Columbia Kermit/kermit.zip/k95/k95techfaq.txt

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KERMIT 95 - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

     Version: 1.1.20
     31 March 2000

CONTENTS

   * THE NATURE OF THE PRODUCT
   * INSTALLATION AND PATCHING PROBLEMS
   * THE K95 DIALER
   * FONTS
   * STARTING AND STOPPING KERMIT 95
   * MODEMS AND DIALING
   * TCP/IP AND TELNET
   * TERMINAL EMULATION
   * FILE TRANSFER
   * INTEGRATING KERMIT 95 WITH OTHER APPLICATIONS

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE NATURE OF THE PRODUCT

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Is Kermit 95 a DOS Program?
     No, K95.EXE is not a DOS application, and the window in which it runs
     is not a DOS window, but a 32-bit Console window. Kermit 95 is a
     native 32-bit Windows application that uses only the Windows 32-bit
     Application Program Interface (Win32 API), runs in protected,
     preemptive multitasking mode, and in multiple threads, and is fully
     32-bit-Winsock compliant, TAPI compliant, and is in every way 100%
     native to 32-bit Windows. Kermit 95 is not an adaptation of MS-DOS
     Kermit to 32-bit Windows; it is an entirely separate product.

Does Kermit 95 work in Windows 3.x?
     No. Kermit 95 is a strictly 32-bit application. Even with Win32S
     loaded, Kermit 95 will not work, because it runs in multiple threads,
     and threads are not supported under Win32S. MS-DOS Kermit is the
     Kermit software for Windows 3.1 and earlier and for and WfW 3.11, as
     well as for DOS itself.

Can I use MS-DOS Kermit Instead of Kermit 95?
     Under certain conditions, yes, but not for TCP/IP connections, not
     with Plug-n-Play or PCMCIA modems, not with Winmodems or RPI modems,
     not with ISDN modems, not with nonstandard communication ports, not
     with devices that are owned by TAPI, etc. Even then, remember it is a
     DOS program, not a Windows or OS/2 program, and can not take advantage
     of, or access, special features of Windows or OS/2 -- long filenames,
     the mouse, the clipboard, secure connections, etc. If it works for
     you, meets your requirements, and requires no technical support then
     by all means use it. Otherwise you'll need Kermit 95.

Do K95.EXE and K95DIAL.EXE work in all 32-bit varieties of Windows?
     Yes, except for Windows CE. The same executables run on Windows 95,
     98, NT, and 2000 on Intel (PC) architecture. Separate executables are
     provided for non-Intel platforms such as Windows NT on Alpha and for
     OS/2. The situation with Windows ME (Millenium Edition) is not known
     since we haven't seen it yet.

Why not Windows CE?
     Because Windows CE does not offer the full range of Win-32 APIs. Many
     of those that are missing are required by Kermit 95.

Why does Kermit 95 use a Console window instead of a GUI window?
     Because Kermit 95 shares tens of thousands of lines of code with
     C-Kermit, which is a portable program. By sharing code, we can produce
     low-cost software for many platforms. Unfortunately, Windows GUI
     programs and portable software don't mix well. It is extremely
     difficult to maintain a common code base for open platforms (such as
     Linux) and Windows.

When will Kermit 95 become a GUI application?
     A GUI release with no Console windows for Windows 95 and NT is
     expected in late 2000. Registered users of Kermit 95 1.1.x will
     receive it at no additional cost. Watch the Kermit 95 web page and the
     newsgroup, comp.protocols.kermit.misc, and the Windows 95 and NT and
     OS/2 newsgroups for announcements. There will not be a GUI
     (Presentation Manager) version for OS/2 because the Windows GUI
     programming model is incompatible with the OS/2 model.

Can K95 be used with speech and Braille devices?
     As of version 1.1.16, Kermit 95 should be compatible with any speech
     or Braille device that can be used in a Console window. This is a
     major advance over earlier K95 releases. The required settings are:

       set terminal screen-update smooth
       set terminal screen-optimization on

     In addition, certain keys must be set to \Kignore, so they can be used
     as controls for the screen reader or Braille software. Depending on
     the specific screen reader, these might be the keys on the numeric
     keypad. The method for doing all this is illustrated in the ASAP.KSC
     file, for setting K95 up to be used with the ASAP screen reader.

     For related resources, see our links page.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

INSTALLATION AND PATCHING PROBLEMS

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Kermit 95 1.1.17 and later are distributed on CDROM. Version 1.1.16 was
distributed only in patch form. Versions 1.1.15 and earlier were
distributed on diskette. Since the last diskette release was in 1997, we've
removed the longwinded discussion of problems with diskettes and diskette
drives from the FAQ.

CDROM Installation
     In Windows 95/98/NT/2000, loading the Kermit 95 CDROM into your CDROM
     drive should activate the Windows "Autorun" feature: a few moments
     after the system has compiled the CDROM directory, it pops up the
     Kermit 95 installation procedure automatically. If this does not
     happen to you, access the CDROM as though it were a regular disk, CD
     to the I386 (Windows/Intel), ALPHA (Windows NT Alpha), or OS2 (OS/2)
     directory, and start the Setup program.

My PC doesn't have a CDROM drive!
     If you purchased the K95 retail package but your PC does not have a
     CDROM drive, please contact us for instructions.

Patching Problems
     These are detailed on the same website that you downloaded the patches
     from:

       http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/k95patch.html

     Meanwhile, to answer the frequently asked question: "Why is the patch
     procedure a DOS program?". It is so the same patch program can be used
     for all versions of Kermit 95: Windows 95/98, Windows NT/2000 on
     Intel, Windows NT on Alpha, and on OS/2. For Intel (PC) architecture
     only, patches are also available in a GUI form (because GUI patch
     software is available only for Windows/Intel).

If you have problems with installation or patching, contact us and we'll
help:

E-mail to [e-mail]
     E-mail works best, if you have it, since it reaches more people, some
     of whom are likely to be on hand outside regular business hours.

Telephone [phone]
     Although telephone support for single copies is normally fee-based,
     there is no fee for help with installation problems. However, the
     phone is answered only during normal business hours (New York time)
     and is likely to be busy.

Technical support policies and procedures are explained in greater detail
in the Kermit 95 Manual on your disk and at the Kermit Project website.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE K95 DIALER

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The Dialer is the graphical front end for Kermit 95. It is built using a
portable GUI builder that creates versions for both Windows and OS/2.

Do I have to use the Dialer?
     No. If you are comfortable typing commands (or creating command files,
     macros or scripts) for Kermit 95, you don't need to use the Dialer at
     all. The Dialer is recommended to newcomers to Kermit, since it makes
     it easy to set up any kind of connection. Some Kermit veterans prefer
     to use Kermit 95 directly.

Why does it take a few seconds for the Dialer to start?
     Because:
        o The portable GUI builder has some overhead (the Dialer runs on
          OS/2 too).
        o Big predefined database must be loaded.
        o The Dialer makes backup copies of its database files every time
          it starts for your protection.
     If you don't need the predefined entries, you can speed up the process
     by getting rid of the predefined database (next item)

How do I get rid of unwanted Dialer entries?
     You can not remove an individual predefined entry with the Remove
     button. However you can hide all the predefined entries by going into
     the Dialer's Options menu, selecting View, and then unchecking
     "Pre-defined". If you want to keep some of the predefined entries,
     just edit the ones you want to keep; this makes copies of them that
     are still visible even if you uncheck Pre-Defined.

What are all the .DAT files?
     Most of .DAT files in the Kermit 95 directory are used by the K95
     Dialer:

     DIALER.DAT
          Contains the GUI screen definitions for the Dialer. It must not
          be renamed or deleted. A particular version of K95DIAL.EXE is
          keyed to a particular version of the DIALER.DAT file.

     DIALINF.DAT
          Contains the preloaded Dialer entries. This file is "read-only",
          primarily because it contains templates (notably the DEFAULT
          template) that are used by other entries, as well as by the "Add"
          and "Quick" buttons. Don't delete or rename this file, or you'll
          lose the DEFAULT and other templates.

     DIALORG.DAT
          (If any) Contains the preloaded Dialer entries for your
          organization. This file can be created by organizations that have
          K95 bulk or site licenses. Like DIALINF.DAT, this file is
          read-only.

     DIALUSR.DAT
          Contains (a) entries that you have added; (b) preloaded entries
          that you have edited; and (c) the information from your File and
          Options pages.

     The remaining .DAT files are associated with the GUI setup and
     registration programs.

Why is my K95CUSTOM.INI ignored when I launch a connection from the Dialer?
     Your K95.INI and K95CUSTOM.INI files are indeed executed, but the
     commands that come from the Dialer are executed after them, so when
     there is a conflict the Dialer settings override the INI-file
     settings. Make sure your Dialing Options menu notebook contains the
     desired settings, and also the notebook pages for the entries in
     question. The primary purpose of the INI files in K-95 is for when you
     start K95.EXE without the Dialer (or for key or macro definitions that
     you always want to be in effect and that don't conflict with settings
     made in the Dialer). As a last resort, you can enter commands into the
     Login Script text box in the Dialer entry -- the commands in this box
     are executed last.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

FONTS

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How do I permanently set the font size in K95?
     This is explained in a separate document, fontsize.htm. IMPORTANT: Do
     not use a font size of "Auto" in a Kermit 95 Console window on Windows
     95 or 98; this can hit a bug in the Microsoft Console driver and crash
     the session, which happens (for example) if the host application
     changes the screen size several times.

Where can I get Unicode fonts for Windows?
     You can use Unicode fonts in Windows NT or 2000 with Kermit 95 to
     display text in many languages, but they must be monospaced (not
     proportionally spaced) fonts. Some examples include Lucida Console,
     Courier, and Courier New. Early Unicode monospaced fonts had an
     extremely limited repertoire (e.g. no Hebrew); more recent and
     fully-populated ones can be downloaded from the Microsoft Website:

       http://www.microsoft.com/truetype/fontpack/

     For an overview of Unicode fonts (that was current, and frequently
     updated, at the time of this writing), see:

       http://www.hclrss.demon.co.uk/unicode/fonts.html

Why doesn't K95 do CJK Terminal Emulation?
     A GUI window is required for CJK character display, and a special
     "duospaced" TrueType font would be needed; as far as we know, none is
     available yet.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

STARTING AND STOPPING KERMIT 95

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Why does Kermit 95 take a few seconds to start?
     K95.EXE can take a while to start because:
        o Many Windows DLLs must be pulled in (Winsock, TAPI, C Runtime,
          etc).
        o If a SET TAPI LINE command appears in your K95CUSTOM.INI, TAPI
          must be initialized, which takes some timea, especially if your
          modem is turned off or not connected.
        o The initialization file must be read.
        o Lack of physical memory might require that Windows 95 allocate
          swap space on the hard disk.

     If you use K95 to make different types of connections, not just TAPI,
     take the SET TAPI line command out of your K95CUSTOM.INI file.

     The following command-line options can be used to tell K95 not to load
     certain DLLs; this can speed startup:

        o -# 2: Do not load Network DLLs (such as Winsock).
        o -# 4: Do not load TAPI DLLs (for dialing out).
        o -# 8: Do not load Security DLLs (for Kerberos, OpenSSL,
          encryption).
        o -# 16: Do not load XYZMODEM DLLs (for XYZMODEM file transfer).

     These numbers can be added. So "-# 30" means don't load any of the
     above. On a 90 MHz PC, starting K95 1.1.16 with "-# 30" took about 1
     second; without it about 4 seconds. You can omit the network DLLs if
     you will not be making network connections. You can omit TAPI if (a)
     you will not be making dialout connections, or (b) you will be using
     COM1 or COM2 directly rather than the TAPI modem device. You can omit
     Kerberos DLLs if you will not be making secure connections with
     Kerberos authentication. You can omit the XYZMODEM DLLs if you will
     not be transferring files with XMODEM, YMODEM, or ZMODEM.

Why does it take K95 several seconds to exit?
     K95.EXE might take a while to exit because:

        o K95 is careful to release all resources that it allocates.
        o K95 is careful to close connections properly instead of just
          shutting down the subsystems (TAPI, Winsock, ...)

     It can take Windows 20-30 seconds to release the TAPI device if your
     modem is disconnected or powered off. When it is connected and turned
     on, it still can take 5-10 seconds. That's Windows, not Kermit, being
     slow.

Why can't I exit from K95 by clicking the [x] button?
     When you click the Close button in the Title bar of a Console window
     in Windows 95 or 98 (but not NT or 2000), Windows does not deliver
     this event to the application, but instead simply terminates it
     without releasing any of its resources (such as TAPI devices). This
     can result in a TAPI device or other resource not being available to
     other applications (including K95) until Windows 95 is restarted. This
     is a Microsoft feature over which Kermit has no control whatever.
     Kermit 95 1.1.19 tries to use an undocumented API to disable the close
     button to prevent this from happening.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

MODEMS AND DIALING

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Can K95 dial my ISP?
     Because of Kermit 95's flexibility and programmability, many people
     ask us if there is a way that Kermit 95 can be used to make Dial Up
     Networking connections, in place of the standard Windows way.
     Unfortunately, the answer is no; Microsoft does not provide a way to
     let an application make a connection to a PPP or SLIP server and then
     turn the connection over to the TCP/IP stack. The only way in Windows
     95/98 or NT to make a SLIP or PPP connection is with the built-in
     Dialup Networking dialer or (in Windows NT) RAS. OS/2, on the other
     hand, allows this and Kermit 95 for OS/2 (Kermit/2) has this feature
     for both PPP and SLIP.

How can I make credit-card calls?
     This applies when you have defined a dialing location in TAPI that
     includes a credit card number.

     If you are using the K95 Dialer:

       1. In the Dialer's main menu, choose Options.
       2. Choose Dialing.
       3. Make sure that both TAPI Modem Dialing and TAPI Phone Number
          Conversions are checked.

     Then when placing a call, make sure:

        o Your current modem is a TAPI device (not COM1, COM2, etc).
        o Your current location is the one with the credit card
          information.
        o The phone number is portable format, e.g. [phone].

     If the phone number is not in portable format, neither Kermit nor TAPI
     will be able to apply any prefixes or suffixes, including the credit
     card number. (This process is referred to as "Phone number
     conversions" in the menus.)

     To create a new TAPI Location that uses a Credit Card:

        o In the K95 Dialer choose "TAPI->Dialing Properties..." to display
          the dialog box.
        o Click on the "New" button to create a new entry.
        o Fill in the appropriate "area code" and numbers to use for
          getting an external line
        o Check the "Dial using Calling Card" box and then press "Change"
        o Select the appropriate Calling Card company and service from the
          list.
        o Fill in the Calling Card number.
        o Close all the dialogs to return to the K95 Dialer.
        o To make the new location the active location, use the
          "Location->Current->" list to check the new location.

     Now when you dial, these dialing rules -- including the calling card
     number -- will be used.

Can K95 be used with ISDN?
     ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) is a digital alternative of
     the analog telephone system. CLICK HERE for an ISDN tutorial. Kermit
     95 can be used with ISDN in the following ways:

        o Kermit 95 works with any ISDN connection that provides TCP/IP
          services. In this case, K95 is simply a Telnet or Rlogin client,
          as it would be on any other kind of TCP/IP connection.

        o Kermit 95 works with any ISDN device that provides a Windows
          Telephony Service Provider Interface (TSPI). In this case, Kermit
          can place ISDN calls using TAPI. Example: the AVM Fritz!Card with
          CapiPort driver, or the Teles X.75 Modem TAPI device for Windows
          95.

        o Kermit 95 works with any ISDN device that provides a 32-bit
          COM-port emulator, such as the version of Teles CAPI for Windows
          NT.

     Kermit 95 does not include a direct CAPI interface.

Does K95 work with Novell NASI modem sharing?
     K95 works with any software that provides a TAPI interface or a COM
     port interface, and should work with any software that exports a Win32
     device name. According to the Novell Support Website,
     http://support.novell.com/ on 24 July 1998, "In order for NT to access
     the modem pool, WIN2NCS version 2.11 must be used. . . . Windows NT is
     now supported. However, there is still an issue with the interaction
     of Win2NCS with Microsoft's TAPI which may cause problems with Host
     mode on some Remote Control applications. This is currently under
     investigation." (The download link provided for WIN2NCS no longer
     works.)

     One user reported trouble using NASI until they selected "use hardware
     flow control always" in the NASI Workstation Global Settings
     configuration dialog.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

TCP/IP AND TELNET

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Can Kermit 95 be the Telnet helper for my Web Browser?
     Yes. This gives you many advantages over the regular Telnet program.
     Just to name a few: you can transfer files while in your Telnet
     session; you have more and better terminal emulations to choose from;
     and you have colors, scrollback, key mapping, and local printing.
     Simply point your Browser at the TELNET.EXE program in the Kermit 95
     directory instead of at regular system Telnet.

Why does Dialup networking pop up whenever I make a Telnet connection?
     This is not a Kermit problem -- the same thing would happen with any
     Internet application, such as Microsoft Telnet or FTP. To fix: open
     your Windows 95 Dial Up Networking folder (should be in your "My
     Computer" folder), go to Connections .. Settings .. General and choose
     "Don't prompt to use Dial-Up Networking".

How can I force the Telnet server to issue a login prompt?
     When K-95 is used to Telnet to a host that whose Telnet server
     supports the TELNET NEW-ENVIRONMENT option or certain other options,
     K-95 sends your Windows user ID automatically, unless you have done
     something to prevent this from happening. In this case, the host does
     not prompt you for a user ID, but just a password.

     If your Windows user ID is the same as your ID on the host you are
     Telneting to, you only need to supply your password on the host, since
     it already has your user ID.

     However, if they are not the same, or if you want to ensure
     predictable behavior, e.g. in a script program, you can instruct K-95
     not to send your user ID with the command:

       set login userid

     (without a user ID). Then the host will give its normal login: or
     Username: prompt. Put this command in your K95CUSTOM.INI file or your
     script file, depending on where/when you want it to apply.

How do I make secure Internet Connections?
     Kermit 95 can make secure TCP/IP connections using SSL, TLS, Kerberos
     and Secure Remote Password (SRP) (CLICK HERE for information about
     secure Telnet servers). Except for SRP, these K95 connection methods
     are presently available only in the USA and Canada due to USA export
     law. Kermit 95 does not support any form of SOCKS or SSH. The secure
     connection methods are documented in the Kermit 95 Manual and in
     several supplementary documents. Secure connections are usually
     configured by network administrators rather than end users; consult
     your network administrator to see what forms of security are available
     at your site and to find out how to configure Kermit 95 to use them if
     they are among the methods supported by K95. If you are the network
     administrator and you need assistance, send email to
     [e-mail].

Why doesn't Kermit 95 support SSH?
     There are two incompatible SSH protocols, v1 and v2. Kermit 95 does
     not support SSH version 1.x for a combination of legal and security
     reasons:

        o It requires use of patented algorithms for implementation. The
          Kermit Project would be responsible for paying a fee for each
          download of a Kermit 95 patch including these algorithms (this
          will change in September 2000);

        o The use of raw public keys for end-user authentication is
          particularly dangerous when hosts or client workstations are
          insecure or otherwise compromised. When an SSH private key is
          stolen there is no mechanism for the host administrator to block
          future use of the key or determine which other hosts might be
          accessible by that key.

        o It provides no mechanism for reliable authentication of the host.

     SSH version 2.x is not supported because:

        o The only available server implemention is not widely deployed due
          to licensing restrictions.

        o The IETF working group responsible for its development has made
          no progress in moving the protocol through the standards process.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

TERMINAL EMULATION

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Where is the technical documentation for xxx emulation?
     The specifications for each terminal, such as VT320, HPTERM, AIXTERM,
     etc, might be several hundred pages long, and many of them are
     proprietary.

     Purchase the manuals from the current marketer of the terminal.
     Manuals are still being sold for all Wyse and DEC VT terminals. Note
     that (a) DEC sold off its terminal products division years ago, and it
     has probably changed hands several times since then, and (b) DEC is
     now owned by Compaq. DEC and Wyse terminal manuals tend to be quite
     expensive.

        o Documentation for DEC terminal can be purchased from Boundless
          Technologies.
        o Wyse terminal documentation can be found at wyse.com.
        o The SCOANSI specification can be found at the SCO website.
        o QANSI, QNX, Linux, BeTERM, and AT386 are documented in the man
          pages of the appropriate operating system.
        o The AIXTERM manual is published on the Web by IBM.
        o The HFT manual is also somewhere at ibm.com.
        o SNI manuals are published by Siemens/Nixdorf.
        o Avatar is documented in the Fido database.
        o VT52/100/102/220/320 sequences are included in Using MS-DOS
          Kermit, 2nd Edition.

     For further information, visit Richard Shuford's Video Terminal
     Information site.

Why do scrolling or echoing seem slow?
     They don't to most people. But on certain PCs, under certain
     circumstances, there might be a perceptible delay in scrolling or in
     echoing of the characters you type. This delay can have several
     components:

       1. Delays in the connection itself;
       2. How heavily loaded Windows is;
       3. Windows scheduling of K95's several threads and its semaphore
          management;
       4. An extra (double) layer of overhead imposed by CONAGENT.EXE;
       5. Peculiarities of your video andapter and driver;
       6. K95's own screen update algorithm.

     Normally K95 refreshes the entire screen every 100 milliseconds, i.e.
     10 times per second. This has proven to provide the best overall
     throughput, which is always a tradeoff between (a) responsiveness to
     keystrokes, and (b) speed of displaying large amounts of scrolling
     text. You can change the balance and the frequency with the command:

     SET TERMINAL SCREEN-UPDATE { FAST, SMOOTH } [ milliseconds ]
          Chooses the mechanism used for screen updating and the update
          frequency. Defaults are FAST scrolling with updates every 100
          milliseconds.

     A smaller interval might produce snappier echoing, but probably at the
     expense of scrolling speed. SMOOTH forces screen refresh with every
     incoming character, and so turns the balance to totally favor fast
     echoing.

     In version 1.1.16, K95's echoing strategy has been redesigned to give
     snappier echoing on modem connections, virtually eliminating any delay
     that can not be attributable to external causes. Echoing of a
     character from the local modem's command processor now takes less than
     0.001 second, compared to about 0.110 second in 1.1.15.

     Also, beginning in 1.1.16, screen updates are optimized. This results
     in noticeable speed improvements on most PCs, but paradoxically, slows
     down some others. To disable optimization, use:

       SET TERMINAL SCREEN-OPTIMIZE OFF

How do I make the vertical scroll bar work in Windows NT?
     You don't. Please do not try to run Kermit 95 in a window that has
     vertical scroll bars -- it won't behave the way you expect. Use
     Kermit's own built-in scrolling features (vertical scrollback/forward
     and horizontal scrolling) to view material that is not on the current
     screen. Also see Item 193 in the Bugs List.

So how does scrollback work?
     Scrollback is done with "Kverbs" (keyboard verbs). The Kverbs for
     scrolling are normally assigned to the Page Up, Page Down, Home, and
     End keys. However, certain emulations use these keys for their own
     purposes, in which case the scrolling verbs are moved to other keys,
     usually the Alt-Shift versions of the same keys. Here is a list of the
     scrolling Kverbs; to find the current assignment of any Kverb, type
     "help kverb name" at the K95 prompt, where name is the name of the
     Kverb (the part after the \K, e.g. "help kverb upscn".

       Kverb  Typical Assignment   Action
       upscn   Gray Page Up         Scrolls back one screen
       dnscn   Gray Page Down       Scrolls forward one screen if scrolled back
       upone   Ctrl-Gray-Page-Up    Scrolls back one line
       dnone   Ctrl-Gray-Page-Down  Scrolls forward one line
       homscn  Gray Home            Top of scrollback buffer
       endscn  Gray End             End of scrollback buffer

     See the Screen Scrollback section of the Kermit 95 manual on your disk
     for details.

Why doesn't K95 have a SET TRANSLATE INPUT command?
     The user-defined character-translation feature in MS-DOS Kermit was a
     bad, bad, bad idea. We never should have included this feature. It has
     encouraged developers to make applications that violate standards and
     specifications for how host-to-terminal connections must work.

     The need to display a mixture of character sets on the same screen is
     addressed by ISO Standards 4873, 2022, and 6429 and by terminals such
     as the VT220/320 that follow those standards. Kermit 95 and MS-DOS
     Kermit both fully support these standards.

     The most common requirement for a mixture of character sets is to
     display accented letters (as in Spanish) and line- and box-drawing
     characters on the same screen. This can be done on a real VT220 by
     sending character-set designation and invocation escape sequences as
     described in the VT220 manual and the ISO standards, to switch between
     (e.g.) ISO 8859-1 Latin Alphabet 1 (for accented letters) and DEC
     Special Graphics for line and box drawing, or DEC Technical for math
     symbols.

     Or it can be done by using a PC code page, such as CP437 or CP850, in
     the host application, and then telling Kermit to "set terminal
     character-set transparent". This is considered bad practice, because
     the structure of these PC code pages violates ISO standards by
     including graphic characters in the spaces that are reserved for
     control characters. And also because it will only work with PCs and
     not real terminals, or non-PC-based emulators.

     Unfortunately, some application developers take a third approach and
     invent a "new character set" specific to their application, which
     requires the use of a custom translation table, such as supported by
     MS-DOS Kermit and several other terminal programs, so they don't have
     to go through the "bother" of using (or learning) the proper switching
     mechanisms. While this might seem a reasonable approach, closer
     inspection reveals what a bad idea it is. To understand why it is such
     a bad idea, one must first understand ISO 4873 and 2022, and how real
     terminals work. But this was the application developer's
     responsibility in the first place. An explanation of the ISO standards
     is beyond the scope of this document, but suffice it to say that they
     have been in effect since 1973.

     If the application uses standard terminal presentation methods, it
     will work with Kermit 95. If it does not, it will not work with any
     real terminal, and therefore will not work with Kermit 95 either.

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FILE TRANSFER

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Problems uploading files?
     Kermit 95 defaults to high-performance file-transfer settings: long
     packets, sliding windows, "cautious" control-character prefixing, and
     -- on connections that allow it -- streaming. But, as we point out in
     the documentation, these settings are less likely to work everywhere
     than the normal conservative settings that are the default in most
     other Kermit programs, and which are the cause of the widely held
     misimpression that "Kermit is slow".

     We have chosen high-performance defaults in Kermit 95 not only for
     public image reasons, but also because on this platform we have more
     assurance than we do with (say) C-Kermit that we have a fairly
     reliable communication method, such as a modem with error correction
     and hardware flow control or a TCP/IP connection.

     However, sometimes file transfers -- especially uploads of binary
     files -- fail using these settings. Such failures can almost always be
     fixed by restoring full control-character prefixing:

       SET PREFIXING ALL

     If that doesn't do the trick, then consult Chapter 10 of Using
     C-Kermit, 2nd Edition: "Solving File Transfer Problems".

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INTEGRATING KERMIT 95 WITH OTHER APPLICATIONS

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How do I embed Kermit in my application?
     Many software makers ask us for Kermit software in special forms that
     can be embedded in their applications, to provide file transfer or
     other communications functions to their customers. But each software
     maker wants something different:

        o Connection establishment but no data transfer
        o Data transfer using pre-existing connection
        o Connection establishment and data transfer
        o File transfer only without "bells and whistles"
        o Scripting but not terminal emulation
        o Terminal emulation but not file transfer
        o Serial communication but not networking
        o Networking but not serial communications
        o Binary file transfer but not text
        o Greek character-set conversion but not Cyrillic
        o Access to shell escapes allowed
        o Access to shell escapes forbidden
        o A pretty display
        o No display at all

     and on and on. And they desire this functionality to be packaged as a
     link library for this or that platform, a DLL, an OCX, a VBX, an
     Active X control, a Delphi component, a Netscape Plugin, a Java
     object, a Visual FoxPro object, etc etc etc. The combinations of
     functionality and interface are many, and there is no way we can
     satisfy them without warehouses full of programmers, which nobody can
     afford to pay for.

     Consequently we recommend that software makers who wish to embed
     Kermit functionality in their products (communications, scripting,
     file transfer, terminal emulation, character-set translation, etc)
     license and use the programs we already have available. See the next
     item for an example.

     The "API" (Application Program Interface) is the command language. It
     is more fully expressive, precise, comprehensive, and portable than
     any other API that could be designed (look at all the commands in
     C-Kermit or MS-DOS Kermit or Kermit 95; each one is there for a
     reason). As new releases of the Kermit program come out, your product
     can be easily updated and will benefit from all the new features,
     fixes, and speedups automatically.

     The recommended method of embedding Kermit in another application is
     via command-line invocation. The Kermit command line can contain a
     selection of simple commands, and it can also refer to more complex
     command files or scripts composed by your application. Kermit can be
     configured to create any kind of log you need, and it can return the
     status of its operations in various ways that can be used by your
     application.

     When you license Kermit software for embedding in your application, we
     are happy to work with you to ensure it meets your needs. And if
     Kermit protocol transfers are important to you, then it should also be
     important to you to come to the source -- we developed the protocol,
     we continue to improve it, we believe in it, and we stand behind it.

     Following this advice allows each party to concentrate on what they
     are good at, rather than unnecessarily duplicating efforts and
     "reinventing the wheel". You concentrate on your application; we'll do
     the communications. We support our software, you support yours,
     everybody is happy.

How do I invoke Kermit 95 from Visual Basic?
     Easy. First refer to Using C-Kermit, "Starting and Stopping C-Kermit".
     Note that you can invoke K95 with a command-line argument specifying
     the name of a file containing commands to execute; this filename must
     be the first argument after the program name. Suppose, for example,
     K95.EXE is in the PATH, and the command file is called UPDATE.KSC.
     Then the command line would be, simply:

       k95 update.ksc

     The command file can be prefabricated, or it can be created
     dynamically by your application. If it is not in the current
     directory, of course you must specify the full path:

       k95 d:\scripts\update.ksc

     If you want K95 to exit automatically when the script is complete, put
     EXIT commands in the script wherever you want to return control to
     your VB program.

     To invoke K95 from VB, use:

       Shell (commandline, windowstyle)

     where commandline is the command with which to invoke Kermit 95, such
     as "k95 update.ksc", and windowstyle is one of the following:

       0 - Hidden
       1 - Window has focus and is restored
       2 - Window is an icon with focus
       3 - Window is maximized with focus
       4 - Window is restored, current window keeps focus
       6 - Window is an icon, current window keeps focus

     The Shell() function returns Kermit 95's task ID.

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Kermit 95 FAQ / Columbia University / [e-mail] / 31 March 2000