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Text File | 1992-12-27 | 29KB | 624 lines

_ _ _ _ _ _ // // //| // // \// N E W S //_// // |// // /\\ Vol 2, Issue 6 - December 1991 R o u n d T a b l e (tm) Items of interest to participants of the GEnie Unix RoundTable The RoundTable SysOps are: Andy Finkenstadt....ANDY Rick Mobley.........LRARK Gary Smith..........GARS Brian Riley.........DELPHI All Unix SysOps.....UNIXSYSOPS$ We strongly encourage you to contact any or all of us if you have -ANY- comments or suggestions. This is -YOUR- RoundTable. We are here to make your participation as pleasant and beneficial as possible. ED: editor notes - net notes (GARS) Gary Smith -- Recently, for a very short time, GEnie posted a survey to determine the level of interest in a GEnie gateway to internet. I hope all of you responded to this survey who could. Whether you voted 'yes' or 'no' is important; but more important IMHO is informed opinion from those GEnie users most likely to understand and appreciate the implications that such global connectivity as access to internet grants. There is also an added burden of personal responsibilty I hope will not escape consideration by management and user alike. The Unix community is tightly bound to internet having spawned this tool in response to a need, which seems to be the underlying thread that is the essence of all Unix tools. Should GEnie include internet access in their growing list of services it is the Unix RoundTable users who will be looked toward to set the standard for conduct. The Unix RoundTable has long recognized internet as an extension of the operating system and has from the beginning provided bulletin board areas and library files to support this concept. If for some reason you have not had a need or desire to avail yourself of the mail and information access internet affords I invite you to examine the many tutorials available in our library as a first step toward global communication. I applaud GEnie for considering this additional service and for soliciting comment. We of the Unix RoundTable stand ready to assist should GEnie management swing open the gate. --------- UUCP/UseNet: (GARS) Gary Smith ----------- If you have not explored Usenet and are considering doing so, the following files are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING.: Number: 68 Name: INTERNET.ARC Address: J.JIMENEZ Date: 891202 Approximate # of bytes: 32760 Number of Accesses: 197 Library: 1 Description: I guess this is sort of a novice's intro to Internet. Interesting file. Keywords: INTERNET,INTRODUCTION,NOVICE --------- Number: 268 Name: NEWS_GROUPS.11.89 Address: GARS Date: 900211 Approximate # of bytes: 17640 Number of Accesses: 50 Library: 15 Description: list of news groups available on Usenet as of Nov 1989. Keywords: news,groups,usenet --------- Number: 921 Name: DOMAIN.INF Address: D.KOZINN Date: 900809 Approximate # of bytes: 7560 Number of Accesses: 77 Library: 15 Description: This file was originally written by myself as an explaination for some GEnie folks about how "net" mail gets from place to place. If you already know something about the internet, uucp, and domains, this file is probably too basic for you, but if you've ever wondered "What kind of an address is monymsys!david@vmp.com", this may help you to understand. Keywords: domain,uucp,internet,pathname,mail --------- Number: 1393 Name: NEWSMAN.ZIP Address: GARS Date: 910112 Approximate # of bytes: 54180 Number of Accesses: 96 Library: 15 Description: Usenet User's Manual, with access information, news groups, reading and posting, conventions ad etiquite. Keywords: usenet,yser,manual,access,use,reading,sending,news,groups --------- Number: 2376 Name: E-MAIL.GUIDE Address: GARS Date: 911115 Approximate # of bytes: 18688 Number of Accesses: 42 Library: 4 Description: John Chew's excellent guide, tutorial and reference for using various e-mail systems and how to gateway between them. Excellent and recommended. Keywords: e-mail,internetwork,gateway,guide,internet, CIS,MCI-Mail,Western,Union,peacenet --------- --------- Upload Contest Winner Announced (ANDY) Andy Finkenstadt, lead SysOp And new upload contest begins ------------------------------- The Unix RoundTable is proud to announce the winners of the November 1991 upload contest. Roy Bernstein posts his frequently updated source of information about the upper management of technical companies: where to reach them, who they are, what their phone numbers and fax numbers are, and the like. This is a valuable resource during the job hunt and for making contacts in other companies which may be doing the same kinds of things as you do in your daily job. Because Roy won both the "most bytes uploaded" and the "most files uploaded" contests, he will be awarded two free days of time in the Unix RoundTable for his enjoyment, days to be picked at his option. And the upload contest continues fresh in December. Here's your chance to win one or two days of totally free time in the Unix RoundTable. The file CONTEST.RULES contains the complete rules and regulations for the contest; it's only 5000 bytes and is a text file so you can look at it, download it, and print it out for safe keeping without requiring any other archiving programs. Let the best person win. --------- editor's note: If you wish to enjoy some free access time on GEnie, all you have to do is start sharing some of your public domain files. Non-prime time uploads are free time themselves - so share! Gary --------- EVENTS events worth noting ------ Upcoming subjects for Unix RoundTable Conferences ------------------------------------------------- Each week the Unix Roundtable Sysops are available in a real-time conference on Tuesday evenings at 9:30pm Eastern Standard Time for about an hour. Starting at the end of December we will be having specific subjects set aside as the topic for conversation and transcripts will be available from the library of the discussion. (The Unix RT Conference Transcripts can be found in the software library on page 160 item 2.) Tue Dec 31: New Years Predictions for Unix: where is it going to go in 1992? Tue Jan 07: What's in a shell? (Bourne shell, C-shell, Korn Shell, Born-again Shell, etc.) Tue Jan 14: General Help, Question & Answer Sessions. Concentration: communications to/from Unix computers. Tue Jan 21: Writing portable programs for all versions of Unix, and even MS-DOS. Tue Jan 28: General Help, Question & Answer Session. Concentration: coding practices in C. Tue Feb 04: Using commercial applications under Unix. (WordPerfect, Oracle, Lotus 1-2-3, XTree, and others) Tue Feb 11: General Help, Question & Answer Sessions. Concentration: getting information from the world, Usenet and other topics. Tue Feb 18: Building and installing your first Unix System. Experiences in making inexpensive computers. Tue Feb 25: General Help, Question & Answer Sessions. Concentration: installation and upgrading Unix systems, disk drives, and modems. --------- FAST and NASTY, DOWN and DIRTY: quick fix scripts that do something -------------------------------- Automating anonymous ftp: (GARS) Gary Smith The following script was snarfed off of UseNet comp.unix.shells, and gives a nice crisp way to automate ftp even further: In article <8381@bgsuvax.UUCP> kvrao@bgsuvax.UUCP (Dr K. V. Rao) writes: >I am looking for a shell that automate the following sequence every day >at a set time - >ftp to a site with a fixed userid and pw >upload a specified file from a directory >then quit ftp >edit the file to delete the text and save the file with one line. > >Repeat the process next day and every day at a given time. > >Thanks for your help in this regard. Please forward your replies to >kvrao@andy.bgsu.edu and I'll post the shell if there is sufficient >interest. > >K. V. Rao Nuts, it's far too short for summarizing and far too useful.. This little script has been posted previously (part of FAQ, anyone?) hence the post. Usage: ftpget <file> #! /bin/sh # ftpget -- script to automatically invoke ftp and get specified file PATH=.:$HOME:/usr/local/bin:/usr/ucb:/bin:usr/bin export PATH ftp -n <host> <<EOF user anonymous <passwd> binary cd path get $1 EOF exit 0 -- G. Roderick Singleton (gerry@jts.com), System and Network Manager, JTS Computers --------- Peripherally Speaking: Telebit setup (ANDY) Andy Finkenstadt --------------------- -- Synopsis -- Setting up the Telebit T2500 family modems for use with UUCP, Zmodem downloading, Xmodem uploading and downloading, and normal usage really is doable. Here's how. -- Theory -- The T2500 from Telebit Corporation (1-800-TELEBIT) is an excellent quality modem designed for fast data transfers between Unix (and many other) computers while providing backward compatibility for the more traditional modems using 2400 baud and below. In addition, the T2500 provides V.32 and V.42 capabilities which encompass some of the latest international standards for modem communications. V.32 is a "modem tones" 9600 baud standard, and V.42 is a link-layer error correction and detection software (but usually implemented in the hardware of the modem) standard. Two newer standards have recently been approved by the CCITT,the international telecommunications agency in charge of such things, called V.32bis and V.42bis. 'bis' means 'more' in latin, and indeed these protocols are more than their former predecessors. V.32bis encompasses "modem tones" with a modulation rate of 14,400 baud, and V.42bis encompasses two compression software standards including the MNP-5 (Microcom) and LAP-M (Hayes) ones. The new Telebit T3000 implements these newest standards but drops one important capability: PEP mode. -- Telebit's PEP -- Years before the CCITT came out with the draft (before-approval) standards the engineers at Telebit created a new method of transmitting data across normal voice-quality phone lines, called PEP mode. PEP stands for Packetized Ensemble Protocol and was (and still is) quite an advancement over the state of the art in modem communications for that time. PEP operates by using as much of the quality part of a phone line as it can and ignoring the unusable portions of it, whereas V.32 has just one way of transmitting data and cuts back on transmission speed to compensate for a poor quality phone line. A typical PEP connection will net about 14,500 bits per second of throughput, compared to 9,600 bits per second with V.32 and 14,400 bits per second with V.32bis - before compression. Both PEP and the V.32 standards benefit from the software data compression in MNP5, LAP-M, V.42, and V.42bis. Because only Telebit modems can use PEP without a license from Telebit Corporation (the PEP technique is patented), Telebit went one long step farther and added internal support for various file transfer protocols which allowed the modem to "spoof" the two connected computers into thinking the other computer is really fast and that it's okay to send more data to the other computer. The Telebit modem then talks to the other Telebit modem in its own faster method and sends the data across the phone line without errors. This results in orders of magnitude faster response time and file transfers - and since time is money when calling long distance, the modem pays for itself over the long term. -- The assumptions -- First, I run an Interactive UNIX 386 platform with 16 megabytes of RAM, 1,500 megabytes of disk storage, and a 24-port Equinox Megaport serial board. Because the Megaport handles high-speed serial communications excellently, I have chosen to fix (or lock) the transmission rate between the modem and the computer at 19,200 baud regardless of the actual modem connection rate. This requires either software (Control-S/Control-Q) flow control or hardware (CTS/RTS) flow control; flow control is designed to throttle back on the rush of data to match the effective transmission speed rather than the actual speed. Second, I use Chuck Forsberg's (GEnie mail: CAF) excellent serial communications package Pro-YAM which implements a full-featured script language (indeed, Chuck's bulletin board Telegodzilla is written entirely in Pro-YAM's script langauge) and many file transfer protocols including Xmodem, Ymodem, Zmodem, Kermit, CIS Quick B and B+, and many forms of ASCII transfer. Commands that I demonstrate below reflect usage of Pro-YAM. Third, I connect daily with GEnie via a local telephone call, with UUNET (Falls Church, VA) twice daily via a long distance call, and with a local BBS every month or so. -- Setting up the modem -- The first step to gaining 100% connectivity is to establish the settings in the non-volatile RAM of the Telebit modem. Using a program such as cu or tip (supplied with most versions of Unix) or Chuck Forsberg's Pro-YAM for Unix establish a connection with the Telebit modem. $ yam Yet Another Modem by Chuck Forsberg Copyright 1990 Omen Technology Inc All Rights Reserved 386/ix Unix Pro-YAM Version 1.2 TurboDial 2.33 Rev 10-11-90 S/N: 75232 <<<: port ttyaX (my modem lives on port 24) <<<: sp 19200 (and talks fast) Using ttyaX at 19200 b.p.s. <<<: t (talk to the modem) The first step is to reset the modem and set some parameters to reflect our setup: * 19200 baud fixed rate * RTS/CTS hardware flow control * Use compression during MNP connections * Allow non-MNP connections * Allow 60 seconds to connect to the remote computer * Make the modem be quiet except when responding to commands (important for incoming calls) <<<: t AT&F1 (reset to factory defaults) OK AT E0 V1 W0 X3 T Q4 S1=1 S7=60 S51=5 S52=2 S66=1 S68=3 S92=1 S95=2 S131=1 &W OK Now everything is ready except for the unix connection information. -- Setting up the Unix computer -- Using the sysadm command (or modifying /etc/inittab by hand) establish a uugetty on the modem port (if you want incoming calls answered) with a gettydefs definition for 19200 baud. Make sure to use the -r option otherwise you will never be able to call out - the uugetty will have already locked the modem down. Now, starting with the /usr/lib/uucp/* files, make sure the following lines occur in the corresponding files: #/usr/lib/uucp/Devices # automatic call unit, ttyaX is the port, ",M" says ignore the modem control lines # until after connection to the remote, use 19200 baud, use the tbfast Dialer, and # all tbfast needs is the phone Token. ACU ttyaX,M - 19200 tbfast \T #/usr/lib/uucp/Dialers # establish UUCP spoofing in the modem, the following line is ALL ONE LINE tbfast =,-, "" \M\dA\pA\pA\pAT\r\c OK\r \ ATS68=0S111=30S7=60S50=255S58=0DT\T\r\c CONNECT \m\c Now edit your /usr/lib/uucp/Systems file to contain the correct entry for the remote uucp system and that's all there is to it. -- In conclusion -- Setting up the Telebit modem takes some work, forethought, and understanding of asynchronous communications - but it is possible to have a heterogenous setup which works adequately with both dial up, dial out, and computer-to-computer communications. If you find that there are questions raised from this article, please feel free to drop by the Unix RoundTable's Bulletin Board Category 7: Communications and ask your questions in a topic there. --------- Telebit and the 3B1 (GARS) Gary Smith ------------------- The 3B1 OBM (On-board modem) and a Telebit TrailBlazer+ are a notoriously bad mix. The tone generated by the 3B1 OBM and the TB+'s phase locking mechanism work at odds with one another. In response to help on the bug, by M. R. Murphy came this super fix that all 3B1 users should file and save "JUST IN CASE". >[Friend has difficulty between 3B1's OBM and trailblazers] This C program, in addition to setting the line to tone dial (mine won't thru "normal" channels for some reason, sets PIOCOVSPD on the modem which permits it to talk to trailblazers. #! /bin/sh # This is a shell archive. Remove anything before this line, then feed it # into a shell via "sh file" or similar. To overwrite existing files, # type "sh file -c". # The tool that generated this appeared in the comp.sources.unix newsgroup; # send mail to comp-sources-unix@uunet.uu.net if you want that tool. # Contents: phfix.c # Wrapped by clewis@ecicrl on Mon May 6 00:57:58 1991 PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/ucb ; export PATH echo If this archive is complete, you will see the following message: echo ' "shar: End of archive 1 (of 1)."' if test -f 'phfix.c' -a "${1}" != "-c" ; then echo shar: Will not clobber existing file \"'phfix.c'\" else echo shar: Extracting \"'phfix.c'\" $1136 characters$ sed "s/^X//" >'phfix.c' <<'END_OF_FILE' X/* Sample program for bashing the OBM into tone dial and X setting PIOCOVSPD to permit talking to certain modems X (particularly telebits). X The documentation mentions 2.3% speed change for PIOCOVSPD. X That's all I know. X X You are free to do whatever you wish with this code, but X please leave this comment in. X X Chris Lewis, clewis@ecicrl.uucp, Jan 2 1991. X */ X#include <stdio.h> X#include <fcntl.h> X#include <sys/phone.h> X Xmain(argc, argv) Xint argc; char **argv; { X int f; X struct updata upd; X f = open("/dev/ph1", O_RDWR | O_NDELAY, 0); X if (f < 0) { X perror("/dev/ph1"); X exit(1); X } X ioctl(f, PIOCGETP, &upd); /* retrieve Phone parameters */ X upd.c_lineparam &= ~PULSE; /* reverse the sense to set to pulse dial */ X upd.c_lineparam |= DTMF; /* reverse the sense to set to pulse dial */ X X#ifdef NEVER X upd.c_feedback |= SPEAKERON; X upd.c_feedback |= LOUDSPK; X ioctl(f, PIOCDISC, &upd); /* apply PIOCOVSPD for talking to some modems*/ X#endif X X ioctl(f, PIOCOVSPD, &upd); /* apply PIOCOVSPD for talking to some modems, X eg: Telebits */ X ioctl(f, PIOCSETP, &upd); /* set phone parameters */ X} END_OF_FILE if test 1136 -ne `wc -c <'phfix.c'`; then echo shar: \"'phfix.c'\" unpacked with wrong size! fi # end of 'phfix.c' fi echo shar: End of archive 1 $of 1$. cp /dev/null ark1isdone MISSING="" for I in 1 ; do if test ! -f ark${I}isdone ; then MISSING="${MISSING} ${I}" fi done if test "${MISSING}" = "" ; then echo You have the archive. rm -f ark[1-9]isdone else echo You still must unpack the following archives: echo " " ${MISSING} fi exit 0 -- Chris Lewis, Phone: (613) 832-0541, Domain: clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca UUCP: ...!cunews!latour!ecicrl!clewis; Ferret Mailing List: ferret-request@eci386; Psroff (not Adobe Transcript) enquiries: psroff-request@eci386 or Canada 416-832-0541. Psroff 3.0 in c.s.u soon! Here is an interesting follow-up from Chris regarding implementation of PHFIX (the C progarm above) and comments about phfix and HDB on a 3B1... Dave Snyder wrote: |>[Mike Murphy's friend's failure to connect to a locked Telebit from the OBM] |I asked the same question about six months ago. Anyway, the bottom line is... |the OBM on a 3B1 will not connect to a Telebit if the modem is using locked |interface speeds. The only way for an OBM to connect to a Telebit is to have |the Telebit allow auto-bauding. Bruce Lilly wrote: |This is a well-known problem with Telebit modems (at least the TB+) when |operated with the interface speed locked. The Telebit puts out a |non-standard signal, which causes the 3B1's built-in modem to receive |garbage (the 3B1's OBM is rather intolerant of non-standard signals). |Telebit refers to this bug as "bit-shaving". |Your options are: |1) don't operate the Telebit's with interface speed locked |2) try to get Telebit to fix the problem (1-800-TEL-EBIT) (good luck) |3) trade in the Telebits for another brand of modem |4) use an external modem on the 3B1 which will accept the Telebit's | non-standard timing The phfix program I just posted solved Mike's friend's problem - I just got e-mail from him thanking me for it. I've been using it to connect to my feed (a Sun with a locked speed T2500) for about 5 months.The principle trick is the PIOCOVSPD ioctl.About 6 months ago someone posted something about a OBM utility that he was writing but hadn't finished and mentioned the PIOCOVSPD ioctl in passing, which is where I got the idea to try it. Thank you whoever you were. Phfix was written without docs (so I had to guess at the invocations) to solve the TB problem as well as for some reason the builtin software could no longer set the modem to tone dial. It could use some cleanup by someone who knows the right ioctl invocations. On my system I've installed the invocation of phfix in the /etc/rc near the end. It seems to work "permanently" - ie: it only has to be invoked once on boot. However, I seem to remember someone telling me that phfix will not work with HDB UUCP on the 3b1 because HDB clobbers the setting each time it starts. However, I've experimented a bit, and have found that you can invoke phfix *during* the uucico run to clear the problem. Ie: you start up uucico, and you notice that it's starting to alarm out - at this point you can invoke phfix and the uucico will resync and continue normally. So, you might be able to kludge in a mechanism by which phfix is invoked a fixed time after you've fired up uucico. Alternately, you could modify phfix into a "daemon" to sit quiescent, stat'ing (or access()) the LCK* file[s] for the TB sites every 30 seconds or so. Once it notices a LCK file for the site[s] that has the locked speed TB, then it starts PIOCOVSPD'ing the OBM every 10-15 seconds for 2 minutes. That oughta fix it without putting too much load on the machine. Alternately, those guys who seem to like doing binary debugging might want to work out a binary patch for HDB. I'll be installing HDB one of these days, so maybe I'll get to kludge phfix. Further, it may very well be that phfix will work "normally" even with HDB for incoming calls - because the uucico on the receiving side is unlikely to be as "violent" with its ioctls. If anybody alters phfix.c into a HDB daemon, or simply cleans it up, please let me know. BTW: My feed has informed me that he's set his TB to lock at 1200 when it calls my 3b1. He doesn't remember why he did that. But it is certainly locked at 9600 (or is it 19200 I disremember) when I call his TB. -- Chris Lewis, Phone: (613) 832-0541, Domain: clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca UUCP: ...!cunews!latour!ecicrl!clewis; Ferret Mailing List: ferret-request@eci386; Psroff (not Adobe Transcript) enquiries: psroff-request@eci386 or Canada 416-832-0541. Psroff 3.0 in c.s.u soon! --------- Why Modems Go Worng ..er.. wrogn: Comm humour (LRARK) Rick Mobley -------------------------------- snarfed off Usenet Traffic and the time to read it has been slow for me this month, but I did run across a couple of interesting notes to share with all of you. Read on: Geoff's Top Ten Causes of Lost Data in High Speed Modems: (Please forgive that this is in reverse order from 'normal' top 10 lists) (1) RTS/CTS handshaking not enabled in the modem. (2) RTS/CTS handshaking not enabled in the terminal program. (3) XON/XOFF handshaking not disabled in the modem. (4) XON/XOFF handshaking not disabled in the terminal program. (5) Cable does not support pins 4 and 5. (These next 3 are apply to PC-compatible systems only) (6) Swapping a 286 between real & protected mode causes lost IRQs. (7) Perstor ARLL controllers shut off IRQs during long transfers. (8) DOS 'multitasking' swaps comm program's serial driver out of memory (and can't put it back before another byte arrives). (9) Slow CPU or heavily loaded system can't handle incoming data rate. ... and, of course, the ultimate excuse: (10) God has decided that those computers talk just too damned fast. -- Geoffrey Welsh 606-66 Mooregate Crescent Operator, Izot's Swamp BBS Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2M 5E6 Data: (519) 742-8939 Voice: (519) 741-9553 root@zswamp.uucp, or [xenitec.on.ca|m2xenix.psg.com|nstar.rn.com]!zswamp!root A standard is a device by which we cause many things to fail in the same way. --------- --------------- REMINDER - This newsletter is being sent to you 'by request'. If you do not wish to keep receiving it, e-mail a stop notice to GARS. On the other hand, we would very much appreciate it if you would pass the word that we do distribute this item near the tenth (10th) of the month of issue to any- one on GEnie who requests it, and will gladly add any name that is requested via the same route... e-mail to GARS. P L E A S E also remember contributions are most welcome. Please e-mail items and/or suggestions to GARS. (EOF) Trademark and Copyright notices: Unix is a Trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc.; GEnie, LiveWire, and RoundTable are Trademarks of General Electric Information Services Company; Xenix and ms-dos are Trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; The contents of this newsletter are copyright (c) 1991 and may be copied whole or in part only if original credit is included. The GEnie UNIX RoundTable is not affiliated with AT&T or UNIX System Laboratories, Inc.