As mentioned earlier, cross-updating basically involves copying one or more files between machines and then incorporating these files into the existing remote database.

This is done in four steps:

1. The Premvet 5 software logs all management, clinical and laboratory work in a log file.

2. At a predefined time, this log file is passed to the Unix UUCP (Unix to Unix CoPy) utility. UUCP will handle all the intricacies of when to phone the remote site, how to talk to modems and how to send the data from A to B without losing anything.

3. At a predefined time, check for any work that has arrived from a remote site. If present transfer it to the area of the hard disk used by the Premvet 5 software.

4. The Premvet 5 software will take this work and add it to the appropriate record card.

As per:

This may seem a complicated procedure, but there are good reasons:

1. Unix is very security conscious. It will not easily allow outsiders access to your data. This is fine, except in the case of cross-updating - we want data to flow back and forward.

2. The vet software does not know how to transfer the information to a remote machine - Unix does.

3. Your machine has no idea where about the Premvet 5 software is located on the remote machines.