;;; 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>

<h3> Transportable Databases </h3>
<ptext>
<synopsis dbpack <var filename.db>...
 dbpack <var 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>

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