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THE SIMTEL20 ARCHIVES SIGNIFICANT CHANGES New MSDOS archive added: SIMTEL20 now has a new archive, PD:<MSDOS>. This archive, like the PD:<PC-BLUE> archive, contains software for the MSDOS and PCDOS operating systems. But unlike PC-BLUE, this archive is locally managed, and will be updated more often (the PC-BLUE archive is updated only when new disks are issued by the PC-BLUE Users Group). For a list of files, get a copy of the directory file, PD:<MSDOS>MSDOS.CRCLST. Newsgroup correspondence archive files moved: Newsgroup correspondence archives have been moved from directory PS:<MAIL.ARCHIVES> to individual directories having names of the form PS:<ARCHIVES.KEYWORD>, where "KEYWORD" has been chosen to indicate the associated newsgroup. See the section entitled "NEWSGROUP CORRESPONDENCE ARCHIVES" for additional details. Public domain archive files moved: A new large disk device called PD: has been installed to house the entire public domain software collection. All files are now accessible using file specifications of the form: PD:<directory_name>file_name Example: PD:<CPM.STARTER-KIT>LU310.COM New logical names: Files in the <CPM> archive can also be specified with a new shortened notation using a logical name for each directory. Thus, the file in the above example can also be specified as: STARTER-KIT:LU310.COM Note that the part of the directory name following the dot has been used as the logical name (followed by a colon). But remember, this new form of file specification applies only to the <CPM> archive. To avoid confusion, all examples in the text to follow will use the PD: specification, as this form works with ALL of the archives. Getting started: The above example provides a sneaky introduction to yet another new feature that should greatly ease the "bootstrap phase" for new archive users. Now in one place, PD:<CPM.STARTER-KIT>, you will find all of the basic essentials needed to begin using the archives. These programs provide the means for transferring, unsqueezing and de-librarying archive files, and more will be said about them later in this document. Special kudos to archive maintainer Keith Petersen for this worthwhile addition. Finally, a reminder: For quite some time now, "ITS binary format" has not been used for storage of binary files in the SIMTEL20 archives. If you are a new user of the archives and you don't know what ITS binary format is, don't worry about it; it no longer matters. But apparently, some "veteran archive users" are still unaware of the change. Therefore, please note that stripping the first four bytes of binary files, once necessary for removal of the special "ITS header", is no longer required. Indeed, if you do this now, YOU WILL DESTROY THE FILES. OVERVIEW There is a collossal amount of free public domain software for the CP/M, PCDOS/MSDOS and UNIX operating systems, and for the DoD standard programming language, Ada, in several archives on SIMTEL20.ARPA, a DECsystem-20 running the TOPS-20 operating system at White Sands Missile Range. Archives of correspondence for several newsgroups, including INFO-CPM, are also available. You can obtain these files using the InterNet file transfer protocol, FTP (described in a following paragraph), with user-name "anonymous". For a login password, use your host-name or any other string of printing characters. Throughout this message, FTP examples are given in a GENERIC syntax. You will have to consult either local documentation or your friendly system wizard to learn the actual syntax used with your local mainframe operating system. For the sake of brevity, the domain suffix ".ARPA" will be dropped from further references to SIMTEL20 in this discussion. To obtain directory listings, connect to SIMTEL20 via FTP and do this: get pd:<cpm>cpm.crclst get pd:<cpmug>cpmug.crclst get pd:<sigm>sigm.crclst get pd:<pc-blue>pc-blue.crclst get pd:<msdos>msdos.crclst get pd:<unix>unix.crclst get pd:<ada>ada.crclst The <CPM> archive is the one to watch for the very latest CP/M offerings, as it is updated frequently. The <CPMUG>, <SIGM> and <PC-BLUE> archives contain software distributed by the CP/M Users Group, the SIG/M Users Group and the PC-Blue Users Group respectively. This software is available on diskettes from the associated users groups, and the archives are updated as new volumes are issued. The <PC-BLUE> archive contains software for the IBM-PC and similar machines. Some runs under CP/M, and some under PCDOS/MSDOS. The <MSDOS> archive also contains software for the MSDOS and PCDOS operating systems; but this archive is locally managed, and therefore is updated more frequently than the <PC-BLUE> archive. The <UNIX> archive contains a variety of UNIX tools. Those which apply specifically to CP/M are in the directory <UNIX.CPM>. The <ADA> archive is growing rapidly. Information about this archive is in directory PD:<ADA.GENERAL>. In general, the archived software is very good, having been worked-over and refined by many users. The documentation and comments tend to be complete and informative. Files in all of these archives can be obtained using the FTP procedures described in this message. But please note that due to the large number of files available, the archive maintainers cannot possibly attempt to validate the proper operation of the various programs. When a program bug is reported, immediate action is taken to either correct the error or remove the offending program from the archives. Still, users must understand that all archive programs are offered AS IS, and the archive maintainers specifically disclaim any liability should these programs malfunction or cause damage, incidental or otherwise. When testing ANY new software, be certain that all information stored on disk is backed-up before you start, so that you can recover if files are damaged or erased. This is particularly true if you have a hard disk, in which case malfunctions can be spectacularly disasterous. FILE TYPES Files are stored in two formats: Text files such as those with names that end with DOC, HEX, INF and ASM are sometimes stored as ASCII files, but usually these files are stored in binary squeezed form. Binary storage is also used for executable (COM) and library files. Squeezed and library files are described below. All binary data are stored as four 8-bit bytes per 36-bit SIMTEL20 word, with the low-order four bits of each word filled with zeros. If such a file is interpreted as a contiguous string, as will happen if a straight binary transfer is made to a 16 or 32-bit UNIX machine, the four zero filler-bits per 36-bit group will cause rather bizarre and frustrating results. The methods for dealing with this situation, which differ from machine to machine, are explained in a following paragraph. Squeezed files have been compressed using programs available in directory <CPM.SQUSQ> to obtain an approximate 35-percent size reduction. These files can be identified by the letter Q in the extension field. For example, the file PD:<CPM.ASMUTL>RMACPAT.AQM is a squeezed file. It must be transferred as a binary file, and then unsqueezed. The unsqueezing can be done on a CP/M system using USQ-xx.COM (where "xx" is the current version) from directory <CPM.SQUSQ>, or there are several host-based unsqueezers in the <CPM> and <UNIX> archives (see for example, directories <CPM.TOPS-20> and <UNIX.CPM>). CP/M library files (those with names ending in LBR) combine several regular CP/M files into a single BINARY file which contains an internal directory of its contents. They are created using the CP/M library utility LUxxx.COM (where "xxx" is the current version) or some other compatible utility. The complete packages for LUxxx and a newer compatible program called NULUxx (where "xx" is the version) can be found in directory PD:<CPM.CPMLIB>. C-language source code for a compatible UNIX utility called LAR (library archiver) is in directory PD:<UNIX.CPM>. Although the type of storage used for a particular file can usually be inferred from the file-name, this is not always true. It is a good idea to check the appropriate "crclst" file to ascertain the storage format used for each file of interest. Now, and for the foreseeable future, storage formats for files in the <SIGM>, <CPMUG> and <PC-BLUE> archives can be determined from their "generation numbers", as shown by the FTP directory command. For example, the FTP command: dir pd:<pc-blue.vol001> will yield results of the form: -CATALOG.001.2 ABSTRACT.001.2 BW.ASM.2 BW.BAS.1 BW.EXE.1 COLOR.ASM.2 COLOR.BAS.1 COLOR.EXE.1 ...and so on All files with names ending in ".1" are stored in binary format, and those with names ending in ".2" are stored in ASCII. This relationship will continue to apply for files in the <SIGM>, <CPMUG> and <PC-BLUE> archives until further notice. WARNING: Because the public domain archives on SIMTEL20 consume a huge amount of disk-space, storage capacity will be conserved by the greatest practical use of libraries and squeezed files, both of which are stored in binary format. If you cannot properly transfer binary files, you are going to be VERY FRUSTRATED! If you need help, please contact your local system wizard and provide him/her with a copy of this message. Having done that, if you are still unable to make things work correctly, send a message to INFO-CPM-REQUEST at AMSAA.ARPA and I will try to help you. Please provide the following information: 1. Machine and operating system (e.g., VAX-11/780, 4.2 BSD UNIX) 2. Network software in use (e.g., 3-Com UNET) 3. Complete list of available FTP commands (e.g., GET, PUT, etc.) Important files in the <CPMUG> and <PC-BLUE> archives are the CATALOG files. These files, which are stored in ASCII, contain the "-CATALOG.nnn" files from all the volumes of their respective archives. To obtain these composite catalog files, connect to SIMTEL20 via FTP and do this: get pd:<cpmug>cpmug.cat get pd:<pc-blue.vol000>pcblue.cat A similar file exists for the <SIGM> archive, but it is stored in squeezed form. This file, when unsqueezed, yields SIG.CAT (the catalog). It can be obtained using the FTP command: get pd:<sigm.vol000>sig.cqt (NOTE: That's "L-and-three-zeros" in "vol000") FILE TRANSFER VIA FTP FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, a formalized procedure for moving files among machines on the Defense Data Network (DDN) and other networks that connect with the DDN. The protocol is implemented by a program often called FTP. The different mainframe operating systems implement FTP with variations in command syntax. Some systems have the remote-file-name precede the local- file-name in the command. Others reverse this order. Some versions have the whole command on a single input line, while others use multiple lines. Read the documentation for your local system, or consult a friendly system wizard for the details of your local FTP command syntax. UNIX users can do something like "man ftp" for on-line instructions. However, not all UNIX FTP programs are called "ftp", so you may have to snoop around in the system directories or ask a system wizard for the correct local name to use with the "man" command. ITS users can do ":INFO FTP", and "HELP FTP" works on TOPS-20 and some other operating systems. I will be happy to update this message with pointers to other sources of on-line documentation if they are sent to INFO-CPM-REQUEST@AMSAA.ARPA. FTP transfers from SIMTEL20 can be made with user-name "anonymous". Use your host-name or any other string of printing characters for a password. For anonymous logins, SIMTEL20 supports the FTP "change working directory" command. (Your local syntax may be something like CD, or CWD.) Ignore the message that prompts you to enter a password. This command allows you to specify a default SIMTEL20 directory to be used for all file retrievals, and thereby relieves you from having to repeatedly type "pd:<whatever>" as part of each filename. For example, you can do something like this: cd pd:<cpm.goodstuff> get filename-1 get filename-2 ...and so on instead of using the longer filename forms shown in previous examples. Users of TOPS-10, TENEX, TOPS-20 or ITS systems can use "image" or "paged" mode for ALL transfers. UNIX users must use "ascii" mode for ASCII files, and "tenex" or "type L 8" mode for binary files. MULTICS users can use "ascii" mode for ASCII files, but binary files require special treatment that is best described by the following example provided by Paul Schauble <Schauble@mit-multics.arpa>: !ftp simtel20 220 SIMTEL20.ARPA FTP Server Process 5Z(14)-7 at Mon 10-Sep-84 00:27-MDT user_ftp: !login anonymous 331 ANONYMOUS user ok, send real ident as password. Password: !guest user_ftp: !quote "type l 8" <--(NOTE: That's lowercase "L" 8.) 200 Type L bytesize 8 ok. user_ftp: !get micro:<cpm.zcpr3>alias.hlp alias.hlp 150 Retrieve of MICRO:<CPM.ZCPR3>ALIAS.HLP.1 started. 226 Transfer completed. Total elapsed time: 35.7 seconds. 4348 bytes transferred in 18.5 seconds (1850 bits/sec). user_ftp: !quit 221 QUIT command received. Goodbye. Lines beginning with "!" are typed by the terminal user. The received files are stored on MULTICS with one 8-bit byte per 9-bit word, and can be trans- ferred to a microcomputer with Kermit (described in a following paragraph). All aspects of the FTP process for UNIX machines have been automated to a high degree by a program in directory PD:<UNIX.CPM>. With this program, a simple command like "mb modm700.com" can connect to SIMTEL20 and transfer the binary file "modm700.com" from directory PD:<CPM.MODEM7> to a local file also named "modm700.com", all with no user intervention. Batch command files containing multiple lines of the form in the above example can be run in no-hangup background mode to transfer whole directories without the user even remaining logged-in on his local system. For more information, get the file PD:<UNIX.CPM>AUTOFTP.DOC. PROGRAMS FOR TRANSFERRING FILES AMONG MAINFRAMES AND MICROS Christensen Protocol Mainframe Programs: For a micro to reliably exchange files with a mainframe, cooperating file transfer programs with automatic error detection and retransmission of faulty blocks must be running on both computers. One such family of programs uses a popular protocol created by Ward Christensen and enhanced by others. Directory PD:<UNIX.CPM> contains two programs, UC and the older UMODEM (both written in C), which implement this protocol on UNIX machines. See the file PD:<UNIX>UNIX.CRCLST for a list of other useful UNIX utilities. On ITS machines, file transfer using the Christensen protocol can be done using MMODEM (type :MMODEM for instructions), or LMODEM. Documentation for LMODEM is in file .INFO.;LMODEM HELP. Other useful ITS utilities include: TYPE8 - types an ASCII file stored in ITS binary format. TYPESQ - types an ITS binary format "squeezed" file (see the first paragraph under FILE TYPES). USQ - creates an unsqueezed version of a squeezed file. HEXIFY - creates an Intel hex format file from an ITS binary format COM file. COMIFY - creates a COM file from an Intel hex file. CRC - computes the Cyclic Redundancy Check value for a file, using the same algorithm that is used by the CP/M program CRCK. Brief instructions for any of these utilities except LMODEM can be obtained by typing ":utility_name" (for example, :CRC). The ITS utilities listed above are also available for use with TOPS-20, but since ITS binary format is no longer being used for the SIMTEL20 archives, these utilities have been converted to work with TOPS-20 binary formats. A collection of TOPS-20 utilities for transferring and manipulating files can be found in directory PD:<CPM.TOPS-20>. See PD:<CPM>CPM.CRCLST for a list of available programs. File transfer and conversion utilities for use with VAX/VMS machines are contained in directory PD:<CPM.VAXVMS>. See CPM.CRCLST for details. Christensen Protocol Microcomputer Programs: An excellent program for transferring files between micros, or between micros and mainframes is called MODM7xx, where the "xx" is replaced with two digits to give the current version number. This program, often referred to as MODEM7 (the name of its easier to pronounce ancestor), uses the popular Christensen protocol to transfer files with automatic error detection and retransmission of erroneous blocks. To get started with MODM7xx, you should first FTP and examine the "DOC" and "MSG" files from the binary library file PD:<CPM.MODEM7>MODM7xx.LBR. The "DOC" and "MSG" files are actually stored in the library in squeezed form, so you will have to perform three steps to get them: 1. FTP the binary library file. 2. Extract the elements having filename extensions of "DQC" and "MQG". If you have no facilities for doing this on your mainframe host (see the earlier comments on mainframe-based library utilities), then you will have to transfer the library to a microcomputer and extract the necessary elements there. If this requirement seems to put you in a "Catch-22" situation because you have no facilities for mainfrome-to-microcomputer transfers, there is a way out; read the "Getting Started" section which follows|. 3. Use an "unsqueezer" (described above) to convert the "DQC" and "MQG" files extracted from the library into "DOC" and "MSG" files. As in the case of the library extractions, unsqueezing can be done on either a mainfrome host or a microcomputer, depending on your circumstances. Together, these files will tell you just about all there is to know about getting MODM7xx to run on your machine. Take the time to read them; they're quite informative. You will also get some helpful insights from reading some of the overlay files. These overlays, described in file PD:<CPM.MODEM7> M7OVL-yy.LST, are used to customize MODM7xx for particular machines without having to edit and assemble the huge MODM7xx source file. Complete instructions for performing this procedure are contained in each overlay file. The letters "yy" in the above filename should be replaced with two digits giving the current version number as determined from CPM.CRCLST. And then, there is MEX. MEX stands for "modem executive", and it is just what the name implies, a communications and file-transfer program with a built-in mini operating system that runs under CP/M. This program can do file transfers using either the Christensen or Compuserve protocol, and it has an enormous potential for highly automated operations because it can read and execute command-scripts pre-stored in disk files. These scripts can include sending commands to a remote computer, as if they had been sent manually from the microcomputer in terminal-mode. Users of this relatively new program are still exploring its possibilities. For more information, look in CPM.CRCLST under the heading "PD:<CPM.MEX>", and then get the various files that have "DQC" and "IQF" in their names. These DOCumentation and INFormation files are stored in squeezed form (note the "Q" in the filename extensions), so you will have to unsqueeze them. Overlays for MODM7xx will also work with MEX, but they will not provide all of the extended MEX features. Kermit: Another excellent program for transferring files is called KERMIT. This program has the advantage of being available for an impressively large number of mainframes and micros. It is, for example, available for the IBM-PC, and it DOES NOT require CP/M. To get started with KERMIT, connect to CU20B.ARPA using FTP, and do this: get ker:aaaread.me Note that this file is NOT on SIMTEL20, and the name is subject to change. If you cannot find a file with this name, snoop around in the first half- dozen or so files in the alphabetical listing obtainable using the FTP DIRectory command. You should find something useful. Questions can be addressed to INFO-KERMIT-REQUEST at CU20B.ARPA. Getting Started: In order to get MODM7xx, MEX or KERMIT running on your micro, you must first transfer the necessary files from mainframe to micro. If you already have a receive-to-disk communications program of some sort, you can use it to move the needed files. In the long-run it is essential to be able to transfer 8-bit binary files, but initially it is not absolutely necessary. Some of the files are quite large. For example, MODM7xx.COM is over 18K bytes, and the HEX file (which you will need if you can't transfer 8-bit files) is over 45K. Moving large files to your micro without using an error detecting protocol can result in frustrating errors, but it can be done by receiving multiple copies and using manual or machine-assisted comparisons to locate and repair bad parts of the code. However, there IS a better way. Directory PD:<CPM.STARTER-KIT> contains a short starter-program called PIPMODEM.ASM that can be FTPed to your mainframe, printed, and then entered into your microcomputer by hand and assembled. This can then be used to down- load either MBOOT3.ASM or BMODEM.BAS (depending on whether you prefer assembly language or BASIC), both of which can receive files using the error detecting Christensen protocol. Once you have this capability, you can download the full-function file transfer program of your choice. To examine this option, connect to SIMTEL20 via FTP and do this: get pd:<cpm.starter-kit>pipmodem.asm get pd:<cpm.starter-kit>pipmodem.doc get pd:<cpm.starter-kit>mboot3.asm get pd:<cpm.starter-kit>bmodem.bas get pd:<cpm.starter-kit>bmodem.doc All are ASCII files. Read PIPMODEM.DOC first, then look at MBOOT3.ASM and BMODEM.DOC. PIPMODEM.DOC explains the situation very nicely. Questions concerning these programs should be sent to INFO-CPM@AMSAA.ARPA (NOT to INFO-CPM-REQUEST). NEWSGROUP CORRESPONDENCE ARCHIVES Copies of correspondence for several newsgroups are kept on SIMTEL20 in directories with names of the form PS:<ARCHIVES.KEYWORD>, where "KEYWORD" has been chosen to indicate the associated newsgroup. At present, the following correspondence archives are available: newsgroup mail archive filename --------------- --------------------- ADA-SW PS:<ARCHIVES.ADA-SW> AMETHYST-USERS PS:<ARCHIVES.AMETHYST> INFO-68K PS:<ARCHIVES.68K> INFO-APPLE PS:<ARCHIVES.APPLE> INFO-CPM PS:<ARCHIVES.CPM> INFO-FORTH PS:<ARCHIVES.FORTH> INFO-HAMS PS:<ARCHIVES.HAMS> INFO-MICRO PS:<ARCHIVES.MICRO> INFO-MODEM7 PS:<ARCHIVES.MODEM7> INFO-MODEMXX PS:<ARCHIVES.MODEMXX> INFO-MODULA-2 PS:<ARCHIVES.MODULA-2> NORTHSTAR-USERS PS:<ARCHIVES.NORTHSTAR> INFO-PASCAL PS:<ARCHIVES.PASCAL> UNIX-SW PS:<ARCHIVES.UNIX-SW> INFO-XENIX310 PS:<ARCHIVES.XENIX310> Descriptions of these and other newsgroups can be obtained via FTP with anonymous login (as for SIMTEL20) from the Network Information Center's host SRI-NIC.ARPA. Ask for the file PS:<NETINFO>INTEREST-GROUPS.TXT (an ASCII file). And please note, this is NOT on SIMTEL20. File names for SIMTEL20 newsgroup correspondence archives have two forms. For example, PS:<ARCHIVES.CPM>CPM.ARCHIV.ymmdd is a group of files containing INFO-CPM correspondence going back several years. The characters "ymmdd" in the file names are actually digits giving the year, month and day of the last message in each particular file. Current correspondence is kept in the file PS:<ARCHIVES.CPM>CPM-ARCHIV.TXT, which is constantly changing. Although INFO-CPM has been used as an example here, the same naming scheme is used for the other newsgroup files as well. For a complete list of available files, connect to SIMTEL20 via FTP and do this: dir ps:<archives> You will receive a list of names of the form: KEYWORD.DIRECTORY.n where "n" is one or more digits. For example, the INFO-CPM listing currently appears as "CPM.DIRECTORY.1" To then get a list of files in a particular archive, do this: dir ps:<archives.keyword> where "keyword" (for example, "cpm") is chosen from the preceding list, and the word "directory" and the number "n" are not used. At present, all of these files are stored in ASCII. ADDITIONS, IMPROVEMENTS AND CORRECTIONS Suggestions for additions, improvements and corrections to this message are always welcome. Please send them to INFO-CPM-REQUEST@AMSAA.ARPA. Contributions of public domain software are actively solicited. If you have something that seems appropriate for inclusion in the <CPM> archive, please contact Keith Petersen <W8SDZ@SIMTEL20>. Likewise, contact Richard Conn <ADA-SW-REQUEST@SIMTEL20> if you wish to contribute to the <ADA> archive, and Sue Tabron <TABRON@SIMTEL20> if you have something for the <UNIX> archive. Happy computing! Dave Towson INFO-CPM-REQUEST@AMSAA.ARPA