fred@cdin-1.UUCP (Fred Rump) (02/28/90)
Can someone help?
Some of our customers wish to send data (ascii data files) from their xenix
boxes to a dos box somewhere.
Typically this is not a problem DOS to DOS using procom or something similar.
The receiving DOS user will simply say: 1200 baud, 8 bit, no parity and all is
well.
How can we do the same from Xenix boxes without purchasing TERM or some other
commercial package? This has to be cheap.
Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated.
Fred
--
Fred Rump | UUCP: {uunet bpa dsinc}!cdin-1!fred
CompuData, Inc. | or ...{allegra killer gatech!uflorida decvax!ucf-cs}
10501 Drummond Rd. | !ki4pv!cdis-1!cdin-1!fred
Philadelphia, Pa. 19154| Internet: fred@cdin-1.uu.net (215-824-3000)markd@silogic.UUCP (Mark DiVecchio) (02/28/90)
In article <876@cdin-1.UUCP> fred@cdin-1.UUCP (Fred Rump) writes: >Can someone help? > >Some of our customers wish to send data (ascii data files) from their xenix >boxes to a dos box somewhere. Originally posted to comp.sys.apollo 1/2/90 PC-Apollo Connection If you are like many owners of Apollo DN3xxx and DN4xxx workstations, you have a resource on your machine which is most likely underutilized. That resource is the Serial Input/Output (SIO) port. The SIO port is an RS-232 compatible port which is sometimes used for a digitizing tablet or serial printer. On most machines, though, it is unused. You can make use of the port as a connection to a personal computer for remote login and for transferring ASCII files between the machines. I have a set of programs for your Apollo and PC to do this. I've installed and tested these programs on our DN3010 and an IBM PC Compatible. The software comes in two parts. First there are a set of scripts and a C language program for the Apollo and second there is program which runs on the PC. The program for the PC is PC-VT, a program which I wrote several years ago that emulates a VT100 Video Display Terminal and also performs file transfer using the XMODEM file transfer protocol. The C language program for the Apollo is a public domain program (originally written by Lauren Weinstein and modified by many others, most notably Richard Conn) which performs the XMODEM file transfer protocol on the Apollo. For remote login, PC-VT is used as a dumb terminal emulator. You can login to an AEGIS shell and execute most commands that don't require a graphics output device. For file transfer, the XMODEM file transfer program is started on the Apollo and it communicates automatically with PC-VT running its XMODEM subroutines to move ASCII files between the machines. First let me say that there is nothing new here. The Apollo documentation describes how to configure the port for remote login and the Apollo C Compiler provides the C language procedural interface for the file transfer program. The XMODEM file transfer protocol has been around since the days of CP/M and was originally developed by Ward Christensen. How to Get the Programs Bulletin Board You can download all of the DOS sources, DOS executables and Apollo sources from my Bulletin Board. The phone number is 619-549-3927. The board is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The modem is a USR HST9600 so you can call at any baud rate up to 9600 baud. The Apollo files are in an archived file named SIO.ZIP in the area titled 'Apollo AEGIS/UNIX Programs and Files'. The DOS files are in an archived file named PC-VT100.ZIP in the area titled 'PC-VT (Version 10.0) and Related Files'. If you do not have a ZIP archive management program, you will also need to download PKZ101.EXE. If you get the programs this way, you will need the Apollo C language compiler to compile 'UMODEM.C' and 'ESC.C'. Mail Send me two diskettes, one 1.2Meg DOS formatted floppy and one 1.2Meg AEGIS floppy. I will copy all of the sources (both DOS and Apollo) and the DOS executables onto the DOS diskette and I will create a WBAK diskette with all of the Apollo software - sources and executables. When you send me the diskettes, include a mailer which I can use to return the diskettes to you and put enough postage on the mailer to satisfy the Postal Service. In place of the AEGIS floppy, you can send me a cartridge tape. If you get the programs this way, the WBAK diskette or tape will contain the compiled versions of 'UMODEM.C' and 'ESC.C' so you won't need the Apollo C language compiler. -- Mark DiVecchio, Silogic Systems, 619-549-9841 K3FWT 9888 Carroll Center Road, Suite 113, San Diego, CA 92126 ...!ucsd!celerity!celit!silogic!markd ...!ucsd!ucsdhub!celit!silogic!markd celit!silogic!markd@fps.com BBS 619-549-3927
les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell) (02/28/90)
In article <876@cdin-1.UUCP> fred@cdin-1.UUCP (Fred Rump) writes: >Some of our customers wish to send data (ascii data files) from their xenix >boxes to a dos box somewhere. >How can we do the same from Xenix boxes without purchasing TERM or some other >commercial package? This has to be cheap. I assume you mean some error-correcting protocol - otherwise you just use any terminal emulator that does ascii capture on the PC and "cat" on xenix. Or if you want the xenix box to place the call use cu and "~$cat file" to send. Either get one of the UUPC versions that are floating around for the DOS side and use standard uucp/mail on xenix, or get Kermit for both sides. If the PC can place the call, the rz/sz programs (z/y/zmodem protocol) work with procomm/telix, etc. and the y/zmodem transfers are faster than kermit. I'd recommend starting with kermit (the price is right). You might also want to use zoo or arc to bundle and compress the data before transmission. Les Mikesell les@chinet.chi.il.us
tkevans@fallst.UUCP (Tim Evans) (03/01/90)
In article <876@cdin-1.UUCP>, fred@cdin-1.UUCP (Fred Rump) writes: > Some of our customers wish to send data (ascii data files) from their xenix > boxes to a dos box somewhere. > > How can we do the same from Xenix boxes without purchasing TERM or some other > commercial package? This has to be cheap. > Get Emmet Grey's Pro-comm lookalike 'pcomm' from your local comp.sources.unix archive. -- UUCP: {rutgers|ames|uunet}!mimsy!woodb!fallst!tkevans INTERNET: tkevans%fallst@wb3ffv.ampr.org Tim Evans 2201 Brookhaven Ct, Fallston, MD 21047 (301) 965-3286
fred@cdin-1.UUCP (Fred Rump) (03/03/90)
In article <1597@fallst.UUCP> tkevans@fallst.UUCP (Tim Evans) writes: >In article <876@cdin-1.UUCP>, fred@cdin-1.UUCP (Fred Rump) writes: >> >> How can we do the same from Xenix boxes without purchasing TERM or some other >> commercial package? This has to be cheap. >> >Get Emmet Grey's Pro-comm lookalike 'pcomm' from your local comp.sources.unix >archive. Thankyou all for the many responses in mail and here. But ... I think it may not have been clear. We have no control over what software sits on various DOS machines. They belong to a variety of companies that publish weekly bulletins. They typically 'give' a computer to their customers were all they do is type the bulletin data into the system and use a menu option to send it along. In the process neither party seems to know anything about communications. But once they have it working - somehow, they tend not to want to rock the boat and mess with it. It so happens that we have customers who use Xenix/Unix boxes to run our software. These people do not want another computer (even if it is free) to simply transmit their bulletin data to the printing house. They know they use communications with us daily for e-mail and news and wonder why they can't simply do the same with their supplier of bulletins. We try to tell them that we need to know a little about the 'other' box or software. Some of those people are reluctant to even talk to us because they think they have a hold on the communications market for bulletins and don't want any secrets out. Yes, this is the real world. We have some of those folks using mci mail as a collection point. There we have no problem for our customers. We simply provided a menu option that uses a script to call mci and send a file. It works fine. Then we've tried VP/ix for some of the vendor supplied DOS communications software. Most of this stuff came form in-house development and is not very well behaved. But some programs do work. The thing is we want to use Xenix and make things as easy as anything we do. But we can't simply say 'here use this kermit program'. These people have their own customer base and kermit would be an unknown to them and other callers. I just think there has to be a way to get around all these different programs doing their thing just to receive files. Is my problem a little clearer now? PS These boxes are all over the country in many to many scenarios. Fred -- Fred Rump | UUCP: {uunet bpa dsinc}!cdin-1!fred CompuData, Inc. | or ...{allegra killer gatech!uflorida decvax!ucf-cs} 10501 Drummond Rd. | !ki4pv!cdis-1!cdin-1!fred Philadelphia, Pa. 19154| Internet: fred@cdin-1.uu.net (215-824-3000)
les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell) (03/16/90)
In article <878@cdin-1.UUCP> fred@cdin-1.UUCP (Fred Rump) writes: >>Get Emmet Grey's Pro-comm lookalike 'pcomm' from your local comp.sources.unix >>archive. >Thankyou all for the many responses in mail and here. But ... >I think it may not have been clear. It still isn't clear who is calling whom. If the xenix machine is calling out, pcomm or kermit will do, depending upon what the other end expects. If the dos machines are calling into the xenix machine then you just need a little shell script to give a choice of file transfer protocols and construct the appropriate commands (or force them into it by putting the script in their .profile. Use the rz/sz programs (and the rx/sx, rb/sb variations) for [zxy]modem protocols and kermit for kermit (obviously). That should cover all the likely choices from DOS comm programs. You weren't really thinking of requiring a person to be at both ends, were you? Les Mikesell les@chinet.chi.il.us