Hello welcome to Mark Harden's Ami-FileSafe (AFS) FAQ.
Certain questions come up on a regular basis. Some questions are asked by users in trouble where a speedy response is required. This FAQ should reduce the number of times a question is asked while still offering help to the distressed user.
The distributors of AFS, Fourth Level Developments Ltd (FLD), told me they would write an FAQ. This failed to appear so I decided to do one. This is my effort. If you have any additions, corrections or comments then please e-mail me at faq@harden.demon.co.uk. I also monitor the AFS mailing list.
A text version has been placed on FLD's FTP server. I will make a weekly post to the AFS mailing list giving its location, how to access it and if it has changed. I will make a similar monthly post to the comp.sys.amiga.application news group. Note that FLD are expressly forbidden from changing this FAQ in any way. I will check this so that the document remains independent. Please post corrections to me and not FLD.
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this document. I accept no responsibility for errors and omissions.
I am in no way connected with FLD. I simply use AFS. This FAQ is not intended to endorse or recommend AFS or FLD.
This FAQ is copyright (c) 1996-1977 and all rights are reserved. The text version of this FAQ may be distributed provided it is intact and proper credit is given and no cost is levied. It may not be changed in any way. Please do not copy the WWW version. Make a link so that we have one up to date version. Thank you.
These problems have been addressed by AFS along with a large number of other inefficiencies to produce a new de facto standard filing system for your Amiga.
The improvements over FFS in both speed and data security are substantial.
AFS was originally developed by Michiel Pelt and released as shareware under the name PFS (Professional File System). This under went a major change before being released. Since then even more work has been done to improve the system.
AFS has the following performance characteristics :-
Software known to be published include AFS and Dice C.
If you look at their web site you will now see that they claim to be a group of companies. It seems that they are branching out. They are now an InterNet service provider with grand plans...
FLD have "fallen out" with Dave Hayne and so the version of DiskSalv4 supplied can never be upgraded. The other problem is that 3.0 has failed to appear. FLD have given a number of reasons which fall well short of an adequate explanation.
After a great deal of badgering FLD will no give a full refund to those "taken in" by these offers. Many people feel that this is not enough. This kind of marketting should be a thing of the past. It is felt that FLD should write to ALL people "taken in" with an appology and an offer of compensation. This is yet to happen.
If you wish to apply for a refund then please e-mail trefor@flevel.co.uk first. You should ensure that ALL your costs will be refunded. This should include postage and some interest. Note that FLD will not pay the �25 the voucher should be worth.
A message to FLD. Please sort this out. This is shabby marketting and a blatent series of misinformation. You MUST have known what was happening with 3.0. You also knew the DiskSalv situation. The onis was on you to put things right. Hasn't this dragged on long enough ?
As for other products I would stick with a personal recommendation from another user. You can always ask on the list server for such a recommendation for FLD. I do not know if you will get one...
Performance fluctuates because it depends on so many factors :-
"AFS doesn't invalidate disks. During the course of our tests we reset whilst writing files, powered down when the buffers were being flushed and pulled the SCSI cable out of the drives. This is just asking for trouble, but not once through all these heinous eye watering test could we corrupt the AFS partitions !"
AFS has been written to perform disk operations in an atomic way. When AFS updates its control information it writes it to a different place. In the event of a system failure this disk will be in one of two states, both of which are valid :-
AFS drives the hardware close to its limits. For this reason the MaxTransfer and, to a lesser extent the DMAMask, values must be set correctly. The AFS documentation explains "how" to set these parameters but not necessarily what values to pick. Please read the set-up part of the FAQ for more deailts :-
REMEMBER nothing is completely safe, which is why everyone should make regular backups, regardless of the filesystem that they use.
AFS notification is now identical to that used by FFS.
UK : Fourth Level Developments Ltd.
Cybercity House, http://www.flevel.co.uk
Sevier Street, sales@flevel.co.uk
Bristol,
BS6 5JA.
tel: +44 117 903 4455 (New office)
fax:
tel: +44 117 985 4455 (Old office)
fax: +44 117 955 9157 (Old office)
USA : Intangible Assets Manufacturing
828 Ormond Avenue, http://www.iam.com
Drexel Hill, info@iam.com
PA 19026-2604.
tel: +1 610 853 4406 (orders only)
fax: +1 610 853 3733
I understand that IAM no longer supply AFS. Apparently a new distributor
has been found although FLD have not told us who !
I have left IAM details here as they sell DiskSalv4 which has AFS limited support.
UK£ US$
User : 19.95 40.00 US Price for guidance only
If you know of a US distributor let me know
Pro : 59.99 99.95
P&P : 3.50
Registered PFS users can upgrade to AFS Pro for 35 UK£.
Student discount : 20%
Dice user discount : 10%
All UK prices included VAT. If you are outside the EEC you may deduct VAT (17.5%).
The User version also contains no multi-user support.
It does however include the FFS to AFS converter and undelete.
People without a valid login ID and password won't be able to access files you have made private with multi-user. If you make all files private (not readable for others), the only useful thing they could do is boot !
The logic goes something like :-
I guess the true reason was to tap into those users who were not prepared to pay a lot for what they saw as "just a file system".
The demo isn't always available in the same revision as the currently shipping AFS (right now it's demo 2.2 (15.9), production 2.4 (16.16)).
I cannot see any reason for this difference ! If this is a problem then e-mail FLD. I would be supprised if they do not have a more recent version.
UK : src.doc.ic.ac.uk:/pub/aminet/biz/demo/afsdemo159.lha
ftp.flevel.co.uk:/pub/afs/afsdemo159.lha
USA : ftp.wustl.edu:/pub/aminet/biz/demo/afsdemo159.lha
AmiFileSafe.txt docs/rview 16K REVIEW: Ami-File-Safe filesystem
AmiFileSafe_2.txt docs/rview 7K FOLLOW-UP: Ami-File-Safe filesystem
The September 1995 CU/Amiga did a two-page review and Amiga Computing has
a review in their October 1995 issue. There may be others.
Since AFS evolved so fast magazine reviewers looked at a product more than four months before an issue got published. Most of the limitations found by reviewers have already been addressed. Having said that, their reviews gave AFS pretty good marks !
Note that the automatic upgrade system includes a beta test readme file by mistake. It is the release version. Upgrades on disk will NOT include this file. I do not know why FLD cannot remove this file !
A new version, 16.20, has been released after a delay of about 6 months. Unfortunately a few people have reported problems with it. I suggest you try it. If it works fine. If it doesn't back off. Failure will manifest itself with error requesters durring mount. Ensure you have a bootable floppy with HDToolBox and AFS 16.16 on it just in case !
Unfortunately the update server is maintained by the same individual who maintains the list server. This individual who, by his admission, only works part time. I know FLD had version 16.20 for about 6 months. I for one find this kind of service appalling. If you agree then e-mail FLD ! Maybe people power can win through !
A new version, 1.8, of DiskValid has been released. This fixes a number problems. Thanks FLD for making this available so quickly. Winds of change I hope...