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- Date: 19 Sep 1986 2127-EDT
- From: "Bernie AT&T:617-467-5664 LDP Workstations" <EIBEN@MARLBORO.DEC.COM>
- Subject: VMS file attributes and KERMIT
-
- With a 'little bit' of trickery it's possible to send any file from VMS to
- any other system and back to VMS.
-
- Single files :
- Use LZCOMP/LZDECOMP {base language C - an implementation of Lempel-Ziv-
- Welch compression} in {non-portable} VMS-specific mode.
- In this mode RMS-attributes are carried and reestablished
- at decompression. Use KERMIT to move the file.
-
- Collection of files :
- Use VMS BACKUP to generate a single 'Backup' save-set and then
-
- a. LZCOMP/LZDECOMP {see above}
-
- or b. VMSBAK.BAS {source language BASIC} to 'restructure' the blocking
- of the save-set to KERMIT's 512 bytes fixed records. Then
- use KERMIT to move and VMSBAK again to de-block back to original
- blocking {restriction - original blocking has to be multiple of
- 512!!.
-
- .. last {but not least}
- single and multiple files
-
- Use Stevens Institute's VMSHEX and VMSDEH {source language MACRO} -
- and transmit the resultant 'hexified' files via KERMIT. This method
- (although the oldest) will generate the largest files for trans-
- mission via KERMIT and could therefore be the slowest one.
-
- BTW 'standard' VMS executables can also be 'moved' by telling the
- 'receiving' KERMIT 'SET FILE TYPE FIXED'. However the above three 'choices'
- will work in all cases - since LZCOMPRESS, BACKUP and VMSHEX all include RMS
- file descriptors in the encoded file and reconstitute same.
-
- [Ed. - Thanks, Bernie! The VMSBAK.BAS program was already in the Kermit
- distribution, and now the LZW-compression programs have also been added, as
- KER:VMSLZ*.*; the file KER:VMSLZ.HLP explains the organization and contents
- of the files. The programs are written in C, and may be compiled under
- VAX/VMS with VAX-11 C, on PDP-11s with DECUS C, or under Unix. Thanks to
- Martin Minow of DEC for adapting 'compress' to the DEC operating systems.]
-