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Continued from Part A
ON TO MORE COMMANDS...
CP/M has a command available to set
the date and time. If you plan to
stamp your files with the date and
time, this has to be set for it to
work properly. Here is how it
works...
A>date <RETURN>
Thu 08/01/85 01:00:00:10
A>
Entering the command DATE, CP/M
looks for the DATE.COM file and if
it finds it, displays the current
system date and time.
A>date set <RETURN>
Enter today's date (MM/DD/YY):
02/26/12
ERROR: Illegal time/date
specification.
A>
I removed the disk from drive A and
entered DATE. This is what CP/M
showed...
CP/M Error On A; Disk I/O
BDOS Function = 15 File = Date .COM
A>
I placed the disk back into drive A,
entered DATE SET, and CP/M then
prompted for the date entry. This
version of CP/M does not recognize
the year 2012! So I entered the
following:
A>date set <RETURN>
Enter today's date (MM/DD/YY):
01/26/88
Then CP/M responded with:
Enter the time (HH:MM:SS):
So I entered in 13:54:00 and CP/M
displayed:
Press any key to set time
After pressing a key, I was back to
the system prompt...
A>
I checked to see what the new
current date and time was...
date <RETURN>
Fri 02/26/88 13:54:04
A>
I may have crossed the path of an
update somewhere, I'll just watch as
I search the internet and see if I
find it (add to checklist).
USER COMMAND
The USER command offers the ability
to manage multiple users on one
machine (disk). Today this
technology is obviously outdated as
most organizations use sophisticated
networking technologies. However, I
could see a small business still
being able to use this feature
(here's an idea...attempt to
implement CP/M in a real work
environment!).
The USER command can be coupled with
the password feature to improve file
access security. I entered the USER
command at the prompt (I set drive B
as default) and was asked for a user
number. For fun, I entered 3 and the
monitor displayed the following:
3B>
I took a directory and was given a
NO FILE response. This was CP/M
telling me that there were zero
files identified as belonging to
user #3.
THE SET/INITDIR COMMANDS
The User's Guide (p. 5-86) states,
"The SET command initiates password
protection and time stamping of
files in the CP/M 3 system. It also
sets file and drive attributes, such
as the Read-Only, SYS, and
user-definable attributes. It lets
you label a disk and password
protects the label. The SET command
includes options that affect the
disk directory, the drive, or a file
or set of files...To enable time
stamping of files, you must first
run INITDIR to format the disk
directory".
I would like to initialize my data
disk for date and time stamping -
this I could use. So according to
what I just read, I will need to run
the INITDIR command to prepare the
disk for this feature. So I inserted
the data disk in drive B and entered
the following:
A>initdir b: <RETURN>
CP/M then displayed the following on
the monitor...
INITDIR WILL ACTIVATE TIME STAMPS
FOR SPECIFIED DRIVE.
Do you want to re-format the
directory on drive: B (Y/N)?
I typed the letter 'Y' and pressed
<RETURN>. INITDIR then processed the
disk in drive B. To check to see
what it has done, I took a directory
of B...
dir b: [date] <RETURN>
This prompted CP/M to check the disk
in drive B for files with a date
stamp. Here is what was printed to
the screen...
Scanning Directory...
Sorting Directory...
ERROR: Date and Time Stamping
Inactive.
A>
O.k., I forgot to use SET to
activate the disk! So the next thing
I did was scan the User's Guide on
how to do this. I found it on page
5-92. So I entered in the following:
set b: [create=on] <RETURN>
SET then displayed the following...
Label for drive B:
Directory Passwd Stamp Stamp Stamp
Label Reqd Create Access Updat
---------- ------ ------ ------ -----
B:LABEL . off on off off
A>
After this I entered in DIR [DATE]
and the screen filled with
information on each file (I had
already copied several files from
the system disk).
SUMMARY
I have been able to do quite a bit
for this article. Finding a way to
copy CP/M files from a Windows or
MAC based machine is proving to be
more challenging than first thought.
I have been able to obtain access to
a few resources that may be able to
shed light on this problem. As I go
deeper into more sophisticated
concepts and processes, I am
predicting more time investment to
learn.
ED is proving to be a somewhat
do-able text editor, however when I
figure out how to access a CP/M disk
from one of my other computers, I
will be able to try some software I
have downloaded that is easier to
use.
DATE, SET/INITDIR, and USER commands
provide convenience with proper file
organizing abilities. DATE has a
limitation with accepting years past
1999. USER is a command that I do
not see an immediate need for since
I do not have multiple users on my
Commodore 128D. Commands SET and
INITDIR enable greater functionality
from a disk by allowing such as date
and time stamping of files and
password protection.
For me, all information researched
up to this date is as far as I have
been. CP/M and the Z-80 is not bad
(I'm still preferential to the 65xx
though). I see many similarities to
MS-DOS (Somewhere I saw information
that Microsoft stole much of CP/M
for DOS, not much of a surprise).
Well, there it is...the end of the
Rediscovery series! I know, it was
only four articles, but to continue
wouldn't exactly be "rediscovery"
since I would need to write about
things I haven't learned before. But
don't expect this to be the end as
there is a lot of stuff I plan to
research. I still have that
checklist with a lot of questions
needing some answers and these would
make for some great future articles!
Here's a great idea...my next CP/M
series of articles are expected to
be "Commodoreman's Checklist -
Exploring CP/M" or something similar.
'Till next time, keep up the great
tradition of supporting Commodore!
- Commodoreman
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hard drive (note: logical drive
capacity cannot exceed 512 MB - CP/M
Programmer's Guide, sec. 1.5, p.
1.11). Find out more about this
feature (can I still get one?)
REU CP/M DISK
BDOS
* What is the date displayed on
startup? Is it the date of the OS
or is it there to represent the
current date? If so how do I
change it? < Part 4 >
* How do I use other peripheral
devices (modem, printer, joystick,
etc.)?
* What other high-level languages
exist (BASIC, FORTRAN, COBOL,
etc.)? < Part 4 >
* Find a manual for Personal
Ancestral File version 2
* How do I use a 1581 with CP/M?
* What does FORMAT mean with the 64
single sided format option?
* Can I read and write to a CP/M
formatted disk using my Win98
computer?
* Find a utility that can read/write
to CP/M (Win98, DOS, C128)
* Find a newer version of CP/M
System Disk
* Find a decent assembler for CP/M
* How do I transfer files to CP/M?
* What is the disk format used by
CP/M?
* How does the disk format work?
(Comparison between CP/M &
Commodore)
* Find update for CP/M to accept
years past 2000.
LIST OF RESOURCES
Hardware:
* Commodore 128D
* 1541
* 1571 (2)
* 1581
* 1750 REU
* 1702 Monitor
* 1902 Monitor
* 1670 Modem
Software:
* CP/M System Boot Disk
* Genealogy Program
* other CP/M formatted disks (copies
of system disk)
Printed Material:
* Commodore 128D User's Guide
* Commodore 128 Programmer's
Reference Manual
* Digital Research User's Guide (3
books in one)
* Commodore 128 CP/M User's Guide -
ABACUS ISBN#0916439453
* Commodore World Magazine
* The Z-80 Microcomputer Handbook
Digital resources:
* Commodore 128D User's Guide -
www.commodore.ca/manuals
* Commodore 128 Programmer's
Reference Manual -
www.commodore.ca/manuals
* Digital Research User's Guide -
www.commodoreman.com/commodore/book
s/man/Digital_CPM_Manual.zip
* C Hacking Magazine
* CPM Introduction - Introductory
article from Herne Data Systems
www.herne.com. File found on
Zimmer's website www.zimmers.net
* CCP Internals
Other (whatever else I have at my
disposal):
* An Internet connection
* Computer with Windows98 and a 5
1/4" floppy drive (I am almost
positive I can read CP/M formatted
disks with this computer!)
* My website - www.commodoreman.com
- See Library and Archives
sections for CP/M
* AnaDisk - MS-DOS disk utility
* FreeFile - MS-DOS disk utility
http://www.herne.com/free.htm
Questions or comments can be emailed
directly to Commodoreman -
cman@commodoreman.com or you can
contact the staff at Commodorefree.
REFERENCES FOR THIS ARTICLE
* Digital Research Inc. (1984).
User's Guide. 2nd ed.
* Digital Research Inc. (1983).
Programmer's Guide. 2nd ed.
* Digital Research Inc. (1983).
System Guide. 2nd ed.
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