Columbia Kermit/kermit.zip/archives/ckc072.zip/ckdker.doc

Text File | 1988-08-16 | 89KB | 1,792 lines

Preface concerning documentation for the Data General C-Kermit:

In making this commentary, I only rewrote the host-dependent sections of the
original Unix document.  Very few differences exist between Unix C-Kermit and
Data General C-Kermit.  But the entire document is included because of its
utility to Data General users.  The terms "Unix Kermit", "C-Kermit", "Data
General Kermit", and "Kermit" are used as if they were identical in meaning.
Discussion about "Unix files" and "Unix-to-Unix" transfers was left alone, so
long was not confusing Data General users.  The terms "DG" and "Data General"
refer to all systems which run this version of Kermit, which includes AOS/VS
(and AOS/DVS) as a minimum, and perhaps includes AOS/RT32 and MV/UX if the
source is recompiled and relinked.  DG/UX would need to re-insert some of the
Unix-isms that I removed to make this version compatible in a non-Unix
environment.  For details on installation or adapting the source, see
ckdker.bld.  Also, DG/UX may not support the calls used from the System Call
Dictionary for AOS/VS and AOS/DVS.  See ckdker.bwr for further details about
this programs limitations.

Additions to the following headers are:

Program:    Data General Version by Phil Julian, SAS Institute, Inc.
Language:   DG's version 3.21 of C, with Rev 7.54 of AOS/VS
Documentation:
            Adapted by Phil Julian
Version:    4D(061)
Date:       May 12, 1987


9. UNIX KERMIT, adapted to the Data General computers

Program:    Frank  da  Cruz,  Bill Catchings, Jeff Damens, Columbia University;
            Herm Fischer, Encino CA; contributions by many others.
Language:   C
Documentation:
            Frank da Cruz, Herm Fischer
Version:    4D(061)
Date:       September 9, 1986


C-Kermit is an implementation of Kermit, written modularly and transportably in
C.  The protocol state transition table is written in wart, a (non-proprietary)
lex-like preprocessor for C.  System-dependent primitive functions are isolated
into separately compiled modules so that the program should be easily portable
among Unix systems and also to non-Unix systems that have C compilers, such as
the Apple Macintosh, the Commodore Amiga, and the Data General minicomputers.
This document applies to Unix implementations of C-Kermit, and in most ways
also to the VMS and other implementations.



Data General Kermit Capabilities At A Glance:

  Local operation:                   Yes
  Remote operation:                  Yes
  Login scripts:                     No
  Transfer text files:               Yes
  Transfer binary files:             Yes
  Wildcard send:                     Yes
  File transfer interruption:        Yes
  Filename collision avoidance:      Yes
  Can time out:                      Yes
  8th-bit prefixing:                 Yes
  Repeat count prefixing:            Yes
  Alternate block checks:            Yes
  Terminal emulation:                Yes
  Communication settings:            Yes
  Transmit BREAK:                    Maybe no (I can't really test this)
  Support for dialout modems:        No DIAL command
  IBM mainframe communication:       Yes
  Transaction logging:               Yes
  Session logging:                   Yes
  Debug logging:                     Yes
  Packet logging:                    Yes
  Act as server:                     Yes
  Talk to server:                    Yes
  Advanced server functions:         Yes
  Local file management:             Yes
  Command/Init files:                Yes
  UUCP and multiuser line locking:   Yes
  File attributes packets:           No
  Command macros:                    No
  Raw file transmit:                 No

All numbers in the C-Kermit documentation are decimal unless noted otherwise.

C-Kermit provides traditional Data General command line operation as well as
interactive command prompting and execution.  The command line options provide
access to a basic subset of C-Kermit's capabilities; the interactive command
set is far richer.

On  systems  with  dialout  modems,  C-Kermit's  command  file and login script
facilities provide a counterpart  to  UUCP  for  file  transfer  with  non-UNIX
operating  systems, including the use of scheduled (e.g. late night) unattended
operation.



9.1. The Data General File System

Data General has a different file system from Unix.  Consult your book on CLI
(Command Line Interpreter) or the DG operating system.  These comments apply
specifically to AOS/VS.  Other DG operating systems may have different file
structures, and may in fact be supported transparently by the operating system.
(I have only tested this version of Kermit on AOS/VS, and I leave it to others
to verify the results under AOS/DVS, AOS/RT32, and MV/UX.)

In general, Data General files can have lowercase and/or uppercase in its file
names, and the operating system treats names as if they were all upper case.
Directory levels are separated by colon (":") characters.  For example,

  :udd:foo:bar

denotes the file bar in the directory :udd:foo.  Wildcard or "meta" characters
allow groups of files to be specified.  "+" matches any string; "*" matches any
single character besides a "."; "-" matches any any string up to the next ".";
"#" matches the current directory and all sub-directories.

When C-Kermit is invoked with file arguments specified on the CLI command line,
the CLI expands the meta characters itself, and in this case a few additional
characters available.  For example,

  xeq kermit -s :udd:[!user]:ck<u,v,m>-.<upd,bwr>

is expanded by the CLI into a list of all the files in the user's home
directory (:udd:[!user]) that start with the characters "ck", followed by a
single character "u", "v", or "m", followed by zero or more characters,
followed by a dot, followed by one of the strings "upd" or "bwr".  Note the use
of the "<>" macro characters to do an in-line expansion of arguments.
Internally, the C-Kermit program itself expands only the "-" meta character.
The "-" meta character does not conflict with the "-" wildcard character,
because of the context of the character.  Also, note that any wildcard is
expanded by the DG Kermit program, and not by the CLI shell.

Some additional meta characters are available in AOS/VS, "()", "[]", and "&".
A "[!" followed directly by a name, and terminated by "]", is a DG
pseudo-macro; for example, "[!user]" expands to the login name used.
Parentheses will repeat each command for each argument.  For example:

  xeq kermit -s :udd:[!user]:ck<uvm>-.(upd bwr)

will expand into two CLI commands:

  xeq kermit -s :udd:[!user]:ck<uvm>-.upd
  xeq kermit -s :udd:[!user]:ck<uvm>-.bwr

The square brackets are used to read from an external file, for example:

  xeq kermit [args.file]

where args.file contains the line:

  -s :udd:[!user]:ck<uvm>-.(upd bwr)

Finally, to continue the command to the next line, end the line with an
ampersand character, "&".  In the following example, ")" is the default AOS/VS
prompt, and "&)" is the line continuation prompt:

  ) xeq kermit &
  &) -s :udd:[!user]:ck<uvm>-.(upd bwr)

Unix  files are linear (sequential) streams of 8-bit bytes.  Text files consist
of 7-bit ASCII characters, with the high-order bit off (0), and lines separated
by  the Unix newline character, which is linefeed (LF, ASCII 10).  This distin-
guishes Unix text files from those on most other ASCII systems, in which  lines
are  separated  by a carriage-return linefeed sequence (CRLF, ASCII 13 followed
by ASCII 10).  Binary files are likely to contain data in the high bits of  the
file bytes, and have no particular line or record structure.

When  transferring  files,  C-Kermit  will convert between upper and lower case
filenames and between LF and CRLF line terminators automatically,  unless  told
to  do  otherwise.   When binary files must be transferred, the program must be
instructed not to perform LF/CRLF conversion (-i on the command  line  or  "set
file type binary" interactively; see below).


9.2. File Transfer

If  C-Kermit  is  in  local mode, the screen (stdout) is continously updated to
show the progress of the file transer.  A dot is printed for  every  four  data
packets, other packets are shown by type:

    I Exchange Parameter Information
    R Receive Initiate
    S Send Initiate
    F File Header
    G Generic Server Command
    C Remote Host Command
    N Negative Acknowledgement (NAK)
    E Fatal Error
    T Indicates a timeout occurred
    Q Indicates a damaged, undesired, or illegal packet was received
    % Indicates a packet was retransmitted

You may type certain "interrupt" commands during file transfer:

    Control-F:  Interrupt the current File, and go on to the next (if any).
    Control-B:  Interrupt the entire Batch of files, terminate the transaction.
    Control-R:  Resend the current packet
    Control-A:  Display a status report for the current transaction.

These interrupt characters differ from the ones used in other Kermit
implementations to avoid conflict with commonly used Unix shell interrupt
characters.  With Version 7, System III, and System V implementations of Unix,
interrupt commands must be preceeded by the 'connect' escape character (e.g.
normally Ctrl-\).  The Data General does not need the escape character, but
accepts the interrupt characters directly.  Ctrl-F and Ctrl-B are effective
only during the transfer of data (D) packets, and cannot be used to interrupt a
transfer that has not yet reached that stage.

    CAUTION:  If Control-F or Control-B is used to cancel an incoming file,
    and  a file of the same name previously existed, and the "file warning"
    feature is not enabled, then the previous copy of the  file  will  dis-
    appear.

EMERGENCY EXIT: When running Data General Kermit in remote mode, if you have
started a protocol operation (sending or receiving a file, server command wait,
etc), you will not be able to regain control of the terminal until the protocol
operation has run its course (completed or timed out).  In particular, you
cannot stop the protocol by typing the normal Data General interrupt
characters, since the terminal has been put in "raw mode".  If you need to
regain control quickly -- for instance, because the protocol is stuck -- you
can type the following sequence of three characters directly to the Data
General Kermit program ("connect" first if necessary):

    BREAK Control-C Control-A

      or

    BREAK Control-C Control-B

This will cause the program to exit and restore the terminal to normal.

WARNING:  Data General Kermit conifigures the console line to

    CHAR/BREAK=BMOB

so that a BREAK will exit a binary-mode read operation ("raw mode" input).
Then the normal interrupt characters for a C program are accepted by the
operating system.  When Kermit ends, the console line characteristics are
restored to their state when the program was initiated.


9.3. Command Line Operation

The  C-Kermit command line syntax conforms to the Proposed Syntax Standards for
Unix System Commands put forth by Kathy Hemenway and Helene  Armitage  of  AT&T
Bell Laboratories in Unix/World, Vol.1, No.3, 1984.  The rules that apply are:

   - Command names must be between 2 and 9 characters ("kermit" is 6).
   - Command names must include lower case letters and digits only.
   - An option name is a single character.
   - Options are delimited by '-'.
   - Options  with  no  arguments  may  be  grouped  (bundled)  behind one
     delimiter.
   - Option-arguments cannot be optional.
   - Arguments immediately follow options, separated by whitespace.
   - The order of options does not matter.
   - '-' preceded and followed by whitespace means standard input.

A group of bundled options may end with an option that has an argument.

The following notation is used in command descriptions:

fn      A DG file specification, possibly containing the  "wildcard"
        characters  `*', '-', '#', or  `+' (`+' matches all character strings,
        `*' matches any single character, '-' matches any string up to a '.',
        and '#' matches the current and all subdirectories).  Other special
        characters are possible, such as '^' to move up a directory, or '=' to
        use the current working directory, or '@' to use the peripheral
        directory (:PER).

fn1     A DG file specification which may not contain  `*', '-', '#', or  `+',
        but it may contain other special characters such as '^' to move up a
        directory, '=' to use the current working directory, or '@' to use the
        peripheral directory (:PER).

rfn     A remote file specification in the remote system's  own  syntax,  which
        may denote a single file or a group of files.

rfn1    A remote file specification which should denote only a single file.

n       A decimal number between 0 and 94.

c       A  decimal  number between 0 and 127 representing the value of an ASCII
        character.

cc      A decimal number between 0 and 31, or else  exactly  127,  representing
        the value of an ASCII control character.

[ ]     Any field in square braces is optional.

{x,y,z} Alternatives are listed in curly braces.

C-Kermit  command  line  options  may  specify  either actions or settings.  If
C-Kermit is invoked with a command line that specifies no actions, then it will
issue  a  prompt  and  begin interactive dialog.  Action options specify either
protocol transactions or terminal connection.

-s fn   Send the specified file or files.    If  fn  contains  wildcard  (meta)
        characters,  the  DG Kermit program (and not the CLI shell) expands it
        into a list.  If fn is '-' then Kermit sends from standard input, which
        must come from a file:

          xeq kermit/i=foo.bar -s -

        ( Parallel process pipes, signified by "|", are not available except
          perhaps under MV/UX. )

        You could use this mechanism to send terminal typein, using control-D
        as the EOF character, such as:

          xeq kermit/i=@console -s -

-r      Receive a file or files.  Wait passively for files to arrive.

-k      Receive (passively) a file or files, sending them to  standard  output.
        This option can be used in several ways:

        xeq kermit/o=fn1 -k
            Sends the incoming file or files to the named file, fn1.   If  more
            than  one  file  arrives,  all  are  concatenated together into the
            single file fn1.

        "kermit -k | command"  is not available except perhaps on MV/UX.

-a fn1  If you have specified a file transfer option, you may give an alternate
        name for a single file with the -a ("as") option.  For example,

          xeq kermit -s foo -a bar

        sends  the file foo telling the receiver that its name is bar.  If more
        than one file arrives or is sent, only the first file  is  affected  by
        the -a option:

          xeq kermit -ra baz

        stores the first incoming file under the name baz.

-x      Begin server operation.  May be used in either local or remote mode.

Before  proceeding, a few words about remote and local operation are necessary.
C-Kermit is "local" if it is running on PC or workstation that  you  are  using
directly, or if it is running on a multiuser system and transferring files over
an external communication line -- not your job's controlling terminal  or  con-
sole.   C-Kermit is remote if it is running on a multiuser system and transfer-
ring files over its own controlling  terminal's  communication  line  (normally
@OUTPUT), connected to your PC or workstation.

If  you  are running C-Kermit on a PC, it is in local mode by default, with the
"back port" designated for file transfer and terminal connection.  If  you  are
running  C-Kermit on a multiuser (timesharing) system, it is in remote mode un-
less you explicitly point it at an external line for file transfer or  terminal
connection.  The following command sets C-Kermit's "mode":

-l dev  Line  --  Specify a terminal line to use for file transfer and terminal
        connection, as in

          xeq kermit -l @con5

When an external line is being used, you might also need  some  additional  op-
tions for successful communication with the remote system:

-b n    Baud  --  Specify the baud rate for the line given in the -l option, as
        in

          xeq kermit -l @con5 -b 9600

        This option should always be included with the  -l  option,  since  the
        speed of an external line is not necessarily what you expect.

-p x    Parity  --  e,o,m,s,n  (even, odd, mark, space, or none).  If parity is
        other than none, then the 8th-bit prefixing mechanism will be used  for
        transferring  8-bit  binary  data, provided the opposite Kermit agrees.
        The default parity is none.

-t      Specifies half duplex,  line  turnaround  with  XON  as  the  handshake
        character.

The  following  commands may be used only with a C-Kermit which is local either
by default or else because the -l option has been specified.

-g rfn  Actively request a remote server to send the named file or  files;  rfn
        is a file specification in the remote host's own syntax.  Since CLI
        does not expand wildcard characters, they need not be quoted.  But
        other special characters, "()" or "<>" or "&" if at the end of a line,
        must be entered by using the "[!ascii]" pseudo-macro; for example,
        "<xyz>" becomes "[!ascii 74]xyz[!ascii 76]".

          xeq kermit -g x*.?

-f      Send a 'finish' command to a remote server.

-c      Establish  a  terminal  connection  over  the specified or default com-
        munication line, before any protocol transaction takes place.  Get back
        to   the   local  system  by  typing  the  escape  character  (normally
        Control-Backslash) followed by the letter 'c'.

-n      Like -c, but after a protocol transaction takes place; -c  and  -n  may
        both  be used in the same command.  The use of -n and -c is illustrated
        below.

On a timesharing system, the -l and -b options will also have  to  be  included
with the -r, -k, or -s options if the other Kermit is on a remote system.

Several other command-line options are provided:

-i      Specifies that files should be sent or received exactly "as is" with no
        conversions.  This option is necessary for transmitting  binary  files.
        It may also be used in Unix-to-Unix transfers (it must be given to both
        Unix Kermit programs), where it will improve performance by circumvent-
        ing  the  normal  text-file conversions, and will allow mixture of text
        and binary files in a single file group.

-w      Write-Protect -- Avoid filename collisions for incoming files.

-q      Quiet -- Suppress screen update during file transfer, for  instance  to
        allow a file transfer to proceed in the background.

-d      Debug -- Record debugging information in the file debug.log in the cur-
        rent directory.  Use this option if you believe  the  program  is  mis-
        behaving, and show the resulting log to your local kermit maintainer.

-h      Help -- Display a brief synopsis of the command line options.

The Data General allows several switches on the "xeq" command line for AOS/VS
and AOS/RT32.  These switches are described in chapter 11 of the C reference
manual, and are in summary:

    xeq kermit/e ...            Append standard error output to @output
    xeq kermit/e=filename ...   Create "filename" for standard error output
    xeq kermit/ee=filename ...  Append standard error output to "filename"
    xeq kermit/i ...            Get standard input from @DATA
    xeq kermit/i=filename ...   Get standard input from "filename"
    xeq kermit/l ...            Append standard output to @LIST
    xeq kermit/l= ...           Identical to "xeq kermit/o=filename"
    xeq kermit/o=filename ...   Create "filename" for standard output
    xeq kermit/oo=filename ...  Append standard output to "filename"

The command line may contain no more than one protocol action option.

Files are sent with their own names, except that lowercase letters are raised
to upper, pathnames are stripped off.  Incoming files are stored under their
own names except that all letters are uppercased, and, if -w was specified, a
"generation number" is appended to the name if it has the same name as an
existing file which would otherwise be overwritten.  If the -a option is
included, then the same rules apply to its argument.  The file transfer display
shows any transformations performed upon filenames.

During transmission, files are encoded as follows:

   - Control characters are converted to prefixed printables.

   - Sequences  of repeated characters are collapsed via repeat counts, if
     the other Kermit is also capable of repeated-character compression.

   - If parity is being used on the communication  line,  data  characters
     with  the  8th  (parity)  bit on are specially prefixed, provided the
     other Kermit is capable of 8th-bit prefixing; if  not,  8-bit  binary
     files cannot be successfully transferred.

   - Conversion is done between Unix newlines and carriage-return-linefeed
     sequences unless the -i option was specified.


Command Line Examples:


    xeq kermit -l @con5 -b 1200 -cn -r

This command connects you to the system on the other end of @con5 at 1200 baud,
where  you  presumably  log in and run Kermit with a 'send' command.  After you
escape back, C-Kermit waits for a file (or files) to arrive.    When  the  file
transfer is completed, you are reconnected to the remote system so that you can
logout.


    xeq kermit -l @con4 -b 1800 -cntp m -r -a foo

This command is like the preceding one, except the remote system in  this  case
uses  half  duplex communication with mark parity.  The first file that arrives
is stored under the name foo.

    xeq kermit -l @con6 -b 9600 -c | tek        (only perhaps under MV/UX)


    xeq kermit -l @con6 -b 9600 -nf

This command would be used to shut down a remote server and then connect to the
remote system, in order to log out or to make further use of it.  The -n option
is invoked after -f (-c would have been invoked before).


    Where ")" and "))" are the AOS/VS system prompts, enter the following:
         ) qbatch/i      ;comment -- Add any other needed switches
         )) xeq kermit -l @con6 -b 9600 -qg foo.*
         )))             ;comment -- Enter a ")" to exit the qbatch/i command

This command causes C-Kermit to be invoked in a batch job, getting a group of
files from a remote server (note that the '*' character is not quoted, since
the CLI does not expand wildcard characters).  No display occurs on the screen,
and the keyboard is not sampled for interruption commands.  ( Some DG users may
want to provide examples using the PROC command, which is more like a
background job than a batch job.  But we needed a batch example anyway.  )


    Where ")" and "))" are the AOS/VS system prompts, enter the following:
         ) qbatch/i      ;comment -- Add any other needed switches
         )) x kermit/i=@NULL/o=foo.log -l @con6 -b 9600 -g foo.*
         )))             ;comment -- Enter a ")" to exit the qbatch/i command

This  command  is  like  the previous one, except the file transfer display has
been redirected to the file foo.log.  Standard input  is  also  redirected,  to
prevent C-Kermit from sampling it for interruption commands.


    xeq kermit -iwx

This  command  starts  up  C-Kermit as a server.  Files are transmitted with no
newline/carriage-return-linefeed conversion; the -i option is necessary for bi-
nary  file transfer and recommended for Unix-to-Unix transfers.  Incoming files
that have the same names as existing files are given new, unique names.


    xeq kermit -l @con6 -b 9600

This command sets the communication  line  and  speed.    Since  no  action  is
specified,  C-Kermit issues a prompt and enters an interactive dialog with you.
Any settings given on the command line remain in force during the  dialog,  un-
less explicitly changed.


    xeq kermit

This command starts up Kermit interactively with all default settings.

The  next  example shows how Unix Kermit might be used to send an entire direc-
tory tree from one Unix system to another, using the tar  program  as  Kermit's
standard  input and output.  On the orginating system, in this case the remote,
type (for instance):

    tar cf - /usr/fdc | kermit -is -              (Not available)
    kermit -il /dev/ttyi5 -b 9600 -k | tar xf -   (Not available)

    compress file | kermit -is -     (sender)     (Not available)
    kermit -ik | uncompress          (receiver)   (Not available)


Exit Status Codes:

Status codes are not returned, and the string variable is not set to return the
error message.


9.4. Interactive Operation

WARNING:  If you have a non-DG type of terminal, enter this command:

  CHAR/ON/NAS

and Kermit will supply the correct backspace character and delete characters
properly on the screen.  In other words, this DG Kermit supports DG and non-DG
style terminals.

C-Kermit's  interactive  command  prompt  is  "C-Kermit>".  In response to this
prompt, you may type any valid command.  C-Kermit executes the command and then
prompts  you for another command.  The process continues until you instruct the
program to terminate.

Commands begin with a keyword, normally an English verb, such as "send".    You
may  omit  trailing  characters  from  any keyword, so long as you specify suf-
ficient characters to distinguish it from  any  other  keyword  valid  in  that
field.    Certain commonly-used keywords (such as "send", "receive", "connect")
also have special non-unique abbreviations ("s" for "send", "r" for  "receive",
"c" for "connect").

Certain  characters  have  special  functions during typein of interactive com-
mands:

    ?   Question mark, typed at any point in a command, will produce a  message
        explaining  what  is  possible or expected at that point.  Depending on
        the context, the message may be a brief phrase, a menu of keywords,  or
        a list of files.

    ESC (The  Escape  or  Altmode  key)  --  Request  completion of the current
        keyword or filename, or insertion of a default value.  The result  will
        be a beep if the requested operation fails.

    DEL (The  Delete  or  Rubout key) -- Delete the previous character from the
        command.  You may also use BS (Backspace, Control-H) for this function.

    ^W  (Control-W) -- Erase the rightmost word from the command line.

    ^U  (Control-U) -- Erase the entire command.

    ^R  (Control-R) -- Redisplay the current command.

    SP  (Space) -- Delimits fields (keywords, filenames, numbers) within a com-
        mand.  HT (Horizontal Tab) may also be used for this purpose.

    CR  (Carriage  Return)  -- Enters the command for execution.  LF (Linefeed)
        or FF (formfeed) may also be used for this purpose.

    \   (Backslash) -- Enter any of the  above  characters  into  the  command,
        literally.    To enter a backslash, type two backslashes in a row (\\).
        A backslash at the end of a command line causes the  next  line  to  be
        treated  as a continuation line; this is useful for readability in com-
        mand files, especially in the 'script' command.

You may type the editing characters (DEL, ^W, etc) repeatedly,  to  delete  all
the  way  back to the prompt.  No action will be performed until the command is
entered by typing carriage return, linefeed, or formfeed.  If you make any mis-
takes,  you  will receive an informative error message and a new prompt -- make
liberal use of `?' and ESC to feel your way through the commands.   One  impor-
tant command is "help" -- you should use it the first time you run C-Kermit.

A command line beginning with a percent sign "%" is ignored.  Such lines may be
used to include illustrative commentary in Kermit command dialogs.

Interactive C-Kermit accepts commands from files as well as from the keyboard.
When you enter interactive dialog, C-Kermit looks for the file .kermrc in your
home or current directory (first it looks in the home directory, then in the
current one) and executes any commands it finds there.  These commands must be
in interactive format, not Data General command-line format (the initialization
file is processed if you invoke Kermit with command-line action arguments, such
that it does not enter interactive dialog).  A "take" command is also provided
for use at any time during an interactive session, to allow interactive-format
commands to be executed from a file; command files may be nested to any
reasonable depth.

Here is a brief list of C-Kermit interactive commands:

              !  Execute a Data General shell command, or start a shell.
            bye  Terminate and log out a remote Kermit server.
          close  Close a log file.
        connect  Establish a terminal connection to a remote system.
            cwd  Change Working Directory.
           dial  Dial a telephone number.                     (Not Available)
      directory  Display a directory listing.
           echo  Display arguments literally.
           exit  Exit from the program, closing any open files.
         finish  Instruct a remote Kermit server to exit, but not log out.
            get  Get files from a remote Kermit server.
           help  Display a help message for a given command.
            log  Open a log file -- debugging, packet, session, transaction.
           quit  Same as 'exit'.
        receive  Passively wait for files to arrive.
         remote  Issue file management commands to a remote Kermit server.
         script  Execute a login script with a remote system. (Not Available)
           send  Send files.
         server  Begin server operation.
            set  Set various parameters.
           show  Display values of 'set' parameters.
          space  Display current disk space usage.
     statistics  Display statistics about most recent transaction.
           take  Execute commands from a file.

The 'set' parameters are:

    block-check  Level of packet error detection.
          delay  How long to wait before sending first packet.
         duplex  Specify which side echoes during 'connect'.
    escape-character  Prefix for "escape commands" during 'connect'.
           file  Set various file parameters.
   flow-control  Communication line full-duplex flow control.
      handshake  Communication line half-duplex turnaround character.
     incomplete  Disposition for incompletely received files.
           line  Communication line device name.
   modem-dialer  Type of modem-dialer on communication line.  (Not Available)
         parity  Communication line character parity.
         prompt  The C-Kermit program's interactive command prompt.
        receive  Parameters for inbound packets.
           send  Parameters for outbound packets.
          speed  Communication line speed.

The 'remote' commands are:

            cwd  Change remote working directory.
         delete  Delete remote files.
      directory  Display a listing of remote file names.
           help  Request help from a remote server.
           host  Issue a command to the remote host in its own command language
          space  Display current disk space usage on remote system.
           type  Display a remote file on your screen.
            who  Display who's logged in, or get information about a user.

Most of these commands are described adequately in the Kermit User Guide.  Spe-
cial aspects of certain Unix Kermit commands are described below.


                              THE 'SEND' COMMAND

Syntax:  send fn  - or -  send fn1 rfn1

Send the file or files denoted by fn to the other Kermit, which should be
running as a server, or which should be given the 'receive' command.  Each file
is sent under its own name (as described above, or as specified by the 'set
file names' command).  If the second form of the 'send' command is used, i.e.
with fn1 denoting a single Data General file, rfn1 may be specified as a name
to send it under.  The 'send' command may be abbreviated to 's', even though
's' is not a unique abbreviation for a top-level C-Kermit command.

The wildcard (meta) characters `+', '-', '#', and `*' are accepted in fn.  "+"
matches any string; "*" matches any single character besides a "."; "-" matches
any any string up to the next "."; "#" matches the current directory and all
sub-directories.  Other notations for file groups, like `<a-z>og', are not
available in interactive commands (though of course they are available on the
command line).  When fn contains `+', '-', '#', or `*' characters, there is a
limit to the number of files that can be matched, which varies from system to
system.  If you get the message "Too many files match" then you'll have to make
a more judicious selection.  If fn was of the form

  :udd:longname:anotherlongname:+

then C-Kermit's string space will fill up rapidly -- try doing a cwd (see
below) to the path in question and reissuing the command.

Note -- C-Kermit sends only from the current or specified directory.  It only
traverses directory trees when the '#' character is used.  If the source
directory contains subdirectories, they will be skipped (except for '#').  By
the same token, C-Kermit does not create directories when receiving files.

Another Note -- DG has no "invisible" files.


                             THE 'RECEIVE' COMMAND

Syntax:  receive  - or -  receive fn1

Passively  wait  for files to arrive from the other Kermit, which must be given
the 'send' command -- the 'receive' command does not work in conjunction with a
server  (use  'get'  for  that).  If fn1 is specified, store the first incoming
file under that name.  The 'receive' command may be abbreviated to 'r'.


                              THE 'GET' COMMAND:

Syntax:  get rfn

      or: get
              rfn
              fn1

Request a remote Kermit server to send the named file or files.  Since a remote
file  specification  (or  list)  might  contain  spaces, which normally delimit
fields of a C-Kermit command, an alternate form of the command is  provided  to
allow  the inbound file to be given a new name: type 'get' alone on a line, and
you will be prompted separately for the remote and local  file  specifications,
for example

  C-Kermit>get
   Remote file specification: profile exec
   Local name to store it under: profile.exec

As  with 'receive', if more than one file arrives as a result of the 'get' com-
mand, only the first will be stored under the alternate name given by fn1;  the
remaining  files will be stored under their own names if possible.  If a `?' is
to be included in the remote file specification, you must prefix it with `\' to
suppress its normal function of providing help.

If  you  have started a multiline 'get' command, you may escape from its lower-
level prompts by typing a carriage return in response to the prompt, e.g.

  C-Kermit>get
   Remote file specification: foo
   Local name to store it under: (Type a carriage return here)
  (cancelled)
  C-Kermit>


                             THE 'SERVER' COMMAND:

The 'server' command places C-Kermit in "server mode" on the currently selected
communication  line.   All further commands must arrive as valid Kermit packets
from the Kermit on the other end of the line.    The  Data General Kermit
server can respond to the following commands:

Command                Server Response
  get                    Sends files
  send                   Receives files
  bye                    Attempts to log itself out     (DG doesn't log off)
  finish                 Exits to level from which it was invoked
  remote directory       Sends directory lising
  remote delete          Removes files
  remote cwd             Changes working directory
  remote type            Sends files to your screen
  remote space           Reports about its disk usage
  remote who             Shows who's logged in
  remote host            Executes a Unix shell command
  remote help            Lists these capabilities

Note  that  the  Unix Kermit server cannot always respond to a BYE command.  It
will attempt to do so using "kill()", but this will not work on all systems  or
under all conditions.  The Data General Kermit will only exit Kermit, but it
will not log off.

If the Kermit server is directed at an external line (i.e.  it is in "local
mode") then the console may be used for other work if you have 'set file dis-
play off'; normally the program expects the console to be used to observe file
transfers and enter status queries or interruption commands.  The way to get
Data General C-Kermit into background operation from interactive command level
is to run a batch job.  (Perhaps some DG users can add some examples and
information on using the PROC command to run a background task.) The more
common method is to invoke the program with the desired command line arguments,
after entering a "qbatch/i" command.

When the Unix Kermit server is given a 'remote host' command, it executes it
using the shell invoked upon login, which is always CLI, except perhaps on
MV/UX.

                  THE 'REMOTE', 'BYE', AND 'FINISH' COMMANDS:

C-Kermit  may itself request services from a remote Kermit server.  In addition
to 'send' and 'get', the following commands may also be sent from C-Kermit to a
Kermit server:

    remote cwd [directory]
        If the optional remote directory specification is included, you will be
        prompted  on a separate line for a password, which will not echo as you
        type it.

    remote delete rfn       delete remote file or files.
    remote directory [rfn]  directory listing of remote files.
    remote host command     command in remote host's own command language.
    remote space [rfn1]     disk usage report from remote host.
    remote type [rfn]       display remote file or files on the screen.
    remote who [user]       display information about who's logged in.
    remote help             display remote server's capabilities.

    bye and finish:
        When  connected  to  a  remote  Kermit server, these commands cause the
        remote server to terminate; 'finish' returns it  to  Kermit  or  system
        command  level  (depending on the implementation or how the program was
        invoked); 'bye' also requests it to log itself out.


                        THE 'LOG' AND 'CLOSE' COMMANDS:

Syntax: log {debugging, packets, session, transactions} [ fn1 ]

C-Kermit's progress may be logged in various ways.  The 'log' command  opens  a
log,  the  'close' command closes it.  In addition, all open logs are closed by
the 'exit' and 'quit' commands.  A name may be specified for a log file; if the
name is omitted, the file is created with a default name as shown below.

log debugging
    This produces a voluminous log of the internal workings of C-Kermit, of use
    to  Kermit developers or maintainers in tracking down suspected bugs in the
    C-Kermit program.  Use of this feature dramatically slows down  the  Kermit
    protocol.  Default name: debug.log.

log packets
    This produces a record of all the packets that go in and out  of  the  com-
    munication port.  This log is of use to Kermit maintainers who are tracking
    down protocol problems in either C-Kermit or any Kermit  that  C-Kermit  is
    connected to.  Default name:  packet.log.

log session
    This log will contain a copy of everything you see on  your  screen  during
    the  'connect' command, except for local messages or interaction with local
    escape commands.  Default name:  session.log.

log transactions
    The transaction log is a record of all the files that were sent or received
    while transaction logging was in effect.    It  includes  time  stamps  and
    statistics,  filename  transformations,  and records of any errors that may
    have occurred.  The transaction log allows you to have long unattended file
    transfer  sessions  without  fear  of  missing  some  vital screen message.
    Default name:  transact.log.

The 'close' command explicitly closes a log, e.g. 'close debug'.

Note:  Debug and Transaction logs are a compile-time option;  C-Kermit  may  be
compiled  without these logs, in which case it will run faster, it will take up
less space on the disk, and the commands relating to them will not be present.


                        LOCAL FILE MANAGEMENT COMMANDS:

Unix Kermit allows some degree of local file management from  interactive  com-
mand level:

directory [fn]
    Displays a listing of the names, sizes, and dates of files  matching fn
    (which defaults to '+').  Equivalent to `filestatus/assortment'.

cwd [directory-name]
    Changes Kermit's working directory to the one  given,  or  to  the  default
    directory  if the directory name is omitted.  This command affects only the
    Kermit process and any processes it may subsequently create.  DG Kermit may
    use '=' to display the current working directory, and '^' may be used to
    traverse up the directory trees.

space [directory-name]
    Display  information about disk space and/or quota in the current directory
    and device.  If a directory-name is given, give space for that directory or
    logical device.

! [command]

    The command is executed by CLI.  If no command is specified, then an
    interactive shell is started;  exiting  from  the  shell,  e.g.  by typing
    Control-D or 'bye', will return you to C-Kermit command level.  Use the `!'
    command to provide file management or other functions not explicitly
    provided  by C-Kermit commands.  The `!' command has certain peculiarities:

       - C-Kermit attempts to use your preferred, customary (login) shell,
         which is always CLI, except on MV/UX.
       - At least one space must separate the '!' from the shell command.
       - A 'dir' (change directory) command executed in  this  manner  will
         have no effect -- use the C-Kermit 'cwd' command instead.


                        THE 'SET' AND 'SHOW' COMMANDS:

Since  Kermit  is designed to allow diverse systems to communicate, it is often
necessary to issue special instructions  to  allow  the  program  to  adapt  to
peculiarities  of the another system or the communication path.  These instruc-
tions are accomplished by the 'set' command.  The 'show' command may be used to
display  current  settings.   Here is a brief synopsis of settings available in
the current release of C-Kermit:

block-check {1, 2, 3}
    Determines  the  level  of  per-packet  error  detection.  "1" is a single-
    character 6-bit checksum, folded to include the values  of  all  bits  from
    each  character.    "2"  is  a  2-character,  12-bit  checksum.    "3" is a
    3-character, 16-bit cyclic redundancy check (CRC).  The  higher  the  block
    check,  the  better  the  error detection and correction and the higher the
    resulting overhead.  Type 1 is most commonly used; it is supported  by  all
    Kermit  implementations,  and it has proven adequate in most circumstances.
    Types 2 or 3 would be used to  advantage  when  transferring  8-bit  binary
    files over noisy lines.

delay n
    How many seconds to wait before sending the first  packet  after  a  'send'
    command.  Used in remote mode to give you time to escape back to your local
    Kermit and issue a 'receive' command.  Normally 5 seconds.

duplex {full, half}
    For  use  during  'connect'.    Specifies  which side is doing the echoing;
    'full' means the other side, 'half' means C-Kermit must echo typein itself.

escape-character cc
    For use during 'connect' to get C-Kermit's attention.  The escape character
    acts as a prefix to an 'escape command', for instance to close the  connec-
    tion  and  return  to  C-Kermit  or  Unix command level.  The normal escape
    character is Control-Backslash (28).  The escape character is also used  in
    System  III/V  implementations  to  prefix  interrupt  commands during file
    transfers.

file {display, names, type, warning}
    Establish various file-related parameters:

    display {on, off}
        Normally 'on'; when in local mode, display progress of  file  transfers
        on  the  screen (stdout), and listen to the keyboard (stdin) for inter-
        ruptions.  If off (-q on command line) none of this is  done,  and  the
        file transfer may proceed in the background oblivious to any other work
        concurrently done at the console terminal.

    names {converted, literal}
        Normally  converted,  which  means  that  outbound  filenames have path
        specifications stripped, lowercase letters raised to upper, tildes  and
        extra  periods  changed  to X's, and an X inserted in front of any name
        that starts  with  period.    Incoming  files  have  uppercase  letters
        lowered.  Literal means that none of these conversions are done; there-
        fore, any directory path appearing in  a  received  file  specification
        must exist and be write-accessible.  When literal naming is being used,
        the sender should not use path names in the file  specification  unless
        the same path exists on the target system and is writable.

    type {binary, text}
        Normally text, which means that conversion is done between Unix newline
        characters  and  the carriage-return/linefeed sequences required by the
        canonical Kermit file transmission format, and in common  use  on  non-
        Unix  systems.   Binary means to transmit file contents without conver-
        sion.  Binary (`-i' in command line notation) is necessary  for  binary
        files,  and  desirable  in all Unix-to-Unix transactions to cut down on
        overhead.

    warning {on, off}
        Normally  off,  which means that incoming files will silently overwrite
        existing files of the same name.  When on (`-w' on command line) Kermit
        will check if an arriving file would overwrite an existing file; if so,
        it will construct a new name for the arriving file, of the form  foo?n,
        where foo is the name they share and n is a "generation number"; if foo
        exists, then the new file will be called foo?1.  If foo and  foo?1  ex-
        ist,  the  new file will be foo?2, and so on.  If the new name would be
        longer than the maximum length for a filename, then characters would be
        deleted  from  the  end first, for instance, thelongestname on a system
        with a limit of 14 characters would become thelongestn?1.

            CAUTION:  If Control-F or Control-B is used to cancel an incom-
            ing  file,  and a file of the same name previously existed, and
            the "file warning" feature is not enabled,  then  the  previous
            copy of the file will disappear.

flow-control {none, xon/xoff}
    Normally xon/xoff for full duplex flow control.  Should be set to 'none' if
    the  other  system cannot do xon/xoff flow control, or if you have issued a
    'set handshake' command.  If set to xon/xoff, then handshake should be  set
    to  none.    This  setting applies during both terminal connection and file
    transfer.  Warning: This command may have no effect on  certain  Unix  sys-
    tems,  where Kermit puts the communication line into 'rawmode', and rawmode
    precludes flow control.

incomplete {discard, keep}
    Disposition for incompletely received files.  If an incoming file is inter-
    rupted or an error occurs during transfer, the part that  was  received  so
    far  is  normally  discarded.   If you "set incomplete keep" then such file
    fragments will be kept.

handshake {xon, xoff, cr, lf, bell, esc, none}
    Normally  none.  Otherwise, half-duplex communication line turnaround hand-
    shaking is done, which means Unix Kermit will not reply to a  packet  until
    it  has received the indicated handshake character or has timed out waiting
    for it; the handshake setting applies only during file transfer.    If  you
    set handshake to other than none, then flow should be set to none.

line [device-name]
    The device name for the communication line to be used for file transfer and
    terminal connection, e.g. @con3.  If you specify a device name, Kermit will
    be in local mode, and you should remember to issue any other necessary
    'set'  commands,  such as 'set speed'.  If you omit the device name, Kermit
    will revert to its default mode of operation.   If  you  specify  @OUTPUT,
    Kermit  will  enter  remote  mode  (useful when logged in through the "back
    port" of a system normally used as a local-mode workstation).    When  Unix
    Kermit  enters  local  mode, it locks out all other processes from using
    the line.  If you run Kermit from within Kermit, then you will not be able
    to use the same communication line as the parent process. The method used
    for locking is inherent in the operating system and the way that PMGR
    controls character devices, and will be explained in more detail later.

modem-dialer {direct, hayes, racalvadic, ventel, ...}
    Not available.  No DIAL command.

parity {even, odd, mark, space, none}
    Specify  character  parity for use in packets and terminal connection, nor-
    mally none.  If other than none, C-Kermit will  seek  to  use  the  8th-bit
    prefixing  mechanism  for transferring 8-bit binary data, which can be used
    successfully only if the other Kermit agrees; if  not,  8-bit  binary  data
    cannot be successfully transferred.

prompt [string]
    The given string will be substituted  for  "C-Kermit>"  as  this  program's
    prompt.    If the string is omitted, the prompt will revert to "C-Kermit>".
    If the string is enclosed in doublequotes, the quotes will be stripped  and
    any leading and trailing blanks will be retained.

send parameter
    Establish parameters to use when sending packets.  These will be in  effect
    only for the initial packet sent, since the other Kermit may override these
    parameters during the protocol parameter exchange (unless noted below).

    end-of-packet cc
        Specifies the control character needed by the other Kermit to recognize
        the end of a packet.  C-Kermit sends this character at the end of  each
        packet.    Normally  13  (carriage return), which most Kermit implemen-
        tations require.  Other Kermits require no  terminator  at  all,  still
        others may require a different terminator, like linefeed (10).

    packet-length n
        Specify the maximum packet length to  send.    Normally  90.    Shorter
        packet  lengths  can be useful on noisy lines, or with systems or front
        ends or networks that have small buffers.  The shorter the packet,  the
        higher  the  overhead,  but the lower the chance of a packet being cor-
        rupted by noise, and the less time  to  retransmit  corrupted  packets.
        This  command  overrides the value requested by the other Kermit during
        protocol initiation.

    pad-character cc
        Designate  a  character  to send before each packet.  Normally, none is
        sent.  Outbound padding is sometimes necessary for  communicating  with
        slow half duplex systems that provide no other means of line turnaround
        control.  It can also be used to send special characters to  communica-
        tions  equipment  that  needs  to  be put in "transparent" or "no echo"
        mode, when this can be accomplished in by feeding it a certain  control
        character.

    padding n
        How many pad characters to send, normally 0.

    start-of-packet cc
        The  normal Kermit packet prefix is Control-A (1); this command changes
        the prefix C-Kermit puts on outbound packets.  The  only  reasons  this
        should  ever be changed would be: Some piece of equipment somewhere be-
        tween the two Kermit programs will not pass through  a  Control-A;  or,
        some  piece  of of equipment similarly placed is echoing its input.  In
        the latter case, the recipient of such an echo can  change  the  packet
        prefix for outbound packets to be different from that of arriving pack-
        ets, so that the echoed packets will be ignored.  The  opposite  Kermit
        must also be told to change the prefix for its inbound packets.

    timeout n
        Specifies the number of seconds you want the other Kermit to wait for a
        packet before timing it out and requesting retransmission.  If n is
        non-zero and less than 2, then n will be given a value of 2, since PMGR
        does not set device timeouts at less than 2 seconds.

receive parameter
    Establish parameters to request the other Kermit to use when sending  pack-
    ets.

    end-of-packet cc
        Requests the other Kermit to terminate its packets with  the  specified
        character.

    packet-length n
        Specify the maximum packet length to that you want the other Kermit  to
        send.  Normally 90.

    pad-character cc
        C-Kermit normally does not need to have incoming packets preceded  with
        pad characters.  This command allows C-Kermit to request the other Ker-
        mit to use cc as a pad character.  Default cc is NUL, ASCII 0.

    padding n
        How many pad characters to ask for, normally 0.

    start-of-packet cc
        Change the prefix C-Kermit looks for on inbound packets  to  correspond
        with what the other Kermit is sending.

    timeout n
        Normally, each Kermit partner sets its packet timeout interval based on
        what the opposite Kermit requests.  This command allows you to override
        the normal procedure and specify a timeout interval for Unix Kermit  to
        use  when waiting for packets from the other Kermit.  If you specify 0,
        then no timeouts will occur, and Unix Kermit will wait forever for  ex-
        pected packets to arrive.  If n is non-zero and less than 2, then n
        will be given a value of 2, since PMGR does not set device timeouts at
        less than 2 seconds.

speed {0, 50, 75, 110, 134, 150, 300, 600, 1200, 1800, 2400,
       3600, 4800, 7200, 9600, 19200, 38400}
    The baud rate for the external communication line.  This command cannot  be
    used  to  change the speed of your own console terminal.  Data General
    systems require that you must give this command after a 'set line' command
    before  you  can  use  the line.  'set baud' is a synomym for 'set speed'.


                              THE 'SHOW' COMMAND:

Syntax: show {parameters, versions}

The "show" command with the  default  argument  of  "parameters"  displays  the
values  of  all  the  'set'  parameters  described  above.    If you type "show
versions", then C-Kermit will display the version numbers and dates of all  its
internal  modules.  You should use the "show versions" command to ascertain the
vintage of your Kermit program before reporting problems to Kermit maintainers.


                           THE 'STATISTICS' COMMAND:

The statistics command  displays  information  about  the  most  recent  Kermit
protocol transaction, including file and communication line i/o, timing and ef-
ficiency, as well as what encoding options were  in  effect  (such  as  8th-bit
prefixing, repeat-count compression).


                        THE 'TAKE' AND 'ECHO' COMMANDS:

Syntax: take fn1
     echo [text to be echoed]

The  'take' command instructs C-Kermit to execute commands from the named file.
The file may contain any interactive C-Kermit commands, including 'take';  com-
mand  files  may  be nested to any reasonable depth.  The 'echo' command may be
used within command files to issue greetings, announce progress, ring the  ter-
minal bell, etc.

The  'echo'  command should not be confused with the Unix 'echo' command, which
can be used to show how meta characters would be expanded.    The  Kermit  echo
command  simply  displays its text argument (almost) literally at the terminal;
the argument may contain octal escapes of the form "\ooo", where o is an  octal
digit  (0-7),  and  there may be 1, 2, or 3 such digits, whose value specify an
ASCII character, such as "\007" (or "\07" or just "\7") for  beep,  "\012"  for
newline, etc.  Of course, each backslash must be must be entered twice in order
for it to be passed along to the echo command by the Kermit command parser.

Take-command files are in exactly the  same  syntax  as  interactive  commands.
Note  that  this  implies  that  if you want to include special characters like
question mark or backslash that you would have to  quote  with  backslash  when
typing  interactive  commands,  you must quote these characters the same way in
command files.  Long lines may be continued by ending them with a single  back-
slash.

Command files may be used in lieu of command macros, which have not been imple-
mented in this version of C-Kermit.  For instance, if you commonly connect to a
system  called  'B' that is connected to @con7 at 4800 baud, you could create a
file called b containing the commands

  % C-Kermit command file to connect to System B thru @con7
  set line @con7
  set speed 4800
  % Beep and give message
  echo \\007Connecting to System B...
  connect

and then simply type 'take b' (or 't b' since no other commands begin with  the
letter  't')  whenever  you wish to connect to system B. Note the comment lines
and the beep inserted into the 'echo' command.

For connecting to IBM mainframes, a number  of  'set'  commands  are  required;
these, too, are conveniently collected into a 'take' file like this one:

  % Sample C-Kermit command file to set up current line
  % for IBM mainframe communication
  %
  set parity mark
  set handshake xon
  set flow-control none
  set duplex half

Note  that no single command is available to wipe out all of these settings and
return C-Kermit to its default startup state; to do that, you can  either  res-
tart the program, or else make a command file that executes the necessary 'set'
commands:

  % Sample C-Kermit command file to restore normal settings
  %
  set parity none
  set handshake none
  set flow-control xon/xoff
  set duplex full

An implicit 'take' command is executed upon your .kermrc file  upon  C-Kermit's
initial  entry  into interactive dialog.  The .kermrc file should contain 'set'
or other commands you want to be in effect at all times.    For  instance,  you
might  want override the default action when incoming files have the same names
as existing files -- in that case, put the command

  set file warning on

in your .kermrc file.  On some non-Unix systems that run  C-Kermit,  this  file
might have a different name, such as kermit.ini.  The Data General
initialization file is named .kermrc.

    WARNING:  Unlike the Unix Kermits, the initialization file IS processed if
    kermit is invoked with an action command from the command line.

Commands executed from take files are not echoed at the terminal.  If you  want
to see the commands as well as their output, you could feed the command file to
C-Kermit via redirected stdin, as in

  'xeq kermit/i=cmdfile'

Errors encountered during execution of take files (such as failure to  complete
dial  or script operations) cause termination of the current take file, popping
to the level that invoked it (take file,  interactive  level,  or  the  shell).
When  kermit  is  executed in the background, errors during execution of a take
file are fatal.


                            THE 'CONNECT' COMMAND:

The connect command links your terminal to another computer as if it were a lo-
cal  terminal to that computer, through the device specified in the most recent
'set line' command, or through the default device if your system  is  a  PC  or
workstation.    All  characters you type at your keyboard are sent out the com-
munication line, all characters arriving at the  communication  port  are  dis-
played  on  your  screen.  Current settings of speed, parity, duplex, and flow-
control are honored.  If you have issued a 'log  session'  command,  everything
you  see  on  your  screen  will  also  be  recorded to your session log.  This
provides a way to "capture" files from systems that don't have Kermit  programs
available.

To  get  back  to your own system, you must type the escape character, which is
Control-Backslash (^\) unless you have changed it with the  'set  escape'  com-
mand,   followed  by  a  single-character  command,  such  as  'c'  for  "close
connection".  Single-character commands include:

  c     Close the connection
  b     Send a BREAK signal                 (May not work??)
  0     (zero) send a null
  s     Give a status report about the connection
  h     Hangup the phone
  ^\    Send Control-Backslash itself (whatever you  have  defined  the  escape
        character to be, typed twice in a row sends one copy of it).

Uppercase and control equivalents for these letters are also accepted.  A space
typed after the escape character is ignored.  Any other character will  produce
a beep.

The  connect  command simply displays incoming characters on the screen.  It is
assumed any screen control sequences sent by the host will be  handled  by  the
firmware  in  your  terminal or PC.

  kermit -l /dev/acu -b 1200 -c | tek     (Not available, except perhaps MV/UX)

'c' is an acceptable non-unique abbreviation for 'connect'.


                              THE 'DIAL' COMMAND:

Not available.


                             THE 'SCRIPT' COMMAND:

Not available.


                              THE 'HELP' COMMAND:

Syntax: help
   or: help keyword
   or: help {set, remote} keyword

Brief  help messages or menus are always available at interactive command level
by typing a question mark at any point.  A slightly more verbose form  of  help
is  available through the 'help' command.  The 'help' command with no arguments
prints a brief summary of how to enter commands and how to  get  further  help.
'help'  may be followed by one of the top-level C-Kermit command keywords, such
as 'send', to request information about a command.  Commands such as 'set'  and
'remote'  have  a further level of help.  Thus you may type 'help', 'help set',
or 'help set parity'; each will provide a successively more detailed  level  of
help.


                        THE 'EXIT' AND 'QUIT' COMMANDS:

These two commands are identical.  Both of them do the following:

   - Attempt to insure that the terminal is returned to normal.
   - Relinquish access to any communication line assigned via 'set line'.
   - Relinquish any uucp and multiuser locks on the communications line.
   - Hang  up the modem, if the communications line supports data terminal
     ready.
   - Close any open log files.

After exit from C-Kermit, your default directory will be the same as  when  you
started the program.  The 'exit' command is issued implicitly whenever C-Kermit
halts normally, e.g. after a command line invocation, or after certain kinds of
interruptions.


9.5. UUCP Lock Files

Data General always gains exclusive access to an external communication line
after that line is opened.  When you issue the 'set line' command to Data
General  Kermit, the operating system agent, PMGR, grants exclusive access to
your process and pid.  But a child process and pid will not be able to access
that same line, even though (as a user) you still own the line.  You should not
use a CLI command like "assign @con5" to gain access to an external
communication line, since this action will prevent Kermit from gaining access
to the line (i.e., another process or pid owns the line).  When Data General
Kermit terminates for any reason, the line is closed by the operating system,
and should be available immediately.


9.6. C-Kermit under Berkeley or System III/V Unix:

C-Kermit  may be interrupted at command level or during file transfer by typing
Control-C.  The program will perform its normal exit  function,  restoring  the
terminal and releasing any lock.  If a protocol transaction was in progress, an
error packet will be sent to the opposite  Kermit  so  that  it  can  terminate
cleanly.

C-Kermit  may  be invoked in the background ("&" on shell commmand line).  If a
background process is "killed", the user will have to manually remove any  lock
file  and  may  need  to  restore  the  modem.  This is because the kill signal
(kill(x,9)) cannot be trapped by Kermit.

During execution of a system command ('directory', 'cwd', or `!'), C-Kermit can
often  be returned to command level by typing a single Control-C.  (With System
III/V, the usual  interrupt  function  (often  the  DEL  key)  is  replaced  by
Control-C.)

Under  Berkeley  Unix  only:  C-Kermit may also be interrupted by ^Z to put the
process in the background.  In this case the terminal is  not  restored.    You
will  have  to type Control-J followed by "reset" followed by another Control-J
to get your terminal back to normal.

Control-C, Control-Z, and Control-\ lose their normal functions during terminal
connection and also during file transfer when the controlling tty line is being
used for packet i/o.

If you are running C-Kermit in "quiet mode" in the foreground, then  interrupt-
ing  the  program  with a console interrupt like Control-C will not restore the
terminal to normal conversational operation.  This is because the  system  call
to  enable console interrupt traps will cause the program to block if it's run-
ning in the background, and the primary reason for quiet mode is to  allow  the
program  to  run  in  the background without blocking, so that you can do other
work in the foreground.

If C-Kermit is run in the background ("&" on shell commmand line), then the in-
terrupt  signal  (Control-C)  (and System III/V quit signal) are ignored.  This
prevents an interrupt signal intended for a foreground job (say a  compilation)
from being trapped by a background Kermit session.


9.7. C-Kermit on the DEC Pro-3xx with Pro/Venix Version 1

The  DEC Professional 300 series are PDP-11/23 based personal computers.  Venix
Version 1 is a Unix v7 derivative.  It should not be confused with  Venix  Ver-
sion 2, which is based on ATT System V; these comments apply to Venix Version 1
only.  C-Kermit runs in local mode on the Pro-3xx when invoked  from  the  con-
sole;  the default device is /dev/com1.dout.  When connected to a remote system
(using C-Kermit's 'connect' command), Pro/Venix itself  (not  Kermit)  provides
VT52  terminal  emulation.   Terminal operation at high speeds (like 9600 baud)
requires xon/xoff flow control, which unfortunately  interferes  with  applica-
tions such as the EMACS that use Control-Q and Control-S as commands.

When  logging  in to a Pro-3xx (or any workstation) through the "back port", it
may be necessary to give the command  "set  line  /dev/tty"  in  order  to  get
C-Kermit to function correctly in remote mode (on a system in which it normally
expects to be operating in local mode).


9.8. C-Kermit under VAX/VMS

Version 4C of C-Kermit can be built using VAX-11 C to run under VMS.   Most  of
the  descriptions  in  this manual hold true, but it should be noted that as of
this writing the VMS support is not thoroughly tested, and no explicit  support
exists for the various types of VMS files and their attributes.

The C-Kermit init file for VMS is called KERMIT.INI.


9.9. C-Kermit on the Macintosh and other Systems

The  "protocol kernel" of C-Kermit is also used by Columbia's Macintosh Kermit.
The user and system interface is  entirely  different,  and  is  covered  in  a
separate document.

There  is  also  a Kermit for the Commodore Amiga based on C-Kermit, as well as
versions for MS-DOS.


9.10. C-Kermit Restrictions and Known Bugs

   1. Editing characters:  The program's  interactive  command  interrupt,
      delete,  and  kill  characters are Control-C, Delete (or Backspace),
      and Control-U, respectively.  There is currently no  way  to  change
      them  to  suit your taste or match those used by your shell, in case
      those are different.
      NOTE:  Both DG and non-DG terminals are supported if the correct
      "CHAR" command is issued.

   2. High baud rates:  There's no way to specify baud rates  higher  than
      9600  baud.  Most Unix systems don't supply symbols for them (unless
      you use EXTA, EXTB), and even when they do, the program has  no  way
      of  knowing whether a specific port's serial i/o controller supports
      those rates.
      NOTE:  Baud rates up to 38400 baud are supported.

   3. Modem controls:  If a connection is made over a  communication  line
      (rather  than  on  the controlling terminal line), and that line has
      modem controls, (e.g. data  terminal  ready  and  carrier  detection
      implementation),  returning  to  the shell level will disconnect the
      conversation.  In that case, one should use  interactive  mode  com-
      mands,  and  avoid use of piped shell-level operation (also see 'set
      modem-dialer' and 'dial' commands.)
      NOTE:  Returning to the shell should not disconnect the conversation
      on the Data General minicomputers.

   4. Login Scripts:  The present login scripts implementation follows the
      Unix conventions of uucp's "L.sys" file, rather than the normal Ker-
      mit "INPUT/OUTPUT" style, so there's no way  to  arbitrarily  mingle
      script  output  with Kermit commands (e.g. changing parity or duplex
      in the middle of a script).

   5. Dial-out vs dial-in  communications  lines:    C-Kermit  requires  a
      dial-out or dedicated line for the "set line" or "-l" options.  Most
      systems have some lines dedicated  to  dial-in,  which  they  enable
      "loggers"  on,  and some lines available for dial-out.  Where a line
      must be shared between dial-in and  dial-out,  several  options  are
      available (though they are, strictly speaking, outside the pervue of
      C-Kermit).

      A simple shell program can be used to change directionality  of  the
      line  if  your  Unix  has the enable(8) and disable(8) commands.  In
      that case, the shell program could "grep" a "who" to see if  anybody
      is  logged  onto  the  desired  line; if not, it could "disable" the
      line.  The shell program will need to be set-uID'ed to  root.    The
      shell  program  can  be  called from kermit prior to a dial command,
      e.g., "! mydisable.shellprog".   Prior  to  the  final  "quit"  from
      C-Kermit,  another  shell  program could be executed to "enable" the
      line again.  This program also needs to be set-uID'ed to root.

      If your Unix lacks the enable(8) and  disable(8)  commands,  another
      common  technique  works if your system supports the /etc/ttys file.
      A shell program could call up an awk program to find the line in the
      file  and  set  the enable byte to 0 (to directly disable the line).
      Likewise, it can be reenabled by a counterpart at the end.   It  may
      be  necessary  to pause for 60 seconds after modifying that file be-
      fore the logger sees it and actually disables the line.

      NOTE:  DG cannot share a line for both dial-in and dial-out.  Such lines
      must be defined when the system is initialized by PID 2.  Any dial-out
      line should be disabled, by issuing the command, for example:

        CX DISABLE @CON5


   6. Using C-Kermit on Local Area Networks:   C-Kermit  can  successfully
      operate  at  speeds  up to 9600 baud over LANs, provided the network
      buffers are big enough to accommodate Kermit packets (which are  al-
      most always less than 100 characters long).

      When  computers are connected to LAN's through asynchronous terminal
      interfaces, then the connection should be configured to do  XON/XOFF
      flow  control between the network interface and the computer, rather
      than passing these signals through transparently.    This  can  help
      prevent  Kermit from overrunning the LAN's buffers if they are small
      (or if the LAN is congested), and will can also prevent the LAN from
      overrunning a slow Kermit's buffers.

      If  the network hardware cannot accept 100 characters at a time, and
      flow control cannot be done between the network  and  the  computer,
      then  Kermit's  "set send/receive packet-length" command can be used
      to shorten the packets.

   7. Resetting terminal after abnormal termination or kill: When C-Kermit
      terminates abnormally (say, for example, by a kill command issued by
      the operator) the user may need to reset the  terminal  state.    If
      commands  do  not  seem  to  be  accepted  at  the shell prompt, try
      Control-J "stty sane" Control-J  (use  "reset"  on  Berkeley  Unix).
      That  should  take  the  terminal  out of "raw mode" if it was stuck
      there.
      NOTE:  DG does not have this problem.

   8. Remote host commands  may  time-out  on  lengthy  activity:    Using
      "remote  host"  to instruct the C-Kermit server to invoke Unix func-
      tions (like "make") that might take a long time  to  produce  output
      can cause timeout conditions.

   9. XOFF  deadlocks:    When  connecting back to C-Kermit after a trans-
      action, or after finishing the server, it may be necessary to type a
      Control-Q  to  clear  up  an  XOFF  deadlock.   There's not much the
      program can do about this...

  10. PC/IX Login Scripts -- Unfound Bug:  Though login scripts appear  to
      work  properly  on  most  processors,  in the case of the PC/XT with
      PC/IX, it appears that longer scripts need  to  be  broken  up  into
      shorter  scripts (invoked sequentially from the take file).  This is
      because the portion of the script handler which checks if an  opera-
      tion timed out seems to leave the processor in a strange state (i.e.
      hung).


9.11. How to Build C-Kermit for a Unix System

See ckdker.bld for information on building Kermit for Data General systems.

The C-Kermit files, as distributed from Columbia, all  begin  with  the  prefix
"ck".    You  should  make  a  directory  for these files and then cd to it.  A
makefile is provided to build C-Kermit for  various  Unix  systems  (there  are
separate  makefiles  for  VMS and the Macintosh).  As distributed, the makefile
has the name "ckuker.mak".  You should rename it to "makefile"  and  then  type
"make xxx", where xxx is the symbol for your system, for instance "make bsd" to
make C-Kermit for 4.x BSD Unix.  The result will be a program called  "wermit".
You  should test this to make sure it works; if it does, then you can rename it
to "kermit" and install it for general use.  See the makefile for a list of the
systems supported and the corresponding "make" arguments.


9.12. Adapting C-Kermit to Other Systems

C-Kermit is designed for portability.  The level of portability is indicated in
parentheses after the module name: "C" means any system that has a  C  compiler
that conforms to the description in "The C Programming Language" by Kernighan &
Ritchie (Prentice-Hall, 1978).  "Cf" is like "C", but also requires  "standard"
features like printf and fprintf, argument passing via argv/argc, and so on, as
described in Kernighan & Ritchie.  "Unix" means the module should be useful un-
der  any  Unix  implementation;  it requires features such as fork() and pipes.
Anything else means that the module is  particular  to  the  indicated  system.
C-Kermit file names are of the form:

ck<system><what>.<type>

where the part before the dot is no more than 6 characters long, the part after
the dot no more than 3 characters long, and:

<type> is the file type:

  c:    C language source
  h:    Header file for C language source
  w:    Wart preprocessor source, converted by Wart (or Lex) to a C program
  nr:   Nroff/Troff text formatter source
  mss:  Scribe text formatter source
  doc:  Documentation
  hlp:  Help text
  bld:  Instructions for building the program
  bwr:  A "beware" file - list of known bugs
  upd:  Program update log
  mak:  Makefile

<system> is a single character to tell what system the file applies to:

  a:    Descriptive material, documentation
  c:    All systems with C compilers
  d:    Data General                        (not MS-DOS)
  m:    Macintosh
  u:    Unix
  v:    VAX/VMS
  w:    Wart

<what> is mnemonic (up to 3 characters) for what's in the file:

  aaa:  A "read-me" file, like this one
  cmd:  Command parsing
  con:  Connect command
  deb:  Debug/Transaction Log formats, Typedefs
  dia:  Modem/Dialer control
  fio:  System-depdendent File I/O
  fns:  Protocol support functions
  fn2:  More protocol support functions
  ker:  General C-Kermit definitions, information, documentation
  mai:  Main program
  pro:  Protocol
  scr:  Script command
  tio:  System-dependent terminal i/o & control and interrupt handing
  usr:  User interface
  us2:  More user interface
  us3:  Still more user interface

Examples:

ckufio.c        File i/o for Unix
ckmtio.c        Terminal i/o for Macintosh
ckuker.mss      Scribe source for for Kermit User Guide chapter
ckuker.nr       Nroff source file for Unix C-Kermit man page

The following material discusses each of the C-Kermit modules briefly.

ckcmai.c, ckcker.h, ckcdeb.h (Cf):
    This  is  the  main program.  It contains declarations for global variables
    and a small amount of code to initialize some variables and invoke the com-
    mand  parser.    In  its distributed form, it assumes that command line ar-
    guments are passed to it via argc and argv.  Since this portion of code  is
    only several lines long, it should be easy to replace for systems that have
    different styles of user interaction.  The header files define symbols  and
    macros  used  by  the  various  modules  of C-Kermit.  ckcdeb.h is the only
    header file that is included by all the C-Kermit modules,  so  it  contains
    not  only  the  debug  format  definitions, but also any compiler-dependent
    typedefs.

ckwart.c (Cf), ckcpro.w (C):
    The  ckcpro module embodies the Kermit protocol state table and the code to
    accomplish state switching.  It is written in "wart", a language which  may
    be regarded as a subset of the Unix "lex" lexical analyzer generator.  Wart
    implements enough of lex to allow the ckprot module to function.   Lex  it-
    self  was not used because it is proprietary.  The protocol module ckcpro.w
    is read by wart, and a system-independent C program is produced.  The  syn-
    tax  of  a  Wart  program  is  illustrated by ckcpro.w, and is described in
    ckwart.doc.

ckcfns.c (C):
    The  module  contains  all  the Kermit protocol support functions -- packet
    formation, encoding, decoding, block check calculation, filename  and  data
    conversion, protocol parameter negotiation, and high-level interaction with
    the communication line and file system.  To accommodate small systems, this
    module has been split into two -- ckcfns.c and ckcfn2.c.

ckutio.c:
    This module contains the system-dependent primitives for communication line
    i/o,  timers, and interrupts for the various versions of Unix.  Certain im-
    portant variables are defined  in  this  module,  which  determine  whether
    C-Kermit  is  by  default  remote  or local, what the default communication
    device is, and so forth.  The tio module maintains its own private database
    of  file descriptors and modes for the console terminal and the file trans-
    fer communication line so that other modules (like ckcfns or  the  terminal
    connect module) need not be concerned with them.  The variations among Unix
    implementations with respect to terminal  control  and  timers  are  accom-
    modated via conditional compilation.

ckufio.c:
    This module contains system-dependent primitives  for  file  i/o,  wildcard
    (meta  character) expansion, file existence and access checking, and system
    command execution for the various versions of Unix.  It maintains an inter-
    nal  database  of i/o "channels" (file pointers in this case) for the files
    C-Kermit cares about -- the input file (the file which is being sent),  the
    output file (the file being received), the various logs, the screen, and so
    forth.  This module varies little among Unix implementations except for the
    wildcard  expansion  code;  the  directory structure of 4.2bsd Unix is dif-
    ferent from that of other Unix systems.  Again, variation among  Unix  sys-
    tems is selected using conditional compilation.

ckuusr.h, ckuusr.c, ckuus2.c, ckuus3.c (Unix):
    This is the "user interface" for C-Kermit.  It includes the command parser,
    the screen output functions, and console input functions.  The command par-
    ser comes in two pieces -- the traditional Unix command line decoder (which
    is  quite  small and compact), and the interactive keyword parser (which is
    rather large).  This module is fully replacable; its interface to the other
    modules  is  very  simple,  and is explained at the beginning of the source
    file.  The ckuusr  module  also  includes  code  to  execute  any  commands
    directly  which don't require the Kermit protocol -- local file management,
    etc.  The module is rated "Unix" because it makes  occasional  use  of  the
    system() function.

    Note  that  while ckuusr is logically one module, it has been split up into
    three C source files, plus a header file for the symbols they share in com-
    mon.   This is to accommodate small systems that cannot handle big modules.
    ckuusr.c has the command line and  top-level  interactive  command  parser;
    ckuus2.c  has  the  help command and strings; ckuus3 has the set and remote
    commands along with the logging, screen, and "interrupt" functions.

ckucmd.c, ckucmd.h (Cf):
    This  is an interactive command parsing package developed for C-Kermit.  It
    is written portably enough to be usable on any system that has a C compiler
    that  supports  functions  like  printf.    The file name parsing functions
    depend upon primitives defined in the fio module; if these primitives  can-
    not  be  supplied for a certain system, then the filename parsing functions
    can be deleted, and the package will still be useful for parsing  keywords,
    numbers, arbitrary text strings, and so forth.  The style of interaction is
    the same as that found on the DECSYSTEM-20.

ckucon.c (Unix):
    This is the connect module.  As supplied, it should operate in any Unix en-
    vironment, or any C-based environment that provides  the  fork()  function.
    The  module  requires  access  to global variables that specify line speed,
    parity, duplex, flow control, etc,  and  invokes  functions  from  the  tio
    module  to  accomplish the desired settings and input/output, and functions
    from the fio module to perform session logging.  No terminal  emulation  is
    performed,  but  since  standard  i/o  is used for the console, this may be
    piped through a terminal emulation filter.  The ckucon function may be  en-
    tirely replaced, so long as the global settings are honored by its replace-
    ment.  PC implementations of C-Kermit may require the ck?con module  to  do
    screen  control,  escape sequence interpretation, etc, and may also wish to
    write special code to get the best possible performance.

ckudia.c (Unix):
    This  is the dialer module.  As supplied, it handles Hayes, Ventel, Penril,
    Racal-Vadic, and several other modems.

ckuscr.c (Unix):
    This  is  the  login  script  module.    As supplied, it handles uucp-style
    scripts.

Moving C-Kermit to a new system entails:

   1. Creating a new ck?tio module in C, assembler, or  whatever  language
      is  most  appropriate  for system programming on the new system.  If
      the system is Unix-like,  then  support  may  be  added  within  the
      ckutio.c module itself using conditional compilation.

   2. Creating a new ck?fio module, as above.

   3. If  the system is not Unix-like, then a new ckuusr module may be re-
      quired, as well as a different invocation of it from ckcmai.

   4. If the distributed connect module doesn't work or  performs  poorly,
      then  it may be replaced.  For instance, interrupt-driven i/o may be
      required, especially if the system doesn't have forks.

Those who favor  a  different  style  of  user/program  interaction  from  that
provided  in ckuusr.c may replace the entire module, for instance with one that
provides a mouse/window/icon environment, a menu/function-key environment, etc.

A few guidelines should be followed to maintain portability:

   - Keep variable and function names to 6 characters or less.  Don't  use
     identifiers  that  are  distinguished  from  one  another only by al-
     phabetic case.

   - Keep modules small.  For instance, on a PDP-11  it  is  necessary  to
     keep  the  code segment of each module below 8K in order to allow the
     segment mapping to occur which is necessary to  run  programs  larger
     than 64K on a non-I-and-D-space machine.

   - Keep  strings short; many compilers have restrictive maximum lengths;
     128 is the smallest maximum string constant length we've  encountered
     so far.

   - Keep  (f,s)printf  formats  short.  If these exceed some compiler de-
     pendent maximum (say, 128) memory will be overwritten and the program
     will probably core dump.

   - Do not introduce system dependencies into ckcpro.w or ckcfn*.c.

   - If  a  variable  is a character, declare as CHAR, not int, to prevent
     the various sign extension and byte swapping foulups that occur  when
     characters are placed in integer variables.

   - Remember  that  different  systems may use different length words for
     different things.  Don't assume an integer can be used as a  pointer,
     etc.

   - Don't  declare  static  functions; these can wreak havoc with systems
     that do segment mapping.

   - In conditional compilations expressions, use #ifdef and  #ifndef  and
     not  #if,  which is not supported by some compilers.  Also, don't use
     any operators in these expressions; many compilers will fail  to  un-
     derstand expressions like #ifdef FOO | BAR.

   - Don't define multiline macros.

In  general,  remember that this program will have to be compilable by old com-
pilers and runnable on small systems.