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L Y N C Operations Manual Copyright (c) 1990,91 by Jason R. Alward All Rights Reserved For product support, contact: Jason R. Alward Box #20102 R.P.O. Tillsonburg, Ontario Canada N4G5K4 (519)842-9175 Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- 1. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Licensing and Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2. GETTING STARTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Starting Lync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Configuring Lync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3. USING LYNC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Using the Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The Input Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Status Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Lync's Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Dial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Hangup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Download & Upload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Echo & Linefeeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Initialize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Clear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 4. FILE TRANSFERS & PROTOCOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 What is a File Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Supported Protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Ascii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Xmodem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 1k-Xmodem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Ymodem (batch) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Zmodem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Special Zmodem Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 REGISTERING LYNC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 WARRANTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 2 INTRODUCTION Chapter 1 OVERVIEW Have you ever wished you could find a communications program that wasn't a 150-300k program requiring a hard disk to run efficiently? One small enough to run in a DOS shell from a large application, without being totally stripped of essential features? Lync was written to fill this need. Occupying less than 50k of disk space and requiring less than 80k of free memory, Lync will operate on all but the most restricted of systems. And the menu driven interface means you don't have a long learning curve before you can use it. Read the list of features below and you'll see, all the essentials are there. FEATURES ~ Menu driven interface makes it very easy to use. ~ Alt-key shortcuts to all functions for quicker access. ~ Requires less than 80k of free memory to run. ~ Uses no overlay files so all functions respond quickly. ~ Dialing directory loaded into RAM for faster access. ~ Support for ANSI display codes built in. ~ Arrow keys, HOME, END, and DELETE keys send ANSI codes compatible with most BBS's full screen editors. ~ User defined macro strings can be assigned to the function keys F1 through F10 and shifted F1 through F10. ~ Macros support "^" control code notation and variable length pauses for often used command sequences. ~ Handles speeds from 300 to 38400 baud. ~ Supports COM1 through COM4. ~ Dialing directory holds 45 entries and supports auto redial, tagging, auto dial of tagged entries, and auto untagging of entries connected to. ~ Variable dial time and pause between dial attempts. ~ Capture session to file supported with ANSI code stripping. ~ Wide directory listing with automatic page pausing. ~ Can issue a DOS command or drop to a DOS shell. ~ Five transfer protocols supported for uploads/downloads: Ascii, Xmodem, 1k-Xmodem, Ymodem (batch), and Zmodem. ~ Zmodem resume aborted or crashed transfers and auto Zmodem downloads supported. ~ Local Echo and Add Linefeeds supported. ~ All display colours can be customized to your liking. ~ Status line displays capture, echo, and linefeed status as well as current COM settings, connection status and time elapsed since connection. ~ Host mode built in with optional password protection. Remote user can upload, download, page you for chat, and leave a short message. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 3 LICENSING AND DISTRIBUTION Lync is not, nor has it ever been, free software. It is copyright and is distributed as SHAREWARE. You are granted a limited license to use Lync for an evaluation period, not to exceed 30 days. Use of Lync beyond the evaluation period requires registration. Upon registering Lync, you will receive a disk containing the latest registered and shareware versions and you will be entitled to product support. See the chapter on Registering Lync at the end of this manual for complete details on how to register your copy of Lync. You may give copies of Lync to others for their evaluation so long as no fee is charged for the copy. Lync may also be posted on electronic bulletin board systems (BBS's) as long as no fee is charged to access Lync beyond subscription or online time fees normally charged for access to the BBS. Those copying, sharing, and/or electronically transmitting Lync may not delete, add, or in any way modify any of the files in the Lync package. Lync must be distributed in it's entirety, complete with documentation. Anyone not adhering to these conditions is in direct violation of copyright law. Distributors of shareware and/or public domain software must obtain written authorization before distributing copies of Lync. No one may use Lync in a promotion for any commercial venture or as an enticement for the user to pay for any program, product, or service without having received the express written permission of the program's author. In order to distribute Lync, a shareware vendor must comply with the following conditions: 1. Vendors must obtain written permission from Jason R. Alward before distributing Lync. If no reply is received, write again. You may not distribute copies "pending" receipt of permission. 2. Vendors may not modify or delete any of the files in the Lync package. A reasonable number of small text or batch files may be added if designed to provide a service to the user, but they must be easily identifiable and the user must be allowed to delete these added files. 3. Vendors must make a reasonable effort to distribute only the most recent version of Lync. If you have received written permission to distribute Lync, you will be notified of updates when they are released. 4. A maximum disk fee, set in the vendor contract, must not be exceeded. Lync may not be included in any package sold for more than this maximum. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 4 GETTING STARTED Chapter 2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS IBM PC/XT/AT or true compatible computer running DOS v2.0 or above. One floppy disk drive, a Hayes compatible modem, and 256k of RAM. NOTE: Lync actually requires about 77k of free RAM to run. If you have less than 256k in your system, try running Lync anyway, it just might fit. Of course you can't use the Shell command when memory is that restricted. INSTALLATION Installing Lync requires two steps. First, you simply copy the file LYNC.EXE to the disk or directory where you will be using it. Lync uses no overlay files and creates the data files it needs when you first run it, so you only need the one file. The next step is to make sure Lync can find those data files each time you use it. If you're using Lync on a floppy based system, this is not a problem since you will have to insert the disk containing Lync and it's files in order to run it. You can remove the Lync disk after it starts up but you must reinsert the disk when you make changes in the dialing directory, save changes from the configuration menu, or save the macro keys file. The dialing directory is a special case as it only updates the file when you leave the directory menu. This occurs when you press ESC or when you connect to an online service after dialing, so the Lync disk must be in the drive at these times IF you have edited any entries. If you're using Lync on a hard drive you'll need to know more about how Lync finds it's data files. The first step Lync takes is to check the DOS version number. If it finds version 3.x or greater then it will get a complete pathname from DOS, you don't have to do a thing. If it finds version 2.x it will search the environment for a variable named LYNC. In this case you should add a line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file as follows: SET LYNC=C:\LYNC You should of course place your own drive:\path specification after the "LYNC=". Be sure NOT to end it with the "\" backslash. If Lync doesn't find the LYNC variable it will use the current directory to build a path to it's files. This is the least desirable method since Lync will create new files all over your hard drive if you don't change to it's directory every time you use it. Another minus is that these new files will contain default information and the dialing directory and macro keys will be blank. As you can see, if you're using DOS version 2.x it is desirable to set the LYNC variable. Doing this in your AUTOEXEC.BAT means you need only do it once and don't have to bother with it again. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 5 STARTING LYNC To start Lync simply change to the disk/directory where you put the program and type: LYNC followed by pressing the ENTER key. The first time you run Lync it will create a configuration file called LYNC.CFG which will be filled with default information. Lync will then place you in the Configuration Options menu and place a message at the top of the screen prompting you to configure Lync for your system and press "S" to save. You may need to change some of Lync's defaults for it to work with your system (See the Configuring Lync section below). When you've got Lync properly configured, press the "S" key to save your changes, and you're ready to go. The next time you run Lync, it will get it's settings from the configuration file so you won't have to go through this again. CONFIGURING LYNC The first step in configuring Lync is to make sure your modem is configured so Lync can work with it. Lync expects the modem to treat status signals as their true state and not force them on or off. The most important of these are the Carrier Detect (CD) and Data Terminal Ready (DTR) lines. Many modems default to a forced carrier and ignore DTR so you must configure your modem to use the actual state of these signals. Some modems use DIP switches to control these settings and some use commands (such as AT &C1 for true carrier and AT &D2 for hangup on DTR low). You will have to consult your modem's manual for the exact method used to make your settings but the results you want are: The Carrier Detect (CD) should reflect the actual state of the carrier signal. The modem should go on-hook on an On-to-Off transition of the DTR. (When Lync drops the DTR signal you want the modem to hangup) Next you will need to configure Lync to work with the rest of your system. Lync's configuration is completely menu driven and you can exit the Options menu by either pressing the "S" key to make your changes the new start up defaults, or by pressing the ESC key to keep your changes for the current session without changing the defaults stored on disk. When you issue the Alt-O (Options) command, or when running Lync for the first time, you will see a menu that looks something like the following: Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 6 +-|Current Configuration|------------------|Colour Options|-------+ : Com Port: COM1 Terminal Normal : : Baud: 2400 Terminal Highlight : : Data Bits: 8 Status Line Normal : : Parity: NONE Status Line Highlight : : Stop Bits: 1 Menu Normal : : Local Echo: OFF Menu Highlight : : Add Linefeeds: OFF Menu Title : : Alarms & Beeps: ON Menu Select Bar : : Dial Wait Time: 30 Snow Checks: OFF : : Pause Between Dials: 5 : : Dialing Prefix: AT DT : : Dial Cancel: ^M : : Modem Initialization: AT S0=0 S7=30 E1 V1 Q0 X1^M : : Auto Answer String: AT S0=1^M : : Host Password: : : Download Files Directory : : : : Upload Files Directory : : : +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Use the arrow keys to move the menu select bar to the item you wish to change and press the ENTER key. You will then be able to enter the new setting either by selecting it from a menu or typing the new value. Following is a description of the settings that must be configured the first time Lync is run. See the Options section in Chapter 3 for a complete description of all the settings. The Com Port setting tells Lync which serial port your modem is connected to. Lync supports serial ports COM1 through COM4. NOTE: If you have an internal modem, the serial port is built into the modem itself. You'll have to check the modem's manual to see which port it's configured for. The Baud setting should be set to the maximum speed your modem is capable of, as this setting is used when creating the dialing directory defaults. It also gets the initialization string out as quickly as possible. Supported speeds are: 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, and 38400 baud. The Data Bits, Parity, and Stop Bits settings should be configured for the settings you most commonly use as these are also used as dialing directory defaults. Most IBM compatible based BBS's use 8 Data bits, No Parity, and 1 Stop bit, which is what Lync defaults to, so this would be a good choice for start up. The supported settings for these are: Data Bits: 7 or 8 Parity: NONE, ODD, EVEN, MARK and SPACE Stop Bits: 1 or 2 The Local Echo setting tells Lync to send characters typed in terminal mode to the screen as well as the com port. This is useful if you connect to a lot of systems that don't echo your input back to you, although most BBS's do. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 7 The Add Linefeeds setting tells Lync to send a linefeed to the screen after every carriage return it sends to the screen. This is used if you connect to a lot of systems that send carriage returns only, at the end of each line. Adding linefeeds will prevent each successive line from overwriting the previous line. You will probably need to use this option if you're using Local Echo. These two settings can be either ON or OFF and they are both used as defaults when creating the dialing directory. The Dialing Prefix setting is a short string that is sent to the modem just before the number to be dialed is sent. It's function is to tell the modem to dial the following number and wait for a connection. Lync defaults to "AT DT" for the prefix which tells the modem to use touch tone dialing. If you have pulse dialing in your area you would need to change the prefix to use this dialing method. The appropriate Hayes command would be "AT DP". The Dial Cancel setting is a string that is sent to the modem when you tell Lync to interrupt a dialing operation. It defaults to "^M", a carriage return, which is all that is needed for most modems. Consult your modem's manual for the exact commands it needs for these operations. The Modem Initialization setting is simply a string of modem commands that you want Lync to send to your modem at start up. This just guarantees that the modem will be configured the same way every time you start Lync. The default string is: AT S0=0 S7=30 E1 V1 Q0 X1^M These are commands from the Hayes modem command set. Again, you should consult your modem's manual for the complete set of commands it recognizes and the function of each. From this you can decide what is needed in your initialization string. NOTE: The ending "^M" is not a modem command but Lync control code notation. You can insert control codes into your string by preceding the control character you want with a caret (^) character. For example, a backspace is control-H so you would type a caret immediately followed by an H like this: ^H. This is what you must do to end your initialization string with a carriage return, which is control-M or ^M, as Lync does not append a carriage return to this string. You can only use this control code notation in certain items, which will display a message at the bottom of the menu to inform you. See the section on The Input Editor for further details. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 8 USING LYNC Chapter 3 USING THE MENUS Using the menus in Lync is easy. The arrow keys move the select bar and ENTER selects the highlighted item. In almost all cases, the ESC key will get you out of a menu without selecting or changing anything. Most of Lync's menus are arranged vertically, but some are horizontal. To simplify the way Lync deals with this, the arrow keys have been paired together. Both the UP and LEFT arrow keys perform the same function, as do the RIGHT and DOWN arrow keys. So if you're in a vertical menu, pressing the LEFT arrow would move the select bar up just as the UP arrow would. And if you were in a horizontal menu, the UP arrow would move the select bar left just as the LEFT arrow would. The RIGHT and DOWN arrow key interaction would be similar. Lync's menus also support wrap around. This means that if the select bar were at the bottom of a menu and you pressed the DOWN arrow key, the select bar would jump to the top. This also means that when you're in a menu with only two options, any arrow key will toggle the select bar between the two. THE INPUT EDITOR Whenever Lync needs you to enter or edit a string of text, such as the modem initialization string, it uses a built in line editor. Within this editor certain keys perform special functions to make editing easier. These keys are as follows: The LEFT & RIGHT ARROW keys move the cursor within the existing string without effecting the text. This lets you position the cursor to the character where you need to start editing. The HOME key will move the cursor to the beginning of the existing string. Likewise, the END key will move the cursor to the end of the string. The BACKSPACE key will delete the character preceding the cursor position and move the cursor back to that position, pulling any trailing text back one space with it. The DELETE key will delete the character at the cursor position and pull any trailing text back one space to fill the gap. The cursor position remains the same. The INSERT key will toggle between insert and overwrite mode. The cursor becomes larger to show when insert mode is on. Finally, if you press CONTROL-HOME it will erase any existing text and let you build your string from scratch. This is useful when no part of the current string can be used to build your new string. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 9 In a few special cases, Lync will accept control code notation within an input string. An example of this notation is "^M" (without the quotes) which will be interpreted as control-M which is a carriage return. Lync only interprets this notation in strings that will be sent to the modem, for which there will be a prompt at the bottom of the menu explaining how to use it. Lync also allows variable pauses using a similar notation. To insert a pause you would use a caret "^" followed by a number from 1 to 9 representing the number of seconds you need to wait. For example, a "^3" would cause Lync to pause for three seconds. A "^0" is a special case as it is interpreted as a ten second pause. THE HELP MENU All Lync's functions are available via Alt-key shortcuts, but when you don't remember one you can press Alt-Z and get the Help Menu. The Help Menu lists all available functions, their shortcut key, and a brief description of their purpose. You can execute a function from this menu by moving the select bar to the desired function and pressing ENTER, or you can press the corresponding shortcut key. THE STATUS LINE Lync uses the top line of the screen to display the current status of it's capture file, echo and linefeeds state, com settings, and carrier detect. The capture file status is indicated by "Capture:" followed by it's current status, either ON, OFF, or PAUSE. The echo and linefeeds status are indicated by "Echo:" and "Linefeeds:" respectively and they're followed by either an ON or OFF status. The com settings status simply reflects the current Baud rate, Data bits, Parity, and Stop bits that Lync is currently configured to use. These are displayed as the corresponding numbers except for Parity, which is shown as the first letter of the corresponding Parity type. The carrier detect status is indicated by either the word "Offline" or "Online". "Offline" is displayed when no carrier signal is detected from the serial port. "Online" is displayed while a carrier signal is present on the serial port and is followed by a time indicator which reflects the time elapsed since the carrier changed from an off to on status. The "Online" time is displayed as hours:minutes. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 10 LYNC'S FUNCTIONS This section will give a detailed explanation of each of Lync's functions, in the same order they appear in the Help Menu. This section should make a good reference whenever Lync's prompts and help prove inadequate. Files (Alt-F) The Files function first prompts you to enter the desired path and filespec for which you wish to list the files. It will provide you with a string containing the current directory and *.* filespec so pressing ENTER will list all files in the current directory. Simply edit this string as needed. Once you have entered the desired filespec and pressed ENTER, the Files function will read the directory and display all matching files in three columns. If there are too many files to display in one window it will stop and provide you with a "More Y/N" prompt. Pressing "Y" at this prompt will clear the window and resume displaying files. if you press "N" at the more prompt (or when there are no more matching files) the Files function will display the amount of free space on the selected drive and prompt you to press any key, which will return you to terminal mode. Path (Alt-P) The Path function displays the current directory and allows you to edit the string. Pressing ESC leaves things as they were but pressing ENTER will cause the Path function to change the current directory to the new one you specified. If the new directory is invalid, a message will inform you of this and the current directory will remain unchanged. Shell (Alt-S) The Shell function allows you to execute a DOS command or program or drop to a DOS shell. It first displays a window with a DOS prompt to allow you to enter the command or program you wish to execute. When you've entered your command line, pressing ENTER causes the Shell function to call COMMAND.COM to execute the command or program. Upon the command or program's completion, you will be prompted to press any key, which will return you to Lync. If you press ENTER alone in the DOS prompt window without typing any commands, the Shell function executes COMMAND.COM to drop to a DOS shell. You will see a message informing you that you must use the DOS EXIT command to exit the shell and return to Lync. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 11 Exit (Alt-X) The Exit function simply prompts you to verify that you want to exit Lync. Pressing ENTER will exit Lync and pressing ESC aborts the function and returns you to terminal mode. You could also use the arrow keys to select "No" and press Enter to exit. Dial (Alt-D) The Dial function takes you to the Dialing Directory which is used to store and call the BBS's you use. This directory stores the information for 45 numbers, 15 of which are displayed at a time. The HOME, END, PG UP, PG DN and Arrow keys will move the select bar through the directory to select the desired number. The DELETE & INSERT keys will delete the selected number or insert a blank number at the selected location. When you delete a number, a blank is added to the end of the list. Use caution when you insert a number as the last number in the list will be lost off the end. Pressing "E" will open another menu to allow you to edit the selected number. The menu will look something like this: +-|Dial Editor|---------------+ : Name: : : Phone: 000-0000 : : Baud: 2400 : : Data Bits: 8 : : Parity: NONE : : Stop Bits: 1 : : Local Echo: OFF : : Add Linefeeds: OFF : : Transfer Protocol: Xmodem : +-----------------------------+ Use the arrow keys to select the item you wish to change and press ENTER to change the information. You will get either a cursor to edit a string, like the Name or Phone, or a menu from which to select the new setting. When the items are set as desired, press the "S" key to save your changes in the directory and exit the menu. If you wish to abort all changes to this number, pressing the ESC key will return you to the dialing directory with the original settings intact. Pressing the space bar in the directory will "tag" the selected number (or "untag" if it has already been "tagged"). Tagging allows you to build a list of BBS's that you want Lync to call at one sitting. Pressing the "C" key will clear all "tags" from the directory. This is useful when you wish to dial the selected number when there are still tagged numbers in the list. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 12 Pressing ENTER initiates a dial sequence. This consists of changing the com settings to those in the selected number, sending the Dial Prefix string to the modem, sending the Phone string to the modem, sending a carriage return to the modem to execute the dial operation, and waiting for the number of seconds specified by the Dial Wait Time. A "dialing" window will appear displaying the Name and Phone of the number being dialed, the number of attempts for this number, and the message: "Waiting for Connection" followed by the remaining seconds before the dial is aborted. While Lync is waiting, it watches for a carrier signal or a string coming in from the modem (eg. BUSY). If Lync gets a carrier signal, it sets the Echo and Linefeeds settings to those stored in the selected number, and sets the Transfer Protocol Menu to default to the desired setting. Then it sounds a short alarm and exits the Dialing Directory back to terminal mode. If a string is received, Lync echoes it after the "Last Status" prompt and goes into the pause between dials. If the time runs out Lync displays "Time Elapsed" as the status and then goes into the pause. The pause simply displays "Pausing" followed by the number of seconds remaining before another dial attempt is made. Lync will continue to retry the dial until it gets a carrier and connects, or you press ESC to abort the operation. The number that gets dialed when you press ENTER depends on whether there are any "tagged" entries or not. If there are no entries tagged, Lync dials the selected number. If you have tagged some numbers, Lync will start dialing the first tagged number in the directory and continue through each successive tagged number in the list for each dial retry. In other words, Lync will dial the first tagged number, and if it doesn't connect, it will try the next tagged number and so on to the last tagged number upon which it will loop back to the first and try the whole list again. If Lync connects when dialing a tagged list, it will "untag" the number before leaving the directory. This means that when you disconnect from this BBS, you can go to the directory and dial the remaining tagged numbers. The number that was connected to will no longer be in the tagged list. Pressing the space bar when dialing will cause Lync to cancel the dial operation and skip to the pause stage, or if you press space while Lync is pausing, it would skip the pause and dial again. This is useful when dialing tagged numbers and you wish to skip over one number for the current pass through the list. Finally, pressing ESC when Lync is not dialing simply returns you to terminal mode. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 13 Capture (Alt-C) The Capture function allows you to trap all text displayed on the terminal screen to a "capture" file, for later viewing. The menu you get when you select the Capture function is dependent on capture's current status. If capture is off, you will be prompted for a filename to open as your capture file. The default name will be LYNC.CAP, created in Lync's home directory. If capture is on, you will be asked if you want to close the capture file or just "pause" capturing. If capture is "paused" you will be asked if you want to close the capture file or "unpause" it. When Lync opens the capture file it will not erase an existing file, but rather add on or "append" to the end of the file. If the file doesn't exist it will be created, of course. When you "pause" capturing, you are telling Lync to stop writing to the capture file, but not to close it because you are just skipping something. Lync uses a 10k buffer for the capture file so your activities won't be continuously interrupted by excessive disk writes. Hangup (Alt-H) The Hangup function simply sets the DTR signal low, waits for about a half second, then sets it high again. If your modem is configured correctly, this will tell it to hangup the phone. As a precaution, Lync checks for the carrier signal after the hangup and if it still exists, Lync informs you that the hangup failed. Download (PG DN) & Upload (PG UP) The Download and Upload functions are used to transfer files to or from the BBS system that you connected to. Downloading means you are receiving a file and uploading means you are sending a file. When you wish to transfer a file, either upload or download, the first thing you must do is get the BBS system ready for a transfer. Different systems use different commands and menu structures so you'll have to see the BBS's help or instructions for exact details, but generally you'll need to: Change to the BBS's file section, issue the command to transfer a file (usually U or D for upload or download respectively), enter the name of the file to transfer, and finally issue the command to select the desired transfer protocol. At this point the BBS should inform you that it's ready to do the transfer. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 14 Now that the BBS is ready, you need to tell Lync that you wish to transfer a file. Press the PG UP or PG DN key, depending on the direction of your transfer, and you will receive a menu of protocols that looks like this: +----------------+ : Ascii : : Xmodem : : 1k-Xmodem : : Ymodem (batch) : : Zmodem : +----------------+ Select the same protocol from this menu as you told the BBS to use and press ENTER. You will be asked for a filename if you are uploading or you are downloading using Ascii, Xmodem, or 1k-Xmodem. Ymodem and Zmodem are batch protocols and will get the filename from the BBS when downloading. Now a window will appear on the screen displaying data about the transfer like elapsed time, approximate characters per second, bytes sent/received, etc. Now just sit back as the two systems transmit data. Lync will sound a short alarm to inform you when the transfer is complete. A special note should be made about the two batch protocols. First, when downloading using Zmodem, you don't need to press the PG DN key to tell Lync to start transferring. Lync will recognize the initialize packet for Zmodem and will automatically start the download when it sees this. Second, when uploading using either batch protocol, you may send more than one file at a time, if the BBS system supports multiple file uploads. When Lync asks you for the name of the file to upload, you may enter any legal DOS wildcard specification such as: \FILES\*.ZIP or A:*.* The batch protocols would then send every file matching these specs. Of course, as with any transfer that requests a filename, if you don't specify a drive or directory, Lync will use the file path you set in the configuration Options menu. Echo (Alt-E) & Linefeeds (Alt-L) The Echo and Linefeeds functions simply toggle the local echo or add linefeeds settings respectively. The indicators on the status line are updated to reflect the new setting. Initialize (Alt-I) The Initialize function simply sends the modem initialization string out to the modem. This is useful for resetting the modem if it's settings have been changed by another program that you may have executed with the Shell function, for example. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 15 Macros (Alt-M) The Macros function takes you to the macro editor. This will open a large window and display a menu of the function keys F1 to F10 and SF1 to SF10, each followed by the text defined for that key. Pressing the "S" key in this menu will save the macro text to a file called LYNC.KEY in Lync's home directory. Pressing the ESC key will leave the macro editor without saving your changes to disk. This is useful when you need to make changes for the current session only. To change a macro, simply select the desired item and press ENTER, make your changes and press ENTER to keep them, or press ESC if you change your mind and wish to restore the macro to it's pre-edited form. Within these macros you can use control code notation as well as variable pauses. To use a variable pause simply insert a caret "^" followed by a number from 1 to 9 or 0 (for ten) representing the number of seconds desired for the pause length. These pauses are useful if you want a macro to send your name and password to logon to a BBS. For example: John Doe^M^5password^M This macro would send "John Doe" followed by a carriage return, then pause for five seconds, then send "password" followed by a carriage return. The pause length needed would of course depend on the delay between the prompts of the specific BBS being called. Host (Alt-Q) The Host function switches Lync into a "mini-BBS" or Host mode. This function simplifies the exchange of data between you and a remote user. When Host mode is activated, it first checks for the existence of a LYNC.MSG file in it's home directory. This file is where Lync stores messages that are left by your callers. If this file exists and it is more than zero bytes long, Lync will ask if you want it to be "cleared" (truncated to zero bytes long). Select No if you have not read the messages left during your last Host session, otherwise select Yes. If this file is never cleared it will grow very large as Lync always appends new messages to the end of the file. Next the Host changes the com settings (Baud, data bits, parity, and stop bits) to the defaults set in the Options menu (a Dial operation may have changed them). The Host then sends the Auto Answer string to your modem, to set it to answer mode, and waits for an incoming call. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 16 When the modem responds that it has "connected", Lync will attempt to determine the baud rate and then display a "LYNC HOST" message to the caller. Now the caller will be prompted to enter their name and will optionally be required to enter a password to gain access to your system. If you entered a password in the Host Password option of the Options menu, the caller will be given 3 tries to enter the password correctly (case insensitive). If you left the Host Password option blank, the caller will be logged on immediately after entering their name. The password prompt is skipped. Once logged on, the caller will be presented with a menu of options. These options are: Page the SysOp (you), Leave a message, Files available, Download a file, Upload a file, and Goodbye (disconnect). These functions are activated by a single keystroke and are not case sensitive. If the caller presses "P" to page you, an alarm will sound to let you know someone is paging (in case you left for a moment). The alarm will sound 5 times before informing the caller that you are not available. If you press the spacebar before the last alarm you will engage "chat" mode. In this mode, what you type will be highlighted and what the caller types will be normal. To exit chat mode and return the caller to the menu, press the ESC key. Page is the only command that requires your interaction although the keyboard is active during the call so you can help the caller along when needed. You should also note that the Hangup (Alt-H) command is active during a call, should you need to "boot off" an unwanted guest. It should be noted that the Upload and Download File Directories, set in the Options menu, are used in the Host mode. The caller can "download" any file contained in your Upload Files Directory. Likewise any file "uploaded" by the caller is placed in you Download Files Directory. The Host won't let them upload a file that already exits though, unless it is a file that was just uploaded (to support Zmodem's resume crashed transfer feature). When the Host is waiting for a call you can press the ESC key to exit the Host mode and return to terminal mode. The Host will send the Modem Initialization string to reset the modem, so make sure it contains the command needed to turn off the auto answer mode of your modem, usually "AT S0=0". If any messages were left during this session, the Host will display a message containing the number of new messages left and telling you to look in the LYNC.MSG file for the content of these messages. The LYNC.MSG file is straight ASCII text and can be viewed with almost any text editor. You can also do a local logon by pressing the "L" key when the Host is waiting for a call. This function just lets you get a feel of what a caller will see when calling your Host. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 17 Options (Alt-O) The Options function calls up the configuration menu so you can change Lync's current settings. Use the arrow keys to select an option and press ENTER to change it's setting. As illustrated in the Configuring Lync section, this menu is laid out as two side by side menus. The left and right arrow keys are used to switch between the two menus. Pressing the "S" key in this menu will save the settings to the LYNC.CFG file, making them the start up defaults. Changes made in the configuration menu are effective immediately so pressing ESC allows you to make changes for the current session without changing the start up defaults. Following is a description of all Lync's configurable options that are accessed through this menu: The Com Port option selects which serial port you wish Lync to access and should be set to the port which your modem is connected to. It provides a vertical menu from which to select the desired serial port. It can be set to COM1, COM2, COM3, or COM4. The Baud, Data Bits, Parity, and Stop Bits all provide vertical menus from which to select and they should be set to your modem's highest speed, and probably 8, NONE, and 1 if you plan to use the Host mode for PC to PC communications. The range for each item is as follows: Baud: 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400 Data Bits: 7 or 8 Parity: NONE, ODD, EVEN, MARK, SPACE Stop Bits: 1 or 2 The Local Echo, Add Linefeeds, and Alarms & Beeps all provide a horizontal menu with the options OFF or ON. The Local Echo option tells Lync that the remote system doesn't echo your input back to you, so Lync will display it when it sends it. The Add Linefeeds option tells Lync that the remote system ends lines only with a carriage return so Lync will add linefeeds to keep each line from overwriting the previous line. The Alarms & Beeps option tells Lync whether it should sound it's "connect" and "transfer complete" alarms. When set to OFF it will even disable beeps produced by control-G characters received from the remote system. The Dial Wait Time and Pause Between Dials options use the input editor to allow you to enter the desired number of seconds for each item. These items will allow numbers in the range of 2 to 255. The Dialing Prefix option allows you to edit the the command your modem requires to initiate a dial operation. This is normally "AT DT" for touch tone service and "AT DP" for pulse dialing service. This string can be up to 9 characters long. The Dial Cancel option allows you to edit the string needed to get your modem to abort a dial operation. A carriage return or "^M" is usually all that is needed, but this string can be up to 20 characters long if your needs are specialized. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 18 The Modem Initialization option allows you to edit the string of modem commands that Lync will send to your modem at startup. This string can be up to 40 characters long (the maximum length of most modem's command buffers) and should end with a "^M" to tell the modem to execute the commands. It should also contain the command your modem requires to disable the auto answer mode as the Host function sends this string to your modem when you exit Host mode. The Auto Answer String option allows you to edit the command your modem requires to switch into auto-answer mode. This string is sent to the modem whenever you start the Host mode. It can be up to 20 characters long and should end with a "^M" for the command to be executed. The Host Password option allows you edit the password that a remote caller would be required to enter in order to gain access to your system. This string defaults to a blank string and if it is left blank, the Host will bypass the password prompt entirely, allowing anyone on without a password. If you intend to leave the Host mode unattended, you should probably use a password. This string can be up to 10 characters long. The Upload/Download Files Directory options allow you to specify which directories Lync will default to when transferring files. These options should not be left blank if you intend to use the Host mode as the Upload Files Directory is where a remote user can get files from, and the Download Files Directory is where Lync stores files received from a remote user. Both these strings can be up to 68 characters long and they MUST end with a "\" backslash character or you will get "Invalid Path" errors when you attempt any file transfers. Under the Colour Options title are the nine colour customization options and the Snow Checks option. All the colour options will present you with a window filled with diamond characters representing all the possible foreground/background combinations. A white box will outline the current setting for the selected item. Move the box with the arrow keys and press ENTER when the desired colour is outlined. The screen will be refreshed with the newly selected colour(s). The Snow Checks option can be either ON or OFF and it is really only important to those who have CGA video that produces "snow". If you are experiencing interference on your monitor as you move the select bar around the menu, then set this option to ON. Clear (Ctrl-HOME) The Clear function simply clears the terminal screen using default "Terminal Normal" colour you set in your configuration. Break (Ctrl-END) The Break function sends a special signal, called a "break", to the remote system. This is only needed for special cases, such as baud detect for some UNIX systems. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 19 FILE TRANSFERS & PROTOCOLS Chapter 4 WHAT IS A FILE TRANSFER File transfers allow you to exchange programs, text, or any other type of file with any BBS system that supports a file section. In order to transfer files over phone lines, the receiving system must have some way to tell if the data it received is the same as what was originally sent. Phone lines are seldom perfectly clear of static or noise, and this noise can alter the data as it travels from one system to the other. This is the purpose of transfer "protocols". Transfer protocols generally break a file into small chunks called "packets" or "blocks", then perform some calculation on the data and send the "packet", followed by the result of the calculation, to the receiver. The receiver performs the same calculation on the data as it comes in and then compares it's result with the following sender's result. If the two match, the receiver writes this data to it's copy of the file and sends some acknowledgement signal to alert the sender to send the next packet. If the two calculation results don't match then the data was corrupted in transit and the receiver sends a negative acknowledgement signal to alert the sender to resend the same packet. Different protocols use different methods for calculating the error check value, signaling the start of a packet, and acknowledging good and bad packets. Therefore it is important to use the same protocol as the system you're connected to. In Lync I have attempted to support a "survival kit" of transfer protocols. I couldn't support a long list of protocols since that would have made Lync too large a program (Lync's main feature is that it's very small without being "gutted" of features). I also didn't want to support so few protocols that you would have to turn to another terminal program for file transfers. So I've picked the minimum complement of protocols that I felt were essential to any terminal program. SUPPORTED PROTOCOLS There are five protocols supported by Lync and they are as follows: Ascii, Xmodem, 1k-Xmodem, Ymodem (batch), and Zmodem. Now I'll give a brief description of each protocol. Ascii Ascii isn't really a protocol since it has no method for error checking built in and as such is only useful for text files. It does however provide one very useful function, you can upload a message that was entered offline. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 20 Since Ascii just reads a file and sends out the characters as if you were typing them at the keyboard, it allows you to use a text editor or word processor to create a message that you want to "post" on a BBS. This is done when you're not connected and not paying for online charges. You save your message as a pure ASCII text file and then use Lync to connect to the BBS. Do whatever is required to enter a message and when the BBS is waiting for you to type in your message, upload your text file with the Ascii protocol. You will see the text appearing on your screen as the BBS echoes it back, just as if you were typing it. Xmodem Xmodem is not particularly efficient nor 100% reliable, but it is supported by almost every online service there is. No matter how limited a BBS's list of supported protocols is, it will probably support Xmodem. This is why it was essential to support Xmodem. Some BBS's may offer you two varieties of Xmodem reflecting the two types of error checking that Xmodem can use. These are Checksum and CRC. Lync supports both methods and detects which one the BBS is using so it will work with either one. Whenever you have the option, CRC is the preferred method as it is a great deal more reliable than the Checksum method. 1k-Xmodem 1k-Xmodem is basically the same as Xmodem except for the size of it's packets. Xmodem uses 128 byte packets and 1k-Xmodem uses 1024 byte packets, which is where the "1k" prefix came from. This makes it a bit faster than Xmodem since it's packet overhead is reduced by a factor of 8. You should be warned that not all BBS's refer to this protocol as 1k-Xmodem. On some systems it's called "Old Ymodem" and others just call it "Ymodem". This can lead to confusion since this is not that same as the "Ymodem (batch)" that Lync supports. So if you're trying to use Ymodem and it just won't work, the BBS is probably using a misnamed 1k-Xmodem, so tell Lync to use 1k-Xmodem even though the BBS calls it Ymodem. Ymodem (batch) Ymodem (batch) uses the same type of packets as Xmodem but can use both 128 and 1024 byte packets dynamically. The most important feature, however, is that it starts the transfer with a special header packet that contains complete filename, size, date, and time information about the file. The transfer is ended with a blank header packet (all 0's). These header packets allow more than one file to be transmitted in a single session, thus it is called a "batch" protocol. On some BBS's this is called "True Ymodem" or just "Ymodem" so it can be confusing to tell whether you have to use Ymodem or 1k-Xmodem. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 21 Zmodem Zmodem is the most powerful of the protocols supported by Lync and should be used whenever possible. It is very efficient because of a low overhead on each data packet and, like Ymodem, it is a batch protocol and can send more than one file per session. It also supports advanced features like crash recovery, automatic start on downloads, and 32 bit CRC error checking (making it extremely reliable). These features are described in the following section. SPECIAL ZMODEM FEATURES Zmodem Crash Recovery Crash recovery means that you can resume an interrupted download at a later time without the sender having to retransmit data that you have already received. For instance, you're downloading a file and you loose carrier due to line noise, or the power goes out. Now you're stuck with an incomplete file and with any of the other protocols, you'd have to download the whole thing again. But when you reconnect to the BBS and download the file again using Zmodem, it will see that the file already exists but is incomplete. So it will tell the sender how much of the file you already have, and the sender will adjust it's start position accordingly, thus completing the file. Zmodem Auto-Start Automatic start means that you don't have to tell Lync that you're starting a Zmodem download. Just tell the BBS to send the file using Zmodem and sit back. Lync will recognize the Zmodem initialize packet and start a Zmodem download for you. Zmodem 32 bit CRC The other protocols use a 16 bit CRC for their error checking and this is reasonably reliable. Zmodem can also use a 16 bit CRC, if the BBS version of Zmodem doesn't support a 32 bit CRC, but Lync prefers a 32 bit CRC for the increased reliability and will inform the BBS that it wants to use them. Lync 2.0 Copyright (c) 1990,91 Jason R. Alward Page 22 REGISTERING LYNC To register Lync, simply print the file REGISTER.DOC on your printer, fill in the requested information and mail the form along with your check or money order to: Jason R. Alward Box #20102 R.P.O. Tillsonburg, Ontario Canada N4G5K4 In order to print the form you can type the following at your DOS command prompt: copy register.doc prn If you don't have a printer you can just send a letter containing the information requested in the registration form. Be sure to specify the version of Lync that you are registering when not using the supplied form. When Lync is going to be installed on more than one machine, you must register a copy for each machine. Quantity purchase discounts are as follows: 1 to 10 copies no discount 11 to 25 copies 10% discount 26 to 50 copies 15% discount 51 to 100 copies 20% discount 101 to 200 copies 25% discount 201+ copies Call to negotiate discount Orders over 50 copies are site licenses, unless you have made special arrangements. You will receive a master copy and written authorization to make the number of copies requested. To make special arrangements, call me at (519)-842-9175. ALL PRICES AND DISCOUNTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. Discounts are not cumulative. They apply to single orders of like products only. WARRANTY Lync is sold "as is" without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to, any warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. Jason Alward shall not be liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special or consequential arising from a failure of Lync to operate in the manner desired by the user. IN NO EVENT WILL JASON ALWARD BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES TO DATA OR PROPERTY WHICH MAY BE CAUSED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY BY THE USE OF LYNC. JASON ALWARD SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS, OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE LYNC, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.