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000360_news@newsmaster….columbia.edu _Thu Sep 18 11:37:53 1997.msg
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From: fdc@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Frank da Cruz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.as400.misc,comp.protocols.kermit.misc
Subject: Re: transfer files from AS/400 to UNIX
Date: 18 Sep 1997 15:37:48 GMT
Organization: Columbia University
Lines: 66
Message-ID: <5vrhsc$r92$1@apakabar.cc.columbia.edu>
References: <01bcbdd3$4c8d2980$9f05a8c0@da159mat5.sonae.pt> <01bcbdea$1e564b20$6e036536@merck.com>
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In article <01bcbdea$1e564b20$6e036536@merck.com>,
Paul Nicolay <paul_nicolay@merck.com> wrote:
: Paulo Martins <pmartins@sonae.pt> wrote in article
: <01bcbdd3$4c8d2980$9f05a8c0@da159mat5.sonae.pt>...
: > I would like transfer files from AS/400 to UNIX, but I have some problems
: > with packed fields and fields with sign.
: > Can anyone suggest some solution to my problem.
: >
: > PRECONDITIONS: I only can make conversions in the UNIX system
:
: Normally you should convert everything to alphanumeric BEFORE it is FTP'ed
: to the Unix. This means that you have a serious problem and the only
: solution I can think about is to write a program that reads the binary file
: (so transfer in BIN mode) and does the EBCDIC to ASCII itself. If you are
: aware of the record layout you can also take care of the packed
: representation. Not really a nice solution but it should work.
:
As you may know, at Columbia University we make cross-platrom communications
software called Kermit. You can read all about it at our website:
http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/
Kermit software is available for just about every hardware and OS platform on
the planet EXCEPT for the IBM midrange systems: /34, /36, /38, and AS/400.
We receive a constant stream of requests for Kermit software for these
systems, but we can't produce this software ourselves because we don't have
access to them, nor do we know anything about them. However, the Kermit
file-transfer protocol is fully documented, and there is source code in many
languages (C, Fortran, Algol, Pascal, you name it -- just about everything
except COBOL and RPG).
I took my first look at this newsgroup today and was struck by the fact that,
out of about 500 postings, probably a good 20% of them were asking how to
transfer files between the AS/400 or System/3x and Windows, UNIX, VMS, etc.
Since Kermit software is already available for ALL these other platforms,
then all of these needs could be satisfied by a Kermit program for the AS/400
(hopefully coded so as to also work on the System/3x's).
I realize there are some rather nontrivial issues to be tackled:
. Conversion between EBCDIC (including, no doubt, the many Country Extended
Code Pages) and the ASCII-based character sets on the other end (Latin-1,
Latin-2, etc, as well as various proprietary sets). But this problem is
solved in the Kermit protocol definition and in practice in the IBM
mainframe version of Kermit, which runs on VM/CMS, MVS/TSO, CICS, and
several other less-well known OS's (MUSIC, GUTS, etc).
. Import/export of complex file/record structures. This is indeed a tough
one, but can be handled at the "presentation layer" of the protocol. We
have handled similar problems in VMS (which also has a complex structured
file system) and OS/2 (with its Extended Attributes).
. The communications interface: 5250 terminals and all that -- all the
issues raised by protocol converters. But we have handled these in the
3270 world, and the same principles should apply.
Do it once, and you've opened the door to the entire rest of the computing
world. Any volunteers? If you're a competent IBM midrange programmer
interested in some pro bono work (fame if not fortune), please contact me and
I'll be glad to get you started.
Frank da Cruz
The Kermit Project
Columbia University