T D B S Version 1.1 TMOD format
*** What is a TMOD? ***
TMODS are field corrections or optional enhancements issued as patches to
the released TDBS software. TMODS for TDBS version 1.1 are issued as input
to the DOS DEBUG processor. This allows you to download a TMOD and apply
it, knowing that there will be no errors in your mechanical patching
process which will cause a bad patch to occur.
Each TMOD begins with the debug commands:
n tdbsom.dbg
l
There follow a series of comment lines which explain the purpose of the TMOD,
and then the actual DEBUG commands which apply the TMOD and re-write the
updated file.
To apply a TMOD, you need to have five files online.
1. The DEBUG processor (part of MS-DOS).
2. The TMOD file (downloaded from here).
3. The TDBSOM.EXE file to be modified.
4. The TAPPLY.BAT file described below.
To apply a TMOD, log onto the drive which contains these files and
enter the following command:
TAPPLY TMODn
Where n is the number of the TMOD.
Example:
We have just downloaded the file TMOD1. In our system, TDBSOM.EXE is on drive
B and TMOD1 is also on drive B. The DEBUG processor is on drive A, but is
accessible through the DOS PATH command from drive B. We would enter the
commands:
B:
TAPPLY TMOD1
To apply the TMOD. A note of caution: You should never apply a TMOD to
your master copy. Apply TMODS only to a backup copy of a module. Then
test out the modified system to be sure all is well. Only then should
you copy the modified file to your working master. Always keep a set
of unmodified files (your master release diskette) for "disaster" backup
in case a TMOD fails.
The TAPPLY.BAT file
Because the DOS DEBUG processor cannot directly modify a .EXE file, the
following file is used to apply mods to TDBSOM.EXE. It is created using
the DOS copy command as follows:
copy con: tapply.bat
ren tdbsom.exe tdbsom.dbg
debug < %1
ren tdbsom.dbg tdbsom.exe^Z
Note: ^Z means to press the ctrl and Z keys together. Press enter after
each line and the file TAPPLY.BAT will be created. You can then apply
TMODS by entering the command:
TAPPLY TMODn
And they will always work. Note: It is vital that the version of DEBUG
and the version of DOS match or this TMOD procedure will fail.
All required TMODS (field modifications for TDBS) through TMOD 3 have already
been installed on this diskette, and are therefore not included. You can
obtain a complete, up-to-date listing of all TMODS from the eSoft Support
Board at (303) 699-8222. If new required TMODS are published which have
numbers higher than 3, these will need to be installed to keep your system up
to the latest release level.
See HOW2TMOD in the \TMODS sub-directory on this diskette for instructions on
how to install future TMODS.