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1994-08-15
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PART X - TECHNICAL
Hardware vs Software Handshaking.
"Handshaking" is a technical term that refers to a method used to
regulate the flow of data between two devices - in this case between
the Computer and the TNC.
Handshaking is required to prevent loss of data. For example, it is
quite possible to send data to the TNC faster than the radio network
can take it, even at low baud rates. This is OK for a while because the
TNC has a memory buffer and the data will be held there until it can be
transmitted. However, there is a limit to the amount of data that can
be held in the TNC's memory, and if the computer continues to send,
some data will be lost. So, if the TNC's buffer is filling up it will
ask the computer (via its "Handshaking") to stop sending.
The reverse could apply, where the TNC could be sending data to the
computer faster than the computer can process it. If you think about
it, a baud rate of 9600 means there is only one millisecond between
characters! So, at that rate the computer cannot do much processing,
especially the slower computer systems. If the computer program was
unable to process the data quickly enough, it could use "Handshaking"
to ask the TNC to stop sending in order to allow the computer system
time to catch up.
There are two forms of Handshaking, both supported by paKet:
Hardware Handshaking and Software Handshaking.
Hardware Handshaking:
Hardware Handshaking is preferred, although it will work only if you
have the correct cable installed. A "normal" RS-232 cable will have 9
(or more) pins connected, some of which carry data but most of which
are used for various forms of hardware level communication. With this
method, the two devices (the Computer and the TNC) switch some of these
lines on and off to tell the other whether it is OK to send more data.
Should you wish to prepare a cable to use the Hardware Handshaking, the
following table shows the connections required (connections shown for
both a 9 pin and a 25 pin connector):
DE-9 DB-25 Signal Description
1 8 DCD Carrier Detect Needed to enable the CONNECT check
2 3 RXD Receive Data Essential!
3 2 TXD Transmit Data Essential!
4 20 DTR Terminal Ready Optional
5 7 GND Signal Ground Essential!
6 6 DSR Data Set Ready Optional
7 4 RTS Ready to Send Needed for Hardware Handshake
8 5 CTS Clear to Send Needed for Hardware Handshake
9 22 RI Ring Indicator Unnecessary for paKet
So, a cable can be constructed using a length of six-conductor flexible
cable (low-capacitance shielded is desirable but not essential) such as
Page 317
telephone flex with a plug on the modem end and socket on the computer
end, wired pin-for-pin according to the above table (it may also adapt
from DB-25 to DE-9 connector in the process).
If, say, the TNC wants to ask the Computer to stop sending, it will
switch off the CTS signal. The Computer (in this case, paKet) will
stop sending data while the CTS signal is low (or off). When the TNC is
able to accept data once again, it will switch on the CTS line and
paKet will resume sending from where it left off. When this happens you
might notice the CTS "light" in the Status Window come on and off as
the two machines talk to each other.
Check your TNC Manual for any special connection requirements. Most
TNCs do not use the DTR, DSR or RI functions.
Software Handshaking:
Some so-called RS-232 cables have only 3 pins connected: one line for
Receive Data, one for Transmit Data and a Signal Ground. With these
cables, Hardware Handshaking is not possible and you must specify
Software Handshaking.
With this method, the two systems (the Computer and the TNC) must do
their handshaking via special data codes, conventionally known as
<XOFF> and <XON>.
If, say, the TNC wants to ask the Computer to stop sending, it will
send the <XOFF> code to the Computer. When it is able to accept data
once again, it will send an <XON> character. When this happens you
might notice in the Status Window, the words "Software Handshaking"
will be replaced by "XOFF" temporarily, indicating we are waiting for
the TNC to clear its buffers before it can accept some more data.
On a three-wire only cable, RTS and CTS should be connected together on
the TNC plug else the TNC may not talk to you AT ALL!
Setting the chosen Handshaking method in the TNC - XFLOW:
It is important to note that configuring paKet to either Hardware or
Software Handshaking will set up the COMPUTER to use that method, but
the TNC needs to be told too! It may not work unless both devices are
set to use the same method.
The TNC's handshaking is set with its XFLOW command:
for Hardware Handshaking, set XFLOW OFF
for Software Handshaking, set XFLOW ON.
If you encounter problems with File Transfers, my experience is that
the problem is often related to the incorrect setting of XFLOW in the
TNC. With paKet's online configuration facility, it is easy to change
from HW to SW mode and vice versa. To do this without changing XFLOW in
the TNC is to invite problems.
Page 318
In closing this section, it should be pointed out (in case it is not
already obvious) that if you do happen to have a full cable, you may
choose to use either Hardware or Software Handshaking. If you choose
Software Handshaking, the system will not use the additional
connections. The reverse is not the case, of course. If you do not have
a full cable, you don't have a choice!
Page 319
PREFERRED TNC SETTINGS
This list of TNC settings is not a complete set of commands for your
TNC. It is intended to be a guide to some of the preferred settings for
use with paKet.
There are some differences in some TNC commands - a command may be
available in one TNC and not another. Or, it may be known in other TNCs
by a different name. So, if your TNC does not have a command listed
below, just skip that one.
You will see in your TNC manual there are many more commands than I
have included here. Those mentioned here are either critical for
correct operations with paKet, or perhaps are those whose default
settings should be changed.
8BITCONV ON
We do NOT want the top bit stripped from our data. You will see below
we have AWLEN set to 8 so we are using all 8 data bits. This is
especially useful if some graphics characters are being sent. It does
not affect Binary transfers.
AWLEN 8
Use 8 data bits so we can send all characters including graphic
characters. You should also set PARITY to "None".
paKet must be configured to the same value - refer to the Configuration
Windows - Serial Port for details.
CHCALL OFF
This must be OFF so we do not get the callsign of the other station
coming through with a change of stream character. (paKet remembers the
callsigns associated with the different streams).
This, in some TNCs, is the same as the STREAMCA in others.
CHDOUBLE ON
This is optional but STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to be ON.
If ON, you must set the corresponding option ON in paKet's
Configuration Windows - Multi User options.
This, in some TNCs, is the same as the STREAMDBL in others. If your TNC
has neither CHDOUBLE nor STREAMDBL you must set paKet's Configuration
option OFF.
CHSWITCH $7C (|)
This parameter is the same as STREAMSW in other TNCs.
Page 320
Have a look at my comments on the STREAMSW command below, but your case
substitute any mention of STREAMSW with your equivalent which is
CHSWITCH.
CMDTIME 1 second
Please leave this set to the default of 1 second.
CMSG ON
This should be ON so your TNC will send your CTEXT string to the other
station when a connection is established. See the CTEXT command below
for further discussion.
COMMAND $03 (Ctrl-C)
This must be left set to its <Ctrl-C> default setting.
CONMODE CONVERSE
The only time paKet must use Transparent Mode is for Binary File
transfers, and paKet will switch automatically. So leave this set to
CONVERSE, otherwise Stream switching will not work correctly.
CTEXT [paKet-6.1-HM$]
The TNC's CTEXT command defines the text string that will be sent to
the other station when a new connection is established (provided CMSG
is ON).
For paKet's Mail Forwarding to work correctly we should ensure the
first thing we send to our BBS when it connects should be our SID, the
special System IDentifier which is discussed more fully in the PMS
section of this Manual. The way to do this is to ensure that is
included in our CTEXT message.
You can include any other message after the SID if you want, with the
use of the <PASS> character. This technique is discussed in the PMS
section of the Manual.
DCDCONN ON
If you are using Hardware Handshaking, set this ON.
paKet will work either way, but the Status Display can then indicate
with its DCD "light" whether or not you are currently "Connected".
If set to ON, it may also be used by the paKet program to confirm the
"Connected" status of the TNC
paKet's Configuration Windows - Serial Port must also be configured to
the same setting chosen for the TNC. But if your TNC does not switch
the DCD line, set paKet's option OFF.
Page 321
PREFERRED TNC SETTINGS (cont)
ECHO OFF
paKet does its own echoing, so this should be OFF.
FLOW OFF
paKet has its own Flow Control, so this should be OFF.
INTFACE BBS
Kantronics TNCs have this command. Setting INTFACE to BBS will ensure
we don't get unwanted messages interfering with our processing.
MCON OFF or 0
You may choose to have this option ON sometimes, however it will
interfere with REMOTE Mode and with Binary File transfers if ON - the
system cannot distinguish the Monitored data from the Binary data!
paKet will turn it off before a Binary File transfer anyway.
The preferred setting is OFF.
MDIGI OFF
Preferred setting is OFF for the same reason as for MCON.
MYCALL (your_callsign)
This hardly needs mentioning here because this is something that should
be set whether you are using paKet or something else. But I mention
it, not only as a reminder to those with a new TNC, but also to remind
you to set your name and callsign in paKet's Miscellaneous options
Configuration Window.
NEWMODE ON
This could be either way and is a matter of personal preference.
Most users seem to leave this at its default setting which is usually
ON. That means when someone disconnects, the TNC will revert to
Command Mode. That is fine where you usually talk to only one other
station at a time.
You may like to have NEWMODE OFF if you often work multiple connections
because then when someone disconnects, the TNC will stay in Converse
Mode.
Whichever way you set this option, you should set paKet's option the
same way. This option is in the Multi User Configuration Window. Have
a look at that section for more discussion on the NEWMODE command.
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NOMODE OFF
Preferred setting is OFF so the TNC will switch to Converse Mode when
you establish a connection.
PARITY 0 (none)
This is related to the Word Length (see AWLEN above) and should be set
to "No Parity".
paKet must be configured to the same value - refer to the Configuration
Windows - Serial Port for details.
PASS $16 (Ctrl-V)
SENDPAC $0D (Ctrl-M)
START $11 (Ctrl-Q)
STOP $13 (Ctrl-S)
Please leave all these set to their default values.
STREAMCA OFF
This must be OFF so we do not get the callsign of the other station
coming through with a change of stream character. (paKet remembers the
callsigns associated with the different streams).
This, in some TNCs, is the same as the CHCALL in others.
STREAMEV ON/OFF
paKet does not really need the stream id with every packet. This is
required only upon change of stream. However in some TNCs, especially
those which do not support STREAMDBL, you might find it beneficial to
have this option ON in your TNC. So if you are experiencing Stream
Switching problems, set this ON and see if it makes any difference.
You can have it ON all the time - the result will be some additional
traffic between the computer and the TNC but is unlikely you will
notice the difference.
There is no corresponding paKet configuration item for this.
STREAMDBL ON
This is optional but STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to be ON.
If ON, you must set the corresponding option ON in paKet's
Configuration Windows - Multi User options.
This, in some TNCs, is the same as the CHDOUBLE in others. If your TNC
has neither STREAMDBL nor CHDOUBLE you must set paKet's Configuration
option OFF.
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STREAMSW $7C (|)
Note, some TNCs (eg: AEA brand) use the CHSWITCH command to do the same
thing as STREAMSW. So if your TNC is one of those just read "CHSWITCH"
whenever I mention "STREAMSW" here.
You may set this character to any value you wish, although most users
seem to retain the default which is the vertical bar character ("|").
It should not be set to one of the valid Stream Id characters, so do
not set STREAMSW to one of the letters A to J.
paKet must be configured to the same character (whatever character you
choose) and this is recorded in paKet's Configuration Windows -
Communications Windows settings. Usually you would specify the same
STREAMSW character in each Communications Window. And of course the
same value in your TNC.
If your TNC supports dual ports you will have two of these STREAMSW
characters - one for each port. In that case you can choose which of
paKet's Windows you want to use for which port.
Suppose your two STREAMSW characters were set in your TNC to "|" for
the VHF port and "~" for the HF port. Then you could specify (say)
"|" in Comms Windows 1 and 2, and specify "~" in Comms Window 3. This
would mean that when you wanted to switch to the HF port, you could
simply press <Shift-F3> to select Comms Window 3! Anything coming in
on the VHF port for Stream A would go into the first Window; anything on
Stream B to the second Window; and anything received on HF would go
into Window 3.
Of course you can choose any combination of Windows, Streams and
STREAMSW characters you wish. I am just using these window numbers etc
as an illustration.
The important point here is that the STREAMSW character(s) your TNC
recognises MUST be the same as the character(s) you use in the
Communications Windows Configuration.
TRFLOW OFF
TXFLOW OFF
These commands are used for Software Handshaking in Transparent Mode.
You should set them both OFF. paKet will switch them on and off if
required.
USERS n
Although not essential, it is considered desirable to set this
parameter to the same number of users as you have Communications
Windows. Then you know you can have a separate window for each of the
possible connections.
If your TNC allocates a separate callsign to its PMS I suggest the USER
parameter be set to the number of Communications Windows plus one.
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XFLOW ON/OFF
This parameter is important and must be set to reflect the chosen
method of Handshaking that you have specified in paKet's Serial Port
configuration:
For Hardware Handshaking, you must have XFLOW OFF.
For Software Handshaking, you must have XFLOW ON.
Refer to the discussion of Hardware vs Software Handshaking for more
details.
XOFF $13 (Ctrl-S)
XON $11 (Ctrl-Q)
Please leave both these set to their default values.
Page 325
Kantronics TNCs
My comments in this section are directed at the KAM specifically but I
understand other models in Kantronics range operate in a similar manner
so in many cases these comments would most likely apply to the other
models as well.
Several KAM users have written to me about problems, mainly in the area
of Binary File transfers, with the previous versions of paKet.
paKet was written to suit the standard TAPR TNC (and compatibles) which
was the first of the popular TNCs used in Amateur Radio. They created a
Standard on which all modern TNCs are based. paKet is being used on
many thousands of systems around the world with a wide range on TNCs, so
it seems the approach taken has been successful in most cases.
However, because of the differences that exist in Kantronics TNCs,
users of those TNCs should be aware of some potential operational
problems.
In this version of paKet I have made some internal changes in the paKet
processing to better handle these TNCs. I have had limited access to a
KAM for testing and have tried to accommodate the differences in that
TNC. For example I have provided for dual ports and have improved the
code for the handling of multiple streams. The big problem I have had
with this TNC is the lack of support for the standard STREAMDBL
command. Without that facility in the TNC I am unable to guarantee
reliable Binary Transfers. However, it seems to work well both sending
and receiving Binary Files when using a KAM.
All I can say to users of the KAM and other Kantronics TNCs, is to give
it a try. If a Binary Transfer fails it is probably due to some rare
combination of cimcumstances in that file, but in most cases it does
seem to work OK.
Perhaps the other thing you could do is mention this to Kantronics and
see if they have a fix for it yet. The Kantronics TNCs I have seen are
first class units, apart from this one anomaly. If it were not for the
omission of STREAMDBL, I am sure these TNCs would be considered among
the best in the world.
If you are experiencing some unusual and unwanted stream switching, you
might switch on the STREAMEV option in the TNC. That will generate a
small amount of overhead, probably not enough to notice, but it might
offer some relief, helping to keep things coming into the right window.
Of course there are a considerable number of enhancements in the KAM,
supporting all those other modes such as RTTY, AMTOR, etc. I am not
referring to those changes, but rather to the standard Packet Mode and
the standard commands used by TAPR-compatible TNCs.
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The following differences have been noted in testing:
1. STREAMDBL command
Because the Kantronics range of TNCs do not support the STREAMDBL
command, you will have to set paKet's STREAMDBL option OFF.
STREAMDBL is a standard TNC facility to help avoid confusion where
the STREAMSW character is received over the air as part of a data
packet.
For example, the vertical bar character ("|") that is usually used as
the STREAMSW character is also often used as a pseudo graphic
character to draw vertical lines or for drawing boxes. When paKet
receives this character from the TNC it must decide whether the TNC
is indicating a change of stream or whether this is just another data
character received over the radio.
TNCs which support STREAMDBL can generate TWO of these vertical bar
characters whenever one is received over the air - then paKet can
tell the difference and there is no confusion.
Without the STREAMDBL feature, you could experience some occasional
(unexpected) changing of streams if you are monitoring the frequency
and happen to receive a STREAMSW character (say a 'vertical bar')
followed by some other character (say 'C'). paKet has no way of
knowing whether the TNC is requesting a change of stream (to stream C
in this example) or if those characters were received over the radio
because the KAM sends the SAME data to the computer in either case!
In order to support multi stream operations, paKet has no choice but
to process it as a change of stream!
With a view to improving reliability in Binary Transfers, I have
chosen to assume a STREAMSW character received during a Binary File
Transfer is actually a data character and not a change of Stream. In
the testing I have done with the KAM, this has improved the success
rate significantly. So you should ensure we don't get a genuine
change of stream (including dual port operation) while performing
Binary File Transfers otherwise my assumption could be wrong!
Another anomaly with the KAM is where responses to various commands
were going into a different Communications Window! It seems in
Command Mode, the KAM might not respond to a command on the same
stream the command was issued. The symptoms are paKet and the KAM do
not agree on what is the current Stream!
I cannot change the KAM so I cannot prevent these problems from
occurring. However I have added the <Alt-I> command, to help tidy up
your display if you do happen to experience these problems on your
system. The <Alt-I> command will initialise the Communications
Windows, clear any backlog in the other Windows, and reset both the
program and the TNC back to the first Stream in the first
Communications Window. Refer to the <Alt-I> command in the Keyboard
Commands section of this Manual for details.
Page 327
2. RESET used for soft start
When making changes to the TNC's Communications settings, the usual
procedure is to issue the TNC commands to make the desired changes
then, after making the changes to the computer's serial port the TNC
is initialised to make the new settings effective.
On most TNCs the command to re initialise is RESTART, but on the
Kantronics units the command is RESET. This is not a problem for
paKet because I have added a configurable option in the Serial Port
options to allow you to specify either RESTART or RESET. So if you
are a Kantronics user, just specify RESET for that option and paKet
will issue that command whenever you make any changes to the Serial
Port parameters.
There is a KAM.HLP file supplied with this version of paKet. If
you are using a KAM or any of the Kantronics TNCs, you can select this
Help File by specifying this file in your Directories and Files
Configuration Window. Press <F10> to call up the Help details.
Page 328
PacComm PacTOR Controller (PTC)
This is a strange machine, quite unlike the other units from the
PacComm stable that I have seen. It is rather obvious this was
developed by a team that was not talking to those who developed other
units. And I suspect these people have not used a TAPR TNC either -
such is the difference in the style of operation.
But it does work well and I just LOVE all those pretty LEDs on the
front panel! It handles PACTOR, AMTOR and RTTY Modes which are
intended primarily for HF operation. I understand there will be an
optional Packet board available for VHF operation.
The commands to drive this unit are unlike any other so you will find
paKet's Keyboard Macros handy for the various codes this unit requires.
For example I think it would be convenient to have a macro for the
AMTOR changeover "+?". If you use F11 or F12 for this it is all done
with a single keystroke. That makes your operations more convenient if
you use this combination frequently.
Same goes for switching from say, PACTOR to RTTY modes, etc. There are
several keystrokes involved in switching from one mode to another
especially if you want to enter Listen Mode when you switch. Depending
on your own operations, you could set up Keyboard Macros for just those
things you use regularly.
Set paKet's Serial Port Configuration:
- the TNC cmd: exit code should be set to <Esc> because this is the
code required to begin a command! When you need to enter a
command, press <Alt-B> which is paKet's standard method to return
a standard TNC to command mode.
NOTE- in AMTOR Mode, the Controller remains in Command Mode for
one line only! So for multiple commands you must press <Alt-B>
before EVERY command.
- the Command to Initialise TNC is RESET. Yep, in this case the
RESTART is the dangerous one that clears EVERYTHING from the
PacComm Controller! So you should set this to RESET and ignore
the warnings paKet gives you when you do so.
- The PacTOR Controller's firmware supports only Software
Handshaking so set paKet's Handshaking option in the Serial Port
Configuration to S to ensure paKet too uses Software Handshaking.
The PacTOR Controller supports the PASS character but in a slightly
different way. It is called the Ctrlchr and when you want to send a
control code (eg: <Ctrl-Y>) you would type <Ctrl-V> and Y. On other
TNCs you would type <Ctrl-V> <Ctrl-Y>. So for the PTC, you should
ensure you have nothing specified in the "Control codes to PASS"
configuration window. (It would have been so much easier if they had
conformed to the standards, but...)
The PTC's date format is different too! So you will have to disable
the automatic DA command in the Miscellaneous Configuration options.
Page 329
DSP-12
The DSP-12 has proved popular with the Satellite users because of the
sheer flexibility of this unit. There are other brands of DSP
Controllers available but to date I have had no experience with them so
cannot comment on those.
There are a couple of local DSP users including Carl, VK2JJM. I asked
Carl for any thoughts on the subject and he produced this little gem.
Thanks Carl. I did modify it a little but the wisdom contained herein
is essentially Carl's.
Operational Hints for using the DSP-12 with paKet.
(Written by Carl, VK2JJM)
(Slightly edited by Tony, VK2DHU)
The DSP-12 will work successfully with paKet if configured correctly.
The DSP-12 has several extra features not available in a standard TAPR
TNC, but it also lacks some standard TAPR commands. The following
list will help setup the DSP-12 and paKet for basic operation.
These notes refer to the current release of the DSP-12 firmware at the
time this was written, in early 1994.
1) The DSP-12 does NOT support multiple stream connections in VHF
packet. You should to set the maximum number of Comms Windows in
paKet to 1, and also set the STREAMDBL option OFF in the Multiple
Users Option menu because, with only a single Stream, this is
irrelevant.
2) The DSP-12 does not appear to support hardware handshaking so, for
reliable handshaking, you should set paKet's Handshaking to SW in
the Serial Port Configuration.
However it seems the DSP-12 does switch the DCD line upon
connection to another station. If you want to use paKet's DCD
option to verify a connection, you will need to configure paKet for
Hardware Handshaking!
With the large buffer space available in this unit, some users have
found handshaking somewhat unnecessary anyway and prefer to have
the system set to Hardware Handshaking and have configured paKet's
DCD option on.
3) The DSP-12 has a nasty habit of exiting the <VHF PKT> mode and
returning to the Main Menu if the PTT 3 minute timer is enabled in
the Debugging menu. This timer is only used for full-duplex
Satellite Modes, so disable it. This setting is NOT stored in
bbRAM, so you will need to set it each time you enter the <VHF PKT>
mode.
Page 330
4) The DSP-12 has about 500k RAM free when operation from ROM, and
about 300k RAM when operating from RAM. Most of this memory is
allocated to buffers so when sending a Binary File, paKet can often
send the entire file to the DSP-12 buffer, and then waits for the
other station to acknowledge the End-of-File. It can take quite a
while for the other station to acknowledge the EOF depending on how
much data is still in the DSP-12 buffer. If the standard 2 minute
timeout expires, paKet will ask you how much longer you want to
wait. Give it say 10 minutes, longer if you wish, and paKet will be
happy to wait for that period before asking you again. It
remembers that time so from now on it will always wait 10 minutes
(or whatever) before reminding you again.
5) When in the mailbox mode the DSP-12 will still send the connect
message defined in CText straight after the Mailbox user menu.
This gets a bit confusing to anyone connecting to the DSP-12
Mailbox.
The Mailbox in the DSP-12, as in most other TNCs, does not have the
same rich features found in paKet's PMS, so use the PMS whenever
paKet is running!
Set "MAILBOX OFF" and "CMS ON" in paKet's Begin Auto commands.
Do the reverse ("CMS OFF" and "MAILBOX ON") in paKet's End Auto
commands.
6) Some of the DSP-12 default values need changing for ideal VHF
packet operation. The most obvious are DWait and FRack. Set these
to 16 and 3 respectively.
Page 331
Running paKet under Microsoft Windows
Although paKet uses a number of windows for its operations and various
displays, these windows are paKet's own. They are NOT "Windows" in the
now popular sense - meaning part of the popular Microsoft Windows
product.
paKet is a DOS, text-based program and will run on any IBM compatible
hardware including the original PC with its 8088 processor, although
you will need more than its original complement of 64KB RAM! It takes
me back a bit, but I remember the first PC I saw had a whopping 128KB
RAM and one single sided 160KB diskette drive! And that lovely
monochrome display. No hard disk of course - you wouldn't need THAT on
a PC! Oh, and it had a cassette tape interface. (Sigh....memories...)
Uh, where was I?
With a modern system running Microsoft Windows Enhanced Mode, you can
run multiple DOS tasks. Several people have reported paKet runs quite
happily in the background as a DOS task. I too have tried it and found
it ran perfectly well for a while, but lately it seems to miss a few
characters from time to time. I suspect it has something to do with
the latest Microsoft Mouse driver (version 9) which I installed
recently, but I have not yet identified the cause for sure. It seems
fine while I am not using the mouse!
If that happens to you try reducing the baud rate between the computer
and the TNC. That gives the system a little more time to process the
incoming data characters.
When running under Windows (by the way, when I type "Windows" with a
capital W here, I am referring to the Microsoft Windows product, OK?),
paKet is using its own Communications Interrupt drivers and not using
the COMM drivers that are part of the Windows system. So there might
be some sort of conflict there. Anyway, I find it works pretty well
most of the time and the convenience of multi tasking is worth any
slight problems. It seems to run a little better under OS/2 than under
Windows and I will talk some more about that later. It means I can have
paKet running all the time, including those times when I want to use
the system to do other things.
The current version of Windows as I write is version 3.1 (or 3.11). By
the time you read this there might be the new version 4 (Chicago?) or
even later versions available and things could be quite different?
To run paKet as a Windows task, you should use a PIF file. I have
included a PAKET.PIF file with the original paKet distribution files,
so have a look at that. Note the Background Execution option is
enabled and I think you will find it works better if the EMS and
Application Memory is locked (if you have enough RAM to do that). Those
options are in the PIF file and you can see them with the PIF Editor
you got with your Windows system. Have a play with the settings and I
am sure you will find it will work fine for you.
I have also included a hastily prepared Icon. Maybe someone will send
me a better one?
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Try setting a Shortcut key combination - it makes it so easy to jump
directly into the paKet window, no matter how many other things you
have cluttering up the system. I used <Ctrl-Alt-P> and that is
set in the File Properties dialog box. Highlight the paKet icon and
select File then Properties from the Program Manager Menu.
I often have paKet running in a Windows window rather than in Full
Screen Mode. That allows me to have a small part of paKet on display
in case I want to watch what is going on while I am working on
something else. You can drag the corners to enlarge it to full size
and still find it occupies less than the full display. Click on the
little box at the top left of the window and you will see the Fonts
option. Experiment with those and you will find (if your screen is big
enough and good enough) you can have a full, and readable, 80 x 25 text
display in a small font so it occupies just a small part of the Windows
display. There are so many options for presenting the display I will
leave you to experiment and find a combination that you are happy with.
You should also experiment with the Time Slicing options too - I have
set it to 100 Foreground and 60 backgound, but other settings seem to
work well too. This is fine tuning and the optimum settings may be
different on different systems.
If you switch paKet to a Full Screen (press <Alt-Enter> - note that must
be the LEFT Alt key) you will find paKet will run faster because the
display system can now run in true text mode instead of the pseudo
text/graphic mode that Windows must use to manage the display with the
the smaller fonts.
I prefer Full Screen mode when I am actually USING paKet on air. It
runs most of the time as a Windows window and when I want to do
something, I switch into that paKet window with <Ctrl-Alt-P> then press
<Alt-Enter> to go Full Screen.
By the way, I think you will find the Morse Alerts a boon while paKet is
running in the background - then any particular alert strings you are
looking for will still make their unique sounds even if paKet is not
showing at all.
A Windows version of paKet?
In anticipation of the inevitable enquiries, let me say I am aware of the
proliferation of Windows systems "out there". Windows demands lots of
RAM and CPU power, but it seems there are a lot of people using Windows
now. Whether it is because Windows is so much better or whether it is
just good marketing by Microsoft, is not for me to say. I know some
people won't touch Windows at all, while others won't use anything else!
Let's just say I will have a look at making a Windows version available
at some later date. But I must emphasise LATER. It may be paKet will
go to a multi threaded system such as OS/2 before it moves to Windows.
I am not too sure yet. For now it is a DOS program that will run fine
as a task under Windows or OS/2. I have not done it, but I understand
it is also quite happy running as a task under DESQview.
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Running paKet under OS/2
At the time of writing this Manual (early 1994) OS/2 is still running
well behind Windows in terms of market share, but it seems to be
gaining acceptance, mainly from the power users who want the multi
tasking, multi threading facilities, 32-bit operating system, etc etc
but not necessarily the nice Graphic Interface offered with Windows
(including NT) with all the overheads associated with that type of
system.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons for Microsoft's success in the
market - their products are very well presented. If IBM devoted some
more attention to installation procedures and support for a wider range
of standard, popular devices I am sure they will win even more converts
to this system. (Neither my Panasonic CD-ROM drive nor my Canon Bubble
Jet printer are supported in the distributed copy of OS/2 version 2.1,
and these devices are high volume sellers - they are in this part of
the world anyway).
Of course OS/2 offers a Graphic Interface with its Workplace Shell, but
from what I have seen it does seem to perform better than Windows IF it
is tuned properly! It offers far more tuning options and flexibility
than Windows, especially for the individual DOS Sessions, and it seems
to be a more rugged and reliable multi tasking system.
Unlike Windows NT with its exorbitant demands for memory and disk space,
OS/2 seems to require not much more than a standard DOS plus Windows
combination. Maybe NT offers a lot more so I should not be making the
comparison? I did install it for a client but have not used it myself.
There is a large number of paKet 5 users running OS/2 and they all
praise the wonders of that system. OS/2, not paKet! Well, both.
I too have been experimenting with OS/2 and have found that tuning some
DOS Settings can make paKet fit in to the OS/2 environment much more
effectively.
When running paKet in a DOS Session using all the standard defaults, the
Pulse Utility program indicated paKet was going flat out, using all
available CPU time, even when there was "nothing happening". I can
understand that because paKet is written as a DOS program and in that
single tasking environment it must run around that loop waiting for
something to happen, looking something to process, updating the Status
display, etc. Of course it is running flat out - it was designed that
way!
But changing a few of the DOS Settings for that session made a big
difference to the system performance. I changed IDLE SECONDS to 0 and
IDLE SENSITIVITY to 25. With these settings OS/2 was able to determine
that paKet was in an idle Keyboard loop, even though paKet IS going
flat out around that loop waiting for something to happen. The Pulse
indicator was now indicating an almost idle system (I had nothing else
running at the time to help avoid confusion in the Pulse readings).
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It still handles the interrupts OK so there are no lost input
characters. And the keyboard responds OK too. But the clock display
in the Status Window was updating once every 2 seconds while there was
no packet activity. That suggests to me that OS/2 is managing its
resources very effectively - giving paKet all the time it needs when
there is some real work to do, and minimising the resources consumed by
paKet when there was very little to do.
So now paKet can run in its own DOS session, and while it has nothing
to process there is negligible overhead, giving the lion's share of the
system to other tasks! As soon as something is received from the TNC
or upon any keystrokes, paKet is given its share of the system to
process its data promptly.
I suspect other systems might behave differently with these DOS
settings and some experimenting might be justified for different
processor speeds etc. It is easy to experiment here - just leave Pulse
running as you change the DOS Settings for paKet's DOS session. You
will see right before your eyes the effect of the different settings.
You should review all the DOS Settings and tune the system to your
liking. Some others to look at are DOS_BACKGROUND_EXECUTION ON and
COM_HOLD ON.
My experience with this system is limited so it would be good if those
of you with more OS/2 experience could post some Bulletins to inform
other paKet users of the settings, configuration, tuning tips etc to
help others get the most from this powerful system.
With any multi tasking system, it might be a good technique to run with
a lower baud rate between the computer and the TNC. Unless you are
running a 9600 baud radio link, there is little real need to run a high
terminal baud rate. I think it helps the system to share resources and
you are less likely to experience problems if a lower baud rate is used.
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The PAKET.CFG file
paKet is VERY configurable as you will have noticed when looking at all
the options in the Configuration Windows. All these settings are
stored in the PAKET.CFG file but you really do not need to know how
they are stored nor what it all means. It would be only in very rare
circumstances, and then only if you are an experienced operator, that
you would bother to even look at this file. It is normally managed and
updated by paKet's Online Configuration and I recommend you leave the
program to maintain this file.
However, in the interests of complete documentation I am including a
list of all items in this file. I have added some comments where
necessary, but for most items I have simply identified which
Configuration Window they refer to so you can get full details by
referring to the Configuration Windows section of this Manual.
There are two main sections to the file:
- the keyword section which contains most items;
- the strings section which contains the optional strings, including
Keyboard Macros, Begin Auto commands, End Auto commands, and
Alerts.
The PAKET.CFG file - Keyword section
You will see there is a keyword for each item in this part of the
file. It was not my intention that this file be viewed by paKet users,
so some of the keyword names might not seem all that meaningful. But
most keywords will give some clue as to the configuration item it
relates to.
In any case they are shown here in the same sequence they appear in the
Online Configuration Windows so you can more easily identify which is
which. The first item, VERS, must be the first line in the config file,
but the sequence of all other keyword items is not important. It is
likely they will appear in a different sequence in your config file.
In your file, you should see the same keywords but in many cases the
values to the right of the '=' will be different:
VERS=paKet 6.1 This must be the first line in the file.
These items are from Option 1, the Serial
Port configuration
PORT=2
BAUD=1200
PARITY=N
AWLEN=8
STOPS=1
HSHAKE=HW
DCDCON=Y
BREAKCODE=B
RESTART=RESTART
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These are from Option 2,the Multi User
options
MAXWINDOWS=3
DOUBLE=ON
NEWMODE=ON
STTYPE=A
These are from the Option 3, Communications
Window configuration. In that Window there
are 10 columns, one for each of paket's
Communications Windows.
Each of the following items has 10 values
separated by a comma, with each value
corresponding to the 10 columns in the
Configuration Window.
STREAMID=A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J
STREAMSW=|,|,|,|,|,|,|,|,|,|
INBUF=1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
FBBUF=64,48,16,2,2,2,2,2,2,2
WWSTART=48,48,48,48,48,48,48,48,48,48
WWEND=79,79,79,80,80,80,80,80,80,80
BELLS=575,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1
PHONE=Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y
PROCESS=Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y
STATUS=Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y
TA=Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y
TALINES=2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2
The following items are not shown in any
Configuration Window but are stored in the
config file so paKet can maintain separate
settings for Single Line, Justified and
Word Wrap modes. These are set with the
<F4> key.
SINGLE=Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y
JUSTIFY=N,Y,N,N,N,N,N,N,N,N
WW=Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y,Y
These are from Option 4, Colours which are
recorded for each of 10 different windows.
These are listed in the same sequence as
shown in the Colours Configuration.
COLMSG=WHITE,GREEN,LIGHTGREEN,BLACK,WHITE,GREEN
COLCOMMS=BLACK,CYAN,WHITE,CYAN,WHITE,BLUE
COLSTATUS=WHITE,BLACK,YELLOW,BLACK,LIGHTGREEN,BLACK
COLBIN=DARKGRAY,BROWN,WHITE,BROWN,WHITE,BROWN
COLHELP=WHITE,BROWN,WHITE,BLACK,WHITE,BROWN
COLTNCHELP=BLACK,LIGHTGRAY,YELLOW,BLACK,LIGHTCYAN,BLUE
COLTA=LIGHTGRAY,BLACK,WHITE,BLACK,WHITE,BLUE
COLCFG=BLACK,LIGHTGRAY,WHITE,LIGHTGRAY,WHITE,RED
COLDIR=BLACK,LIGHTGRAY,YELLOW,BLACK,WHITE,BROWN
COLMAN=BLACK,LIGHTGRAY,LIGHTCYAN,BLACK,LIGHTCYAN,BLUE
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In Option 5 of the Online Configuration we
have the Keyboard Macros, Auto Commands and
Alerts. But those items are recorded
separately at the end of this config file.
We'll come to those shortly. The other
items in Option 5 are:
PASSCODES=GHITXZ
KISSOFF=192 255 192
These are from Option 6, REMOTE / PMS
options.
REMOTE=Y
AUTOMENU=Y
REMUP=Y
REMDOWN=Y
TRIGGER=29
BBSCALL=VK2ATM-1
THIRDPARTY=Y
DELFWD=N
CALLHOURLY=M
CALLMINS=06
CALLDAILY=A
CALLTIME=23:54
BBSSCRIPT=N
BBSPATH=VK2ATM-1
These are from Option 7 the File Transfer
options
NDW=16
BDW=48
NPACL=240
BPACL=252
PP=Y
ADDCTRLZ=N
These are from Option 8, Directories and
Files.
DEFAULTDIR=C:\PAKET\
TEXTDDIR=C:\PAKET\TEXT\UPLOAD\
TEXTUDIR=C:\PAKET\TEXT\
BINDDIR=C:\PAKET\BIN\UPLOAD\
BINUDIR=C:\PAKET\BIN\
LOGDIR=C:\PAKET\LOG\
PMSDIR=C:\PAKET\LOG\
SCRIPTDIR=C:\PAKET\TEXT\SCRIPTS\
MANUALFILE=C:\PAKET\PAKET.DOC
TNCFILE=C:\PAKET\PK-232.HLP
EDITOR=D:\EDWIN.COM
BUDDYS=C:\PAKET\PAKET.DIR
TYPECMD=C:\UTILITY\LIST
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The following items are not actually in the
Online Configuration at all! These are
recorded here in the config file so paKet can
start up next time, remembering some file
details you used last time. So, for example,
when you press <F5> to send a file paKet
remembers which file you used last time.
Then it can bring up the Directory Window
with the same file already highlighted.
DIRPATH=C:\PAKET\PAKET.CFG
EDITFILE=C:\PAKET\LOG\VK4WAC.072
SCRIPTFILE=C:\PAKET\TEXT\SCRIPTS\GETMAIL.SCP
F5DEFAULT=C:\PAKET\LOG\VK2JJM.267
F7DEFAULT=C:\PAKET\BIN\SCAN.LZH DUMPFILE=E:DMP
These are from the Option 9, the
Miscellaneous options.
MYCALL=VK2DHU
MYNAME=Tony
MSGLEVEL=A
MSGDELAY=3
CFGHELP=Y
CGASNOW=0
AUTOLOG=Y
LOGHDRS=Y
BLANKDELAY=60
ARROWS=F
DAYTIME=Y
These items do not appear in the online
configuration and some might not even
appear in your config file at all!
ALARMS=Y You may toggle Alerts with the <Alt-A> key.
CWALARMS=Y These two items reflect the current
settings for the Alerts option.
DCDDELAY=30 May be used to increase delay for those
TNCs which are slow to switch the DCD
signal when a connection occurs. Time is
in hundredths of a second so a value of 30
is 3 seconds.
DISPMEM=Y Displays free memory. Used for debugging.
(<Ctrl-Alt-M> toggles this display)
PMSMSG=1269 This is the next message number to be used
by the PMS.
PMSSUFFIX=A When generating a BID for the Forwarding
system, paKet uses the message number and
your callsign to construct the BID. This
is designed to ensure it uses a unique BID
for every message. Eg: $14_VK2DHU.
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But if you reset your PMS files and start
using the same message numbers again, you
might find the BBS rejecting some mail
because it finds this BID already exists!
You can add this line to the config file so
paKet will add a suffix to the BID to
ensure the new series of BIDs are still
unique despite using the same message
numbers! Eg: $14A_VK2DHU
QUIET=N Quiet Mode is toggled with <Alt-Q>
WPM=20 This is the Morse Code speed for the
Alerts. This is adjusted with <Alt-J>.
YAPPWAIT=5 The default timeout period according to the
standard YAPP File Transfer Protocol is 2
minutes, but if you have a TNC with a BIG
buffer paKet might timeout after the 2
minutes, before that big buffer can be
emptied. You can tell paKet to wait for
some other timeout period, presumably a
longer time. That period is stored here in
this variable so next time you won't be
interrupted every 2 minutes! If this has a
value of 5, paKet will wait for 5 minutes
before reminding you it is still waiting.
The PAKET.CFG file - Strings section
In this section at the end of the config file are 4 areas containing
some optional strings. The four areas are separated by the mandatory
dividers which are the lines beginning with the "***". These dividers
must be present in the file even if there is no other detail recorded.
The first area is the Keyboard Macros. Each line contains the Keyboard
Macro number followed by the contents of that macro. This corresponds
to the detail in the Keyboard Macros Window (<Alt-Z>, 5, 1).
*** Start of Keyboard Macros
1 ~BMAIL ON<Enter>MDC<Enter>l<Enter>
2 ~BB<Enter>MAIL OFF<Enter>
3 ~BMCON OFF<Enter>C VK2ATM-1<Enter>
4 73s from Tony in Port Macquarie<Enter>
6 ~BXMITOK T<Enter>
8 <~s bbsconn>
9 ~B²²D<Enter>
0 ^CD^M
11 !xtgold
12 Disconnecting from $u at $t...<Enter>²²²²²²~BD<Enter>
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The second and third areas are the Begin and End Auto Commands and
these too are as shown in the respective Configuration Windows.
*** Start of Beginning Auto Commands
echo off
xmitok on
CTEXT [paKet-6.1-HM$^V
If you get the Menu, try: ^V
H for Help or^V
S to "Send me a message^V
...Tony
<~S MAILOFF>
<~S MORSE-ON>
*** Start of Ending Auto Commands
^S
CTEXT paKet is not currently running.^V
Please leave a message in the PK-232 Mailbox.^V
...Tony.
MAIL ON
echo on
xmitok on
conok on
The final area is the optional Alerts strings.
*** Start of Alerts
PAKET
TONY
DHU
#WX#EXPERIMENTAL WEATHER STATION AT PORT MACQUARIE
BZC
WAC
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