Abstract: Apparatus for monitoring and displaying the activity of an information processing system, such as a central dictation system, having plural recorders, plural originating stations for supplying information jobs to be recorded on the recorders, and recovery stations for recovering information jobs from those recorders. The activity which is monitored and displayed includes the availability of respective recorders to receive information from originating stations, the lengths of information jobs which have been recorded and now await recovery, the expected recovery delay in recovering a new information job to be recorded on a recorder, and the number of information jobs in each recorder that are awaiting recovery. The apparatus includes a processor which senses the aforementioned activity and controls a video display for displaying same.

Abstract: Apparatus for connecting at least one recovery station to preselected ones of plural recorders in an information processing system to recover information jobs from those recorders. Indications of those preselected recorders to which the recovery station is to be connected are stored. Depending upon the criteria on which the recovery station is to be connected to the recorders (e.g. backlog of information jobs awaiting recovery or predetermined sequence), the appropriate one of the recorders is selected and connected to the recovery station. Upon completing the recovery of information jobs from the connected recorder, the next of the preselected recorders is selected in accordance with the aforementioned criteria.