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HELPU.UTL
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1994-09-28
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BULLETRON FILE TRANSFER HELP
DOWNLOADING FILES FROM BULLETRON
To download a file, or a set of files, you must first select the files
that you want to transfer. Begin by entering a "D" command at the main
system prompt. Bulletron will then present you with a menu of file
directories and ask you to select one of them. Each sub-board (section)
can have as many as 35 file directories. Some may have only one and
some may not have any. If there is only one file directory on the
sub-board that you have currently selected, then this prompt will be
skipped. If there are no file directories on the current sub-board,
then you will be told that there are no files that you can download, and
that you should try a different sub-board. If you had previously done
an "F" (list files), "V" (view files), "D" (download files), or "U"
(upload files) command then Bulletron will assume that you want to use
the same file directory as you used the last time and will not ask you
to select a file directory. Your file directory selection is reset when
you change sub-boards or do an "F" command.
Once you have selected a file directory, Bulletron asks you to select a
transfer method, or "protocol". Your choice of file transfer protocol
depends mostly on the capabilities of the communications program that
you are using in your computer. The available selections are:
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ >>>> BULLETRON(TM) FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL MENU <<<< ║
╟──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╢
║ <A> ASCII, text file transfers only ║
║ <S> SEARCH ASCII files for a text string ║
║ <X> XMODEM standard checksum ║
║ <C> XMODEM-CRC ║
║ <1> XMODEM-1K (aka "single file YMODEM") ║
║ <Y> YMODEM batch ║
║ <G> YMODEM-G batch, for error correcting modems ONLY ║
║ <Z> ZMODEM ║
║ <H> HELP!!! ║
║ <K> KILL process (return to main system prompt) ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
"A" - ASCII
ASCII is used for simple text or text which you want displayed on your
screen. It should not be used for .EXE or .ARC files because certain
bytes, like null and CTRL/Z can not be transmitted. No error checking
is performed. Before you start an ASCII download, set up your
communications program to capture your session to a disk file. You will
see the file displayed on your screen as it comes across.
"X" - XMODEM (standard checksum)
XMODEM can be used for .EXE and .ARC files as well as text files. It is
the most widely available file transfer protocol for microcomputer
systems. It provides some error detection. It breaks up the file into
very small blocks during transmission (128 bytes each), and checks for
errors on each block. It tends to be slow, but fairly reliable on noisy
phone lines because of its frequent error checking.
"C" - XMODEM-CRC
XMODEM-CRC is similar to standard XMODEM, but uses better error
detection methods. XMODEM-CRC runs at the same speed as standard
XMODEM, using the same size data blocks, but is more reliable.
"1" - XMODEM-1K
XMODEM-1K is similar to XMODEM-CRC except that the block size is
increased to 1,024 bytes. This makes it run much faster than
XMODEM-CRC, but less reliably on noisy phone lines.
"Y" - Ymodem
YMODEM is a multiple file transfer protocol. YMODEM sends a header
block at the beginning of each file that contains the file name, size,
date and other information. At the end of a set of files, YMODEM sends
a header block with no file name, which marks the end of the set of
files.
"G" YMODEM-G
YMODEM-G is a YMODEM variation for use ONLY with error correcting
modems. The only difference between YMODEM-G and standard YMODEM is
that the receiving end of a YMODEM-G transfer does not verify the
checksums on the blocks. The sender must still generate and send them,
but the receiver ignores them, and the sender does not wait for an
acknowledgment from the receiver before sending the next block.
"Z" - ZMODEM
ZMODEM is the most efficient file transfer protocol that can be created
for any type of computer. ZMODEM sends the file data a one, long
continuous stream, with no delays between bytes or between blocks.
After each 1,024 byte in the stream, the sender inserts two or four
bytes of CRC error check code. Without stopping, the sender continues
sending the next block. If the receiver detects an error, it sends a
recovery point message to the sender through the backchannel, while the
sender is still sending. If the sender discovers a recovery point
message, it backs up and starts sending the file again at the indicated
recovery point.
After you select one of these file transfer protocols, Bulletron asks
you for the name(s) of the files that you want to receive. You can
enter a specific file name, such as:
"FILENAME.EXT"
or use a wildcard file specification to download a number of files from
the selected file directory, such as:
"FILENAME.*", or
"*.EXT", or
"*.*", or (to get ALL the files in the current directory)
"A*.*" (to get all files whose names begin with the
letter "A")
and so forth. Bulletron will then show you the names of all the files
that you are about to receive, and ask you for another file
specification. Just press [ENTER] when you think you have enough files
selected and Bulletron will begin the transfer. If you selected any
file transfer protocol other than ZMODEM, then you will also have to
tell your communications program to start receiving the files. Many
communications programs use the "PgDn" key for this.
You can also put a "/T" at the end of your file specification to make
Bulletron show you each file in a set and ask you whether or not you
want to download it. Use this if you think you may already have some of
the files covered by the wildcard file specification.
Some file transfer protocols - XMODEM, XMODEM-CRC and XMODEM-1K - can
only transfer one file at a time. For these protocols, Bulletron will
not allow you to use wildcard file specs. and will begin the transfer
after you enter the first file name.
You can also use shortcuts to make downloading easier. Once you have
selected a current file directory using an "F", "D", "V" or "U" command,
you can enter the protocol and file specification all on one line. For
instance, if you enter:
"DZ *.*"
then Bulletron will immediately begin sending you all the files in the
current directory without further adieu!
You can also use a command like:
"DS *.TXT"
to perform an ASCII download of all ".TXT" files in the current file
directory, but only sending you specific lines out of the files that
contain a text string that you specify. This helps you locate specific
files in a large directory of documents, such as a databse of legal
documents.
If you want to start a big download and go away, leaving the system to
log off when the download finishes, put "/Q" at the end of the last file
specification you enter. A "/Q" is ignored on any file specification
except the last one.
UPLOADING FILES TO BULLETRON
Uploading files to Bulletron is much like downloading files. You must
select a file directory and file tranfer protocol as with downloading.
Key differences are:
- For batch transfers (YMODEM, YMODEM-G and ZMODEM), you do not specify
any file names to Bulletron. You tell your communications program
which files to send after you press your "PgUp" key (or whatever key
starts an upload with your program), and Bulletron receives the file
names as part of the files.
- When you finish sending a batch of files, Bulletron will ask you to
enter verbal descriptions of all the files that you sent.
HELPFUL HINTS
Use ZMODEM.
Avoid YMODEM. Too many developers have misconceptions of what YMODEM
is.
Some YMODEM implementations fail to send the final header block that has
no file name that marks the end of a set of files. If your
communications program permits you to upload a file with YMODEM
protocol, and completes the transfer but Bulletron does not return you
to the main command prompt it is most likely that this final header
block was not sent. Pressing [ENTER] should return you to the main
system prompt after such a transfer.
--- END OF HELP MESSAGE ---