ptxsplit Command

A program to split recording files into multiple files.

Syntax

ptxsplit { -p parts| -s size| -h| -b| -f cfile| -d hhmm [ -t dhhmm]} infile

Flags

The command line arguments are all mutually exclusive, except that the -t argument is only valid if the -d argument is given. One of the arguments must be specified. The arguments are:

p

Split in parts of equal size. Must be followed by the number of parts the input file shall be divided into. The output files are approximately the same size and begin with a set of control records. The output file names are infile.p1, infile.p2, ... infile.pn. Statsets are preserved in the output as are any console records.

s

Split in parts of equal size. Must be followed by the size you want each output file to have. The output files, except the last one, normally are slightly smaller than the specified size; the last file may be much smaller. The output files all begin with a set of control records. The output file names are infile.s1, infile.s2, ... infile.sn. Statsets are preserved in the output as are any console records.

h

Split into files according to the host name of individual observations. The output files all begin with a set of control records. The output file names are infile.hostname1, infile.hostname2, ... infile.hostnamen. Statsets are preserved in the output. Any console records are discarded.

b

Split into files for each set of control records encountered. The output files all begin with a set of control records. The output file names are infile.b1, infile.b2, ... infile.bn. Statsets are preserved in the output as are any console records.

f

Split into two files. The flag must be followed by a file name of a control file. The first output file is to contain all occurrences of the statistics listed in the control file. Remaining statistics are written to the second output file. Statistics are specified in the control file with their full path name. The control file may contain comment lines beginning with the character # (number sign). If the hosts part of the path name is omitted, statistics are selected across all host names. If the hosts part of the path name is supplied, an exact match is required for a statistic to be selected. The first output file has the name infile.sel, the second outfile is called infile.rem. Statsets are not preserved in the output files.

The program ptxls can produce a list of the statistics contained in a recording file. The output from the program has the format required for the control file. Use it by redirecting ptxls output to a file; then edit the file to include only the statistics you want in the file infile.sel.

d

Split after duration into parts covering time periods of equal size. Must be followed by the duration span of each file, given as hhmm, where:

hh = Hours.

mm = Minutes.

If the -t argument is omitted, the time period begins with the earliest value record in the input file; otherwise with the time specified on the -t argument. The output files all begin with a set of control records. The output file names are infile.d1, infile.d2, ... infile.dn. Statsets are preserved in the output as are any console records.

t

Only valid if the -d argument is given. Specifies a point in time that shall be used to split the input file. Must be followed by a time in the format dhhmm, where:

d = Day of week, Sunday = day 0.

hh = Hours.

mm = Minutes.

The time given may lie outside the time period covered by the input recording file. If the time given differs from the time stamp of the first value record in the input file, the first output file contains data for an interval smaller than that requested with the -d argument.

For example, assume a recording file's first value record has a time stamp corresponding to 30830 (day 3, at 8:30 a.m.) and you invoke ptxsplit with the command line:

ptxsplit -d0600 -t00000 recording_file

This causes the first file to cover the interval from 8:30 a.m. until 11:59 a.m., the next one from 12:00 noon until 5:59 p.m., and so on until there's no more value records in the input file.

Consider splitting the same file with the command line:

ptxsplit -d0600 -t40800 recording_file

The -t argument, in this case, gives a point in time later than the first value record's time stamp. The program determines the time to place the first split point by stepping backwards in time from day 4 at 8:00 a.m. in steps of six hours (as per the -d argument) until it has passed the time stamp of the first value record. This would be on day 3 at 8:00 a.m. This is the reference point. The first output file covers day 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:59 p.m., the next from 2 p.m. to 7:59 p.m., and so forth.