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SmartPAR has a new home

The new home of SmartPAR is at http://www.disc-chord.com/smartpar

This site is obsolete

I guess this site is your typical prototype. It goes from incomplete, but worked on to being of no use overnight. Thanks to ProHosting for at least being a temporary home.

Home

Release History

SmartPAR is an application that handles parchive parity data files. These data files have extensions like .PAR, .P01, .P02, ..., .P09, .P10, .... Throughout this document, these files will be referred to as PAR files, even though the extensions are not limited to PAR.

PAR files use Reed-Solomon error correction codes to create redundant data. In the case of loss or corruption of data in the original data files, the data may be reconstructed from the PAR files. The goal of PAR files is to be able to allow data recovery without requiring excess redundancy. A great feature of PAR files is the versatility of the files. In many ways, PAR files are "chameleon" files with the ability to reconstruct any one of the missing files. Whether part 1 or part 71 is missing, as long as you have as many PAR files as missing files, the data can be reconstructed.

This is useful in the distribution of large binaries over usenet. It has become standard practice to divide large binaries into smaller pieces, so that missing or corrupt article will only require the repost of the smaller piece instead of the whole binary. Many of the methods used are RAR, ACE, or several splitter programs.

PAR files supplement these pieces. By distributing PAR files in addition to the original binaries, missing or corrupt files may be reconstructed as long as there are as many (or more) PAR files as missing/corrupt files. For example, if the original set consists of 100 files and you're missing 9, if you have 9 or more PAR files, the missing files can be reconstructed from the PAR files. However, if you have 8 or fewer PAR files, none of the missing files can be recovered.

SmartPAR can be used to create PAR files as well as reconstruct missing files from PAR files. It is meant to be used both by people upload files as well as those who download.

Benefits:

Convenience

SmartPAR can be associated with PAR files in the Windows Shell, so that the user can double-click or right-click a PAR file to verify. (Open PAR files with SmartPAR option)
SmartPAR saves information about files that have been verified in a file (.tmp file) so that the same files to do not have to be verified again each time SmartPAR is run.
SmartPAR can be set to begin file recovery as soon as it has determined that it has enough files to do so.

Speed

SmartPAR runs faster. Performance will vary with your exact configuration.

Limitations:

This version does not support non-English titled files. It may work, it may not. A future version will support Unicode fully on Windows NT4, 2000 and XP. Support for code pages on Windows 95/98/ME will also be in a future version.
If anyone would like to submit better icons, please email them to me. If I choose to use them, I'll credit you in the about box and here.
Documentation. Currently there are no help files and HTML documentation here is limited. But hopefully most of the functions are self explanitory.

License

SmartPAR is freeware. It is copyrighted by the author. You may use it for no charge. You may not modify it in any way. You may distribute SmartPAR as long as there is no fee charged for your distribution.

While the author makes reasonable effort to make the product as bug-free as possible, the author offers no warrentee on the product. The software is beta-ware, use it at your own risk. Any damage caused by this product is not the result of malicious intent by the author and the author shall not be liable for any damage, including but not limited to loss of data, business interruption, or loss of profits.

Download SmartPAR 0.11d1 here.

Comments and suggestions can be emailed to SmartPAR@hotmail.com