|
| :: welcome to parchive :: |
visit parchive at sourceforge.net |
|
Parchive: Parity Archive Volume Set
DISCLAIMER: This project web space is not actively mantained and is presented here for archive purposes. However some project members still montior the project mailings lists if you have questions.
The original idea behind this project was to provide a tool to
apply the data-recovery capability concepts of RAID-like
systems to the posting and recovery of multi-part archives
on Usenet. We accomplished that goal. Our new goal with
version 2.0 of the specification is to improve. It extends
the idea of version 1.0 and takes the recovery process beyond
the file-level barrier. This allows for more effective protection
with less recovery data, and removes some previous limitations
on the number of recoverable parts. See
Par1 compared to Par2
for a more detailed view of the differences.
Because this new approach doesn't benefit from like sized files,
it drastically extends the potiental applications of PAR. Files
such as video, music, and other data can remain in a usable format
and still have recovery data associated with them.
The technology is based on a 'Reed-Solomon Code' implementation that allows for recovery
of any 'X' real data-blocks for 'X' parity data-blocks present. (Data-blocks
referring to files OR much smaller virtual slices of files).
The key to this mission is a clean file format specification
which provides all the necessary capabilities for programs
to easily verify and regenerate single missing parts
out of a set of data-blocks.
Current clients come in one of two flavors:
Those supporting v1.0 of the spec. (Currently extremely popular
on Usenet). And those adopting the v2.0 of the spec, touting all the benefits
of this newer approach.
Only time will tell how Version 2.0 fares in the Usenet community, wish us luck.
|
|
| :: announcements :: |
back
to top |
|
07.04.2004 - QuickPar v0.9.1 Released.
QuickPar Graphical client for Win32
|
|
01.28.2004 - QuickPar v0.8 Released.
QuickPar Graphical client for Win32
Includes better detection and reporting of errors as they occur, detection of in memory corruptions during par2 creatin or repair, and support for verification using MD5 and SFV files.
|
|
10.21.2003 - QuickPar v0.7.5 Released.
QuickPar Graphical client for Win32
Peter has started the task of localizing the win32 gui version of QuickPar. Translators are needed to help in this task. If you can contribute a language please contact Peter Clements.
|
|
08.25.2003 - QuickPar v0.6 Released.
QuickPar Graphical client for Win32
|
|
07.19.2003 - par2cmdline v0.3 Released.
par2cmdline client
A new version of par2cmdline has been released. View the changlog for more information.
|
|
09.21.2003 - QuickPar v0.5 Released.
QuickPar Graphical client for Win32
|
|
05.11.2003 - Final Draft Spec of PAR v2.0 Available!
The final draft of the Par v2.0 is now available. It is in a new format and minor corrections have been made. We'll call it a final draft because minor issues may still come up. But now that PAR2 is being used on usenet, it's time to get some more developers to write clients. Specifically PAR2 still needs a mac classic client! So here it is.
Parity Volume Set Spec. 2.0 [2002-09-12] (Final Draft)
|
|
05.09.2003 - Announcing PARv2.0 CLIENTS!
You may not be aware, but now there are TWO working clients for the
PAR File Specification Version 2.0. that has been in development as of late.
QuickPar Graphical client for Win32
par2cmdline CLI client for Win32/Unix
If you are unfamiliar with what PARv2.0 introduces and how it promises to change
the way we think of PAR. Have a look at this
Introduction
that Peter Clements (the author of QuickPar and par2cmdline) wrote.
|
|
09.03.2002 - Draft Implementation Spec of PAR v2.0 Available!
Big news! PAR is moving ahead with some ideas spawed from the weaknesses of v1.0. Available in the project documents is a reference implementation spec for developers of clients to test out. Included in the improvements is the shift to a 'packetized' binary file format, recovery down to the article level, and room inside the spec for customized extensions.
Parity Volume Set Spec. 2.0 [2002-09-12] (Pre-Reference Implementation)
|
|
07.27.2002 - FluidStudios releases FSRaid v2.7.0
Hands down the most actively maintained PARv1.0 Win32 client out there.
http://www.fluidstudios.com/fsraid.html
|
|
03.27.2002 - Recieve automatic update notifications
of your favorite PAR client.
The parchive-clients-news
announce only mailing list has been around for a few
months now but just now making it to the website because
there are finally enough subscribers and a few client
authors utilizing it. Go here http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/parchive-clients-news
to sign up to recieve the update notifications. If you
are an author and wish to push update notices to your
users, please contact the parchive webmaster for posting
permissions to the list.
|
|
01.22.2002 - SmartPAR v0.13d1 Released!
Visit here for information about the release and a download link.
http://www.disc-chord.com/smartpar/history.html
|
|
| :: documentation :: |
back
to top |
|
File Specification
The documentation of the "Parity Volume Set
Specification" can be found here.
Peter Clements PAR1 vs. PAR2 Comparison
Par1 vs. Par2
http://www.quickpar.org.uk/AboutPAR2.htm
Client Documentation
There is quite a need for more documentation in this
area. For the current documentation available on each
of the respective clients using the parchive filespec,
please refer to the "PAR clients"
section of this site.
If you are an author of a client and would like your
documentation mirrored and/or hosted by the parchive
project, please contact the
parchive web developer.
Usenet Documentation (Usage Guides / FAQs /
etc... )
This is a "planned" type of documentation
that we will gladly host. There are currently no documents
of this nature.
If you have written a PAR usage guide, another document
of this nature, or you would like to volunteer to
do so, please contact the project developers via the
Open
Discussion Forum. Thank you.
|
|
| :: forums :: |
back to top |
|
For Parchive development, usage, and implementation
discussions, several forums are hosted at Sourceforge.
Public Forums - http://sourceforge.net/forum/?group_id=30568
- Open Discussion
Discussion on any issues related to the .par compliant
programs.
- File Format Specification
Open discussion on the development of the file
format for archive parity files.
- Help
Help on any of the programs implementing the Par
handling specification.
- Usenet Feedback
Experiences and discussions about the usage of
parity archives in the usenet.
Developer Forums
- Developers
Private forum for developers of the Par compliant
programs and file spec
|
|
|
