Notes on NZBLITZ 1.0 - April 25, 1990

NZBLITZ is Copyright (c)1988,89,90  Cameron W. Cotrill - All 
Rights Reserved.  NZBLITZ is released to the public domain for 
non-commercial use only.

    NZBLITZ is an NZCOM utility that permits saving and direct 
loading of system images.  NZBLITZ started life during development 
of NZCOM.  In greatly expanded form, it became the /C (clone) 
option.  However, NZBLITZ still does things than the /C option 
can't.  In part, this is due to NZBLITZ being a very simple minded 
utility.  NZBLITZ doesn't look to see what elements of the running 
system can or should be saved (TCAPS, MCL, Shell Stack, etc).  It 
simply replaces everything from CCP up to CBIOS with the new 
system, writes NZCOM.CCP to disk (to A0: by default), then boots 
the new system.

    This strategy has several very significant side effects.  
First, the ENTIRE user environment is replaced - this includes 
Shells, RCP, FCP, IOP, TCAPS, DOS, CCP, and in the case of ZSDOS 
and ZDDOS the clock and stamp drivers that live in the NZCOM user 
area!  This allows a cold load of a system - full up with drivers, 
shells, path, and options set as you want in very short order - 4 
seconds on my hard disk system.  By comparison, a startup alias to 
load the same system by "traditional" methods would take 14 
seconds.

    This also means that system changes using NZBLITZ can't be 
done as part of a script!  For that matter, neither can system 
saves.

    Saving a system is a simple as typing NZBLITZ sysnam[.com].  
If you forget the syntax, NZBLITZ responds to the usual ZCPR help 
request, as well as '?' or a null command tail.  If the filetype 
is blank, NZBLITZ will assume .COM.  If you want to run a series 
of commands after the system image loads, simply enter the desired 
commands after the NZBLITZ invocation.  NZBLITZ will save these 
commands and flush the multiple command line after saving the 
system.  For example, if you want to set the clock and display the 
directory on every system startup, you would save the system using 
the command:
     NZBLITZ SYSTEM;CLOCK;DIR
The CLOCK and DIR commands will not run until the system image is 
loaded.

    The files created by NZBLITZ are stand-alone COM files, 
complete with loader.  These COM files also respond to ZCPR style 
help.  Though these files contain a ZCPR header, they do not 
require a Z-system in order to run.  This is no accident, as the 
primary purpose for the NZBLITZ is to cold start NZCOM systems.

    Aside from speed in loading a fully configured system, NZBLITZ 
can be very useful for saving space on floppy systems.  Because 
NZCOM is not needed (nor NZCOM.LBR) once the COM file is created, 
there can be a savings in disk space if you typically use one 
standard system.

    The NZBLITZ loader includes some new tricks suggested by 
Carson Wilson to speed the load process.  The write of NZCOM.CCP 
may be supressed by a /F on the command line.  If you use this 
option, be CERTAIN that NZCOM.CCP runs at the same address the 
system you are going to load does.  Otherwise, the system will 
crash - and quickly!  Secondly, the loader uses a function 37 
reset, then exits directly to the CCP (which issues a function 13 
reset right away).

    NZBLITZ correctly re-logs user areas greater than 15 on system 
changes.  Special thanks to Howard Goldstein for suggesting how 
this could be done.

     Please back up all files before using NZBLITZ and remember 
that you use NZBLITZ at your own risk.  Please address any 
comments, suggestions, bug reports, etc.  to Cameron W.  Cotrill 
on the Ladera Z-Node 213/670-9465.