This is a fairly complete implementation of the KERMIT communications protocol for Microsoft Windows. It includes all Kermit protocol features except Sliding Windows.
Additionally, a fairly full featured terminal emulation capability is included. The terminal emulations are encapsulated in Dynamic Link Libraries which allow new emulations to be added with ease. A modem dialer is also included.
This program is distributed free of charge to anyone who has a use for it. Please note, however, the work is copyrighted. Feel free to distribute the program freely, but please distribute the complete package (preferably as the original .zip file).
As do most MS Windows program, cooperative multitasking is fully supported. You may even have two copies of the program running at one time on different serial ports!
I always appreciate any comments or bug reports you may have. Please send them to me via my CompuServe ID listed above. I have done my best to fix all reported problems and implement requested enhancements.
FEATURES
Local Operation: Yes
Remote Operation: No
Login Scripts: No*
Transfer text files: Yes
Wildcard send: Yes (plus directory listings)
File transfer interruption: Yes
Filename collision avoidance: No*
Can time out: Yes
Eighth-bit prefixing: Yes
Repeat count prefixing: Yes
Alternate block checks: Yes
Terminal emulation: VT-100 (ANSI) subset
Communication settings: Baud, Parity, Flow, etc.
Transmit BREAK: Yes
Support for dialout modems: Yes
IBM mainframe communication: Yes
Transaction logging: No*
Debug logging: No*
Session logging: No*
Raw file trasnsmit: No*
Act as server: Yes
Talk to server: Yes
Advanced server functions: No*
Local file management: No (available from Windows)
Command/Init files: No*
Command macros: No*
File attribute packets: Yes
Extended packets: Yes
Sliding Windows: No*
* options options should be available in release 1.00.
INSTALLATION
No special installation program is provided with this software. Installation is accomplished by simply creating a suitable directory and copying all files to the directory. The original release is distributed as a compressed file. Use PKUNZIP to decompress the files.
An icon can easily be added to the Windows Program Manager to provide a menu entry for invoking Kermit. Follow the instructions provided with Windows for adding a program item.
You may also wish to add a line to the [Extensions] section of your WIN.INI file. The line would look something like the following:
krm=c:\kermit\kermit.exe ^.krm
This will allow you to select a Kermit data file and cause Kermit to be executed automatically with the selected data file.
OPERATION
You musst start Windows before running Kermit. Once Windows is running you can start Kermit by double clicking on its icon in the Program Manager (if you installed one) or by double clicking on kermit.exe in the Windows File Manager.
Kermit follows all Windows standards. Those familiar with other MS Windows applications should be able to use Kermit without trouble.
SESSIONS
Kermit allows the user to define, use, and save communications sessions. One session is active at any time. Each session is saved as a file with an extension of .krm.
To create a new session, choose New... from the File Menu and fill in the Session Dialog. Be sure to select an appropriate terminal emulation at this time. Choose OK to open the new session.
When a new session is created, default selections are automatically made for all configuration options. You should select each of the menu items in the Configure Menu to review the settings to be sure they are appropriate for the current session.
When all the configuration options are correct, you may wish to choose Save from the File menu to save the session. You will be prompted for a file name to save the session settings in.
To recall a session you saved previously, choose Open from the File Menu. A list of available session files will be presented. Select the desired session and choose OK to open the session.
CONNECTING
To initiate a connection, choose Connect from the Session Menu. If you selected "Call" on the Device Dialog, the modem will dial the number you entered.
If you chose Auto Connect, in the Session Dialog, Kermit will automatically attempt to connect when the session is opened.
When you are connected, the online timer in the upper right of the display will increment. A check mark will be placed next to Connect in the File Menu as well.
To disconnect, just choose Connect from the Session Menu again. You will be disconnected and the check mark will be removed.
COPY and PASTE
Standard Windows clipboard functions are provided by Kermit. These functions are found in the Edit Menu. To allow Copy to work, you must first select Review. Review temporarily suspends incoming data to allow you to select the desired area to copy. Be sure to end review mode after performing the copy operation.
When in review mode, you may use the mouse of keyboard to select text. Using the mouse, click and drage the mouse to select an area on the screen. To use the keyboard, hold down the shift key and use the arrow keys to select an area on the screen. Once the area is selected (shown as inverted text), choose Copy from the Edit Menu to copy the selected data to the clipboard.
To paste data from the clipboard to the terminal, choose Paste from the Edit Menu. Note that the Paste command is only available when the clipboard contains text.
PROTOCOL OPERATIONS
To initiate a Kermit operation, you must first be connected (see above). Avariety of Kermit commands is available from the Protocol Menu. Send and receive are the most common. They are used to send and receive files. Choosing send displays a dialog to choose files to be sent -- mnultiple files may be chosen to send in one operation. Choosing receive immediately attempts to begin receiving a file (the partner computer should begin sending).
Several advanced Kermit protocol operations are supported as well. Choosing Serve initiates server operation and Kermit begins to wait for incoming server requests. Choosing Host provides a way to issue command to the partner computer. Choosing Generic allows standard Kermit requests to be passed to a partner computer. Both the Host and Generic commands assume that the partner computer is in server mode.
