Distributed file storage

THE DISTRIBUTED computing model (featured in this column on August 10, 2000 _ href="http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2000/08/10/stories/0810000f.htm"> http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2000/08/10/stories/0810000f.htm) harnesses the unused processing power of PCs distributed world over to accomplish projects that involve intensive computations to be undertaken. Based on the same philosophy, computer scientists are trying to develop a highly reliable backup system, where unused hard disk space from the machines that lie at various locations is mobilised to create a global virtual storage space.

Though backing up files is an important activity, persons generally fail to comply with it. Only when they lose their valuable data, they will realise the importance of evolving a disciplined backup strategy. Now, even if you take a backup in a floppy or in some other storage medium, there is a chance that the original and the copy can become useless. Of course, if you have access to a Net server, you can store your files in it and be content with the feeling that your data are in safe hands. But there can be situations in which your link to the Net server fails while you are desperately in need of a file stored in a remote server or the server itself can disappear from the cyberspace. All these observations point to the fact that now there is no foolproof backup technology/strategy that gives yor 100 per cent secured and reliable mechanism to store your files. But this not so rosy scenario in the backup front may change in course of time if the research work that is being done by Microsoft and others starts paying dividends.

The research project _ Farsite _ aims to create a virtual server by mobilising the unused hard disk space of server client machines. To a user who has access to this virtual server, it will appear as another disk drive (like C:) sitting on his/her machine _ he/she will be completely free from all the behind the scene complex operations of the system. While taking the copy of a file, the backup system will encrypt the file contents and store it in several clients after taking many copies of the encrypted file. So in this system, multiple copies of your files (in the encrypted form) will be stored in different machines quite unknown to you. This process of creating multiple copies enhances the reliability of the backup services and as the copies are available at different locations, the probability of your not being able to collect it from any one of them will almost be nil. If you want to know more about this research check out the link at: http://research.microsoft.com/ research/sn/ Farsite/

A file manager

It will be almost impossible to find a Windows user who is unfamiliar with the Windows file manager, Explorer, that helps you organise various files/folders such as copying/deleting/creating files/folders and the like. Though this utility is a good product, it has many shortcomings. For example, when you need to copy a set of files, you generally access the drive letter available in the pane that presents a graphical tree view of the various resources available in the machine. When you access the drive letter in the tree pane its contents get displayed in the right window called file pane. After selecting the required files to be copied and if you want to copy them to another drive, you need to look for the drive in the tree pane, then drag the selected block towards this drive in the tree pane. Don't you find this procedure a bit cumbersome? If so, try out the free file manager PowerDesk available at: http://www.ontrack.com/freesoftware/pd4free.exe. Here, instead of opening one pane, you can open two panes and this makes the copying process quite handy. Another notable feature of the software is its ability to display the contents of a selected file in a viewer pane without opening the application through which it was created. Do not think that the features of this software end here. It has many more features such as file encryption/decryption, ability to run DOS commands directly from the program's interface, a feature-rich 'Find' utility and the like.

Web site copier

As you are aware, a web site contains many component files _ HTML, picture, sound and PDF. Normally you access a page and then move on to other pages/downloadable links _ all these activities naturally consume a lot of one's Net time. One way to avoid this situation is to seek the help of utilities that allow you to download all the files related to a site completely. Once a site is downloaded and stored in your hard disk this way, it can be navigated later at your leisure without worrying about the possible escalation in telephone charges. In fact, this column has already featured a few utilities in this category generally known by the name offline web browsers. Here is one more product _ HTTrack, available at http://www.httrack.com _ that has many notable features such as the ability to download many site- related files simultaneously and resuming the downloading task after a line disconnection.

Floating news ticker

Many utilities exist in the Net that push the latest information into your PC. Generally these programs collect the nascent news headlines from several news agencies and online news sites and keep on pumping them into your desktop through one or two configurable small window panes. The program 'WorldFlash News Ticker' available at: http://www.scroller.com _ is one such product. The product after installation and registration falls in the system tray to indicate its existence. If you want to start the news ticker to flash the news bits, just click at the tray icon. The program can be configured in such a way that it will only send news items that suit your needs and requirements.

J. Murali

(The author can be contacted at: murali27@satyam.net.in)

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