JUST GIVE THE "UC -??" COMMAND TO GET INTERACTIVE ACCESS TO THE MANUAL.


0. WHAT IS NEW (overview of changes from version 2.3 to 2.4)
============================================================

This chapter describes all differences between UltraCompressor (tm)
version 2.3 (the June 1 1995 release) and version 2.4.

This chapter contains the following paragraphs:

        - A. Bug fixes
        - B. Enhancements
        - C. Known problems/issues

When you use the AIPNL manual viewer you can jump to a chapter or a
paragraph by pressing the corresponding digit(s) or letter.


0.A BUG FIXES
=============

UltraCompressor
---------------
   The use of PCPs, can no longer erroneously causes fatal error 225.

   The size of the error logfile is no longer reported erroneously.

   !DTT (dynamic time travel) can now be used on all archives managed by
   VM (version manager).

   Optimize and SuperOptimize no longer cause 'out of memory' errors.

   Fixed rare unneeded 'out of memory' error during optimizing phase.

Visual UltraCompressor
----------------------
   Visual UltraCompressor now properly copies system and hidden files
   from disk to disk.

   Visual UltraCompressor no longer leaves temporary directories on disk
   if the current drive and the temporary files directory are on
   different disks.

   Visual UltraCompressor no longer complains that UC.EXE is not in the
   PATH if it is in the current directory.

   Visual UltraCompressor now properly handles filenames ending with
   international characters.

Other tools
-----------
   UCRYPT no longer claims some correct passwords to be wrong.

   SAS no longer overwrites archives if they happen to have the same
   name as archive parts.

   Self extracting archives now properly detect that a disk is full.


0.B ENHANCEMENTS
================

UltraCompressor
---------------
   UC2 now stores and re-stores Windows 95 long filenames. Details on
   Windows 95 support are in chapter 16.

Visual UltraCompressor
----------------------
   Visual UltraCompressor has been adapted to cooperate better with
   braille equipped systems.

   VU now shows and properly handles Windows 95 long filenames. (use F11
   to toggle the view mode)

   VU now handles Enter/Double-Click as VIEW instead of EDIT which makes
   it much faster inside archives.

   VU now uses internal logic to copy/move/delete files.

   VU now has a Make Archive command.

Other tools
-----------
   UC2SEA now allows specification of volume size in bytes.

   UC2SEA now has a faster (-f) compression mode.


0.C KNOWN PROBLEMS/ISSUES
=========================

UC2/UC2SEA/UCEXE and resident virus scanners
--------------------------------------------
   UC2 can "generate" executables (extraction from an archive), UC2SEA
   and UCEXE also generate executables. Some (resident) virus scanners
   detect that an executable is changed/generated and warn you a virus
   might be active. In many cases UC2 and UC2SEA are capable of avoiding
   this problem but not all virus scanners allow this. This problem is
   not unique, other archivers, compilers and executable compressors
   have similar problems.

SuperOptimizer efficiency
-------------------------
   The SuperOptimizer could be made about 20% faster by eliminating
   redundant decompression phases. The SuperOptimizer currently uses a
   universal approach capable of handling all archive types. In the
   future some more specialized methods will be used for the
   SuperOptimizer.

UC2 transaction processing and UNDELETE tools
---------------------------------------------
   To minimize the risk of data loss in case of e.g. power failures, UC2
   always works 'transaction oriented'. UC2 often uses temporary files
   to achieve this. In some environments deleted files are not really
   deleted, but moved to a different location. This allows better
   recovery of deleted files. Examples of this are the OS/2 DELDIR
   setting and the Norton SmartCan program. Since these tools use a
   first in first out approach, intensive use of UC2 can 'take over' the
   deleted file space. DELDIR, SmartCan, etc. should be disabled before
   UC is executed if this is unwanted.


1. INTRODUCTION (how to get started, features, etc.)
====================================================

This chapter briefly discusses all the software included in the
UltraCompressor package.

For 'commercial' use the UC2 evaluation copy can only be used for a
period of 30 days. More details on this are in chapter 2. Chapter 2 also
contains the AIPNL license agreement. By using this package, you are
agreeing to be bound by the terms of this agreement.

Please use ORDER.FRM to order a license for our products.

This chapter contains the following paragraphs:

        - A. What is UltraCompressor?
        - B. Support, feedback, dealers, third party tools
        - C. Features, main
        - D. Features, business/corporate use
        - E. Features, developers
        - F. Features, BBS sysops
        - G. Included files
        - H. Credits
        - I. Acknowledgements
        - J. Press release

When you use the AIPNL manual viewer you can jump to a chapter or a
paragraph by pressing the corresponding digit(s) or letter.


1.A WHAT IS ULTRA-COMPRESSOR?
=============================

UltraCompressor from AIPNL (Ad Infinitum Programs) is an archiver. An
archiver is a file handling and compression utility. It will make most
of your files significantly smaller and it can keep related files
together. When you need the files, you can decompress them with the same
UC2 utility. UC2 is very easy to use, thanks to its simple user
interface and has support for all archiving needs.

An archive behaves just like a floppy disk. It has a directory
structure, you can copy from the archive with extraction and copy to the
archive by adding. It is also possible to delete files from the archive.

UC2 can also make such an archive DAMAGE PROTECTED (tm), so ALL files in
the archive are safe, even if there are disk errors (within reasonable
limits).

With UC2 an archive can contain multiple versions of the same file.

With a clear manual and a limited number of commands, UC2 will turn out
to be very easy to use. Most of the options are configurable, so the
commands are very simple and easy to remember.

In general UC2 is very fast, especially when updating archives or
extracting files from archives. At the same time it has superior
compression. UC2 can handle near unlimited collections of files, in
multi-gigabyte archives, even on a XT. For a detailed overview of the
features of UC2, see paragraph C.


1.B SUPPORT, FEEDBACK, DEALERS, THIRD PARTY TOOLS
=================================================

Contacting AIPNL
----------------
   Mail       : P.O. Box 1432, 3430 BK Nieuwegein, The Netherlands

   Phone      : +31-30-2662107
   FAX        : +31-30-2616571

   WEB        : http://www.xs4all.nl/~aipnl

   Internet   : desk@aip.nl

   We actively monitor the Internet newsgroup comp.compression.

   Up-to-date software is always available from:

      InterNet   : ftp://ftp.nl.net/gopher/NLnet-connected/aipnl/...
      WEB        : http://www.xs4all.nl/~aipnl

   When you have any questions, just ask us or any of our dealers. We
   will answer your questions as soon as possible.

   You can also contact desk@aip.nl to become a beta tester, to be added
   to our mailing list or to request uuencoded copies of our software.

Feedback
--------
   Help us to make this product even better. Tell us what you want us to
   improve in UC2 and all our other products. Comment on the manuals in
   general, or on a manual in a specific language, is also very welcome.

Dealers
-------
   USA, BMT Micro

      Mail        : 452 Horn Rd, Wilmington, NC 28412-2411, USA
      Phone       : (800) 414-4268 (toll free, orders only)
                    (910) 791-7052
      FAX         : (910) 350-2937
      BBS         : (910) 350-8061 (direct link to AIPNL)
      Internet    : thomas.bradford@bmtmicro.com
      CompuServe  : 74031,307
      FidoNet     : 1:3628/11

   France, SERMEDITECH

      Mail        : 6 Rue Racine, 02200 Courmelles, France
      Phone       : 23.73.98.90
      FAX         : 23.73.40.71
      BBS         : 23.73.02.51
      Internet    : rfrey@sermeditec.win.net
      CompuServe  : 100346,1161
      FidoNet     : 2:322/12
      SparkNet    : 74:322/1
      FrancoMedia : 101:176/106

   Singapore, Online Technology

      Mail        : P.O. Box 0685, Bukit Merah Central, Singapore 9115
      Phone       : (65) 298-8634
      FAX         : (65) 298-1324
      Internet    : 71413.3330@compuserve.com
      CompuServe  : 71413,3330

   Israel, Magic

      Mail        : 29 Etzion St., Ra'anana 43562, Israel
      Phone       : 09-441-579
      FAX         : 09-984-945, 09-916-647
      BBS         : 09-916-647, 09-984-945, 09-918-533
      Internet    : tammar@chemsg5.tau.ac.il
      FidoNet     : 2:405/52

   Australia, GNXS

      Mail        : P.O. Box 3075, Stocklands Mall, Wetherill Park,
                    NSW 2164, Australia
      Phone       : +61-2-757-3306
      FAX         : +61-2-757-3322
      BBS         : +61-2-757-3322
      Internet    : aip-nl@gnxs.com.au
      Fidonet     : 3:713/611
      FTP         : ftp.gnxs.com.au/pub/aipnl


Third party tools
-----------------
   For third parties AIP has implemented a third party interface in UC2
   (UC2-3PI). For documentation and samples sources please contact
   AIPNL.

   The following tools have UltraCompressor support: (we list the
   lowest version number with UC2 support)

      ARCHIVE MANAGER PRO 1.0, Alexander Maltsev, archive manager,
                               freeware

         Internet   : Alexander.Maltsev@p29.f271.n5020.z2.fidonet.org
         FidoNet    : 2:5020/271.29   Moscow Russia

         Available on any AMP Support BBS. Contact to become an
         Authorized User or Support BBS.

      ArcMaster 10.0, New-Ware, archiver shell, shareware $35 USD

         Mail       : 8050 Camino Kiosco, San Diego, CA 92122-1820, USA
         Phone      : (619) 455-6225 (Business hours ONLY please!)
         BBS        : (619) 455-5226

      AVIEW 4.5, Chris Buijs, archive viewer, freeware

         Mail       : De Spil 22, 1507 CX Zaandam, The Netherlands
         BBS        : +31-(0)75-704890
         CompuServe : 100117,3242
         FidoNet    : 2:280/407.16

      DOS Navigator(tm) 1.30, RIT S.R.L., DOS shell, shareware $35 USD

         Mail       : str. Tudor Vladimirescu 18, Chishinau, 277024,
                      Republic of Moldova
         Phone      : +373 2 26-10-16
         FAX        : +373 2 26-14-16
         BBS        : +373 2 22-64-83, +373 2 22-85-77
         Internet   : AxoNSoft@silk.glas.apc.org
         FidoNet    : 2:469/33

      Morgul 1.00, Toni Nikkanen, music module player, free/cardware

         Mail       : Kymenlaaksonkatu 7 D 45, FIN-48100 KOTKA, Finland
         BBS        : +358 (9)51 3758236
         Internet   : tnikkane@clinet.fi, luovaa@freenet.hut.fi
         FidoNet    : 2:221/18

      MTA 15.56, DISP, archive converter, shareware $25 USD

         Mail       : P.O. box 131, 1170 AC, Badhoevedorp, Netherlands
         BBS        : +31-(0)1749-48422
         CompuServe : 100120,1146
         FidoNet    : 2:281/904.5

      REARJ 2.25, ARJ Software, archive converter, part of ARJ 2.41a

         Mail       : 2606 Village Road West, Norwood,
                      Massachusetts 02062
         Internet   : robjung@world.std.com
         CompuServe : 72077,445

      SHEZ 9.7, CSD, archiver shell, shareware $39 USD

         Mail       : P.O. Box 15248, Santa Rosa, CA 95402, USA
         Phone      : (707) 575-9868
         Internet   : jim.derr@kandy.com
         CompuServe : 76266,2634

      THD ProScan Version 11.0, File/Upload Tester/Convertor

         FidoNet    : 1:259/423.0



   If you are aware of a tool which has UltraCompressor support, but
   which is not included on this list, please let us know.

   The products included here are manufactured by vendors independent of
   AIPNL; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these
   products' performance or reliability.


1.C FEATURES, GENERAL
=====================

Better compression
------------------
   Up to 72% better compression than competing software. (See chapter 4
   paragraph A options TF, TN, TT and the O commands; chapter 6
   paragraph A.)

Speed
-----
   Compression is fast and configurable to favor compression speed or
   archive size. Extraction is very fast. UC2 is also very fast when it
   UPDATES an archive, even if this archive is large, stored on a
   network server or stored on a slow (floppy) disk. (See chapter 4
   paragraph A options TF and I; paragraph F 'smart skipping'; chapter 6
   paragraph A.)

Reliability
-----------
   Archives can optionally be protected against damage, allowing them to
   recover from most disk-errors without any loss of data. UC2 always
   works 'transaction oriented' allowing recovery from most crashes
   without any loss of data. It has optional double-verification,
   preventing data loss in case of hardware or software problems. (See
   chapter 4 paragraph A the P command; chapter 6 paragraph A
   'reliability level'.)

Powerful command line
---------------------
   Straightforward, yet powerful command line. If UC2 can figure it out,
   you don't have to specify it. The manual contains 4 separate sections
   on the command line to make sure you get only the information
   relevant for what you want. (See chapters 3,4,5 and 8).

Easy to use graphical user interface
------------------------------------
   Good looking, general purpose, graphical shell. VU is highly
   configurable allowing you to tailor it to your personal taste. (See
   chapter 12.)

Integrated help
---------------
   UC2 has integrated help (with search) and an, easy to use, integrated
   configuration tool. Only a few commands are needed to manage archives
   with UC. UC can automatically deal with ARC, ARJ, LZH, ZIP, etc.
   archives as if they are UC archives. (See chapter 3; chapter 6.)

Highly configurable
-------------------
   Many operation details can be configured by built in configuration
   tools and/or by directly changing the readable AIP-NL.INI file. (See
   chapter 6 and chapter 12.)

Ultra-fast self extracting archives
-----------------------------------
   Self extracting archives can span multiple diskettes. Their operation
   is fully configurable. They work up to 3 times faster than competing
   self extractors. (See chapter 13.)

Full support of Windows 95 long file/directory names
----------------------------------------------------
   Both UC and VU properly store, restore and preserve Windows 95 long
   file/directory names.

Full support of OS/2 2.x extended attributes
--------------------------------------------
   OS/2 2.x extended attributes (such as icons, WPS long icon names,
   WordPerfect 5.2 for OS/2 summary information, etc.) can be kept in an
   archive. They are managed automatically. (See chapter 6 paragraph A
   'Store OS/2 2.x extended attributes'.)


1.D FEATURES, BUSINESS/CORPORATE USE
====================================

Advanced version management
---------------------------
   Multiple versions of file collections (projects) can be managed with
   the included 'Version Manager' (VM) tool. VM supports project level
   version labelling. Also included is UDIFF, an 'unlimited pass' tool
   to compare text files. (See chapter 8 paragraph A and chapter 15.)

Scripts
-------
   A 'script' file can contain a large list of files (e.g. to be
   compressed). A script file can also be used as a substitute for
   multiple (complex) commands. Scripts can be nested, to allow the
   construction of 'building blocks'. Scripts can be very long
   (multi-megabyte). (See chapter 4 paragraph F 'scripts'.)

Capable of heavy duty tasks
---------------------------
   There is almost no limit to the number of files in an archive or to
   the number of files processed in a single command. Where some other
   programs get into trouble with more than 10,000 files, UC2 can easily
   handle a much larger number of files. Even a simple PC-XT can (given
   time) handle this workload. (See chapter 7 paragraph A.)

Error handling and logging
--------------------------
   UC2 has advanced error handling and logging. This is especially
   important when large collections of files are archived from shared
   (network) disks. In almost all cases UC2 allows you to solve severe
   problems and enables you to continue the operation. (See chapter 4
   paragraph F 'superior error handling' and chapter 8 paragraph F.)

Private compression profiles
----------------------------
   This feature allows you to use UC2 as an optimized special purpose
   compressor for a specific kind of data (e.g. text files in a specific
   language). (See chapter 8 paragraph F.)

State of the art encryption
---------------------------
   UltraCrypt can protect your data with heavy duty enhanced triple DES
   (Digital Encryption Standard) encryption. Faster encryption is
   included as well. (See chapter 9.)

State of the art authenticity verification
------------------------------------------
   UltraSeal and UltraSafe can help you protect your data against
   undetected changes (e.g. virus infections or data falsifications).
   They do not use 'security by obscurity', but they use digital
   signatures based on Lucas functions. (See chapters 10 and 11.)


1.E FEATURES, DEVELOPERS
========================

File version management
-----------------------
   Multiple versions of a file (e.g. the MAY 2 21:33:18 and the MAY 3
   02:17:22 version) can be kept in an archive. UC2 version management
   is very simple to use. (See chapter 4 paragraph E.)

Advanced version management
---------------------------
   Multiple versions of file collections (projects) can be managed with
   the included 'Version Manager' (VM) tool. VM supports project level
   version labelling. Also included is UDIFF, an 'unlimited pass' tool
   to compare text files. (See chapter 8 paragraph A and chapter 15.)

Very fast updates
-----------------
   UC2 is very fast in updating large archives while maintaining
   superior compression and reliability. No complex commands or options
   are needed for this. (See chapter 4 paragraph A options TF and I;
   paragraph F 'smart skipping'; chapter 6 paragraph A.)

Simple path management
----------------------
   With UC2 it is very easy to copy any set of files from anywhere on
   disk to anywhere in the archive and vice versa. (See chapter 4
   paragraphs A and B, the # option.)

Filter on file contents
-----------------------
   Define a search string and only files containing this string will be
   printed, listed, extracted, added, etc. (See chapter 8, paragraph E.)

Filter on anything else
-----------------------
   Filter on date/time, attributes, if a file is newer, query for each
   file, etc. (See chapter 8, paragraph E.)

Compress dos executables
------------------------
   UCEXE can make DOS executables MUCH smaller, while they remain
   working. On top of that UCEXE compressed executables check their own
   integrity. (See chapter 14.)


1.F FEATURES, BBS SYSOPS
========================

Multimedia banners
------------------
   UC2 allows you to add multimedia banners (text, graphics, sound and
   music) to an archive, or to a collection of archives. (See chapter 5
   paragraph B.)

Easy conversion combined with virus scanning
--------------------------------------------
   UC2 can convert collections of archives of almost any kind with just
   one simple command. If preferred, UC2 will scan archive contents for
   viruses during conversion. (See chapter 5 paragraph A.)

Get rid of viruses forever
--------------------------
   The industrial strength authenticity verification software can help
   you to get rid of viruses forever by protecting archives against
   unauthorized changes. (See chapters 9 and 10)

Needs only 32kb free memory to run
----------------------------------
   UC2 can be used together with other large programs, perfect for
   mailers and other (large) programs that need to call UC2. (See
   chapter 5 paragraph C.)

Time stamp
----------
   Time stamp (collections of) archives with the date/time of their
   newest file. (See chapter 8, paragraph E.)

Private compression profiles
----------------------------
   This feature allows you to use UC2 as an optimized special purpose
   compressor for a specific kind of data (e.g. email). (See chapter 8
   paragraph F.)


1.G INCLUDED FILES
==================

Please note UC2PRO.EXE has been protected with UltraSeal. You can use
UltraSafe to verify whether you have an original version.

General
-------
   U_MANUAL.TXT   the manual
   ORDER.FRM      order form
   USEAL.FRM      supplement to ORDER.FRM for ordering USEAL
   FILE_ID.DIZ    file for BBSes
   AIP-NL.INI     configuration file

UltraCompressor
---------------
   UC.EXE         command line archive
   US.EXE         install UltraStealth
   UUC.EXE        use UltraStealth

UC2 Tools
---------
   VM.EXE         version manager

   SAS.EXE        simple archive splitter

   UCDIR.BAT      compress directory
   UEDIR.BAT      expand directory

   UPROT.BAT      protect archive
   ULOCK.BAT      lock archive

Other tools
-----------
   VU.EXE         GUI archiver shell
   VU.PIF         Program Information File to make MS-Windows run VU.EXE
                  in full screen mode
   VU.REG         File to add VU.EXE to the Windows 95 registry.

   UC2SEA.EXE     convert UC2 archive into an executable
   DOS.SEA        extraction module for UC2SEA

   UCEXE.EXE      make DOS executable smaller and self checking

   UDIFF.EXE      compare two text files

   UCRYPT.EXE     UltraCrypt executable
   USAFE.EXE      UltraSafe executable


1.H CREDITS
===========

AIPNL would like to thank the following people for their involvement,
work, support, ideas, testing, checking, etc.:

   Aarif Rashid                    Ad Nhn
   Ad Spijkers                     Allen Koberg
   Andrew Cadach                   Andy Hakim
   Arjan Bosse                     Arno Haket
   Arnold Jansen                   Bernardo Javier Siu Fabry
   Bruce Ray                       Bruus Antonides
   Charles Evans                   Charlie Negyesi
   Conny de Vries                  Damir Lukic
   Danny Bezemer                   Dejan Markovic
   Dirk Schreib                    Doug Lamb
   Doug Tooley                     Ellen de Vries
   Eric Morel                      Eric Veldhuyzen
   Eugen Woiwod                    Ewout de Klijne
   Fabian Meuller                  Forrest Aldrich
   Frank Leene                     Fred Snijder
   Fred Wijshoff                   Gary van Beeck
   Geoffrey Broadwell              Glenn Evan Copeland
   Graeme Cross                    Graham Scott
   Greg Roelofs                    Gregory Flint
   Gudmundur J. Helgason           Hans Klunder
   Hans Peer                       Helen Derks
   Ian Spenser Nelson              Ingrid Foster-Dingley-Groot
   Itamar Even-Zohar               Jacob Poon
   Jan Kalin                       Jan van Hees
   Jan van Leeuwen                 Jan-Pieter Cornet
   Jan-Willem Overbeek             Janne Kankaala
   Jasmijn de Vries                Jason Buchanan
   Javier Manero                   Jean-loup Gailly
   Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers           Joe Emenaker
   Joe Fortser                     Joe Negron
   Joergen Hjort                   John Mitchell
   Joost Pruijt                    Juan Manuel Ruiz Lopez
   Juha Kivijrvi                  Kai Uwe Rommel
   Kit Thong                       Kov cs Bal zs
   Leonid Yakovlev                 Leslie Klieb
   Marc Randolph                   Marco van de Wetering
   Marijke Hoytink                 Mark Adler
   Mark Kovarski                   Mark de Boer
   Markus Kaemmerer                Marton Anka
   Michael Sumulong                Mike Charnock
   Mike Davis                      Mike Laster
   Mike McCombs                    Morten Lejboelle
   Ned Crigler                     Nico de Vries
   Oleg P. Serdjuk                 Oliver Fromme
   Paul Kocher                     Peter Oudenhoven
   Piet van Oostrum                Pieter de Ruiter
   Rafael Ramirez                  Reinier de Groot
   Rianne van Leur                 Richard Foster-Dingle
   Rick Hoorn                      Rob van Hoeven
   Robbie Vance                    Robert Lindeman
   Roger Burton-West               Ronald Raymond Dippol
   Roy Alexander                   Ryan Oakley
   Ryan Watkins                    Sjuck Brongersma
   Soeren Fisker                   Stefan Hermansson
   Stefano Zamprogno               Terry Chan
   Thaddaeus Kong                  Theo Boersma
   Thomas Wolff                    Timothy F. Sipples
   Tomas Hajny                     Udo van den Heuvel
   Victor T. Ng                    Vincent van Wichen
   Wes Nakamura                    Willem Verloop
   Wong Ling

We especially want to thank YOU, the reader of this manual, for
considering the use of our products.

Help us to make this product even better. Tell us what you want us to
improve in UC2 and all our other products. AIPNL applications are always
designed in close cooperation with the people who use them. Comment on
the manuals in general, or on a manual in a specific language, is also
very welcome.


1.I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
====================

UltraCompressor is a trademark of AIPNL (Ad Infinitum Programs).

Most mentioned brand and product names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective companies.


1.J PRESS RELEASE
=================

AIPNL releases UltraCompressor 2.4 with FULL Windows 95 support
---------------------------------------------------------------

UTRECHT, The Netherlands, AIPNL today released a new version of
UltraCompressor. Version 2.4 adds FULL support for Windows 95 long
filenames. Both the command line and the GUI version now have full
Windows 95 long filename support.

Included with 2.4 are:

   UltraCompressor 2.4, a general purpose archiver
      - up to 72% better compression than competing products
      - up to 10 times faster archive updating than competing products
      - DAMAGE PROTECTION (tm) allows recovery from disk errors
      - capable of handling extremely large file collections
      - intergrated optimal file-version management
      - full Windows 95 long filename support
      - full OS/2 extended attribute support

   Visual UltraCompressor, a high speed general purpose shell
      - extremely fast graphical shell
      - fully customizable

   UC2SEA, converts UC2 archives into UltraFAST standalone executables
      - the generated executable can span multiple (floppy) disks
      - up to 3 times faster than competing products
      - a fixed fee allows unlimited distribution
      - source code availability allows full customization

   UCEXE, makes a DOS executable MUCH smaller and self-checking

   Version Manager, project level version management

   UltraDIFF, file compare tool with unique 'unlimited pass' method

Requirements: DOS 2.1 or higher, IBM Compatible 8088 or higher, 640k
RAM, 2Mb hard disk space. UC2 detects and utilizes EMS/XMS,
386/486/Pentium/P6, Windows 95, OS/2 Warp, DesqView, etc.

AIPNL intends to keep improving its products at a high rate, keeping
ahead of its competitors at following customer and market demands. UC2's
open architecture has already enabled more than 50 third parties to add
full UC2 support to their applications.

CONTACT: USA       : Thomas Bradford, BMT-Micro, (910) 791-7052
         Europe    : Nico de Vries, AIPNL, +31-(0)30-(2)662107
         InterNet  : desk@aip.nl
         CompuServe: 100115,2303

An evaluation copy can be obtained from

    InterNet FTP    ftp.nl.net/gopher/NLnet-connected/aipnl/...
    World Wide Web  http://www.xs4all.nl/~aipnl

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Benchmark
---------

This is a benchmark made by AIPNL with 'Dean Cooper's comparer program,
Version 1.02'. The benchmark compares UC 2.4 with PKZIP 2.04g and ARJ
2.50a. Of course, the user can perform the best benchmarks by comparing
the tools in 'real life' situations. The test has been performed on a
486/33 PC with MS-DOS, QEMM and Norton Cache (flushed before each test)
loaded.


| Program               Compression mode
+-------------------------------------------------------
| UC 2.4      (UC)      O25  (SuperOptimize archive)
| UC 2.4      (UC)      -TT  (type tight/multimedia)
| UC 2.4      (UC)      -TN  (type normal)
| PKZIP 2.04g (PKZIP)   -EX  (extra compression)
| ARJ 2.50a   (ARJ)     -JM1 (faster Maximum compression)


| Test     Description                                  Bytes      Files
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| source   Borland C++ 3.1 ..\CRTL\CLIB\*.*  (C & ASM)  1,294,460  373
| exe+doc  PKZIP 1.10 distribution package                302,272   17
| sound    MS-Windows 3.1 *.WAV files                      80,304    6
| UPDATE   Add BGIDEMO.C to source.uc2/zip/arj (floppy)   +40,382   +1


| Test     Program  Compress time  Archive size   %     Decompress time
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
| source   UC O25                  238,540 bytes  100%  29.8 sec
|          UC -TN    46.7 sec      264,550 bytes  111%  29.9 sec
|          ARJ       42.1 sec      399,111 bytes  167%  29.1 sec
|          PKZIP     22.0 sec      412,316 bytes  172%  23.5 sec
|
| exe+doc  UC O25                  111,134 bytes  100%   2.4 sec
|          UC -TN     8.8 sec      114,738 bytes  103%   2.4 sec
|          PKZIP      5.1 sec      127,753 bytes  115%   1.9 sec
|          ARJ        7.4 sec      128,188 bytes  115%   3.4 sec
|
| sound    UC O25                   36,824 bytes  100%   1.3 sec
|          UC -TT     6.9 sec       37,216 bytes  101%   1.3 sec
|          PKZIP      1.7 sec       41,143 bytes  112%   0.4 sec
|          ARJ        1.9 sec       41,658 bytes  113%   0.5 sec
|
| UPDATE   UC -TT    14.3 sec                     100%
|          PKZIP     66.5 sec                     465%
|          ARJ      146.3 sec                    1023%


2. LICENSE (the license agreement, warranty, etc.)
==================================================

Some of the essential contents of this chapter:

   All rights are reserved by AIPNL (Ad Infinitum Programs the
   Netherlands).

   You are permitted to use the evaluation package for a 30 day
   evaluation period. You must buy it if you continue using it.

   You are permitted to use the evaluation package for longer periods
   provided all use is strictly non-commercial. Please note AIPNL
   strongly encourages you to buy the software.

   The package is supplied 'AS IS'. It is up to you to determine its
   usability.

   You may ONLY redistribute a 100% UNALTERED copy of the complete
   package through BBSes etc. as long as you make no money from doing
   this. You can (amongst other methods) use the UltraSafe program to
   determine the authenticity of a package distributed by AIPNL.

   You may not alter, reverse engineer, decompile, etc. the program(s)
   or parts of them in any way.

This chapter contains the following paragraphs:

        - A. Limited warranty
        - B. Documentation
        - C. Non-commercial use license
        - D. Evaluation license
        - E. General license agreement
        - F. Distribution restrictions

When you use the AIPNL manual viewer you can jump to a chapter or a
paragraph by pressing the corresponding digit(s) or letter.


2.A LIMITED WARRANTY
====================

AIPNL (Ad Infinitum Programs the Netherlands) warrants the physical
diskette(s) and physical documentation, provided with registered
versions, to be free of defects in materials and workmanship, for a
period of ninety days from the date of registration. If AIPNL receives
notification within the warranty period of defects in materials or
workmanship, and such notification is determined by AIPNL to be
correct, AIPNL will replace the defective diskette(s) or documentation.

The entire and exclusive liability and remedy for breach of this limited
warranty shall be limited to replacement of defective diskette(s) or
physical documentation and shall not include or extend to any claim for
or right to recover any other damages, including but not limited to,
loss of profit, data, or use of the software, or special, incidental, or
consequential damages or other similar claims, even if AIPNL has been
specifically advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event
will AIPNL's liability, for any damages to you or any other person,
ever exceed suggested list price or actual price paid, whichever is the
lower, for the license to use the software, regardless of the form of
the claim.

All rights not expressly granted here are reserved by AIPNL.


2.B DOCUMENTATION
=================

Information in the documentation is subject to change without notice and
does not represent a commitment on the part of AIPNL. No part of the
documentation may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording,
for any purpose without the express written permission of AIPNL.

All rights not expressly granted here are reserved by AIPNL.


2.C NON-COMMERCIAL USE LICENSE
==============================

The supplied software contains NO public domain program(s). The software
and all accompanying documentation is Copyright (c) 1991-1995 by AIPNL.
All rights reserved.

This software and accompanying documentation is protected by the
Copyright laws of the Netherlands and also by International Treaty
provisions. Any use of this software in violation of Copyright law or
the terms of this limited license will be prosecuted to the best of our
ability. The conditions under which you may copy this software and
documentation are clearly outlined below under 'Distribution
Restrictions' (see paragraph F).

AIPNL hereby grants you a license to use this software for personal,
non-commercial use. Personal use should always be "away from the
office". Use by non-profit organizations (e.g. non-commercial bulletin
board systems) is considered to be non-commercial use. Please note
AIPNL strongly encourages you to buy the software.

You shall not use, copy, emulate, clone, rent, lease, sell, modify,
decompile, disassemble, otherwise reverse engineer, or transfer the
licensed program, or any subset of the licensed program, except as
provided for in this agreement. Any such unauthorized use shall result
in immediate and automatic termination of this license.

All rights not expressly granted here are reserved by AIPNL.


2.D EVALUATION LICENSE (only valid during 30 days evaluation period)
=====================================================================

The supplied software contains NO public domain program(s). The software
and all accompanying documentation is Copyright (c) 1991-1995 by AIPNL.
All rights reserved.

This software and accompanying documentation is protected by the
Copyright laws of the Netherlands and also by International Treaty
provisions. Any use of this software in violation of Copyright law or
the terms of this limited license will be prosecuted to the best of our
ability. The conditions under which you may copy this software and
documentation are clearly outlined below under 'Distribution
Restrictions' (see paragraph F).

AIPNL hereby grants you a limited license to use this software for
evaluation purposes for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days. If you
intend to continue using this software (and/or its documentation) after
the thirty (30) day evaluation period, you must make a registration
payment to AIPNL.

Using this software after the thirty (30) day evaluation period, without
registering the software is a violation of the terms of this limited
license. The only exception to this is when the package is solely used
for non-commercial purposes in a non-commercial environment (see 2.C).

You shall not use, copy, emulate, clone, rent, lease, sell, modify,
decompile, disassemble, otherwise reverse engineer, or transfer the
licensed program, or any subset of the licensed program, except as
provided for in this agreement. Any such unauthorized use shall result
in immediate and automatic termination of this license.

All rights not expressly granted here are reserved by AIPNL.


2.E GENERAL LICENSE AGREEMENT (not valid during evaluation period)
==================================================================

This license becomes valid after you have received proof of license from
AIPNL.

The supplied software contains NO public domain program(s). The software
and all accompanying documentation is Copyright (c) 1991-1995 by AIPNL.
All rights reserved.

This is a non-transferable license for use of the software within your
home, your company or government agency. This allows internal use and
copying of the software for as many sites/computers as are contracted
for. (See ORDER.FRM for site license price schedule.) Distributing,
repackaging, or reselling of the software to third parties is not
allowed. All licenses are prepaid only.

This software and accompanying documentation are protected by The
Copyright laws of the Netherlands and also by International Treaty
provisions. Any use of this software in violation of Copyright law or
the terms of this limited license will be prosecuted to the best of our
ability. The conditions under which you may copy this software and
documentation are clearly outlined below under 'Distribution
Restrictions' (see paragraph F).

You shall not use, copy, emulate, clone, rent, lease, sell, modify,
decompile, disassemble, otherwise reverse engineer, or transfer the
licensed program, or any subset of the licensed program, except as
provided for in this agreement. Any such unauthorized use shall result
in immediate and automatic termination of this license.

All rights not expressly granted here are reserved by AIPNL.


2.F DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTIONS
=============================

As the copyright holder, AIPNL authorizes distribution by individuals
only in accordance with the following restrictions.

The package is defined as the entire file either as 'self extracting
executable' or an 'archive' as distributed by AIPNL. The authenticity
of the package can be verified by contacting AIPNL, or by running the
AIPNL UltraSafe program which verifies the digital signatures AIPNL
ALWAYS adds to all its distributed software. If the package is changed
in any way, distribution is forbidden. Please contact AIPNL to obtain a
complete package suitable for distribution.

You are hereby granted permission by AIPNL to copy the UC2 evaluation
package for your own use or for others to evaluate, ONLY when the
following conditions are met:

   The package - including all related program files and documentation
   files - CANNOT be modified in any way and must be distributed as a
   complete unchanged package, without exception.

   Small supplements to the package, such as the introductory or
   installation batch files, are acceptable. This should always be done
   by supplying EXTRA files, never by altering the package (file) as
   distributed by AIPNL.

   No price or other compensation may be charged for the package. A
   distribution cost may be charged for the cost of the diskette,
   shipping and handling, as long as the total (per disk) does not
   exceed US$ 15. In case ANY compensation is charged, the receiver
   should be notified, in writing, of his obligations concerning the
   Evaluation License.

   If you include the package on a distributed CD-ROM, diskette,
   magazine, book or any other item, you must give one such item for
   free and without further obligations to AIPNL. This must be done
   prior to other distribution of the item.

   AIPNL prohibits the distribution of outdated versions of the
   package, without written permission from AIPNL. If the version you
   have obtained is over six (6) months old, please contact AIPNL to
   ensure that you have the most current version.

   The package CANNOT be sold as part of some other inclusive package,
   nor can it be included in any commercial or non-commercial software
   packaging offer, without a written agreement from AIPNL.

   The package, program(s) or documentation cannot be 'rented' or
   'leased' to others.

   If you wish to add any of our packages to a CD-ROM or other
   collection, please check the release date of the version you have. If
   the version is over six (6) months old then please contact AIPNL to
   ensure that you have the most current version.

   If you would like to distribute the package as a 'Disk-of-the-Month',
   or as part of a book, subscription or monthly service, then you must
   contact AIPNL in advance to ensure that you have the most current
   version of the software. Only current versions may be shipped as
   'Disk-of-the-Month' disks.

   You may not list any of our products in advertisements, catalogues,
   or other literature which describes our products as 'FREE SOFTWARE'.
   This is evaluation software, it is not free!

You are hereby granted permission by AIPNL to distribute executables
which have been compressed by UCEXE, ONLY when the following conditions
are met:

   You must own (have bought) the full UC2 package (with disk and
   manual) from AIPNL.

   AIPNL shall not be liable for any damages arising out of your use of
   this software, even if they have been advised of the possibility of
   such damages.

   You must indemnify, hold harmless and defend AIPNL from and against
   any claims or lawsuits, including attorney's, that arise or result
   from the use of files generated by UCEXE, or any modification
   thereof.

You are hereby granted permission by AIPNL to distribute self
extracting archives made with UC2SEA, ONLY when the following conditions
are met:

   You must own (have bought) the full UC2 package (with disk and
   manual) from AIPNL.

   You must own (have bought) an 'UC2 Self Extracting Archive
   distribution license' from AIPNL. This license must specifically
   cover the 'extraction software' you include in the self extracting
   archive.

   AIPNL shall not be liable for any damages arising out of your use of
   this software, even if they have been advised of the possibility of
   such damages.

   You must indemnify, hold harmless and defend AIPNL from and against
   any claims or lawsuits, including attorney's, that arise or result
   from the use of the files generated by UC2SEA, or any modification
   thereof.

All rights not expressly granted here are reserved by AIPNL.


3. UC2 BASIC COMMANDS
=====================

This chapter describes the most essential commands of UC2. No special
features are mentioned. UC2 is very easy to use.

All details on ordering UltraCompressor are in ORDER.FRM.

This chapter contains the following paragraphs:

        - A. Decompressing a complete UC2 archive
        - B. Compressing a complete directory(tree) into an archive
        - C. Making an archive damage protected
        - D. Verbose list of the archive
        - Z. Summary

When you use the AIPNL manual viewer you can jump to a chapter or a
paragraph by pressing the corresponding digit(s) or letter.


3.A DECOMPRESSING A COMPLETE UC2 ARCHIVE
========================================

Command: UC ES archive-name

   Put the archive where you want the extracted files to be, and type
   the command UC ES archive-name, where 'archive-name' is the name of
   the archive (e.g. UC ES newsoft). All files in the archive will be
   extracted.

   UC ES works cautiously. It will never overwrite files, create
   directories, etc., without first consulting you.


3.B COMPRESSING A COMPLETE DIRECTORY (TREE) INTO AN ARCHIVE
===========================================================

Command: UC A archive-name

   All files in the current directory are compressed into an archive
   (e.g. 'UC A mydocs' creates mydocs.uc2). If the archive already
   exists, only new and changed files are (re)compressed.

Command: UC AS archive-name

   The files in the current directory and ALL subdirectories are
   compressed into an archive (e.g. 'UC AS mydocs' creates mydocs.uc2).
   If the archive already exists, only new and changed files are
   (re)compressed.


3.C MAKING AN ARCHIVE DAMAGE PROTECTED
======================================

Command: UC P archive-name

   The archive will become damage protected and it will remain damage
   protected if you add files to it or delete files from it etc. A
   damage protected archive can recover from most disk errors without
   losing ANY data. (The disadvantage of making archives damage
   protected is that the archives become a little bit larger).


3.D VERBOSE LIST OF THE ARCHIVE
===============================

Command: UC VS archive-name

   All files in the archive will be listed. The contents of all its
   subdirectories will be listed as well.


3.Z SUMMARY
===========

UC ES name     EXTRACT all files from archive name.uc2

UC A  name     COMPRESS all files in current directory into name.uc2

UC AS name     COMPRESS all files in current directory AND its
               SUBDIRECTORIES into name.uc2

UC P  name     make name.uc2 DAMAGE PROTECTED

UC VS name     the full contents of the archive will be LISTED


4. UC2 MAIN COMMANDS
====================

One general issue about UC2 is that you can consider an archive in the
same way as you would a disk. It has a root directory, sub-directories
and so on. UC2 always stores the full directory structure. With UC2, you
do not have to deal with 'match path', 'store full path', 'junk
directory name', etc.

The file extension of UltraCompressor archives is currently .UC2. In the
future, if our file format changes, the extension will become .UC3. This
means that there can be no confusion about which version of
UltraCompressor should be used.

While using UC2, the screen will indicate whether everything is working
properly. When errors occur they are shown in detail on the screen and
are also written to an error logfile (if active). When this error
logfile grows over 25,000 bytes, UC2 will give a warning.

In this chapter the commands and options in the examples are in upper
case, and parameters are in lower case. In use, however, the case is
never important. Any mix of upper and lower case can be used.

This chapter contains the following paragraphs:

        - A. Commands/options summary
        - B. Adding files, listing contents
        - C. Extracting files
        - D. Other commands and options
        - E. Version management
        - F. Features and automatics
        - Z. Summary

When you use the AIPNL manual viewer you can jump to a chapter or a
paragraph by pressing the corresponding digit(s) or letter.


4.A COMMAND/OPTION SUMMARY
==========================

General: UC command [option(s)] archive-name [files]

Commands:
---------
   A D E     ADD/DELETE/EXTRACT files to/from archive.
             (See paragraph B and C.)

   L V       LIST/VERBOSE LIST contents of archive.

   P         make archive DAMAGE PROTECTED (approx 1% overhead). Once an
             archive becomes damage protected, it remains damage
             protected, even if it is altered. The P command can be
             combined with other commands (e.g. AP).

   U         remove damage protection (if present) from archive.

   T         fully TEST archive. When it is damaged, UC2 will ask if it
             needs to be repaired. In force mode (see options), UC2 will
             repair without asking. If an archive is repaired 100% this
             is reported. If the archive cannot be repaired 100%, the
             problems (such as which files are still damaged, etc.) are
             reported on screen and in the error logfile.

   C         CONVERT ZIP, ARC, ARJ, etc. archives to UC2 archives. (See
             chapter 5 paragraph A.)

   O         OPTIMIZE archive can make an archive even smaller without
             deleting anything from the archive. Especially if an
             archive has been updated many times and/or contains many
             versions (revisions) of specific files, optimize can
             significantly reduce the size of an archive.

   O<number> SUPER-OPTIMIZE can make archives even smaller than
             OPTIMIZE. SO takes a LOT of time, and it is not always
             capable of making the selected archive smaller. SO works by
             rebuilding the entire archive <number> times, each time
             using a randomly chosen optimization strategy (part of this
             is changing the order of the files). Although SuperOptimize
             takes a LOT of time to make an archive smaller,
             decompression speed remains unchanged.

             Please note you can ALWAYS interrupt UC2 (by pressing
             Ctrl-Break) without risks.

   R         REVISE archive comment. (See paragraph D.)

Options:
--------
   Options can be concatenated to the command (UC ES arch) or they can
   be prefixed by a - or / (UC E -S arch).

   TF TN TT  Type-Fast; Type-Normal (default) or Type-Tight/multimedia
             compression.

             In TT mode, UC2 will detect whether a file is a multimedia
             file. Special (lossless) multimedia compression will then
             take place.

             Please note multimedia compression is not able to compress
             already compressed files (e.g. *.GIF or *.JPG cannot be
             significantly compressed).

   TST       Type-Super-Tight compresses a bit better that TT
             compression, but takes noticeable more time. Only
             recommended if time is not an issue. TST compression does
             not affect decompression speed, which remains very fast.

   S         also process all SUB-DIRECTORIES. By default only the files
             in the current directory are processed.

   M         MOVE mode, after addition/extraction the used source files
             are deleted. UC2 assures the addition/extraction completed
             successfully before it deletes the source file.

   F         FORCE mode. Using this mode, the program will work
             silently. Almost nothing will be asked during execution. In
             all cases where a question would be asked, the program acts
             as if 'yes' was answered. When not using this mode, the
             program will often ask what you want in case of doubt.

                when NOT in force mode
                ----------------------
                   - UC2 will prompt you before overwriting files
                   - UC2 will prompt you before creating directories
                   - UC2 will optionally ask if hidden/system files
                     should be processed
                   - UC2 will optionally ask permission to convert
                     archives
                   - UC2 will optionally ask permission to show/play
                     multimedia banners
                   - UC2 will prompt you before repairing a damaged
                     archive (T command)

                when in force mode
                ------------------
                   - UC2 will overwrite files without asking
                   - UC2 will create directories without asking
                   - UC2 will add hidden/system files (unless
                     the configuration does not allow that)
                   - UC2 will always apply auto-conversion
                   - UC2 will show/play multimedia banners (unless
                     the configuration does not allow that)
                   - UC2 will repair an archive immediately, if
                     the T (test) command finds a problem

   I         INCREMENTAL mode, for FAST updates and version control.
             Version control is also called revision management. The
             original archive is not changed, changed files are appended
             to the archive. Previous versions (revisions) of a file
             remain accessible this way. (See paragraph E.)

   B         BASIC mode (default unless UC2 is configured otherwise).
             This is the opposite of incremental mode. In basic mode UC2
             overwrites files in the archive. No former versions of a
             file are kept in the archive. If there are multiple
             versions of a file only the latest one is overwritten in
             non incremental mode.

   !         EXCLUDE file(s). (See paragraph B.)

   ;n        extract/delete OLDER VERSION of file (See paragraph E.)

   !DTT=YYYY-MM-DD/HH:MM:SS
             DYNAMIC TIME TRAVEL, option for accessing older versions
             (revisions) of (large) collections of files. (See paragraph
             E.)

   #         DESTINATION PATH of files in archive while adding or
             DESTINATION PATH of files on disk while extracting. (See
             paragraphs B and C.)

   ##        Like #, but the specified source path(s) will be appended
             to the destination path. (See paragraphs B and C.)

   &         CONCATENATION OF COMMANDS. (See paragraph D.)

   @         specifies a SCRIPT which substitutes part of the command
             line. (See paragraph F.)

   !@        like @, but puts '!' before all entries (useful to exclude
             a collection of files)

   !RELIA=   These options allow (temporary) CONFIGURATION of many of
   !ARCON=   the values one can configure with the configuration
   !SMSKIP=  screen. The exact usage of these options is documented
   !BAN=     in chapter 6.
   !VSCAN=
   !SOS2EA=  Example: UC A -S !SYSHID=ON arch *.*
   !NET=
   !SYSHID=  In this example hidden and system files are also added to
             the archive.


4.B ADDING FILES, LISTING CONTENTS
==================================

Examples:

   UC A arch *.txt
      All *.txt files in the current directory are compressed into the
      archive arch.uc2. If the archive already exists, the files are
      added to the archive.


   UC A -TF docs *.* !*.bak
      All (*.*) files except *.bak files are (RAPIDLY) compressed into
      the archive docs.uc2.

   UC A -S a:\back c:\doc\*.*
      Create/update archive of complete directory with its
      subdirectories to archive back.uc2 in the root directory of drive
      A:.

   When the files to be added are specified with *.*, the command can be
   shortened: 'c:\doc\*.*' can be replaced by 'c:\doc\'. This also
   applies to the exclude file(s) option.

   UC A -S a:\back c:\doc\ !c:\doc\old\
      All files in c:\doc and its subdirectories (except for files in
      c:\doc\old and its subdirectories) will be added to back.uc2.

   UC A -M arch *.bat
      All *.bat files will be moved from the current directory to the
      archive arch.uc2.

   UC A arch #\dir1 *.cpp
      Add all .cpp files from the current directory to directory dir1 in
      the archive arch.uc2. When a subdirectory does not already exist
      in the archive, UC2 will ask you if it has to be created in the
      archive.

   UC A arch tools\*.exe drivers\*.drv
      The *.exe files from the tools directory and the *.drv files from
      the drivers directory are added to the root directory of the
      archive.

   UC A arch tools\*.c drivers\*.drv ##
      The *.c files from the tools directory are added to the tools
      directory in the archive, the *.drv files from the drivers
      directory are added to the drivers directory in the archive.

   UC A arch tools\*.c drivers\*.drv ##specials
      The *.c files from the tools directory are added to the
      specials\tools directory in the archive, the *.drv files from
      the drivers directory are added to the specials\drivers
      directory in the archive.

   UC L arch
      List contents of root directory of arch.uc2 without
      subdirectories.

   UC V arch
      Verbose list contents of arch.uc2 without subdirectories. Not only
      the files are shown, but also all the versions of the files, with
      their date and time.

   UC L -S arch
      List contents of all directories and subdirectories in arch.uc2

When you have a file whose name starts with #, !, @ or & you have to let
UC2 know that you are referring to a file (and not to something else):

   UC A arch .\#file
      Add #file to arch.uc2. The .\ prefix is used to ensure that the
      filename is not interpreted as destination path.

Possible alternative ways to enter commands
-------------------------------------------
   Options can be put directly after the command or after the previous
   option (no space allowed) or they can be prefixed by '-' or '/'.

   Some example alternatives for 'UC A -S -TF docs *.* !*.bak':

      UC  A -STF docs *.* !*.bak

         You can concatenate options.

      UC  ASTF docs *.* !*.bak

         You can append the options directly to the command.

      UC  -A -S -TF docs *.* !*.bak

         It is allowed to precede the command with an '-'.

      UC  A /S /TF docs *.* !*.bak

         UC2 does not care whether you use '-' or '/'.

      UC  A -S -TF docs !*.bak

         If no file specifications are present, UC2 uses *.*.

If you want an archive with a name without extension, type a '.' just
after the archive name:

   UC A sources. *.*
      The archive will become 'sources' instead of 'sources.uc2'.


4.C EXTRACTING FILES
====================

Examples:

   UC E docs *.doc
      Extract all *.doc files from docs.uc2 into the current directory.

   UC E backup \test\main.doc
      Extract main.doc from subdirectory test in the archive, into the
      current directory.

   UC E -S backup \test\*.*
      Extract contents of the archive's directory test and all its
      subdirectories, into the current directory.

   UC E -S backup \test\*.* #\dir1
      Extract contents of the archive's directory test and all its
      subdirectories into the directory \dir1.

   UC E -M arch *.bat
      All *.bat files will be moved from arch.uc2 to the current
      directory.

   UC E arch tools\*.c drivers\*.drv
      The *.C files from the tools directory and the *.drv files from
      the drivers directory are extracted into the current directory.

   UC E arch \tools\*.c \drivers\*.drv ##
      The *.c files from the tools directory are extracted into the
      tools directory beneath the current directory, the *.drv files
      from the drivers directory are extracted into the drivers
      directory beneath the current directory.

   UC E arch tools\*.c drivers\*.drv ##\
      The *.c files from the tools directory are extracted into the
      tools directory in the root directory, the *.drv files from the
      drivers directory are extracted into the drivers directory in the
      root directory.

   UC E arch tools\*.c drivers\*.drv ##\specials
      The *.c files from the tools directory are extracted into the
      \specials\tools directory, the *.drv files from the drivers
      directory are extracted into the \specials\drivers directory.

   When a directory does not exist, UC2 will ask you if it has to be
   created.

   UC D arch *.bak
      Delete all *.bak files from the archive.

   UC D arch *.* !*.dbf !*.ntx
      Delete all files except *.dbf and *.ntx files from the archive.


4.D OTHER COMMANDS AND OPTIONS
==============================

Examples:

   UC O5 arch
      SuperOptimize arch.uc2 5 times.

   UC T arch
      Thoroughly test arch.uc2, and if it turns out to be damaged,
      prompt the user for reparation of the archive.

      In case the archive is repaired, a new archive is created with the
      name FIX_xxxx.UC2 (xxxx stands for the sequence number of existing
      FIX files), the original arch.uc2 remains unchanged.

   UC P arch
      Makes arch.uc2 damage protected.

   UC U arch
      Remove damage protection from arch.uc2.

   UC C arch.arj  or
   UC C arch.zip  or
   UC C arch.lzh  etc.
      An archive made with another archiver will be converted to an UC2
      archive. The extension (e.g. zip, arj) is optional; UC2 will read
      'UC C arch' as 'UC C arch.*'.

      Note: be sure the other archiver you need is in a directory named
      in the PATH statement of your AUTOEXEC.BAT.

   UC A one *.bat & A -S world *.bak & E -S exec *.exe & A world *.cmd
      With '&' multiple commands can be given at once.

      In this command all the .bat files from the current directory are
      added to one.uc2, all the .bak files from the current directory
      and all its subdirectories are added to world.uc2, all the .exe
      files from the archive (including subdirectories) are extracted
      from exec.uc2 and all the .cmd files from the current directory
      are added to world.uc2.

   For long commands we advise you to use '@'. (See paragraph F.)

   UC R arch
      With the editor configured in AIP-NL.INI you can view or edit the
      comment file in the archive arch.


4.E VERSION MANAGEMENT
======================

When you want to keep the former versions (revisions) of a file in the
archive, you can use the -I option to activate 'incremental mode'.

You can use the -B option, to activate 'basic mode', when you do not
want to keep the older versions of a file in the archive.

In the configuration screen (see also chapter 6) it is possible to
change the default mode from basic mode to incremental mode or vice
versa.

In the next examples the default mode of UC2 is basic:

   UC A -I -S a:\back c:\docs\*.*
      Incrementally update an archive (a:\back.uc2)

   UC E arch filename.doc
      Extracts the most recent version of the file 'filename.doc' from
      arch.uc2.

   UC E arch filename.doc;n
      Extracts the requested version of the file 'filename.doc'. 'n'
      represents the number of the version.

Some explanation about 'n':
---------------------------
   Different versions of the same file in the archive get a sequence
   number.

   The most recent version gets number 0. The oldest version gets the
   highest number. Every time the same file is added to the archive in
   incremental mode, to remain consistent, all versions get a new
   number.

   There is no practical limit to the number of versions of a file you
   can keep in an archive.

Now we will look at an archive arch.uc2 after completion of some
operations:

   UC A -I arch test.doc
      The file test.doc is added to the archive arch.uc2. This is the
      first operation on the archive, so it contains only test.doc.

   UC V arch
      The verbose list of arch.uc2 shows us:
        TEST    DOC        1234      MAR-17-1993  12:24:12
       (name    ext nr     length    date         time)

After changing the file test.doc, we again add it to arch.uc2:

   UC A -I arch test.doc
      The second version of the same file is added to arch.uc2. The
      archive now contains two files:

   UC V arch
      The verbose list of arch.uc2 shows us:
        TEST    DOC;0      1245      MAR-17-1993  12:26:26
        TEST    DOC;1      1234      MAR-17-1993  12:24:12
       (name    ext nr     length    date         time)

After adding some more versions of the file TEST.DOC, the verbose list
gives:

   UC V arch
        TEST    DOC;0      1356      MAR-17-1993  14:02:00
        TEST    DOC;1      1349      MAR-17-1993  13:50:56
        TEST    DOC;2      1298      MAR-17-1993  13:28:32
        TEST    DOC;3      1280      MAR-17-1993  13:15:42
        TEST    DOC;4      1245      MAR-17-1993  12:26:26
        TEST    DOC;5      1234      MAR-17-1993  12:24:12

Now there are six different versions in the archive of the same file
TEST.DOC.

When you want to extract the most recent one, type the next command:

   UC E arch test.doc    or
   UC E arch test.doc;0
      The most recent version of TEST.DOC is extracted from arch.uc2.

When you want to see another version you have to include the version
number in the command:

   UC E arch test.doc;3
      There are three more recent versions in the archive than the
      version extracted.

(Of course the archive is unchanged after extracting a file.)

Deleting a version from the archive is possible with the next command:

   UC D arch test.doc
      The most recent version of the file is deleted from arch.uc2.

The verbose list will give the next information:

   UC V arch
        TEST    DOC;0      1349      MAR-17-1993  13:50:56
        TEST    DOC;1      1298      MAR-17-1993  13:28:32
        TEST    DOC;2      1280      MAR-17-1993  13:15:42
        TEST    DOC;3      1245      MAR-17-1993  12:26:26
        TEST    DOC;4      1234      MAR-17-1993  12:24:12

Also an older version of the file can be deleted:

   UC D arch test.doc;2

The verbose list will give the next information:

   UC V arch
        TEST    DOC;0      1349      MAR-17-1993  13:50:56
        TEST    DOC;1      1298      MAR-17-1993  13:28:32
        TEST    DOC;2      1245      MAR-17-1993  12:26:26
        TEST    DOC;3      1234      MAR-17-1993  12:24:12

When you want to remove all versions of TEST.DOC from the archive you
type the following command:

   UC D arch test.doc;*

When you want to remove all the older versions from the archive but keep
the most recent one, you type:

   UC D arch test.doc;* !test.doc     or
   UC D arch test.doc;* !test.doc;0

When the archive contains more files with different versions and you
only want to keep the most recent version of these files, you type:

   UC D arch *.*;* !*.*       or
   UC D arch *.*;* !*.*;0

As you can see in the examples, for the most recent version of a file,
you can just type the file name without number, or the filename with
';0'.

Dynamic Time Travel (!DTT=YYYY-MM-DD/HH:MM:SS)
----------------------------------------------
   Time travel simulates the status of the archive, as it was at the
   specified moment in the past.

   This feature is included for compatibility with older versions of
   UC2. Our new version manager (chapter 8 paragraph A) is a much better
   choice to manage collections of files.

   Time travel is only available for the extract (E) and the list (L and
   V) commands. Its syntax is !DTT=YYYY-MM-DD/HH:MM:SS with YYYY being
   the year (e.g. 1993), MM being the month, DD being the day, HH being
   the hour (e.g. 21), MM minute, SS second. The year MUST be 4 digits,
   all other numbers MUST be two digits.

   You can supply only the left part of the arguments, UC2 will fill in
   the rest:

   e.g. !DTT=1993-03-17 will be expanded to 1993-03-17/00:00:00
        !DTT=1991 will be expanded to 1991-01-01/00:00:00
        !DTT=1992-01-22/18 will be expanded to 1992-01-22/18:00:00

   Please note the -/:'s are optional, e.g. !DTT=19930317 can be used
   instead of !DTT=1993-03-17. (Actually UC2 ignores the -/:'s
   completely, their only purpose is to make the entered command more
   readable.)

   For the next two examples, assume the archive contains:

      TEST    DOC;0      1349      MAR-17-1993  13:50:56
      TEST    DOC;1      1298      MAR-17-1993  13:28:32
      TEST    DOC;2      1280      MAR-17-1993  13:15:42
      TEST    DOC;3      1245      MAR-17-1993  12:26:26
      TEST    DOC;4      1234      MAR-17-1993  12:24:12

   An example:
      UC E !DTT=1993-03-17/13:30 arch test.doc

   In this case a 'time travel' to 17 march 1993, 13:30 is executed.
   Since at that moment the 13:28:32 version of test.doc was the one
   last added to the archive, THAT version will be extracted.

   Another example:
      UC V !DTT=1993-03-17/13:20 arch

        TEST    DOC;0      1280      MAR-17-1993  13:15:42
        TEST    DOC;1      1245      MAR-17-1993  12:26:26
        TEST    DOC;2      1234      MAR-17-1993  12:24:12

   Note two versions have 'disappeared' and all other versions have got
   a new index.

   Please note Dynamic Time Travel NEVER alters the contents of an
   archive, it only creates a different viewpoint.

Important notes
---------------
   Especially where an archive has been updated many times and contains
   many versions of specific files, optimize can significantly reduce
   the size of an archive.

   A just optimized archive, which contains multiple versions of files,
   will often be only a little bit larger than an archive which contains
   only the last version of all files.

   Move mode only moves the specified versions. If 6 versions of test.c
   are present in arch.uc2, then 'UC E -M arch test.c' will move
   test.c;0 and all other versions (5) will remain in the archive.


4.F FEATURES AND AUTOMATICS
===========================

Many advanced features are automatic in UC2. The following topics are
covered in this paragraph:

   - Smart skipping

   - Error handling
   - Control-break handling
   - Ensure mode
   - Crash management

   - Auto-Conversion of other archives
   - Virus scan during conversion

   - Scripts
   - Wildcards in archives specification

   - OS/2 2.x extended attributes
   - Multimedia banners

Smart skipping
--------------
   Smart skipping means: do not do unnecessary things. While updating an
   archive, files can be changed or not. Unchanged files will be
   skipped, when smart skipping is on. This makes updating faster. UC2
   compares name, size, time and date to determine if a file can be
   skipped. In the configuration, smart skipping can be on or off.

Error handling
--------------
   UC2 allows you not only to notice the error but also to do whatever
   is needed (including going to DOS!) to solve the problem. UC2 does
   not just stop, undoing all the work it has already done for you. E.g.
   when a floppy turns out to be write protected, you can remove the
   write protection and continue.

Control-break handling
----------------------
   When you interrupt UC2, you do not just stop it, canceling all
   valuable work you have done. Instead, you are given the opportunity
   to go to DOS to do whatever you like (after which UC2 can continue
   where it left off). You can of course also abort the program.

   If you press control-break while UC2 is adding files to an archive,
   you get an extra option which allows you to skip all pending
   additions. All additions already performed, remain in the archive.
   (Since smart-skipping will automatically skip files which are already
   in the archive (when unchanged), you can continue the interrupted
   command later.)

Ensure mode
-----------
   For those who need absolute reliability, e.g. mission critical data
   compression tasks, UC2 has an ENSURE operation mode. In this mode UC2
   handles all updates to an archive as transactions. A transaction can
   only be confirmed if PROOF has been gathered that the transaction was
   completed 100% without problems. When a problem has occurred,
   irrespective of the cause, e.g. hardware failures, software
   conflicts, they will never get by unnoticed and the operation can be
   reversed.

Crash management
----------------
   When adding files to an archive in basic mode, crashes can do no
   harm, because UC2 works with a temporary file. Only when everything
   has been completed successfully will the temporary file, which
   contains the new archive, be renamed to the archive file. To prevent
   data loss while adding files to an archive in incremental mode, UC2
   creates a new file with recovery information of the archive. This
   file is called arch.UR2 (UltraRecover).

   When everything goes right, this .UR2 file will be deleted
   automatically and you will never notice it ever existed, but when
   your computer crashes during adding files to the archive in
   incremental mode, this .UR2 file will mostly still exist after the
   crash.

   If you try to do anything with the archive now, you will get a
   message to repair the archive with 'UC T'. After the repair, the
   files arch.UC2 and arch.UR2 will still exist. The repaired archive is
   stored in the file named FIX_xxxx.UC2 (xxxx stands for the sequence
   number of existing FIX files). Before you can use the archive again,
   you have to rename FIX_xxxx.UC2 to arch.UC2 and delete the file
   arch.UR2. Now the situation is similar to the one before the crash.

Auto-Conversion of other archives
---------------------------------
   Archives made by other archivers can be converted by UC2. The
   automatic conversion can be set ON in the configuration (see also
   chapter 6 paragraph A option D).

   Adding a file to the archive or any other operation on it, starts
   automatically with the conversion of it. It is important to know
   that, when using an archive made with another archiver, you have to
   type the archive name with the extension (e.g. arch.zip, arch.arj).

   Note: be sure the other archiver you need is in a directory named in
   the PATH of your AUTOEXEC.BAT.

Virus scan during conversion
----------------------------
   The archive to be converted can be optionally scanned for viruses. In
   the configuration this virus scanning can be switched ON or OFF. You
   can change AIP-NL.INI and use different virus scanners (see chapter 6
   paragraph D).

Scripts
-------
   A 'script' can contain a large list of files (e.g. to be compressed).
   A script can also be used as a substitute for multiple (complex)
   commands. Scripts can be nested, to allow the construction of
   'building blocks'. Scripts can be extremely long (multi-megabyte).

   There are several ways to define a script. If you have entered
   '@exam' UC2 will look for:
      (1) an environment variable called EXAM_USC
      (2) the file 'exam.usc' (current or PATH directory)
      (3) the file 'exam' (current or PATH directory)

   UC @exam
      The contents of 'exam': A arch *.bat & V arch
      The .bat files are added to the archive arch.uc2 followed by a
      verbose list of arch.uc2.

      In this example multiple commands are concatenated by '&'.

   UC A arch @names
      The contents of 'names': *.bat *.cpp *.doc
      The .bat, .cpp and .doc files are added to the archive arch.uc2.
      In this example the files to be added are substituted by 'names'.

   UC @toback *.cpp
      The contents of 'toback': A c:\back
      All .cpp files are added to c:\back.uc2.

   UC @a arch *.cpp
      The contents of 'a': A -TST -SMSKIP=OFF -F
      This is an example of a 'personalized' add command.

   !@ works like @, but puts '!' before all entries. It can be used to
   exclude a collection of files.

   UC A arch *.* !@names
      The contents of 'names': *.bat *.cpp *.doc
      All files except .bat, .cpp and .doc files are added to the
      archive arch.uc2. In this example the files to be excluded are
      substituted by 'names'.

Wildcards in archives specification
-----------------------------------
   Instead of adding a file or a group of files to different archives in
   different commands, it is possible to work with wildcards.

   UC V *
      Gives the verbose list of all the archives at once.

   UC A * filename
      The file 'filename' will be added to all the UC2 archives in the
      current directory. Using a wildcard is the only way to access more
      archives in one command. Only one archive description is allowed
      in a command.

   UC A * *.cpp *.bas
      Of course more wildcards may be used for the files to be added.
      All .cpp and .bas files will be added to all archives in the
      current directory.

   The commands P, U, T, O and C accept multiple archive specifications.
   Here the archive specification cannot be confused with the files
   specification because there is none. Also for all these commands the
   -S option can be used to include archives in subdirectories.

   UC C *.zip *.arj *.lzh
      All zip, arj and lzh archives will be converted.

   UC T -S C:\*
      All archives on drive C: (including those in subdirectories)
      will be tested.

OS/2 2.x extended attributes
----------------------------
   When the option 'Store OS/2 2.x extended attributes' (see chapter 6
   paragraph A) is active, UC2 gets the capability to store OS/2
   extended attributes. For example if you attach an icon to a file,
   compress it and extract it somewhere else, the file will still have
   its icon. Of course this is only possible on an OS/2 system. When you
   extract a file from an archive, the extended attributes will be the
   same as when you put the file in the archive. An archive optimized on
   a machine without extended attribute support (e.g. a plain DOS
   machine) will still contain extended attributes.

Multimedia banners
------------------
   Music, graphics and text banners can be added to an archive. (See
   chapter 5 paragraph B.)


4.Z SUMMARY
===========

SYNTAX: UC command [option(s)] archive-name [files]

COMMANDS: A D E   add / delete / extract
            L V   list / verbose list
            P U   damage protect / unprotect
              T   test (& repair)
              C   convert archive to .UC2 archive
              O   optimize (especially with many versions of files)
              R   revise archive comment

OPTIONS: (directly after command, or preceded by '-' or '/')
       TF TN TT   fast / normal / tight-multimedia
              S   include subdirectories
              M   move mode
              F   force mode (never ask, always yes)
            I B   incremental mode (keep versions) / basic mode

;n  specify version      !DTT=YYYY-MM-DD/HH:MM:SS  dynamic time travel
!exclude files   #destination   ##+sourcepath   & concat   @script


5. UC2 BBS COMMANDS (special features for sysops)
=================================================

This chapter contains the following paragraphs:

        - A. Archive conversion (with virus checking)
        - B. Multimedia banners
        - C. UltraStealth (run UC2 with only 32k free memory)
        - Z. Summary

When you use the AIPNL manual viewer you can jump to a chapter or a
paragraph by pressing the corresponding digit(s) or letter.


5.A ARCHIVE CONVERSION (with virus checking)
============================================

Conversion of archives to UC2 archives can be done fully automatic.
Perfect for the event list of your BBS. Conversion includes the optional
calling of one or more virus checking programs. Any virus checking
software can be used. You can define any extraction, checking or
processing software you would like, to be called by UC2.

The convert command
-------------------
   Command: UC C archives

      C is the convert command. ARJ/ZIP/LZH etc. archives are converted
      to UC2 archives.

   Example: UC C *.ARJ *.ZIP *.ARC

      All ARJ, ZIP and ARC archives in the current directory are
      converted to UC2 archives.

   Command: UC C -S archives

      Include archives in subdirectories as well.

   Example: UC C -S C:\*.ARJ C:\*.ZIP C:\*.ARC

      All ARJ, ZIP and ARC archives on the C: drive (including all its
      subdirectories) are converted to UC2 archives.

   VOLUME LABELS, BANNERS, MULTIPLE VERSIONS OF A FILE AND COMMENTS ARE
   NOT CONVERTED.

   The original archive will be NEVER be deleted by UC2. This is
   different from previous releases of UC2.

Customizing archive conversion
------------------------------
   To convert archives to UC2 archives the original archiver's software
   will be used. AIP-NL.INI determines which archivers will be used.

   UC2 uses advanced swapping techniques to swap UC2 out of memory while
   execution of the other archiver takes place. This assures the
   archivers have enough memory available.

   Currently supported formats include: ARC, ARJ, LZH, PAK, ZIP and ZOO.

   UC2 conversion also supports the 'UCN' format. This format is exactly
   the same as UC2, but it denotes 'N'ew files. It can be used to mark
   files new to your BBS, allowing 'conversion' to UC2 archives. This is
   useful since conversion can also include virus scanning etc.

   *** WARNING *** Please note than conversion from UCN to UC2 will only
   keep the newest versions of all contained files, older versions will
   be removed.

Virus checking during conversion
--------------------------------
   When you activate virus checking (see chapter 6 paragraph A item E)
   during conversion, the virus checkers defined in AIP-NL.INI are used.
   If you want another virus scanner to be used, or use more scanners in
   the check, you are free to change AIP-NL.INI. Just be sure the virus
   scanner called is available on your system.
   (See chapter 6 paragraph D.)

Automatic changes during conversion
-----------------------------------
   The AIPNL [VARIOUS] AFTER-CONVERT command can be used to make
   automatic changes to archives contents during their conversion. Such
   a change could include the addition of multimedia banners.
   (See chapter 6 paragraph D.)


5.B MULTIMEDIA BANNERS
======================

UC2 gives you the opportunity to add (multimedia) banners to archives.
Five file types are supported:

   U$~BAN.GIF   GIF image
   U$~BAN.JPG   JPEG image
   U$~BAN.MOD   MOD music files (playable with e.g. Modplay)
   U$~BAN.TXT   Standard text
   U$~BAN.ASK   Special file (determines if UC2 asks 'Continue?' after
                showing/playing the banners. The content of this file is
                of no importance.)

If you want to add a banner to an archive, you will have to specify the
banner file explicitly. No wild cards can be used, e.g. 'UC A arch
U$~BAN.*' will not work.

Example: UC A arch U$~BAN.TXT

   A text banner is added to the archive arch.

You can add multiple banner files (e.g. U$~BAN.GIF, U$~BAN.MOD and
U$~BAN.ASK) to a single archive.

The AIP-NL.INI file contains the default software to show or play
banners. See chapter 6 paragraph D for more information on this file.

The banners are shown/played when files are extracted from the archive.

Under 4DOS ~ is sometimes used as 'compound character'. To resolve
conflicts, you can change this with the 4DOS 'SETDOS /C^' command.


5.C ULTRA-STEALTH (run uc with only 32k free memory)
====================================================

With help of UltraStealth, you can run UC2 with only 32 kilobytes of
free memory available.

Suppose you have a huge program (e.g. a word processor or a mailer).
When this huge program has the ability of starting another DOS program
only a small amount of memory will be free. UltraStealth allows you to
have this huge program call UC2. To achieve this you need to do two
things:

(1) the (huge) program has to be started with US (UltraStealth)
---------------------------------------------------------------
   Just put US in front of the normal command you use to start the
   (huge) program. So if the normal command is:

      bigprog /a /q

   You now have to use:

      US bigprog /a /q

(2) use UUC instead of UC
-------------------------
   Instead of using UC from your (huge) program, you should call UUC.
   UUC behaves exactly like UC. The only difference is that US and UUC
   together solve the memory problem the (huge) program causes.

It is also possible to start US with no command behind it. In this case
the DOS command processor is started and UUC can be used anytime. The
command processor (and US) can be stopped with the EXIT command.

When UUC is called, while US is not active, UUC starts UC2 anyway. In
this case there is no difference in the amount of memory needed for UUC
and for UC2.

US and UUC together use about 32k of free memory, most of this will be
claimed by US.

Due to the complex nature of UltraStealth, it is recommended you
test-drive UltraStealth thoroughly in your specific environment before
you start using it.


5.Z SUMMARY
===========

UC C *.ARJ *.ZIP *.LZH
   Convert archives to UC2 archives.

US <command>
   Executes <command> and installs UltraStealth (needed to use UUC)

UUC ...
   Exactly the same as UC ..., but much less memory is needed. Will only
   work with a small amount of memory if UltraStealth is active.


6. UC2 CONFIGURATION
====================

When UC2 is started without parameters there is the option to configure
UC2 (by pressing the 'C' key).

General options are:

   A -> Default compression method
   B -> Default operation
   C -> Reliability level
   D -> Automatic archive conversion
   E -> Virus scan during conversion
   F -> Smart skipping
   G -> Amount of output/information
   H -> Show (multimedia) banners
   I -> Store OS/2 2.x extended attributes
   J -> Store system/hidden files

System options are:

   M -> Video mode
   N -> Dynamic program swapping
   O -> Use EMS
   P -> Use XMS
   Q -> Use 386/486/Pentium features
   R -> Advanced networking
   S -> Location for temporary files
   U -> Error logfile

Quick setup options are:

   1 -> default
   2 -> max speed
   3 -> max compress
   4 -> max safe
   5 -> UNDO

The configuration you choose here will be your default configuration
when using UC2. All options are stored in the AIP-NL.INI file. Some of
the options in the configuration screen can also be temporary set on the
command line. The command line options are also described in this
chapter.

This chapter contains the following paragraphs:

        - A. General options
        - B. System options
        - C. Quick setup
        - D. AIP-NL.INI
        - E. Optimizing performance

When you use the AIPNL manual viewer you can jump to a chapter or a
paragraph by pressing the corresponding digit(s) or letter.


6.A GENERAL OPTIONS
===================

A -> Default compression method
-------------------------------
   Equivalent command line options: -TN, -TT, -TST, -TF

   The compression type can be NORMAL, TIGHT, S-TIGHT or FAST. When
   installing UC2, the default compression type is normal.

   In TT and in TST mode, UC2 will detect whether a file is a multimedia
   file. Special (lossless) multimedia compression will then take place.

B -> Default operation
----------------------
   Equivalent command line options: -I, -B

   The add operation can be in BASIC MODE or INCREMENTAL MODE. In basic
   mode files that already exist in the archive will be replaced by a
   new version.

   In incremental mode more versions of a file can be kept in the
   archive. When an already existing file is added to the archive, the
   newer version of the file will be added. This mode increases the
   speed of the addition significantly, especially for slow disks and/or
   large archives.

   Another advantage of the incremental mode is the possibility of
   keeping multiple versions of a file in the archive. If, for example,
   you want to see what is changed in the file, just compare it to a
   previous version.

C -> Reliability level
----------------------
   Equivalent command line options: !RELIA=DETECT, !RELIA=PROTECT,
                                    !RELIA=ENSURE, !RELIA=CHECK

   The reliability level can be DETECT, PROTECT or ENSURE.

   Detect means errors will be reported, but no action will be taken.

   Protect means errors will be avoided, by using damage protection.

   Ensure mode means UC2 will make as sure as technically possible,
   everything will go perfect. First the existing archive will be
   tested. Then the command given will be executed. The third step
   includes a complete test on the new archive. When something went
   wrong, a 'rollback' will take place, and the original archive will be
   restored. To ensure correct storage on your hard disk, diskcache
   flush commands will be called at appropriate moments during execution
   of your command. (See paragraph D.)

   Check mode means the thorough testing from ensure mode will be used
   without making all archives damage protected.

D -> Automatic archive conversion
---------------------------------
   Equivalent command line options: !ARCON=ON, !ARCON=OFF

   Automatic conversion of other archiver's archives can be ON or OFF.
   When automatic conversion is on, any operation can be done on other
   archiver's archives. UC2 will automatically start rebuilding the
   archive to an UC2 archive. After rebuilding, the command will be
   executed.

   When automatic conversion is off, UC2 will not automatically convert
   archives, but prompt the user, asking permission to convert the
   archive.

E -> Virus scan during conversion
---------------------------------
   Equivalent command line options: !VSCAN=ON, !VSCAN=OFF

   Virus scan can be ON or OFF during the conversion of another
   archiver's archive (also see paragraph D).

F -> Smart skipping
-------------------
   Equivalent command line options: !SMSKIP=ON, !SMSKIP=OFF

   Smart skipping can be ON or OFF.

   When smart skipping is on, unchanged files (already in the archive)
   are skipped during addition. This makes updating much faster.

G -> Amount of output/information
---------------------------------
   The amount of output/information can be MINIMAL, VERBOSE or NORMAL.

   UC2 shows all kinds of information while it is executing your
   command. Minimal information mode only shows the filenames being
   processed, no progress indicators are given. Verbose information mode
   shows in great detail what UC2 is doing. For instance the file name
   in process is followed by blocks indicating progress. Normal
   information mode shows what UC2 is doing, but does not give undue
   attention to details which are not directly related to the given
   command.

   In some environments (e.g. Chinese/Japanese/Russian) the behavior of
   UC2 to print 'high ASCII' characters is unwanted. In those cases you
   can use the 'SET UC2_NO_HIGH_ASCII=ON' environment setting to disable
   high ASCII in UC2 output. Please note UC2 already uses an ISO 9241
   compliant subset of IBM high ASCII to avoid conflicts with e.g. IBM
   OS/2 2.x XGA systems.

H -> Show (multimedia) banners
------------------------------
   Equivalent command line options: !BAN=ON, !BAN=OFF, !BAN=ASK

   You can choose if the banners added to the archives are shown/played
   automatically (ON), only when you agree (ASK) or never (OFF).

I -> Store OS/2 2.x extended attributes
---------------------------------------
   Equivalent command line options: !SOS2EA=ON, !SOS2EA=OFF

   By putting this option ON, OS/2 EAs will be stored when UC2 finds any
   during compression, when this option is OFF UC2 will not store OS/2
   2.x EAs. OS/2 2.x extended attributes (such as icons, WPS long icon
   names, WordPerfect 5.2 for OS/2 summary information, etc.) will be
   retained in an archive when the option is ON. Please note that OS/2
   2.x EAs will ALWAYS be extracted, when present in an archive.
   Extended attributes are preserved by the optimize command, even if
   this is performed on a machine which does not run OS/2.

J -> Store system/hidden files
------------------------------
   Equivalent command line options: !SYSHID=ON, !SYSHID=OFF,
                                    !SYSHID=ASK

   You can choose if you want 'system' and 'hidden' files to be added
   ON, OFF or if you want UC2 to ASK you how to deal with them.


6.B SYSTEM OPTIONS
==================

M -> Video mode
---------------
   If your card is not compatible with MDA, HERCULES, CGA, EGA, VGA,
   SVGA, XGA, etc. (very unlikely but possible for some older computers)
   choose BIOS mode. If you have a monochrome monitor (or laptops etc.)
   choose MONO instead of COLOR. Please note that if UC2 detects
   DesqView (which prefers BIOS video on 286 computers) it will use BIOS
   video, even if UC2 is not configured to use BIOS video.

N -> Dynamic program swapping
-----------------------------
   Dynamic program swapping can be ON (in which case UC2 will be swapped
   to EMS or disk if it invokes DOS) or OFF.

O -> Use EMS
------------
   In general '4.0+ ONLY' is the best option. Most modern EMS drivers
   behave in a reliable way. Some older versions can cause unwanted
   conflicts and this mode will not use those older versions. Switch EMS
   OFF if your EMS (emulator) is not compatible with the
   Lotus/Intel/Microsoft specifications. Switch EMS to 'ANY VERSION' if
   you have an EMS driver lower than 4.0, which you verified to work
   correctly with UC2. Compressing and decompressing a large collection
   of files is a good way to verify this.

   Default, UC2 allocates all available EMS. By setting the environment
   variable 'SET UC2_MAX_EMS=xxx', you can specify in kilobytes how much
   EMS UC2 should use.

P -> Use XMS
------------
   Switch XMS OFF if your XMS (emulator) is not compatible with the
   Lotus/Intel/Microsoft specifications. This is not likely since UC2
   uses XMS very conservatively.

   Default, UC2 allocates all available XMS. By setting the environment
   variable 'SET UC2_MAX_XMS=xxx', you can specify in kilobytes how much
   XMS UC2 should use.

   Default, UC2 allocates all available UMB (upper memory blocks) from
   the UMA (upper memory area). By setting the environment variable 'SET
   UC2_MAX_UMB=xxx', you can specify in kilobytes how much UMB UC2
   should use.

   It is also possible for UC2 to use "raw" extended memory (without a
   XMS driver). With the environment variable 'SET UC2_RAW_EXT=xxx' you
   can specify in kilobytes how much extended memory UC2 should use.
   Please note this option is VERY dangerous. We strongly advise you to
   use a XMS driver (like HIMEM.SYS) instead.

Q -> Use 386/486/Pentium features
---------------------------------
   Switch off use of 386/486/Pentium options. AIPNL is not aware of any
   situation where this feature had to be disabled. UC2 does not suffer
   from Pentium processors with the infamous 'FDIV bug'.

R -> Advanced networking
------------------------
   Equivalent command line options: !NET=ON, !NET=OFF, !NET=AUTO-SKIP

   Network Support. If you have a version of DOS which does not support
   DOS network calls (e.g. 2.0), or if you have a network which behaves
   very differently from IBM, Lantastic, Microsoft, Novell or Vines
   networks, you can set this option to OFF. Sharing archives is then no
   longer possible.

   When UC2 attempts to compress a locked file, it allows the user to
   skip this file by hand. When auto-skip mode is active, locked files
   will be skipped automatically. A warning is reported and logged if
   files are skipped.

S -> Location for temporary files
---------------------------------
   The location for temporary files can be configured. When everything
   goes well you will never notice the temporary files. Please make sure
   the directory configured exists on your disk.

   You can override this setting with the environment variable UC2_TMP
   e.g. 'SET UC2_TMP=F:\'.

   The temporary files location will also be used by the virtual memory
   manager. Default, UC2 will use up to 8192 kilobytes of virtual
   memory. This amount can be changed with 'SET UC2_VMEM=xxx' to a value
   from 4096 to 49192 (kilobytes). UC2 needs 1 byte of base memory for
   each kilobyte of virtual memory.

U -> Error logfile
------------------
   The error logfile will register all errors and warnings that appear
   while executing UC2. You can also disable error logging by specifying
   * as logfile.


6.C QUICK SETUP
===============

1 -> default
------------
   The default setup changes the following settings:

       GENERAL OPTIONS:

           default compression mode        into    normal
           default operation               into    basic mode
           reliability level               into    detect
           automatic archive conversion    into    off
           virus scan during conversion    into    off
           amount of output/information    into    normal
           show (multimedia) banners       into    ask
           store OS/2 2.x ext. attributes  into    off
           store system/hidden files       into    ask

       SYSTEM OPTIONS:

           video mode                      into    color
           dynamic program swapping        into    on
           use EMS                         into    4.0 and higher only
           use XMS                         into    on
           use 386/486/Pentium features    into    on
           advanced networking             into    on
           all locations will be set to the same location as UC.EXE

2 -> max speed
--------------
   The max speed setup changes the following settings:

       GENERAL OPTIONS:

           default compression             into    fast
           default operation               into    incremental
           reliability level               into    detect
           automatic archive conversion    into    on
           virus scan during conversion    into    off
           amount of output/information    into    minimal
           show (multimedia) banners       into    off

       SYSTEM OPTIONS:

           video mode   No matter whether the video mode is color or
                        mono, this configuration will turn off BIOS
                        usage
           use EMS                         into    4.0 and higher only
           use XMS                         into    on
           use 386/486/Pentium features    into    on
           advanced networking             into    auto-skip

3 -> max compress
-----------------
   The max compress setup changes the following settings:

       GENERAL OPTIONS:

           default compression             into    s-tight
           default operation               into    basic mode
           reliability level               into    detect
           automatic archive conversion    into    on

4 -> max safety
---------------
   The max safe setup changes the following settings:

       GENERAL OPTIONS:

           default operation               into    incremental mode
           reliability level               into    ensure
           automatic archive conversion    into    off
           virus scan during conversion    into    on
           smart skipping                  into    off
           show (multimedia) banners       into    off

       SYSTEM OPTIONS:

           video mode   No matter whether the video mode is color or
                        mono, this configuration will turn on BIOS usage
           use EMS                         into    off
           use XMS                         into    off
           use 386/486/Pentium features    into    off
           only if advanced networking was auto-detect:
                                           into    on

5 -> UNDO
---------
   The configuration will be reset to the state it was before you
   started the configuration screen.


6.D AIP-NL.INI
==============

All UC2 settings are kept in the AIP-NL.INI file.

Please note the AIP-NL.INI file contains settings for ALL AIPNL
products.

All AIPNL products use the PATH environment variable (usually set in
AUTOEXEC.BAT) to locate AIP-NL.INI, thus allowing multiple people to use
the same executable file, while they each have their own configuration
file.

AIP-NL.INI consist of sections each containing a number of settings.

EXPANDERS
---------
   This section specifies how archives should be extracted for use by
   the convert command.

   For example "ARC = ARC xzw % *.*/h/a, PKXARC % *.*, PAK e %"
   specifies that files with the ARC extension should be extracted by
   ARC, PKXARC or PAK. If more than one of those is available, the first
   one in the list will be used.

UC2-GENERAL-OPTIONS, UC2-SYSTEM-OPTIONS
---------------------------------------
   These sections contain all settings from the configuration menu.

VARIOUS
-------
   TEMPORARY-FILES specifies which directory UC2 uses for temporary
   files.

   PRINT-FILE specifies how $PRF prints a file.

   FLUSH-CACHE specifies how ensure mode flushes the disk cache.

   VIRUS-SCAN specifies how convert can check for viruses.

   AFTER-CONVERT specifies a command to be executed during archive
   conversion.

VIEWERS, EDITORS
----------------
   These sections are mainly used by Visual UltraCompressor. UC2 does
   use them for the R (revise comment) command and for showing
   multimedia banners.


6.E OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE
==========================

In general UC2 will automatically utilize available resources (RAM,
microprocessor) in an optimal fashion. Please note UC2 does not stretch
beyond the limits of your system to achieve this. It only uses
officially documented methods to access XMS, EMS, DOS, Windows, OS/2,
etc. In many cases the methods UC2 uses have been double checked with
IBM, Microsoft, QuarterDeck, Novell and others. And of course everything
has been extensively tested on many different environments.

There are some tips to allow UC2 to work as fast as possible:

   - make as much base, EMS and XMS memory available as you can spare

   - (but) on systems supporting virtual memory (e.g. Windows NT and
     OS/2) you should not make TOO much memory available for UC2 (to
     prevent swapping)

   - select maximal speed in the configuration menu

   - or (e.g. if you prefer better compression)
      - enable advanced networking (when applicable)
      - enable EMS/XMS usage
      - enable 386/486/Pentium usage
      - set UC2 information to minimal

   - redirect the output of UC2 to the NUL device (e.g. UC X test > NUL)

   - install sufficient BUFFERS in your CONFIG.SYS and/or install a disk
     caching utility


7. UC2 TECHNICAL DETAILS (UC2 internals, design, benchmarks)
============================================================

Although many aspects of UC2 look simple and straightforward, UC2 is a
very advanced program.

This chapter contains the following paragraphs:

        - A. Inside UC2
        - B. Compression technology
        - C. Damage protection technology
        - D. Benchmarking

When you use the AIPNL manual viewer you can jump to a chapter or a
paragraph by pressing the corresponding digit(s) or letter.


7.A INSIDE UC2
==============

Here a rough overview of the internals of UC2 is given. It can give
those who are interested more insight into what is going on INSIDE
UltraCompressor.

If you want more detailed technical information (e.g. for making add-on
tools) you can always contact us. Please note however we do not intend
to supply the source code of UC2 to third parties. Sample add-on tools
(including their source code) are available on request.

UC2 is programmed in C++ and assembly language (for the time critical
sections). It is devised in a number of modules which are briefly
described in this section.


Overview
--------
                        GENERAL CONTROL
                           main
                           config
                           command interpreter
                           manager
                           archive I/O


   SYSTEM SERVICES                             COMPRESSION SERVICES
      video                                       dictionary manager
      low level I/O                               ultra engine
      memory manager
      virtual memory manager
                                               RELIABILITY SERVICES
                                                  error handler
   OTHER                                          damage protection
      lister                                      guard
      viewer                                      test


General control
---------------
   MAIN
      The main module calls all initialization routines.

   CONFIG
      This module handles the interactive configuration screen. This
      module also uses and maintains AIP-NL.INI.

   COMMAND INTERPRETER
      The command line and script files are interpreted in this module.

   MANAGER
      Finds out what should happen (e.g. ask the command interpreter,
      scan the disk and the archive), and makes it happen (call the data
      compressor, etc.). This module is the most complex module of UC2,
      but it delegates a lot of hard work to other modules.

   ARCHIVE I/O
      Here the archive file format is managed. Conversion between
      external (compressed flat file) and internal (object database)
      formats, as well as all kinds of integrity checks are performed.

System services
---------------
   VIDEO
      The keyboard, screen and output file (in case of redirection) are
      managed here.

   LOW LEVEL I/O
      Here low level file specifics and networking are handled. Also
      this module takes care of file caching, an essential issue in
      making UC2 perform fast on (floppy) disk and network access.

   MEMORY MANAGER (MM)
      This module manages base memory, XMS and EMS. The MM decides which
      components of the program can get memory, and how much memory they
      can get, to optimize overall performance.

   VIRTUAL MEMORY MANAGER (VMM)
      This module manages the 'persistent object database' containing
      the central directory of an archive and numerous links needed to
      make processing as efficient as possible. No matter the amount of
      data in the VMM, it can always work (fast) with only a small
      amount of memory. VMM uses the memory manager to optimize its
      performance wherever possible. The VMM also supplies pipeline
      services for decoupling translation (archive I/O) and compression
      logic.

Compression services
--------------------
   DICTIONARY MANAGER
      This component makes dictionaries of collections of files. These
      dictionaries allow UC2 to use similarities between different files
      to compress all files even further. The analyzing phase of UC2
      refers to the creation of dictionaries based on found files. The
      optimizing phase (which is different from the optimize command)
      refers to the compression of the dictionaries. One special
      dictionary (the 'master') is built into the compressor. This
      dictionary is used to improve compression of the other
      dictionaries. The master contains information about the general
      structure of common file types such as: documents, spreadsheets,
      databases, sources, etc. Private Compression Profiles (8.F) allow
      you to replace the master with you own dictionary.

   ULTRA ENGINE
      The bare high speed compressor/decompressor. Based on a dictionary
      the redundancy of a stream of data is analyzed and compressed.

Reliability services
--------------------
   ERROR HANDLER
      The error handler traps DOS system errors and handles them in a
      neat and consistent way. It often allows the user to go to DOS,
      solve the problem, leave DOS and continue where UC2 has stopped.
      The error handler makes it impossible for the user to specify
      'ignore', (an unfortunate option DOS offers if something goes
      wrong).

   DAMAGE PROTECTION
      This module handles damage protection, damage detection and damage
      recovery.

   GUARD
      The guard continuously checks the internal integrity of UC2. It is
      often able to prevent damage caused by e.g. software conflicts or
      hardware problems.

   TEST (only available in beta versions)
      Tests and interrogates various components of UC2 during execution.

Other
-----
   LISTER
      Shows contents of archive in various formats.

   VIEWER
      Online help viewer.


7.B COMPRESSION TECHNOLOGY
==========================

UC2 significantly outperforms older data compression technology. For
those interested in background information, we will discuss WHY and HOW
UC2 is capable of doing this.

AIPNL would like to specifically thank Drs. ing. D. Bezemer, Prof. dr.
J. van Leeuwen, Dr. P. van Oostrum and Drs. ing. N.E. de Vries for their
significant participation in the design of the UC2 compression engine.

To begin, we will give a brief explanation of AR002. Most modern data
compressors (ARJ, LHA, ZIP, ZOO) are derivatives of AR002. AR002 was
designed by Haruhiko Okumura.

AR002, a two phase compressor
-----------------------------
   DATA <-> (#1, LZ) <-> (grouping) <-> (#2, Huffman) <-> COMPRESSED

   In phase #1 (the 'LempelZiv' phase) 'matches' are located. Matches
   are strings of data which are equal. The string 'hello there hello'
   can be converted to 'hello there '(-12,5) since 'hello' is matched.
   In general ARJ, LHA, ZIP and ZOO can find matches with a maximum
   distance of about 32700, and a maximum length of about 500 (rough
   estimates).

   In phase #2 (the 'Huffman' phase) the output of phase #1 is divided
   into blocks. For each block statistics are analyzed (for example the
   compressor notices the character 'e' is used much more often than
   'q'). From this analysis an optimal translation table ('Huffman
   tree') is generated (e.g. 'e'=001 'q'=100100010). The compressed
   block then consists of the Huffman tree and the translated contents
   of the block.

   The storage of the Huffman tree, at the beginning of each block, is a
   complicated matter which we will not cover here.

   The number of different values phase #1 can generate is very large
   (e.g. all 256 possible values of a byte, and about 32700 * 500
   different match descriptions). Since it is very inefficient to make a
   Huffman tree for all those possible values, the values are grouped,
   and statistics are gathered for the groups instead of the single
   values. LHA, ZOO, ARJ and ZIP all use different methods to realize
   this grouping.

UltraEngine
-----------
   The UltraEngine is also an AR002 derivative, but with some
   fundamental enhancements. These enhancements can be divided into two
   major features: the core engine and the dictionary manager.

   The dictionary manager is the most significant enhancement. Ordinary
   data compression engines always start completely 'blank', knowing
   absolutely nothing about the data they are going to compress. The
   dictionary manager collects generic information about a group of
   files. For example a collection of *.DOC files will all have similar
   characteristics, and share common text strings like 'paper'. The
   dictionary manager collects this common 'knowledge' in a dictionary.
   This dictionary is used to make the core engine much smarter when
   similar files are compressed.

   UC2 has a dictionary (the 'master') built into the executable as
   well. This master contains information about common file formats. It
   contains, for example, information about spreadsheets, databases,
   word processors, programming languages and common words in: English,
   French, German and Dutch. This built in information improves
   compression.

   The core engine also has some enhancements over the basic AR002
   engine.

   The match engine has been replaced by a completely new one. This new
   engine is capable of finding matches at a distance of 64000 and with
   a maximum length of 30000.

   Also the way in which blocks of data are gathered for further Huffman
   compression is completely different. Instead of looking at one block
   at a time, the core engine attempts to 'learn' from previous blocks
   so less information is needed to encode statistical information of a
   block.

Alternative
-----------
   A collection of files can also be compressed more, with the often
   used TAR+COMPRESS 'trick'. First collect all files in a single large
   file, and then compress this single large file at once. Especially
   for large collections of small files, this improves compression
   significantly. This approach can be reached with ARJ as well, by
   first compressing with ARJ -m0, and compressing the resulting archive
   again with ARJ -jm1.

   It should be noted, however, that the UltraEngine approach works much
   better. First of all, the compression is better. The dictionary
   manager is much smarter than just a simple concatenation. This can be
   verified by compressing the output of ARJ -m0 with UC -tt. Also the
   core engine is fine tuned for optimal performance in cooperation with
   dictionaries. The 64000 byte match length is one of the essential
   enhancements.

   Another reason why the UC2 approach is much better, is random access.
   Try to delete a single file of a collection of 5000 C files when ARJ
   -m0/-jm1 has been used, or try to add or extract SOME files. UC2 will
   mostly do this much faster than ordinary archivers (this is a result
   of better caching and a better file format), and remarkably faster
   than a collect/compress (unit packing, solid) archiver.


7.C DAMAGE PROTECTION TECHNOLOGY
================================

When an archive is 'damage protected' with the P command, it becomes
resistant to a certain amount of damage. This paragraph explains how UC2
achieves this.

We will start with a mathematical operator called 'XOR'. XOR has the
following properties:

0 XOR 0 = 0; 0 XOR 1 = 1; 1 XOR 0 = 1; 1 XOR 1 = 0

if   a1 XOR a2 XOR a3 XOR a4 XOR a5 = xx
then a1 XOR xx XOR a3 XOR a4 XOR a5 = a2
and  a1 XOR a2 XOR a3 XOR xx XOR a5 = a4
etc.

This exactly shows the essence of damage protection, a1..a5 are the bare
data, xx is special (damage recovery) information which can be used to
restore bare data if it somehow has been destroyed.

In practice UC2 XORs groups of 512 bytes (sectors) instead of single
bits. To determine if a specific sector is correct or damaged a checksum
of all sectors is included in the damage recovery information.

About 1% of damage protection information is added to an archive. For
short files this is a single recovery sector (meaning up to 1 damaged
sector can be recovered), but if the archive is longer multiple damage
recovery sectors are added, for example one for odd and one for even
sectors.


7.D BENCHMARKING
================

Benchmarking is a very complicated matter. It is always possible to
create a legitimate looking benchmark which makes product A or product B
look better. A nice example of this can be seen by just looking at some
ads.

We have done a successful attempt to optimize UC2 for daily 'real life'
use. This means it compresses fast and it decompresses very fast.

But when archives are used intensively, the bare compression/
decompression speed is only an aspect of the whole picture. What is also
very important is how efficient updates are performed. Especially when
'the going gets tough', for example when a large archive resides on a
floppy disk, or when the archive is on a network, UC2 can be much faster
than other products.

An unfortunate problem in benchmarking archivers is the 'Calgary
Compression Corpus', which is often used to compare data compressors.
Well, UC2 will do better than other compressors with this test, yet the
real power of the compression engine is not used in this unrealistic
test. When collections of 'real life' files (e.g. a large collection of
documents, or sources, or the average archive one finds on a BBS) is
compressed the difference between UC2 and other products becomes more
significant.

Of course, although performance is very important, it is only one aspect
in the usability of a product.

In general it is our opinion that you, the user, are the best person to
perform benchmarks. Try the product the way you would actually USE it
and see for yourself.


8. UC2 EXTENDED COMMANDS
========================

On of the toughest decisions to make, in designing a utility like
UltraCompressor, is what option should and should not be included. The
problem is, that different users have a different view on what should be
included in the tool. Some users prefer simple and clean, other users
prefer a tool which adapts exactly to their specific wishes.

We decided to split the command line options into sections in order to
solve this conflict:

BASIC (3)
   This section aims at maximum simplicity. It only describes extraction
   of an entire archive, compression of an entire directory and viewing
   archive contents.

MAIN (4)
   Several goals have driven this section:
   -> smart commands, not needing a lot of complicated options
   -> the entire command description must fit on one screen (UC -?)
   -> it should be simple, clean and consistent

BBS (5)
   Special commands and options aimed at sysops have been put in a
   separate section.

EXTEND (8)
   Simple is no longer an issue here, only power and flexibility count.
   Extended commands always start with $, extended options always start
   with !. Dynamic Time Travel and all options documented in CONFIG (6)
   are therefore extended options as well, although they are not covered
   again in this chapter.

This chapter contains the following paragraphs:

        - A. Tools: version manager (vm.exe)
        - B. Tools: lock archive (ulock.bat, uprot.bat)
        - C. Tools: compress/expand directory (ucdir, uedir)
        - D. Tools: simple archive splitter (sas)
        - E. Extended command/option overview
        - F. Private Compression Profiles
        - G. Error messages
        - Z. Summary

When you use the AIPNL manual viewer you can jump to a chapter or a
paragraph by pressing the corresponding digit(s) or letter.


8.A TOOLS: VERSION MANAGER (VM.EXE)
===================================

UltraCompressor allows you to keep multiple versions (revisions) of a
file in an archive. This feature is, however, single file oriented.

Version Manager allows you to manage versions of file collections
(projects). It allows you to attach a 'version label' to a collection of
files and to extract or list all file versions having that specific
label.

This is perfectly suited for marking specific stages of a project to
allow simple reconstruction of those stages.

Please note that version labels are case and space sensitive.

Commands:
---------
VM Mark "label" archive-name

   Attach "label" to the most current file versions (*.*;0). "label" can
   be anything you want, e.g. "REV 1.2.1", "Version for Acme Inc.",
   "LWV" (last working version) etc. One file version can have multiple
   labels. Labels are case sensitive and can be up to 80 characters
   long.

VM Remove "label" archive-name

   Remove a specific label from an archive (only the label is removed,
   no files are deleted).

VM LAbels archive-name

   List all labels present in the archive in alphabetic order.

VM History archive-name

   List all labels present in the archive in chronological order.

VM L "label" [options] archive-name [files]
VM V "label" [options] archive-name [files]

   List/verbose list of all files having the specified label. All UC2
   options can be used.

VM E "label" [options] archive-name [files]

   Extract files having the specified label. All UC2 options can be
   used.

'Special' label names:
----------------------
If a label description ends with $, $$ or # then substitution takes
place:

   $   The $ is replaced by the current date (e.g. "LWV $" becomes "LWV
       NOV-12-1997").

   $$  The $$ is replaced by the current date and time (e.g. "LWV $$"
       becomes "LWV NOV-12-1997 22:34:04").

   #   The # is replaced by an automatic version number (e.g. "KQZ #"
       becomes "KQZ 1.2.6"). VM always searches for labels with a
       similar layout, finds the highest one, and increases the last
       number. For 'major' releases the new version number has to be
       specified.

All labels get an index (e.g. @12) which can be used as abbreviation.
The index for each label is shown by LABELS and HISTORY.

Examples:
---------
VM MARK "LWV $$" arch

   Mark the most current files as the current 'Last Working Version',
   e.g. "LWV NOV-12-1997 12:34:04".

VM M "REV #" arch

   Mark the most current files as "REV xxx", where the new version
   number is automatically determined.

VM E "REV 1.2.2" -S arch #c:\build

   Extract all files labelled REV 1.2.2 to c:\build.

VM E @12 arch

   Extract all files with the label with index @12.

VM Finger printing
------------------
Often an executable should contain its own version label. This version
label can for instance be shown in the startup screen of the
application. This allows technical support to determine which version of
a program a specific user is running.

VM can automate the maintenance of such a version label. It can do this
by generating an include file which contains a definition for the
version label. This include file will then be updated automatically when
the VM MARK or the VM E commands are used.

The generation of this VM include file is controlled by an environment
variable.

Example:

   SET VM_FINGERPRINT_CPP=mylab.h

   In this sample the version label is maintained in the C++ include
   file mylab.h.


The following filetypes are supported:

   Environment variable  Type         Sample contents
   --------------------------------------------------------------
   VM_FINGERPRINT_ASM    Assembly     db "..."

   VM_FINGERPRINT_BAS    BASIC        const VM_LABEL$ = "..."

   VM_FINGERPRINT_C      C            #define VM_LABEL "..."

   VM_FINGERPRINT_CPP    C++          const char* VM_LABEL = "...";

   VM_FINGERPRINT_MOD    Modula II    CONST VM_LABEL = "...";

   VM_FINGERPRINT_PAS    Pascal       CONST VM_LABEL = "...";

   VM_FINGERPRINT_RAW                 ...


The file is always generated in the current directory (unless a full
path is specified).


8.B TOOLS: LOCK ARCHIVE (ULOCK.BAT, UPROT.BAT)
==============================================

Example:    ULOCK arch

The archive arch.uc2 is protected against all manipulative commands
(e.g. add and delete). Please note that someone could bypass this lock
by just expanding all files in the archive, and creating a new one.

Example:    UPROT arch

All files in arch.uc2 will be protected against deletion. Incremental
addition to the archive is still allowed, overwriting or deleting files
not. Perfect for version management where older file versions should
never be deleted.

The ULOCK and the UPROT commands can only be reversed by extracting all
files from the locked/protected archive and building a new one.


8.C TOOLS: COMPRESS/EXPAND DIRECTORY (UCDIR, UEDIR)
===================================================

UCDIR

   This command moves all files from the current directory and below to
   the archive UCDIRDAT.UC2. If this archive already exists smart
   skipping will skip redundant work. UCDIRDAT.UC2 is always damage
   protected. UCDIR will make UCDIRDAT.UC2 read-only to avoid accidental
   deletion.

UEDIR

   This command completely expands UCDIRDAT.UC2 (if it is present in the
   current directory). The archive is not removed to speed up the UCDIR
   command. UEDIR will make UCDIRDAT.UC2 deletable.

Used together UCDIR and UEDIR allow you to keep data readily available
on disk, while it takes significantly less space than uncompressed, or
even when compressed with a transparent disk compressor.


8.D TOOLS: SIMPLE ARCHIVE SPLITTER (SAS)
========================================

Commands:
   SAS S arch 123      split arch.uc2 in 123kb pieces, 1kb=1024 bytes
   SAS B arch          build arch.uc2 from those pieces

When arch.uc2 is split into 5 pieces, those pieces will be named
arch.p01, arch.p02, arch.p03, arch.p04 and arch.p05. SAS adds a little
amount of overhead to each piece.

SAS allows basic UC2 archive splitting. This can be used to allow
archives which do not fit on a single floppy disk to be spread amongst
more than one diskettes.

For distribution of multivolume archives, UC2SEA (chapter 13) is a
better choice.


8.E EXTENDED COMMAND/OPTION OVERVIEW
====================================

Extended commands always start with $, extended options always start
with !. Dynamic Time Travel and all options documented in CONFIG (6) are
all extended options as well.

Add variants (can be used instead of A)
---------------------------------------
   $FRE    FREshen files in archive (update files, but do not add new
           ones)

Extract variants (can be used instead of E)
-------------------------------------------
   $EWP    Extract Without Path (extract all files to the same
           directory, ignoring their original path). This command
           automatically activates the -S (include subdirs) option.

   $PRF    PRint Files (how a file should be printed is defined in
           AIP-NL.INI)

              Example: UC $PRF arch *.txt

Archive manipulation commands
-----------------------------
   $RED    Remove Empty Directories

           Usage: UC $RED archive-name(s)

   $TSN    Time Stamp archive with date/time of Newest file

           Usage: UC $TSN archive-name(s)

Miscellaneous commands
----------------------
   $GLF    Generate List File (usable as script/list-file). Please note
           that this command does not automatically include
           subdirectories. The -S option is needed to include
           subdirectories.

           Usage: UC $GLF listfile-name [options] archive-name [files]

           Example: UC $GLF listfile.txt -S arch *.doc

   $DOS    execute DOS command

           Example: UC $DOS del *.bak & A arch *.*

Filter/selection options
------------------------
   Filter/selection options can be used for add (A, $FRE), list (L, V,
   $GLF), delete (D) and extract (E, $EWP, $PRF). Please note these
   options only filter out files. They do not change the version number
   of files (unlike Dynamic Time Travel and VM.EXE).

   !CONTAINS="..."
           only allow files which contain the specified string, upper
           and lower case characters match for this option (e.g. Test
           matches tEsT)
           Note: the search string can be at most 40 characters.

   !EFA=HSRA
           Exclude Files with (Hidden/System/Read-only/Archive)
           Attributes

   !ARCA   only include files having the ARChive Attribute bit set

   !ELD=YYYY/MM/DD-HH:MM:SS
           only include files with Equal or Later Date/time

   !EED=YYYY/MM/DD-HH:MM:SS
           only include files with Equal or Earlier Date/time

   !QUERY  ask permission for each single file

   !NEWER  (add and extract only)
           only add/extract a file, if the source file is NEWER than a
           (to be overwritten) destination file, or if there is no
           destination file

   !NOF    (add and extract only)
           Never Overwrite a File

   Examples:

      UC E !EFA=HS arch

         Extract all files from arch, except files having the system or
         the hidden attribute.

      UC $GLF listfile !CONTAINS="#include <graph.hpp>" arch

         Create a file 'listfile' which contains all files in arch.uc2
         containing the string "#include <graph.hpp>".

      UC A !CONTAINS="main" arch *.cpp

         Add all *.cpp files containing "main" to arch.uc2.

      UC D !CONTAINS="old" arch

         Delete all files containing "old" from arch.uc2.

      UC VS !CONTAINS="check" *

         List all files containing "check" from all archives in the
         current directory.

      UC E -S !ELD=1992/07/28 !EED=1993/03/17 arch *.*;*

         Extract all files in the archive dated 1992/07/28 - 1993/03/17.
         Notice the *.*;* ensures all versions of a file will be
         considered, not only the newest one.

      UC $PRF !CONTAINS="echo off" !QUERY arch

         Try to print all files containing 'echo off', ask permission
         for each file.

Miscellaneous options
---------------------
   !RAB     Reset the Archive attribute Bit after adding a file

   !BAK     keep BAcKup (.BAK) of updated archives

   !TSN     Time Stamp archive with date/time of Newest file

   !VLAB    add:     copy Volume LABel from the first mentioned drive to
                     archive
            extract: copy Volume LABel from archive to the destination
                     drive

   !VLAB=X  add:     copy Volume LABel from drive X: to archive
            extract: copy Volume LABel from archive to drive X:

   !ASUB    include Archives in SUBdirectories

   Examples:

      UC A -S !ARCA !RAB arch *.*
          Backup files having the archive attribute bit set and after
          that reset their attribute bit.

      UC A !TSN arch *.bas
          Add *.bas files to the archive, time stamp the archive with
          the newest file in the archive.

      UC C !TSN *
          Convert all archives in the current directory to UC2 archives,
          time stamp the resulting archives with the newest file in the
          archive.

      UC A !VLAB test d:*.cpp
          Add files and copy volume label from drive D: to the archive.

      UC A !VLAB test *.cpp d:*.cpp
          Add files and copy volume label from the current drive to the
          archive.

      UC A !ASUB c:\* u$~ban.txt
          Add u$~ban.txt to all archives (including those in
          subdirectories) on drive C:.


8.F PRIVATE COMPRESSION PROFILES
================================

This feature allows you to use UC2 as an optimized special purpose
compressor for a specific kind of data (e.g. text files in a specific
language).

VERY IMPORTANT WARNING
----------------------
   Private compression profiles (PCPs) are a very powerful but also a
   dangerous feature. If you build archives using a specific PCP and you
   somehow lose, change or damage the PCP ALL data in ALL archives you
   made using the PCP will be COMPLETELY LOST.

How do PCPs work?
-----------------
   UC2 uses built-in knowledge to improve compression. The knowledge
   built into UC2 is a mix of common file formats. It contains, for
   example, information about spreadsheets, databases, word processors,
   programming languages and common words in: English, French, German
   and Dutch, etc.

   PCPs allow you to replace the knowledge which UC2 uses with different
   knowledge. This can be very effective in an environment where the
   data which is compressed is of a more or less similar kind.

   One example of where PCPs can be very effective is for two bulletin
   boards that exchange a lot of email. When a PCP is made for this
   environment compression will significantly improve, even for very
   small email messages.

   Another example is when a lot of archives containing sources in a
   specific language (e.g. C++) are maintained. A PCP for company
   specific C++ sources will again significantly improve compression.

How do I create a PCP?
----------------------
   PCPs work best when they are based on a single file type (e.g.
   sources). It is possible to make a PCP based on multiple file types
   but we do not recommend it.

   A PCP is just a file containing up to 58k of sample data. To build a
   PCP simply concatenate some sample files together until you have a
   file of about 58k. The more 'average' your sample files are, the
   better the PCP will work.

How do I use a PCP?
-------------------
   A PCP is activated by setting an environment variable. This approach
   allows use of archiver shells (like Visual UltraCompressor) in
   combination with PCPs. To activate a PCP you should use:

      set UC2_PCP=<full name of pcp file>

   to deactivate it you should use:

      set UC2_PCP=

   A sample batch for making backups:

      set UC2_PCP=s:\uc2pcps\sources.pcp
      UC A a:\backup h:\sources\*.cpp h:\sources\*.h
      set UC2_PCP=

How safe are PCPs?
------------------
   UC2 always verifies if a PCP should be used or not.

   This verification is also performed by older versions of UC2 (error
   145).

   UC2 always checks if the correct PCP is used (PCP checksum).

   A PCP does not limit what can be stored in an archive. (e.g. if a C++
   PCP is used you can still archive binaries)

   In all cases if something is wrong, UC2 will give a clear error
   message (215, 220, 225 or 230).

   If you use PCPs by accident (you forgot to disable them), your
   archives will be unusable for people not having access to your PCPs.
   UC2 always reports to you that it uses PCPs to limit the chance of
   such a mistake.

   If you somehow lose, change or damage a PCP ALL data in ALL archives
   you made using that PCP will be COMPLETELY LOST. There is no way your
   data can be recovered in such a situation. As always, keeping backups
   is very important.


8.G ERROR MESSAGES
==================

When something went wrong, UC2 displays an error message. UC2 has three
levels of error messages:

   Fatal Error  something occurred which forced UC2 to stop
   Error        something went wrong, but execution could be continued
   Warning      something happened which might be unwanted

All errors have a "level", multiple error messages can share the same
level. This level is shown on screen and also returned to DOS
(errorlevel). If multiple errors occur, the highest level is returned to
DOS. For more details the error logfile (if enabled) can be consulted.

Error message level explanations:
---------------------------------

OK (0)
------
   0  Everything went OK.

Warnings (1-49)
---------------
   5  Internal error (UC2 beta versions only).

   7  The archive is protected against changes in archive comment.

  10  A device name has been mapped to a filename.

  15  The archive's size did not change (optimize).

  20  No file/archive found matching ...

  25  The user chose to skip the rest of the ADD command.

  30  Skipped file, AUTO-SKIP (network/locking related).

  35  Skipped file, the user chose to skip the rest of the ADD command.

  40  Archive has been made with cracked UC.EXE.
        Although all evaluation versions of UC2 have always been 100%
        complete and uncrippled, some people have made cracking tools to
        enter fake serial numbers into UC.EXE. Unfortunately most of
        these cracking tools severely damage the operation (and thereby
        the reliability) of UC.EXE. When UC2 detects an archive made
        which such an archiver it emits this warning. Please notify the
        source of such archives that their software is illegal and
        probably unreliable.

Errors (50-99)
--------------
  50  Internal error.

  55  Failed to delete a file.
        This can be caused by a network (you do not have sufficient
        rights to delete a specific file) or by attempts to delete a
        file from a write-protected disk.

  60  Failed to delete a directory.
        This can be caused by a network (you do not have sufficient
        rights to delete a specific directory) or by attempts to delete
        a directory from a write-protected disk.

  63  Failed to rename a file.
        This can be caused by a network (you do not have sufficient
        rights to rename a specific file) or by attempts to rename a
        file on a write-protected disk.

  65  The conversion of a specific archive failed.
        The archive has an unknown format, the file is not an archive,
        or the archive is damaged.

  70  Failed to set the volume label.
        This can be caused by a network (you do not have sufficient
        rights to set the volume label), by attempts to set the volume
        label of write-protected disk or the volume label is not a valid
        DOS volume label (e.g. the original was made with the Norton
        utilities).

  75  Failed to set OS/2 extended attributes.
        This can be caused by a network (you do not have sufficient
        rights to set extended attributes) or by attempts to set
        extended attributes on a write-protected disk.

  80  Skipped a file (could not write to it).
        This can be caused by a network (you do not have sufficient
        rights to create a specific file) or by attempts to write a file
        to a write-protected disk.

  85  Cannot create a directory.
        This can be caused by a network (you do not have sufficient
        rights to create a specific directory) or by attempts to create
        a directory on a write-protected disk.

  90  The archive is damaged (use 'UC T' to repair it).

  95  Conversion of the archive failed, due to the detection of a virus.

Fatal errors (100-255)
----------------------
 100  The user aborted the program by choice or with Ctrl-Break.

 105  Some problem with UC.EXE.
        (When trying to reconfigure) UC2 resides on a write-protected
        diskette or has been made read-only. (Other) The executable is
        damaged, obtain or install a new one.

 110  Configuration problem (UC -!).
        You should reconfigure UC2 (the specific error message explains
        what you should change).

 120  The command line is not correct.
        You have entered an unknown command or option. Consult the
        manual for more information on what you want to achieve.

 123  A command/option is not allowed by the configuration (UC -!).
        If ensure or protect mode is activated (UC -! C) you can no
        longer use the unprotect command.

 125  The archive is encrypted.
        You should use UCRYPT (with the proper password) to decrypt the
        encrypted archive.

 130  Failed to access archive (e.g. archive does not exist).

 135  The archive is locked, some other tool (like VM) is using it.

 140  A command/option is not allowed by the archive.
        Archives can be protected against certain commands. For more
        details see chapter 8 paragraph B.

 145  A newer version of UC is needed for this archive.

 150  Cannot create file.
        This can be caused by a network (you do not have sufficient
        rights to create a specific file) or by attempts to write a file
        to a write-protected disk.

 155  Failed to show banners.
        U$~BAN.* files are present on disk. You have to remove them, or
        execute the command from a different directory.

 157  Failed to edit comment.
        The file U$~COMM.TXT is present on disk. You have to remove it,
        or execute the command from a different directory.

 160  Out of memory.
        UC2 needs 520,000 bytes (460,000 if EMS is used) free memory for
        the add command. You can make more memory available by removing
        TSRs and/or installing a memory manager like EMM386, QEMM or
        386^MAX (under OS/2 enough memory should always be available).
        If insufficient memory is available because UC2 was started from
        another program, you can use UltraStealth (see chapter 5
        paragraph C).

 163  EMS/XMS problem.
        UC2 encountered a problem with EMS or XMS. Please consult the
        manual of your memory manager to solve the problem, or disable
        EMS/XMS usage (UC -!).

 165  Out of virtual memory.
        The drive containing temporary data is full, or the upper amount
        of virtual memory should be changed (see chapter 6 paragraph B
        option S).

 170  System/critical error followed by user abort.

 175  Failed to rename a file.
        This can be caused by a network (you do not have sufficient
        rights to rename a specific file) or by attempts to rename a
        file on a write-protected disk.

 180  Failed to delete a directory.
        This can be caused by a network (you do not have sufficient
        rights to delete a specific directory) or by attempts to delete
        a directory from a write-protected disk.

 185  Failed to change to a directory.
        The directory no longer exists, or you do not have sufficient
        rights to access the directory.

 190  Conversion failed due to virus infection.

 195  Failed to repair archive.

 200  The archive is damaged, needs repair.

 205  Conversion failed.
        The archive has an unknown format, the file is not an archive,
        or the archive is damaged.

 210  Update/operation failed.
        The archive contained errors after an operation (it was verified
        because ensure mode is enabled).

 215  Cannot read Private Compression Profile
        The file specified with the UC2_PCP environment variable does
        not exist. For more details see 8.F.

 220  A Private Compression Profile is needed for this archive
        You have to activate the proper Private Compression Profile. For
        more details see 8.F.

 225  This archive needs a different Private Compression Profile
        You have to activate the proper Private Compression Profile. For
        more details see 8.F.

 230  This archive does not use a Private Compression Profile
        You should empty the UC2_PCP environment variable. For more
        details see 8.F.

 250  Failed to write to error logfile.
        This can be caused by a network (you do not have sufficient
        rights to write to the error logfile) or by attempts to write to
        the logfile on a write-protected disk. The location of the error
        logfile can be changed with 'UC -! U'.

 255  Internal/special error.
        This should not occur. Check if TSRs and drivers are installed
        properly. If everything seems to be OK consult AIPNL technical
        support.


8.Z SUMMARY
===========

EXTENDED COMMANDS         EXTENDED OPTIONS

add                       filter/select
 $FRE freshen              !CONTAINS="+" only files containing +
                           !EFA=HSRA     exclude files with attributes
extract                    !ARCA         only files with archive attrib
 $EWP extract without path !ELD=...      only with equal or later date
 $PRF print files          !EED=...      only with equal or earlier date
                           !QUERY        query for each file
manipulate                 !NEWER        only overwrite if newer
 $RED remove empty dirs    !NOF          never overwrite file
 $TSN timestamp with newest
                          miscellaneous
                           !RAB         reset archive attribute bit
miscellaneous              !BAK         create backup of archive
 $GLF generate list file   !TSN         time stamp with newest
 $DOS execute DOS command  !VLAB        include volume label (first drv)
                           !VLAB=X      include volume label (drive X:)
                           !ASUB        include archives in subdirs


9. ULTRA-CRYPT (encryption, password protection)
================================================

After having archived a set of files with UC2, you might want to protect
them from being accessed by others. To achieve this, you can use UCRYPT.

UCRYPT protects the archive with a password, chosen by you. The password
is case sensitive. This increases the amount of possible passwords.

Those who wish to investigate that UCRYPT properly implements triple DES
and MD5, and also that it has no hidden 'backdoor' or other weaknesses,
can get the source code of UCRYPT from AIPNL. This source code can only
be used to verify that the code is cryptographically correct. The source
code can not be disclosed or used for other purposes.

This chapter contains the following paragraphs:

        - A. Command summary
        - B. Encryption
        - C. Encryption with destruction of the original archive
        - D. Decryption
        - E. Export of cryptographic software
        - Z. Summary

When you use the AIPNL manual viewer you can jump to a chapter or a
paragraph by pressing the corresponding digit(s) or letter.


9.A COMMAND SUMMARY
===================

General: UCRYPT command archive-name

Starting UCRYPT with no command gives an explanation on screen about the
use of UCRYPT.

Possible commands are:

   C   for protecting an archive with a password
       (enhanced triple DES is used here)

   E   for protecting an archive with a password and destroying the
       original archive

   CF  like C, but uses 'faster' encryption
       (a MD5 based one-time pad is used here)

   EF  like E, but uses 'faster' encryption

   D   makes an archive accessible again


9.B ENCRYPTION
==============

Command: UCRYPT C archive-name

   With this command the archive will be protected with a password. The
   original unprotected archive still exists after the execution of
   UCRYPT.

   After having entered the command, the password will be asked. The
   password must consist of at least eight characters and at most
   sixteen.

   Every keystroke will be represented by an asterisk, so the password
   is never visible.

   When you are not sure about a keystroke, use <BACK SPACE> and the
   keystroke will be undone.

   As usual with passwords, you will be asked to enter the password
   twice. When a difference between the passwords is detected, the
   encryption will be terminated and you have to start again.

   Encrypting an archive in another directory gives an encrypted archive
   in the same directory as the original archive.

Command: UCRYPT C archive-name "password"

   This command has the same function as the former command. With this
   command the archive will also be protected with a password, but the
   password is entered on the command line, between double quotes.

   Now you will not be asked to repeat the password, but the protection
   will be done at once. Of course the password is visible, when entered
   on the command line.

   You can also use 'faster' encryption by using the CF instead of the C
   command. The normal encryption uses triple-DES (Digital Encryption
   Standard) encryption and has some enhancements crippling brute force
   attacks. This makes the normal encryption safe according to all
   common standards. The 'faster' encryption uses a less proven method,
   a MD5 based one-time pad. It is not as established as triple-DES, but
   for most practical purposes reliable enough.


9.C ENCRYPTION WITH DESTRUCTION OF THE ORIGINAL ARCHIVE
=======================================================

Commands: UCRYPT E archive-name
          UCRYPT E archive-name "password"
          UCRYPT EF archive-name
          UCRYPT EF archive-name "password"

   The E and EF commands work the same as the C and CF commands, the
   only difference is the deletion. This deletion is not an ordinary
   deletion, but a real destruction of the archive.

   On systems with integrated datacompression (e.g. Stacker), or systems
   with a very slow deferred write caching, the destruction might fail.
   These systems do not allow destruction.

   On C2 compliant operating systems (e.g. Windows NT) it is sufficient
   to use the C and CF commands, since these systems already destroy
   deleted files.


9.D DECRYPTION
==============

Commands: UCRYPT D archive-name
          UCRYPT D archive-name "password"

   The (encrypted) archive is decrypted.

For decryption of the archive the password is required. After decryption
the encrypted archive still exists. The way passwords are handled is the
same as in paragraph 1.B.

Entering a wrong password terminates the program with an error message.

The time UltraCrypt needs to determine that a password is wrong is
almost the same as the time needed to decrypt an archive with the
correct password. This is necessary, since other approaches would allow
someone to try passwords much faster (brute force attack).

The UCRYPT data-encryption format has more specific features to make
brute-force attacks much harder. A side effect of this is that there is
a chance of 1 to 256 the archive will be decrypted into garbage after
entering a wrong password, without an error message.


9.E EXPORT OF CRYPTOGRAPHIC SOFTWARE
====================================

UltraCRYPT is covered by the Dutch 'uitvoerbesluit strategische goederen
1963' (export regulations for strategic goods). The 19th version of
'handboek strategische goederen' (handbook strategic goods) has been
published January 21st 1994.

UltraCRYPT is covered by APN (3), 5D002 (5-10), 5E002 1.b (5-11) and
"Programmatuur" (DEF-16). This specifically allows unlimited and
unrestricted export of UltraCRYPT.

For details or questions one can contact the Dutch Ministry of Economic
Affairs at +31-(0)20-3798911.

Please note this does in no way damage the reliability of UltraCRYPT.
UltraCRYPT uses uncensored and unharmed enhanced triple DES technology
to maximize the security of encrypted data. AIPNL is not aware of ANY
feasible technology capable of breaking UltraCRYPT encryption.


9.Z SUMMARY
===========

UCRYPT                     gives explanation about the use of UCRYPT
                           on screen
UCRYPT C name
UCRYPT C name "password"   protects archive, keeping the original
                           archive
UCRYPT E name
UCRYPT E name "password"   protects archive, destroying the original
                           archive
UCRYPT CF name
UCRYPT CF name "password"  like C but uses 'faster' encryption

UCRYPT EF name
UCRYPT EF name "password"  like E but uses 'faster' encryption

UCRYPT D name
UCRYPT D name "password"   makes archive accessible again


10. ULTRA-SAFE (authenticity verification)
==========================================

An archive can be protected by one or more uncrackable, unbreakable and
unforgeable UltraSeals. Checking if an archive has seals, and if these
are intact, is done with USAFE.

An archive with one or more seals cannot be changed without breaking
these seals. This prevents virus infection, cracking, etc. Each seal
contains information about who put the seal on the archive.

Those who wish to investigate that USAFE properly implements Lucas
function based digital signature verification and also that it has no
hidden 'backdoor' or other weaknesses, can get the source code of USAFE
from AIPNL. This source code can only be used to verify that the code
is cryptographically correct. The source code can not be disclosed or
used for other purposes.

This chapter contains the following paragraphs:

        - A. The command
        - B. How secure are these seals?
        - C. Important
        - D. Error levels

When you use the AIPNL manual viewer you can jump to a chapter or a
paragraph by pressing the corresponding digit(s) or letter.


10.A THE COMMAND
================

Command: USAFE arch

   The archive arch.uc2 is verified.

If the archive is protected by one or more UltraSeals, USAFE verifies if
all these seals are intact. USAFE reports if seals are present, and if
they are intact. If seals are broken this is reported as well.


10.B HOW SECURE ARE THESE SEALS?
================================

'Authenticity verification' is not new. Many archivers are doing it, BUT
most of these are based on 'security by obscurity'. They keep their
method secret and hope nobody finds out how it works. For most of these
archivers, some or multiple ways of cracking them are known. Sometimes
even a program to automate forging is available!

USAFE is NOT based on 'security by obscurity'. It is based on digital
signature technology. The digital signature technology, USAFE uses, is
based on Lucas functions. It uses prime factors of 300 and 400 bits,
which is much more than the current industry standard safety limits.
AIPNL is not aware of ANY feasible technology for faking these
signatures.

USAFE is slower than weaker authenticity verification methods, but this
is the price you have to pay for real, instead of fake security. On a
386/33 machine USAFE needs about 7.5 seconds for each seal.


10.C IMPORTANT
==============

ALL software AIPNL will ever ship, will be protected by a seal. This
includes upgrades, etc. If you discover files which claim to be from
AIPNL, but are not protected by a seal, DO NOT USE THEM, but report
them to AIPNL immediately.


10.D ERROR LEVELS
=================

USAFE returns an 'errorlevel' to DOS (e.g. for detection in batch
files). The following levels are defined:

   0   the archive contains one or more seals which are all intact

   1   the archive does not contain any seals

   2   the archive contains one or more seals, which are broken

   3+  other errors


11. ULTRA-SEAL (preventing unwanted changes)
============================================

An archive can be protected by one or more uncrackable, unbreakable and
unforgeable UltraSeals. Sealing an archive is done with your
personalized USEAL program.

An archive with one or more seals cannot be changed without breaking
these seals. This prevents virus infection, cracking, etc. Each seal
contains information about who put it on the archive.

Since USEAL is a personalized tool, it is not included into UC2. Use
ORDER.FRM AND USEAL.FRM to order your own copy of USEAL.

Those who wish to investigate that USEAL properly implements Lucas
function based digital signatures and also that it has no hidden
'backdoor' or other weaknesses, can get the source code of USEAL from
AIPNL. This source code can only be used to verify that the code is
cryptographically correct. The source code can not be disclosed or used
for other purposes.

This chapter contains the following paragraphs:

        - A. The command
        - B. Important

When you use the AIPNL manual viewer you can jump to a chapter or a
paragraph by pressing the corresponding digit(s) or letter.


11.A THE COMMAND
================

Command: USEAL arch

   Your personal seal is attached to arch.uc2.

Please note sealing takes some time. On a 386/33 machine sealing takes
3.5 to 11 minutes. Checking the seal with USAFE is done much faster.

After making any changes to a sealed archive you (of course) have to use
USEAL again to attach your seal to the archive.


11.B IMPORTANT
==============

Please make VERY sure before you seal an archive that it contains no
viruses, and that it is indeed data that deserves your seal.

Also make sure no one but certified people have access to your (unique)
copy of USEAL, yet make sure you have a backup of your copy.


12. VISUAL ULTRA-COMPRESSOR (general purpose shell)
===================================================

This chapter contains the following sections:

        - A. Introduction
        - B. Overview
        - C. Configuring VU
        - D. Command line options

When you use the AIPNL manual viewer you can jump to a chapter or a
paragraph by pressing the corresponding digit(s) or letter.


12.A INTRODUCTION
=================

Visual UltraCompressor is a GUI (graphical user interface) for
UltraCompressor (UC2). UC 2.3 or later is needed for VU to operate. VU
is also very usable as a general purpose SHELL for managing, viewing,
editing and processing files.

Highlights of VU include:

    - four panels, each viewing a separate directory/archive
    - VU can remember the (de)selection of up to 2 million files
    - user defined commands can be added to VU
    - user defined commands can be interactive
    - files can be copied from archive to archive

VU is highly configurable (see 12.C) allowing you to tailor it to your
personal taste. VU uses a 'directory cache' to speed up access of UC2
archives (VU uses plain UC2-3PI to access UC2 archives).


12.B OVERVIEW
=============

What is on The Screen
---------------------
   VU maintains four 'panels'. Each of those panels shows the contents
   of a directory. This can be a directory on disk or a directory
   residing in an UC2 archive. VU always shows the contents of one
   panel. At the bottom of this panel are tabs allowing you to switch
   between panels. You can switch between panels by clicking on the
   tabs, by using cursor keys or by pressing Shift-1 .. Shift-4.

   Right from the panel there is a set of push buttons which allows you
   to perform operations.

   On top of the screen there is an information line. If you move your
   mouse cursor to the top of the screen or if you press the ALT key a
   pull-down menu appears (you can also use the MENU push button).

Changing the current directory
-----------------------------
   You can change to a different directory (or to an UC2 archive) by
   double clicking on a directory, or by pressing the ENTER key.

   There are some quick navigators available under the panel menu.

How to select items (files/directories)
---------------------------------------
   Most commands (menu options/push buttons/keyboard) operate on
   selected items. The selection bar can be moved by pushing the left
   mouse button or by using the cursor keys. An item can be selected by
   pushing the right mouse button or by pressing the spacebar.

   You can start typing the name of an item at any time. While you type
   the name of the item VU will automatically jump to it for you.
   Ctrl+Enter can be used to switch between multiple files starting with
   the same letters.

   A collection of files can be (de)selected with the panel menu.

How to execute commands
-----------------------
   Commands are executed by pressing a push button, by using the
   keyboard, or by selecting a menu item. All push buttons and menu
   items contain a clear indication as to which keyboard shortcut may be
   used in their place.

   Some commands operate on a single file (like VIEW and EDIT). The
   selection bar determines which file this will be.

   Some commands operate on multiple items (like TO DISK).

Which commands are available
----------------------------
   Just browse the menu to see which commands are available. Most
   commands are straightforward. For details on the ARCHIVE commands you
   can consult chapter 4.

   Some special commands/considerations which might save time:

   -> when using TO DISK to copy selected items to disk, a dialog will
      inform you where the files will go, and ask whether a copy or move
      operation should be performed

   -> use DRIVE to change to a different drive

   -> files can be copied and moved from ANY to ANY place (including
      from one UC2 archive to another UC2 archive)

   -> use ALT-1 .. ALT-4 to copy/move files between panels

   -> if your screen looks like a mess, select TEXT MODE from the panel
      menu (it should look great on EGA and VGA compatible systems)

   -> if you are running VU in a Windows or OS/2 window select TEXT MODE
      (full screen graphical mode will look much better)

   -> if you do not like something, reconfigure it!


12.C CONFIGURING VISUAL ULTRA-COMPRESSOR
========================================

There are two ways to configure Visual UltraCompressor. Some
configuration options are available in the menu. ALL configuration
options are present in the AIP-NL.INI text file. AIP-NL.INI can be
edited with any standard text editor (e.g. EDIT, NOTEPAD or E).

Please note the AIP-NL.INI file contains settings for ALL AIPNL
products.

All AIPNL products use the PATH environment variable (usually set in
AUTOEXEC.BAT) to locate AIP-NL.INI, thus allowing multiple people to use
the same executable file, while they each have their own configuration
file.

AIP-NL.INI consist of sections each containing a number of settings.

ENTER-DOUBLE-CLICK, VIEWERS, EDITORS
------------------------------------
   These sections allow you to specify what the VIEW, EDIT and
   ENTER/DOUBLE-CLICK commands do. All these commands are file extension
   dependant.

   For example "PCX, GIF = VPIC %, FV %" specifies that files with the
   PCX and files with the GIF extension should be showed by VPIC or by
   FV. If both programs are available, the first one will be used. When
   VU executes the command the % is replaced by the filename.

   VU will try to locate programs by looking for program files (EXE,
   COM, BAT or BTM) in the PATH (AUTOEXEC.BAT). If you do not want VU to
   try to locate the program (e.g. because it is a 4DOS alias) you can
   place a : before the command (e.g. "PCX, GIF = :VPIC %").

   The line "* = ..." specifies what should be done if no viewer can be
   found for a specific file.

   If you want to make conversion of archives to UC2 archives simpler
   you might want to add "LZH, ZOO, ZIP, ARJ, PAK, ARC = UC C %" to the
   [ENTER-DOUBLE-CLICK] section.

   Please note handling of UC2 and UE2 files is built into VU, it can
   not be changed.

VARIOUS
-------
   TEMPORARY-FILES specifies which directory VU uses for temporary
   files.

   DEFAULT-ARCHIVE specifies the default archive name.

   VU-UDIFF-PARAMS specifies the parameters used by VU to call UDIFF.

   XCOPY-PARAMS specifies which options should be used for XCOPY. Only
   options different from /E /S should be defined since these are build
   into VU.

VU-OPTIONS
----------
   This section contains the options which are also available in the
   menu.

   SORT-SHOW-PER-PANEL
      Determines whether each panel has its own settings or all panels
      share the same settings.

   FORCE-MODE
      Determines whether UC2 is used in 'force' mode. In force mode file
      will be replaced without prompting for confirmation. More details
      on force mode are in chapter 4.

   CONFIRM-DELETE
      Determines whether VU will ask for confirmation on file deletions.

   VIDEO
      Video mode can be GRAPHICAL (EGA and VGA systems) or TEXTMODE
      (other systems, Windows and OS/2 windowed sessions).

   SCREEN-LINES
      Determines whether 25 or 43/50 text lines are available.

VU-USER-ITEMS
-------------
   The FILE, FILES, ARCHIVES and COMMAND menu can be extended by user
   defined commands. For the ARCHIVES menu you can define 5 extra
   options, for all other menus you can define 9 extra options.

   For each user defined option you need to specify the menu, the index,
   the text to display on screen and the actual command.

   Example:

      FILES-3-TEXT      = UCEXE
      FILES-3-ACTION    = ucexe %

   this example adds an options to the FILES menu to compress selected
   executables with UCEXE.

   Please note VU is very smart in handling user commands. If a command
   somehow changes a file, deletes a file, or generates new files VU
   will handle this in a very clean way. There will be no difference in
   handling files on disk or handling files in an archive.

   It is possible to specify multiple DOS commands for 1 menu option by
   separating them with the ^ character.

   It is also possible to make VU ask questions while executing a user
   defined command.

   Example:

      FILES-2-TEXT      = rename
      FILES-2-ACTION    = ren % ?"New name"

   this example will ask for a new filename FOR EACH SELECTED FILE. The
   ?"New name" part will be replaced by the answer to the question.

VU-STATUS
---------
   These variables are used internally by VU. You can change them if you
   want, but mostly that will not be very useful.


12.D COMMAND LINE OPTIONS
=========================

Visual UltraCompressor (obviously) does not need much command line
options.

VU <location>

   Move to <location> and start VU.

VU <archive>

   Start VU, show the contents of <archive>.

VU -R ...

   Return to the startup directory after VU is closed.

VU -V <file>

   Use the VU viewer logic to view <file>.

VU -E <file>

   Use the VU editor logic to edit <file>.

VU -H <section> <file>

   Handle <file> with the program(s) defined in <section> in AIP-NL.INI.
   <section> should be structured the same way the VIEWERS and the
   EDITORS sections are structured. This command allows you to create
   user defined commands (e.g. COMPILE) which are file extension
   sensitive.


13. UC2SEA (creating UltraFAST self extracting archives)
========================================================

This chapter contains the following paragraphs:

        - A. Introduction
        - B. UC2SEA overview
        - C. SEA overview

When you use the AIPNL manual viewer you can jump to a chapter or a
paragraph by pressing the corresponding digit(s) or letter.

WARNING: in some environments UC2SEA (NOT the executables it produces)
fails to operate if the UC temporary directory (UC -! S) is located on a
Novell network drive.


13.A INTRODUCTION
=================

UC2SEA is a tool which converts an UC2 archive into a standalone
executable, a self extracting archive (SEA). No separate extraction
software is needed to extract the files included in this executable.

Highlights of UC2SEA include:

    - the generated executable is extremely fast (especially from
      floppy)
    - less than 270k of free memory is needed to run a DOS SEA
    - all files in the SEA are protected by a checksum
    - the distribution license allows UNLIMITED distribution

The datacompression engine of UC2SEA is different from the one used in
UltraCompressor. UC2SEA uses a subset of the UltraFAST decompression
engine which will probably be used in portable UltraCompressor III. In
most cases a self extracting archive will be larger than the original
UC2 archive. Due to the new compression engine used in UC2SEA the
generated executable can be smaller than the original UC2 archive as
well.

Please note that the extraction module which UC2SEA includes in the
executables it produces are Copyright 1995 AIPNL. A distribution
license is needed for distribution of self extracting archives. (See
chapter 2, paragraph F.)


13.B UC2SEA OVERVIEW
====================

Usage: UC2SEA [options] [archive]

Options:
    -v<size>[,size]   Specify size(s) for multiple volume SEA
    -b<banner>        Specify small text file to be used as banner
    -s<extractor>     Specify extractor (default is DOS.SEA)
    -f                Use fatsre (less) compression

UC2SEA arch
    Convert arch.uc2 to arch.exe (UC2SEA will never remove arch.uc2).

UC2SEA arch -sWIN95
    Create a native Windows 95 self extracting archive. For this you
    need to have WIN95.SEA.

UC2SEA arch -v600,700
    Split the executable up in 1 600kb file (arch.exe) and make all the
    other volumes 700kb (arch.002, arch.003, etc.).

    Please note volumes can never be smaller than 32k.

UC2SEA arch -v123456,54321
    Split the executable up in 1 123456 bytes file (arch.exe) and make
    all the other volumes 54321 bytes (arch.002, arch.003, etc.).

UC2SEA arch -bbanner.txt
    Includes a banner into the self extracting archive. A good example
    of how a self extracting archive with banner should look is
    UC2PRO.EXE.

If a file called SEASTART.BAT, SEASTART.CMD, SEASTART.EXE or
SEASTART.COM is present in the root directory of the UC2 archive, then
this program will be called by the SEA module as soon as all files are
extracted. The SEA module passes the destination directory (for the
extracted files) as a parameter to SEASTART. This can be an empty string
if the destination is the current directory. After execution of
SEASTART.* the file will be deleted by the SEA module. If the SEA module
somehow fails to complete extracting all files, SEASTART will not be
called or deleted.


13.C SEA OVERVIEW
=================

Usage: SEA [-o] destination-directory

The -o option makes the SEA module overwrite files without asking.
Otherwise the SEA module will ask "Overwrite 'XXX' (Yes/No/Always/
nEver/Quit) ?" before overwriting a file.

If the destination directory is not specified on the command line the
SEA module will ask what it should do:

   Press Enter    to extract files to the current directory
         Spacebar to extract files to a specified directory (prompt)
         Escape   to extract nothing (quit)

SEA -? will display micro-help for the SEA module.

When SEA needs a new disk (volume) it will ask "Insert next disk and
press [Enter], or press [Q] to quit...".


14. UCEXE (compressing executables)
===================================

UCEXE makes DOS programs MUCH smaller and self-checking.

Usage: UCEXE <file(s)>

UCEXE will NOT delete compressed executables. The original executable
will be renamed to <program>.~XE.

WARNING: Device drivers and self checking/modifying/reading executables
         should not be compressed.

You can only distribute compressed executables if you bought UC2. (See
chapter 2, paragraph F.)


15. ULTRA-DIFF (comparing text files)
=====================================

UDIFF visually compares two versions of a text file. It shows you what
changed between two versions of a file. This can be used to analyze
changes to batch files, ini files and sources to solve problems like
"why did it stop working".

Unlike many other file compare utilities, UDIFF uses an "unlimited pass"
method to analyze changes. This means UDIFF is capable of reducing the
list of changes it shows to an absolute minimum. UDIFF is even capable
of properly finding and reporting CUT + multiple PASTE changes. UDIFF
can at most compare 5000 lines of text.

The most common ways of using UDIFF, comparing two versions of a file,
and comparing a file to its backup, have been built into Visual
UltraCompressor.

Usage: UDIFF <oldfile> <newfile> [options]

Options:
   -S          smart mode (ignore layout, indentation and spaces)
   -A          use only ASCII characters in output
   -V          use VU viewer to browse results
   -M          show source of moves (CUT)
   -L<number>  show <number> context lines around changes (default=2)
   -W          show whole lines

Environment:
   SET TABSIZE=n  (default 8)

Output:
   MATCH  unchanged line (used to show context of change)
   ADD    inserted (new) line
   DEL    removed line
   CUT    moved line (destination is shown)
   MCUT   line moved to multiple destinations (number of destinations
          is shown)
   PASTE  line moved or copied from different place (source is shown)


16. WINDOWS 95 (long filename support)
======================================

In order to remain backward compatible with 16 bit DOS and MS-Windows
software, Microsoft implemented a 'double filename' system in Windows
95. Each file gets 2 names, a short name and a long name.

(Visual) UltraCompressor will preserve both the short and the long
filename of files. UC2 does this completely automatic. No settings or
options are needed to preserve long filenames (or long directory names).

Visual UltraCompressor can show both the long and the short filename.
You can use the F11 key to toggle between viewmodes.

The UC command line needs short filenames (or wildcards like *.*) to
operate. UC will (re)store long filenames, but the only way to directly
view/manipulate long filenames is with Visual UltraCompressor.

Included with UC2 is a file VU.REG. If VU.EXE is in the PATH
(autoexec.bat) you can double click on this file from the Windows 95
explorer to register VU.EXE in the Windows 95 registry. You can also
execute 'REGEDIT VU.REG' from the command line to achieve the same
result. This will allow you to double-click on UC2 archives from the
desktop or the explorer to access UC2 archives with VU.
