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Digital Innovations File Transporter Shareware Version 2.1 Copyright (C) 1989-92 by Digital Innovations All rights reserved. Table of Contents ----------------- Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Other Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Command Line Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Technical Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Limited Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Corporate and Quantity Purchases . . . . . . . . . . . 14 1 INTRODUCTION ------------ This is a reliable, easy to use shareware file transfer utility that uses the serial communication adaptors (also known as "serial ports") in your PCs. Use it when you need to get files from one system to another, under circumstances such as: 1) The two systems have dissimilar disk drives (5.25" vs. 3.5", for example) and you can't or don't want to buy and install an additional drive in one of them. 2) The two systems both have 5.25" drives, but one is a high- density "AT" style and the other a low-density "XT" style, and you find that one of them won't read disks written on by the other. 3) You have different versions of DOS on the two systems, and have the same trouble as 2 above. 4) You have more files to transfer from the hard disk in one system to the hard disk in the other system than will fit on one floppy (or files that are too big), and you hate to have to go through a slow backup/restore operation (which will also be derailed by the kinds of problems mentioned in 1, 2 and 3). Worse yet, you have to manually pick groups of files that will fit on one disk using the direct copy method. 5) The other file transfer utilities you've tried are just too expensive, unreliable, cumbersome to use, just plain don't work period, require you to change your system configuration files or install memory-consuming resident programs or device drivers, or all of the above. (All too common, I'm afraid.) 6) The commercial or shareware terminal programs are cumbersome, requiring a lot of technical set-up by the user. (Do you really care about or want to learn the difference between XMODEM and KERMIT protocols, or what "8 bits no parity one stop" means?) 7) You would just like a simple, inexpensive method of getting the files from one system into another with a minimum of fuss and as conveniently as possible. 2 FEATURES -------- The Digital Innovations File Transporter is the solution to all of the above problems, and many others: * Worried that a shareware utility isn't going to do the job as fast as the commercial ones? The Transporter runs as fast as they do; the speed depends on how fast your system can accept data coming to it via the serial port, not the top speed of the serial ports themselves (so don't believe the claims of certain companies saying they are "the fastest with XXX,000 per second"). It also depends on how fast your system can access the disks, and whether you've loaded the system down with memory-resident utilities (such as on-screen clocks, timed hard-disk parkers, timed anti burn-in screen blankers, multitasking programs, etc.) that eat up processor time in the background. The Transporter automatically adjusts its sending rate to accommodate your machines. * Not sure about serial port parameters and how to set them? Forget it, the Transporter sets them up the way it needs them. * You've got more than one port in your machine, but you're not sure which is "COM1", "COM2", "COM3" and "COM4"? Forget it, the Transporter automatically detects which port you've got the cable plugged into. (Just be ABSOLUTELY SURE that you really are plugging it into a serial port. DO NOT accidentally plug a cable from an RS232 serial port on one machine into the printer or monitor port of another! Doing so WILL destroy the non-RS232 port! If you're not sure, seek competent technical help.) * Worried about serial cable wiring, control lines, etc? Forget it, you only need 3 wires. If both of your machines use 25 pin connectors, you would need a simple "null modem" cable with female connectors on both ends wired like this: Computer "A" Computer "B" 2---------------3 (25-pin) 3---------------2 (25-pin) 7---------------7 If one of the machines has a 9 pin connector, the cable should be wired like this: Computer "A" Computer "B" 2---------------2 (25-pin) 3---------------3 (9-pin) 7---------------5 3 On the other hand, if they are both 9 pin, then this would be the correct cable wiring: Computer "A" Computer "B" 2---------------3 (9-pin) 3---------------2 (9-pin) 5---------------5 If there are other wires in the cable, that's OK; the Transporter ignores them. If you don't care to wire your own cable, or the cable you have on hand isn't wired correctly or doesn't fit, a quick visit to your local Radio Shack or computer retailer should provide you with the necessary cabling, gender changers, and null modem adaptors that you may need. * You've tried other file transfer utilities that requires one of the machines to be in a "slave mode" and don't like it? The Transporter is a fully symmetrical design; there is no slave mode to worry about. The same program runs on both machines, and they behave identically. * The other file transfer utilities you've tried take up too much space on your laptop's hard disk or RAM disk? The Transporter is written entirely in Assembler, for speed and disk space efficiency. Compare the Transporter to others with a similar feature set. * You say you don't care for utilities with complicated setup requirements, confusing operator screens, that throw a lot of technical jargon at you, or leaves you out in left field wondering what to do next? We put a lot of thought into making the Transporter easy to use, and think you'll be pleased. 4 OPERATION --------- To start up the Transporter, type XPORT on both machines. The first screen that will appear is an advisory, letting you know that XPORT is waiting for a response from the other system. Assuming that you have properly installed a serial cable, and that your serial ports are in working order, the first advisory should be quickly followed by another that says "Testing serial link". The testing process may take several seconds depending on the speed of the slowest machine of the pair. If the Transporter doesn't establish the link within several seconds, you may have a problem with the cable, or the serial ports. If one machine says "Waiting...", and the other is cycling between "Testing..." and "Waiting...", then the one that is stuck on "Waiting..." has a problem - it isn't properly receiving data from the other system. Check the cable, and if that seems to be OK, switch to a lower speed. (See Command Line Options, below). If that doesn't help, check your port configuration (particularly the interrupt line being used by that port, see Technical Points, below), or try another port. If there is a modem present in one of the systems, XPORT may become confused if it is scanning all ports while trying to establish the link, due to the modem echoing the link handshake codes. This would be evidenced by both systems being stuck in "Waiting..." or the one with the modem being stuck in "Testing...". In this case, you must use the /Px command line option, to force XPORT to use the particular port that the cable is plugged into, on the machine equipped with the modem (see Command Line Options). Once the testing process is completed, you are presented with the main menu, offering you the choice of transferring files either to the remote system or from it. The "remote system" is the one you're not sitting in front of. If you are going to be sending files to the remote system, hit ENTER. You will then be asked to verify the destination path for the files, that is, where on the remote system the files will end up. The Transporter displays the current drive and path setting of the remote system, and offers you the choice of changing drives via F9, changing directories via F10, or acceptance of the current path via ENTER. Throughout the program, F9 is used to change drives, and F10 to change directories. If you selected "From remote system" at the main menu, you will be asked to verify/choose the destination path on the local system (the one you are typing on). Change the drive and/or directory to the path you want the files to appear in by following the screen prompts. If the desired subdirectory doesn't exist on the destination drive, you may create the subdirectory by pressing F5 while in the directory selection mode, and entering the subdirectory name. The directory selection screen will then include the newly-created subdirectory, which you may then select if you desire to transfer your files there. If you changed the destination drive or directory, you will again be presented with the destination path verification screen. 5 When you have the machine pointing to the right place, then, hit ENTER. You will then be in file listing mode, showing the contents of the current directory of the source machine. Note that whenever you are working with the remote machine - during destination selection when going TO the remote system, or file selection when coming FROM the remote system - the (REMOTE) indicator is provided in the upper right hand corner of the screen as a reminder. Caution: some on-screen clocks use this area to display the time and can mask the (REMOTE) indicator, leading to confusion. Select the files that you want to transfer by moving the cursor to each file individually and pressing the SPACE bar. The tagged file's name will change to inverse video (yellow characters with black background on a color system), and the cursor will automatically move down to the next file. Pressing the SPACE bar on a file that has already been selected will untag it. If you would like to transfer all of the files in the current directory, press F1. Pressing F2 cancels all selections. Press F9 or F10 to change drives or subdirectories as needed. Only files in the current subdirectory can be chosen for transfer; if the drive or subdirectory is changed, all selections are cancelled. After selecting the files to be transferred, press ENTER. If you selected more than one file, you will be asked "Pause before overwriting existing files?". Press 'Y' if you would like the Transporter to pause and warn you about the duplicate file (thereby giving you the option of either skipping that file or overwriting the existing one), or 'N' if you would like the program to go ahead and replace all existing files. The Transporter will then proceed to send the files from the source system to the destination. If there is insufficient space at the destination for the file being transferred, the Transporter will notify you and give you the option of skipping that file and going on to the next file tagged for transfer by pressing ENTER, or aborting the entire transfer session by pressing ESC. If a file to be overwritten at the destination is marked read-only, DOS will not allow the overwrite, and XPORT will again give you the option of either aborting the transfer session, or skipping that file. Pressing ESC on either system during transfers aborts the transfer procedure and takes you back to the main menu, as does pressing ESC at the directory and subdirectory selection screens. After the transfer process is completed, both systems return to the file listing mode, displaying the contents of their respective current directories. You may then select more files for transfer, or press ESC to return to the main menu. Pressing ESC, then 'Y' at the main menu will return you to DOS. 6 OTHER FUNCTIONS --------------- Printing files: To print files from one system to the other system's printer, simply press F7 at the destination selection screen. You are given the option of choosing between LPT1, LPT2 or LPT3. Be sure that the file that you intend to print is a straight 'ASCII' text file, with no embedded control codes other than PRINTER controls. (Many word processing programs record document data using their own format and internal control codes - these files cannot be sent to the printer directly.) Be sure that your word processor is set to the type of printer that the file will be routed to, and 'print' the document to a temporary file on the local disk. Then, use the Transporter to transfer THAT file to the remote printer. If your word processor doesn't have a "print to file" facility, or it doesn't record needed printer control codes when it prints to a file, ask your local PC guru or users group to provide you with a printer interceptor program that will capture printer data to a disk file. If you change your mind about routing the file to the printer, just press F9 or F10 to change to a drive and/or directory. The remaining two "Other" functions in the file listing mode, 'E' and 'N', allows you change the sorting of the files listing by either name or extension. All of the functions are always enabled regardless of whether the "Other" functions are displayed at the bottom of the screen; the 'O' option is there simply to serve as a reminder, more than anything else. The following functions are available only on the registered version of XPORT.EXE: Viewing files (registered version only): Pressing 'V' during file listing mode will display the contents of the selected file on the screen. At that point, the valid keys are Page Down, Page Up, Home, End and ESC. Pressing ESC takes you back to the file listing display. Directory Replication (registered version only): Pressing F6 while in the file listing mode will invoke the directory replication feature. This will copy all files in the current subdirectory from the source system, to the current subdirectory of the destination, and copy each subdirectory under the current subdirectory, and all files contained within them. The maximum number of subdirectory levels that XPORT can handle starting from the current subdirectory is 16. To replicate an entire disk, the source must be set to the root directory. For partial subdirectory tree replication, the desired subdirectory on the destination drive must be created first, and then selected as the transfer destination. 7 When F6 is pressed, a window will pop up showing the current source and destination paths, as a final check of proper source and destination settings. If the displayed destination setting is not correct, pressing ESC twice will take you back to the main menu, where you can then change destination. While the files are being transferred, a window is displayed showing the current directory being replicated. File specification override (registered version only): Pressing F3 during file listing mode will allow the user to manually enter a file specification mask, which can include the wildcard characters '?' and '*'. The file listing will then include only those filenames that match the mask. If no matching files are found, a message is displayed to that effect. The default mask is '*.*', to include all files in the listing. Pressing ENTER on the blank field during filespec entry mode defaults to '*.*'. By the way, if you would like to hear the machines talking to each other, I have included a sound toggle function. This is activated by pressing F8 at the main menu. I originally installed it as a diagnostic aid during development, but thought I would leave it in for those of you that may like that feature. Nothing may be heard on high-speed machines, however, due to the fact that the pitch is so high that the speaker cannot handle it. 8 COMMAND LINE OPTIONS -------------------- There are two command line options that you can use when starting up XPORT: the /Sx option, to specify a slower Speed, and the /Px option, to force XPORT to use a particular Port. XPORT defaults to 115.2 Kilobaud when setting the speed of the serial port in the absence of the /Sx option. The number 'x' equates to the following speeds: 1 - 115.2 Kb 2 - 57.6 Kb 3 - 38.4 Kb 4 - 28.8 Kb 5 - 19.2 Kb 6 - 9600 Baud 7 - 4800 Baud 8 - 2400 Baud 9 - 1200 Baud Please note that operation at the lower speeds, such as 1200 or 2400 baud, is very slow, comparable to a typical file transfer via modem. If it is desired, however, XPORT can be used as an external protocol for your favorite modem-communications program, if it provides a way to temporarily exit to DOS. Also, your communications program must not interfere with the port while in the background, as you are running another program in DOS. One program that I am familiar with that allows this is Procomm Version 2.42. Simply use Procomm's DOS Gateway function, by pressing ALT- F4, after establishing your connection with the modem. Then, run XPORT with the appropriate command line Speed option (/S9 if you are using a 1200 baud modem, /S8 if it's 2400). If the party at the other end of the connection does the same thing, XPORT will establish its link through the modem. The "/Px" command line option is used to tell XPORT to use the port specified by the number you provide in place of 'x'. For example, /P1 would tell XPORT to use COM1, and ignore any others in the system. The default in the absence of the /Px option is to scan each port in turn looking for the link handshake codes to come across on one of them from the other system. Example DOS command line invocations for XPORT: C:\>XPORT ....Run XPORT with the defaults of 115.2 Kb speed, and scan all ports. C:\>XPORT /S2/P3 ....Force XPORT to use COM3, at 57.6 Kb. C:\>XPORT /P1 /S8 ....Force XPORT to use COM1, at 2400 baud. The order of the /Sx and /Px options is not important. If the value provided for the /S option is not one of the numbers 1 through 9, it will be ignored. If the value provided for the /P option is not one of the numbers 1 through 4, it will be ignored. 9 TECHNICAL POINTS ---------------- You will note that there are no facilities provided for deleting files and directories - and that's the way I like it. If you insist on messing up your disk, you'll have to do it with some other program. The Transporter only creates files and directories, and there is just one instance where a file can be overwritten - when you explicitly tell it to do so in the course of a transfer. XPORT uses "high-level" DOS function calls (via INT 21H) using the file handle method to perform accesses to the disks - NO "direct", "BIOS" or "low-level" disk access is EVER attempted, even when just reading the directories. Going through DOS for ALL disk operations makes XPORT independent of DOS versions, and makes it compatible with Local Area Networks, as well. XPORT supports COM1 through COM4, with addresses set as follows: COM1 = 03F8, COM2 = 02F8, COM3 = 03E8, COM4 = 02E8. Also, interrupt line assignments are of prime importance when using more than two ports in a PC; there are only two interrupt lines available for handling serial communications: IRQ3 and IRQ4. The convention in the PC industry thus far has been to use IRQ4 for COM1 AND COM3, while IRQ3 is used for COM2 AND COM4. This is the way XPORT is set up. Keep in mind that the potential for conflict between a COM2 and a COM4 in the same system, both using IRQ3 is ever present (and likewise for IRQ4 and COM1/COM3); generally speaking, if one is in use, the other MUST be disabled. In other words, if you are using XPORT on COM3, be sure that there is no way COM1 can attempt to generate an interrupt, and vice versa. Some brands of serial adaptors can be configured to use interrupt lines IRQ2 or IRQ5. This capability may have caused more problems than it has solved, since the person installing such boards to use those lines must be aware of what IRQ2 and IRQ5 may already be used for in the particular machine that the card is being installed in. Generally speaking, IRQ2 is either not used, or typically used by a mouse in XT-class machines, while in AT- class machines, it is redirected to IRQ9, with the output from the second (slave) interrupt controller chip driving IRQ2 on the motherboard. IRQ5, on the other hand, may be unused on AT-class machines, or it may be used for a mouse or printer port (although rarely). In XT's, IRQ5 is reserved for the hard disk controller. The Transporter does not and cannot be made to support serial port operation with either IRQ2 or IRQ5. Contact your local PC guru or users group if you need help in verifying the proper assignment of addresses and interrupt lines for each serial port. When you exit the Transporter, it leaves the serial ports (and everything else) in the same state as before it was started (except for the screen, of course). Speaking of the screens, it was found that the screen handling routines provided by the BIOS were just too slow in some cases to be tolerable; I therefore chose to perform direct screen access. This could pose a problem for users of multitasking programs, preventing XPORT from being operated in the background. The problem is that the screens will 'bleed through' to the foreground. So, if that happens, don't say you weren't warned. 10 Many users have asked whether XPORT performs any kind of error checking. It most certainly does. In fact, it uses several methods to ensure data integrity. Among them are testing during initial link establishment, automatic character pacing adjustments, packet format and length verification, and 16-bit CRC in addition to the usual hardware error status flags provided by the serial port itself. XPORT has been operated, with varying degrees of success, under popular multitasking programs and operating systems. However, problems may be encountered when running XPORT at top speed (115.2 Kb) in such environments, due to the way such programs operate. The cure is to reduce the serial port speed, using the /Sx command line option discussed above. However, if the port is using the NS16550 UART, XPORT will automatically detect this and enable the 16550 internal FIFO buffers, alleviating the problem. The problem encountered, typically, has been lock-up of the system, either during XPORT startup or exit, resulting in no apparent response to keyboard entries, thus requiring a reboot. Some multitasking programs require careful consideration being given to ANY communication program, typically requiring them to be set to a "non-swappable" status and a "foreground-operation-only" status, among others. Refer to your particular program's operator's manual, especially any discussion regarding running communication programs in general. If your program requires you to specify the amount of memory to be allocated to a particular program, it is suggested that you allocate at least 100K to XPORT. In any case, since XPORT is designed to be used in a single- user non-multitasking system, no guarantee whatsoever is provided that it will operate in a manner acceptable to the user or that system malfunctions will not occur when used in a multitasking environment. See limited warranty, below. Users of XPORT versions 1.3b (shareware) or 2.3d (registered) or older should upgrade using the older version to transfer the newer one to the remote system; the screen data transfer protocol has been changed to accommodate having color on one system and mono on the other, and one of the error detection methods has been changed from using checksum to CRC. Therefore, shareware version 2.1 and registered version 3.1 are incompatible with the older versions. If XPORT aborts a transfer attempt, and displays the 'ABORTING DUE TO DISK ERROR' window, please note the circumstances under which this occurs, and report it. Unless it is something fairly obvious, such as no disk in the floppy drive, and the like, this could be an indication of a problem with your disk, or with your system configuration, or some other cause. This message is displayed only when DOS itself reports having some kind of problem with a disk access. In this case, is recommended that you discontinue using XPORT until the problem is resolved. 11 LIMITED WARRANTY ---------------- The program XPORT.EXE is warranted to perform in substantial accordance with the description outlined in this document, when operated on an IBM Personal Computer or close compatible system running under DOS Version 2.1 or greater. No guarantee is provided that this program will operate as intended or expected by the user under all circumstances, combinations of hardware, or operating environments. No warranty, express or implied, of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose is provided. This program is provided "AS IS" and user assumes all risk as to the quality or suitability of this program for whatever purposes contemplated. IN NO EVENT WILL DIGITAL INNOVATIONS OR KEN LOGSDON BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES, WHETHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, INCLUDING ANY LOST SAVINGS, LOST PROFITS, LOST DATA, OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PROGRAM, EVEN IF THE DEALER OR DIGITAL INNOVATIONS HAD BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH LIABILITY OR OTHER CLAIMS. Digital Innovations offers support and assistance to registered users only, and its sole liability shall be limited to a refund of the purchase price. BY USING THIS PROGRAM, USER AGREES TO THE ABOVE. Every effort has been made to ensure that this program will operate reliably when executed on an "IBM-compatible" personal computer running under DOS version 2.1 and later. Your particular brand of computer and/or DOS version may not be as well behaved; the only way that I can discover that is by way of user reports to that effect. As of the date of this release, XPORT has been used successfully on systems too numerous to list here, literally hundreds of different combinations. If your particular system doesn't appear to work with XPORT, or you encounter any problems at all, please report them in writing to the address provided below. 12 LICENSE ------- As with all shareware utilities, this program is being distributed under the 'try before you buy' shareware concept; this is not free software, nor is it 'public domain'. It is and shall remain the sole copyrighted property of Ken Logsdon and Digital Innovations. You are hereby granted a limited license to evaluate the software, make as many copies as you wish, and distribute such copies to anyone, as long as this document and the program are not modified in any way. You are not authorized to use this program on an ongoing basis without registering. Site licensing terms are available, as well as quantity discount arrangements. Please see below, and call or write for further information. Many long hours over several months has been spent to develop this utility, (which is written entirely in Assembler) and it was done for one reason: to help support my family. I'm hoping that most users will feel that this program is worth the $24.95 that I am asking. If you find yourself using it on a regular basis, I would assume that you like it better than the other utilities of the same nature. In any case, I hope that the reminder/registration form presented when you exit XPORT will serve to motivate you to register. If you do, you will receive the latest version of the program (which will include the additional features described above) minus the registration screen at the end. Please be sure to specify the media (5.25" high-density, 5.25" double-density or 3.5" disk) that you would like to receive. If you would like more than one, please add $1.00 for each additional disk to cover the costs of the additional disks, postage and handling. In all cases, please add $2.50 for shipping and handling, plus 6% sales tax if you are a resident of Kentucky. Tax-exempt organizations must include an exemption certificate with the order. 13 CORPORATE and QUANTITY PURCHASES -------------------------------- All corporate, business, government or other commercial users of XPORT.EXE must be registered. Quantity discounts are offered starting at the tenth copy. Purchase orders are accepted in amounts over $100 only. All other orders should be prepaid. Purchases of more than one copy are handled as commercial licensing agreements. Licensing agreements allow duplication and distribution of specific numbers of copies within the licensed institution. Duplication of multiple copies is not allowed except through execution of a licensing agreement, the terms of which are usually made part of the documentation, as portrayed above. Quantity discount schedule as follows: 1-9 copies: No discount 10-49 copies: 5% 50-99 copies: 10% 100-149 copies: 15% 150-199 copies: 20% 200-249 copies: 25% 250-299 copies: 30% 300 and above: call Prices and discount rates are subject to change without notice. Please call or write for a quotation. I would like to thank Dennis Deckmann, Elden DuRand, and Mike Weixler for their unflagging support and assistance towards making this utility the fine product that it is. Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Please call or write to the address provided below, or leave a message on Deckmann's Exchange BBS, (502) 267- 7422, in the D. I. Support Conference area. Thank you for trying out the Transporter. It is my sincere hope that you will enjoy using it. Ken Logsdon Digital Innovations 4003 Northumberland Drive Louisville, KY 40245 (502) 423-9317 14