading
DISK GB12
will open an existing disk file called GB12.ARC
DISK GB13 TXT
will open an existing text file called GB12.TXT
PTB205
will allocate a 21-track input drive for reading
For a list of available tape drives, use the SHOW DEVICES command.
3.4.2 Output
Defines a tape drive or disk file so that it is available to the program for writing to.
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Format:
Format:
OUTPUT [TAPE] drive-name

OUTPUT DISK file-name [status]
[encap]
drive-name - tape device name of the form MKXzzz

file-name - file name - enclose name in double quotes if it contains spaces
status
- disk file status - OLD or NEW.
The default disk file status is NEW.
If you want to open an existing output file,
perhaps to append data, use OLD.
encap
- disk file encapsulation keyword: TIF, BIN, TXT,
MTD, ARC or SGY (default is ARC)
Example:
OUTPUT MKB500
This will allocate an output drive for writing.
OUTPUT DISK GB12
This will open a new disk file called GB12.ARC for writing.
Example:
3.4.3 Release
Causes specified allocated drives to be released, or disk files to be closed.
Format:
RELEASE
[drive-list]

Example:
RELEASE INPUT
3.4.4 Set
Allows user to set tape device or file characteristics
Format:
SET
[drive-spec]
drive-spec - either INPUT, OUTPUT, UNIT2, or UNIT3
The user is prompted for various information. Note that it is not always possible to set tape characteristics if the tape
drive is not at BOT.
Enter HELP /CHARACTERISTICS for more information.
3.4.5 Unit2
Defines a tape drive or disk file so that it is available to the program for reading or writing. It can be designated as
an input or output.
Format:
Format:
UNIT2
UNIT2
[specifier]
[specifier]
specifier
keyword
drive-name
file-name
status
encap
[TAPE]
[DISK]
drive-name
file-name [status]
[encap]
either INPUT or OUTPUT (default is INPUT)

either TAPE or DISK (default is TAPE)
tape device name of the form MKXzzz
file name - enclose name in double quotes if it contains spaces
disk file status - OLD or NEW (default is NEW).
disk file encapsulation keyword: TIF, BIN, TXT,
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Example:
UNIT2
INPUT
MKB400
This will allocate an input drive for reading.

Example:
UNIT2
INPUT
DISK
GB12
This will open an existing disk file called GB12.ARC

3.4.6 Unit3
Defines a tape drive or disk file so that it is available to the program for reading or writing. It can be designated as
an input or output.
Format:
Format:
UNIT3
UNIT3
[specifier]
[specifier]
specifier
keyword
drive-name
file-name
status
encap
Example:
UNIT3
[TAPE]
[DISK]
drive-name
file-name [status] [encap]
either INPUT or OUTPUT (default is INPUT)

either TAPE or DISK (default is TAPE)
tape device name of the form MKXzzz
file name - enclose name in double quotes if it contains spaces
disk file status - OLD or NEW (default is NEW).
disk file encapsulation keyword: TIF, BIN, TXT,
INPUT
MKA100
This will allocate an input drive for reading.

Example:
UNIT3
INPUT
DISK
GB12
This will open an existing disk file called GB12.ARC

3.5 Command Category - Parameter

This command category allows you to set program parameters influencing the program operation. All parameters
can be modified via the command-line form, or the dialog-box form. To access the dialog-box form, use the
PARAMETERS command.
3.5.1 Buffersize
Allows the size of the buffer to be adjusted. The size of the buffer determines the length of the longest block that can
be read.
Format:
BUFFERSIZE
size -
[size]
the buffer size in bytes.
If the size exceeds 65534, then long block mode is activated. The default buffersize is 2MB. To display the current
settings, enter SHOW PARAMETERS.
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3.5.2 Defaults
Allows you to manipulate default program parameters for the INDEXCOPY, BACKUPREAD and BACKUPCOPY
commands only. It is recommended that you now use the "PARAMETERS" command to modify, save and load
these parameters.
Format:
DEFAULTS
[action]
action - either SHOW, LOAD, or ENTER
If the "action" keyword is not specified, SHOW is assumed.

DEFAULTS SHOW
DEFAULTS LOAD
DEFAULTS ENTER
will display the parameter defaults to the screen.

will allow you to read in pre-defined parameter
defaults from a file.
will allow you to enter parameter defaults
interactively and optionally save them to a disk file.
The parameter file is a text file containing parameter keywords and their values. To produce an example parameter
file, use the DEFAULTS ENTER command.
To switch off the record number checking during INDEXCOPY, the RECORD_INCREMENT parameter should be
set to 0. Otherwise, set it to 1 if record numbers increment by 1,or to -1 if record numbers decrement by 1.
SEGD_TRACE_RESET is 0 for automatic, 1 if trace numbers reset to 1 for each channel set, 2 if traces do not reset
to 1 for each channel set, 3 if trace numbers should not be checked apart from ensuring they're different from
previous trace, 4 if trace numbers should not be checked at all, or 5 if trace numbers should not be checked apart
from ensuring they increase from previous trace (if it belongs to the same channel set).
Note: An alternative way of displaying and modifying these parameters is to use the "PARAMETERS" command,
and select the "SETTINGS" button on the dialog box.
3.5.3 Drop
Allows you to drop any blocks which are considered duplicate. This is necessary for those devices which sometimes
erroneously re-read the same block twice. This parameter should be used when reading problem tapes from a
Qualstar drive. The Qualstar has a tendency to duplicate tape blocks when re-trying and this parameter attempts to
detect these.
Format:
DROP [KEEP or DROP or ASK]
KEEP is the default. If DROP, the first 400 bytes of a block are compared to the first 400 bytes of the previous
block. If they are the same, the block is considered duplicate and is dropped. If ASK, when a duplicate block is
encountered you are asked whether to keep or drop the block.
3.5.4 Idoffset
As each tape block is read, by default, the first 4 bytes of the tape block are displayed in hexadecimal. This is
normally where the record number in BCD is stored for seismic field tape formats. This command allows you to
modify the default setting. Up to 32 bytes can be displayed in hexadecimal. The 21-track keywords indicate that
thge 21-track record number should be displayed. For 21-track, the offset and size are ignored although they should
be entered.
Format:
IDOFFSET
[offset]
[size]
[format]
offset - the byte offset from the start of the block
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from which to extract the block id.

- the size in bytes of the field
2 or 4 for decimal, 2 to 32 for hexadecimal
format - either "H" for hexadecimal, "I" for decimal,
"9K", "10K", "DFS3", "DFS4", "TIAC", "SN328",
or "SN338" for 21-track record numbers.
size
Example:
IDOFFSET 8 4 I
This can be used for SEGY data, and will convert bytes 9 to 12 to an integer value. These bytes contain the FFID
number in standard SEGY.
Example:
IDOFFSET 0 4 DFS4
This can be used to display DFS4-type record numbers.

To display the current settings, enter SHOW PARAMETERS.
3.5.5 Listing
Allows listing options to be specified independently for the logfile and for the terminal screen.
Format:
LISTING
[device]
device - either
keyword - either
NONE
ALL
EOFS
PARITY
CHANGE
[keyword, keyword,...]
LOGFILE or TERMINAL
NONE, ALL, EOF, PARITY, CHANGE
- nothing should be listed
- everything should be listed
- only end-of-file marks should be listed
- only records with parity errors should be listed
- only records whose lengths change should be listed
If the "device" field is omitted, the keyword(s) applies to both logfile and terminal.
Example:
Example:
LIST LOGFILE ALL

LIST TERMINAL EOF, PARITY
This would provide a full listing to the log file while only providing a notification of end of files and parities to the
terminal.
Example:
LIST CHANGE
This would cause blocks to be listed both to the terminal and to the logfile when the block length changes.
3.5.6 Lnspoffset
This allows you to specify the location of the "Line of Shotpoint" field in the SEGD record header, the SEGY trace
header, or the WC4 trace header. If size is zero (the default), then it is assumed that there is no LNSP.
Format:
LNSPOFFSET
[offset]
[size]
[format]
offset
[divisor]
- the byte offset from the start of the record

header from which to extract the SP number.
size
- the size in bytes of the field
format - either "H" for BCD or "I" for integer or "R"
for IBM floating-point or "A" for ASCII.
size must be 4 if format is "R"
divisor - divisor to apply to decoded LNSP
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3.5.7 Logfile
This command allows the user to specify the name and size of the logfile.
Format:
Format:
LOGFILE
LOGFILE
columns [rows]
NAME logfilename
columns
- the maximum characters across page
rows
- the maximum lines per page
logfilename - the new name for the log file.
The rows field is optional and if omitted is unchanged.

Typically, rows is: 42 for landscape A4 paper at 6 lines-per-inch;
66 for portrait A4 paper at 6 lines-per-inch;
80 for portrait A4 paper at 8 lines-per-inch.
Example: LOGFILE NAME ABCDEFG
Log file: "F:\TAPECOPY\SCRATCH.MTCOPY" has been closed
Log file: "F:\TAPECOPY\ABCDEFG.MTCOPY" has been opened
The old logfile will be closed and then copied to a file with the new name.
3.5.8 Parameters
This command allows you to modify, save, and load all the program parameters via a dialog box. Effectively
replaces all the command-line "Parameter" category commands although these still work. The General Parameter
dialog box is shown below.
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May 2005
Each item in this dialog is described in detail in the General Parameters Dialog.
3.5.9 Reel
Allows you to enter a 32 character reel identification name for any drives allocated.
Format:
REEL
[drive-spec]
[text]
drive-spec - one of INPUT, OUTPUT, UNIT2 or UNIT3.

text
- any text describing reel name
Note that the drives must be allocated first.

Example:
REEL INP Inreel_123
This is used as a way of passing on descriptive information concerning the input or output reels. Normally, this
would only be used to give the reel number but it may be expanded to give a longer description by making the text
all one word as in the above example.
3.5.10 Retry
Defines the number of retries to be performed when a parity error is encountered during a read or write operation.
This only applies to magnetic tape operations - it is ignored for disk I/O.
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May 2005
Format:
RETRY
[drive-spec]
[count]
drive-spec - INPUT, OUTPUT, UNIT2 or UNIT3

count
- the number of retries
If the "drive-spec" keyword is omitted, the count specified will apply to the input.
For a write operation "count" specifies the number of retries to be attempted before erasing takes place.
Example:
RETRY INPUT 2
RETRY OUTPUT 4
This would make the program retry twice on the input tape unit for recoverable read errors, and four times on the
output unit for recoverable write errors. If write errors are detected, then it may imply a hardware or media problem;
i.e. the drive head may be dirty or there may be more serious problems, or the tape itself is of poor quality, or not
certified for the density at which you may be attempting to write.
3.5.11 Rode
Allows you to set the RODE (Record Oriented Data Encapsulation) parameters via a dialog box. These parameters
influence the RODECOPY, COPYRODE, and READRODE commands. A brief summary of the RODE related
commands is as follows.
Rode
Rodecopy
Readrode
Copyrode
allows
writes
strips
strips
parameters to be entered influencing the other rode commands

RODE encapsulated data - optionally using a runlist
off RODE encapsulation, and presents the underlying data
off RODE encapsulation, and writes the underlying data
3.5.12 Spoffset
This allows you to specify the location of the Shotpoint field in the SEGD record header or the SEGY trace header.
For SEGD, if size is zero (the default), then it is assumed that there is no SP. For SEGY, if size is zero (the default),
then it is assumed that a 4-byte integer SP is to be found at offset 16 (bytes 17-20) within the trace header. For
SEGD, you can also specify that the location of the SP be automatically computed.
Formats:
SPOFFSET
SPOFFSET
AUTOMATIC
[offset] [size]
[format]
offset - the byte offset from the start of the record

header from which to extract the SP number.
size
- the size in bytes of the field (0 or 2 or 4)
format - either "H" for BCD or "I" for integer or "R"
for IBM floating-point or "A" for ASCII.
size must be 4 if format is "R"
Entering "SPOFFSET AUTOMATIC", allows automatic computation. To switch off automatic computation, enter
"SPOFFSET 0". To display the current settings, enter SHOW PARAMETERS.
3.5.13 Terminator
Defines the number of consecutive EOF marks that are interpreted by the COPY, READ, DUMP and COMPARE
commands when the "END" keyword is used.
Format:
TERMINATOR
[qty]
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May 2005
qty - the number of end of file marks
The default value is 2, representing a DEOF (double EOF).

Example:
TERMINATOR 2
This will set the terminator value to 2.

3.5.14 Translate
Allows you to specify whether character code translation should take place during execution of the COPY
command. The possible translations are from EBCDIC to ASCII and from ASCII to EBCDIC. By default, the
translation mode is turned off.
Formats:
TRANSLATE
TRANSLATE
TRANSLATE
OFF
TO ASCII
TO
(turns off translation)

(turns on EBCDIC to ASCII translation)
(turns on ASCII to EBCDIC translation)
You should use this mode if you are sure that input data contains character data only. You should not use this mode
if input data contains binary data. Invalid characters for the code are converted to space characters.
The translation mode is used only with the COPY command.
3.5.15 Zero
Allows different courses of action to be taken when a zero-length block is encountered during a read from tape. It is
not possible for a zero-length record to exist on disk.
Format:
ZERO
[keyword]
keyword - either
IGNORE
EOF
BLANK
RETRY
ASK
IGNORE, EOF, BLANK or ASK

- ignores them
- treats as end-of-file marks
- treats as blank tape
- re-reads the block
- pauses for operator advice
As some tape controllers transfer complete words rather than bytes, the length of a 1-byte block can appear as zero.
If what is supposed to be an EOF mark has a bit incorrectly set, it will not be recognised as an EOF, but as a 1 byte
record. By default, it is left to the operator to confirm the action taken when a zero length record is encountered.
3.6 Command Category - Info

3.6.1 Directory
Allows the user to obtain a list of file names in a specified directory.
Format:
DIRECTORY [file-spec]
File-spec
- the wild card file specification
If the file specification is not supplied, then the default is *.*
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May 2005
Example:
DIRECTORY *.LOG
This will list all files in the current directory with the extension LOG.
3.6.2 Help
Provides on line help for all commands. At any point when you have the command prompt, you can gain help by
typing HELP.
Format:
HELP [command]
command - name of command for which help is required
Omit the command keyword for list of available commands. A keyword of "*" will list all commands in full.
Example:
HELP *
Available DIPLOMAT COPY commands are as follows:

Category
Function
Function
Function
Control
Assign
Parameter
Parameter
Info
Others
TAR
Command
Read, Copy, Dump, Compare, Split, Labelread, Labelcopy
Multicopy, Indexcopy, Backupcopy, Backupread, Checkread, Checkfile
Batchcopy, Rodecopy, Readrode, Copyrode
Skip, Weof, Rewind, Unload, Reset
Input, Output, Unit2, Unit3, Release, Set
Buffersize, Idoffset, Spoffset, Lnspoffset, Listing, Logfile, Drop, Reel
Retry, Terminator, Zero, Defaults, Translate, Rode, Parameters
Directory, Show, Help
Exit, Jobinfo, Text, System
Tarlist, Tarinp, Tarout, Tarextract
For more information on the COPY command, for example, enter HELP COPY
For information on everything, enter HELP *
Additional Help is also available on the following topics:
/Overview
/Encapsulations
/Rode
/Characteristics
3.6.3 Show
Displays a summary of parameters currently in use or a list of the devices available on the system.
Format:
SHOW
[keyword]
keyword - can be blank, INPUT, OUTPUT, UNIT2, UNIT3, DUMP,

DEVICES, PARAMETERS, COMPARE, LOGFILE, ALL,
FULL, or any combination of them.
If no keyword is entered the summary will show all devices allocated and some general parameters.
The summary is always displayed on the terminal but if the LOGFILE keyword is present, it is also logged in the
logfile. This may be useful as a check before running a copy job.
Format:
Format:
SHOW DEVICES
SHOW DEVICES LOGFILE
This form will display a list of the available devices on the system.
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3.7 Command Category - Others

3.7.1 Exit
Causes the program to terminate. Any tape drives allocated are released and any disk files open are closed. The
logfile is also closed.
Format:
EXIT
3.7.2 Jobinfo
Allows the user to enter job information which will be displayed prominently in the logfile.
Format:
JOBINFO
The user is prompted for various job information.

Job number
Client
Area
Line/Well
Format
Input reel id
Output reel id
(def="")
(def="")
(def="")
(def="")
(def="")
(def="")
(def="")
It is recommended that this command be used at the start of a job and whenever the input or output reel ids change.
3.7.3 System
Allows you to execute a system command.
Format:
Example:
SYSTEM [command]
command - a valid system command
SYSTEM NOTEPAD AFILE.DAT
This will cause the NOTEPAD program to run to edit file AFILE.DAT
3.7.4 Test
Allows you to write fixed-length blocks to an output device in order to establish the capacity of the device.
Optionally, EOF marks can be written at certain intervals. Random data is written at a fixed blocksize until the EOT
marker is reached. When EOT is reached, the program will display statistics about the operation to the screen and
logfile. Up to 5 blocksizes can be specified. If more than one blocksize is specified, the output device is rewound
and the writing operation is repeated for each blocksize.
Format:
TEST
[size1] [size2] [size3] [size4] [size5] EOF [freq]
Example:
TEST 2000 1000000
This will cause the write-test to be performed twice. First using a blocksize of 2000 bytes, then using a blocksize of
1000000 bytes. No EOF's will be written.
Example:
TEST 2000 1000000 EOF 100
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May 2005
This will cause the write-test to be performed twice. First using a blocksize of 2000 bytes, then using a blocksize of
1000000 bytes. Also, an EOF will be written every 100 blocks.
3.7.5 Text
Allows the user to enter text information which will be written to the log file. A file name can be supplied
containing a series of questions. These questions will be used to prompt the user for text information.
Format:
TEXT
[file-spec]
file-spec - valid text file name
Should the file name not be supplied, then the user is prompted with "Enter text:" and everything entered is written
to the log file.
Example:
Command: TEXT QFILE.TXT
The user will then be prompted with the questions contained in text file QFILE.TXT like this:
Enter
Enter
Enter
Enter
Enter
Enter
Enter
Job number: 1234

Client Ref.: 12-4567
Input reel number: 12004A
Output reel number: 001
Area: North Sea U.K.
Well Name: 210/4-5A
Comments: Copy of well tape
Command:
The following is what would be written to the logfile.

Job number
Client Ref.
Input reel number
Output reel number
Area
Well Name
Comments
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
1234
12-4567
12004A
001
North Sea U.K.
210/4-5A
Copy of well tape
This is what QFILE.TXT contains:

Job number
Client Ref.
Input reel number
Output reel number
Area
Well Name
Comments
3.8 Command Category - TAR

3.8.1 Tarlist
Lists the contents of one or more TAR savesets. The content of each saveset is displayed in the form of a list of
filenames. Before this command is executed, the tape must be positioned at BOT or immediately after an EOF mark
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May 2005
- i.e. in front of the next saveset. A TAR saveset should always be followed by an EOF mark.
Formats:
TARLIST
TARLIST
[drive-spec]
[drive-spec]
[qty] [SAVESETS]
TO [dest]

qty
- the number of savesets to read
dest
- either EOF or DEOF or END
setting of the "terminator" command parameter. Note that TARLIST TO EOF has the same meaning as TARLIST 1
SAVESET.
Example:
TARLIST 10
This will cause 10 savesets to be read from the input and their contents listed to the screen and logfile.
Press CTRL/C if you wish to interrupt the listing operation. The operation will stop when the data for the currently
displayed filename has been skipped over, so you might have to wait if the data for that filename is large.
3.8.2 Tarinp
Copies the contents of one or more TAR savesets to disk on an individual filename basis. Can also handle BAR
format (Blocked ARchive format) a forerunner of TAR. For each filename found within each saveset, you are
prompted whether you wish to skip it or copy it. You also have the option to copy all files from this point without
further interaction. Before this command is executed, the tape must be positioned at BOT or immediately after an
EOF mark - i.e. in front of the next saveset. A TAR saveset should always be followed by an EOF mark.
Formats:
TARINP
TARINP
[drive-spec]
[drive-spec]
[qty] [SAVESETS]
TO [dest]

qty
- the number of savesets to consider
dest
- either EOF or DEOF or END
setting of the "terminator" command parameter. Note that TARLIST TO EOF has the same meaning as TARLIST 1
SAVESET.
Example:
TARINP TO DEOF
This will cause all savesets (up to the DEOF mark) to be read from the input and their contents considered for
copying to disk.
Press CTRL/C if you wish to interrupt the copying operation. The operation will stop when the data for the currently
displayed filename has been processed, so you might have to wait if the data for that filename is large.
3.8.3 Tarout
This allows you to create a TAR saveset from disk files.
Format:
TAROUT
There are no further parameters.

You must assign an output tape or disk file before issuing this command. You will be prompted for the wild card
input file specification. For each input file matching the wild card specification, you will be prompted:
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May 2005
"Copy, Skip, or Quit (C/S/Q) (def=C):
Each TAROUT operation produces a single TAR saveset. To append multiple savesets, just reissue the TAROUT
command without rewinding the output device.
3.8.4 Tarextract
Displays a dialog box allowing you to List or Copy the contents of TAR savesets. Emulates the TARLIST and
TARINP commands.
Formats:
TAREXTRACT
[drive-spec]
If the "drive-spec" is not specified, INPUT is assumed. The dialog appears as follows.
Each item in this dialog is described in detail in the TAREXTRACT dialog reference. Normally, you would first
list the TAR tape to obtain the names and sizes of the files which will be presented in a listbox. You can then
highlight the names of those files you want to extract from the TAR tape, before pressing the "Extract Selected
Files" button. Alternatively, you can press the "Select All Files" button. Output files will be copied using the
"Extract to folder" folder name as the base directory. Sub-directories will be created within this base directory.
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Chapter 4 Miscellaneous Topics

4.1 File Versioning
Whenever the program creates an output disk-file, it first checks to see whether a file of the same name exists. If a
file does exist, it "versions-off" the existing file by renaming it. The renamed filename consists of the old filename
but with a version number appended to it. A version number is used that is one higher than the highest numbered
version of the file created so far. For example, if we want to create a file called "DX00001.SUM" and the following
files:
DX00001.SUM
DX00001.SUM;3
DX00001.SUM;2
DX00001.SUM;1
already exist in the current directory, then the file called "DX00001.SUM" will be renamed to "DX00001.SUM;4"
and a new file called "DX00001.SUM" will be created.
To help manage files with version numbers, a DPTS program called "PURGE" is available which allows you to
delete all but the highest numbered versions of the specified files. You can also elect to retain a specified number of
versions in the directory.
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Appendix A Disk-file Encapsulation Formats

A.1 Disk-file Encapsulation Formats
The purpose of record encapsulation is to preserve block length and EOF information from tape data when it is
copied to disk. (Note that file encapsulation refers to encapsulations like: TAR, RODE, IBM STD Labelled, etc., and
is not the same as record encapsulation.) Currently there are six disk file record-encapsulation formats offered:
ARC - DPTS ARChive format - similar to TIF but with parity indicator
TIF - Western Atlas Tape Image Format
MTD - DPTS MTDISK TAP format
BIN - No encapsulation
SGY - Un-encapsulated SEGY
TXT - Text format
A.1.1 ARC
This encapsulation attaches a 24-byte field to the beginning of each tape block. The 24-byte field contains the block
type (EOF or DATA), the 64-bit offsets to the previous block and next block, and a parity indicator. The block
length can be calculated from these offsets for each individual record. Because of the 64-bit offsets, file sizes greater
than 2GB are supported. This is the default encapsulation used by most DPTS software. Length and EOF
information is preserved.
A.1.2 TIF
This encapsulation attaches a 12-byte field to the beginning of each tape block. The 12-byte field contains the block
type (EOF or DATA) and the offsets to the previous block and next block. The block length can be calculated from
these offsets for each individual record. Length and EOF information is preserved.
A.1.3 MTD
This encapsulation attaches a 4-byte field to the beginning of each tape block. The 4-byte field contains length and
record type information. It is not now normally used, except when interchanging data files between DPTS software
running under VAX/VMS. Length and EOF information is preserved.
A.1.4 BIN
This encapsulation is no encapsulation at all, there is no header attached. Length and EOF information is lost. The
original tape-block length needs to be deduced from the data itself which is not always possible. It can be useful to
open a file in BIN mode (in conjunction with the BUFFERSIZE parameter) to determine the true encapsulation by
performing a hexadecimal dump.
A.1.5 SGY
SGY encapsulation is BIN encapsulation except that it is assumed that the format is SEGY and special integrity
checks are performed by DPTS software. Length and EOF information is lost. The length information is deduced by
software as follows:
o the 1st record is always 3200 bytes in length
o the 2nd record is always 400 bytes in length
o the length of the traces which follow is computed from the
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May 2005
data sample format code (typically 32-bit IBM floating-point)

and the no. of samples field from the binary header.
So, to decode a SGY encapsulated file sucessfully, these items in the binary header must be accurate (which is not
always the case). If SGY is chosen as an output encapsulation format from DPTS software, these items are checked.
You cannot write more than one SEGY header to a file if using SGY encapsulation.
A.1.6 TXT
This encapsulation means that records are delimited by an ASCII carriage-return/line-feed character pair, or, by a
single line-feed character. The CR/LF pair is generally used and produced by Microsoft text files. The single LF
character is generally used and produced by UNIX text files. All records must consist of characters belonging to the
ASCII character set.
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Appendix B Tape Device Characteristics

When assigning a tape device or file using the INPUT, OUTPUT, UNIT2 or UNIT3 commands, you will be
prompted to enter some of the following characteristics:
Reel id
(can be over-ridden later with REEL command)
Reelsize
Reelsize unit (F or M)
Maximum output file size
(output disk files only)
Density
Compression (on/off)
Write retries
(can be over-ridden later with RETRY command)
Read retries
(can be over-ridden later with RETRY command)
Buffered mode (0/1)
(output tapes only)
Speed code
(0-15)
Look-ahead-Read EOF count
Report recovered errors
(yes/no)
Blocksize
(must use 0 at present )
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Appendix C Tape Device Management

C.1 Displaying the Available Tape Devices
Establish which devices are currently on the system by running the DPTS DIPLOMAT COPY program and entering
the SHOW DEVICES command. An example of the result of the SHOW DEVICES command is as follows:
Command: Show devices logfile
Operating system: Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6 Build 1381
Type
Addr
WORM
TAPE
TAPE
TAPE
TAPE
TAPE
DISK
CD
A100
A200
A201
A400
A500
A600
B000
B500
Devnam Onl
Tape0
Tape1
Tape2
Tape3
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Vendor
Product
Rev.
Inquiry Header
YAMAHA
STK
STK
EXABYTE
HP
EXABYTE
QUANTUM
TOSHIBA
CDR100
4280
4280
EXB-850085QANXRC
HP35470A
EXB-85058SQANXR1
FIREBALL1080S
CD-ROM XM-5301TA
1.10
2730
2730
06X0
1009
0781
1Q09
1895
04
01
01
01
01
01
00
05
80
80
80
80
80
80
00
80
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
27
33
33
65
23
65
7D
5B
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
18
18
10
18
10
18
98
Column Explanation
Type - Possible values are: DISK, TAPE, PRNT, PROC, WORM, CD, SCAN, OPT, MCHG, COMM and
UNK. UNK indicates that the device type is unrecognised and probably means that there is something
wrong with the configuration. The devices we are interested in are the TAPE devices.
Addr - For TAPE devices, if, for example, the address is A201 then you would enter MKA201 as the tape
device name in any DPTS program. The "A" indicates which SCSI adapter the device is connected to. All
devices which share the same adapter letter share the same adapter. Devices which share the same adapter
must have distinct SCSI device id's. Note that you must not use SCSI id 7, as this ID is used by the SCSI
adapter to communicate with the host computer.
Devnam - This is the internal name used by the Windows NT operating system, and is not used by any
DPTS programs.
Onl - This indicates whether or not the device has been recognised by a driver. If the value is "Y", then it
has been recognised and is available for use. If the value is "N", then the device is not available for use as
no driver has been associated with it. To connect a driver to the device see section C.2.
Vendor - This field contains the vendor name as returned by the device and generally describes the
manufacturer of the device.
Product - This field contains the product name as returned by the device.
Rev. - This field contains the revision level as returned by the device.
Inquiry Header - This file contains further information returned by the device, and consists of the first 8
bytes of the "inquiry" information.
C.2 Making a Tape Drive Available

Under Windows NT, you have to go through a series of windows as follows: START
MENU|SETTINGS|CONTROL PANEL|TAPE DEVICES. Scroll down the list of drivers until you see the DPTS
drivers. These all begin with "DPTS_". If the driver you are looking for is not present, then the driver has not been
installed. Your System's Manager should install the driver for you. You should not touch any other drivers. Each
DPTS driver, when connected, will claim the devices that it supports. Currently available DPTS drivers are as
follows:
DPTS_9914 - claims STK 9914 open-reel drives
DPTS_3410 - claims Qualstar 3410 open-reel drives
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DPTS_3480
DPTS_3580
DPTS_3490
DPTS_3590
DPTS_PT97
DPTS_EXB
DPTS_DLT
DPTS_UNK
DPTS_MEM
claims IBM 3480 cartridge drives

claims IBM 3580 cartridge drives (LTO Ultrium)
claims devices connected to the ENERSY PT971
controller, which can include 7, 9 and 21-track
Tandberg tape drives.
claims EXABYTE and MAMMOTH drives
claims DLT drives
claims ALL tape drives including those above
allocates contiguous physical memory for long
tape block transfer (greater then 64Kb)
The column titled "Startup" influences what happens when the computer is re-booted. It can contain: Boot, System,
Automatic, Manual or Disabled. To change what happens at boot time, select the driver of interest by clicking once
on it, and then click on the "Startup" button.
Manual and Automatic are the startup options that we will be dealing with. If Automatic is chosen, then the driver
will connect automatically all devices that it recognises each time the system is booted. If Manual is chosen, the
driver will not connect to its devices automatically at boot time, and the driver will have to be manually started. If
the driver of interest does not have a status of "Started" and you wish to connect it to its devices, click on the "Start"
button. The status of the driver will change to "Started", and the device is now available for use.
Note that DPTS_UNK should never have Automatic startup and must always be manually started. This is because it
may claim those devices for which a custom driver already exists before the custom driver has a chance to claim its
own devices. DPTS_UNK is a general-purpose driver and does not know how to set density, handle long records,
compute capacity, etc. for particular devices.
C.3 DPTS_MEM Memory Allocator

DPTS_MEM is a special driver that does not claim tape devices. It is used to allow long tape block transfers greater
than 64Kb from any tape device.
When the driver is started (START MENU|SETTINGS|CONTROL PANEL|TAPE DEVICES), it attempts to
reserve a quantity of contiguous physical memory. This quantity is determined by two registry parameters:
"Memsize" and "Slotsize". If the driver fails to start then either there is not enough Non-paged Pool available or
memory is too fragmented or there is insufficient physical memory. The reason for failure is given in the Windows
NT Event Log. If the driver starts successfully then a message is written to the Event Log describing how much
memory was allocated.
The driver should be started as soon as possible after booting before the memory has time to fragment. Because of
this, it is advisable to have the driver set to "Automatic" startup, but only when you are sure that the machine boots
properly with the chosen registry parameter settings. The driver should be set to "Manual" startup whilst
experimenting with these settings, and only set to "Automatic" when it has been shown that the machine will boot
with these settings.
Note that you should not edit the registry directly. You should use DPTS program DPTSCHK to modify the registry
settings indirectly.
All DPTS programs which need to transfer more than 64Kb allocate parts of the memory reserved by DPTS_MEM
for their own use. The "Slotsize" parameter indicates the minimum amount of memory that can be allocated.
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Appendix D AUXILIARY FILES

D.1 Index Files
The BATCHCOPY command optionally produces an index file for each output reel. Each index file describes the
contents of one output reel. The index file is in a CSV (Comma Separated Value) format for easier import into a
spreadsheet.
The selected index type in the BATCHCOPY dialog box determines which columns are present. There are two
layouts of index file, one for the SEGD and SEGY index types, and one for the BLOCK index type. The columns in
the index file for SEGD and SEGY index types are described below.
Title
Description
IVER
OPREEL
INPFMT
OUTFMT
SURVEY
LINE
TAPEID
FIRST_FSEQ
LAST_FSEQ
FIRST_FFID
LAST_FFID
FIRST_SP
LAST_SP
U_TAPEID
A_TAPEID
Index file version (changed when the column titles change)

Output reel number
Input tape format
Output tape format
Seismic survey description
Line name
Input reel number
First output file sequence number
Last output file sequence number
First input record number
Last input record number
First input SP number
Last input SP number
Unique tape batch id
Unique input reel code number or database id
NTRACE
DT_SP
RTYP
PFILE
Number of traces in record

Time difference between consecutive shots
Record type code
Physical file number (EOF count)
NPAR
BLKERR
DTAPAR
NSAMP
LAST_TIME
FCODE
RETRY
Number of traces with parity errors (per record)

Number of block errors (DMX)
Number of field format header records with parity errors (DMX)
Number of field format data records with parity errors (DMX)
Number of good samples found (DMX)
First last good time (highest time before an error occurred) (DMX)
Reason code for missing records
Number of operator read retries performed on record
OPER
TRANS
MACHINE
PVER
Operator initials
Date transcribed
Machine node name
Program version
LNSP
SNSL
LN3D
PN3D
XCEL
YCEL
Line of SP number
Composite line/sp number - Western code 4 format only
Inline number - Western code 4 format only
Crossline number - Western code 4 format only
X coordinate for CMP - Western code 4 format only
Y coordinate for CMP - Western code 4 format only
The columns in the index file for the BLOCK index type are described below. The index file will "range" items with
a common blocksize.
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IVER
OPREEL
INPFMT
OUTFMT
SURVEY
LINE
TAPEID
U_TAPEID
A_TAPEID
index file version (changes when the column titles change)

Output reel number
Input tape format
Output tape format
Seismic survey description
Line name
Input reel number
Unique tape batch id
Unique input reel code number or database id
OPER
TRANS
MACHINE
PVER
Operator initials
Date transcribed
Machine node name
Program version
FIRST_BLK
LAST_BLK
FM_COUNT
FILE_BLK
BLK_TYPE
BLK_SIZE
PARITY
First tape block sequence number, numbered from 1

Last tape block sequence number
File mark count since beginning of tape
Tape block sequence number within file, is 1 after an EOF
Tape block type: 0 for normal block, 1 for EOF
Tape blocksize in bytes
Parity indicator - 0 or 1
The INDEXCOPY, BACKUPCOPY and BACKUPREAD commands produce an index file similar to that produced
by the BATCHCOPY command for SEGY and SEGD. However, the A_TAPEID column is new.
D.2 Runlist Files

The BATCHCOPY, INDEXCOPY, BACKUPCOPY and BACKUPREAD commands use a runlist file for
describing which input tapes need to be copied to an output reel. This runlist file should be in a CSV (Comma
Separated Value) format. The recognised columns in the CSV file are described as below. If other columns are
present, they are ignored. Only those with the following column titles are used.
OPREEL
INPFMT
SURVEY
LINE
TAPEID
AREA
REEL
SEL_FILE
Output reel number

Input tape format
Seismic survey description (optional)
Line name
Input reel number (optional)
Seismic survey description (same as SURVEY) (optional)
Input reel number (same as TAPEID) (optional)
File or record or shotpoint) selection (optional)
The INPFMT column must contain one of the following: SEGY, WC1, WC4, WC4U, SEGD8015, SEGD8022,
SEGD8024, SEGD8036, SEGD8038, SEGD8042, SEGD8044, SEGD8048, SEGD8058, or SEGX or SEGD.
WC4 stands for Labelled Western Code 4; WC4U stands for unlabelled Western Code 4. SEGY will secure
processing of labelled or unlabelled SEGY.
The SEL_FILE column allows you to specify record number ranges, file number ranges, or shotpoint ranges to
copy. The first field of the range specification ("R;" or "F;" or "S;" ) indicates what the numbers which follow it
mean. For example, entering "R;1-100;201-250" will select record numbers 1 to 100 and 201 to 250 only. Any
record number in this range will be selected even if it appears more than once on the tape. Entering "F;1-100;201250" will select those records whose file sequence number appears in this range. The file sequence number is a
count (incremented whenever the record number changes) of the records encountered from the beginning of tape. In
this case, the first 100 records and the 201st to the 250th record will be selected. Note that you should use a semicolon, not a comma, to separate the ranges. For record numbers, if the selection string is terminated by a semi-colon,
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then this is taken as a sign that the tape should be rewound after the last record number has been found. For
example: "R;1-100;151-200;300- 350;" will cause the tape to be rewound after record 350 has been copied. "R;1100;151-200;300-350" without the semi-colon, will cause the tape to continue reading to the end of tape after record
350 has been copied.
Note that more than one output reel can exist in the runlist.
D.2.1 SELECT Program - Generating Runlist Files for SP Selection

The DPTS "SELECT" program allows you to generate runlists using a SP selection list CSV file and DPTS index
files. You can wildcard the input index files to handle them all in one go.
The SP selection list must contain columns LINE, FSP and LSP. The DPTS index file (BCIX1) must contain
columns LINE, FIRST_SP, LAST_SP, FIRST_FSEQ and LAST_FSEQ.
The SELECT program will compare both files to identify the file sequence numbers needed to be copied from the
tape in order to secure copying of the required SPs.
The output runlist will contain columns: OPREEL,TAPEID,SURVEY,LINE,EXP_FSP EXP_LSP, and SEL_FILE.
OPREEL
TAPEID
SURVEY
LINE
EXP_FSP
EXP_LSP
SEL_FILE
currently set to ??
this is the filename body of the BCIX1 file (original output tape no.)
copied from BCIX1 file, if present.
the line name
The expected first SP (hopefully what you've chosen)
The expected last SP (hopefully what you've chosen)
The file sequence range(s) to select from the tape
(E.G. F;51-100;120-200;)
This runlist can be loaded into MTC4 for BATCHCOPY operation, however, you must change the OPREEL column
(currently containing ??).
Look out for WARNINGS when running the SELECT program. These would indicate that too many ranges were
identified - e.g. perhaps when the SP number is invalid in the index file. There is a limit as to how wide the
SEL_FILE column can be.
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Appendix E DIALOG BOX REFERENCE

E.1 General Parameters Dialog
This dialog is activated when the "PARAMETERS" command is issued or when the "Params" button is pressed in
the BATCHCOPY DIALOG box. Each item in this dialog box is described in Section 3.5. The dialog box appears
below.
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E.2 INDEXCOPY, BACKUPCOPY, BACKUPREAD Settings

Dialog
This dialog is activated from the "Settings" button in the GENERAL PARAMETERS DIALOG. It allows you to
modify settings for the INDEXCOPY, BACKUPCOPY, and BACKUPREAD commands. It is recommended that
you now use the "PARAMETERS" command to modify, save and load these parameter settings.
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E.3 DUMP Parameters Dialog

This dialog is activated from the "Dump" button in the GENERAL PARAMETERS DIALOG. It allows you to
modify settings for the DUMP command.
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E.4 RODE Parameter Dialog

This dialog is activated from the "Rode" button in the GENERAL PARAMETERS DIALOG. It allows you to
modify settings for the RODE commands.
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E.5 CHECKREAD Trace Header Definition Dialog

This dialog allows you to examine and modify the Trace Header Definitions used by CHECKREAD. Each Trace
Header field is defined by the following properties:
Enable If ticked the definition is used, otherwise it is not used. Use this to disable a definition without
deleting it.
Range If ticked the definition will produce 2 column titles in the *.CHECKREAD file. The letters "F" (for
first) and "L" (for last) are prefixed to the field name. For example, TRLINE will become FTRLINE and
LTRLINE.
External You cannot modify this. Indicates whether the field definition is internal to the program. Current
internal fields are BLKSEQ, LENGTH and STATUS.
Checktype Determines what sort of checking should be performed on the field between successive trace
headers. If a field fails the check, a new range (new text line) is written to the *.CHECKREAD file. The
check types are:
[EQL ]
[INC1]
[CHG1]
[NONE]
value
value
value
value
of
of
of
of
field
field
field
field
must be equal
must increment by 1
must increment by 1 or decrement by 1 consistently
is not checked
Name The 15 character field name for the item. This name will appear as the column title in the
CHECKREAD file. All fields (except for BLKSEQ, LENGTH and STATUS) are described in the "Digital
Tape Standards SEGY format" document published by the S.E.G. BLKSEQ is the physical tape block
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sequence number - counted from BOT. LENGTH is the length in bytes of the physical tape block.
STATUS is the tape read status: 1 is normal, 513 is parity error.
Location The byte location of the field within the trace header (starting from 1).
Format The format of the field. Possible choices are: Integer and IBM floating-point.
Size The size of the field. Possible choices are 2 and 4. (4 for IBM FP.)
Note that if a field check is turned off (like TRID) then it's value will be the last value read, not the first value in the
range.
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E.6 BATCHCOPY Dialog

This dialog is activated when the "BATCHCOPY" command is issued. Each item in this dialog box is described
below.
Tape Ratio This specifies the ratio between input and output tapes. If just one input tape is to be copied to
one output tape, select "One to one". If more than one input tape is to be copied to a single output tape,
select "Many to one". If one input tape is to be split across many output tapes, select "One to Many".
One to One - Select this if just one input tape is to be copied to one output tape.
Many to One - Select this if more than one input tape is to be copied to a single output tape.
One to Many - Select this if just one input tape is to be split across many output tapes.
Copies This value specifies how many copies of the output data will be produced, if any. From 0 to 4
copies can be produced simultaneously. No output is produced if 0 is selected. You would select 0 if you
just wanted to read or plot a tape.
Capacity When the tape ratio is specified as "One to Many", this value specifies the maximum number of
bytes to be copied to each output. The units can be specified as bytes (B), KiloBytes (KB), MegaBytes
(MB), or GigaBytes (GB). The output reel will be changed when this capacity limit is reached.
Format This group of parameters allows you to specify the format and index type required, and to change
format dependent settings.
Format name - Select the format name from the drop-down list, or enter your own format name. Pre-set
format names are: Unknown, SEGY, and SEGD. Unknown is the default. If you enter your own format
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name, it will be used for identification purposes only - the program will not extract any further meaning
from it except that the format is unknown to the program.
Format settings - Pressing this button allows you to enter program parameters specific to the chosen
format. It is active only if SEGY or SEGD is the selected format name. See the BATCHCOPY SEGY
SETTINGS and BATCHCOPY SEGD SETTINGSdialog boxes in the Appendix.
Index - Select the type of index from the drop-down list. Pre-set index types are: None, Block, SEGY, or
SEGD. Block is the default. Block will work for any format. Note that you should not select SEGD if the
format name is not SEGD, and you should not select SEGY if the format name is not SEGY.
Index settings - Pressing this button allows you to enter index settings specific to the chosen index type.
There are no settings at the moment.
Input Specification:
This group of parameters allows you to specify input tape/disk details.
Disk - Tick this option if your input is from disk files rather than from tape drives. If ticked, the "Defaults"
button becomes active.
Defaults - Pressing this button brings up a dialog box allowing you to specify default input disk file
parameters. It is active only if the Disk option is ticked. See the Appendix for a picture of the DEFAULT
INPUT DISK FILE SPECIFICATION DIALOG.
Stacksize This value indicates the maximum size of an input tape stacker. It does not indicate the actual
number of tapes in the stacker.
Output Specification:
This group of parameters allows you to specify output tape/disk details.
Disk - Tick this option if your output is to disk files rather than to tape drives. If ticked, the "Defaults"
button becomes active.
Defaults - Pressing this button brings up a dialog box allowing you to specify default output disk file
parameters. It is active only if the Disk option is ticked. See the Appendix for a picture of the DEFAULT
OUTPUT DISK FILE SPECIFICATION DIALOG.
Stacksize - This value indicates the maximum size of an output tape stacker. It does not indicate the actual
number of tapes in the stacker.
Plot Specification:
This group of parameters allows you to specify plotting details. They are active only when the tape ratio is One to
One. Only SEGY and SEGD formats can be plotted.
1 - Tick this option if you want to enable plotting defined by the parameters for the first plot.
Params - Press this button to modify the plotting parameters for each of the three plots. See the Appendix
for a picture of the BATCHCOPY PLOTTING PARAMETERS DIALOG.
Tape List:
This group of commands allows you to manipulate the tape run-list.
Import - Allows you to load a CSV file containing details about the tapes you want to run. Column titles
recognised are: OPREEL, INPFMT, OUTFMT, SURVEY, LINE, TAPEID, U_TAPEID, A_TAPEID and
SEL_FILE. Mandatory column titles are: OPREEL and TAPEID.
Display - Allows you to display the imported tape run-list in a separate window.
Modify - this option allows you to enter, modify, or create the information in the run-list. A window will
be displayed, allowing you to modify or add any item in the runlist. Double-clicking an item allows you to
enter text. To commit a changed item, single-click anywhere in the window, or close the window. Rightclicking in the window brings up a pop-up menu which provides further commands, such as: "Add row to
end", "Insert After selected row", "Insert Before selected row", and "Delete selected rows". To select a row
or rows, highlight with the mouse.
Selected Start Tape - Displays the currently selected starting tape.
Tape list window - This window shows a list of the input tapeids currently in the run-list. You select your
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starting tapeid from this list.

General:
Output reel - Displays the currently selected starting output reelid.
Operator - This item is used to identify the person running the program.
Rewind output on restart - Normally, during a restart, the output is rewound then searched forward for
the required record number. This can take a long time but is accurate. If you tick this option, then the
program will always reposition the output in this way. If you do not tick this option (the default), then an
attempt is made to search backwards for the record from the current output tape position. If you do not tick
this option, problems might occur if duplicate record numbers exist on the output. Therefore, it is advisable
to tick this option if you know the output contains duplicate record numbers.
Automatic QC - Tick this option if you want the index file to be cross-checked with the tapelist to produce
a QCn file (like MTQC).
Buttons:
Params - Allows access to the main program parameters.
Load - Allows you to load the main program parameters from a disk file.
Save - Allows you to save the main program parameters to a disk file.
Cancel - Returns control to the command line interface. Any parameters loaded or modified since
BATCHCOPY activation are discarded.
Return - Returns control to the command line interface. Any loaded parameters are retained.
Trans - Starts the transcription operation. A dialog box is displayed containing a brief description
of the important parameters you have selected. You are asked to confirm these before transcription
starts.
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E.7 SEGY to SEGY Settings Dialog

This dialog box is activated when the "Settings" button in the DIPLOMAT BATCHCOPY dialog box is pressed,
when the selected format is SEGY. Clicking on the question mark at top right hand corner allows you to obtain
context sensitive help on any item in this dialog box. Each item in the dialog box is described below.
Check record number increment - This should be ticked if you want the program to check the record
number increment. Checking the increment involves comparing the record number of successive records to
determine their difference, and comparing this difference with the specified increment. Leave unticked if
you do not want the record number increment to be checked. If ticked, you should fill in the record
increment value (normally 1) in the box to the right. If the increment changes, then, at minimum, a warning
message will result. If you have ticked the "Ask for reason code" item, then you will be prompted for a
reason code whenever the increment deviates from that specified.
Record number increment value - This box should contain the record number increment value. It is used
only if the "Check record number increment" parameter has been ticked.
Ask for reason code - This is used only if the "Check record number increment" parameter has been
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ticked. If you tick this parameter, then, whenever the record number increment deviates from the expected
value, you will be prompted to enter a reason code describing the reason for the jump in the record number
increment.
Drop trace if duplicate using - Often, because of a recording error or a reading error, it is possible for the
same trace to be recorded or read twice. This option allows you to weed out these duplicate traces by
checking certain sequence numbers in the SEGY trace header. Tick this option if you wish to check for
duplicate traces. You will need to indicate which SEGY sequence number to check for this. The choices are
TRLINE (bytes 1-4) and TRREEL (bytes 5-8). If the value of the selected sequence number does not
increase and you have ticked this option, then the trace is dropped.
Drop trace if Trace number out of range of MAXTR - Tick this option if you wish to ensure that the
Trace number item of the SEGY trace header contains a value between 1 and MAXTR. The position of the
Trace number is determined by the "Trace number location" definition given on this dialog box. MAXTR is
computed from the binary header and is the sum of the number of data traces and the number of auxiliary
traces.
Warn if ensemble does not contain MAXTR traces - Tick this option if you wish to be warned whenever
the number of traces found in an ensemble does not agree with the expected number, MAXTR. MAXTR is
computed from the binary header and is the sum of the number of data traces and the number of auxiliary
traces.
Ask to retry if ensemble warnings occurred - Tick this option if you wish to be asked whether you wish
to retry reading the ensemble whenever warnings occurred. Warnings include things such as: ensemble
does not contain MAXTR traces; duplicate traces were detected, etc.
Renumber TRLINE and TRREEL - Tick this option if you wish new sequence numbers to be generated
in the output SEGY trace header. TRLINE is in bytes 1-4, TRREEL in bytes 5-8.
Allow DPTS usage of bytes 229-240 of trace header - Most DPTS software will write information to
these bytes for positioning purposes. If it is important for you not to write in these bytes, do not tick this
option.
Drop Reel Headers if compatible - When concatenating multiple SEGY input tapes to a single output
tape, it is not always desirable to copy all SEGY headers subsequent to the first. Tick this option if you do
not want Reel Headers which are compatible with the first (reference header) on the output reel to be
copied. Reel headers are deemed compatible if certain items in the card image header and binary header are
consistent. You can relax the compatibility check to include only important fields by ticking the "Relaxed
check" box. The binary header fields considered important are: number of samples, sample rate, and the
data sample format code.
Defer writing last partial ensemble - For ensembles which span input tapes, this allows you to defer
writing a partial ensemble until the remaining traces for the ensemble on the next input tape have been read.
If the end of data is detected on an input tape, and the current ensemble is not complete, then the traces of
the partial ensemble are written to a "partial-data file". When the next input tape is mounted, traces are read
from this partial-data file before the remaining traces of the ensemble are read from the next input tape. To
control whether you want to be asked what to do when a last partial ensemble has been read, use the "Ask"
parameter.
Confirm no. of data and aux traces - Sometimes the SEGY binary header contains the wrong number of
data and/or auxiliary traces. This option allows you to override these values. If ticked, you will be
prompted for the new number of data and auxiliary traces each time a header is encountered. The logfile
will log these any changes.
Pad short traces - Tick this option if you want short traces to be padded with zeroes so that all output
traces will be the same length.
Truncate long traces - Tick this option if you want long traces to be truncated so that all output traces will
be the same length.
List Reel Headers - Tick this option if you want to list the Card Image headers and Binary headers to the
logfile.
Record number location - This allows you to specify the location in the SEGY trace header of the record
number. Generally this is FFID bytes 9-12 for field data and CDP bytes 21-24 for stack data.
Trace number location - This allows you to specify the location in the SEGY trace header of the trace
number. Generally this is CHAN bytes 13-16 for field data and CDPTR bytes 25-28 for stack data.
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Inline number location - This allows you to specify the location in the SEGY trace header of the Inline
number.
Xline number location - This allows you to specify the location in the SEGY trace header of the Xline
number.
Ensemble listing frequency - This parameter allows you to specify how often a message is displayed on
the screen and to the log file as each ensemble is completed. A frequency of 1 is normally OK for field
data, but for stack data you might want to change this.
Selection Settings - Press this button to display the Selection Settings dialog box which allows you to
specify a trace selection window in terms of up to 50 X and Y coordinates, or in terms of record number,
trace number, Inline number or Xline number. If you want to specify the coordinates of a polygon
describing the area to be copied, tick the "Select by Area" button, then press the "Load" button. Each line of
file to be loaded should contain 2 items: the X coordinate and Y coordinate. For example, the file to be
loaded could contain:
290300
290300
291300
291300
7435200
7437200
7437200
7435200
Tick the "Use Mid-Point" button if you want to select using the mid-point between the source and receiver
coordinates. The source and receiver coordinates are always assumed to be in the standard SEGY header
positions.
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If the source coordinates are not in the standard SEGY header positions, tick "Use Header locations" and
specify the byte location for the X and Y source coordinates.
SEGY Header retention tape frequency - This allows you to keep every nth header which would
otherwise be dropped if compatible. Allows you to limit the size of the SEGY files on an output.
Field defaults - Clicking this button will set the parameters on the screen to values suitable for SEGY field
data.
Stack defaults - Clicking this button will set the parameters on the screen to values suitable for SEGY
stack data.
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E.8 SEGD to SEGD Settings Dialog

This dialog box is activated when the "Settings" button in the DIPLOMAT BATCHCOPY dialog box is pressed,
when the selected format is SEGD. Clicking on the question mark at top right hand corner allows you to obtain
context sensitive help on any item in this dialog box. Each item in the dialog box is described below.
Check record number increment - This should be ticked if you want the program to check the record
number increment. Checking the increment involves comparing the record number of successive records to
determine their difference, and comparing this difference with the specified increment. Leave unticked if
you do not want the record number increment to be checked. If ticked, you should fill in the record
increment value (normally 1) in the box to the right. If the increment changes, then, at minimum, a warning
message will result. If you have ticked the "Ask for reason code" item, then you will be prompted for a
reason code whenever the increment deviates from that specified.
Record number increment value - This box should contain the record number increment value. It is used
only if the "Check record number increment" parameter has been ticked.
Ask for reason code - This is used only if the "Check record number increment" parameter has been
ticked. If you tick this parameter, then, whenever the record number increment deviates from the expected
value, you will be prompted to enter a reason code describing the reason for the jump in the record number
increment.
Drop ensemble if Record Header corrupt - When a record header is encountered, it is first checked to see
if certain header items can be decoded successfully. If they cannot, then the header is deemed to be corrupt.
It is important to establish the integrity of the record header in order to process successfully the traces
which follow it. Sometimes record headers are recorded with invalid values which, if this option were
ticked, would result in the dropping of every ensemble of traces on the tape. If the header item which
contains the invalid value is relatively unimportant, this should be the only time that you would want to
leave this option unticked. Tick this option if you wish to drop the ensemble if the record header is corrupt.
Drop trace if Trace Header corrupt - When a trace is encountered, its header is first checked to see if
certain items can be decoded successfully. If they cannot, then the trace header is deemed to be corrupt.
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Sometimes trace headers are recorded with invalid values which, if this option were ticked, would result in
the dropping of the trace. If the header item which contains the invalid value is relatively unimportant, this
should be the only time that you would want to leave this option unticked. Tick this option if you wish to
drop a trace whose trace header is corrupt.
Drop trace if no Record Header reference - Each trace header contains a File number (FN), Scan type
number (ST), Channel set number (CS), and Trace number (TR). Checks are carried out to ensure that the
trace belongs to the preceeding Record Header. If FN does not match that of the preceeding Record Header,
or if ST or CS are not present in a Channel Set Descriptor contained within the Record Header, then the
trace is considered to have no Record Header reference. Tick this option if you want the trace to be dropped
if there is no header reference. The only time that you should leave this option unticked is when you know
that an invalid FN, ST, or CS has been consistently recorded.
List details if Record Header corrupt - Tick this option if you want full diagnostic information about a
corrupt Record Header. The only time you would want to leave this option unticked is when there is a
known recording problem in every record header.
List details if Trace Header corrupt - Tick this option if you want full diagnostic information about a
corrupt Trace Header. The only time you would want to leave this option unticked is when there is a known
recording problem in every trace header.
List details if no Record Header reference - Tick this option if you want full diagnostic information
about the reason about the no reference. The only time you would want to leave this option unticked is
when there is a known recording problem in every Trace Header or Record Header.
Warn if ensemble does not contain MAXTR traces - Tick this option if you wish to be warned whenever
the number of traces found in an ensemble does not agree with the expected number, MAXTR. MAXTR is
computed from the Record Header and is the sum of the number of channels from each Channel Set
Descriptor in the Record Header.
Ask to retry if ensemble warnings occurred - Tick this option if you wish to be asked whether you wish
to retry reading the ensemble whenever warnings occurred. Warnings include things such as: ensemble
does not contain MAXTR traces, etc.
Pad short traces - Tick this option if you want short traces to be padded with zeroes so that all output
traces for a single Channel Set Descriptor will be the same length.
Truncate long traces - Tick this option if you want long traces to be truncated so that all output traces for
a single Channel Set Descriptor will be the same length.
Defaults - Clicking this button will set the parameters on the screen to the default values.
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E.9 Input Disk File Specification Dialog

This dialog box is activated when the "Input Specification" "Settings" button in the DIPLOMAT BATCHCOPY
dialog box is pressed.
E.10 Output Disk File Specification Dialog

This dialog box is activated when the "Output Specification" "Settings" button in the DIPLOMAT BATCHCOPY
dialog box is pressed.
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E.11 BATCHCOPY Plotting Parameters Dialog

There are 3 dialog boxes controlling 3 separate plots which can be simultaneously active during one-to-one
BACKUPCOPY. These are called PLOT 1, PLOT 2, and PLOT 3. Each of these dialogs is identical and so only one
is described here. A CANCEL button (which cancels the plot-parameter modification operation) and an OK button
(which commits the changes made to the plot parameters) are provided.
Plot destination:
Specifies destination of the plot. One of the possibilities: None, Screen, or File should be selected from the radio
buttons.
Records to Plot: This parameter group allows you to specify the method of record selection and frequency of records
to plot.
Every nth - Select this radio button if you want every nth record plotted (the default). If selected, specify
the value for n. If n is set to 1, then every record will be plotted. If n is set to 2, then the 1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.
records will be plotted.
Divisible by - Select this if you want records which have a record number divisible by some number to be
plotted. If selected, specify the value of this divisor. If this is set to 1, then every record will be plotted. If
the multiple is set to 2, then records whose record number is divisible by 2 will be plotted.
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May 2005
Traces To Plot:
This parameter group allows you to select which traces from the selected records should be plotted. You can specify
the exact trace range to plot or a generic selection.
All - Select this if you want all traces plotted
First - Select this if you want the first trace plotted
Mid - Select this if you want the middle trace plotted
Last - Select this if you want the last trace plotted
As specified - Select this if you want to specify an exact trace range and fill in the trace number range in
the "From" and "To" boxes provided.
Options:
This parameter group allows you to set various plotting options.
Plot auxiliaries - Tick this if you want to plot the auxiliary traces. The default is not to plot auxiliary
traces.
Apply AGC - Tick this if you wish to apply AGC (Automatic-Gain-Control) scaling to the plotted traces.
Record gaps - Tick this if you wish to leave a gap between records on the plot.
Labelling:
This parameter group allows you to set the annotation labelling for each record and trace.
Record - Specifies the record number labelling frequency
Trace - Specifies the trace number labelling frequency
General:
Defaults - This button will restore the default plotting values for all parameters.
First-trace - This button will set default values appropriate for plotting the first trace of each record.
Mid-trace - This button will set default values appropriate for plotting the middle trace of each record.
Last-trace - This button will set default values appropriate for plotting the last trace of each record.
Traces per Panel - Specifies the maximum number of traces allowed in a single plot panel. When this
maximum is reached, a new plot panel is opened.
Last-trace - This button will set default values appropriate for plotting
XVU Params - This button activates the XVU-PARAMETER DIALOG, which allows you to set more
plotting parameters, like traces-per-inch, and timing-line details. (See the XVU-PARAMETER DIALOG).
File:
This group of parameters is active only when plotting to a file.
Format - Specifies the plot file format and compression. The options are BMP, TIFF uncompressed, TIFF
Group 3 compressed, TIFF Group 4 compressed, TIFF LZW compressed, and TIFF Packbits compressed.
The default is TIFF LZW compressed.
Resolution - Specifies the plot resolution in pixels per inch.
- 68 -

May 2005
E.12 XVU-Parameter Dialog

This dialog box is activated when the "XVU Params" button on the BATCHCOPY PLOTTING PARAMETERS
DIALOG is pressed. It allows you to specify further plotting parameters.
Direction:
Specifies the direction in which traces are plotted.
Left-Right - Select this option to plot traces in the left to right direction. The first trace will be plotted at
the left of the plot.
Right-Left - Select this option to plot traces in the right to left direction. The first trace will be plotted at
the right of the plot.
Mode:
Variable-Area - Select this option to plot traces with variable area.
Wiggle - Select this option to plot traces with wiggles only.
Variable-Area-Wiggle - Select this option to plot traces with wiggles super-imposed by variable area.
Timing Line Interval:
Primary - Specifies the interval between primary timing lines. Primary timing lines are thicker than
secondary. Units are: Default is:
Secondary - Specifies the interval between secondary timing lines. Secondary timing lines are thinner than
primary. Units are: Default is:
Sample Window:
First sample - Specifies the first sample number to plot. The default is 1, indicating that the plotting should
start from the first sample.
Last sample - Specifies the last sample number to plot. The default is 0, which is taken by software to
mean that the all samples are to be plotted.
Scale:
Metric - Tick this option if the "Horizontal" and "Vertical" parameters below are expressed in metric units.
Default is "not ticked".
Horizontal - Specifies the horizontal scale (trace spacing) in units of traces per inch (traces per centimetre,
if metric).
Vertical - Specifies the vertical scale in inches per second (centimetres per second, if metric).
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May 2005
Amplitude:
Gain - The default is 1.0.
Clip - Specifies by how many trace widths the amplitude of a trace is allowed to vary before it is clipped.
The default is 2.0.
CANCEL - This button cancels any modifications made to the XVU parameters.
OK - Click this button when you are satisfied with the XVU parameters.
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May 2005
E.13 TAREXTRACT Dialog

This dialog is activated when the "TAREXTRACT" command is issued. Each item in this dialog box is described
below.
Rewind - This button will cause the input tape containing TAR savesets to be rewound.
List - This button will list the TAR input tape.
Extract to folder - This specifies the base directory (folder) into which the files will be copied. If "Use
folder names" is ticked, appropriate sub-directories will be created.
Browse - Use this to pick the base directory name.
Extract All Files - This button will cause all files to be copied from the TAR tape.
Extract Selected Files - This button will cause only those files which have been selected by highlighting in
the listbox to be copied from the TAR tape.
Stop - Use this button to interrupt the extaction process.
Use folder names - Tick this option if you want the folder name (if any) to be retained.
Overwrite existing files - Tick this option if you wish any existing files with the same name to be
overwritten.
Rewind first - Tick this option if you want the TAR tape to be rewound prior to extracting files.
- 71 -

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DIPLOMAT

Tape Copy & Utility Program

Software Version : 4.9

Software Helpline - +44 (1689) 824777

Copyright (c) DPTS Ltd

Diplomat Copy User Manual

Diplomat Copy User Manual

2.4.9 Dump Display Layout .............................................................................................................................14

Diplomat Copy User Manual

Diplomat Copy User Manual

Chapter 1 Introduction to Diplomat COPY

1.2 Hardware and Software Requirements

1.2.2 Supported Tape Devices and Tape Drivers

7-track half-inch open-reel

Diplomat Copy User Manual

IBM-3590 half-inch cartridge

DPTS_3480_V5 - IBM 3480-style cartridge

1.2.4 Online Help

1.2.5 Assumed Knowledge

Diplomat Copy User Manual

port licences. "product" is the name of the DPTS software product.

1.4 Environment Variables

1.5 Site File

1.6 Other DPTS Programs running under Windows

Diplomat Copy User Manual

1.7 Update History

1.7.1 Version 4.9 April 2005

1.7.2 Version 4.8 April 2004

1.7.3 Version 4.7 September 2003

New licensing system introduced (USB, Parallel or Ethernet)

Diplomat Copy User Manual

up" long records.

1.7.4 Version 4.6 October 2002

COPYRODE command enhanced to split RODE files

1.7.5 Version 4.5 February 2002

General Parameters dialog changed and now has online help

1.7.6 Version 4.4 July 2001

1.7.7 Version 4.2 December 2000

Diplomat Copy User Manual

1.8 Program Activation Methods

Diplomat Copy User Manual

Chapter 2 User Guide

2.2 HOW TO READ A TAPE

2.2.1 Purpose of Reading

2.2.2 Associated Commands/Online Help

Diplomat Copy User Manual

2.2.3 Showing the Available Tape Devices

2.2.4 Assigning the Input Tape Device

Diplomat Copy User Manual

2.2.5 The READ command

The columns in the display are:

- the length in bytes of the tape block

2.2.6 REWIND/UNLOAD/RELEASE commands

Diplomat Copy User Manual

2.2.7 Controlling LISTING frequency

2.2.8 Log file output

2.3 HOW TO COPY A TAPE

2.3.1 Purpose of Copying

2.3.2 Associated Commands

Diplomat Copy User Manual

2.3.3 Showing Available Tape Devices

2.3.4 Assigning the Output Tape Device

2.3.5 The COPY command