TOPS-10/TOPS-20 Autopatch Procedures/Reference Manual

This document is the Autopatch Procedures/Reference Manual for the TOPS-10 and TOPS-20 operating systems. It describes the Autopatch facility, a combination of software tools and operational procedures designed to simplify the process of applying patches to Digital Equipment Corporation software products.

The manual provides:

• An overview of the Autopatch concept, including its benefits, system requirements, and the structure of patch tapes.
• Step-by-step procedures for installing and initializing Autopatch on both TOPS-10 and TOPS-20 systems, including setting up required disk directories (Product Distribution, Product Installation, Autopatching, and Product Backup).
• A guide to using the Patch Executive Program (PEP), the main interface for managing the patching process. Key PEP commands covered include AUTOPATCH, BUILD, DESELECT, EXIT, HELP, INFORMATION, INSTALL, RESTORE, RETRIEVE, SELECT, SETUP, and SUMMARY.
• A reference section detailing the various files used by Autopatch and an alphabetical list of PEP error messages, their causes, and suggested recovery procedures.