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REXDIAL.DOC
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1998-11-16
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Internet Rex dialer program
---------------------------
1. Introduction
---------------
Rexdial.exe and RexdialP.exe are a scripting programs meant to be used
along with Internet Rex in order to phone up and connect to your Internet
provider. It's scripting abilities are limited, but it's small, quick, and
processor friendly. Rexdial.exe yields timeslices to DesqView - RexdialP.exe
yeilds timeslices to OS/2.
2. Writing scripts
------------------
Script files are just regular text files containing a list of commands for
Rexdial to execute. The name Internet Rex uses for the script it creates
is rex.scr.
You'll probably have to modify the default script Rex creates to connect
properly to your provider. Most of the initial part of the script will have
been created correctly by Rex: the part that needs modifying is the part
after the "dial" statement, the part where Rex talks to your provider and
tries to initiate a PPP or SLIP session.
To fill in the rest of the script, try logging in to your provider once
manually using your favourite comm. program. Write down the prompts your
provider gives and the correct responses to them. These will be plugged
into the rex.scr file Rex creates.
The two most important commands you'll need to use to create your script
are WAITFOR and SEND. These do pretty much exactly what you think they'll
do: WAITFOR waits for a string to appear, and SEND sends a string you
specify. For example, the command
WAITFOR login:
would wait until "login:" came through the modem from your provider. It
wouldn't wait all day though: at the top of the script, Rex has included
the command "set timeout 30". This means that Rexdial will wait a maximum of
30 seconds for login: to appear: if it doesn't appear in that time, Rexdial
will decide the login attempt failed and will give up.
The SEND command sends the string following it, plus a carriage return at
the end. For instance:
SEND myusername
would be like typing "myusername" into the keyboard and hitting return.
Using WAITFOR and SEND you should be able to negotiate your server's logon
prompts and start up a PPP session.
There are a few more commands Rexdial understands though. Here is a
complete listing of the commands and what they do. You can also comment
your scripts: any line beginning with # will be ignored by Rexdial.
DIAL <phone number>
This dials the phone number you specify. It will try X times, where X
is the number set with the SET REDIAL command. BUSY and NO CARRIER's
count as a try. NO DIAL TONE's do not. Rexdial will try until it receives
a CONNECT or the number of attempts is too big.
HANGUP
Simple.... :) Hangs up the phone.
INIT
This initializes your modem by sending the string set by the SET INIT
command and waiting for an OK from your modem.
SEND <string>
Sends the string to the modem, along with a carriage return.
SET
This sets a number of different internal variables for Rexdial. There
are 6 values to set:
SET BAUD <baud rate>
This sets the speed at which Rexdial talks to your modem.
eg: SET BAUD 38400
If you're running a FOSSIL driver and your COM port is locked at a
particular speed, set the baud rate to your COM port's locked baud
rate, otherwise Rexdial won't work.
SET INIT <init string>
This sets the init string for your modem. eg: SET INIT AT&F1|
SET INTERRUPT <interrupt number>
This sets the interrupt your COM port uses. eg: SET INTERRUPT 4
This command does nothing with RexdialP, where it is pointless.
SET PORT <COM port base address>
For Rexdial.exe ONLY!
This sets the base address of your COM port. eg: SET PORT 0x3f8
SET PORT <COM port>
For RexdialP.exe ONLY!
This sets the COM port to use: eg. SET PORT COM2
If you are going to issue these commands, they MUST appear before the
INIT command in your script.
SET REDIAL <redials>
This tells Rexdial how many times to try to connect to your provider
before giving up. Naturally, if you're going to issue this command, you
should do so before giving a DIAL command. Setting REDIAL to 0 tells
Rexdial to keep dialing until it connects.
SET TIMEOUT <seconds>
This tells Rexdial how long to wait for strings in the WAITFOR command.
You can issue this command anytime you like in a script.
WAIT <seconds>
Rexdial pauses for however many seconds you specify.
WAITFOR <string>
Waits until the string appears from the remote site. It will only wait
the number of seconds specified by the SET TIMEOUT command.
3. Running Rexdial or RexdialP
------------------------------
To make Rexdial execute a script, run
Rexdial.exe <name of the script file>
for the DOS version, or
RexdialP.exe <name of the script file>
for the OS/2 version.
You can interrupt the execution of a script at any time by hitting the
escape key. Rexdial will hangup if the script is interrupted.
Rexdial exits with errorlevel 0 if the script completed succesfully. If
anything prevented Rexdial from completing the script, it will exit with a
non-zero errorlevel and hangup.
4. Copyright and legal stuff
----------------------------
Rexdial.exe and RexdialP.exe (hereafter the two programs are referred to
singly as Rexdial) are freeware. You can use them with any program
you like at any time you like. Later versions may include a more expanded
command set, but may be restricted to being used with Internet Rex.
Rexdial is warranted to do nothing. It is guaranteed to take up disk space -
nothing more. If you don't like what it does, by all means contact me and
let me know and I'll see about improving it. I make no promises though.
By running Rexdial you agree that Khan Software and Charles Cruden
assume no responsibilty for anything the program may do. If you decide
you need to modify Rexdial, you implicitly assume responsibility for
the program as you've modified it.
Redistribution of this version of Rexdial in an unmodified form is free and
legal, provided you include Rexdial.doc along with the executable and
acknowledge Charles Cruden as the author. Redistribution of Rexdial.exe (as
opposed to RexdialP.exe) also requires that you acknowledge Chris Blum (who
wrote the UART routines used for Rexdial.exe). Redistribution of Rexdial
in a modified form requires written permission from Charles Cruden at Khan
Software.
Rexdial.exe uses Chris Blum's UARTINT UART routines.
Internet Rex is copyright Khan Software.
5. Contacting the author
------------------------
You can contact Charles Cruden and Khan Software via the following methods:
Netmail: FidoNet 1:342/806
SoftNet 10:3030/0
STN Net 111:1403/11
BattleNet 169:4100/101
email: cruden@cs.ualberta.ca
Snail mail: Charles Cruden
10945 - 90 Ave
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
T6G 1A4