ultrix man page for dots

DOTS(5) 							File Formats Manual							   DOTS(5)

Name
       DOTS - Data Object Transport Syntax (DOTS) files

Description
       Data  Object  Transport	Syntax	(DOTS)	is  DDIS/ASN.1 encoding for encapsulating the encoded interchange form of a number of related data
       objects.  Data objects must be related by having embedded references to other objects in the same  DOTS	encapsulation.	 Typically,  these
       embedded  references depend on the storage address (for example, filename) of the referenced object.  Therefore, when the referenced object
       is moved from one location to another, the storage address must be updated.

       The purpose of DOTS is to allow composite data objects to be moved from one location to another as a single object and to allow the  neces-
       sary storage reference to be updated as part of the process.

       The  primary  use for DOTS is moving multifile compound documents in which one DDIF or DTIF file may have reference data stored in a physi-
       cally separate file.  Mail is a major vehicle for moving DOTS objects.

       The commands and are used to pack and unpack DDIF and DTIF files.  The commands can also be used to copy a related  set	of  DDIF  or  DTIF
       files, or both, from one location to another.

See Also
       ctod(1), dtoc(1), DDIF(5), DTIF(5), DDIS(5), CDA(5)

																	   DOTS(5)