DeviceImage Tools

[kroopier]

We've just started using DeviceImage, and the first thing that I notice is a complete lack of any progress information.

When making an image of a device or partition, I'm opening another couple of shell's and watching every few seconds ls -l *.zp and in the other shell im du -hs

So, would be good to give the user some progress notification of some sort, obviously optional.

Anyway, superb tool it seem, keep up the great work.

Kind regards

Kroopier SL

[jurij]

Hi Kroopier SL,

yes I see that this is a problem. As I started to program this tool I thought it would be very good to have something like a progress bar. But the main feature of this tool is its usage in various scripts so that no output to the console is possible.

But you can see the progress information; you don’t need to open a couple of other shells.

Please do following: start zsplit/unzsplit with “-d� parameter. The program knows that it should write a debug.log file. This file will be written in the same directory were the tool (zsplit/unzsplit) is started. Start only one addition shell, or change to the other console. Go to the directory were the tool was started from and issue the following command:

tail –f debug.log

You will see in real time all debug informations which were produced during the operation of zsplit or unzsplit.

Regards,
Jurij

[kroopier]

Ok, agreed I could do that, however why not add an option to show the debug to the standard output at the same time as to the file.

As I did say, these should be optional to the end user.

But still, great product, simple and works well.

Kindest regards

[jurij]

Actually both tools work so, that the debug info goes either to console (if no –d option used) or to debug.log file (-d option). Only if the tool is started from a script with no –d option, you cannot see the debug information. In this case helps “tail –f debug.log� .
Normally if you start the tool manually, valid is the following rool: if no –d option used the debug info goes to stderr (i.e. to console), with –d option debug info goes to debug.log in the current directory.

I tried to implement some sort of progress bar (like wget ) but I saw that this would blow up this tiny tool. And one of main ideas for this tool was to create small and confident tool which does exactly what it is designed for, not more and not less... :-)

Thanks for your compliments.

Jurij

[kroopier]

:-)

Hi, ok, well could you have an option to put the logs out to the stdout at the same time? I really do think anything more than nothing is better.

Kind regards

[jurij]

Ok, well, ... hm... I really cannot follow you, could you please explain it me more precisely?

If you would like to have an option which can switch the output direction of log info
to stdout; Here we have following restriction: zsplit/unzsplit can use a pipe “|� to be combinable with other programs, such as, for example, nc (please see my docu network part).
In such a case both tools use stdin/stdout for input/output. Therefore we cannot use stdout for output of log-info. If this would be the case we would have a broken image as a result of backup operation.

What do you mean saing: “.... to the stdout at the same time“? At the same time ...? I think I have tried it already to explain... You will in any case get this log information (exception is only if both tools are used in scripts without –d option), the question is only: were do you like to see this information, on the console or in the debug.log file. Both directions are possible but not at the same time. I cannot see a good reason why you would like to get this information at the same time on both places: console and debug.log.

Regards,
Jurij

[kroopier]

I would prefer, for myself and our users here where I work, that DeviceImage had the option to be verbose.

--verbose being added as an option. And while it is processing

say something like

[..... ]

the dots are progressing to show that it is still executing. Litterly, ANYTHING that shows that it is busy making the image.

For me, it's no problem opening another shell window and tailing the logs, however I really do think it is nicer if some basic "on-screen" progress or information is given.

Is that a better explination? ;-)

Kind regards

[jurij]

Ok, I see...

I will start a poll with a question about a new feature like a progress bar. I would like to see if more users are missing this feature.

Regards,
Jurij

[kroopier]

of course ;-)