Cream of the Crop 3/Cream of the Crop 3.iso/comm/bcom11.zip/BCOM.DOC

Text File | 1994-04-06 | 21KB | 508 lines

         BananaCom will help you to start using your modem.
    BananaCom does not require you to specify parity, data bits,
   stop bits, echo, duplex, terminal emulation, flow control, etc.
    General practice has made it clear that most of this has been
          standardized and the need for variation is rare.
    BananaCom does not require megabytes of memory or disk space.
In fact, BananaCom can easily run from a 360k disk and have room for
 file transfers on the same disk!  BananaCom will give ZModem, ANSI
   and high speed capability to some of the most feeble computers.
 First time configuration of BananaCom usually takes under a minute.

       Alt-M will show you a menu and list the "Alt" commands.
Note that with "Alt" commands, you use the Alt key like a shift key:
     For Alt-M, hold down your alt key and tap your M key once.
       "Alt" commands only work from the main terminal screen.

         The latest information on BananaCom can be found on
                The Montana Banana BBS [phone]

      (use your arrow keys to see the rest of this information)

BananaCom 1.1 is shareware.  You have one week to try BananaCom and
decide if you want to keep it.  If you decide to keep it, you must
register BananaCom for $20.  Registration gets you support, the
"registered" version and removal of this annoying message.  Add $5 if
you want it mailed to you.  See the bottom of BCOM.DOC for more info.

Make checks payable to Paul Wheaton and mail to:  Paul Wheaton
                                                  1916 Brooks #205
                                                  Missoula, MT 59801

Visa or M/C orders can be phoned in to [phone]

If you try BananaCom for a week and decide that it is not worth $20,
you must delete it.

Copyright (c) 1994 by Paul Wheaton, Banana Programming.
Call for your custom programming needs.


Getting started with BananaCom

  After you have your modem and BananaCom properly configured, getting
  connected to your favorite modem service should take just a few
  seconds.

  The first step is to configure your "COM port" (also called your
  "serial port"). If you know what COM port your modem uses, tap Alt-P
  until the appropriate COM number appears at the bottom of your
  screen.

  If you don't know what COM port your modem uses, press Alt-V to
  verify your current COM port setting.  If "OK" appears, your COM
  port is now properly configured!  Otherwise, press Alt-P to change
  your port number and then try Alt-V again.  Repeat until you see
  "OK" or have tried all the ports and nothing happens (in which case,
  see "Troubleshooting" below).

  If your modem is connected to a phone line where you have to "dial 9
  to get out", press Alt-M and then select "modify dialing
  prefix/suffix".  Change the prefix to "ATDT9," and then press F2.

  Plug your modem into a working phone line.  Press Alt-D for the
  Dialing Directory.  Use the up and down arrow keys to select a modem
  service.  When the service you want to dial is highlighted, press
  your enter key.  If your modem's speaker is turned on, you should
  hear dial tone, dialing, ringing, a whistling sound, a kind of harsh
  static and then silence.  Within ten to thirty seconds your modem
  should report "CONNECT".  At this time you follow the instructions
  of operation for your modem service. Sometimes you need to tap your
  enter key a few times to get things rolling. Between the time that
  you press enter to select the modem service you want to dial, and
  the time you get the "CONNECT" message, pressing any key will stop
  the call and you will get a "NO CARRIER" message.

Using BananaCom

  From the directory containing BCOM.EXE and BCOM.DOC, type   BCOM
  to start BananaCom.

  When BananaCom is started, you are immediately put into the "main
  terminal screen" - this means that BananaCom is now forcing your
  computer to behave like a "terminal".  The bottom line tells you
  some information about the current BananaCom settings and will try
  to direct you to keys that will help you do things.  The rest of the
  screen is the space that your favorite modem service will use to
  dazzle you!

  Note that for any menu in BananaCom (this includes the dialing
  directory), you may press your escape key to exit and do nothing.
  If you are in a BananaCom editing screen, you may press your escape
  key to exit and any changes you made will be ignored.  As with many
  programs, your escape key helps you to "back up" or "get out" of
  things.  The only time that escape will not give you this effect is
  at the main terminal screen because the escape key is passed to a
  modem service!  Instead, you must use Alt-X (to exit BananaCom).


Dialing Directory (Alt-D)

  To call a modem service, you give your modem a phone number
  and it does the dialing.  BananaCom provides a dialing directory so
  you don't have to memorize the phone numbers for your favorite
  services: Press Alt-D; use your arrow keys to select a modem
  service; press return and BananaCom will feed your modem the
  appropriate phone number.

  Note that it will take a few seconds for your modem to dial up and
  connect to the service.  Pressing extra keys does not speed things
  up, it hangs up the phone!

  If you have the phone number for a modem service that you want to
  add to the dialing directory, press Alt-D, go to the bottom of the
  directory and press your enter key.  Fill in the fields for the name
  and phone number for the service (be sure that the phone number is
  the modem number and not a voice or fax number!).  For the "speed"
  field, use your space bar to select the most appropriate speed.  If
  you are not sure what speed to pick, start with 2400bps (or less, if
  your modem is a slower modem) and try faster speeds later.  When the
  name, number and speed all look correct to you, press your F2 key to
  save the changes.

  When the dialing directory is on the screen, you may press your
  Alt-R key to revise an entry.

  Note that if you have a very long phone number such as
  10288,,,406-543-8234,,,40654382349999 (interpretation:  use AT&T;
  pause; number to dial; pause; calling card number) that the number
  might overwrite part of your modem service name.

  BananaCom 1.1 allows 15 phone numbers in the dialing directory.
  The registered version of BananaCom has no limit.


Main Menu (Alt-M)

  The menu will show you all of the commands available in BananaCom.


ZModem file transfers

  The "ZModem file transfer protocol" is the technique that BananaCom
  and a modem service agree upon for copying a file from one to the
  other.

  Downloading:  Once you are connected to a modem service and have
  specified to the service one or more files that you want to download
  via ZModem, the service will send some special characters to
  BananaCom.  BananaCom will then put a box on your screen to show you
  the progress of the file transfer.  When an exact copy of the file
  is in your computer, the box will be taken away and you will be able
  to continue with using your modem service.  When your modem service
  session is over, you can exit from BananaCom (with Alt-X) and work
  with your downloaded file just as you would with any other file!

  Uploading:  When you tell your modem service that you want to
  upload via ZModem, it will send some text that will alert BananaCom
  to ask you for a file name.  After you have typed in the file name,
  press return and the upload will begin.  If your modem service is an
  odd duck, it might not send the appropriate characters and instead,
  wait dumbly for you to send these characters.  If this happens,
  press Alt-M and select "ZModem Upload".


Exit (Alt-X)

  Terminates the BananaCom program.


Hang Up (Alt-H)

  When you are done using a modem service, follow the instructions of
  the service for terminating the call.  If you seem to be stuck or
  cannot find a way to have the service terminate the call, type Alt-H
  to hang up the phone on your end.


Verify Configuration (Alt-V)

  When you press Alt-V, BananaCom will send a command to your modem
  that should work on almost all modems.  If the port and speed are
  set properly, the modem will put "OK" on the screen.  This is a
  signal that you are now ready to make calls.


DOS Shell (Alt-S)

  Sometimes when you are using a modem service, you need to pop out to
  DOS and do something real quick.  Press Alt-S and you will see the
  DOS prompt.  Do your DOS thing.  When you're done, type   EXIT   and
  then press enter.  It will look like you never left!


Rate (or speed) (Alt-R)

  This is the default for how fast BananaCom talks to your COM port.
  As a rule of thumb, you set this to be the speed of your modem.  If
  your modem has "data compression" you set it for the next higher
  speed.  HOWEVER, you should not set this to higher than 9600 if your
  serial port won't go that fast.

    Examples:

      for a plain 2400bps modem, use a rate of 2400bps.

      for a 14,400bps internal modem with data compression and a built
      in 16550NA chip, use 19,200bps.

      for a 14,400bps external modem with data compression, but your
      serial port does not have a 16550NA chip, use 9,600bps.

  Note that internal modems requiring speeds faster than 9600bps
  generally have a 16550NA or equivalent chip.  If you are using
  speeds over 9600bps and you are not sure if you have the right chip,
  see "Troubleshooting" below.


Clear Screen (Alt-C)

  Clears the screen and sets the current color to be Yellow on Black.


Toggle Text Capture (Alt-T)

  Tap Alt-T once.  Now all of the new text that appears on the screen
  will be appended to the file CAPTURE.TXT. Tap Alt-T again and text
  capture will stop.

  This is especially useful if you want to print something from a
  modem service.  Capture what you want to print and load CAPTURE.TXT
  into your favorite word processor.  Now you can edit and print the
  captured text just as you would any other document!


Upload Text (Alt-U)

  Usually a text upload is so you may compose a message off-line and
  upload it quickly when on-line.

  When you have prepared your modem service to receive a message, type
  Alt-U and provide the name of your text file.  BananaCom will pass
  the message very quickly in a standard text upload format acceptable
  on most modem services.  The modem service will have no idea that
  there is a text upload in progress - it will think you are a very
  fast typist!


Back scroll terminal screen (Alt-B)

  Sometimes when using a modem service, you find that information has
  scrolled past that you need.  To look at that information again,
  press Alt-B.  You can now use your cursor keys (up arrow, down
  arrow, page up, page down, home and end) to view the text that has
  passed in the last few minutes.  How much text is saved depends on
  how much memory you have available.


Edit Dialing Prefix and Suffix

  This feature can only be accessed through the main menu.

  Note!  The following instructions are for modems that use the "Hayes
  compatible" or "AT" command set.  All instructions to the modem
  begin with "AT".  "ATD" means "dial the following number".  "ATDT"
  means "dial the following number with touch tone".

  The dialing prefix is the command that is passed to the modem before
  every modem call.  Usually, it is set to    ATDT    although you may
  need to modify it.  Use:

      ATDP      if your phone does not support "touch tone"
      ATDT9,    to "dial 9 to get out"
      ATDT*70,  to temporarily turn off call waiting

  You might also want to insert another command or two depending on
  what your modem may need to work properly:

      M0      turns the speaker off
      M1      turns the speaker on while dialing
      M1L2    turns the speaker on "loud" while dialing
      M1L0    turns the speaker on "quiet" while dialing
      E1      so you can see what the autodialer sends to the modem
      Q0      so the modem can report problems and "CONNECT"
      V1      so the modem will report "CONNECT" instead of "1"

  Always insert these commands between the AT and the D.  You may
  include as many instructions as you like.  e.g.  ATM1L2E1Q0V1DT9,
  or  AT M1 L2 E1 Q0 V1 DT 9,

  Note that some modems require that all of these commands be in upper
  case and no spaces between commands!

  Use of the dialing suffix is rare.  If you have a phone where you
  must type a "22" in after every number you dial before the call will
  go through, you would make your dialing suffix   ,22


Troubleshooting

  The most common problem is COM port devices improperly configured.
  Usually, an internal modem will be set to use COM2 and an external
  serial port will also be set to use COM2. The symptoms to indicate
  this problem are varied.  If you think this could be your problem,
  you should ask your computer dealer (or friendly computer geek) to
  verify that you do not have "serial port conflicts".  This process
  involves opening your computer and comparing the settings of your
  serial devices.

  Sometimes, if a modem has two phone plugs, the modem is picky about
  which plug is for the phone line that goes to the wall and which one
  goes to the telephone.  If you suspect this could be the problem,
  swap the plugs.

  External Modems

    Check to make sure the serial cable is tightly connected to the
    modem and your computer.

    You MUST use a cable that has at least 9 wires in it (pins 1
    through 8 and pin 20).  While 4 wire cable is great for a lot of
    terminal setups, it doesn't cut it for today's modem user!

    If you are trying to go faster than 9600bps and the serial port
    that your modem uses does not have a 16550A chip, you stand a good
    chance of having problems.  Set your speed to 9600 and see if
    things improve.  If they do, call the Montana Banana BBS at
    [phone] and download IS16550.ZIP - this tiny program will
    tell you what your chip situation is.

  Laptops

    Many laptops have a power conservation method that shuts off
    your modem when not in use.  See the manual that came with your
    laptop to find out how you turn your modem on.

  Older modems

    Newer modems have become predictable and standardized. Some older
    modems will work with modern modem services, just differently.  If
    you suspect that you may be having difficulty with your modem
    because of its age, register BananaCom and give us a call - we
    have experience with a variety of older modems and may be able to
    get you rolling.

  Garbage (unwanted characters) on the screen could be caused by:

    a) a low quality modem.

    b) somebody picking up the phone while you are using the modem.

    c) line noise from the phone company or long distance carrier.

    d) line noise from your house wiring, caused by:  too much "flat
       wire" - the wire the runs from the phone jack to your phone is
       usually flat and acts as a sort of antennae - the more you
       have, the more noise you get;  phone wire that is close to a
       fluorescent light fixture;  phone wire that has a bad/loose
       connection;

    e) there is another phone, answering machine, fax machine
       connected to this phone line that is somehow contributing
       noise.  Try unplugging all unneeded devices at the wall.

    f) call waiting solutions:

       1) Call your phone company and permanently cancel call waiting

       2) Temporarily cancel call waiting by changing your dialing
          prefix to "ATDT*70," (most phone companies support this)


Glossary

  Modem

    A modem is a common, inexpensive device that connects computers
    together through phone lines by converting computer signals to
    sounds (and vice-versa).

  Communications Software

    Usually, your computer ignores your modem. Communications software
    (like BananaCom) directs what you type to go out the modem and
    what comes in from the modem is directed to the screen.

  Terminal

    Years ago computing was done by hooking lots of "dumb terminals"
    to one computer.  A terminal was nothing more than a keyboard and
    a screen (or printer). When micro computers came out, people still
    needed to access the data on the big computers. Programs were then
    written so the micro computers could emulate popular terminals.
    Those terminal emulations have weathered the years and are now
    what a modem service expects to interface with.

  Baud/BPS

    BPS (Bits per second) is a rate of speed that modems can transfer
    information.  To send the character "a" through a modem, takes 10
    bits. So, to send a thousand characters will take 10,000 bits.  A
    1200bps modem will pass 120 characters per second. "Baud" is
    similar to BPS and many people are now in the habit to use the
    term when they really mean "BPS".

  Connect/Carrier

    When your modem and a modem on the other side of the phone line
    agree to communicate, this is the beginning of a "connection" (you
    now have "carrier").  As long as the modems continue to exchange
    information, you still have a connection.  When one or both of the
    modems hang up, you have lost carrier (or, lost your connection).


Technical information:

  BananaCom 1.1 uses

    ANSI/VT100 terminal emulation
    no parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, RTS/CTS flow control
    no echo, full duplex, no CR/LF conversion (except in text uploads)
    destructive backspace and direct screen writes

  if BananaCom can detect a 16550A, it will turn the buffer on.

  IRQ variations:  BananaCom uses IRQ4 for COM3 and IRQ3 for COM4 by
  default.  To change this, create a file with one of these names:
  "COM3IRQ2.TXT", "COM3IRQ5.TXT", "COM4IRQ2.TXT", "COM4IRQ5.TXT".
  It does not matter if there is anything in the file, only the
  presence of the file will be tested for.  You can make this file by
  typing COPY CON FILENAME.TXT at the DOS prompt.  Then press return,
  ctrl-Z and return.

  Flow control

    If BananaCom cannot establish RTS/CTS flow control, it will issue
    a warning and continue on with no flow control.

    There may still be a few services that require XON/XOFF instead of
    RTS/CTS.  Check with your service provider - almost all modem
    services offer an RTS/CTS alternative number or are in the process
    of converting.

    The registered version of BananaCom supports XON/XOFF.

  E71

    There may still be a few services that require E71 instead of N81.
    Check with your service provider - almost all modem services offer
    an N81 alternative number or are in the process of converting.

    The registered version of BananaCom supports E71.

  Electronic addresses:

    The Montana Banana BBS: [phone] (14.4kbps with QWK)
                CompuServe:  72707,207
                  Internet:  [e-mail]

  The Montana Banana BBS has a file BANSI.ZIP which details the ANSI
  codes used in the BananaCom terminal emulation.


Legaleeze

  You may distribute copies of BananaCom 1.1 to friends, computer
  clubs, user groups or modem services so long as

    a) both files (BCOM.EXE and BCOM.DOC) are included without
    modification, and

    b) if BananaCom 1.1 is stored in a compressed file (such as a zip
    file), the name of the file, sans the extension, shall be BCOM11.

  THIS PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS-IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.

  THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR
  IMPLIED, ORAL OR WRITTEN, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
  MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL,
  CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES WHATSOEVER ARISING OUT OF USE OF
  THE PROGRAM OR YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE AUTHOR, INCLUDING WITHOUT
  LIMITATION ANY OR ALL DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, BUSINESS
  INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF INFORMATION OR ANY PECUNIARY LOSS, EVEN IF THE
  AUTHOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Additional Registration Information

  We offer excellent site license rates.

  Computer stores may be interested in downloading BANANA.ZIP from the
  Montana Banana BBS - this is a 3-D animated graphic of a spinning
  Banana that can be shown on demo computers.

  The registered version of BananaCom includes

     o  elimination of annoying exit message
     o  ability to run from any directory
     o  ability to specify download directory
     o  ability to turn off all blinking
     o  ability to turn off ANSI music
     o  unlimited dialing directory
     o  dialing directory macros
     o  E71 support
     o  software flow control support (XON/XOFF)
     o  access to the "BCOM" file area on the Montana Banana BBS
     o  free upgrades get you even more features