;;; dbpack.mhtml: -*- Meta-HTML -*-  Man Page for dbpack.
;;;
;;;  Copyright (c) 1996 Brian J. Fox
;;;  Author: Brian J. Fox (bfox@ai.mit.edu) Wed Feb  7 02:38:57 1996.
<set-var title="dbpack: Convert Databases to/from ASCII">
<include header.mhtml>

<layout::page>
  <h3> Transportable Databases </h3>
  <ptext>
    <synopsis dbpack filename.db...
dbpack filename.db.packed...>

    Converts from a machine dependent format to a machine independent
    format, and back.  The machine independent format is only useful for
    transporting the database from one type of processor to the next; the
    <meta-html> database routines cannot read the independent format.

    The independent format is an ASCII representation of the contents of
    the database, and may be directly edited with your favorite text
    editor.  Lisp aficianados will recognize the format easily.

    When given an input file called "foo.db", <code>dbpack</code> creates
    an output file called "foo.db.packed".  This is the machine
    independent format.

    When given an input file called "foo.db.packed", <code>dbpack</code>
    modifies or creates the output file "foo.db", which is in machine
    dependent format.

    <b>Caveat:</b>
    <ul>
      Care should be taken when modifying an existing database with
      <code>dbpack</code>.  Especially note that the permissions for the
      created database should match those of the running HTTP server.
    </ul>
  </ptext>
</layout::page>

<include footer.mhtml>
