                                
                                
                    ========================
                          VRAMDIR 1.07
                    for Microsoft Windows 95
                    ========================
                                
                                
                         Copyright 1996
                  Virtual Software Corporation
                         15016 SE 63 St.
                     Bellevue, WA 98006-4634
            http://accessone.com/~virtual/vramdir.htm
                      virtual@accessone.com


VRAMDIR is a dynamic 32-bit virtual RAM file system driver for
Windows 95.


A. Introduction
B. Advantages of VRAMDIR over Hard-disks
C. Advantages of VRAMDIR over RAM-disks
D. Advantages of VRAMDIR over Disk-Cache
E. Installation
F. Usage
G. Benchmarks
H. Where to Get the FREE Trial Version of VRAMDIR
I. Limit of the Trial Version
J. How to Order VRAMDIR
K. Technical Support
L. License and Disclaimer


   ============
A. Introduction
   ============

   VRAMDIR is a dynamic 32-bit virtual RAM file system driver for
   Windows 95. It is to replace RAM-disk and speed up hard-disk
   related operations. VRAMDIR is over 30 times faster than hard-
   disks, 5 times faster than RAM-disks, and 2 times faster than
   disk-cache. VRAMDIR also keeps hard-disks less fragmented,
   saves hard-disk wears and tears, and saves battery power on
   notebook computers.
   
   VRAMDIR does not pre-allocate any memory, and it has no
   practical limit on the amount of files it can hold. No matter
   how much RAM your system has, VRAMDIR puts it into more
   efficient use and speeds up the system. If the system has more
   than 32MB RAM, VRAMDIR prevents the RAM from being wasted; if
   the system has less than 16MB RAM, it is important to use
   VRAMDIR to increase system speed.


   =====================================
B. Advantages of VRAMDIR over Hard-disks
   =====================================

   VRAMDIR is tens and thousands of times faster than hard-disks.

   VRAMDIR creates file systems in Random Access Memory (RAM) to
   simulate hard-disks.
   
   In access time, RAM is thousands of times faster than hard-
   disks. Locating an address in RAM takes 50-100ns, while
   seeking to a sector on a hard-disk takes 5-20ms. So RAM access
   is about 100,000 times faster.
   
   In throughput, RAM is tens of times faster than hard-disk.
   Reading/writing one block of data in RAM is about 20-100MB/s,
   while on hard-disks it is 1-2MB/s. So RAM throughput is 10-100
   times faster.
   
   By using VRAMDIR file systems, file operations are tens and
   thousands of times faster than hard-disks.
   
   VRAMDIR keeps the hard-disks less fragmented. Without VRAMDIR,
   temporary files scatter around on hard-disks. This can be
   prevented by creating the temporary files in VRAMDIR. Less
   fragmented hard-disks result in faster hard-disk access.
   
   VRAMDIR saves wears and tears of hard-disks. Hard-disks have
   mechanical parts and thus have much shorter life-spans than
   RAM. When accessing files in VRAMDIR, hard-disks are not
   accessed. Thus hard-disks are less probable to fail, and hard-
   disks live longer, hence it is less likely to lose your data
   on hard-disks.
   
   VRAMDIR saves battery power on notebook computers. When hard-
   disks are less often accessed because of VRAMDIR, less power
   is consumed by hard-disks, and the battery runs longer.


   =============================================
C. Advantages of VRAMDIR over RAM-Disk Utilities
   =============================================

   VRAMDIR is several times faster than RAM-disk utilities.

   VRAMDIR is a 32-bit protected-mode Windows 95 native virtual
   device driver (VxD), while RAM-disk utilities are 16-bit real-
   mode DOS device drivers. With RAM-disks, Windows 95 needs to
   switch forth and back between 16-bit real-mode and 32-bit
   protected-mode. This very time consuming mode switching is
   avoided in VRAMDIR. For example, when benchmarked against
   RAMDRIVE, VRAMDIR is more than 4 times faster.
   
   VRAMDIR is dynamic. When there is no file in VRAMDIR, VRAMDIR
   does not allocate any memory. RAM-disks, on the other hand,
   pre-allocate fixed amount of memory. Even when the memory is
   not used by files on a RAM-disk, the memory is no longer
   available to system and application programs. With VRAMDIR, no
   extra memory is taken, more memory is available to the system,
   and the system runs faster.
   
   When more files need to be on RAM-disk than the fixed amount
   pre-allocated, RAM-disk is not able to hold them. The
   operation will fail, and your application or even the system
   may crash as a result. With VRAMDIR, it expands on demand.
   There is no practical limit on the number of files and the
   size of files that can fit into VRAMDIR. (The limit is the
   total amount of physical memory plus the free hard-disk space
   in your system, which is even larger than what is available
   without VRAMDIR, the free hard-disk space alone.)
   
   VRAMDIR is virtual. VRAMDIR can return memory back to the
   system, while RAM-disks can never do that. When other
   applications need more memory, files in VRAMDIR can be saved
   onto hard-disks and memory is returned to system. You never
   need to worry about VRAMDIR using too much memory. VRAMDIR
   makes sure that it always puts memory into the best use and
   that the system runs as fast as possible.
   
   VRAMDIR creates virtual file systems, while RAM-disks create
   disk images on which to build FAT file systems. Disks are
   block devices and have limitations. For example, on a disk
   even when only 1-byte is used in a block, the rest is not
   available to other files. RAM is different from disks. It is
   not efficient to use RAM in the same block manner as disks.
   FAT file system has further limitations. In RAM-disks, e.g.,
   space needs to be pre-allocated for File Allocation Tables
   (FAT), the block size and the number of entries in the root
   directory, etc., needs to be pre-determined. VRAMDIR avoids
   the limitations of block devices and the FAT system. VRAMDIR’s
   file system is virtual and much more efficient. There is no
   setting needs to be fine-tuned.
   
   VRAMDIR maps directories into RAM, while RAM-disks create new
   drives. With VRAMDIR, it is easy to map existing directories,
   e.g., TEMP directories, into RAM. There is no new drive letter
   to worry about. Existing settings for the system and
   applications do not need to be changed to point to the new
   drive letter. VRAMDIR is very easy to set up, and the system
   runs exactly like before, except that with VRAMDIR it will be
   much faster.
   
   VRAMDIR supports Long File Name, while RAM-disks only support
   short name.
   
   
   ===============================================
D. Advantages of VRAMDIR over Disk-Cache Utilities
   ===============================================

   VRAMDIR is several times faster than disk-cache utilities.
   
   VRAMDIR is not designed to replace disk-cache, but VRAMDIR
   does something that disk-cache can not do. Disk cache cannot
   replace VRAMDIR. They are used for different purposes.
   
   Disk-cache keeps most recently accessed files in memory. You
   do not have control of what to keep in the cache and what not.
   VRAMDIR let you control what to be put in RAM. VRAMDIR is
   designed to speed up temporary file access.
   
   VRAMDIR is much faster than disk-cache in the best
   circumstances. Many applications create temporary files on
   hard-disks. With disk-cache, when a temporary file is created,
   it will stay in memory for a short while. Then within, e.g., 1
   second, disk cache will write the file out to hard-disks,
   which is very slow. With VRAMDIR, files can stay in memory
   much longer. A temporary file may stay in memory during its
   entire existence, from the point it is created, to the point
   it is deleted. Hard-disks may never need to be accessed in
   these temporary file operations.
   
   VRAMDIR is still several times faster than disk-cache overall,
   even in the worst situations. For example, WINBENCH’s disk/mix
   test, which emulates popular applications’ disk operations,
   reads/writes over 100MB of files. When the test is run on a
   Pentium 100 with 32MB RAM, VRAMDIR needs to swap a lot of data
   to the disk. This is one of the worst scenario for VRAMDIR.
   But running the test on VRAMDIR is still over 2 times faster
   than VCACHE.


   ============
E. Installation
   ============

   If applicable, Unzip VRAM107T.ZIP or VRAMD107.ZIP into a
   directory, e.g., C:\VRAMDIR
   
   Switch to the directory, e.g., C:, CD C:\VRAMDIR
   
   In Windows 95, run INSTALL.BAT. This copies files into the
   Windows system directory and modifies system settings. It
   automatically sets the directories pointed to by the TEMP and
   TMP environment variables to be handled by VRAMDIR.
   
   After Windows restarts, all newly created files and sub-
   directories under the TEMP directories will be in RAM.
   Previously existing files and directories will still be on the
   hard-disks.
   
   You can run the control panel VRAMDIR configuration utility to
   change the list of directories to be handled by VRAMDIR.
   
   If you want to temporarily disable VRAMDIR, you can remove all
   the directories in the list using the VRAMDIR configuration
   utility in control panel.
   
   If you want to completely uninstall VRAMDIR, you can run
   Control Panel - Add/Remove Programs - Install/Uninstall,
   select VRAMDIR, then press Add/Remove.
   
   
   =====
F. Usage
   =====

   IMPORTANT: Any files under VRAMDIR will be deleted after
   Windows is shut down or restarted. So only temporary files
   should be put under VRAMDIR. If you put other files in VRAMDIR
   for faster operations on them, remember to move them out to
   non-VRAMDIR directories after you finish working with them, if
   you want to save them on the hard-disk.
   
   When VRAMDIR is first installed, it will automatically put
   TEMP and TMP directories under VRAMDIR. You can later use
   VRAMDIR configuration utility in control panel to edit the
   list.
   
   When you delete VRAMDIR files in Windows Explorer, if you say
   YES to put the files into Recycle Bin, the files will be
   written onto disk in Recycle Bin, which can be slow. If this
   is not what you want, you can delete the files without saving
   them into Recycle Bin by holding down the SHIFT key when you
   press DELETE in Windows Explorer.

   If an application queries for the amount of free space in a
   VRAMDIR directory, the free space of the hard-disk that host
   the directory is returned. If the application complains about
   not enough space, more space on the hard-disk need to be
   freed. Most likely, VRAMDIR does not need the free space on
   the hard-disk, and VRAMDIR is able to hold more files than
   what the hard-disk free space indicates. For example, if the
   hard-disk has 10MB free, after 5MB of new files are created in
   VRAMDIR, the hard-disk may still have 10MB free, instead of
   5MB.

   Directories mapped to VRAMDIR can not be deleted or renamed.
   For example, if C:\WIN95\TEMP is mapped to VRAMDIR, C:\WIN95
   can not be deleted, nor can it be renamed, e.g., to
   C:\WINDOWS. If you want to delete or rename such directories,
   you should unmap the VRAMDIR directory first, e.g., unmap
   C:\WIN95\TEMP in the control panel VRAMDIR configuration
   utility.
   
   You can get VRAMDIR performance statistics from System
   Monitor:
   
   VRAMDIR - Memory Allocated: the total amount of virtual memory
   allocated by VRAMDIR at the moment.
   
   VRAMDIR - Bytes Read/Written: the total number of bytes
   read/written in VRAMDIR from system boot-up.
   
   VRAMDIR - Operations Performed: the total number of file
   operations performed by VRAMDIR.
   
   
   ==========
G. Benchmarks
   ==========
   
   Wintune 95, WINDOWS Magazine's test and tune-up kit,
   http://www.winmag.com/software/wt95.htm
   
   WinBench 96, PC Magazine,
   http://www.zdnet.com/zdbop/winbench/winbench.html
   
   MDB95,
   http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mschoebel/mdb95.htm
   
   To test VRAMDIR speed with these benchmarks, you need to map a
   root directory to VRAMDIR, e.g., D:\. You should select a
   drive with the fewest files. Remember to remove the mapping
   after you finish benchmarking. Otherwise, all new files on
   that drive will be in RAM and will not be saved onto the hard-
   disk.
   
   For the true speed of hard-disks, you need to look at the
   uncached benchmark number in MDB or Wintune.
   
   To get the true speed of VRAMDIR, you need 3MB free memory to
   run Wintune, or enough free memory to hold the test file in
   MDB. Before you run the benchmarks, you can check the amount
   of free memory using System Monitor. To make more free memory
   available, you can limit VCACHE size by putting the following
   in SYSTEM.INI, e.g.:
   
   [vcache]
   MinFileCache = 1000
   MaxFileCache = 1000
   
   You can remove these settings after you finish benchmarking.
   
   To get the real life speed difference between VRAMDIR and
   cached hard-disks, you can run the Disk WinMark in WinBench,
   which emulates disk file operations in 13 popular Windows
   applications.
   
   For example, the results of the benchmarks on a Gateway 2000
   Pentium 100:
   
   MDB 16MB file:
   
   Hard-disk: 1.4 MB/s
   RAMDRIVE:  9.0 MB/s
   VRAMDIR:  35.0 MB/s
   
   WinBench Disk WinMark:
   
   VCACHE:  0.7 MB/s
   VRAMDIR: 1.5 MB/s


   ==============================================
H. Where to Get the FREE Trial Version of VRAMDIR
   ==============================================
   
   http://accessone.com/~virtual/vramdir.htm
   
   
   ==========================
I. Limit of the Trial Version
   ==========================

   If you have not paid Virtual Software Corporation for VRAMDIR,
   you are running a trial version of VRAMDIR. After you
   experienced the advantages provided by VRAMDIR, you can order
   the full version from Virtual Software Corporation.
   
   The trial version is time limited to 30 minutes. After 30
   minutes, the files will be written to hard-disks instead of in
   VRAMDIR. The system will function as before. If you need more
   time to evaluate VRAMDIR, you can restart Windows and VRAMDIR
   will run for another 30-minute. If you buy the full version,
   there will be no time limit, and VRAMDIR will function all the
   time.
   
   After 30 minutes, a message box will pop up signaling the
   expiration of the trial period. If the display is blanked into
   power-saving mode when the message box pop up, the message box
   will not be visible. Just press SPACE to get rid of the
   invisible message box.
   
   In the trial version, sub-directories under VRAMDIR are
   created on the hard-disks, while files under VRAMDIR are in
   RAM. If you buy the full version, all files and sub-
   directories under VRAMDIR will be in RAM.
   
   The full version is a little bit faster than the trial
   version.
   
   
   ====================
J. How to Order VRAMDIR
   ====================

   If you have an email account, we can send you a UUENCODED
   VRAMD107.ZIP file through email. It costs US$10. Fill and
   print out ORDER.TXT form and send it to us with a check of
   US$10. Please make sure to include your email address.
   
   If you prefer to receive a floppy disk, it costs US$15 for an
   address in US, and US$20 for outside US. Fill and print out
   ORDER.TXT form and send it to us with fund in US$.
   
   You can send the check and the order form to:
   
   Virtual Software Corporation
   15016 SE 63 St.
   Bellevue, WA 98006-4634
   USA
   
   
   =================
K. Technical Support
   =================

   You can visit our www site at:
   http://accessone.com/~virtual/vramdir.htm
   
   If you have further questions, you can send us email to:
   virtual@accessone.com
   
   You can also send us postal mail to:
   
   Virtual Software Corporation
   15016 SE 63 St.
   Bellevue, WA 98006-4634
   USA
   
   
   ======================
L. License and Disclaimer
   ======================

   One copy of VRAMDIR can only be installed on one workstation
   computer. It can NOT be put on network servers to be shared by
   workstations. The full version of VRAMDIR can NOT be
   distributed or copied to any other people in any way.

   Anyone distributing the trial version of VRAMDIR must first
   contact Virtual Software Corporation for authorization.

   Users of VRAMDIR must accept this disclaimer of warranty:
   
   VRAMDIR is supplied as is. The author disclaims all
   warranties, expressed or implied, including, without
   limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness
   for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages,
   direct or consequential, which may result from the use of
   VRAMDIR.

