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IceZmodem File Transfer Protocol Documentation By Alan Caruana Copyright (C) 1994 IceSoft Software All Rights Reserved Documentation for Version Beta2 PLEASE NOTE Version Beta2 is a beta test copy and may contain bugs Please report ALL bugs to IceSoft Software Mail: IceSoft Software E-Mail: IceNET......: 3@1 or 3@2 215 Labelle Ave. WWIV/WW4net.: 3@12180 Blasdell, NY 14219 Internet....: Icefreezr@delphi.com IceSoft Software Support BBS: (716) 823-0424 (This BBS will be up in late July 1994) ----------------------------< Table of Contents >----------------------------- Introduction...: 1. Shareware Notice/License/Distribution 2. Disclaimer Description 3. What is included Getting Started IceZmodem Usage: 4. The IceZmodem Command Line 6. Hardware Requirements The IZMSETUP Program 7. IceZmodem Functions You Should Know: 9. TurboTrans Handshaking The 16550 UART Acknowledgements Appendixes....: 10. Appendix A: Freeing Your Memory 11. Appendix B: Error Messages 12. Appendix C: IceZmodem Command Line Examples Appendix D: Performance Appendix E: Revision History --- PAGE 1 -----------------< Shareware Notice >------------------------------ IceZmodem is distributed as an unregistered shareware product. This means that an unregistered copy of IceZmodem may be freely distributed to any individuals, businesses or organizations for evaluation purposes to decide if the product is worth purchasing. If you like IceZmodem and decide to use it, you must register (purchase) it. Using this shareware system, you will be able to try out the software before you make a commitment to purchase it. If you have paid any money for this program, it has gone to the distributor of the program and not to IceSoft Software. BENEFITS OF REGISTRATION (Purchase) """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Registration costs only $25 and will remove all annoying screens and sounds and will enable enhanced features such as extended system information and other future features. You also get telephone technical support. The best part is, $25 will register this and ALL future versions of IceZmodem. You will NEVER have to pay for an upgrade! To register, print the file REGISTER.FRM or send a check or money order of $25 to: IceSoft Software 215 Labelle Ave. Blasdell, NY 14219 ---------------------------------< License >---------------------------------- IceZmodem, although it is on this computer, is not the property of the owner of the computer. It is the property of IceSoft Software. It may be freely distributed as long as all files are intact in the original ZIP package. This distribution is for evaluation purposes only. Once it is established that the operator of the computer is going to use IceZmodem continuously, it must be registered. This applies to home, school, business or government use. An UNREGISTERED VERSION (as freely distributed) may be shared freely. A REGISTERED VERSION of IceZmodem may NOT be distributed. A registered version is for use on only ONE computer and may not be shared freely. If this program is to be used on more than one computer (such as in a school or business) then the copies should be purchased in volume or a site license should be obtained. Please contact IceSoft Software for more information on volume discounts and site licenses. -------------------------------< Distribution >------------------------------- The unregistered version of IceZmodem may be freely distributed unmodified in its original ZIP package. You may charge a fee of no more than $5 for distribution costs of IceZmodem. IceZmodem may not be bundled with any hardware or software unless written permission is obtained from IceSoft Software. IceZmodem program code and IceZmodem setup program may not be edited, modified, disassembled or reverse-engineered by any means whatsoever. IceZmodem documentation may not be modified, reproduced, edited or translated by any means whatsoever. --- PAGE 2 --------------------< Disclaimer >-------------------------------- IceSoft Software is not responsible for any damages to your computer as a result of using (or inability to use) IceZmodem. This includes loss of data, files, and disk drives. This also includes loss of profit, savings and other various damages aroused by the use of IceZmodem. IceZmodem is thoroughly tested on a variety of computer platforms before beta or initial release to perform as stated in the documentation. However, no warranty or guarantee may be stated due to the varying hardware systems the software will run on. -------------------------------< Description >-------------------------------- IceZmodem Protocol Engine Description: ------------------------------------- IceZmodem is a Zmodem protocol with all of the standard features such as variable block size, crash recovery, batch downloads and almost 100% compatibility with other Zmodem protocols. IceZmodem offers a few options to speed up transfer performance when it is connected to another computer running IceZmodem. These include: - Block size up to 2048 bytes (compared to Zmodem's 1024 byte block size) - TurboTrans (which reduces the overhead encountered with Zmodem) IceZmodem Protocol Extra Features: --------------------------------- When IceZmodem is connected to a standard Zmodem protocol: - You get one the most comprehensive status displays ever - You can shell out to DOS to run any standard DOS commands or programs (Transfer temporarily stops execution when programs are executed) - You can activate the screen saver to blank the screen during transfer - You can write or edit a text file while the transfer is in progress - You can play a digital MOD music file while the transfer is in progress When IceZmodem is connected to another IceZmodem, you can use all of the features listed above, plus: - You get information about the remote user including their name, protocol, version, and their location within the IceZmodem protocol. - You can chat with the remote user - You can get a page of system information about the local and remote computers. --- PAGE 3 ----------------< What is included >------------------------------ IZM.DOC - The IceZmodem documentation you are reading now IZM.EXE - The actual IceZmodem protocol IZMSETUP.EXE - The setup program which reads/writes the configuration to IZM.EXE. INSTALL.DOC - A text file that explains how to set up IceZmodem with many popular BBS systems and terminal programs. REGISTER.FRM - A text file that you can print out to simplify registration of IceZmodem IZM-U.BAT, IZM-D.BAT - Batch files for uploading and downloading files using IceZmodem. These batch files will work with most terminal programs, however you may need to modify the batch file. (Refer to INSTALL.DOC for more information) -----------------------------< Getting Started >------------------------------ IceZmodem can easily be configured to work with any BBS or terminal program. The command lines that are used to operate IceZmodem are similar to the popular DSZ external protocol. INSTALL.DOC contains instructions on how to set up IceZmodem with many popular BBS and terminal programs. Refer to this file now if you do not know how to get started with your particular BBS or Terminal program. Also, be sure to run IZMSETUP.EXE! (see page 6) --- PAGE 4 -------------< The IceZmodem Command Line >------------------------ IZM [OPTIONS] <File Transfer Type> <File/Pathname> OPTIONS (See Appendix C for examples on using IceZmodem) """"""" port - This tells IceZmodem what COM PORT you would like to communicate with. It can be any value from 1 to 4. You do not need to specify the port if you have already set up your default port in IZMSETUP and the default port is the one you would like to use. Specifying this option will override your default port in IZMSETUP, but it will NOT override your default address/IRQ nonstandard port in IZMSETUP. * Do not use the PORT option combined with the adrirq option * Below are the standard addresses and IRQs that IceZmodem recognizes when you specify the port command. If your address/IRQ is different than these, you need to use the adrirq option or set up your default address/IRQ in IZMSETUP. PORT 1: Address 3F8 Irq 4 PORT 2: Address 2F8 Irq 3 PORT 3: Address 3E8 Irq 4 PORT 4: Address 2E8 Irq 3 **** EXAMPLE FOR PORT: IZM port 2 adrirq - This tells IceZmodem the ADDRESS and the IRQ of your NONSTANDARD COM PORT if you have one. If upon examining the chart above, you do not find your port address/IRQ, you use this command to specify the address/IRQ of your port. It uses the syntax: adrirq address,irq This option will override the address/IRQ you specify in IZMSETUP * DO NOT USE ADRIRQ COMBINED WITH THE PORT OPTION * **** EXAMPLE FOR ADRIRQ: IZM adrirq 3F8,4 speed - This tells IceZmodem the speed (bits per second) that the COM PORT is operating at. If this option is not specified, IceZmodem will assume that the COM PORT is already set at the proper speed (which it always should be before IceZmodem is executed) and should work properly. **** EXAMPLE FOR SPEED: IZM port 2 speed 2400 --- PAGE 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------ flow - After the word flow, you may use SLOW or HARD. Specifying SLOW will cause IceZmodem to stop the sender from sending data during disk writes. This is good if the receiver is writing the file to a floppy disk or a slow hard disk. Specifying HARD will turn the hardware handshaking on. This means if the sender is sending data too fast and the receiver can't keep up, the receiver will tell the sender to stop sending data until the receiver catches up. ALL high speed modems MUST use flow hard. These options override the defaults that you specify in IZMSETUP. To make this plain and simple, if the receiver is writing to a slow hard disk or floppy disk, you MUST use flow slow. If you are using greater than 2400 bps, you MUST use flow hard. You may combine both flow slow and flow hard. See below: **** EXAMPLE FOR FLOW: IZM port 2 speed 2400 flow slow **** EXAMPLE FOR FLOW: IZM speed 19200 flow hard **** EXAMPLE FOR FLOW: IZM speed 38400 flow slow flow hard page - Use either PAGE ON or PAGE OFF to allow the remote to page you with a loud beep or not. This will override your default selection in IZMSETUP. If PAGE OFF is specified, the screen will flash on and off instead of making an audible noise. File Transfer Type """""""""""""""""" RZ - Use this to receive data. If you do not specify anything after the RZ, all files received will go into the current directory. After the RZ you may specify a pathname and/or a filename. If a pathname is specified, all files will go into that directory. If a filename is specified, all received files will be renamed to that filename. If a pathname AND filename is specified, all files will go into that path and be renamed to the filename specified. SZ - This is the command to send data. This command must always be followed by either: A filename: SZ program.zip A pathname: SZ c:\bbs\dloads\sysop\program.zip Many Names: SZ program.zip c:\bbs\log.txt a:\program.exe Wildcards : SZ *.zip File Lists: SZ @file.lst OR a combination of ANY of the above things. The File List at the end is an @ sign followed by a filename. In this file is a list of path/filenames to send - one on each line of the file. For example, if the file LIST.TXT contained the following: \PROGRAMS\QUADL10.ZIP \BBS\DLOADS\SYSOP\MAIL.ZIP IZM110.ZIP ...You could send all 3 of those files with the line: IZM port 1 speed 2400 sz @list.txt Environment Variables """"""""""""""""""""" If you set the environment variable DSZLOG equal to a filename, IceZmodem will create a DSZ-compatible log for programs which require it to run. Example: SET DSZLOG=C:\BBS\DSZLOG.TXT --- PAGE 6 ----------------< Hardware Requirements >------------------------- Processor: 8086 or better. You will need at least an 80286 to use the Digital MOD Music. DOS......: Version 3.0 or better. Any earlier versions will not work. IceZmodem has not been tested with Windows or OS/2 and will not work properly running under either platform. Memory...: At least 200k to transfer files. To play music, edit text files and shell to dos, you must have from 200k-300k. This amount of memory must be present on top of all the other memory taken by terminal programs or BBS systems. (See Appendix A for information on gaining more memory) Display..: Any display will work, but a color monitor is highly recommended. Optional.: Sound Blaster, Disney Sound Source, or a parallel port D/A converter for best sounding Digital Music. ----------------------------< The IZMSETUP Program >-------------------------- The IZMSETUP program included with the IceZmodem package lets you set up many of the default options in IceZmodem and sets several options which are not adjustable anywhere else in the program. I recommend that you run the IZMSETUP.EXE program when you first install your IceZmodem and whenever you upgrade to a newer version of IceZmodem. The configuration options are stored within the IZM.EXE file itself - eliminating the need for more files cluttering up your hard disk and causing more headaches. The only problem with this is that you will need to run IZMSETUP whenever you receive an IZM.EXE upgrade. When you first execute IZMSETUP, it will want to know where the IZM.EXE file is located. If it is in the current directory, simply hit enter otherwise tell it where it is. I am not going to document each option in IZMSETUP because there is already documentation within the program. I suggest that you go through each option and read what each option does and choose wisely. --- PAGE 7 -----------------< IceZmodem Functions >-------------------------- Alt-A - Abort File Transfer """"""""""""""""""""""""""" This will abort the file transfer and return an Exit Code of 1. F1 - Main Screen """""""""""""""" The main screen is the heart of IceZmodem. Here you will see how the transfer is progressing by the numerous indicators and graphs. Download/Upload Status Window """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" Block Size - This is the number of bytes that are transferred before a checksum takes place. The greater this number, the more efficient the transfer will be. IceZmodem uses 2048 byte blocks when connected to another IceZmodem. Standard Zmodem uses 1024 byte blocks. CPS - This stands for characters per second. Use this to determine how efficient your transfer is going. (2400 bps = 240 cps) TurboTrans - This tells wether TurboTrans is in use or not. (See page 10) Messages - Information about the transfers progress and remote user status appears here. Completion - A graph and a percentage that tells how complete the file transfer is. Method - Usually CRC-32 or CRC-16. Tells what method of CRC is being used to check each block. The CRC-16 method is barely faster and offers half the protection against data errors. Efficiency - A percentage that will tell how efficient the transfer is going. 99% is the highest ever obtained with IceZmodem. You can NEVER get 100% efficiency with error checking protocols due to the overhead that they add. Time Total - IceZmodem analyzes the rate of characters comming in to the computer to predict the total time of the transfer, giving IceZmodem the most accurate total time prediction of any protocol. Batch Status Window - This window contains the same as above with the exception that the Batch is the information on all the files you are transferring if you are transferring multiple files. User Status Window """""""""""""""""" User - The name of the person who is operating the IceZmodem Regs - Their registration name (if registered) Vers - The version of Zmodem or IceZmodem being used F2 - Chat """"""""" You may chat with the remote user on this screen. If they are not in chat, hit F10 to page them. When somebody is paged in IceZmodem, either a beeping noise will come out their speaker or (if the page is turned off) the screen will flash. Once both people are in chat, just type a sentence and hit enter. The message will appear in the upper window. --- PAGE 8 ------------------------------------------------------------------ F3 - DOS Shell """""""""""""" Using DOS Shell, you may execute any DOS commands or small programs without greatly disturbing the transfer. Whenever you execute a command or program in the DOS Shell, the file transfer temporarily stops and then resumes when the prompt reappears. Knowing this, you can execute small commands like DIR, RENAME, DEL, COPY, etc. and the transfer wouldn't be harmed at all. You can load small utility programs as well providing you dont remain in them for too long. I wouldn't recommend staying in any executable file for more than 15-25 seconds. Especially if you are paying for long distance charges. IceZmodem DOS Shell does not multitask. You cannot load up your favorite text editor and expect the transfer to continue. There will be a certain point where the buffer can no longer hold the incomming data and you will loose data. This wont affect the file you are transfering. F4 - Screen Saver """"""""""""""""" This will print the percentage complete in large numbers on a black screen. To exit it, hit F1-F7 or any other key. F5 - Text Editor """""""""""""""" This is a simple text editor that I threw in at the last minute to see if it could be done. There are some bugs in the text editor and I am going to completely re-write the text editor in a future version. Select a file to load. If you wish to create a new file, hit T and then type in a filename. If you get an error message, refer to Appendix B. The text editor can currently only load files 64k or less. The file must not contain more than 78 characters per line. When you are done editing the file, hit F9 to save it. If you dont want to save it, hit F8 to unload the text file. You must either save or unload the text file before IceZmodem will exit when the transfer is complete. F6 - Module Player """""""""""""""""" The Module Player will play Amiga Digital MOD music files. These should be available on one of your local BBSs or any information service. They are quite popular on many platforms these days, especially on the PC. You may play the files using a PC Speaker, a D/A converter, a Sound Blaster, or a Disney Sound Source. The PC Speaker provides very poor sound reproduction and some sort of additional hardware is required to hear true high fidelity sound. Assuming you have enough memory and you have correctly configured your sound device and sampling rate in IZMSETUP, you will now be able to select a file to play. If you get an error message, refer to Appendix B. You may adjust the MOD volume, turn channels 1,2,3,4 on and off and skip forward/backward in the song while it is playing. You can go to any of the other functions in IceZmodem and the MOD will continue playing (the sound will stop during DOS Shell) including System Info, text editor and Chat. The MOD Player may not work properly with LANtastic software or other Local Area Network Operating Systems. F7 - System Information """"""""""""""""""""""" This will present a page of system information about the local and remote computers. Find out what kind of computer that guy REALLY is using. Great for online technical support. Registered users can also view the remote device drivers, TSRs, and open file handles. Future versions will be expanded in this area even further. --- PAGE 9 --------------------< TurboTrans >-------------------------------- TurboTrans is a Zmodem speed booster which will enhance the efficiency of your file transfer from 2 to 4 percent over standard Zmodem. It does this by eliminating a 'feature' built into the original Zmodem standard. This feature will not allow certain characters to flow through to avoid problems with packet switching networks. These illegal characters must be sent as TWO legal characters. This adds a decent amount of overhead to the file transfer. When two IceZmodems are connected together they will usually be connected by a direct modem connection, not a packet switching network. Knowing this, IceZmodem will allow all but 2 characters to be sent through as one character. -------------------------------< Handshaking >-------------------------------- There are thousands of different types of PCs out there, and along with that, there are thousands of different speeds of PCs. Speed is dependant on not only the processor and computer architecture, but also the software that is running. For example, a memory manager slows down the speed of your PC by a noticeable factor. Because modems allow us to hook faster PCs up to slower ones, we need some way to let the slower PCs tell the faster ones that they are sending data too fast for them to handle. That is basically what Handshaking is. If the receiver cannot receive data as fast as the sender is sending it, it has to tell the receiver to stop. Handshaking is needed on ALL modems that run faster than 2400 bps. If you use 2400 bps, you don't need to read this (now). If you are using 9600 bps or faster, you MUST understand handshaking. There are two types of handshaking - hardware and software. All modems can use software handshaking, but IceZmodem doesn't because it is inefficient and adds overhead to the transfer, so lets ignore that for right now. Hardware Handshaking. Most high speed modems transmit the CTS/RTS (clear to send/request to send) signal on the phone line along with the data that is being transmitted/received. IceZmodem can manipulate this signal to tell the sender to stop sending data when the receiver cannot keep up. When the receiver catches up, it will resume the data transmission. So, if you are using a high speed modem, BE SURE to set HARDWARE HANDSHAKING to on - otherwise you will get a lot of errors in the data transmission. -----------------------------< The 16550 UART >------------------------------- If you are going to use over 9600 bps, I recommend you use a 16550 UART chip. This will eliminate a lot of errors and problems you may have down the road. You will be able to use over 9600 bps without a 16550, but in practice, it is not a good idea - especially on slower computers. -----------------------------< Acknowledgements >----------------------------- IceZmodem as it is today would not have been possible without the code that has been written by 1) the person who wrote the Source Code for Pascal Zmodem. There was no author listed in the public domain code. 2) Mark J. Cox who wrote the module playing routines. 3) Chuck Forsberg who developed the original Zmodem protocol which is pretty much the standard protocol for file transfers now. I would like to thank all Beta testers, including Jim Nunn and Mark Niedziela. And for support from God, Mom, and all IceZmodem users who support this product. --- PAGE 10 ----------< Appendix A: Freeing your Memory >-------------------- IceZmodem is by no means a memory hog - however, when you load up a 200k MOD file and a 50k text file and expect to shell to DOS you better have a sufficient amount of memory available! If you dont have at least 400k of free memory when you start up IceZmodem, your terminal program or BBS program is chewing up all your memory. To get around this, set your terminal program or BBS program to 'Maximum DOS Shell' or 'Shrink BBS' or 'Swap to Disk/EMS' or something to that effect. If your Terminal Program or BBS doesn't support a shrink feature, tell the author to include one. Most BBS and terminal programs have one nowadays anyway. --- PAGE 11 -----------< Appendix B: Error Messages >------------------------ Error 45 This error means you are trying to tell IceZmodem to use both a """""""" standard and a nonstandard COM port. You are probably using the PORT option on the command line when you already have an IRQ and ADDRESS set up in IZMSETUP. To get around this, set up a standard port in IZMSETUP and use the IRQADDR option on the command line. Another cause of this problem is trying to use the PORT and IRQADDR options at the same time. Cannot load file. The file size is greater than 64k! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" The text editor is currently limited to editing files 64k or less. This will be corrected in a future version of IceZmodem. Cannot load file. Line length is greater than 78 characters! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" The text editor is currently limited to editing files with a line length of 78 characters or less. This will be corrected in a future version of IceZmodem. You have reached the maximum text file size. No more data may be added! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" You are attempting to add more than 64k of data to a large text file. Not a valid ASCII text file! """""""""""""""""""""""""""" The text file cannot be parsed as a standard text file would. Either it is too intricate or it is not a text file. Cannot LOAD or CREATE the filename you have specified! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" An invalid filename has been specified. You may have accidentally typed in a pathname instead of a filename. Not enough memory to load file """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" You must free up some memory by closing an open text file or turn off a MOD file. If nothing is open, then refer to Appendix A - suggestions for gaining more free memory. Not enough memory to shell out to DOS! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" You must free up some memory by closing an open text file or turn off a MOD file. If nothing is open, then refer to Appendix A - suggestions for gaining more free memory. Not a 31 instrument MOD file! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" The MOD file that you are trying to load either 1) doesn't exist, 2) is not a MOD music file, or more commonly 3) Is an older 15 instrument MOD. If you run across a 15 instrument MOD, you will need to convert it to a newer 31 instrument MOD before it can be played with IceZmodem. This can be done very easily with the program MODEDIT by Norman Lin. Simply load the MOD into this program (as if you were going to modify it) and then save it. The resulting save will be a 31 channel version of your older 15 channel MOD. Runtime Error 005 """"""""""""""""" IZM.EXE cannot be modified by itself or IZMSETUP.EXE. You probably have the file attributes set to read-only or a network is not allowing write access. --- PAGE 12 ---------< Appendix C: Command Line Examples >------------------- IZM RZ - Will open the COM port specified in IZMSETUP at the baud rate that the port is currently at. It will then receive files and put them in the current directory. IZM port 1 speed 2400 RZ c:\downloads - Will open COM1 at 2400 baud and receive files into the directory C:\DOWNLOADS. IZM port 2 SZ F.TXT F2.EXE C.COM - Opens COM2 at the current baud rate and sends F.TXT, F2.EXE, and C.COM. IZM SZ @FILE.LST - Opens the COM port specified in IZMSETUP at the current baud rate. It then opens the file called FILE.LST and reads the path/filenames stored within and proceeds to send all files. IZM port 3 speed 9600 SZ *.EXE - Opens COM3 at 9600 baud and transmits all the files ending with EXE. IZM adrirq 3e8,2 RZ - Opens a nonstandard port located at address 3E8(hex) using IRQ 2. It then receives files into the current directory. IZM port 2 speed 57600 flow hard SZ C:\UPLOADS\START???.EXE - Opens COM2 at 57600 baud and turns hardware handshaking on. It will then send all EXE files in the directory C:\UPLOADS that begin with START. --------------------------< Appendix D: Performance >------------------------- System A System B """""""" """""""" 80386-33 80386-33 2400 bps Zoom 2400 bps Anchor Download of CRMEARTH.MOD from system A to system B No compression in DSZ, IZM, or modem hardware was used DSZ-DSZ with MobyTurbo = 237 Average CPS IceZmodem-IceZmodem with TurboTrans = 237 Average CPS The IceZmodem-IceZmodem had peaks of up to 238 CPS (99% efficiency) DSZ may have had these peaks as well but it doesn't report real-time CPS so it is not possible to tell. -----------------------< Appendix E: Revision History >----------------------- 6/1/1994 Version Beta1 - First public Beta Test Release 7/8/1994 Version Beta2 - Second Beta Test Release BUGS - Corrected too many bugs to mention here (over 30) FEATURES - Added large number percent complete in Screen Saver - Added extended system information