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ICEX - In Command of PcPursuit...
Copyright 1987,1988,1989
A communications package for use with GTE Telenet's
PcPursuit service
Wayne Wolf
Wolfpack Programmers
Wolfpack Programmers
Wayne Wolf
3983 NW 87th Ave.
Sunrise, Florida 33351
UUCP: ...!uflorida!beach.cis.ufl.edu!ww
ARPA: ww@beach.cis.ufl.edu
BBS via The Right Place @ GAATL, 476-2607
E-Mail: Interlink Communication conference
Introduction
0.0 Note.
Note that this document is ported from release 2.05 since
release 2.06 is mostly a bug fix release.
Check History.ICE to see what bugs were swatted.
1.0 What is PcPursuit?
PcPursuit is a packet-switching service provided by GTE
Telenet for PC users. It is basically a long distance service for
modem users. It allows users to connect to major cities across the
nation with their modem and call any BBS, database, mainframe, or
even your best friend. PcPursuit is provided for a flat rate of
$30 per month for 30 hours of usage. After the 30 hours cap, it
becomes $4.50 per hour for the next 30 hours and increases after
that cap. It is cheaper by far than regular telephone rates.
1.1 What is ICEX?
ICEX is a communication package for the IBM PC and close
compatible PcPursuit user. It is designed to be used in conjunction
with your favorite communications package such as Procomm+ or
Qmodem-SST, though ICEX can be used as a standalone if desired.
ICEX is basically a very fancy PcPursuit dialer that acts as an
extension to your communications package. When invoked, ICEX
assumes command and will allow the user to connect to a desired city
and desired BBS with only a few keystrokes.
The user can instruct ICEX to dial whichever target cities
he/she desires and ICEX will proceed to dial these cites in a queue
fashion (one after the other, repeating the sequence) until a city
responds with a connection. ICEX will then present the user with
the appropriate BBS dialing directory for the city connected to and
allow the user again to mark the BBSs he/she wishes to dial. Again,
ICEX will dial in a queue fashion until a connection is established.
Once a connection is established, ICEX will pass command back to the
calling program (Procomm+, Qmodem, etc.) where file transfer, data
capture, and other functions can take place.
1.2 Why ICEX?
If you have experienced the woes brought about by repeatedly
banging out your target city mnemonic, username and password only to
receive that wonderful " BUSY 01 80 " response you will appreciate
the utility of ICEX.
There are many other utilities that also cure these woes such
as scripts and macros. Macros usually lack in that even though the
user's target city, username, and password are defined, one has to
repeatedly tap the key for each time a BUSY response is received.
This is slow and inefficient and besides wearing down the keyboard,
is a waste of time that could be spent doing other things while
waiting for a connection. Scripts are the answer to this dilemma
since they run by themselves with little or no user intervention but
they also have their own deficiencies. Scripts are severely limited
in their language. Many languages do not support a handy-dandy
means for implementing a queue dialer. Many lack in appealing
screen displays. And all are SLOW! This is due to their
interpreted nature. ICEX solves all these problems and pushes far
ahead with its speed and best of all it is designed fairly
generically so it can be used with your favorite comm package.
Another appealing feature of ICEX is that the user need not have any
knowledge of script programming. ICEX also appeals to the neophyte
PcPursuit user because it does all the work and the user need not
know PcPursuit's command syntax.
1.3 Features of ICEX version 2.06
∙ Can be invoked from a "calling program" such as Telix,
Procomm or Qmodem, or used as a Stand-Alone
∙ Features a simple ANSI terminal
∙ Allows user configuration
∙ Features circular dialing queues
∙ Allows users to add, delete, and maintain dialing directories
for cities, direct connects(DAFs) and BBSs
∙ Allows mixing cities and direct-connects in ONE dial queue
∙ Allows up to 99 directories for each city, 150 entries each
∙ Keeps active statistics for each dialer (date/time of connect)
∙ Supports both Racal and Hayes modes (on target city modems)
∙ Supports both 1200 and 2400 baud access
∙ Supports 7E1, 8N1, and 8N2 protocols (data,parity,stop)
∙ Supports Com1-Com4 and baud rates of up to 38400 though at
present only 1200/2400 baud are useful
∙ Script Chaining ability for automatic logins
∙ Automatic connected-city detection, Carrier detection,
and com port settings.
∙ Provides a friendly user oriented menu/window environment
∙ And best of all, it lets YOU get the MOST out of your monthly
$30 PcPursuit fee
1.4 Files of ICEX (in ICEX206.ZIP)
o ICEX206.EXE -> the executable program
o ICEXGEN.EXE -> the icex206 script interface generator
o 3to6.EXE -> dialing directory convert utility
o 4_5to6.EXE -> ''
o ICEXTOOL.EXE -> a tool for converting ICEX 2.06 dirs to ASCII
and vice-versa.
o ICEX206.DOC -> what you are reading right now
o HISTORY.ICE -> revision history of ICEX
o IC.BAT -> batch file for your comm program to invoke
ICEX206
o CONV3-6.BAT -> batch file to convert ICEX203 dirs to ICEX206
o CONV4-6.BAT -> batch file to convert ICEX204 dirs to ICEX206
o CONV5-6.BAT -> batch file to convert ICEX205 dirs to ICEX206
o CITY.LIS -> City dialing directory
o DC.LIS -> Direct Connect dialing directory
o GENERIC.SCR -> Generic script for script-chaining
o REGISTER.FRM -> Registration form
o README.1ST -> A MUST READ for registered users of ICEX
o DIR.FMT -> Discusses the format of the ICEX 2.06 dialing
directories.
A companion archive can be downloaded as well which will
contain pre-generated dialing directoris for each city.
It is named DIRS-206.ZIP. Contents are:
∙ *.206 -> dialing directories for each city
1.5 Distribution
ICEX is intended to be distributed ONLY in its archived form.
Please help support the ShareWare concept and assist in distributing
ICEX by uploading ICEX206.ZIP and DIRS-206.ZIP to your favorite
BBSs.
1.6 Credit where credit is due
I would like to thank the following persons for assisting with
ICEX in the areas of testing, distribution, super ideas and
moral support:
Roger Sligar (BBS: 404-476-2607) GAATL
Joe Hyland (BBS: 813-968-6220) FLTAM
Dr. File Finder
Tandy Way (BBS: 813-886-0284) FLTAM
Mark Findlay (BBS: 202-488-4709) DCWAS
Bob Brody
And I would like to thank all of you who support ICEX and have
registered your copy.
Registration and Trial Usage
2.0 ICEX is ShareWare...
ICEX is distributed under the ShareWare concept and is
copyrighted to protect the author's many hours of work. It is
a try-before-you-buy package and you are granted a limited license
to use ICEX for a trial period. There is no limit to your trial
period though it is assumed you will have decided if ICEX is
suitable for your needs within a few weeks usage. Usage beyond a
trial period requires registering your copy. Please help support
ShareWare authors by registering your copy of ShareWare programs.
2.1 Registration
ICEX is not free. It is however left up to you to decide
whether or not it suits your needs and whether you should pay for
it. ICEX was written to assist PcPursuit users and to free up time
that could be spent doing other things while waiting for a
connection. Please register your copy of ICEX.
Registration is $30 which is only 1/12 of what you pay PcPursuit
for a year's usage. Registration entitles you access to the ICEX
support BBS (The Right Place, 404-476-2607) and places you into the
registered users conference, which allows you access to all updates,
additions, enhancements, and bug-fixes to ICEX. Registration also
allows you to receive a registration ID which can be used to configure
ICEX for registered features.
Note: In this release (2.06) registration will automatically register
you for version 2.10 (see ICEX ver 2.10 features below). Version
2.10 will possess this ID # scheme and registered users will be
informed on how to install their number.
The registration form is on the following page. Please use the
form for registering as it makes keeping files on registered users
much easier to process. Thank you.
ICEX206 - In Command of PcPursuit , External version, revision 2.06
(pre-registration for revision 2.10)
Registration Form
Name ____________________________________________
Address ____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Home Ph _____________________ BBS Ph ____________________
Bus Ph _____________________
Where did you get ICEX206 from (BBS name, phone number, etc.)?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Amount of Registration ($30 per copy) _____________________
Fla. Resident State Sales Tax (6%)_________________________
Total______________________________________________________
Date Registered ___________________
====================================================================
Comments/Suggestions ( ALL comments and suggestions are welcome! )
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
*** Please make checks payable to Wayne Wolf
Mail to Wayne Wolf, 3983 NW 87th Ave, Sunrise, Fl. 33351
*** ICEX version 2.10 ***
Version 2.10 will come out soon! It is a complete rewrite of
ICEX which will be more of a professional package. It will
contain a completely new user interface and will look totally
different. It will sport many new features as well. Most of
these features will be available to registered users only.
They are all 'niceties' and not essential to the functioning
of ICEX. This means that if you are an unregistered user, ICEX
will still do all of the things you need.
Registered user features of ICEX 2.10 (incomplete) :
o ICEX will be Desqview aware. This means that ICEX can
run inside a Desqview window without infiltrating other
windows.
o ICEX will allow the user to completely configure the colors
that it ues for it's output to the screen.
o ICEX will keep a log of activity for the user. This is
exceptionally useful now for the PcPursuit user since Telenet
has placed a usage cap on PcPursuit. ICEX will record your
usage and allo you to generate reports so you can compare with
Telenet against their billing for your usage. ICEX will keep
two sets of statistics. It will time all activity itself
using the CPU clock, and will keep another time log based on
Telenet's usage messages ICEX receives from PcPursuit.
This allows you to make sure you don't go over your 30 hour
cap and will tell you just how much you owe if you do indeed
go over. This log will most likely be most accurate when
using ICEX as a standalone, or with Telix. There is a
problem in communicating the connects and disconnects to the
log file since ICEX and the caller can both perform these
connections/disconnections without the other knowing it.
Telix provides a powerful enough script language that this
communication can be assisted.
o ICEX will possess a DSZ Zmodem file transfer hook. This
allows you to execute DSZ from within ICEX to transfer
your files.
o Other expectations include a 'smarter' terminal that will
have many file-xfer protocols, a data-capture buffer,
any many features you see in conventional comm programs.
Getting Started
3.0 ***READ THIS***
Save your current version 2.03 directories (.DIR) in a
safe place, like a zip file (MY203s.zip). When
ICEX 2.10 comes out there will be a utility that will
utilize the information in those directories to create
BBS login scripts, which will be used in Script Chaining.
See below for an explanation of Script Chaining.
3.1 Installing ICEX on a Hard Disk System
For ease of explanation, it will be assumed your hard drive has
the name C:. It is also assumed that you have UnZip by Phil Katz
available for use.
a) go to your root directory -> cd C:\
b) make an ICEX directory -> mkdir ICEX
c) put in the necessary files -> PKunzip DIRS-206 C:\ICEX
(this puts all .LIS and .DIR files into your new dir)
d) change to your comm directory i.e -> cd \Telix
e) extract the remaining necessary files -> PKunzip ICEX206
3.2 Installing ICEX on a Two Floppy system
For ease of explanation, it will be assumed you have a blank
unformatted disk in drive B: and a disk containing the zip file
ICEX206.ZIP and the file PKunzip.exe in drive A:. You are also
assumed to be in drive A:. You also must have your favorite comm
package diskette on hand (Procomm+ disk for example).
a) put ICEX support files on blank disk -> pkunzip DIRS-206 B:
b) remove ICEX disk from B: and replace with your comm disk
(Procomm+ diskette) and extract remaining files
-> pkunzip ICEX206 B:
3.3 First usage / initializations
a) Go to your comm directory
If you are a hard drive user i.e -> cd \Telix
If you are a floppy user, put comm
disk in drive A:, support disk
in drive B: -> A:
b) Invoke ICEX206 -> ICEX206 -d
c) You will be put into the user configuration menu, because you
don't have a configuration file yet
d) Configure ICEX to be specific for your usage
(see section 6.7, User Configuration)
e) Select option #3 (Support dir Pathname)
f) enter -> hard disk users --> C:\ICEX\
floppy users --> B:\
g) tap ESC to save the changes and go to the main menu.
h) type 'E' to exit ICEX and return to DOS
Now you are ready to begin using ICEX...
Converting ICEX directories
4.1 What is 3to6? (4_5to6 also)
There is a convert utility provided with ICEX206 that will do
the trick for you called 3to6. This utility will convert your
old BBS dialing directories from ICEX203 format to those readable by
ICEX206. The ver. 2.06 format is NOT compatible with ver 2.03.
4.2 Using 3to6
To use 3to6 you simply type 3to6 followed by the .DIR
file you wish to convert, followed by an optional new name for the
directory. *** An important note is that you add a number suffix
to the new directory name or ICEX206 will NOT recognize it. For
example, the Atlanta directory must be GAATL-1.DIR and not simply
GAATL.DIR. The reason is because this allows ICEX206
to handle more than one BBS dialing directory per city. This also
allows you to take dialing directories that others have been
distributing for ICEX and give them their own separate number
suffix. Another important note is that each successive directory
must have the next inorder successive number (the second Atlanta
directory must be GAATL-2.DIR, the next GAATL-3.DIR, and so on).
A more precise explanation and examples will follow. Note that if you
leave off 'optional' new name for the converted .DIR file then the
original name is kept.
3to6 usage -> 3to6 old_name <new_name>
<> = optional
examples: 3to6 GAATL-2.DIR GAATL-1.DIR (old #2 dir -> new #1 dir)
3to6 GAATL-2.DIR (new name is still GAATL-2.DIR)
Starting ICEX
5.0 Command line options
There are currently five command line options, namely
they are -> d , i , m, a, e
-d -> ICEX206 -d causes ICEX to NOT drop the DTR upon
exit (doesn't hangup the phone). This is
the desired command line if you are using
another comm program with ICEX.
-i -> ICEX206 -i causes ICEX to go into the user
configuration section, for setup
-m -> ICEX206 -m Force ICEX to output everything in Monochrome.
This is useful for The Plasma screens for
portables.
-a -> ICEX206 -a This calls ICEX in 'automatic' mode. This is
explained under AUTOMATIC MODE below.
-e -> ICEX206 -e This causes ICEX to use MNP on Telenet's modems.
Note that options can be used together, i.e. ICEX206 -d -m -a -e
5.1 Invoking ICEX as a standalone
To call up ICEX you simply type -> ICEX206
Now proceed to section 6.1, After Invocation
Starting ICEX (cont'd)
5.2 Invoking ICEX from a calling communications program.
There are few ways to invoke ICEX206 while using your favorite
comm package. There are four in particular and they will be
described briefly in this section and you will be referenced to
another section for more detailed information specific to your
communications package (Procomm+,Telix,GT Power,Qmodem,
Boyan, etc.).
5.2.1 Calling ICEX directly
This method assumes your comm package has a means for
"executing" external programs (Procomm+ ALT-J). The
specific details for each comm program can be found under
section 7.1, Calling ICEX Directly.
5.2.2 Shell to Dos
This method involves calling up DOS (shell) and then
calling the batch file IC.BAT from DOS. See section 7.2
for details on how to call DOS from your comm program
5.2.3 Calling ICEX from a script
This method involves using the scripts generated by the
script writer program included in the package. See
section 7.3, and section 8, ICEX and Scripts.
5.2.4 Exiting your comm program and calling ICEX
You may not have enough memory for the other three methods
to work so you simply exit your comm program (without
dropping the carrier).
Next you call ICEX with the command -> ICEX206 -d
And when ICEX has done its job it will exit back to DOS at
which call up your comm program again.
Using ICEX
6.1 After Invocation...
After starting ICEX you will be given an introductory screen at
which you merely hit any key. ICEX will then attempt to determine
if you are:
a) connected to PcPursuit, or
b) already connected to a city, or
c) have no carrier, or
d) if it cannot correctly open the comm port
e) your modem forces the carrier when there really isnt one
a) If you are connected to PcPursuit and are at the "@" prompt then
ICEX will deposit you automatically into the City Dialer from which
you can dial target cities, see section 6.3, City Dialer.
b) If you are already connected to a city then ICEX will
disconnect from the city to determine which one it was connected
to, and then immediately reconnect. At present, Telenet does not
provide a method to detect current city. Please voice to them
your opinion! Ask them to incorporate into their software a
method for determining the currently connected city.
c) you will be placed into the main menu, you should either exit
back to the calling program and dial your local number and log
into Telenet or else go to the Dumb Terminal (choice D) and hit
the function key F2, which will dial your local number and log in
for you. See sections 6.2 and 6.6, Main Menu and Terminal
respectively.
d) If this is the case, then most likely you have told ICEX to use
com2 when you only have com1 working or something of that order.
If you get this error and cannot figure out the source of the
problem do not hesitate to get in touch with me and we'll work
on the solution.
e) ICEX will tell you it is connected to something and cannot tell
what. Simply hit the spacebar to go the the main menu. Then
select 'T' for the terminal mode. Hit F2 tw dial your local
Telenet numbe; and after it logs you in, hit F10 to return to
the main menu. Next hit 'c' to enter City dialer and you're off.
6.2 Main Menu
The main menu gives you six choices. You can maneuver through
the main menu with arrow keys and pressing <RETURN> when your choice
is highlighted. ICEX also supports "quick-key" entry where you can
simply press the first letter corresponding to your choice.
The main menu appears as follows:
First Letter Choice
|==== ICEX206 Main Menu ===|
| City Dialer | C or c
| BBS Dialer | B or b
| Direct Connect Dialer | D or d
| Terminal | T or t
| User Configuration | U or u
| Exit | E or e
|==========================|
and upon entry, "City Dialer" will be highlighted. You can use the
arrow keys to move the highlight bar up and down, pressing <RETURN>
on your choice or you can simply tap the first letter of your
choice. The appropriate letters appear on the side of the menu
above. The functions of each of the menu choices will be explained
in detail under their appropriate sections (6.3 - 6.8).
6.3 City/Direct-Connect Dialers
The city dialer is the circular queue dialer that will dial
your choice of PcPursuit accessible cities at either 1200 or 2400
baud. The direct connect dialer allows the user to dial his/her
choice of direct connects supported by PcPursuit, such as PORTAL,
PURSUIT, EXECPC, etc. The dialers allow the user to perform many
functions and provides an informative display.
6.3.1 Dialer Display
The top part of the dialers' displays appear as follows
and each column is described below:
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
|=========================== City Dialer ==========================|
| AZPHO Phoenix, Arizona None 04-01-88 18:45 |
| .. .. .. .. .. |
| .. .. .. .. .. |
|+CODEN Denver, Colorado .. 04-01-88 19:22 |
| CODEN (2400) # Denver, Colorado .. 04-02-88 23:59 |
| .. .. .. .. .. |
| .. .. .. .. .. |
| PURSUIT * The Net Exchange .. 04-05-88 09:35 |
| .. .. .. .. .. |
| .. .. .. .. .. |
| WASEA Seattle, Washington .. 04-05-88 22:52 |
|==================================================================|
[1] Dialing Queue Tag ( '+' = in queue , ' ' = not in queue)
[2] City/Direct-connect mnemonic
[3] Baud rate (blank if 1200, (2400) if 2400)
[4] Description (name of city or direct-connect) (** see note)
[5] Script to chain to upon connection (n/a for City dialer)
[6] Date of last connection
[7] Time of last connection
** Note: In column 3, description, there are two "exceptions" which
are designated by having the FIRST character of the description be a
special symbol. There are currently two such exceptions and are as
follows:
# = This city is 2400 baud
* = This is a direct connect, not a city
6.3.1 (cont'd)
Note that the display presented above is for the City
Dialer, but the Direct Connect Dialer is exactly the same but does
NOT support and special character exceptions (like # and *) and
furthermore ALL entries must be direct connects.
The bottom part of the display simply gives the available
commands and will not be shown here. The commands however will be
described in detail below. Note that all commands respond to either
upper or lower case, and if a "*" appears to the left of any choice
on the screen, that choice is unavailable to the user.
6.3.2 Dialer Command Summary
[arrow keys] = The arrow keys move the highlight bar up and
down the dialing directory
[pg-up/pg-dn] = The page-up/page-down keys allow the user to
display the dialing directory by pages
[ESC] = The escape key exits the dialer and returns to
the main menu
[<ENTER>] = The enter key starts the dialer, see section
6.3.3 below, Dialer in action...
[SPACEBAR] = The spacebar will toggle (tag or untag) the
currently highlighted entry for entry into the
dialing queue. A plus (+) will appear to the
left of any entry that is tagged for dialing
[A] = Add an entry to the dialing directory
[D] = Delete an entry from the dialing directory
[K] = Kill currently highlighted entry from the directory
[E] = Edit the currently highlighted entry (see section 8,
Autologins)
[C] = Clear Queue (clears all tags)
[T] = Tag all entries (sets all tags)
[S] = Switch sorting, will switch from sorting the
directory by field [2] to sorting by field [3], or
vice versa
[H] = Hang-up city, disconnects from current city, allowing
the user to dial another city
[1] = Set modem settings to 7E1
[2] = Set modem settings to 8N2
[N] = Set modem settings to 8N1
6.3.3 Dialer in Action...
To start the dialer simply presses the <ENTER> key from the
dialer menu. The dialer will change screen to a window that will
display the input and output going to/from the modem. All tagged
entries will be dialed in order.
The dialer will set its parameters to 7E1 for dialing purposes so
the responses are intelligible to the viewer. The dialer recognizes
PcPursuit error codes (REJECTING, NOT OPERATING, etc.) and acts
appropriately to those. The dialer will continue to dial as long as
it receives BUSY signals and until it receives a CONNECT message.
The user can abort dialing by pressing the ESC key.
Once a connection is established with a target city you will be
placed into the appropriate BBS dialer for that city. If it is a
DFA, then you will either be returned to your calling comm program
or placed into the Terminal mode of ICEX (if you are using it as a
Stand-Alone). See section 6.4 for details on BBS dialers.
6.4 BBS Dialers
The BBS dialer is the circular queue dialer that will dial
your choice of BBSs accessible from the currently connected city.
The construction very closely resembles the city dialer but performs
different dialing specifics. One can have up to 99 different
dialers per city by using the [M] command to make new directories.
Each directory is limited to 150 entries. The dialers allow the
user to perform many functions and provides an informative display.
6.4.1 Entry into BBS Dialers
There are three methods for entry into the BBS dialer. The
first is from the main menu. If you enter from the main menu you
will be presented with a window displaying all the current cities
that ICEX knows (this info is retrieved from CITY.LIS). It will
display as many as will fit into the window and will highlight the
first city in the window. You can maneuver through the list with
the up/down arrow keys, and you can scroll the remaining cities
into the window. To select the desired city's BBS dialer, you
simply highlight the desired city and press <ENTER>. You will then
be deposited into the appropriate dialer. The second method is that
you will be placed into the appropriate BBS dialer once a city is
connected to from the city dialer. The third method is similar, but
you will be deposited into the appropriate BBS dialer from the
start-up "smart" feature that "knows" which city you are connected
to (if ICEX detects a carrier and cannot get the '@' from Telenet).
6.4.2 Dialer Display
The top part of the dialers' displays appear as follows
and each column is described below:
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
|================BBS Dialer, City Code: GAATL #1==================|
| 977-6686 PcExchange PCEXCHG.ASP 05-01-88 11:43 |
| .. .. .. .. .. |
| .. .. .. .. .. |
|+476-2607 The Right Place RIGHT.ASP 04-01-88 19:22 |
| .. .. .. .. .. |
| .. .. .. .. .. |
| .. .. .. .. .. |
|==================================================================|
[1] Dialing Queue Tag ( '+' = in queue , ' ' = not in queue)
[2] BBS phone number (supports xxx-xxxx, xxx-xxx-xxxx,
1-xxx-xxx-xxxx)
[3] Description (name of BBS)
[4] Script name for chaining with calling program
[5] Date of last connection
[6] Time of last connection
The bottom part of the display simply gives the available
commands and will not be shown here. The commands however will be
described in detail below. Note that all commands respond to either
upper or lower case, and if a "*" appears to the left of any choice
on the screen, that choice is unavailable to the user.
6.4.3 Dialer Command Summary
Up/Down
[arrow keys] = The arrow keys move the highlight bar up and
down the dialing directory
Left/Right
[arrow keys] = Go to the next dialing directory (R-arrow goes
to next number, i.e. GAATL #1 to GAATL #2;
L-arrow is the same but opposite)
[pg-up/pg-dn] = The page-up/page-down keys allow the user to
display the dialing directory by pages
[ESC] = The escape key exits the dialer and returns to
the main menu
[<ENTER>] = The enter key starts the dialer, see section
6.4.4 below, Dialer in action...
[SPACEBAR] = The spacebar will toggle (tag or untag) the
currently highlighted entry for entry into the
dialing queue. A plus (+) will appear to the
left of any entry that is tagged for dialing
[A] = Add an entry to the dialing directory
[D] = Delete an entry from the dialing directory
[K] = Kill currently highlighted entry from the directory
[M] = Make a new dialing directory (use this if you have
150 entries in current directory and need another
directory. It will create a directory with the
name one higher than the greatest existing, i.e.
say you have GAATL #1, GAATL #2, and you make a new
directory, it will be named GAATL #3)
[E] = Edit the currently highlighted entry (see section 8,
Autologins)
[C] = Clear Queue (clears all tags)
[T] = Tag all entries (sets all tags)
[S] = Switch sorting, will switch from sorting the
directory by field [2] to sorting by field [3], or
vice versa
[H] = Hang-up city, disconnects from current city, allowing
the user to dial another city
[1] = Set modem settings to 7E1
[2] = Set modem settings to 8N2
[N] = Set modem settings to 8N1
6.4.4 Dialer in Action...
To start the dialer one simply presses the <ENTER> key from the
dialer menu. The dialer will change screen to a window that will
display the input and output going to/from the modem. All tagged
entries will be dialed in order.
The dialer will set up the PcPursuit modem for either Racal
operation or Hayes operation (whichever you selected from the User
Configuration). Racal mode is highly recommended! It will then
begin to dial the targeted BBSs in order until a successful
connection is achieved. ICEX recognizes all the special response
codes provided by Racal mode for faster and more efficient
operation.
Once a connection is established, ICEX will return command to
the calling program, or Terminal if used as standalone.
Note that one can skip a BBS and start dialing the next BBS in the
queue, this being handy if you see one dial giving the "Ringing..."
response over and over, you can abort and start the next. Also
remember that the ESC aborts dialing at any time. The Spacebar is
the command for aborting the current and starting dialing the next
BBS in the queue.
6.5 Direct Connect Dialer
The direct connect dialer functions exactly as the City Dialer
with a few minor exception (which are outlined in the City Dialer
section). For brevity of documentation and to avoid repetition,
consult the City Dialer section, section 6.3.
6.6 Automatic Mode of ICEX
ICEX now supports an AUTOMATIC mode for dialing. This mode
assumes you have previously tagged all the cities you wish to dial
and also the appropriate BBSs within those cities.
When you invoke ICEX in automatic mode (ICEX206 -d -a) ICEX will
start up dialing your cities automatically, without you having to type
anything except a key to bypass the intro. After connecting to a city,
ICEX will continue to dial the BBSs previously tagged for that city
until it connects to one. Upon connection, it will return you to your
calling program after sounding an alarm for successful connection. This
'automatic' mode allwos you to preset the targets before-hand and then
invoke ICEX and walk away without having to do anything until you get
a BBS connection. This is the true meaning of automatic!!!
This feature can be further enhanced by using it with the Auto Script
Chaining feature described below. This allows EVERYTHING to be automatic
from dialing PcPursuit, to dialing the city, to dialing the BBS, to
logging in, checking mail, downloading a file, and logging off!!!
6.6 Terminal
The terminal is a very simplistic terminal which buffers input
and output and displays the input/output to the screen. It will
supports ANSI if ANSI.SYS or substitute is installed. Basically the
terminal is there for you to interact with the operations in case
something goes awry with the dialers. It is also there so ICEX can
be used as a standalone.
The terminal does provide some special function however which are
invoked through the F-keys on your keyboard. The description of
these special functions are outlined below:
[F1] - Presents a help screen basically giving the same
information presented here.
[F2] - Automatically dials your local Telenet number and logs
you into PcPursuit at the phone number and parameters
you specify in the user configuration. You will be
prompted for the baudrate to use (1200/2400).
[F3] - Disconnects you from the currently connected city, if
you are connected. This is the same as the [H]
command from the dialing directories.
[F4] - Drops the DTR and hangs up your phone
[F5] - Shell to DOS (if enough memory available)
[F6] - Send a BREAK signal over the modem
[F7] - Set modem to 8N1
[F8] - Set modem to 8N2
[F9] - Set modem to 7E1
[F10] - Exit Terminal back to main menu
6.7 User Configuration
The user configuration is THE most important part of ICEX. You
MUST make sure your user configuration is set to match your
equipment and needs. When you enter the User Configuration option
either because you selected it from the main menu or you are forced
into it by ICEX, you will be given a windowed screen showing your
current settings. You must modify these to suit you by selecting
the appropriate option number and making any changes desired, and
finally pressing ESC to exit and save the new configuration file.
The easiest way to describe the user configuration options is to
list them one-by-one and describe them in further detail...
1. User ID
This is your PcPursuit ID
2. Password
You PcPursuit Password
3. Support dir Pathname
This is VERY important! The default directory is set to
be the current default directory, but I highly suggest you
create a separate directory to hold ICEX support files.
The best choice is to make a directory in your root
directory called ICEX, i.e.
cd \
md ICEX
It is suggested you include the complete pathname
including the drive. A good choice would be "C:\ICEX\".
4. Your modem predial
This is YOUR modem's predial string, most likely "ATDT".
5. Local Telenet Number (1200 baud)
This is your local telenet number. It can be a complete
phone number including area code. It must be for your
local 1200 baud dial-in.
6. Local Telenet Number (2400 baud)
This is your local telenet number. It can be a complete
phone number including area code. It must be for your
local 2400 baud dial-in if you have one.
7. Telenet Term Type
This tells ICEX what term type you are using with Telenet.
This is needed for logging into Telenet. The most commonly
used Terminal type is 'D1' and if in doubt you should set
it to D1.
8. SET sequence
This tells ICEX which SET sequence to send after connection
to a city. This allows you to set up that PcPursuit city's
mode to be compatible with down/up loads using Zmodem.
If you do not know about the SET, then leave it as its
default, 'SET?' and ask around about what SET does, and how
to use it.
9. Modem mode
This is the mode you desire to use PcPursuit modems in.
You can select either Hayes or Racal. I strongly suggest
you use Racal mode as ICEX is geared towards Racal usage
and responds much better to Racal. Racal is also more
efficient. Everything is automated so you do not need to
know the command set for using Racal mode. The bottom
line is that Hayes is available, but don't use it.
10. Port
This is the port number you wish to use (1-4).
11. Baudrate
This is the baudrate you wish to run (300-38400). It is
suggested you set it to either 1200 or 2400 since
PcPursuit only supports these two baudrates.
12. Data, Parity, Stop
These are the parameters you wish to run your modem at.
ICEX accepts three different sequences, '7E1', '8N2',
'8N1'. I recommend using 8N2 for everything you do on
PcPursuit for one reason. Uploads go thru better for
most people when they use 8N2.
6.7 (cont'd)
13. Sound on
This tells ICEX whether or not to sound the alarms when
it makes a connection. I recommend you set this
parameter to TRUE so you can let ICEX go to its thing
while you spend your important time doing something else
and can responds when you hear the alarm sound.
15. Alarm number
This is for those who like a variation on alarms.
Currently only three alarms are available. They are:
1 - Whooping alarm
This alarm makes a 'whoop' sound going from
low to high pitch, sort of like the RED
alert on Star Trek.
2 - Buzzer alarm
This alarm sounds like the new space age
telephones but a much higher pitch.
3 - Charge alarm
This plays CHARGE!!! for an alarm
6.8 Exit
This is plain and simple. This simply exits ICEX and returns
control to the caller.
Invoking ICEX (specifics)
7.1 Calling ICEX directly
7.1.1 Procomm Plus
Setup: Go to the Set-Up menu (ALT-S). Next select the
"FILE/PATH OPTIONS." Select option "F" and enter
the following on the command line: ICEX206 -D
Hit ESC to return to the SET-UP menu and select
"SAVE SETUP OPTIONS" to save this configuration.
Note that you can use ICEX206 -D -A for automatic
mode.
Application: To use this feature you simply hit ALT-J when
you wish to invoke ICEX.
7.1.2 GT Power (14.00)
GT Power does not have the ability to EXEC a program
directly.
7.1.3 Qmodem 4.0
Qmodem does not have the ability to EXEC a program
directly.
7.1.4 Boyan-D4
Setup:
You must go to the Configuration section with ALT-C.
Once there, you must select [S], and under the next
screen you select [L]. You are then prompted for
the amount of K to allot the DOS shell. I suggest
entering a value no less than 300, with 350K being
suggested. If this preparation is not done then
you may not have enough memory to invoke ICEX206.
Note that this need only be done ONCE.
Application:
To call ICEX206 directly you simply hit the INS key
on your extended keypad on your keyboard. You will
be prompted for a command line at the bottom of
your screen ( something like "C>" ). From this
prompt you merely type -> ICEX206 -D and tap
the <ENTER> key.
7.1.5 Pibterm 4.1
Pibterm does not have the ability to EXEC a program
directly.
7.1.6 Telix 3.11
To directly execute ICEX from within Telix you must hit
the ALT-V key combination and when prompted for the DOS
command you type: ICEX206 -D and tap the <ENTER> key.
7.1.7 Zcomm
To directly execute ICEX from within Zcomm you simply
type, from the '+++c:' prompt, the following: !icex206 -d
and tap the <ENTER> key.
7.2 Calling ICEX through a DOS shell
7.2.1 Procomm Plus (1.1)
To go to DOS (Shell) from inside Procomm you simply type
the ALT-F4 key. Once in DOS, you type -> IC and hit the
return key. This will start a batch file to invoke ICEX
and return to the caller program (Procomm).
7.2.2 GT Power (14.00)
To go to DOS (Shell) from inside GT Power you simply type
ALT-1 sequence. Once in DOS, you type -> IC and hit the
return key. This will start a batch file to invoke ICEX
and return to the caller program (GT Power).
7.2.3 Qmodem 4.0
To go to DOS (Shell) from inside Qmodem you simply type
ALT-R sequence. Once in DOS, you type -> IC and hit the
return key. This will start a batch file to invoke ICEX
and return to the caller program (Qmodem).
7.2.4 Boyan-D4
A jump to dos in Boyan requires a one-time preparation.
*** One time preparation:
You must go to the Configuration section with ALT-C.
Once there, you must select [A], and under the next
screen you select [J]. You arte then prompted for
the amount of K to allot the DOS shell. I suggest
entering a value no less than 300, with 350K being
suggested. If this preparation is not done then
you will not have enough memory to invoke ICEX206.
Note 350K is overkill and 275K seems to work for
most people okay.
To jump to DOS from within Boyan you simply hit the
ALT-J key combination. Once in DOS, you type -> IC
and hit the return key. This will start a batch file
to invoke ICEX and return to the caller program (Boyan).
7.2.5 Pibterm 4.1
To jump to a DOS shell from within Pibterm you simply hit
the ALT-J key combination. Once in DOS, you type -> IC
and hit the return key. This will start a batch file to
invoke ICEX and return to the caller program (Pibterm).
7.2.6 Telix 3.11
To jump to a DOS shell from within Telix you simply hit
the ALT-J key combination. Once in DOS, you type -> IC
and hit the return key. This will start a batch file to
invoke ICEX and return to the caller program (Telix).
7.2.7 Zcomm
I'm not quite sure how to invoke a DOS shell from Zcomm.
7.3 Calling ICEX through a script
7.3.1 Procomm Plus
To invoke the script made by ICEXGEN you simply type
ALT-F5, and when it asks you for the parameters you type the
following: ICEX-12 or ICEX-24
and then tap the <ENTER> key.
7.3.2 GT Power (14.00)
To invoke the script made by ICEXGEN you simply type
ALT-3, and when prompted for a name you type: ICEX-12 or ICEX-24
and then tap the <ENTER> key.
7.3.3 Qmodem 4.0
To invoke the script made by ICEXGEN you simply type
ALT-F, and when prompted for a name you type: ICEX-12.QMS or
ICEX-24.QMS ..... and then tap the <ENTER> key. It will then
ask you for script parameters, at which you again tap <ENTER>.
7.3.4 Boyan-D4
To invoke the script made by ICEXGEN you simply type
ALT-R, and when prompted for a name you type: ICEX-12; or ICEX-24;
and then tap the <ENTER> key. Do not leave out the semi-colon!
7.3.5 Telix 3.11
To invoke the script made by ICEXGEN you simply type
ALT-G, and when prompted for a name you type: ICEX-12 or ICEX-24
and then tap the <ENTER> key. **Note** You must have compiled the
SALT files with CS.EXE making them ICEX-12.SLC & ICEX-24.SLC.
ICEX and Scripts
8.1 Using the Script Generator ICEXGEN
ICEXGEN is a program that will ask you a few questions and then
generate a script appropriate to be run from your favorite comm
program to provide a friendly, completely automated interface
between your comm program and ICEX. ICEXGEN is straightforward.
All you do is answer the questions posed and then select which comm
package you wish to generate a script for. The scripts are written
for you by the program so you do not need to know anything about
script programming. The only thing you need know is how to use the
scripts, and this is detailed under section 7.3. I strongly suggest
you use the script method for calling up ICEX, as it provides a much
smoother interface between your favorite comm program and ICEX.
Make sure you have your configuration file set to reflect your
desired modem settings, such as 8N2 or 7E1. You will be asked for
the baud rate you want the script for. I strongly suggest you
generate BOTH scripts, and call whichever one is appropriate for
the baud you wish to call in at, from inside your comm program.
One last note. When it asks you if you want the script to be
a link or a do the dialing itself, you probably should select the
[I] option to do the dialing itself. The [L]ink option means that
your dialing directory (usually Alt-D, like in Procomm+) will dial
PcPursuit for you and then pass control to the script. I don't
recommend doing this as it really doesn't buy you much over the [I]
option.
Auto Script Chaining
9.1 What is Auto script chaining?
Automatic script chaining is a feature that allows a calling
program, such as Procomm+, to use a script, made by ICEXGEN in
conjunction with your own 'login' script to the BBSs you call. A
sequence will look like:
1) call Telenet
2) go to ICEX to do your dialing
3) ICEX connects and then writes out the name of the chain script
for the BBS you are connected to.
4) ICEX exits back to Procomm+
5) Procomm+ chains to a script called CHAIN.ASP which now has the
name fo the BBS login script (written in by ICEX).
6) This script assumes control and logs you into your BBS, checks
your mail, transfer files, or whatever you wish it to do.
The catch is that you must create your own login scripts. There
are some good script generators out there that should assist you.
For this release, ICEX will only support Procomm+ script chaining.
Release 2.10 will support most major packages including Qmodem,
Telix, Procomm+, Boyan, GT-Power.
For those who are used to auto-logins supported by release 2.03
this is designed to take its place, and the result, in my
opinion, is much more powerful. At present there is no 'utility'
program to salvage the information from Release 2.03 .DIR files
and create auto-chain scripts from auto-login information. Save
those directories in a zip named MY203s.zip or whatever you
wish. With Release 2.10, there will be such a utility.
To take advantage of this utility, you MUST generate a script with
ICEXGEN, and you must use that script to call Telenet and call up
ICEX. When you [A]dd, or [E]dit a BBS entry in the BBS DIALER,
select the 'script' field. Give it the name of your 'home-made'
script that will log in to that BBS. That's all there is to it.
From then on, when ICEX connects to that BBS, it will copy that
script (it must be made by you remember) into a file called
CHAIN.SCR and control will pass back to your calling program
which will then start up CHAIN.SCR and log you into your BBS.
A sample script has been included for logging into The Right
Place BBS. Simply change the first;last;password to your first,
last names, and your password for the BBS (you must have called at
least once previous to set up your account there). Next, go into
ICEX's BBS Dialer for Atlanta, Georgia and place the highlight bar
on The Right Place entry and hit [E] to edit it. Change the script
name from 'None' to 'Right.asp.' Now you're set up to auto-login
to The Right Place! Simple, right? Remember this only works for
the Procomm+ script made by ICEXGEN (ICEX-12.ASP). But all you
have to do to make it work for any other comm program is to change
the ICEXGEN made script for your program (Telix,Qmodem,etc.) to
chain to the script called CHAIN.SCR immediately after the place
in the script that calls up ICEX. Any problems, just drop a note
to me on the Comm conference on the Interlink.
10.1 Current City Mnemonics
PC Pursuit Service Availability (As of Jan 30, 1989)
----------------------------------------------------
City Code Mnemonic
-------------------------- ---- -------------
Atlanta, GA 404 GAATL
Boston, MA 617 MABOS
Chicago, IL 312,815 ILCHI
Cleveland, OH 216 OHCLE
Colton, CA 714 CACOL
Dallas, TX 214,817 TXDAL
Denver, CO 303 CODEN
Detroit, MI 313 MIDET
Glendale, CA 818 CAGLE
Hartford, CT 203 CTHAR
Houston, TX 713 TXHOU
Kansas City, MO 816,913 MOKCI
Los Angeles, CA 213 CALAN
Miami, FL 305 FLMIA
Milwaukee, WI 414 WIMIL
Minneapolis, MN 612 MNMIN
Newark, NJ 201 NJNEW
New York, NY 212,718 NYNYO
Oakland, CA 415 CAOAK
Palo Alto, CA 415 CAPAL
Philadelphia, PA 215 PAPHI
Phoenix, AZ 602 AZPHO
Portland, OR 503 ORPOR
Research Triangle Park, NC 919 NCRTP
Sacramento, CA 916 CASAC
Salt Lake City, UT 801 UTSLC
San Diego, CA 619 CASDI
San Francisco, CA 415 CASFA
San Jose, CA 408 CASJO
Santa Ana, CA 714 CASAN
Seattle, WA 206 WASEA
St. Louis, MO 314,618 MOSLO
Tampa, FL 813 FLTAM
Washington, DC 202,301,703 DCWAS
11.1 ICEX History
ICEX started about two years ago when I subscribed to
PcPursuit. I was very amazed at the tedium is took to simply
connect to a city and then was dismayed at having to to it all again
to get through to my desired BBS. I was using Procomm at the time
and had done a little script programming for Procomm. I decided to
write scripts that would take care of this dilemma and automate
everything I needed to do to use PcPursuit effectively.
These scripts worked fine for me, and I could change them to suit
my needs because I KNEW how to program Procomm script language. I
felt that I should not be the only one to benefit from these scripts
as I know there are others suffering out there who do NOT know
script programming. But therein was the drawback in distributing
these scripts to the public -- the majority of the public did not
know what it required to keep the scripts up to date and to have
them specific for themselves. So, I decided to sit down and write a
program that actually wrote the scripts by itself based on the
user's specifications. The program not only generated the scripts
but also maintained these scripts as well. The benefit of this was
that there was absolutely no need for the user to have any knowledge
of script programming to run the program. This program was named
ICPR, with the appropriate version number tacked onto the end. This
program was great in that it provided the user with a complete
interface with Procomm and PcPursuit without any required knowledge
on the user's part. There was one major drawback however, this
program was specific for Procomm. What about all the other people
out there that preferred Qmodem or Boyan or Telix? Well, the script
languages for these programs were not well suited to carry out the
operations ICPR performed in the scripts it generated. In short,
Procomm's script language was far superior and the functions used
could not be readily reproduced with other script languages. A
second drawback was that scripts are entirely TOO SLOW because they
are interpreted.
Enter ICEX!!! I decided to start from scratch and make a
complete comm program that could be used INDEPENDENT of the comm
program using it. ICEX is also its own program and does not deal
with scripts. It is entirely self contained. ICEX incorporates
speed and a better user interface than its predecessor and also has
the advantage of being generic, for use with ALL comm packages.
ICEX will continue to grow as more and more suggestions come
in. Please keep those suggestions coming and help ICEX to grow into
the comm package YOU want. Eventually ICEX may become a full
fledged comm program specifically for PcPursuit user which will be
able to be used as a true standalone.
11.2 ICEX Revision History
See the included file, HISTORY.ICE...
12.0 Support for ICEX
The Right Place in Atlanta, Georgia is the support BBS for
registered users of ICEX. All revisions will be released there
first, and the latest revision can always be found there. I
support a Q&A there for all questions concerning ICEX. I also
support a conference for registered users only, which if you are
a registered user, allows you the benifits aforementioned.
If you have a problem getting ICEX to work for you, leave me a
question on The Right Place and it will be answered within the
next day.
The Right Place can be reached through the GAATL node. The
phone number is (404) 476-2607. The first call you make with
ICEX should be to The Right Place to get yourself validated as
a user there so you can take advantage of the ICEX forum.
I will also entertain questions on Computer Archives at
FLTAM - 968-6220, which is a paying-user only board.
I will be supporting ICEX through the 'communication' conference
on Interlink mail. If we can get enough message exchange thru this
conference then we can open up our own conference, like Colin
Sampaleanu, author of Telix, has.
Also do not forget The Net Exchange, as I will check in there
occasionally.
13.0 About the Author...
My name is Wayne Wolf. I am a graduate in CIS Engineering from
the Univiersity of Florida in Gainesville. I am 22 years old and have
over 10 years programming experience including Pascal, BASIC, C, Lisp,
Assembly, Fortran, Modula-2, dBase III+, COBOL, Unix, ... I also have
a little hardware design experience. I plan on going back for a
masters degree in EE, leaning towards digital electronics.
I graduated in December 1988 and am currently working as a software
design engineer for Motorola, Inc. I intend to continue to write
public domain and ShareWare programs and also to open a private
consulting business. One long term goal is to set up a system similar
in performance to EXEC-PC BBS.
I write ShareWare programs, namely ICEX, to assist those who are
Telecommunications freaks like myself manuever through the nightmare
interface of PcPursuit. I enjoy the world of ShareWare and also the
hobby of BBSing and Telecommunications. I hope you get as
much fun and utility out of ICEX as I do. And don't forget to
register your copy soon so you can take advantage of the special
features there only for registered users. Remember, registration
is only $30, which is the price you pay Telenet for a month of
service. And just think how much more efficient use of PcPursuit
you get because you are using ICEX.