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1992-07-17
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Visual Zmodem
High-Quality External Protocol Driver
Copyright (C) 1992, by Jon R. Rickher
All Rights Reserved
DESCRIPTION
=============
Visual Zmodem is not merely a Zmodem driver. It also supports Xmodem CRC,
Xmodem Checksum, Xmodem 1K, Xmodem 1kG, Ymodem, Ymodem 1kG, and Kermit, as
well as Zmodem and ZmodemSprint (Zmodem with 8k blocks).
VZ is mostly compatible with Omen Technology's DSZ, but looks better and
does a few things (WWIV-status monitoring, Kermit, ZIP commenting or un-
commenting, and virus scanning [with MacAfee's SCAN.EXE]) that neither DSZ nor
GSZ support.
VZ is meant to provide BBS systems or communications programs without ZModem
or Kermit with those options, and to provide all BBS systems and
communications with a better-looking display during transfers, while using
memory economically. In addition, using VZ when downloading files should
help prevent the spread of viruses; since it's all automatic, you don't
have to worry about putting off your virus-scanning and then later forgetting
to do it at all and thereby letting a virus slip through the cracks.
USE WITH WWIVNET SOFTWARE
===========================
Right now it is possible to use VZ with the WWIVnet software by renaming it
to DSZ.EXE and making sure you have 120k free RAM for network callouts. In
the future (in the next release of the WWIVnet software) VZ will be directly
supported and will not need to be renamed.
ZIP (UN)COMMENTING
====================
Zip Commenting is enabled with the -a option. If the received file is a valid
ZIP file, and a file called VZ.CMT exists in the current directory, then
this will be used for the ZIP comment. If no such file exists then any ZIP
comment will be automatically stripped.
AUTOMATIC VIRUS SCANNING
==========================
To use the virus-scanning on received files, SCAN.EXE must be in your path.
In addition, for each archive type you wish to be automatically extracted
and scanned, you will need to have in your path the appropriate archive
extractor. VZ looks for the following:
Archive VZ will look for
------- ----------------
ZIP PKUNZIP.EXE
ARC PKXARC.COM
ARJ ARJ.EXE
LZH LHA.EXE
PAK PAK.EXE
All other files will be scanned as a single file with no extraction if the
file's extension does not match one of the above. Of course, the -v option
must be used. VZ maintains a file called VZSCAN.LOG that shows the results
of the scanning. If a virus is detected there will be an alarm, and the file
will be deleted.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
=====================
Visual Zmodem should work on any IBM or IBM compatible computer with a serial
port, including IBM PS/2's, that has at least 256K of memory and a Hercules
or CGA monitor or better. VZ works best on '286-class machines or better that
have at least 512k of expanded memory.
Memory requirements vary somewhat. If you do not enable ZmodemSprint then
VZ requires about 120K of memory. Enabling ZmodemSprint adds another 32k
to the memory requirment. Enabling the virus-scanning boosts the memory
requirement more than anything, because the new PKUNZIP itself requires
185k of memory. Both VZ and PKUNZIP make use of expanded memory (EMS) and
will run better on machines equipped with it.
REGISTRATION
==============
VZ is not public domain. It is ShareWare. The evaluation period is one month.
If you find that you are using it after one month has gone by then you are
obligated to delete all but the original archive that contained VZ, or
register it. Registration is a measely $10. If your integrity isn't worth
$10...well, most peoples' integrity *is* worth more than that and I hope
you're one of them. Using VZ without registering also does damage to the
ShareWare concept in general, so please don't abuse or in the end everyone
ends up losing. Really, with this low of a price, there's no excuse for
not registering.
VZ may be distributed freely, so long as it is distributed only in its
original archive and so long as this archive is left unmodified. If you
charge a fee for handling costs (disk, whatever), then this fee may be no
more than $5 for a disk containg VZ.
Registrations may be mailed to:
Jon R. Rickher
c/o The Fellowship
7035 Ethel
St. Louis, MO 63117
This does *not* get a disk mailed to you. Rather, this will give you access
to the latest registered VZ files when you get an account on The Fellowship.
The phone number for The Fellowship is 314-644-5777. If you wish a disk mailed
to you then include an extra $5 (a total of $15). This includes international
orders. This $5 only gets you *one* mailing, however. Additional upgrades
for registered users may be downloaded or you may send another $5 along with
name and registration number for an additional mailing.
Note that I do *not* intend to have a zillion different releases coming out
with a new one every four days. I will only release new versions that are
*significantly* changed and improved.
THE DISPLAY WINDOWS
=====================
The display is easy to understand - there is one window for the current file
being transferred. When sending file(s), if the protocol supports batch
transfers, there is also a batch status window. If you use the -w option
(see below) then there will also be a WWIV status window if CHAIN.TXT is in
the current directory. You may toggle from active window to another window
(making it the "active" window) with the TAB or SHIFT-TAB keys. Windows may
be moved around with the cursor keys (although no window may be moved off
the screen). Windows may be tiled and may overlap. For performance reasons
(it takes time to do some of the windowing), it is best to leave the File
Status window the active window, but you can play around.
PARAMETER DESCRIPTIONS, DETAILED
==================================
Running VZ.EXE from a DOS prompt with no parameters shows a simple summary of
available options. These are detailed as follows:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
port <portnum> Use serial communications port number <portnum>
Example VZ port 3 sz *.*
Default port 1
Note Only the standard base addresses are supported at
this time. PS/2's use different addresses than
"normal" computers. The -2 option (see below)
can compensate for computers that are inaccurately
reported as being PS/2 machines.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
portx base,IRQ Specify a new base address and IRQ number for the
port defined by the "port portnum" parameter.
Example vz port 2 portx $2e8,3 sz *.*
Default N/A (uses "standard" base addresses and IRQ's for
com ports - almost always works)
Note This parameter sequence is only necessary if your
serial port is set to use a nonstandard base
address and/or IRQ.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
speed <bpsrate> Use <bpsrate> when communicating with the chosen
serial port
Example VZ speed 2400 sz *.*
Default Whatever speed the computer is currently using to
communicate with the chosen serial port.
Note This option is very rarely necessary. Unless you're
*sure* you need to change the BPS rate from its
current status, it is best to omit this option.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
restrict Disallows pathnames, and any filename containing
a "/" or "\".
Example VZ restrict rz
Default Off
Note This option is rarely needed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
est <speed> Estimate transfer efficiency based on a modem-to-
modem speed of <speed>.
Example VZ est 9600 sz *.PAS
Default Estimate based on DTE-DCE speed (speed with which
the computer is communicating with the serial
port).
Note If you have the serial port "locked" then this
option is useful for reporting transfer efficiency
accurately. To maintain DSZ commandline-
compatiblility if the <speed> parameter is 0, then
VZ will look ahead one extra parameter.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-a Toggles ZIPfile (un)commenting.
Example VZ port 4 -a rz C:\DLOADS
Default Off
Note If a file called VZ.CMT exists in the current
directory then this will be used for the ZIP
comment if this option is enabled. If this
option is enabled and no such file exists then
ZIP comments will be stripped from incoming
files. Very handy for BBSes that do not desire
ZIP comments or wish to have a ZIP comment of
their own. Registered version only.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-d Toggles carrier detect monitoring on/off.
Example VZ -d sz *.*
Default On
Note Some modems improperly report their carrier detect
status. This option will toggle the automatic
carrier detect checking and may be useful when
using such modems.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-e Toggles exploding windows on/off.
Example VZ -e port 2 sz *.TXT
Default Off
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-f Toggles 16550A[FN] UART buffering.
Example VZ -f port 1 est 2400 rz
Default On
Note The UART type is autodetected by default and the
16550 UART is used with a trigger level of 14.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-n Toggles on or off only writing newer files.
Example VZ -n port 4 rz
Default On
Note If this option is on (default) then only newer
files with the same name will be written.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-r Toggles on or off Zmodem crash recovery (resume).
Example VZ -r rz *.PAS
Default On
Note This allows an interrupted file transfer to be
resumed after an interruption.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-s Toggles on or off "squeaky" windows.
Example VZ -s port 2 sz *.ZIP
Default Off
Note This option causes a sound when windows are opened
or closed. An aesthetic thing only.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-v Toggles on or off automatic virus-scanning.
Example VZ port 2 -v rz
Default Off
Note Only the registered version has this option. A status
log called VZSCAN.LOG is kept (in the current
directory) that shows which files were scanned and
which contained viruses or were "clean". Infected
files are deleted if this option is toggled on.
MacAfee's SCAN.EXE must be in the current directory
or exist on your PATH for this option to function.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-w Toggles on or off WWIV status viewing.
Example VZ -w port 2 rz
Default Off
Note This option, when enabled, causes VZ to look in the
current directory for a file called CHAIN.TXT.
If this file exists then it is read and some
information about the current user is shown on
the screen, and that user's time left online is
tracked by VZ. If it expires then any transfer is
aborted. This can prevent bad line conditions
from causing a caller to "hog" the line for
excessive amounts of time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-2 Toggles on or off automatic PS/2 detection.
Example VZ -2 rz
Default On
Note The default (on) will always properly detect if
VZ is running on a PS/2 machine (and all base
addresses and IRQ numbers will be adjusted
accordingly). However, some standard AT machines
improperly report themselves as PS/2's, which
could cause a port address or IRQ conflict. If
this is a problem, then this option will solve it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8 Toggles on or off ZmodemSprint.
Example VZ -8 sz *.ARJ
Default Off
Note This option can increase overall throughput by
using 8k blocks with Zmodem transfers. Although
this is not part of the defined Zmodem standard,
some other Zmodem implementations do support
large-block Zmodem transfers, so it is supported
here as well. Do not use this option, though,
unless you are sure the other side can handle
it, or there will be errors. Registered version
only.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
on Use CTS/RTS flow control
Example VZ on sz *.zip
Default CTS/RTS is enabled by default if the connect speed
is greater than 2400 bps, otherwise XON/XOFF
is enabled.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
off Turn off all flow control
Example VZ off rz
Default Flow control is XON/XOFF for connect rates of 2400
or slower or CTS/RTS if the connect rate is
higher by default. This option overrides the
defaults and turns off all flow control.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
both Turn on XON/XOFF and CTS/RTS flow control
Example VZ both sz *.pak
Default See description for "off".
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
slow Use CTS/RTS flow control but lower the RTS signal
during disk access. This should allow systems with
unusually slow hard drives or floppy drives,
or systems multitasking heavily, to eradicate
some or all data input errors during a transfer.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transferring Files, Protocol and Direction Selection:
sz Send Zmodem
rz Receive Zmodem
sb Send Ymodem
rb Receive Ymodem
sx Send Xmodem
rx Receive Xmodem
sb -g Send Ymodem 1kG
rb -g Receive Ymodem 1kG
sx -k Send Xmodem 1k
rx -k Receive Xmodem 1k
sx -g Send Xmodem 1kG
rx -g Receive Xmodem 1kG
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transferring Files, Filename Selection:
The last parameter of the commandline should be either a filemask (eg,
"C:\*.*" or a filename or (if you're receiving, and the protocol
allows it [Ymodem, Kermit, Zmodem]) no filemask or filename at all.
In addition, when receiving you may simply specify a directory and
all transferred files will be placed there.
For protocols that support batch transfers you may also specify a file
list if you precede the name of the file list with the "@" symbol (eg,
"VZ port 3 -es sz @C:\DLOADS\FILES.LST"). Any files listed in this
listfile, if they exist, will be sent. Note that files in this list
must not contain DOS wildcards.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Example complex send commandline:
VZ port 2 est 9600 -waves28 sz @C:\WWIV\FILES.DL
This commandline would use port 2 with the standard base address and IRQ
for a non-PS/2 system, estimating transfer times based on a 9600 bps speed,
with WWIV status, exploding windows, "squeaky" windows, no PS/2 detection,
and 8K Zmodem blocks - sending all files that actually exist that are
listed in the file C:\WWIV\FILES.DL. If a file called VZ.CMT exists in
the current directory, this would be used as a zip comment for received
files, else zip comments would be stripped from incoming ZIP files. All
received files (if this were a receive commandline) would also be scanned
for viruses using MacAfee's SCAN.EXE utility and infected files would
be deleted.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Included batch files:
Name Description
------------- ---------------------------------------------------------
VZS.BAT Standard batch file for using VZ within Telix, sending
VZR.BAT Standard batch file for using VZ within Telix, receiving
VZS8.BAT Batch file for using VZ with 8k Zmodem within Telix,
sending
VZR8.BAT Batch file for using VZ with 8k Zmodem within Telix,
receiving
Edit the batch files to reflect your communications port. You can also
specify a download directory for the receive batch files, and disable
the virus-scanning, zip-commenting, exploding windows, and squeaky windows
by removing the appropriate option.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------