Ten minute wait before copy

[Bob Coleman]

Using IFW 2.92, I often run the command

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Image for Windows\V2\imagew64.exe” /copy /uy /sd:w0@0xA /td:w0@0xB

Most of the time, but not always, I get displayed

PHYLock is waiting for drive writing to stop …

and

The configured PHYLock Max Wait Time is 10 minutes.

Then after 10 minutes elapsed time, the copy starts and runs normally. It seems difficult to believe that routinely drive writing miraculously stops exactly at the end of the 10 minute wait time.

I've only recently noticed this. It's possible it started with the installation of version 2.92, but I don't know that.

I tried it once using imagew.exe rather than imagew64.exe and the same thing happened.

[Bob Coleman]

I don't think the above described behavior is limited to Copy. Since writing the above, I've seen it when creating an image.

It seems that perhaps this is more likely to happen when I'm actively using the system and/or have used the system extensively since booting than if I run IFW before doing much of anything else after booting, but it still seems strange that disk writing would stop at exactly the expiration of the 10 minute wait.

[Brian K]

Bob,

"Max Wait Time (M):

This is the maximum number of minutes to wait for the Write Free Time to occur before forcing the backup to start. If it's set to zero then it waits forever. Only supported by PHYLock V2.04 or later."

So if you don't have a Write Free Time by 10 minutes imaging/copying starts. You aren't getting a 4.25 second Write Free Time.

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=385

[mjnelson99]

I changed my maximum wait time to 5 minutes.

I have found that sometimes if I start the image from scratch after a
slow start, the wait time can be minimal.
Mary

On 11/7/2014 12:56 AM, "Brian K" wrote:
> Bob,
>
> "Max Wait Time (M):
>
> This is the maximum number of minutes to wait for the Write Free Time to occur before forcing the backup to start. If it's set to zero then it waits forever. Only supported by PHYLock V2.04 or later."
>
> So if you don't have a Write Free Time by 10 minutes imaging/copying starts. You aren't getting a 4.25 second Write Free Time.
>
> [
> http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=385
> ](http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=385)
>
>
>

[Bob Coleman]

Yes, I know some of that, but I assumed that if writing didn't stop within the configured wait time, the operation would be aborted. You seem to be saying that the operation will start at the end of the wait time even if writing is still occurring. What are the implications of this regarding the validity of the image or copy?

Put another way, if writing doesn't have to stop to insure the validity of the operation, what's the point of waiting at all?

I suppose these questions imply a lack of understanding of how PHYLock actually works.

Brian K wrote:
> Bob,
>
> "Max Wait Time (M):
>
> This is the maximum number of minutes to wait for the Write Free Time to
> occur before forcing the backup to start. If it's set to zero then it
> waits forever. Only supported by PHYLock V2.04 or later."
>
> So if you don't have a Write Free Time by 10 minutes imaging/copying
> starts. You aren't getting a 4.25 second Write Free Time.
>
> http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=385

[Brian K]

Bob, as a test try a 3 second Write Free Time.

The manual says, "You should try to keep the value above 1250; the default value is 4250."

[Bob Coleman]

It's difficult to immediately draw firm conclusions because the behavior under discussion isn't completely predictable in the first place, but it does seem that perhaps changing Write Free Time to 3000 may tend to eliminate the wait. I see that I could alternatively, as mentioned by Mary, reduce the configured wait time, but all this still leaves me confused and/or ignorant. I say again that if the operation can be, presumably safely, configured to start before the wait voluntarily terminates, why wait at all?

Maybe it's time to get into the manual and see if I can find any relevant and useful information.

[TeraByte Support]

it's better to get it at a point of no writing after a period of time
(internal caches more likely flushed).


"Bob Coleman" wrote in message news:8935@public.image...

It's difficult to immediately draw firm conclusions because the behavior
under discussion isn't completely predictable in the first place, but it
does seem that perhaps changing Write Free Time to 3000 may tend to
eliminate the wait. I see that I could alternatively, as mentioned by Mary,
reduce the configured wait time, but all this still leaves me confused
and/or ignorant. I say again that if the operation can be, presumably
safely, configured to start before the wait voluntarily terminates, why wait
at all?

Maybe it's time to get into the manual and see if I can find any relevant
and useful information.