Amiga Video Toaster
/ Flyer FAQs
Amiga Flyer
Tutorials
Using FlyerHDTools
(c) 1997 Chuck Baker; adapted from "FlyerHDTools:
Get Productive with an Inside Look",
(c) 1996 Chuck Baker, published in Video Toaster User
Jan '97 issue.
One of the first programs that you will need to use
from the Flyer's software suite is FlyerHDTools, which
is used to prepare a hard drive to be used as a video
or audio drive with the Flyer. The program is located
in the NewTek/Programs directory (see icon, Figure
1). NewTek has included documentation files for the
program in the directory NewTek/Programs/Documentation/Flyer.
The specific files are:
- FHDTeknotes.doc, which is a general document on
selecting drives for the Flyer, and on technical
issues in the practical use of drives with the Flyer;
- FlyerHDTools.doc, which is the document on how
to use the program FlyerHDTools;
- HDToolsResults.doc, which is a sample file composed
of several drive tests with comments.
Neither the drawer nor the files have icons, so you
will need a directory utility to locate and read them.
Many users find these doc files difficult wading, so
in this article I will present a simple, step-by-step
tutorial on how to run the program, and test and prepare
a drive. This article assumes that you have already
physically attached the drive to the Flyer.
"Put your toe in the water--"
With the drives and your computer powered up, and
with no other software running (at all, whatsoever!),
open your NewTek directory, enter the Programs directory,
and double-click on the FlyerHDTools icon (Figure 1).
Figure 1. FlyerHDTools Icon.
The main FlyerHDTools (FHDT) panel will open, and
your pointer will be "busy" for a while,
as the program polls the Flyer SCSI buses for attached
drives. Once FHDT has located all attached drives,
it will list them in the Drive Information Window near
the top of the main panel (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. Drive Information Window at top of panel,
listing three drives.
Note that right below the Drive Information Window
is an empty text gadget. This gadget will display the
information about the drive which has been selected
for FHDT operations. Move your pointer over one of
the line listings in the drive information window,
and click the left mouse button. The line will highlight
while the mouse button is pressed, and the information
will then appear in the text gadget (see figure 3).
Figure 3. A drive is now selected for operations, in
the center gadget.
What does this line of text mean? The information
for the selected drive is:
A 0 Quantum XP34300 L912 FlyerA0 4.3GB AV
One thing this means is that I could not find a virgin
Flyer drive at NewTek. If I had, the line would have
read:
A 0 Quantum XP34300 L912 4.3GB NFS
The "NFS" may or may not be present, depending
on the revision of FHDT, and would indicate "No
File System" on the drive. Broken down item by
item, this is what the line means:
A - This drive is on Flyer SCSI port A.
0 - This drive has a SCSI ID of 0.
Quantum - The drive's manufacturer
XP34300 - The drive's model number
L912 - The drive's firmware revision number. "Firmware" is
the operating system on the drive.
FlyerA0 - If the drive has been formatted, the Workbench
volume name will appear after the revision number.
4.3GB - If formatted, the formatted capacity of the
drive; if the drive has never been formatted, the raw
capacity of the drive.
AV - This drive has been formatted as a Flyer Audio/Video
drive. A drive which was formatted for Audio Only would
have an "A" displayed in this column, as
does the drive listed on port C, "Winslow" (see
fig. 3).
"Get one foot wet...."
The first thing to attend to when preparing a drive
for use on the Flyer, is to make sure that the drive
will transfer data just as fast as it possibly can.
Note the button at the lower left of the main panel: "Cache
Options". A hard drive has some control parameters
which can be changed to make the drive more suitable
for the specific use to which it may be put. These
parameters are stored in the "Mode Pages",
on an "EEPROM" chip on the drive's circuit
board. An EEPROM is a chip that you can write data
to, and which does not lose that data even when the
power to the drive is turned off.
The items on the Mode Pages that are most important
for the Flyer, are those which control the drive's "caches".
These caches are RAM on the drive's circuit board where
data is stored temporarily, after being read from the
drive's storage platters, or before being written to
the platters.
Most hard drives ship with these cache parameters
set in a way that will work best for DOS applications,
such as word processors or spreadsheet programs. With
such applications, the user wants to make sure that
data is absolutely accurate, when written or read.
After all, if some of the data that make up a program
get garbled, the program will not run properly. If
some of the data that the user creates with a program
gets garbled, then an important document or spreadsheet
may be ruined.
For this reason, hard drives "double-check" data,
often with several complicated routines, when transferring
data in or out. They may also have different ways of
setting up the cache RAM, which can affect how fast
data moves in or out of the cache. As an example, the
first time you ask the drive for a directory listing,
it will load the list of files that it contains into
the cache RAM, transfer a copy from there into your
computer's main RAM, and then retain the listing in
the cache RAM, in case you want it again. If you do
ask for the list again, the drive can produce it for
you much faster next time, since it is in the cache
RAM, and does not need to be read from the drive media.
What the Flyer needs from a video drive is just for
data to move as rapidly as possible, with no delays,
whether writing or reading the drive. This means that
all error checking should be disabled, and the drive's
cache RAM configured so that all of it is made available
for the data transfers, with none set aside for other
purposes, and nothing ever retained in the cache RAM.
You are best off if, before you buy a drive, you make
certain that the drive is a make and model that is
definitely intended for video work, and already has
the caches properly set for video work. This means
choose your vendor carefully. Even drives intended
to be video capable are often shipped from the factory
set up for DOS applications instead. Good vendors have
the capability and the willingness to set the drive
caches up properly for you before delivery of the drive,
or will be aware of those drives the Flyer "knows",
and will make sure to order those for you.
If FlyerHDTools "knows" a drive, then it
can properly set these cache parameters for you. If
you click on the "Cache Options" button,
and FlyerHDTools has information about that drive,
then the Cache Options panel will open, and FlyerHDTools
will select the proper cache settings file for you.
In Figure 4, you can see that when I selected "Winslow" to
operate on, and clicked on Cache Options, that the
correct make, model, and firmware appear in the "select" text
gadget below the information window which shows the
list of "known drives". If you have chosen
a drive forwhich FlyerHDTools already has proper setting
information, all you need to do next is to click on
the Set Drive Cache button.
Figure 4. Cache Options panel, drive "Winslow" selected
and recognized.
If, however, FlyerHDTools does not have proper cache
setting information for the drive, then it will tell
you, with the requestor displayed in Figure 5.
Figure 5. Cache Options Warning requester for an unrecognized
drive type.
If this happens, then I would recommend that you
click on the "YES" button, and go ahead and
add the drive's current settings to FlyerHDTools' list
of known settings. When you click "YES",
you will be asked to enter a comment, and unless you
know the drive is already properly set up for the Flyer
(you or someone else has already customized the cache
settings with a utility from the manufacturer, for
instance), I would suggest you use the comment "Not
Customized". If the drive has been set up for
the Flyer, then use the comment, "FlyerHDTools
Default". Then, on the FlyerHDTools Cache Options
panel, click on the "Save Config File" button,
and a new version of the file of "known drives" will
be saved, which will include the new drive.
"Put your other toe in the water...."
FlyerHDTools did not know your drive. What next?
First, was the drive purchased from a Newtek vendor
as a Flyer ready drive? If so, then the drive should
already have the proper settings. Just save the cache
settings as described above, and proceed to test and
format the drive. If your test shows lower performance
than you should be getting from the drive, consult
your vendor.
If you did not purchase Flyer-ready, NewTek sourced
drives, NewTek will not be able to assist you in making
such drives workable. You may be able to work with
the vendor who sold you the drives, or with the manufacturer,
or with other users who have the same make model and
firmware.
On the NewTek Technical Support BBS, (913-271-9299,
or telnet to bbs.newtek.com) there is a directory set
aside for FlyerHDTools "drive report files".
Skilled end-users often upload cache setting files
when they set up new drive makes and models that NewTek
has not seen (for example, kudos to Kevin Elders, who
has been active in configuring IBM Ultrastar drives,
and posting drive report files to the BBS).
If we have worked with the drive, or a vendor or end-user
has properly configured a drive for Flyer use, then
the config file you need may already be present on
the BBS, and all you need to do is download it, and
use it.
If we do not have the drive report file you need,
then you may need to consult with the vendor who sold
you the drive, or perhaps even the manufacturer. Quantum
and IBM both provide utilities on their BBSes which
allow the user to alter the Mode Page settings, and
thus correct the cache settings for Flyer use. Other
manufacturers may also offer such a program. These
utilities run on the PC, so you must have access to
a PC with a SCSI-2 controller in order to use them.
This is finicky work, however, and best left only to
those technically skilled enough to do it.
Assuming that you are lucky, and the drive report
file you need is on the BBS, how do you use it? On
Figure 4, note the button labeled "Read From File".
When you click on this button, a file requester opens
(Figure 6). You can use the requester to navigate to
and load the drive report file that you downloaded.
Again, you will be asked to enter a comment. Do so,
and proceed.
Figure 6. Cache Options panel, "Read From File" file
requester.
This will create a new entry on the "Available
Cache Settings" list. Locate and select that entry,
and then click on the "Set Drive Cache" button.
You are done with Cache settings! Return to the Main
Panel.
"Get both feet wet..."
So, the caches are set. What next?
The time has come to test the drive for the level
of Flyer capability that you will need. Why test? First,
to see if your drive is suitable for Flyer use at all.
The drive has to meet certain minimums for speed of
data transfer, and for low "idle" time, in
order to be useful with the Flyer. The various causes
of "idle time" for a hard drive are discussed
in FHDTeknotes, and I would refer those interested
to that document. The requirement is that a drive have
no idle times that last more than 300 milliseconds.
Since there is a little "fudge-factor" in
this figure as a minimum, it is even better if you
can find a drive that has 200 milliseconds or less
as the highest idle time.
Second, if these minimums are met, then you must test
for how much of the drive is suitable for the level
of recording quality you intend to use. Most Flyer
users prefer to use HQ5, and if you intend to use HQ5,
then you must format only that portion of the drive
which can record and play video at the 4.8 MB/sec required
for HQ5. This process of formatting only a portion
of the drive, instead of the normal full data area,
is referred to as "short-stroking" the drive.
What happens if you don't "short stroke"?
The speed at which a hard drive can transfer data varies
across the drive's platter. Outer tracks are longer,
and store and transfer data at much higher rates than
the inner tracks. As an example, a given hard drive
may be able to transfer data at or above the HQ5 requirement
across 80% of the surface of the platter. The inner
20% is not fast enough for HQ5.
The Flyer routinely records clips on the fastest available
tracks, so clips are recorded from the outermost tracks
working inward. When playing back a project, the Flyer
makes temp files of little snippets of video clips,
which are needed for the A/B roll effects in the project.
These are always written to the innermost available
tracks, and are recorded moving outward.
If you format the whole drive, then HQ5 temp files
are going to get written to the very slowest tracks
on the drive, and may or may not play back from there.
An HQ5 clip can vary in the data rate throughout the
clip, and may be as low as 1.4 MB/sec, or as high as
4.8 MB/sec. It's a crapshoot, then, whether an HQ5
clip will play back on those slow inner tracks.
In video production, you don't want a crapshoot, you
want guaranteed performance. For that reason, you test
the drive, and you short-stroke the drive.
First, under Test Options, click in the text gadget
labeled "Tester", and enter your name. FlyerHDTools
requires this. The default test settings are the ones
you want to use in the first test you do on a new drive,
but just in case you did a little random clicking,
here is what you need:
Set the "Test Type" cycle button to "Read/Write",
by clicking on the "cycle gadget". Set Duration
to Repeat, and make sure that 3 is entered in the text
gadget next to the button. Set "Target Speed" to
HQ5.
Click on the "Start Test" button. FlyerHDTools
will warn you that the test will destroy all data on
the drive (Figure 7).
Figure 7. FHDT drive test "Last Chance Abort" requester.
Click on Continue, then find something else to do
for a few hours. From time to time, you can check on
the progress of the test by watching the blue bar grow
in the Status gadget just below the Target Speed gadget.
If you attempt to move the mouse while the test is
in progress, you will see long delays before the pointer
reacts. The test really uses a lot of system resources,
and you are best off just leaving it alone while it
works.
When the test is complete, a requester will appear
asking if you wish to format the drive. Answer no,
we'll bypass this for a moment. If you look on the
right side of the panel, you will see that a summary
of the test results is now showing in the two little
windows (Figure 8).
Figure 8. FlyerHDTools Main panel with results of a
3-pass test.
The upper one is a table, which displays the results
of Read tests on the left, and Write tests on the left.
What you are most interested in right now is the Max
Idle Time figures. Neither should be above 300 milliseconds.
Check the "% of drive over target" figure.
The closer to 100% the better, of course, but the exact
figure you will see here will vary with make and model
of drive you are using.
If you are reasonably satisfied with the results,
it is time to make a choice. The FlyerHDTools.doc recommends
that at this point you format the drive, short-stroked
in accordance with the 3-pass test results. If you
are a cautious soul, that is the course to take, and
you may skip the next two paragraphs. If you are a
little braver, then at this point, change the Test
Duration to "Full", and hit "Start Test" again.
Get the test going, and go away for a while.
When the test is complete, again check to make sure
the idle times are no higher than 300 milliseconds,
with under 200 milliseconds preferred. You should find
that you get anywhere from 0 on up to perhaps 10% more
of the drive surface over target (Figure 8b).
Figure 8b. FHDT Main panel will results of a "Full" (One
Pass) test.
Note that the drive tested about 5% higher than on
the 3-pass test.
This gets you more space, and so far I haven't seen
or heard of any instances where the performance is
any less reliable.
"Now, dive on in!"
The moment of truth has come. Click on the Format
Options button. Now you see the Format Options Panel
(Figure 9).
Figure 9. Format Options panel.
Note the device information is listed at the top
of the panel. The "percent of drive above target" figure
should also be showing below the option gadgets.
First, click into the New Volume Name gadget, and
type the name that you wish to assign to the drive.
This is the name that will appear under the drive's
icon on Workbench.
Next, set the type of format for the drive, in the "Format
Volume For:" gadget. The choices are Audio/Video,
for a drive to which you wish to record video clips,
and Audio Only, for an audio drive (naturally!).
Then set the short-stroke option for either Percent
or Blocks (NewTek officially recommends Blocks), or
for none if you do not wish to short stroke.
When you are satisfied with your entries, click on
the "Format" button. A requester will appear,
offering the option to abort, if you wish, or to continue
(Figure 10).
Figure 10. Format "Last Chance Abort" requester.
If you continue, then a few minutes later the drive
will be freshly formatted, and ready for recording.
"Remember to come up for air now and
then."
Now that you are familiar with the process, you can
apply the same principles to testing and configuring
an Audio drive. One of the selections for Target Speed
is Audio, and testing a potential audio drive at Repeat
3 with this option is wise. It is virtually never necessary
to short-stroke an audio drive.
The principle factor you are looking for when testing
an audio drive is a short idle time, no more than 200
milliseconds. An audio drive also should have a fast "seek
time" (also called "access time", this
refers to the average time a drive takes to locate
a particular track), something you should look for
in the specifications when selecting a drive to purchase.
Both of these characteristics are needed if the drive
is to be able to deliver two streams of stereo audio
during project playback.
If you seem to be having problems with a drive after
it has been in operation for a while, it is a good
idea to test and reformat the drive. If the drive tests
well, with results the same as it originally had, then
the problem may simply have been due to corruption
of the data or file structure on the drive. If the
drive shows higher idle times than it used to, or a
severely reduced area capable of the expected performance,
then the drive may be failing, and you should see about
diagnosis and repair.
This by no means covers FlyerHDTools exhaustively,
but you should now have a command of the features and
the steps that are actually necessary to set up your
video and audio drives.
