Maybe the :TLR record could optionally include a checksum of the entire file. I might not want to do that for every transaction I do to build a VMARC file, but when I am finished and it is ready to transfer to someplace else, I could see doing one last transaction to checksum the file, put the data in the :TLR record and display the checksum for my paper records.
/Tom Kern Mike Walter wrote: > > When one downloads a VMARC'ed package, the downloaded file (let's call > it FUBAR VMARC in honor of the ongoing US financial "crisis") ends up > with the date and time the FUBAR VMARC file was created on your VM > system. That makes it more difficult at a later date to download the > same package and easily see if there are differences between the two > files. It wouldn't be too hard write a new EXEC to compare the VMARC > LIST output from the two VMARC files, but it would be a tool required to > check another tool (VMARC). > > Would it make sense to add new function to VMARC to provide capture of > the date and time the FUBAR VMARC file was created (or last updated), > and imbed that date and time within the VMARC file itself? > > With such a feature (perhaps via a new trailer record such as ":TLR" to > complement the existing file ":CFF" header records), a new VMARC command > (maybe called "RESTDATE"?) could be used to both confirm that the whole > file had been downloaded (since the ":TLR" record would always be the > last record) and be able to use DMSPLU to RESTore the DATE and time to > that which had been saved in the ":TLR" record. > > "RESTDATE" is just an example operand keyword - better suggestions would > be most welcome. > > Obviously, RESTDATE (or whatever) would have to be backward compatible > -- just reporting something like: No ":TLR" record present; the file was > created before yyyymmdd, or the file was truncated during download. > (Where yyyymmdd was the date and time that the new support was added). > > Mike Walter > Hewitt Associates > Any opinions expressed herein are mine alone and do not necessarily > represent the opinions or policies of Hewitt Associates. > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > The information contained in this e-mail and any accompanying documents > may contain information that is confidential or otherwise protected from > disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, or if > this message has been addressed to you in error, please immediately > alert the sender by reply e-mail and then delete this message, including > any attachments. Any dissemination, distribution or other use of the > contents of this message by anyone other than the intended recipient is > strictly prohibited. All messages sent to and from this e-mail address > may be monitored as permitted by applicable law and regulations to > ensure compliance with our internal policies and to protect our > business. E-mails are not secure and cannot be guaranteed to be error > free as they can be intercepted, amended, lost or destroyed, or contain > viruses. You are deemed to have accepted these risks if you communicate > with us by e-mail. >
