[WriteLog] Save is Slow with large logs

[Eric Scace K3NA]

Hi Marty --

   Yes, I had the same problem on a 750 MHz machine in the WW CW contest.

   After a series of email exchanges with Wayne W5XD about the internal workings of WL and saving, it became apparent that there was
no need to "save" the log after each QSO.  If you want to peel back the onion one layer, read on...

   After every QSO is logged, WL records it to disk in a file named [name of your contest log]_bck.adi.  This disk file contains the
additional QSOs made (anywhere in the network) since the log was "saved" to the [name of your contest log].wl file.

   If the computer or WriteLog should crash, the operator will be given the opportunity to pick up all the QSOs in the _bck.adi file
when he opens the log file.

   There is no material increased risk in losing the QSOs made since the last save to the .wl file.

   In conclusion, a File/Save command simply integrates the _bck.adi QSOs made recently with those already in the .wl file, and
writes the now-larger .wl file back on the disk.  Then the _bck.wl file is zero'd out, waiting for more new QSOs.

   This seems very secure -- even belt & suspenders redundant, especially on a network with multiple computers, each writing the
full .wl and _bck.adi files on their respective disks.

   As a result, I've configure my WL to not save at all (until I tell it to)... and not to give me a warning message until I have
arbitrarily-chosen 1000 new QSOs in the _bck.adi file.  During a slow moment in the contest I might do a File/Save command, but I
really don't worry about it anymore.

   Lastly, on a new computer with a 2.1 GHz processor and a huge, empty hard drive, a 4500 QSO log saved in about a tenth of a
second... so this confirms your observation that File/Save time appears to be somewhat related to processor speed (although faster
disks are probably also correllated with fast processors).

-- Eric K3NA

-----Original Message-----
From: writelog-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:writelog-bounces at contesting.com]On Behalf Of Marty Tippin
Sent: 2003 March 5 Wednesday 17:31
To: writelog at contesting.com
Subject: [WriteLog] Save is Slow with large logs


We used Writelog 10.39C last weekend in the ARRL DX SSB contest Multi-Two
effort from PJ2T. Computers ranged from a 450MHz Pentium II to a 450 MHz
Pentium III. Overall, the program worked great as it usually does.

However, there was a nagging problem which grew more obnoxious with every
QSO: After we reached somewhere around 2000 Qs, saving the log started
taking longer and longer, up to about 10 seconds at the end of the contest
when we had 12500 contacts in the log. During the time the log was being
saved, the computer was worthless -- any Auto CQ would hang the radio in
transmit, and you couldn't type anything in the call entry window.
Basically, we were forced to abandon the use of the DVK when we thought an
autosave might be coming up, and had to "fill" airtime while waiting for
the machine to become usable again.

The problem was most evident on the Pentium II machine, and generally not
an issue at all on the PIII box.

Anyone had similar experiences? Solutions? Suggestions?

Thanks

-Marty NW0L
  martyt at pobox.com

_______________________________________________
WriteLog mailing list
WriteLog at contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/writelog