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FILESUB.HLP
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1991-12-05
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BBS Express! ST
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General Help For File Transfer Sub-System
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Please turn on your capture, if applicable, and save all of
the following information. It is divided into two sections
which describe file transfer terminology in general, and
then the specific commands of this system's file area.
Common Terminology
"Batch Transfer" : A batch transfer is either a download or
upload where several files are sent as a group. For the BBS
to know which files you would like to group together to
download, for instance, you simply view the files from a
[B]rowse or [C]atalog listing, and select 'M'ark for each
file you would like to add to your batch. You must be using
a terminal program which supports batch protocols in order to
take advantage of this feature, obviously. More on the
protocols later.
"Blocks" : The amount of "packets" a given file transfer
scheme sends and receives the information in. For example,
if you were using standard Xmodem protocol and the file you
were going to receive was 51200 bytes long, it would be
transferred in 400 blocks (each standard Xmodem packet is
128 bytes, so 400 times 128 equals 51200).
"DL" or " UL" : Stands for Download and Upload. For those who
are very unfamiliar with telecommunications jargon, download
means to transfer a file from a remote system to yours. Upload
means just the opposite.
"Download Ratio" : This is usually expressed by a number which
is the amount of files you can download before the system
requires you to upload a file. For instance, a download ratio
of 4:1 means that after you download 4 files, you must upload
1 file, or the BBS will not allow you to receive any more files.
So 4:1 is like saying "four downloads to one upload."
"Protocol": When you download a file from a BBS, you must use
some sort of protocol to insure a proper transfer. Protocols
currently supported are Xmodem, Xmodem-CRC, Xmodem-1K, Ymodem
and Zmodem. A brief rundown of protocol follows:
Xmodem : This is the protocol that most everyone
is familiar with and just about any
terminal program supports. It is also
the slowest. Because the information is
sent and received in 128-byte packets,
error-checking is more frequent; this is
one of the chief reasons to look into
another protocol.
Xmodem-CRC : Also sent in 128-byte packets, but this
is a more reliable protocol than the
original Xmodem, or standard checksum
method. CRC stands for Cyclic Redunancy
Check. CRC can be used with this, the
128-byte packet protocol, or with the
1024-byte Xmodem-1K protocol.
Xmodem-1K : Often called Ymodem by mistake, this is
exactly the same protocol as Xmodem-CRC,
except the packet size is 1024-bytes.
1024-bytes = 1 Kilobyte, hence the name
"Xmodem-1K". Most software supports
this, and BBS Express! ST will detect
automatically whether you are using CRC
on your terminal or not.
Ymodem : Ymodem is an improvement to the above
protocol; it will tell your terminal the
name of the file you are downloading, and
you can transfer a number of files with a
single command. Transferring files this
way is known is "batching" -- hence this
protocol is also known as "Ymodem Batch."
Zmodem : On of the latest entries in the protocol
arena, Zmodem is by far superior to all of
the above in terms of speed, convenience
and reliability. Not all communications
software supports Zmodem yet, so if yours
does not have it built in, check into an
add-on or another software package. It's
really that good. All that applies to
Ymodem above also applies to Zmodem, plus
if you are in the midst of downloading and
somehow get disconnected, you can call back
and restart where you left off!
"SIG": This stands for Special Interest Group. When we say
SIG, we are referring to a particular file area of the BBS
where files are grouped together (ie games, utilities, etc.)
BBS Express! ST currently allows up to 32 SIGs. This way we
can support the file interests of more than one category and
computer type.
"Transfer Time" : The BBS calculates the time it will take to
send you any given file, based on your current baud rate. If
the transfer time exceeds the limit imposed by the System
Operator (SysOp), then you will be informed (and denied the
ability to download that file.)
File Area Command Descriptions
[B] Browse Files
When you press 'B' to enter browse mode you may specify some
search criteria, or press RETURN to view all the files in the
SIG. This mode takes you one file at a time through the files
which match your search criteria in the current SIG. If you
wished to see all the files which began with the letter "B",
you would enter "B*.*" (less quotes). As a further shortcut
you can leave out the period, or dot, and the BBS will assume
it for you -- so "B**" is equivilent to "B*.*". Once you are
browsing files, you can mark a file, download a file, view
the contents of an ARC/LZH/ZIP'ed file, read an ASCII file,
skip to the previous or next file, bring up a menu of commands,
go into brief or verbose mode, or quit to the file SIG level.
[C] Catalog Files
All the information above regarding search criteria apply in
the same way to the catalog mode. Type the criteria (or press
RETURN for all files) and you will receive a listing of files
with 15 files per page (or 7 if you are in 40 column mode).
There is a brief file description, too. A one-line menu will
appear at the bottom of each page, and from here you can mark
files, download a single file, view a full description, or
continue to the next page. You may also return to a previous
page by pressing '-'.
[D] Download A Single File
This option applies only when you know the name of the file you
are going to download, and only to a single file. It is really
better to use the [C]atalog or [B]rowse options to select a
file, but this option is here for those who want to use it.
[E] Erase Marked Files
If you decide you wish to scrap your entire list of marked
files and start again, use this option.
[G] Goodbye
If you wish to leave the BBS without returning to the main
command level, you may do so with this op