About the Weekend Procedure
Your DDMS system stores information on your hard disk. Like any storage area, the hard disk can become cluttered, requiring periodic cleaning. This clutter takes the form of fragmented and deleted files.
Note: If you are using Windows 2000 or above, do not run the (MB) procedure. You should use your Windows Disk Defragmentor program monthly.
The full disk compression, commonly known as the (MB), reduces disk usage, and reorganizes the information stored on your system for faster, more efficient performance. It eliminates fragmentation by storing each file in one contiguous (unfragmented) area of the hard disk. This means that the system can locate and read files more easily, speeding up system performance. In addition, an (MB) completely erases deleted records and files, thereby freeing the disk space they occupied.
To maintain system performance and protect the integrity of your data, we recommend performing an (MB) once a week. Doing an (MB) is a normal part of the week-end procedures.
Before using the (MB) Weekend Compression Procedure for the first time, you must set the parameters in the (LM) Operational Backup Procedures screen. However, two parameters deserve special mention.
The system uses the (MB) unit to temporarily store files from a unit that is being compressed. Suppose you are compressing unit SR. The system first copies all of SR’s files to the (MB) unit. The system then initializes SR. (Initializing is a process that erases all files.) Finally, the files are restored from the (MB) unit to SR.
Carefully consider which unit to designate as your (MB) unit. The (MB) unit must be as large or larger than any unit you compress. You can select one of the units you’re compressing as the (MB) unit. Suppose you have one 60-megabyte unit, two 30-megabyte units, and two 5-megabyte units, and you want to compress all of them. You would select the 60-megabyte unit as your (MB) unit. Ideally, however, you would choose a spare, unused unit as your (MB) unit.
You specify the (MB) unit in the MB Unit field in the (LM) screen.
If the (MB) unit contains files that you need to save, you must set the Save MB Unit to Tape field to Y in the (LM) screen. When you do, the system copies all the (MB) unit’s files to a streamer tape before beginning the compression. When the compression is complete, these files are restored from the tape to the (MB) unit. Note that if you set the Save MB Unit to Tape field to N, all files on the (MB) unit will be lost.
Note: If you are familiar with earlier versions of the (MB) procedure, you may have used the option for reindexing the inventory and customer databases during an (MB). This option is no longer available; you must now reindex your databases separately.
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Performing the Weekend Procedure
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