RED (Knowledge Dynamics) - Revision history

Jsummers: /* Software */

2026-03-20T17:50:55Z

‎Software

Jsummers at 16:56, 19 February 2026

2026-02-19T16:56:58Z

Jsummers at 18:28, 17 February 2026

2026-02-17T18:28:29Z

Jsummers at 18:34, 6 February 2026

2026-02-06T18:34:38Z

Sembiance: /* Sample files */

2024-02-16T20:06:18Z

‎Sample files

Jsummers at 19:19, 10 March 2023

2023-03-10T19:19:06Z

Jsummers at 19:17, 10 March 2023

2023-03-10T19:17:44Z

Sembiance: /* Sample files */

2022-05-09T17:29:51Z

‎Sample files

Jsummers: Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Archiving |extensions={{ext|red}} }} '''.RED''' is an installer-archive format, apparently associated with ''INSTALL'' for DOS, and..."

2021-05-16T19:14:35Z

Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Archiving |extensions={{ext|red}} }} '''.RED''' is an installer-archive format, apparently associated with ''INSTALL'' for DOS, and..."

New page

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Archiving
|extensions={{ext|red}}
}}
'''.RED''' is an installer-archive format, apparently associated with ''INSTALL'' for DOS, and maybe other software from Knowledge Dynamics Corporation (of Canyon Lake, Texas, later San Antonio).

The identifier "RED" is probably derived from "Reduce", which is the name of a software component and a proprietary compression algorithm.

== Identification ==
.RED files apparently start with bytes {{magic|'R' 'R' 0x01 0x29}}.

== Related formats ==
.RED is possibly the successor of [[LIF (Knowledge Dynamics)|.LIF]].

== Sample files ==
* [http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/software/IBM/DOS/PCBOARD/ BBS Software Directory: PCBOARD] → pcb153-*.zip → ...

== Links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19991110100412/http://www.install.com/install.htm INSTALL website (1999 archive)]

@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 ** Reduce v3.20.04: [{{DiscMasterURL|browse/43739/Shareware%20cdrom%20prog%2024.iso/DJ42NTA4.ZIP/REDUCE.EXE}}]
 ** Reduce v3.31: [{{DiscMasterURL|browse/29884/ibm2680-2689/ibm2687.tar/ibm2687/S-MW7101.ZIP/wire71.rar/CDROM/REDUCE.EXE}}]
 == Sample files ==

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 |formattype=electronic
 |subcat=Archiving
-|extensions={{ext|red}}, {{ext|lif}}, others
+|extensions={{ext|red}}, {{ext|lif}}, {{ext|001}}, ..., others
 }}
 '''.RED''' is an installer-archive format, apparently associated with ''INSTALL'' for DOS, and maybe other software from Knowledge Dynamics Corporation (of Canyon Lake, Texas, later San Antonio).
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 ''[This section contains unofficial information based on reverse engineering. It was written for the fileformats.archiveteam.org wiki.]''
-A RED archive is a sequence of member file structures, each with the following fields:
+A RED archive is a sequence of member file structures, each with the following fields. If a file is split over multiple volumes, each fragment has a header.
 {| class="wikitable"
@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 |4  || 4 || [[MS-DOS date/time|DOS time, date]]
 |-
-|8  || 4 || Compressed size
+|8  || 4 || Compressed size (of this fragment, for split files)
 |-
 |12 || 4 || Decompressed size
@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 |18 || 2 || CRC of decompressed data
 |-
-|20 || 2 || Segment number. The first segment is 1. Used with multi-part archives. This field is usually 0 for single-part archives.
+|20 || 2 || Fragment number, if the file is split over multiple volumes. The first fragment is 1. This field is 0 for files that are not split.
 |-
-|22 || 2 || "Is last segment" flag
+|22 || 2 || "Is last fragment" flag. This field is 1 for files that are not split.
 |-
-|24 || 2 || Compression scheme. 1 is uncompressed. See below for scheme 11.
+|24 || 2 || Compression scheme. Two schemes are known to exist. 1 is uncompressed. See below for scheme 11.
 |-
 |26 || 13 || Filename
@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 === Compression ===
-Compression scheme 11 compresses the data with [[LHA]]'s "lh5" scheme, then segments it. The compressed data is split into segments of 4094 bytes (fewer for the last segment), and a two-byte CRC (of the compressed data in the segment) is inserted at the end of each segment.
+Compression scheme 11 compresses the data with [[LHA]]'s "lh5" scheme, then segments it. The compressed data is split into segments of 4094 bytes (fewer for the last segment of each file or fragment), and a two-byte CRC (of the compressed data in the segment) is inserted at the end of each segment.
 === CRC ===

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 See also [[LIF (Knowledge Dynamics)]], the presumed predecessor format.
-== Identification ==
+== Format details ==
-.RED files apparently start with bytes {{magic|'R' 'R' 0x01 0x29}}.
+''[This section contains unofficial information based on reverse engineering. It was written for the fileformats.archiveteam.org wiki.]''
-The <code>0x29</code> byte value is probably for the header size, so it could theoretically be different in some files. But only the value <code>0x29</code> has been observed.
+A RED archive is a sequence of member file structures, each with the following fields:
 == Software ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:34, 6 February 2026
Line 14:		Line 14:

	The <code>0x29</code> byte value is probably for the header size, so it could theoretically be different in some files. But only the value <code>0x29</code> has been observed.		The <code>0x29</code> byte value is probably for the header size, so it could theoretically be different in some files. But only the value <code>0x29</code> has been observed.
		+
		+	== Software ==
		+	* Reduce - INSTALL Format Librarian (An interactive DOS utility)
		+	** Reduce v3.20.02: [{{DiscMasterURL\|browse/31341/Chip-Special_1996-03_CD-Service-3.bin/miro/pcm10/202711.zip/REDUCE.EXE}}]
		+	** Reduce v3.20.04: [{{DiscMasterURL\|browse/43739/Shareware%20cdrom%20prog%2024.iso/DJ42NTA4.ZIP/REDUCE.EXE}}]
		+	** Reduce v3.31: [{{DiscMasterURL\|browse/29884/ibm2680-2689/ibm2687.tar/ibm2687/S-MW7101.ZIP/wire71.rar/CDROM/REDUCE.EXE}}]

	== Sample files ==		== Sample files ==

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 == Sample files ==
 * [http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/software/IBM/DOS/PCBOARD/ BBS Software Directory: PCBOARD] → pcb153-*.zip → ...
-* https://telparia.com/fileFormatSamples/archive/redArchive/
+* {{DexvertSamples|archive/redArchive}}
 == Links ==
 * [https://web.archive.org/web/19991110100412/http://www.install.com/install.htm INSTALL website (1999 archive)]