****************************************************************************** PT-32 April 1992 ****************************************************************************** 1. Product Description: MacTools Deluxe is a collection of utilities that provide data protection and recovery as well as a variety of disk and file management features. This product test addresses version 1.2 which is System 7 compatible. 2. Product Acquisition: The commercial program is available from Central Point Software, Inc., 15220 N.W. Greenbrier Parkway, Suite 200, Beaverton, OR 97006-5764. One sales number identified in the documentation is (800) 445-2110. A variety of mail order services offer single copies at significantly reduced costs. 3. Product Tester: Chris Mc Donald, Computer Systems Analyst, Information Systems Command, White Sands Missile Range, NM 88002-5506, DSN: 258-5712, DDN: cmcdonal@wsmr-emh03.army.mil or cmcdonald@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil. 4. Product Test: a. I obtained a free copy of version 1.0 in July 1991 from a friend. I registered the program with Central Point, and was eligible to update to version 1.2 in August 1991 for $19.00 which included shipping/handling costs. Tests of the program extended from August 1991 to March 1992. b. I initially tested the product on a MACINTOSH IIcx running system 6.0.5 with a 80MB hard drive. Product documentation with version 1.2 claimed System 7.0 compatibility which I verified. c. MacTools Deluxe includes these elements. (1) MacTools Installer Program to install the individual utilities (2) MacTools Mirror A cdev/INIT to track files that one throws in the trash or which are accidentally deleted (3) CPS TagFix An optional INIT that enables the Macintosh System to correctly use file tags on 800K floppy disks (4) MacTools Rescue Application to recover accidentally deleted files, initialized hard disks, and damaged files (5) MacTools Launcher An optional desktop to launch all MacTool applications (6) MacTools Locate A desk accessory to find files by name or by content (7) MacTools Secure Application and desk accessory Data Encryption Standard (DES) protection (8) MacTools Partition INIT and desk accessory to divide a hard disk into areas (9) MacTools Backup Application for backup and restoration (10) MacTools Optimizer Application to unfragment files and to erase free space and deleted information (11) MacTools FastCopy Application to copy or initialize multiple floppy disks (12) MacTools FileEdit Application for block editing capabilities d. The documentation for version 1.2 is concise and helpful without being a burden. The bottom line is that this is one program where a user MUST read the documentation before installation and before doing anything serious with a particular application. e. The Installer program performed as advertised. Although the documentation does not suggest that one review what each application does before installation, it might save some time and disk space to defer installation of those utilities which clearly will not be of immediate use. An expert user, for example, may feel comfortable with FileEdit; but the majority of users should probably stay away from the application lest they do more harm than good. A purely subjective choice would be to install Rescue, Mirror, Backup, Optimizer and Secure DA as a start. f. Tests of the data recovery and disk analysis capabilities of MacTools Deluxe demonstrated that the program can be a lifesaver. With Mirror installed one clearly has an advantage in recovering and in restoring files. It is also evident that practice in recovery operations can generate a higher success rate, particularly where Mirror is not installed. The Rescue application, as confirmed by other reviewers, was easy to use and provided good help screen information. g. Since I consciously chose not to create a major hard disk problem, tests of Rescue's ability to diagnose and to repair a file were admittedly somewhat artificial. Despite the extended length of this product test evaluation period, there were no Macintosh systems within a community of approximately 350 which presented the opportunity for a real world disaster test. Therefore, tests were confined to restoring deleted files from hard drives and dozens of floppy disks. h. The two applications with major data confidentiality implications were impressive. The Secure application offers two implementations of DES: a fast 2 rounds and the full 16 rounds. Published reports by leading cryptographers suggest that a user should prefer the full DES encryption option. The encryption/decryption process offers many different options and 2 settings. The default is for the original cleartext file to be overwritten upon the completion of the encryption operation. The Optimizer application provides the capability to erase deleted files or to erase an entire disk. One has the option of determining the bit pattern for the erasure as well as the number of erasure cycles. i. While I am not an authority on cryptography, I did verify the functionality of the Secure application. Attempts to retrieve the cleartext message or to view an encryption key with several disk editors, to include the FileEdit in MacTools Deluxe, were unsuccessful. Encryption/decryption operations were painless. Secure has the ability to compress files as it encrypts. The documentation states that the amount of compression can range >from 25% to 60% depending upon the type of file. HyperCard stacks, for example, would be at the 25% level; a Microsoft Word or other text file might be at 45-50%; and a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet might be at the 60% level. Government users should refer to Federal Information Processing Standard 46-1 on the criteria applicable to the use of DES software implementations for the protection of unclassified sensitive information. There are additional FIPS which address this subject. j. The Optimizer application for erasure addresses the issue of file scavenging and the specific concern on the sanitization of media. One can erase either free disk space or an entire disk. The application allows a user to overwrite with an alternating cycle of ones and zeros, and to repeat the cycle up to nine times on a single operation. Those users, who must sanitize or declassify media under specific national security specifications, should consult their appropriate information systems security policy directive for the authorization criteria to utilize the application for this purpose. I verified the functionality of the erasure on free disk space and on approximately a dozen disks. All operations were successful. Attempts to retrieve information with Mirror, Rescue, and several file editors were negative. k. The Backup application provides a multitude of user-defined options. It supports data compression, data verification, and automatic formatting. One can select either a full, incremental, or differential backup. An incremental backup checks the last backup (full or incremental) date and only backs up the files that have changed. Each incremental backup requires a separate set of disks. A differential backup checks the date of the last "full" backup and only backups up the files that have changed. Each differential backup can use the same set of disks/tapes over and over. l. Backup and restore operations performed as documented. I had no opportunity to attempt a restoration of a crashed hard disk from a backup set. I hope I never do. 5. Product Advantages: a. MacTools Deluxe offers an excellent seclection of applications in one program. 3 b. The documentation at version 1.2 was very good in my subjective novice opinion. 6. Product Disadvantages: As mentioned earlier, while the applications offer on-line help, one must read the documentation to avoid potential difficulties and to effectively utilize the most important features. 7. Comments: Open source literature identifies four major programs in the Macintosh disk and file recovery arena: MacTools Deluxe, 911 Utilities, Norton Utilities, and SUM II. MacWEEK in the September 18, 1990 edition has a product comparison of all four. [The opinions expressed in this evaluation are those of the author, and should not be taken as representing official Department of Army positions or a commercial endorsement.]