Simtel MSDOS 1992 September

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ProtoRep v1.10 ============== This program is the property of Michael S. Cox. Altering and/or selling ProtoRep is prohibited without the written consent of Michael S. Cox. You may use the program and distribute it without charge, except for a disk fee not to exceed $1 for 5 1/4" DS/DD disks, $2 for 5 1/4" DS/HD disks, $2 for 3 1/2" DS/DD disks, and $10 for 3 1/2" DS/HD disks. If you have to pay more for the disks than the above, you're being ripped off and should look for another vendor. For contribution/registration information, see the Future section at the end of this documentation. ProtoRep is a program that simplifies using external protocols. It allows you to add up to 12 (in this version) external protocols easily. It's much handier than a slew of .BAT files to do the same function. Many communications programs only have one or two file transfer protocols available. Two examples are Bitcom and Smartcom. To use any of the more advanced protocols such as Zmodem, you have to 'shell' out of the comm. program and execute the external protocol along with it's cumbersome command line. Later in the industry came programs that allowed external protocols to be added to its menus through the use of .BAT files. Two examples of this are Qmodem and Telix. But even these programs had minor limitations on the number of protocols you could add. The main function of ProtoRep, however, is for the user who has a communication program that supports a small amount of protocols, and doesn't allow user-defining new protocols. What's New? =========== V1.10 re-worked the input scheme. Previously, I had used the ON KEY statements in QuickBASIC, but because of problems with 101-key keyboards, and a trailing keystroke if a user keys to fast, I have done away with it, and used a much cleaner approach of using ASCII scan codes. Also in 1.10, the first letter of each command can be use to execute that command. For instance, Typing 'S' will execute the Send File(s) routine. Installation ============ ProtoRep can be invoked three ways: (1) exiting the comm. program through a DOS shell (jumping out to DOS while the comm. program is still loaded) and running PROTOREP.EXE, (2) installing ProtoRep as an external protocol in the more advanced communication packages, or (3) in the worse scenario, if the comm. package doesn't have either of the two above capabilities, but does allow you to exit the program without hanging up, you can exit the comm. program, run PROTOREP.EXE, and restart the comm. program. If you use option two (2), and your comm. program forces you to have a .BAT file to run as an external protocol, you can create a .BAT file called PREP.BAT that simply contains the line PROTOREP. Before you can use ProtoRep successfully, you must configure it to meet your needs. Type PROTOREP /C to configure ProtoRep. You will be asked five questions: 1) Is your system color or monochrome? This needs no explanation. If you have an old IBM CGA adapter, you may experience some snow during ProtoRep's execution. To remedy this, get in the 80's. Get yourself a decent video board or upgrade to EGA or VGA. (I'd even consider Hercules Monochrome an upgrade over CGA!) 2) Default directory for receive files. This is the drive and path of where you would like all your downloads to go. Key in the FULL path name such as C:\DOWN. If you just leave this blank, the default directory will be used. 3) Default communications port. This is the COM port your modem is normally using. Most the time, this does not change. ProtoRep will allow you to specify COM ports occupying COM1 through COM8. I have yet to see a package or protocol that uses higher than COM8. Most decent packages support up through COM4. Just key in the 1 character number such as '1' for COM1 or '2' for COM2. Do not key in the whole port address such as 'COM1'. 4) Default communications speed. This is the baud rate you are normally set at. ProtoRep allows speeds of 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, and 19200. I have yet to see anyone going faster than this for file transfers. You can override these default setting for COM port and speed by typing them on the PROTOREP command line. PROTOREP 2 2400 would set PROTOREP up for COM2 at 2400 baud. This would not change the default configuration of PROTOREP, just for the duration of the current session. If your comm. packages will utilize such a command line, it will be necessary to run from a .BAT file that specifies PROTOREP %1 %2 or in whatever order your comm. package issues those parameters. For example, Telix v3.11 would be PROTOREP %2 %1 because it sends speed as the first parameter, and port number as the second. 5) Should ProtoRep be noisy? Well, ProtoRep isn't TOO noisy. Just a small clink when you hit the up/down arrow keys, and a quick tone when you hit enter. You can re-run PROTOREP /C as often as you like to test out if you like the noise or not. These answers are stored in a file called PROTOREP.CFG and can be altered using an ASCII editor. Usage ===== ProtoRep is quite straight forward. You have 6 menu options. To pick an option, use the cursor keys, or arrow keys, to highlight the option you want and hit <ENTER>. ProtoRep wraps the options, so if you're highlighting "Quit", the last option, and hit <downarrow>, "Send File(s)", the first option, will be highlighted. This goes both ways. Also, you may hit the first letter of the command you wish to execute. For instance, hitting the 'S' key will execute the 'Send File(s)' command, and 'I' will execute 'Install Protocol'. To end ProtoRep, choose "Quit" or simply hit the <ESC> key at the menu. Send File(s) ============ If you choose "Send File(s)" a sub-menu is displayed to the main menu's left. This is a list of available protocols as defined by the user (see Install Protocols section). After choosing a protocol, ProtoRep will ask for files to send. You will be able to key in as many files as you like, but only protocols that support "batch" transfers, such as Zmodem, will utilize this feature. ProtoRep will keep asking for another file until you leave a "File" prompt blank by hitting the <ENTER> key. If you leave the first "File" prompt blank, the Send will be aborted and you will be returned to main menu. ProtoRep now shells out at executes the transfer as set up by the "Install Protocols" menu option. Receive File(s) =============== This is executed much like "Send File(s)" except for one difference. If no %f is specified in the download command line (see Install Protocols section), filenames won't be asked. For protocols like Zmodem and True Ymodem the file's name is transferred, so the user does not have to specify the filename twice. The downside of this is that the file will be receive in the same directory that the protocol is being executed. For example: You have DSZ (Zmodem) installed in the C:\PROTO directory, but would like your downloaded files in the C:\DOWN directory. DSZ allows you to key the drive and path to download to as the last parameter it's command line. NOTE: DSZ, unlike DOS uses the slash rather than the backslash for path names. So to set up DSZ to download to the C:\DOWN directory, put the %f at the end of the download command line, and for "File #1:" key in 'c:/down', then leave "File #2:" blank. DSZ's command line would then be: dsz port 2 speed 2400 rz c:/down :this is assuming you have a 2400 baud modem on COM2. For more on these command lines, keep reading! Install Protocols ================= If ProtoRep has a tricky part, this is it. You must have some knowledge of how to execute your external protocol to do this correctly. After selecting this option, you will be asked for the protocol name. This is purely cosmetic, case and names don't matter. The name can be up to 15 characters long. Next, you're asked for the drive and path of the executable files. This does not include the .EXE or .COM file to execute, this is just the path for ProtoRep to find it. For instance, if you have DSZ in the C:\PROTO directory, then the answer to this would simply be C:\PROTO. Next you're asked for the upload command line. This is the command for ProtoRep to "Send File(s)". You can hard code the line by keying in the COM port number and speed, but some flexibility has been installed in ProtoRep to handle this. You may use the variables %p for COM port number, %s for speed, or baud rate, and %f for the file(s) to be transferred. When ProtoRep executes the send or receive, it substitutes the %p with the 1 character port number discussed above in installation, the %s with the speed or baud rate also discussed above in installation, and the %f is substituted with the file(s) you've keyed in after picking the protocol. For example: DSZ's command line for a Zmodem Send is "dsz port 'x' speed 'y' sz 'file1 file 2 file3...'" where 'x' is the 1 character COM port number to use, 'y' is the speed or baud rate of the transfer, and 'file1 file2 file3...' is the list of files to send. The command line for Zmodem Receive is basically the same except you'd use 'rz' instead of 'sz' and you wouldn't specify the filenames because Zmodem figures that out for you. Since the port number and speed may not always be the same, you can always pass the current port number and speed using the %p, and %s parameters. The filenames to send or receive are RARELY going to be the same, so %f is almost a must to use, especially in the upload command line. As you set these protocols up, they're being stored in a file called PROTO.CFG. I have included a PROTO.CFG sample file with the original .ARC file. It should include DSZ's Zmodem, DSZ's True Ymodem, Megalink, SEAlink, and Jmodem setups. I did not use any paths or drives because everybody's hard drive (or floppy drives for you strugglers) is different. Leaving any of the parameters blank (just hitting <ENTER>) will abort the install function. Delete Protocols ================ If you need to get rid of on of the protocols you have installed, use this option. I do not have a Change Protocol option, so if you need to change one, just delete it and re-install it. When you select this, a windows pops up to the left, and the list of available protocols is displayed. Pick the one to delete and it's done. Use a '0' response to abort the delete function. Exit to DOS =========== This simply does a quick exit to DOS while ProtoRep is still in the background. You may maintenance at DOS, then return to ProtoRep by keying in 'EXIT' at the DOS prompt. If you shell to ProtoRep from a comm. program, then shell to DOS from ProtoRep, you may run out of memory depending on how much memory you start out with. Quit ==== Well, this is simple. "Quit" ends ProtoRep and returns to DOS or the parent program that spawned ProtoRep. Hitting the <ESC> key has the same effect. Future ====== I'd like to keep modifying ProtoRep to make it better and more functionable. But, only you can help, and there are two ways you can help. The first is by making a suggested contribution of $25 to my efforts ($10 extra for source code). The second is to let me know if anything went wrong or you would like to suggest enhancements. Send these to: Michael S. Cox 485 Hillcrest Rd, Apt. B York, PA 17403 Contribution entitles you to free updates for life. You won't pay for ProtoRep ever again. I'll also keep you informed of other programs I create. P.S. Protocols Explained ======================== I'm going to explain the protocol configuration I've included in PROTO.CFG and their use to give you an example of how to install protocols. For all protocols, you must consult their documentation in order to get their command line parameters. Zmodem - DSZ: Upload Command: dsz port %p speed %s sz %f Download Command: dsz port %p speed %s rz DSZ is a program by Omen Technology (Chuck Forsberg) that supports many protocols, such as Xmodem, 1K-Xmodem, Ymodem (TRUE Ymodem Batch), and its claim to fame: Zmodem. Zmodem is probably the best behaved protocol around due to its enhanced error recovery and speed. For multiple transfers, you can't beat a batch protocol anyway. In order to implement DSZ and tell it to send/receive via Zmodem, use the above commands. The 'port' parameter simply tells DSZ what COM port number to use, the 'speed' parameter tells DSZ what baud rate to expect, and 'sz' is the DSZ parameter for 's'end 'z'modem. %f will be the list of files you've keyed in through ProtoRep to send. DSZ's parameters are case sensitive, and must be lower case. True Ymodem - DSZ: Upload Command: dsz port %p speed %s sb %f Download Command: dsz port %p speed %s rb Same as Zmodem, but 'sb' is for send with Ymodem, and 'rb' is for receive with Ymodem. I assume the 'b' in 'sb' and 'rb' is for 'b'atch since True Ymodem is an original batch protocol. Why do I keep saying TRUE Ymodem? What is the importance of 'TRUE'? Well, somehow 1K-Xmodem has adapted the name Ymodem in some places. Some BBS's you'll see will have Ymodem listed when it's really 1K-Xmodem they have. True Ymodem is a 128byte block batch protocol and most places that have it list it as True Ymodem, or Ymodem Batch. Megalink Upload Command: mlink port %p speed %s sm %f Download Command: mlink port %p speed %s rm Looks vaguely familiar, doesn't it? No, it's NOT written by Mr. Forsberg or has association with Omen Tech. But having like parameters as this is convenient. The setup is the same as Zmodem and Ymodem except use the 'm' for 'm'egalink instead of 'z' and 'b'. Megalink is a batch protocol, so the filenames need not be specified for a receive. SEAlink Upload Command: clink t p%p b%s %f Download Command: clink r p%p b%s SEAlink is written by System Enhancement Associates (SEA), makers of ARC. It uses 128byte blocks like Xmodem but is faster and uses batch transfers. Its parameter for upload/send is 't' for 't'ransmit and for download it's 'r' for 'r'eceive. To specify port, use 'p' and use 'b' to specify baud rate, or speed. Jmodem Upload Command: jmodem s%p %f Download Command: jmodem r%p %f This is new protocol on the market. Jmodem has nice features such as data compression, allowing you to get better than 100% efficiency. Its command line is simple, either 's' for 's'end or 'r' for 'r'eceive, followed by the port number then the file. This would be an even better protocol if it worked in batch mode (excluding the .BATch file explained in the documentation to supplement this feature). For single file transfers this is my favorite, but for multiple (batch) files, or noisy lines, I'll take Zmodem. Well, here it is anyway. Do with them as you will.