Talisman BBS - Support Disks/talisman bbs - dox - side 2.D64/parameters left

Text File | 1995-01-01 | 16.2 KB | 338 lines

3.5  Terminal parameters menu

The terminal parameters menu allows you to modify a number of
configuration options for Novaterm.  Most of these options may be
saved in a configuration file (see 3.5.13, Save config file).

3.5.1  Modem type.

Selecting "Modem type" brings up a menu of available modem drivers.
When you select a modem driver, the file is loaded into the computer's
memory, and all modem operations such as dialing, hang-up, and carrier
detection are done through the modem driver.  Each modem driver also
contains a maximum baud rate which may not be exceeded by the program.

3.5.2  Protocols.

In order to transfer a file from one computer to another, the
computers need a system of "talking" to each other and a method of
checking to make sure the file data is transferred accurately.  Such a
system is called a protocol.  Each protocol has its own unique way of
communicating (also called "handshaking") and checking for
transmission errors.

A wide variety of protocols has been developed since the early days of
telecommunication.  The best protocol to use depends on the condition
of the data connection.  (Is data transmitted clean or is there a lot
of line noise?  Is there a significant delay between the time one side
sends data and the other side receives it?)  Novaterm supports several
protocols, which are described below:

Xmodem:  This protocol is a perennial favorite.  Xmodem sends file
data in blocks of 128 bytes and uses either an addition checksum or a
CRC (cyclic redundancy) checksum, depending on how the remote computer
initiates the transfer.  When downloading data, Novaterm's Xmodem
first tries to use the CRC checksum, but defaults to the addition
checksum if the remote does not support CRC.  Xmodem (as well as
Xmodem-1K and Ymodem batch) "pads" the final block with the ctrl-Z
character if the file being transferred does not end in exactly 128
bytes.

Xmodem-1K:  This is identical to Xmodem except that it sends data in
blocks of 1024 bytes.

Ymodem batch:  This protocol is similar to Xmodem-1K, but it may be
used to send a number of files in one transfer.

Kermit:  This is a protocol used primarily on mainframe systems.  It
is designed to allow file transfers to take place in environments
which cause problems for a protocol like Xmodem.  It is slow and
inefficient compared to the others supported by Novaterm, but if you
are using a mainframe system, Kermit may be the only protocol you can
use.

Punter:  This protocol was designed specifically for use on Commodore
computers, although it is now supported on others.  It sends data in
variable block sizes, so that there is no padding at the end of the
transfer (the file is sent without any extraneous data).  You may also
vary the block size manually (see section 3.5.20, Protocol block
size).  This is useful on connections which have a lot of line noise;
a smaller block size may reduce the number of blocks which must be
re-sent.

Multi-Punter:  This is a variation of Punter which allows a number of
files to be sent in one transfer.  This protocol is usually found only
on Commodore bulletin boards.

See section 3.8 for more information about how to transfer files using
Novaterm.

3.5.3  Terminal emulators.

Novaterm has the ability to display incoming information in the same
way as various types of "dumb" terminals.  For most of these dumb
terminals, a system of control codes is used to perform certain
operations on the video display.  These codes include cursor movement
and positioning, screen clearing, and the like.  Some systems may even
draw in high-resolution graphics with the use of control codes.  There
are a number of control code standards that are in wide use.  Those
supported by Novaterm are listed below.

"standard":  The standard terminal is the simplest.  It displays what
it receives and sends what you type.  Only characters such as carriage
returns and form feeds (screen clear) are processed differently.  This
terminal type is suitable for many BBS's.  The standard terminal may
be used in either 40 or 80 columns.

Pressing C= Q will turn the standard terminal into a conference chat
mode.  Everything you type is now stored in a line buffer at the top
of the screen instead of being sent to the modem.  When you press
return, the entire line is sent all at once, including a carriage
return at the end.  Received data is displayed normally.  Any control
characters that you type are immediately sent to the modem rather than
stored in the line buffer.  Pressing C= Q again returns the terminal
to standard mode.  This module may be used in either 40 or 80 columns.

"VT102":  The VT102 terminal, designed by Digital Equipment
Corporation (DEC), is widely used in mainframe communications.
Novaterm supports all of the functions of the VT102 terminal with the
following exceptions, which were left out for memory considerations or
other infeasibilities:

Double height, double width, test pattern generation, 132 column mode,
smooth scrolling, interlace mode, ANSI/VT52 toggle, self-tests.

In order to use VT102, you must also load "asc.ANSI/VT" and
"font80.VT102/52".  These other two modules are necessary to provide
the correct ASCII translation and graphics characters to get the full
effect of the emulation.  If you haven't loaded these modules, you may
notice problems such as text being reprinted over itself on the same
line or streams of the same letter that are supposed to be graphics
characters.  These modules may be loaded quickly by executing the
included script file "vt102.sc".

In VT102 mode, function keys F1 through F4 have been redefined to send
the control codes which represent the PF1 through PF4 keys on a
standard DEC terminal.  The rest of the macro keys perform normally,
but macro key definitions for F1 through F4 are inaccessible.

VT102 may only be used in 80 column mode.  This means that pressing
C= C in terminal mode will have no effect.

"VT52":  VT52 is a more primitive type of emulation also developed by
DEC.  Most mainframes still support VT52.  Like VT102, VT52 may only
be used in 80 columns.

You must also load "asc.ANSI/VT" and "font80.VT102/52" for VT52 mode.

"ANSI":  ANSI is an altered version of VT102 which is used on many IBM
bulletin boards.  It is geared more toward the display of color and
graphics.  Novaterm's ANSI emulation provides this ANSI graphics and
color capability.  ANSI is restricted to 80 columns as well.

For 80 column ANSI, you must load "asc.ANSI/VT" and "font80.ANSI".
These modules may be loaded quickly by executing the script file
"ansi.sc".  The ASCII translation for 80 column ANSI is identical to
that used for VT52 and VT102, so the same modules are used for both.
If you are going to view graphics screens in 80 column color ANSI, it
is recommended that you use the default border and background colors
of dark gray (not black) so that graphics screens will appear as they
should, with a dark background rather than the light gray background.
Otherwise, light gray provides the best background for reading most
colors easily.

3.5.4  ASCII translation tables.

Since Commodore decided to come up with a standard for encoding
characters that was different from other computers, most communication
with other computers requires that incoming and outgoing data be
translated to standard ASCII values.  The main difference between
Commodore's character encoding (called PETSCII) and standard ASCII is
that the numeric values for the uppercase characters and the lowercase
characters are reversed.  Without any translation, if someone on an
IBM sent a lowercase letter "a", it would show up as a capital "A" on
a Commodore.

This ASCII anomaly must be taken care of using ASCII translation
tables.  The easiest way to explain a translation table is to describe
what happens when it is used.  For example, say that Novaterm wants to
send the string "hello" to the modem, changing it to standard ASCII
before it is sent.  It first takes the "h" and looks up its location
in the transmit table.  The PETSCII value for "h" happens to be 72.
In the transmit table, Novaterm looks at position 72 and finds the
value 104, which is the standard ASCII value for "h".  It is this byte
value of 104 which is actually sent to the modem.  Each character of
the string is sent in succession using the same translation process.

Translation of incoming bytes is done in the same way.  If Novaterm
receives, say, a byte with a value of 122, it would look up position
122 in the receive table and find the value 90, which is a lowercase
"z".  The character with a value of 90 ("z") rather than 122 would
actually be printed on the screen.

Note that there is a difference between the transmit table and the
receive table.  One is used to translate outgoing data, and the other
is used to translate incoming data.  Many of the translations are the
same, but using two separate tables allows you to "filter out"
undesired characters by changing their translation in the receive
table.

The program module "nova.ASCII edit" is a translation table editor.
You may want to change other characters, such as altering incoming
foreign graphics characters to match up with a font you have already
created (this is what was done for ANSI graphics).  See section 3.4.2
for more information about the ASCII table editor.

3.5.5  Fonts.

Loading a different font will change the way characters are displayed
on the screen.  The appearance of each character (letters, numbers,
and graphics) may be altered by using the font editor program (see
section 3.4.4).  Fonts are useful for supporting different graphics
characters, or for simply reading text in a more elegant form.

3.5.6  80 column fonts.

These fonts change the way characters appear in 80 column mode.  These
may also be edited using the font editor program.  Several 80 column
fonts are included with Novaterm in order to support the different
graphics characters that are used on an IBM (for ANSI terminal mode)
and the DEC terminals (VT52 and VT102).  See section 3.5.3 for more
information on how these fonts are used in conjuction with the
terminal emulators.

3.5.7  Device settings.

In addition to the current disk device, Novaterm allows you to specify
what disk drive to use for various operations.  The device settings
menu is available on the disk functions menu and buffer menu as well.

To set the disk device number of one of the first four options on the
menu, enter the device number, followed by a comma, followed by the
drive number.  The drive number (distinct from the device number) is
used when you have a single disk device containing two or more drives.
Some disk drives like this include the old Commodore dual drives
(4040, 8050, etc.) and the MSD-II.  The drive number is 0 for the
drive on the left of a dual drive system or a 1 for the drive on the
right.  Some hard drives made for the Commodore also use the drive
number to specify multiple partitions.  The highest drive number that
may be specified in Novaterm is 19.  If you are using only single disk
drives, the drive number should always be 0; otherwise, you will get
"drive not ready" errors.

Program device:  This is the drive used when Novaterm looks for module
files.  This should also be the disk from which the program was
originally loaded.

Upload device:  This is the drive used when a file is uploaded.

Download device:  This is the device to which files are downloaded.

Buffer device:  This device is used to load or save files to disk from
the buffer.  The automatic buffer dump also uses this device.

Novaterm accepts values between 8 and 15 for disk device numbers.
When you enter a device number for any of the above options, Novaterm
checks to see if that device is actually connected.  If it is not, the
device number is not changed.

If you have a RAM expander connected, the device number of the RAMdisk
is displayed below the menu.  You cannot change this number, but it is
displayed so that you may change any of the disk device numbers to the
RAM expander.

Printer device:  This device number is usually a 4.  If two printers
are connected, this may also be a 5.  Values between 4 and 7 are valid
here.  The second number is the secondary address of the printer.
Most serial printers require a secondary address of 7.  If you have
problems getting your printouts to look right, check your printer
manual to see what secondary address is recommended.

3.5.8  Function keys.

There are 16 function keys available.  F1 through F8 are accessed as
shown on the keyboard.  F9 through F12 are accessed by pressing CTRL
with the function keys, and F13 through F16 are accessed by pressing
the Commodore logo key with the function keys.  The F1 key is reserved
for BBS password definitions, and does not appear on this menu (see
3.2.1, Autodial commands).  These function keys are effective only in
terminal mode.

At the function key menu, either type the number of the function key
to edit or press the function key itself.  Then type in a string.
Every time you press that function key in terminal mode, the string
you have defined will be sent to the modem.

Control keys may be imbedded within a function key string by including
a caret symbol ^ followed by the control key letter.  For example, to
include the control-B in the string "HELLO [ctrl-B]THERE", you would
type "HELLO ^BTHERE".  A carriage return (which is control-M) could be
placed at the end of a string by entering "HI THERE^M".

A 1/2 second pause in a string is represented by a control-P.  For
example, to define a function key to send two strings delimited by
carraige returns with a full second pause in between, the string might
look like: "SEND ME^M^P^PTO THE MOON^M".  Pressing the function key
containing this string will display "SEND ME" with a return, wait one
second, and display "TO THE MOON" followed by another return.

3.5.9  Baud rate timers.

When the computer sends a byte of data, it first sends a starting bit
to let the other computer know a byte is on its way.  A certain amount
of time (on the order of milliseconds) is taken to send this bit.
Likewise, each bit of of the actual byte of data takes a certain
amount of time to be sent as well.  The start-bit time is a little
longer than the full-bit time.

The baud rate timers menu allows you to modify these start-bit and
full-bit times.  This allows you to "fine tune" the transmission
performance of your computer, since Commodores may vary slightly in
the way they measure these times.  If you already have error-free
communication (barring line noise) with the default values, these need
not be changed.  However, if you are experiencing a small amount of
"garbage" every time you use your modem which you know is not due to
phone line noise, you should adjust these values to try clearing up
transmission.  This is not a very common problem, and it seldom
happens at 300 or 1200 baud.  It does occasionally cause problems at
2400 baud, but not very often.

If you do need to adjust these values to improve performance, you
should change them in increments of only two or three at a time. Small
changes may significantly affect transmission performance.

NOTE:  If the SwiftLink(tm) cartridge is present, start-bit and
full-bit times do not apply.

3.5.10  Screen colors.  See section 2.3.6.

3.5.11  80 column colors.

Selecting "80 column color" presents you with a menu for changing
text, background, and border colors.  These are the colors that are
used in 80 column mode.  Choose the desired color combination the same
way you did for the normal screen display above.  When you are
finished, select "Quit" to return to the terminal setup menu.  The
screen changes back to its normal colors.  In terminal mode, you must
press C= Y in order to change the colors to the defaults you have set.

3.5.12  Load config file.

Loading the configuration file resets Novaterm to the options you
selected before last saving the file.  If you have changed several of
the configuration options, this is a quick way to restore the
defaults.

3.5.13  Save config file.

When you save the configuration file, the following information is
stored:

Modem type, terminal emulator, protocol, ASCII table, normal font, 80
column font, baud rate timers, function key definitions, device
settings, screen colors, 80 column colors, baud rate, modem
initialization string, dial method, redial delay, XON and XOFF
characters, flow control tolerance, communication parameters,
SwiftLink setting, phone book file, 80 column scroll adjust.