info-kermit@columbia (10/25/85)
From: Frank da Cruz <SY.FDC@CU20B.COLUMBIA.EDU>
Info-Kermit Digest Thu, 24 Oct 1985 Volume 3 : Number 26
Departments:
ANNOUNCEMENTS -
CU20B Internet Address Changed
MS-DOS KERMIT -
MS-DOS Kermit Files Reorganized
Request for Kaypro 2000 Information
Revised HP 110, Portable Support for MS-DOS Kermit 2.28
New TI Pro Support for MS-DOS Kermit 2.28
Fix for Z100 MS-DOS Kermit
MS-DOS Kermit Key Definitions for EDT
MS-DOS Kermit and DTR
MISCELLANY -
C-Kermit 4C(056/057) and MacKermit 0.8(33)
2400 Baud Modems with MNP "Protocol"
Update on Crosstalk Problems
CMS Kermit "Enhancements"
Kermit for the Blind
Kermit for the Texas Instruments 99/4A??
Kermit on Diskette for Terak?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 85 15:33:59 edt
From: Frank da Cruz <SY.FDC@CU20B>
Subject: CU20B Internet Address Changed
Because Columbia is splitting its overburdened campus network into several
discrete but interconnected chunks, the Internet host address for CU20B
has changed, effective yesterday (23 Oct 85, 7:00PM EDT), from
[192.5.43.128] to [128.59.32.128].
The change has been reported to the NIC in hopes that they will get out a
revised host table in a day or so. Until CU20B's new address is in your
host table, you can refer to it numerically (but then you don't get the
automatic recognition of what type of host it is; e.g. people coming in
from other DEC-20s will have to explicitly tell FTP "STRUCTURE PAGE",
"TENEX", or something to that effect.)
------------------------------
Date: Wed 23 Oct 85 14:13:21-EDT
From: Frank da Cruz <SY.FDC@CU20B>
Subject: MS-DOS Kermit Files Reorganized
Several recent submissions of MS-DOS Kermit material (see below) have
prompted me to reorganize the MS-DOS Kermit files a bit, so now they have
more consistent names. The names are now in the following form:
MScxxx.typ
The file name is no longer than six characters, the file type is 3 or less.
MS is the common prefix for all the file names.
"c" is a single-letter code that categorizes the file:
A - General information, "read me" files, etc. (like this file)
B - Files related to Bootstrapping
I - Initialization or command files to be read by Kermit
K - General program documentation (Kermit User Guide chapter, etc)
R - Release notes
S - System-independent Source code
V - Binaries, .BOO files, documentation for a particular Version
X - System-dependent source code & related documentation
Y - System-dependent terminal emulation code
Z - System-and-modem-dependent modem control code
"xxx" is a 3 letter code to designate which system an MSV, MSX, MSY, or MSZ
file applies to:
AP3 - NEC APC-3
APC - NEC APC
APR - ACT Apricot
DM2 - DECmate II or III with MS-DOS Option
GEN - "Generic" MS-DOS (DOS calls only)
HP1 - HP-150
HPX - HP-110 and HP Portable Plus
IBM - IBM PC, XT, AT, and PCjr (note, only works on RS-232 port of PCjr)
MBC - Sanyo MBC-550
RB1 - DEC Rainbow-100 series
TIP - Texas Instruments Professional
WNG - Wang PC
Z10 - Heath/Zenith 100
"typ" is the file type, e.g.
ASM - Assembler source (for Microsoft or IBM Assembler)
H - An assembler header file (included at assembly time)
C - A C language source file (e.g. Lattice C)
BAS - A Basic language source (e.g. Microsoft Basic)
BOO - An .EXE file encoded into printable characters for bootstrapping
BWR - A "beware" file - list of known bugs or limitations
HLP - A help file
DOC - A longer documentation file
MSS - Scribe text formatter source for a HLP or DOC file
INI - An initialization or command file to be read by Kermit
BAT - An MS-DOS Batch file (e.g. for building from source)
UPD - A program update history file
KER:MSAAAA.HLP has been updated to reflect the changes, as well as the new
releases. No changes were made to the programs themselves (except as
reported below), but I expect a new release of MS-DOS Kermit to be ready in
about a month.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 85 16:30:24 pdt
From: Harvey A. Iwamoto <iwamoto%trout@nosc.ARPA>
Subject: Request for Kaypro 2000 Information
I have been patching the Generic Kermit for the built-in modem in the HP 110
with minor success. I was able to get the modem port in the Grid Compass
working with yet another patched Generic Kermit but the file transfer would
not work. There is some problem with either parity, number of stop or data
bits. It seems that each one of these built-in modems behave differently
and are located in differently addresses. I am currently trying to get a
version of Kermit working for the Kaypro 2000 but I lack address information
about the modem port. I called Kaypro directly but they would like users to
ask their dealers. The only Kaypro rep got fired so there is no direct line
to information. I need to know where the modem is located (memory or
ioport) and what the busy bits are. Also, if it must be initialized. In
short, the type of modem if any does it emulate. If and when I get the
patched version working, I will make it available to any or all interested
parties.
Harvey Iwamoto
[Ed. - Internal modems are poison, but if you're stuck with one I guess this
is what you have to do. Meanwhile, see below about HP-110 modem port.]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 85 21:17:23 mdt
From: dwf%b@LANL.ARPA (Dave Forslund)
Subject: Revised HP 110, Portable Support for MS-DOS Kermit 2.28
Attached is the assembler source for the HP110 Kermit (MSHPX.ASM). It works
both on the HP110 and the new HP Portable Plus. Port 1 is the serial port
and Port 2 is the internal modem. Defaults are even parity and 9600 baud on
the serial port and 1200 baud on the internal modem. We should have a
version shortly which will also drive the HP-IL RS-232 interface as Port 3.
This new code correctly handles different parity settings and works without
modification on both the HP110 and the Portable Plus. All of the work on
this code was done by Chuck Aldrich here at Los Alamos. The separate
assembler source is assembled with MicroSoft MASM and linked with LINK just
has described in the MSKERMIT documentation. This executable has also been
compressed with MicroSoft's EXEPACK utility before being processed with
MSBMKB.C into a .BOO file.
[Ed. - Thanks Dave! The files are in KER:MS*HPX.*, available via anonymous
FTP from CU20B (by those who have fixed their host tables as shown above).]
------------------------------
Date: Sun 20 Oct 85 22:13:21-EDT
From: Joe Smith (415)794-2512 <LSM.SMITH@MARLBORO.DEC.COM>
Subject: New TI Pro Support for MS-DOS Kermit 2.28
About 6 months ago, my colleague Dan Smith tried sending you the updated
versions of the sources for MS-DOS Kermit 2.28 running on the Texas
Instruments Professional. Apparently they did not get there. The version
in question has H19 and Tektronix emulation and works at 9600 baud. I have
uploaded them again. Please delete KER[MIT]:MSXTEK.ASM on both MARKET and
COLUMBIA - that file has been replaced by MSYTIP.ASM. Please update
MSAAAA.HLP and MSBUILD.HLP to reflect the new name.
Joe Smith
[Ed. - Thanks, Joe! The files are available on CU20B as KER:MS*TIP.*.]
------------------------------
From: John Voigt, Tulane Univ. Systems Group <SYSBJAV@TCSVM.BITNET>
Date: 10/20/85 13:02:43 CDT
Subject: Fix for Z100 MS-DOS Kermit
August Treubig of Middle South Services discovered a bug in the Z100
version of KERMIT. It caused MS-DOS to crash. The fix is in the GETBAUD
routine; the call to bios_auxfunc should be surrounded by "push di" and
"pop di".
[Ed. - Thanks; the change has been made in the source file, MSXZ10.ASM, and
added to the Z100 Kermit beware file. The .BOO file is still based on the
original source until the next release of MS-DOS Kermit.]
------------------------------
Date: 11 Oct 1985 0118-EDT
From: (Carl Houseman, GENICOM Corp., via) EIBEN@DEC-MARLBORO
Subject: MS-DOS Kermit Key Definitions for EDT
I've uploaded two files which make life for the IBM-PC/Kermit user
who also uses EDT a little easier. Together they provide all the keypad
editing functions of EDT to the PC user. They are:
MSIVT1.EDT - An EDT initialization file which defines the numeric
keypad functions to match a VT-100 layout. Use of this
file when editing on a VT-100/VT-220 is harmless, but
those using "real" VT-52's should not invoke it.
MSIVT1.INI - Defines the numeric keypad and function keys as to
match VT-100 function keys as closely as possible, as
follows:
F1=PF1 F2=FP2 F3=PF3 F4=PF4 F5=backspace F6=linefeed
F7=up-arrow F8=down-arrow F9=left-arrow F10=right-arrow
The numeric keypad is the same as a VT-100 where the keys
are the same, with the PRTSC key acting for the VT-100
keypad comma, and the "+" key acting for ENTER. The
8, 4, 6 and 2 keys become cursor keys when SHIFT is held.
If the 5 key fails to work correctly (can't effect BACKUP while in EDT),
press the NUM-LOCK key. Also note that an "=" will appear at the top left
of the screen after starting EDT; this is a problem with Kermit's VT-52
(Heath-19) emulation, and the "=" is not really in the file. It does
not re-appear after scrolling off the screen.
Carl Houseman
GENICOM Corp.
703-949-1323
[Ed. - These files available in KER:MSIVT1.* on CU20B.]
------------------------------
Date: Sun 20 Oct 85 13:08:20-PDT
From: Carl Fussell <G.FUSSELL@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Address: Santa Clara University
Subject: MS-DOS Kermit and DTR
If anyone is interested, we have added a SET DTR ON/OFF command to the IBM
PC version of Kermit... we also found that it was needed for some of the
communication we do. We did not submit it back to Columbia since it was
only added to this one version. If you would like a copy, contact me. If
anyone is interested, I will upload it to my guest account at Score where it
can be ftp'd. As I recall, the changes were only in a couple modules.
Carl
[Ed. - Again, the problem here is that in inordinate amount of research and
effort would be required to add DTR control to all the different versions of
MS-DOS Kermit; the MSX*.ASM system-dependent modules would have to be
redesigned, possibly resulting in damage to systems that the new design
could not be readily tested on, etc. Far better to supply a trivial little
program for toggling DTR, and define macros in Kermit for running it with
Kermit's RUN command.]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 85 20:06:40 est
From: George Wyncott <aaj@purdue-asc.ARPA>
Subject: C-Kermit 4C(056/057) and MacKermit 0.8(33)
Two of our staff members with Macintoshes reported the following problem:
C-Kermit 4C(056/057) seems to fail when used with MacKermit 0.8(33).
C-Kermit version 4.2(030) PRERELEASE #2 works correctly under normal
conditions. Here's what happens with versions (056) and (057):
1. C-Kermit is executed interactively and given the "r <file>" command.
2. MacKermit is directed to send the file.
3. C-Kermit receives the file completely.
4. MacKermit continues to resend the end-of-file packet (B) continuously.
It appears that C-Kermit is not acknowledging the B packet correctly,
causing MacKermit to cycle endlessly and preventing the end-of-transmission
(Z) packet from being exchanged.
HERE'S THE STRANGE PART: If you give C-Kermit the "log debug" command
before the "r <file>", the exchange takes place without error - C-Kermit
gets the Z packet.
NOW HERE'S ANOTHER STRANGENESS: C-Kermit 4.2(030) works the opposite.
You get a correct transfer UNLESS "log debug" is commanded. Then it
hangs up just like versions (056) and (057).
George Wyncott
aaj@asc.purdue.edu
[Ed. - The problem can probably be traced to how C-Kermit sends out the ACK
to the B packet, and then closes the line. Unfortunately, Unix tends to
close the line while sending out the packet is still on its list-of-things-
to-do-when-it-gets-around-to-them... Solution: flush the output queue
before closing the line. Or if that adds too much system-dependent hair,
sleep(n) before the close. The program currently does a sleep(1), but it
may be that more than a second is needed for busy systems and/or low baud
rates, so maybe n should be some function of these.]
------------------------------
Date: Mon Oct 21 21:55:09 1985
From: Herm Fischer <hermix!fischer@rand-unix.ARPA>
Reply-To: HFischer@USC-ECLB
Subject: 2400 Baud Modems with MNP "Protocol"
I looked (briefly) into the new 2400 baud modems for use with my Xenix
system. The dealers all push versions with a built-in protocol called
MNP. This protocol handles retries of bad characters, BUT (e.g., beware)
it is not really suitable for use on communications where the underlying
software already has a protocol.
With uucp, the MNP flow control will be incompatible, and thus one will
have to disable MNP.
With Kermit, MNP is likely to play havoc particularly where the end-to-end
flow control needs to be preserved (likely at 2400 baud on systems which
might become busy), because MNP only appears to support modem to computer
flow control.
For interactive computer access, if you need control-s or control-q, e.g.,
if you use an editor like emacs ever, then again you might have difficulties.
The people who produced the MNP protocol, and whose marketing has caused the
modem suppliers to energetically advertise its features (without being
knowledgable of its operation), ended up recommending that I buy some other
modem without the feature.
Finally, be aware that MNP is only a retry on error protocol; it is not a
forward error correction device with Hamming codes (as I expected from its
sales literature).
[Ed. - Thanks for the comments, Herm. Any further discussion of MNP and/or
X.PC in relation to Kermit would be most welcome here.]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 85 19:42:31 EDT
From: RAF@UMDC
Subject: Update on Crosstalk Problems
The latest word from Microstuf customer support is that both problems
that I encountered with Crosstalk XVI 3.6 Kermit support will be fixed
"soon". The two problems are not stopping at the Control-Z in a text
file and setting the wrong screen intensity in the KERMIT LIST command.
Roger Fajman <RAF@UMDC>
National Institutes of Health
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Oct 85 23:07 EDT
Subject: CMS Kermit "Enhancements"
From: ("Bob Shields <VBOB@UMDB>") <@UMD2.UMD.EDU:VBOB@UMDB.BITNET>
In one of the latest "info-kermit" digests I read that someone had modified
CMS Kermit to "automatically" expand tab characters to 8 column boundaries.
If this is being considered as a standard operation, I would like to cast my
vote against it. I have found that XEDIT will expand tabs just fine (see
the "EXPAND" and "COMPRESS" commands), and will do it to whatever columns
*I* specify, not just every *8*. I more often use a tab setting of every 4
columns, and sometimes use ones that are not at fixed intervals (like 10,
16, 30,... for CMS ASSEMBLE files). Maybe this can be resolved with "yet
another SET command" in CMS Kermit.
[Ed. - You're right, it shouldn't be hardwired into the program.]
------------------------------
From: Sheldon Talmy <talmy@rand-unix.ARPA>
Date: 19 Oct 85 18:36:58 PDT (Sat)
Subject: Kermit for the Blind
In response to your msg about "Kermit for the blind", there is a great deal
being done for the visually handicapped in conjunction with computers.
One company I suggest is IRTI:
Innovative Rehabilitation Technologies Inc.
26699 Snell Lane, Los Altos Hills,Ca, 94022
415-948-8588
They have a huge catalog of products for the visually impaired, including
synths & entire turn-key systems. If nothing else, the man who owns
the company is an excellent resource for info on the latest products.
I've been writing articles on computers for the handicapped for the last couple
of years, & have gathered several sources for products, that are ready to go
now. If I can be of any help, send me a msg, & I'll be happy to assist you.
I note from other messages on the subject, that some research is going on that
could conceivably come under the heading of "re-inventing the wheel".
As i'm involved in the field, I might possibly be able to save time & effort,
so contact me if you like.
Shel Talmy<>Talmy@Rand-Unix
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Oct 85 09:07:59 EST
From: pur-ee!mjs@UCB-VAX.Berkeley.EDU (Mike Spitzer)
Subject: Kermit for the Texas Instruments 99/4A??
I've heard someone mention this... does Kermit exist for the 99? If not,
why not?
Mike
------------------------------
Date: Wed 23 Oct 85 16:01:10-EDT
From: MG1K%CMCCTC@TC.CC.CMU.EDU
Subject: Kermit on Diskette for Terak?
I have a Terak which I am trying to use as terminal for the flourscence
center vax. I would like to be able to transfer Kermit to the Terak. If you
know of anyone who has(had) a Terak and has Kermit on 8 inch single density
floppies, please send me mail.
Thank you,
Miriam Gulotta ( MG1k@cmcctc)
[Ed. - Can anyone help?]
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End of Info-Kermit Digest
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