[Coco] OS-9 HD backup

[Kandur]

Wednesday, August 27, 2014, 5:10:53 PM, you wrote:
> I used toolshed to extract the config.01 file from the disk image and 
> confirmed that it is not compressed. I have no idea what created it, but it 
> is essentially an uncompressed tarball created with something other than 
> tar. The format seems to be $AA55 as a leader, the filename terminated with 
> $0D, and a 16-byte header, and then the contents of the file. For example, 
> the first couple of entries look like this:

I used UltraEdit to look into this file.
> AA 55 config/CMDS 0D
> BF 00 00 59 03 05 07 2B
> 01 00 00 01 80 59 03 05

> AA 55 config/CMDS/Basic09 0D
> 2F 00 00 59 03 05 07 2B
> 01 00 00 5A CC 59 03 05
> ... uncompressed contents of Basic09 ...

> AA 55 config/CMDS/RunB 0D
> 2F 00 00 59 03 05 07 2B
> 01 00 00 2F 99 59 03 05
> ... uncompressed contents of RunB ...

> It looks as if AA 55 is just a header identifier, the first byte of the 
> header (BF and 2F) may be the file attributes, and bytes 13 and 14 (01 80, 
> 5A CC, and 2F 99) may be the file size. In other words, Basic09 is in bytes 
> 0044 through 5B10 for a total of 5ACC bytes. I suspect the file size for the 
> directory entries could be the size of the directory at the time the backup 
> set was created ($0180 / $20 = 12 directory entries).

That's why I colored 'AA 55' red.
AA and 55 are binary compliments of each other,
if I remember well, the same byte pattern is used
to delineate sectors and/or tracks on some disks.
I'm really going out on a limb, but I remember faintly,
that the Kansas City tape standard also used this pattern in as the leader.
> The remainder of the bytes in the header seem to stay pretty much the same 
> in the headers I've looked at.

> Given the apparent simplicity of the format, it shouldn't take long to come 
> up with something to extract all the files if it isn't BRU or some other 
> known format.

HDKIT's Archdir properly identified the files in the archive.
I used:  archdir -v <config.os9 >config-dir  
however,
bigfile -r /d1/config.os9 #32k ! restore /x1 -v #32k
could not find the files, each were listed ok, but with error 216.
> Of course, given the caveat that this is based on a quick 5-minute peek 
> through the file while I was eating supper.

Gene suggested that the program may have been called 'archive'
I'm looking for it.

Kandur
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Kandur
> Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2014 3:24 PM
> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
> Subject: Re: [Coco] OS-9 HD backup

> Gene, not sure, if Bru was available in 1989, when this backup was made.
> It appears not being compressed, as the raw disk dump shows plain text, like 
> this:

> OSTerm V2.0.8 (C) 1989 by Vaughn Cato Copying permitted for non-profit use 
> only To furthur the development of superior software, please contribute 
> $10.00 to the author at: 1244 E. Piedmont Rd. NE. Marietta, Ga. 30062 
> Special thanks to Phil Zeigler, who thought when I could think no longer.

> Hex dump of the start of the file:
> http://qdv.pw/coco/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/config-os9.jpg

> Kandur

> Wednesday, August 27, 2014, 11:41:27 AM, you wrote:
>> On Wednesday 27 August 2014 14:06:01 Kandur did opine
>> And Gene did reply:
>>> My first batch of 28 floppy HD backup set had been restored
>>> from 1989, thanks to Robert Gault's help and his endless patience.
>>> The second  batch of 34 floppy HD backup set, may not have been
>>> made by HDKIT, as it seem to have a different archive structure.
>>> Please look at it, and let me know, if you can recognize it.
>>> http://qdv.pw/coco/?p=289

>>> Kandur

>> Any chance of its being made by either of the 3 BRU's was destroyed by the
>> apparent directory listing shown on that page.

>> Since we've had several compression methods, I am wondering if perhaps it
>> an HDKIT backup, but HDKIT was configured to use a different, perhaps more
>> effective compression.  Its an avenue I'd explore.  One can often deduce
>> tha compression used by looking at a dump of the first 32 bytes or so of
>> one of the files, which often contains an identifier string.  dEd can show
>> you that information if it can read it at all.

>> Cheers, Gene Heskett
>> -- 
>> "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
>>  soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
>> -Ed Howdershelt (Author)
>> Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>
>> US V Castleman, SCOTUS, Mar 2014 is grounds for Impeaching SCOTUS

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