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Understanding iDAT
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Technology
Understanding incremental .DAT files
To function at peak efficiency, VirusScan software needs regular infusions of
new virus definition data files (.DAT files). Without them, the software might
not detect new virus strains or respond effectively to remove the threat from
your system. Prior versions of the AutoUpdate utility required you to
download and install the entire virus definition package each week. That
package has grown steadily in size with each new virus definition addition
and now includes more than 50,000 virus definitions.
With this VirusScan release, McAfee introduced a new incremental virus
definition (.DAT or iDAT) technology that consists of small parcels that
contain only the virus definitions that have changed between weekly .DAT file
releases—not the entire .DAT file set. Instead of a weekly 3
file update, you can now download iDAT parcels that range in size from 100
to 110
development means that you can download .DAT file updates much faster,
and at a far lower cost in bandwidth, than ever before.
Better still, the AutoUpdate utility makes this process completely transparent
—it will download as many incremental .DAT files as it needs to bring your
software up to date. If your .DAT files are older than the backward range of
iDAT packages available, or if an iDAT download fails for any reason, the
utility will download the entire current .DAT file package. In either case, the
AutoUpdate utility ensures that you have absolutely current .DAT files to
protect your system, without the need to worry about which files to download.
Simply point the utility to an update source, schedule a time for the
AutoUpdate task to run, and let the utility do its work.
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Product requirements
To download and install iDAT parcels, you must have VirusScan v4.5 or later
anti-virus software along with the corresponding AutoUpdate utility, and you
must have already upgraded your Olympus scan engine to v4.0.50 or later.
Incremental .DAT files do not work with earlier product or engine versions.
, depending on how many virus definitions come included. This
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IMPORTANT: Incremental updates apply only to .DAT files. McAfee
does not provide incremental updates for scan engine files. To update
your engine files, use the SuperDAT utility. The SuperDAT utility will
download and install only full .DAT file updates.
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or larger .DAT
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User's Guide
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