Introduction

FastSum - extremely fast utility for your files integrity control. FastSum calculates short and strong digests of your data via popular MD5 algorithm to use it as references checksums for ulterior data integrity verification.

FastSum - Allows to rectify the errors occurring while data transfer. For example: Network transfers, CD-R and DVD burning and much more. It is developed for easy processing of a huge files count and has usable command-line interface. It is an analogue of a famous md5sum Unix platform utility.

Using Fastsum

FastSum is a console application, it means that the parameters are set from the command line. There are two basic modes: checksums calculation - checksums are used as samples for ulterior verification of sample values with the current ones to identify the integrity of files between the verifications. The second mode is – verification mode. Parameters have the following syntax:

FSUM [Path] [File | /T:Type] [/C:File] [/V] [/O] [/R]

Path

Path to the source files. This parameter can be any of the following types:

  • Path to a single file. C:\My Important Files\Report.doc
  • Path to a folder. C:\My Important Files
  • Path to a folder with included files mask. Use ";" as a separator to define several masks. C:\My Important Files\*.doc;*.zip;*.xls

Note: Paths that contains spaces must be enclosed with quotation marks.

Examples:

FSUM "D:\My Docs\Report" - Calc checksums and print it on the screen.
FSUM "D:\My Docs\Report\*.xls" - Same as above but calc only .xls files.

File

Path to checksum file. In calculation mode it is a path to a file in which the sample checksums will be written. In verification mode it is a path to a file that contains the sample.

If the path is specified as relative (like \Docs\March) it will be transformed into absolute, considering the current path (C:\Users\Docs\March). If this parameter is not defined in calculation mode checksums are printed on the screen. In verification mode FastSum is trying to find a checksum file with the current folder name. In case of success FastSum is loading sample values from this file and then verifies the files listed in a checksum file.

Note: /T:Type parameter helps to process a lot of files in typical cases like checksums calculation or verification of folder (See below).

Examples:

FSUM "D:\My Docs\Report\march.xls" march.md5 - to current path.
FSUM "D:\My Docs\Report\march.xls" "D:\My Docs\Report\ march.md5"

/T:Type

It is a parameter-helper, that sets the position of checksum files for most typical cases, for example: folder checksum calculation with saving referenced checksums in one file at folder root or integrity verification of CD content when reference checksum is placed in the same folder as the file for each file.

The File parameter can not point to a one specific file any more, therefore it takes up a different meaning, it allow to set custom extension of checksums files. Type parameter can be one of the following values:

E - One checksum file for each file. File name = source file name + checksum file extension. For example, AnnualReport.doc.md5. The other extensions can also be defined by File parameter, but for better compatibility with third party applications we recommend to use standard extension (.md5).

R - One list-file placed in the path root. It contains the list of all checksums of files defined by the Path parameter. File name = folder name + checksum file extension (RootFolder.md5). The other extensions can also be defined by File parameter, but for better compatibility with third party applications we recommend to use standard extension (.md5).

F - One file for each folder – checksum list of files in folder defined by Path parameter.

Note: During scanning and files list formation processes, before checksum calculation, FastSum ignores files with .md5 extension to preclude the checksums calculation of checksums, because it is fatuous.

Example:

FSUM "D:\My Docs\Report" /T:E - calculate and store checksums for each file.

/C:File

Path to a list of changed files. This parameter is very useful for transmitting checksum verification results to another program. It makes sense only in verification mode, in calculation mode this parameter is ignored. All paths to files in the created list are absolute. The list is created only in case of incongruity of current checksums of one or several files with the samples. If list-file already exists it will be overwritten without any warning and it is independent from the /O key.

/V

Checksums verification mode. Loading the checksums for files defined by the Path parameter. From one or several checksums list-files (see Path and /T:Type parameter descriptions). Then FastSum compares the current checksums with the previously calculated. By default FastSum is working in calculation mode.

/O

Overwriting of existing checksum files. If this key is not specified and FastSum sees a large amount of files-candidates for overwriting it asks for a permission to do it on the fly.

/R

Recursive folder scanning. If this parameter is not defined calculation and verification is executed on files specified by the Path parameter.