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@Part(MSDOSKER,root="USER")
@Chapter<PC-DOS and MS-DOS KERMIT-86>
@Begin<Description,Leftmargin +12,Indent -12,spread 0>
@i(Program:)@\Daphne Tzoar, Columbia University, with contributions from
Jeff Damens (Columbia), Dave King (CMU),
Herm Fischer (Litton Data Systems), and others.
@i(Documentation:)@\Frank da Cruz, Columbia University; Herm Fischer, Litton
Data Systems (Van Nuys CA)
@i(Version:)@\2.25
@i(Date: )@\February 1984
@end<Description>
@Index[PC-DOS]
@Index[IBM PC]
@Index[MS-DOS]
KERMIT-86 is a program that implements the KERMIT file transfer protocol for
the IBM PC and several other machines using the same processor family (Intel
8088 or 8086) and operating system family under PC-DOS or MS-DOS (henceforth
referred to collectively as MS-DOS), versions 1.1, 2.0, and 2.1. This section
will describe the things you should know about the MS-DOS file system in order
to make effective use of KERMIT, and then it will describe the KERMIT-86
program.
MS-DOS KERMIT runs on a variety of systems, including the IBM PC and XT, the
the Heath/@|Zenith 100, HP-150, the Seequa Chameleon, the Victor 9000, the
Tandy 2000, the Compaq Portable, the Columbia MPC, and others. This document
concentrates on the IBM PC/XT implementation; the others will be (possibly
complete) subsets of that (see Section @ref<-msdosnew> for details about
support for other MS DOS systems).
@Section<The MS-DOS File System>
The features of the MS-DOS file system of greatest interest to KERMIT users are
the form of the file specifications, and the distinction between pre-MS-DOS 2.0
file names and newer file names which allow directory paths.
@heading<MS-DOS File Specifications>
MS-DOS file specifications are of the form
@example(DEVICE:\PATHNAME\NAME.TYPE)
where the DEVICE is a single character identifier (e.g., A for the first floppy
disk, C for the first fixed disk, D for a RAM disk emulator), PATHNAME is up to
63 characters of identifier(s) (up to 8 characters each) surrounded by reverse
slashes (or "@q<..>" for parent or "@q<.>" for current directory), NAME is an
identifier of up to 8 characters, and TYPE is an identifier of up to 3
characters in length. Device and pathname may be omitted. Pathname is normally
omitted, and cannot be specified for MS-DOS 1.x or with those commands which
allow MS-DOS 1.x use (e.g. pathnames can only be accepted by commands which are
specific to MS-DOS 2.x). Device and directory pathnames, when omitted, default
to the user's current (or "defaulted") disk and directory path (path="@q<.>").
Thus @q<NAME.TYPE> is normally sufficient to specify a file, and only this
information is sent along by KERMIT-86 with an outgoing file.
The device, path, name, and type fields may contain uppercase letters, digits,
and the special characters "@q<->" (dash), "@q<_>" (underscore), and "@q<$>"
(dollar sign). (For use only among MS-DOS processors, additional filename
special characters allowed are "@q<#&!%(){}'`>". DOS 1.x allows others as
well.). There are no imbedded or
trailing spaces. Other characters may be not be included within the MS-DOS
environment (e.g. quoted characters are not permissible). The fields of the
file specification are set off from one another by the punctuation indicated
above.
The device field specifies a physical or "logical" device upon which the file
is resident. The directory pathname identifies an area on the device, for
instance the area belonging to the logical ownership of the file. KERMIT-86
does not transmit the device or pathname directory fields to the target system,
and does not attempt to honor device or directory fields that may appear in
incoming file names.
The name field is the primary identifier for the file. The type, also
called the "extension", is an indicator which, by convention, tells what kind
of file we have. For instance @q<FOO.BAS> is the source of a BASIC program
named FOO; @q<FOO.OBJ> might be the relocatable object module produced by
compiling @q<FOO.BAS>; @q<FOO.EXE> could an executable program produced by
linking @q<FOO.OBJ>, and so forth.
@index<Wildcard>
The MS-DOS allows a group of files to be specified in a single file
specification by including the special "wildcard" characters, "@q<*>" and
"@q<?>". A "@q<*>" matches any string of characters from the current position
to the end of the field, including no characters
at all; a "@q<?>" matches any single character. Here are some examples:
@Begin(Description,spread 0.5,leftmargin +8, indent -8)
@q<*.BAS>@\All files of type @q<BAS> (all BASIC source files) in the
current directory.
@q<FOO.*>@\Files of all types with name @q<FOO>.
@q<F*.*>@\All files whose names start with F.
@q<F?X*.*>@\All files whose names start with F and contain X in
the third position, followed by zero or more characters.
@q<?.*>@\All files whose names are exactly one character long.
@End(Description)
Wildcard notation is used on many computer systems in similar ways, and it is
the mechanism most commonly used to instruct KERMIT to send a group of files.
KERMIT-86 uses the @q<?> character for help while commands are being typed,
so the single-@!character wildcard in KERMIT commands is @q<=> rather than
@q<?>, for example
@example(Kermit-86>send =.*)
The KERMIT-86 user must bear in mind that other (non-@|MS-DOS) systems use
different wildcard characters; for instance KERMIT-20 uses % instead of the ?
as the single character wildcard. When using KERMIT-86 to request a wildcard
file group from a KERMIT-20 server, the Kermit-86 "@q<=>" must be replaced by
DEC-20 "@q<%>" characters.
@heading<Text Files and Binary Files>
The MS-DOS systems store files as bulk collections of 8 bit bytes, with no
peculiar differences between text, program code, and binary files. Since a
non-@|MS-DOS receiving system might need to know file type distinctions, the
user might need to use various SET functions on the remote system to inform it
that the incoming file is of some particular (non-@|default) type. In
transmitting files between KERMIT-86'es, regardless of file contents, the
receiving MS-DOS system is equally capable of processing text, code, and data
(and is, in fact, not knowledgable of the usage of the bytes in the file).
ASCII files are presumed to have recognizable characteristics (carriage
returns and linefeeds delimiting lines, form feeds delimiting pages, and
control-Z's delimiting the end of file), though all internal bit codes are
transmitted. Receiving non-@|MS-DOS systems may well get confused when
presented with nonstandard ASCII files. Files produced by EASYWRITER or Word
Star, for example, may need preprocessing prior to transmission by commonly
available "exporter" programs, to convert them to conventional ASCII formats.
Spreadsheet data files, and dBASE II files need special formatting to be
meaningful to non-@|MS-DOS recipients (though they can be transmitted between
MS-DOSes with KERMIT-86's). Furthermore, those word processors storing
formatting data at the end of the file, after the control-Z and before physical
end (such as BLUE or Easy Writer), will need to be told to strip the formatting
data, lest they confuse non-@|MS-DOS recipients.
@section<Program Operation>
KERMIT-86's prompt is "@q(Kermit-86>)".
KERMIT-86 can run interactively to issue several commands, like this:
@Begin(Example)
A>
A>@ux[kermit]
MS DOS Kermit V2.25
Kermit-86>@ux[send foo.*]
@i(informational messages about the files being sent)
Kermit-86>@ux[status]
@i(various status informational data are displayed)
Kermit-86>@ux[receive]
@i(informational messages about the files being received)
Kermit-86>@ux[exit]
A>
@end[example]
@index<Help>
During interactive operation, you may use the help ("?") and
@index<Recognition>
recognition (ESC) features freely while typing commands.
Command keywords may be abbreviated to their shortest prefix that sets them
apart from any other keyword valid in that field.
@Section<MS DOS KERMIT Commands>
MS DOS KERMIT implements a large subset of the local mode commands of "ideal"
KERMIT. Not all of the following commands are available on all MS DOS systems,
and some of the commands may work somewhat differently between DOS versions.
@Heading<The SEND Command>
@Index[Initial Filespec]@Index[SEND]
Syntax: @q<SEND> @i{filespec}
The SEND command causes a file or file group to be sent from the MS-DOS to the
other system. The filespec may contain a device designator, like @q<A:>, and
the wildcard characters "@q<*>" and/or "@q<=>".
The current release of Kermit-86 does not allow pathnames in this command.
If the @i{filespec} contains wildcard characters then all matching files will
be sent, in directory search order (according to how your MS-DOS lists its
directory contents). If a file can't be opened for read access, standard
MS-DOS recovery procedures will be available (these may necessitate restarting
Kermit).
@Subheading<SEND Command General Operation>
@Index<Normal Form for File Names>
Files will be sent with their MS-DOS filename and filetype (for instance
@q<FOO.TXT>, no device or pathname).
If you expect to be sending files whose names contain characters that would
be illegal in filenames on the target system, and you know that Kermit on the
target system does not have the ability to convert incoming filenames, you can
copy and/or rename the file using MS-DOS commands prior to loading Kermit.
Each file will be sent as a sequence of eight bit bytes.
Once you give KERMIT-86 the SEND command, the name of each file will be
displayed on your screen as the transfer begins; a packet count and retry
summary will be displayed, and informational messages displayed as appropriate.
If the file is successfully transferred, you will
see "@q<COMPLETED>", otherwise there will be an error message. When the
specified operation is done, the program will sound a beep.
@index<Control-X>@index<Control-Z>@Index<Cancelling a File Transfer> If you
notice a file being sent which you do not really want to send, you may cancel
the operation immediately by typing either Control-X or Control-Z. If your are
sending a file group, Control-X will cause the current file to be skipped, and
KERMIT-86 will go on to the next file, whereas Control-Z will cancel sending
the entire group and return you to KERMIT-86 command level. @index<Control-C>A
Control-C cancels sending immediately and returns you to the Kermit-86 prompt.
@Heading<The RECEIVE Command> @Index[RECEIVE] Syntax: @q<RECEIVE
[@i{filespec}]>
The RECEIVE command tells KERMIT-86 to receive a file or file group from the
other system. KERMIT simply waits for the file to arrive; this command is not
to be used when talking to a KERMIT server (see GET).
If the optional filespec is provided, store the incoming file under that name.
The filespec may include a device designator, or may consist of only a device
designator. The incoming file is stored on the default or specified device
(current directory in DOS 2.0). If no name was specified, the name from the
incoming file header packet is used; if that name is not a legal MS-DOS file
name, KERMIT-86 will delete illegal or excessive characters from the name.
If the optional filespec was provided, but more than one file arrives, the
first file will be stored under the given filespec, and the remainder will be
stored under their own names.
If the incoming file name already exists, and FILE-WARNING is set, KERMIT-86
will change the incoming name (and inform you how it renamed it) so as not to
obliterate the pre-existing file.
@Index<Incomplete File Disposition> If an incoming file does not arrive in its
entirety, KERMIT-86 will normally discard it; it will not appear in your
directory. You may change this behavior by using the command SET INCOMPLETE
KEEP, which will cause as much of the file as arrived to be saved in your
directory.
@Index<Control-X>@Index<Control-C>@Index<Control-Z> @Index<Cancelling a File
Transfer> If a file begins to arrive that you don't really want, you can
attempt to cancel it by typing Control-X; this sends a cancellation request to
the remote Kermit. If the remote Kermit understands this request (this is an
optional feature), it will comply; otherwise it will continue to send. If a
file group is being sent, you can request the entire group be cancelled by
typing Control-Z. If you type Control-C, you will be returned immediately to
the @q(Kermit-86>) command level.
@Heading<The GET Command>
Syntax: @q<GET @i{remote-filespec}>
The GET @i{remote-filespec} command requests a remote KERMIT server to send the
file or file group specified by @i<remote-filespec>. This command can be used
only when KERMIT-86 is local, with a KERMIT server on the other end. This
means that you must have CONNECTed to the other system, logged in, run KERMIT
there, issued the SERVER command, and escaped back (e.g. @q<^]C>) to the local
KERMIT-86.
The remote filespec is any string that can be a legal file specification for
the remote system; it is not parsed or validated locally. (A remote PC server
will accept device names, but not path names in the filespec.) As files
arrive, their names will be displayed on your screen, along with packet traffic
statistics and error messages. You may type @q<^X> to request that the current
incoming file be cancelled, @q<^Z> to request that the entire incoming batch be
cancelled, and @q<^C> to return immediately to the @q(Kermit-86>) prompt.
If the remote KERMIT is not capable of server functions, then you will probably
get an error message back from it like "Illegal packet type". In this case,
you must connect to the other Kermit, give a SEND command, escape back, and
give a RECEIVE command.
@Heading<The BYE Command>
When running a local Kermit which is talking to a remote KERMIT server over a
communications line, use the BYE command to shut down the server and log out
its job, and exit from Kermit-86 to DOS.
@Heading<The FINISH Command>
Like BYE, FINISH shuts down the remote server. However, FINISH does not log
out the server's job. You are left at Kermit-86 prompt level so that you can
connect back to the job on the remote system.
@Heading<The LOGOUT Command>
The LOGOUT command is identical to the BYE command, except you will remain at
Kermit-86 prompt level, rather than exit to DOS, so that you can establish
another connection.
@Heading<The CONNECT Command>
Syntax: @q<CONNECT>
Establish an interactive terminal connection to the system connected to the
currently selected communications port (COM1 or COM2) using full duplex echoing
and no parity unless otherwise specified in previous SET commands. Get back to
KERMIT-86 by typing the escape character followed by the letter C. The escape
character is Control-] by default. When you type the escape character, several
single-@|character commands are possible:
@Begin(Description,leftmargin +6,indent -4, spread 0)
@q<?>@\Help - prints the commands allowed (as below).
@q<C>@\Close the connection and return to KERMIT-86.
@q<S>@\Status of the connection.
@q<B>@\Break signal is sent to the port (on the PC/XT you may also type
CTRL-BREAK to send a BREAK).
@q<^]>@\(or whatever you have set the escape character to be)@\Typing the
escape character twice sends one copy of it to the connected host.
@End(Description)
You can use the SET ESCAPE command to define a different escape character,
and on some systems (including the PC and XT) you can SET BAUD to change the
baud rate, and SET PORT to switch between COM1 and COM2
In the connect mode, you can communicate with your autodialer, control the
communications line, hang it up, and the like. (E.g., typing @q<+++> to a
Hayes-like modem will allow you to follow that by dialing or hang-up
commands, when in the connection state).
@Heading<The REMOTE Command>
The REMOTE keyword is a prefix for a number of commands. It indicates that the
command is to be performed by the remote Kermit, which must be running as a
server. Note that not all Kermit servers are capable of executing all these
commands. In case you send a command the server cannot execute, it will send
back a message to the effect that the command is unknown to it. If the remote
can execute the command, it will send the results to your screen. Here are the
REMOTE commands which KERMIT-86 may issue:
@begin<description>
CWD [@i<directory>]@\Change Working Directory on the remote host. Change the
default source and destination area for file transfer.
DELETE @i<filespec>@\Delete the specified file or files on the remote host.
In response, the remote host should display a list of the files that were or
were not successfully deleted.
DIRECTORY [@i<filespec>]@\The remote host will provide a directory listing of
the specified files. If no files are specified, then all files in the default
area will be listed.
DISK [@i<directory>]@\Provide a brief summary of disk usage in the specified
area on the remote host. If none specified, the default or current area will
be summarized.
HELP@\The remote host tells what server functions it is capable of.
HOST [@i<command>]@\Send the command to the remote host's command processor for
execution.
TYPE @i<filespec>@\Display the contents of the specified remote file or files
on the screen.
@end<description>
@Heading<The SET Command>
Syntax: @q<SET @i{parameter} [@i{value}]>
Establish or modify various parameters for file transfer or terminal
connection. You can examine their values with the STATUS command. The
following parameters may be SET:
@Begin(Description,spread 0.5)
BACKARROW@\Backarrow (backspace) key sends BACKSPACE or DELETE.
BAUD@\Communications port line speed
BELL@\The bell (beep) is normally sounded at the end of a transaction.
SET BELL OFF may be used to silence the bell.
DEBUG@\Mode
END-OF-LINE@\Character to replace CR at end of packets
ESCAPE@\Character for Kermit-86 attention during terminal connection
FILE-WARNING@\Warn if an incoming filename would conflict with an
existing file name, and attempt to construct a new unique name for it.
HEATH-19@\Interpret Heath/Zenith-19 screen control codes.
IBM@\Set up for communication with IBM mainframes: local echo (half duplex)
during terminal emulation, line turnaround handshake during file transfer,
and appropriate parity at all times.
INCOMPLETE@\What to do with an incomplete file, KEEP or DISCARD.
LOCAL-ECHO@\For terminal connection, OFF (remote echo, or full duplex) or ON
(local echo, or half duplex)
PARITY@\Character parity to use, NONE (the default), ODD, EVEN, MARK, or SPACE
PORT@\RS232 port to use for terminal connection or file transfer, COM1 (the
default) or COM2
@End(Description)
@Subheading<SET BACKARROW>
@Index<Backarrow>
Syntax: @q<SET BACKARROW @i{state}>
The IBM PC keyboard does not have a key marked DELETE (RUBOUT) or BACKSPACE.
DELETE and BACKSPACE are two different ASCII characters (ASCII 127 and ASCI 8
respectively), and one or the other of these characters is normally used by
host systems for deleting the characters just typed. Some systems use
BACKSPACE, some use DELETE. This command allows you to specify which character
the backarrow key should transmit during terminal connection.
@Begin(Description,spread 0.5)
BACKSPACE@\Backarrow (backspace) key transmits the backspace (BS) character,
Control-H. CTRL-Backarrow sends DELETE.
DELETE@\Backarrow (backspace) key transmits the delete (DEL, RUBOUT) character.
CTRL-Backarrow sends BACKSPACE.
@End(Description)
In all cases, CTRL-H sends BACKSPACE.
@Subheading<SET BAUD>
@Index<Baud Rate>
Syntax: @q<SET BAUD @i{rate}>
Set terminal communications port speed to 300, 1200, 1800, 2400, 4800, 9600 or
other common baud rates. The site default baud rate can be determined by the
STATUS command immediately upon loading Kermit-86, and is displayed upon
issuing of the CONNECT command.
@Subheading<SET BELL>
@Index<Bell> @Index<Beeper>
Syntax: @q<SET BELL @i{state}>
@Begin(Description,spread 0.5)
ON@\Bell (beeper) sounds, at completion of transmissions and other times.
OFF@\Bell (beeper) remains silent.
@End(Description)
@Subheading<SET DEBUG>
@Index<Debugging>
Syntax: @q<SET DEBUG @i{state}>
@Begin(Description,spread 0.5)
ON@\Record the packet traffic on your terminal.
OFF@\Don't display debugging information (this is the default). If
debugging was in effect, turn it off.
@End(Description)
@Subheading<SET END-OF-LINE>
@Index<End of line character>
Syntax: @q<SET END-OF-LINE @i{decimal number between 0 and 31}>
Change the character used at the end of outgoing packets to the character whose
decimal ASCII value is given. The default is 13 (carriage return).
@Subheading<SET ESCAPE>
@Index<Escape Character for CONNECT>
Syntax: @q<SET ESCAPE @i{character}>
Specify the control character you want to use to "escape" from remote
connections back to KERMIT-86. The default is Control-].
@Subheading<SET FILE-WARNING>
@Index<File Warning>@Index(File Renaming)
Syntax: @q<SET FILE-WARNING @i{option}>
Specify what to do when an incoming file has the same name as an existing
file in the default directory of the default device. If ON, Kermit will warn
you when an incoming file has the same name as an existing file, and
automatically rename the incoming file (as indicated in the warning) so as
not to destroy (overwrite) the pre-existing one. If OFF, the incoming file
replaces the pre-existing file.
@Subheading<SET HEATH-19>
@Index<Heath-19 Terminal Emulation>
Syntax: @q<SET HEATH-19 @i{option}>
@Begin(Description,spread 0.5,leftmargin +8,indent -8)
ON@\Specifies that, in the connect state, incoming characters
are to be examined for Heath/@|Zenith-19 terminal screen control commands
(escape sequences), and if encountered, the commands are to be emulated on
the PC screen. The Heath-19 codes are a superset of the popular DEC VT52
codes, so if your system does not support the Heath-19, you may tell your
terminal type is VT52 (or one of the many VT52 compatibles). Heath-19
emulation is available on the IBM PC and XT.
OFF@\All incoming characters will be sent to the screen "bare", through DOS.
If you have loaded a device driver into DOS for the @q<CON:> device, such as
@q<ANSI.SYS>, then that driver will be able to interpret the codes itself.
Most non-IBM systems have their own screen control code interpreter built into
DOS or firmware.
@End(Description)
@Index<Function Keys>
On the IBM systems, function keys and numeric keypad cursor control keys do not
send characters when in the Heath-19 mode, unless the user has used a key
redefinition package like ProKey.
@Subheading<SET IBM>
@Index<IBM Compatibility>
Syntax: @q<SET IBM @i{option}>
Specify setup for communication with an IBM mainframe. ON sets appropriate
parity (per options used to assemble Kermit at your site, MARK as distributed),
local echo for CONNECT, and half-duplex line handshaking (XON line turnaround).
OFF reestablishes full duplex, nonparity operation.
@Subheading<SET LOCAL-ECHO>
@Index<Local Echoing>
Syntax: @q<SET LOCAL-ECHO @i{option}>
Specify mode for character echoing when in the CONNECT state. ON specifies
that characters are to be echoed within Kermit (because neither the remote
computer, nor the communications circuitry has been requested to echo).
Generally IBM mainframes accessed directly (not via Telenet) will need this
option (or the IBM option, q.v.) ON; generally most DEC sites and inter-PC
communications will need it OFF. It is OFF by default, i.e. communication is
assumed to be full duplex (remote echo).
@Subheading<SET PARITY>
@Index<Parity>
Syntax: @q<SET PARITY @i{keyword}>
The choices for SET PARITY are NONE (the default), ODD, EVEN, MARK, and SPACE.
NONE means no parity processing is done, and the 8th bit of each character can
be used for data when transmitting binary files.
You will need to SET PARITY to ODD, EVEN, MARK, or possibly SPACE when
communicating with a system, or over a network, that requires or imposes
character parity on the communication line. For instance, GTE TELENET requires
MARK parity. If you neglect to SET PARITY when the communications equipment
requires it, the symptom may be that terminal emulation works partially, and
file transfer does not work at all.
@Index<Eighth-Bit Prefix>@Index<Binary Files>
If you have set parity to ODD, EVEN, MARK, or SPACE, then KERMIT-86 will
request that binary files will be transferred using 8th-bit-@|prefixing. If
the other side knows how to do 8th-bit-@|prefixing (this is an optional feature
of the KERMIT protocol, and not all implementations of KERMIT have it), then
binary files can be transmitted successfully. If NONE is specified,
8th-bit-@|prefixing will not be requested.
@Subheading<SET PORT>
Syntax: @q<SET PORT @i(number)>
Specify the port number to use for file transfer or CONNECT, COM1 or COM2.
This command lets you use a different asynchronous adapter, or to switch
between two simultaneous remote sessions.
@Heading<The STATUS Command>
Report the status of parameters which can be modified by the SET commands.
@Section<Installation>
@index[IBM PC]@index[8086/8088]
Kermit-86 is written in 8086 Macro Assembler (ASM86), and assembled locally on
the micro. Versions for the IBM PC (PC DOS) and the Heath/Zenith Z100 (MS DOS)
are prepared from common source using conditional assembly switches similar to
those in KERMIT-80. The IBM flag has site-@|dependent meaning. As shipped
from Columbia, it means local echo during CONNECT, mark parity, and half duplex
line handshaking using CTRL-Q as the turnaround character. If you
need to install Kermit on your PC, and you do not have a Kermit floppy but you
do have access to a mainframe computer with a copy of the IBM PC Kermit
distribution, you should read this section.
Since the PC assembler
is not provided with the minimum system, IBM PC users cannot be
expected to have it. Assembler source plus the runnable version (@q<.EXE>) of
Kermit are distributed@foot{The PC assembler's object (@q<.OBJ>) files are not
printable, like CP/M hex files, so the Kermit-80 bootstrapping technique would
not work here.}, along with some special "bootstrap" files, described below.
The @q<KERMIT.EXE> file is converted by an assembler program on the PC,
KFIX@index<KFIX>, which makes all bytes in the file printable by breaking each
one up into two 4-bit "nibbles" and adding a constant. The result is a
printable file called @q<KERMIT.FIX>. It is assumed that a copy of
@q<KERMIT.FIX> is available to you on a mainframe computer. To
download@index<Downloading> the file to the PC, two cooperating programs are
run: a Fortran program, KSEND@index<KSEND>, on the mainframe and a Basic
program, KGET@index<KGET>, on the PC. These programs are very short; they are
shown in their entirety below. KSEND reads a line at a time from
@q<KERMIT.FIX>, types the line, and waits for a signal from KGET that it can
send more data. KGET reads each line and converts the text back to the format
of an executable (@q<.EXE>) file. Here's the procedure:
@begin<enumerate>
You should have a version of KGET on the PC and KSEND on the mainframe; if you
don't have them, copy them (i.e.@ type them in, using an editor@foot{You'll
also have to compile and load the KSEND program on the mainframe.})
from the listings below.
Log in@tag<-logmain> on the mainframe. This could be tricky if you have no
terminal emulation facility on the PC. If you have the IBM asynchronous
communication package, you can do this at low speeds (baud rates). If your PC
has no terminal emulation facility, you'll have to use a real terminal to log
in, and then switch the cable to the PC.
Compile @q<KSEND.FOR> on your mainframe, if it needs compiling.
Define logical unit numbers 5 and 6 to be the controlling terminal, and logical
unit number 7 to be @q<KERMIT.FIX>. On the DEC-20, for example:
@begin<example>
@@@ux<define 5: tty:>
@@@ux<define 6: tty:>
@@@ux<define 7: kermit.fix>
@end<example>
On a @Index[DECsystem-10]DECsystem-10, do something like:
@begin<example>
.@ux<assign tty: 5:>
.@ux<assign tty: 6:>
.@ux<assign dsk: 7:>
.@ux<rename for007.dat=kermit.fix>
@end<example>
On an IBM system under VM/CMS,
@begin<example>
.@ux<filedef 5 term ( lrecl 64 recfm f>
.@ux<filedef 6 term ( lrecl 64 recfm f>
.@ux<filedef 7 disk kermit fix ( lrecl 62 recfm f perm>
@end<example>
Start KSEND on the mainframe. It will print a message, and then sit and wait
for the PC to send back an OK; don't change any connectors until you see the
message.
Escape back to the PC, or connect the PC to the mainframe. The PC's
communication port should be connected with a
cable to the modem that's connected to the mainframe (dialup, dedicated,
switched, whatever hookup you normally have available for logging in on the
mainframe from a terminal). If you were using a different terminal to log in
to the mainframe, make sure the PC's communication port is set at the same
speed.
Enter BASIC and run KGET on the PC. If KGET prints messages about i/o errors,
run it again. If it still gets errors, reboot the PC and try again.
Once KGET is running, the transmission will begin. KGET will print each
62-character line of nibbles as it arrives from the mainframe. Each line
should be the same length -- if you see a ragged edge, you can assume there has
been a transmission error, and you should start the process again.
When transmission is complete, you'll see the BASIC "Ready" prompt again.
Leave BASIC by typing SYSTEM. You should now have @q<KERMIT.EXE> on your PC.
Try to run it. If you see the "@q(Kermit-86>)" prompt, try to CONNECT to the
host mainframe and transfer some files. If Kermit doesn't run correctly, there
may have been transmission errors, in which case you should start the process
again from step @ref<-logmain> above.
@end<enumerate>
@subheading<KSEND.FOR - Mainframe Side of Bootstrap>
This is the mainframe side, KSEND, in transportable Fortran (it should run on
both DEC and IBM mainframes):
@begin<example,blanklines hinge>
C This Fortran program should be run on the mainframe in conjunction
C with a Basic program on the IBM PC to transfer Kermit.Fix to the PC.
INTEGER A(62)
WRITE(6,50)
50 FORMAT(' Ready to transfer data......')
C Get terminal handshake
100 READ (5,10,END=35)X
10 FORMAT(A1)
C Get line from file
35 READ (7,20,END=90)A
20 FORMAT(62A1)
C Write to tty
WRITE (6,25)A
25 FORMAT(' ',62A1,';')
GOTO 100
90 CONTINUE
C Get final handshake
WRITE (6,30)
30 FORMAT(' ',63('@@'))
STOP
END
@end<example>
The final @q<@@>'s tell KGET that the transmission is done. This works because
the technique for forming @q<KERMIT.FIX> ensures that the file will contain no
@q<@@>'s.
@subheading<KGET.BAS -- PC Side of Bootstrap>
This is the PC side, KGET, in PC Basic. Note that the communication port is
opened at 4800 baud (you could substitute any other speed).
@begin<example,free>
5 'Run this program on the PC in conjunction with a Fortran program on the
6 ' mainframe to get Kermit to the PC
7 ' Daphne Tzoar , December 1983
8 ' Columbia University Center for Computing Activities
9 '
10 OPEN "com1:4800,n,8,1" AS #1 ' Clear the port status.
20 CLOSE #1
30 OPEN "com1:4800,n,8,1,cs,ds,cd" AS #1
40 OPEN "KERMIT.EXE" FOR OUTPUT AS #2
50 OK$ = "ok"
60 PRINT#1,OK$ ' Tell host we're ready for data
70 X$=INPUT$(63,#1) ' Data plus semi-colon
80 VALUE$ = LEFT$(X$,1) 'First char of input
90 VALUE = ASC(VALUE$)
100 IF VALUE = 64 OR VALUE = 192 GOTO 430 ' @@ means we're done
110 IF VALUE >= 176 AND VALUE <= 191 THEN GOTO 140 ' Kill all illegal chars
120 IF VALUE >= 48 AND VALUE <= 63 THEN GOTO 140
130 X$ = MID$(X$,2) : GOTO 80
140 IF VALUE <> 174 GOTO 210 ' Not a dot (for read) - don't worry
150 TWO$ = MID$(X$,2,1) ' Look at char after the dot.
160 TWO = ASC(TWO$)
170 IF TWO >= 176 AND TWO <= 191 THEN GOTO 210 ' It's ok.
180 IF TWO >= 48 AND TWO <= 63 THEN GOTO 210
190 X$ = MID$(X$,3) ' Kill the char
200 GOTO 80
210 SIZ = LEN(X$) ' How much input was actual data
220 READIN = 64 - SIZ
225 IF READIN = 0 GOTO 260
230 XTWO$=INPUT$(READIN,#1) ' Get rest of data
240 X$ = X$ + XTWO$ : X$ = LEFT$(X$,62)
250 PRINT X$ ' Optional - use this line to follow the transmission
260 GOSUB 290
270 PRINT#2,X$; ' Put data to the file.
280 GOTO 60
290 ' GET TWO CHARS, SUBTRACT SPACE (20 HEX) FROM EACH, AND COMBINE
300 ' TO ONE DIGIT.
310 FOR A = 1 TO 31
320 Y$ = MID$(X$,A,1)
330 Z$ = MID$(X$,A+1,1)
340 YNUM = ASC(Y$) : ZNUM = ASC(Z$)
350 IF YNUM > 127 THEN YNUM = YNUM - 128 ' Turn off hi bit if on
360 IF ZNUM > 127 THEN ZNUM = ZNUM - 128
370 YNUM = YNUM -48 : ZNUM = ZNUM -48 ' Subtract the space
380 XNUM = (16 * YNUM) +ZNUM
390 NEWCHR$ = CHR$(XNUM)
400 X$ = MID$(X$,1,A-1) + NEWCHR$ + MID$(X$,A+2)
410 NEXT A
420 RETURN
430 PRINT " [All done.]"
440 CLOSE #1,#2 ' Clean up.
450 END
@end<example>
If you already have a working Kermit on your PC and you want to get a new one,
you should use Kermit itself to transfer the @q<KERMIT.FIX> file. Once you
have the new @q<KERMIT.FIX> on your PC disk:
@begin<enumerate>
Rename @q<KERMIT.EXE> to something else, so you'll still have it in case
something goes wrong.
Get or copy the program KEXE from the mainframe. Alternatively, you may
modify KGET as follows:
@begin<enumerate,spread 0.25>
Remove lines 10 and 20.
Change line 30 to
@example<30 OPEN "KERMIT.FIX" FOR INPUT AS #1>
Remove line 60, since we're not handshaking with a remote host any more.
In line 70, change "63" to "62".
Remove line 250, since there's no need to monitor a transmission line.
Change line 280 from "@q<GOTO 60>" to "@q<GOTO 70>".
@end<enumerate>
Save the modified KGET under a new name, say @q<KEXE.BAS>@index<KEXE>, and run
it. It will end with some error like "Input past end in 70", which just means
it came to the end of file (of course, you could avoid this error by trapping
it, but no harm is done in any case).
You should now have a new, working version of @q<KERMIT.EXE> on your PC disk.
@end<enumerate>
@Section<Adding Support for New Systems>
@label<-msdosnew>
MS DOS Kermit supports many different systems. Like CP/M-80 KERMIT, this
support was added to the program piecemeal, at many sites, using conditional
assembly. However, before allowing the program to grow into a complicated
monolith like CP/M-80 KERMIT, we have broken the program up into separate
modules, with system dependencies isolated into separate modules, consisting of
compact collections of low-@|level primitives for console and port i/o.
The last monolithic (single source file) release of MS DOS Kermit was 1.20.
To this and earlier versions was added support for systems like the Seequa
Chameleon, the HP-150, the Victor 9000, the Heath/Zenith 100, and others.
As time permits, support for these systems will be integrated with the new
modular version. Meanwhile, implementations based on these old versions will
have at least the following incompatibilies from the version described here:
@begin<itemize>
RECEIVE @i<filespec> is used instead of GET @i<filespec>. There is no GET
command in older versions, and no way to specify a new name for an incoming
file.
No REMOTE command.
No 8th-bit prefixing.
@end<itemize>
To install support for a new system, you would copy the
system-@|dependent modules for terminal emulation and port and console i/o,
modify them to suit the requirements of your machine, and rebuild the program.
In many cases, a "generic" MS DOS Kermit will run as-is on new systems. The
generic version accomplishes all its port and console i/o through DOS calls,
and does no terminal emulation -- many systems do not need terminal emulation
because they have terminal firmware built in.
@i<Details to be filled in...>