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From: jdpeek@RODAN.ACS.SYR.EDU (Jerry Peek)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.mh
Subject: Folder compressor/archiver?
Message-ID: <8903021323.AA29001@rodan.acs.syr.edu>
Date: 2 Mar 89 14:23:32 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
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I've just moved to a Gould UNIX (4.3BSD+SysV) system that's short on disk
space.  I've started writing a couple of shell scripts that let me refile and
scan a compressed tar archive of messages -- and have MH-like command line
syntax.  But then I thought:  Maybe someone else has already done it.

Here's my idea:
    - A "zrefile" command that moves messages between a real MH folder
      and a compressed folder archive.  It also keeps a "scan" output in
      a separate file; each time the archive is modified, it makes a new
      scan list.  The setup I have now cuts disk usage about 65%, and
      still retrieves a message within 5 seconds or so.
    - A "zscan" command that lets you scan a stored scan list for a folder.
    - Tar archives are stored in the top-level MH directory.
    - Because we have quotas, with hard limit=soft limit, the program does
      its compressing and tar'ing in the /tmp directory.

I used tar(1) instead of packf(1)/inc(1) because tar ran faster and it
preserved message numbers.  But I'd be happy with anything someone has that
actually *runs* -- or ideas of how to do it.  Thanks...

--Jerry Peek; Syracuse University Academic Computing Services; Syracuse, NY
  jdpeek@rodan.acs.syr.edu
  +1 315 443-3995