[comp.sys.mac.comm] Downloading with Kermit

amemjm@vax.oxford.ac.uk (06/07/91)

Hello,
	I have a problem getting Mac files from FTP sites. I get the files in
binary mode from (say) wuarchive, to my local VAX/VMS system. Then I dwonload
them using MacKermit, to the Mac. 

Problem: Files (which are xxxxxx.SIT) appear as docs (if got into data fork) or
appls (if got into resource fork) and Stuffit ignores them. I made a stuffit
archive locally and sent it up to the VAX, and the files appeared Quite
Different!!! 

What do I do a) in getting from WUARCHIVE
			 b) in gettting to the Mac ??????


Sorry if this is a trivial question, but Macs are a closed book to me. Yes by
the way, I did a binary download too.....!


Mark McIntyre     AMEMJM@UK.AC.OXFORD.VAX

dburr@sandstorm.Berkeley.EDU (Captain_Picard) (06/08/91)

In article <1991Jun7.112254.622@vax.oxford.ac.uk> amemjm@vax.oxford.ac.uk writes:
>Hello,
>	I have a problem getting Mac files from FTP sites. I get the files in
>binary mode from (say) wuarchive, to my local VAX/VMS system. Then I dwonload
>them using MacKermit, to the Mac. 
>
>Problem: Files (which are xxxxxx.SIT) appear as docs (if got into data fork) or
>appls (if got into resource fork) and Stuffit ignores them. I made a stuffit
>archive locally and sent it up to the VAX, and the files appeared Quite
>Different!!! 
>
>What do I do a) in getting from WUARCHIVE
>			 b) in gettting to the Mac ??????
>
>
>Sorry if this is a trivial question, but Macs are a closed book to me. Yes by
>the way, I did a binary download too.....!
>
>
>Mark McIntyre     AMEMJM@UK.AC.OXFORD.VAX


Most likely, there is a problem in MacBinary translation between your VMS
system and your Mac.  When you are downloading *.SIT files from VMS -> Mac,
your Mac isn't properly interpreting this header information, or the files
lack it.  Try getting a program called "MacBinary"; this might solve the
problem.

When you are sending files from the Mac to your VMS, your Mac is most likely
sending the MacBinary header information along with the file.  VMS, obviously,
doesn't know what this header information is, and so it sticks everything in-
to one big binary file.  Thus, the file comes out weird.  Once again, the
"MacBinary" program will properly convert your MacBinary files to non-Mac-
Binary format, splitting up the data and resource forks in the process.

Your terminal program might have a "MacBinary" configuration option, which
will do this for you; check there first.

I hope this makes sense to you.  Get back to me thru E-Mail if you would like
further assistance or explanations.
===============================================================================
Donald Burr, Univ. of California,Berkeley | America Online: DonaldBurr
INTERNET: dburr@ocf.Berkeley.EDU          |_Compu$erve:_72540,3071_____________
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ingemar@isy.liu.se (Ingemar Ragnemalm) (06/10/91)

amemjm@vax.oxford.ac.uk writes:

>	I have a problem getting Mac files from FTP sites. I get the files in
>binary mode from (say) wuarchive, to my local VAX/VMS system. Then I dwonload
>them using MacKermit, to the Mac. 
>Problem: Files (which are xxxxxx.SIT) appear as docs (if got into data fork)
>appls (if got into resource fork) and Stuffit ignores them.

Transfer .sit (or .cpt for that matter) files using binary ftp. (Which the
poster did, so this is not a problem.)

Download to the Mac with *Macbinary* transfer on the Mac side and *binary*
on the VMS side. MacBinary is a special format used to archive two-fork files
on computers that don't support it, like your VMS system. 

If your MacKermit does not support MacBinary, get a newer version!!!
Everything older than 0.98 is too old.

Oh, by the way: does anyone out there have *complete* source code to MacKermit?
Since I want to add some features to MacKermit, I tried to download the
sources from the Watsun archive, but the docs there are almost unuseable and
I couldn't find all the files that the docs says I need. Besides, the source
there isn't for some obscure cross compiler that I've never seen. Think C
sources, perhaps...?

--
Ingemar Ragnemalm
Dept. of Electrical Engineering	     ...!uunet!mcvax!enea!rainier!ingemar
                  ..
University of Linkoping, Sweden	     ingemar@isy.liu.se

gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu (Don Gillies) (06/13/91)

(1) I always download the ".hqx" text directly.  Then I use stuffit
1.5.1's "Decode BinHex File" option to make a ".sit" archive.  Then I
decompress.

This method has the advantage that it never fails.

kermit is perhaps the slowest download protocol in existence.  It is
slow because the packet sizes are too small (128 bytes).  If you use a
better protocol (xmodem, ymodem, or especially zmodem) you would be
much better off.  In fact, binhex + zmodem would probably run faster
than macbinary + kermit.

-- 

ingemar@isy.liu.se (Ingemar Ragnemalm) (06/13/91)

gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu (Don Gillies) writes:

>kermit is perhaps the slowest download protocol in existence.  It is
>slow because the packet sizes are too small (128 bytes).  If you use a
>better protocol (xmodem, ymodem, or especially zmodem) you would be
>much better off.  In fact, binhex + zmodem would probably run faster
>than macbinary + kermit.

I tried Zmodem protocol (with Zterm), and for some reason it was slower than
MacKermit. This was because of two reasons:

- The Zmodem protocol didn't seem to work perfectly. It got some errors in
transmission, which is strange since Kermit had no problems.

- I used packet sizes over 1000 for MacKermit. This is much faster than the
standard packet length.

I know I posted about this just a few days ago, but it seems like it has to
told pretty often. (Perhaps it should be put in the FAQ list.)

Get a modern version of Kermit - on both sides.

MacKermit should be version 0.98 (or newer, if there will ever be an upgrade).
This gives you MacBinary file transfer (if you download from archives with
binary storage, no more need for the extra step through the MacBinary program)
and extended packet lengths. (And macros, and scrolling window.)

I don't know the version number for the "other" side, but it should support
extended packet length.

You have to set the extended packet length yourself. Don't forget "save
settings".

--
Ingemar Ragnemalm
Dept. of Electrical Engineering	     ...!uunet!mcvax!enea!rainier!ingemar
                  ..
University of Linkoping, Sweden	     ingemar@isy.liu.se

edgar@function.mps.ohio-state.edu (Gerald Edgar) (06/13/91)

>kermit is perhaps the slowest download protocol in existence.  It is
>slow because the packet sizes are too small (128 bytes).

With MacKermit, I normally use a packet size of 900.



--
  Gerald A. Edgar                Internet:  edgar@mps.ohio-state.edu
  Department of Mathematics      Bitnet:    EDGAR@OHSTPY
  The Ohio State University      telephone: 614-292-0395 (Office)
  Columbus, OH 43210              -292-4975 (Math. Dept.) -292-1479 (Dept. Fax)

hoepfner@heawk1.gsfc.nasa.gov (Patrick Hoepfner) (06/17/91)

ingemar@isy.liu.se (Ingemar Ragnemalm) writes:

>gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu (Don Gillies) writes:

>>kermit is perhaps the slowest download protocol in existence.  It is
>>slow because the packet sizes are too small (128 bytes).  If you use a
>>better protocol (xmodem, ymodem, or especially zmodem) you would be
>>much better off.  In fact, binhex + zmodem would probably run faster
>>than macbinary + kermit.

>I tried Zmodem protocol (with Zterm), and for some reason it was slower than
>MacKermit. This was because of two reasons:

>- The Zmodem protocol didn't seem to work perfectly. It got some errors in
>transmission, which is strange since Kermit had no problems.

>- I used packet sizes over 1000 for MacKermit. This is much faster than the
>standard packet length.

If you use a comercial program (WhiteKnight for example) you will find that 
ZModem is still faster that Kermit.  ZModem is a streaming protocol.  Even 
using SuperKermit on your host (the streaming version of Kermit) ZModem is 
faster.  It uses 1024 byte packets and you don't have the overhead that 
Kermit has for binary files. 

I don't have the streaming version of Kermit, I can't seem to find it for 
our Sun or Vax. 

-- Pat --------------------------------------> hoepfner@heasfs.gsfc.nasa.gov  

sean@ucdhep.ucdavis (the Willard) (06/18/91)

In article <hoepfner.677132134@heawk1> hoepfner@heawk1.gsfc.nasa.gov (Patrick
Hoepfner) writes:
>
>If you use a comercial program (WhiteKnight for example) you will find that 
>ZModem is still faster that Kermit...

A bit off the subject: anybody know where to find zmodem for vax/vms?

T'anks.  sean