ProfitPress Mega CDROM2 Shareware Freeware (MSDOS)(1992)(Eng)

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Text File | 1990-08-05 | 21.9 KB | 561 lines

& Introduction UNICOM is a data communications application specifically designed for users of the Microsoft Windows operating environment versions 2 and 3. UNICOM will perform all data communication tasks in the background while other applications are running. You may switch to another Windows application at any time. UNICOM Release 2.0 includes the following features: Built-in file transfer protocols that include XMODEM Checksum, XMODEM CRC, XMODEM 1K (old YMODEM), YMODEM G, YMODEM Batch, ZMODEM, ZMODEM Resume, Kermit, CompuServe B, Quick B and ASCII. Color ANSI-BBS, VT52 and TTY Terminal Emulation supporting user selectable terminal fonts that span ANSI and OEM character sets. A 250 line Scrollback Buffer is easily operated with the use of a vertical scroll bar. A user configurable Utility Menu allows instant access to your favorite Windows or Dos applications. A new Script Language supports more than 35 commands with a Trace Mode for debugging. A Script Scheduler allows pre-programmed execution of up to eight script files each at specific days and times. Directory assisted batch dialing and redialing is supported for users with Hayes compatible modems. An Online Help System allows instant access to general help and script command topics. The user manual is also available for direct reference from the online help. A unique journaling feature lets you record mouse and keyboard operations for later playback. UNICOM's Chat Mode makes keyboard communication simple. Two separate windows appear. Type your message in one window and view received characters in another. User definable Hot Keys can allow any UNICOM menu selection to be assigned to a function key for one button access to UNICOM program options. Keyboard macros, File logging, Printer Logging, File Paste and Print Screen. UNICOM provides some unique features that support the Windows environment. You can: Transfer the contents of a Clipboard from one computer directly into the Clipboard of another. This provides you with the ability to transfer many types of Windows-unique data formats between computers. Some of these formats include: Excel Spreadsheets (SYLK, DIF), Bitmap Images (from Paint), Metafile Pictures (from Designer), Text (from Notepad) and any format that can be placed on the Clipboard. Operate your computer in a multi-user mode with UNICOM's host mode. A built-in command processor allows a validated remote user to examine or transfer files on a designated disk drive. This operation is transparent to any user who may be at the keyboard directly operating other Window applications. Operate multiple program instances. Advanced users with the appropriate hardware configuration may initiate simultaneous background file transfers with multiple remote systems. Send a Screen Snapshot directly to the Clipboard. & Hardware and Software Requirements UNICOM requires Microsoft Windows version two or three to be installed and properly configured on your computer. Before installing UNICOM on your computer check the following: 1) If a BUS mouse is installed in your computer, make sure the mouse interrupt level does not conflict with interrupts reserved for serial port operation. The BUS mouse interrupt is set via a jumper on the interface board. Consult your mouse installation manual. 2) Your serial port(s) (COM1 and COM2) or (COM3 and COM4) should be set for interrupt operation using IRQ4 and IRQ3 respectively. The interrupt levels are typically selected via jumpers located on your serial interface board or on the motherboard. Consult your computer reference manual. 3) Microsoft Windows version 2 may contain a BUG in the communication port driver. If your version of Windows is dated before April 1989, you should update to Windows 3 or obtain a replacement communication port driver (named COMM.DRV) from Microsoft and reinstall Windows 2 using this replacement file. 4) A Hayes compatible modem must be present to support UNICOM's directory assisted dialing and call hang-up features. The modem dip switch settings should be set to the manufacturers DEFAULT positions. The modem must be configured to return VERBOSE responses. Also, please note that certain operations such as Clipboard to Clipboard transfers require enough temporary memory and disk storage to hold the data being transferred. This storage is released after the transfer operation is completed. & Installing UNICOM The UNICOM 2.0 distribution disk should contain the following files: File Description UNICOM.EXE - The UNICOM executable program. UCLIB.EXE - UNICOM Runtime Support library. UNICOM.DIR - A sample dialing directory. UNICOM.KEY - A sample keyboard macro file UNICOM.CFG - A default program configuration file. UNICOM.WRI - UNICOM online manual. UNICOM.HLP - Online Help Text File. UCSCRIPT.HLP - Script Online Help Text File. UC-READ.ME - UNICOM release notes. CMPUSRV.SCR - An example UNICOM login script file To install UNICOM, 1) UNICOM requires that Microsoft Windows 2.x or 3.x be installed and working on your computer. If you are upgrading from a previous version of UNICOM, do not mix your old UNICOM.CFG with that of a new UNICOM release. UNICOM configuration files are not compatible across releases. 2) Insert the distribution disk in your floppy disk drive. 3) Copy the files to any directory on the destination drive where you wish to store UNICOM. You will need to remember this directory path and enter it into the UNICOM file path window from within the program setup menu. The support file: UCLIB.EXE must be placed in a directory listed in your search path as defined by your MS-DOS PATH environment variable. This PATH environment variable is set in the MS-DOS AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Consult your DOS operating manual for more information about the DOS PATH environment variable. 4) Before running UNICOM, it is a good idea to check the items listed in the previous Hardware and Software Requirements section. 5) Activate UNICOM and enter your license number by pressing the ENTER LICENSE NO. button that appears on an opening start-up screen. The license number is printed on your receipt and should be saved for future reference should the program need to be re-installed. Licensing disables the opening startup screens and prevents their return during program operation. Should UNICOM be moved to another computer, or if Windows was reinstalled, it may be necessary to enter the license number again to disable the built-in nagware screens should they reappear. & Running UNICOM UNICOM may be activated from DOS using the following syntax: UNICOM [configfile] By omitting the optional [configfile] parameter, UNICOM will look for a default configuration file named UNICOM.CFG. From DOS, type the command (depending upon your windows version): WIN UNICOM -or- WIN386 UNICOM To activate UNICOM from the Microsoft Executive or File System, doubleclick (using a mouse) on the file: UNICOM.EXE. When invoked without a configuration file parameter, additional UNICOM instances will attempt to access a configuration file named UNICOM2.CFG. If this file cannot be located, the port settings will default to COM2, 1200, N, 8, 1. When UNICOM is activated for the first time, a file path setup window will appear prompting you to enter a UNICOM files, upload and download directory. The files directory should be set to the drive and directory where UNICOM has been installed. The download directory should be set to the drive and directory where files received from data transfers are to be stored. The upload directory should be set to the drive and directory where UNICOM will first look to locate files for upload selection. Enter the pathnames into the edit fields within the dialog box. Paths defined here are valid only for the current UNICOM session. To make the paths permanent, activate the SAVE SETUP option from within the SETUP menu. Paths are stored in your Windows WIN.INI file. An error message will be displayed if any of the path fields contain an invalid directory or if UNICOM could not locate its executable files in the directory specified in the FILES DIRECTORY field. At the start of each program run, the configuration file 'UNICOM.CFG' is accessed (from the file path set previously) to determine what communication port will be used and other operating parameters. If UNICOM cannot locate this file, the port will default to COM2, 1200 baud, No Parity, 8 data bits and 1 stop bit. Should a communication port fail to open, UNICOM will display a message box to indicate the failure. The port configuration dialog window will be displayed automatically. A valid communication port should be selected. When a communication port is successfully opened, UNICOM will try to initialize the Hayes compatible modem if the port was configured for a modem connection. Should the message "Modem Not Responding" appear, this means UNICOM could not get the modem's attention. Make sure the communicatons port and modem are configured properly. Ensure that the modem is set to return VERBOSE responses. & How to Obtain Additional Help Technical support is available only for registered users of this product. If you are registered and have difficulty using UNICOM or have a general question, please contact David Gan at Data Graphics. He can be reached via CompuServe EASYPLEX Email at 71631,464 -or- phone (206) 932-8871 during Technical Support hours between 6p.m. and 10p.m. Pacific time Monday-Thursday. & HOW TO REGISTER THIS COPY OF UNICOM Registration of this product will allow you to enable restricted features and disable the built-in 'nagware'. UNICOM can be ordered : By Mail: Please send the enclosed order form with payment to: Data Graphics P.O. Box 46354 Seattle, WA 98146 By Phone: Call (206) 932-8871 between 9am and 9p.m. Pacific time if you wish to use your VISA or MasterCard. A license number will be issued to you over the phone. By Email: Credit card orders can be accepted via CompuServe EASYPLEX electronic mail. Send your electronic mail order to: 71631,464 and your license number will be sent to you via return email. & HELP!: Solving Communication Errors -------------------------------------------------------------- UNICOM and Error Reporting -------------------------------------------------------------- UNICOM uses the Microsoft Communication port driver built into Windows to communicate to the outside world. Communication errors are detected by the Windows port driver. UNICOM reports errors in the form of PORT STATE messages anytime the driver encounters an error. Unlike many other communication programs, UNICOM is not in low level control of your hardware. When an error occurs in communication, it is detected by the driver then reported by UNICOM. In other words, to correct communication errors, the solution must be to the satisfaction of the Microsoft Port driver built into Windows. It is through UNICOM by which you instruct how communication is to be set. If UNICOM complains, it does so on behalf of the Microsoft driver. ------------------------------------------------------------- Identifying Communication Errors ------------------------------------------------------------- The first step in solving a communication difficulty is to identify the cause. The three most common causes are listed as follows. 1) A mismatch in port settings may exist between your PC and the remote system that you are connected to. Make sure that UNICOM and the remote system are set to communicate using the same baud rate, parity, stop bits and wordsize. 2) Your PC hardware may be configured improperly and thus preventing proper operation of the port. The hardware settings to be aware of include: * A BUS Mouse Interrupt Level jumper setting (located on the bus mouse interface card) should be set to an interrupt level that does not conflict with an interrupt reserved for your serial port. Consult your mouse installation manual. * Check the interrupt settings for you serial port(s). COM1 (or COM3) should be set for IRQ4. COM2 (or COM4) should be set for IRQ3. Interrupt settings are typically selected via a jumper on your serial card or motherboard. Consult your computer reference manual. 3) Windows 2 (not 3) may contain a bug in the communication port driver provided by Microsoft. A bug exists in Windows 2.0 - 2.1 dated before April 1989. You should obtain a file called COMM.DRV (or COMMDR.ARC ) from Microsoft and re-install Windows using this replacement file. This file should be available on CompuServe in the MS-APP area in library 1 or 2. -------------------------------------------------------------- Solving Communication Errors -------------------------------------------------------------- Correcting problems is often accomplished through a process of elimination. If the problem you are having is cause 1 (above), it cannot be addressed until causes 2 and 3 are checked and corrected (if necessary). At this point it is assumed that you have verified your hardware configuration and have re-installed Windows using the replacement communication driver. If the problem still persists, it is very likely a mismatch in communication settings between your PC and the remote host computer. See 'HELP with CompuServe' for troubleshooting communication difficulties with this service. Setting Communication Parameters Setting communication parameters involves determining the baud, parity, wordsize and the number of stop bits required for the computer you wish to connect with. It then becomes a matter of setting your PC to match the parameters of the remote computer using UNICOM's Comm Port setup option. If you are not sure of the communication parameters required by the remote computer contact the operator of the system or refer to the following table. System Type Typical Settings ----------------------------------------------- Bulletin Boards 8-N-1 TYMNET 7-E-1 TELENET 7-E-1 CompuServe 7-E-1 (and/or 8-N-1) Some network services or data links impose their own communication operating parameters when connecting your PC with a remote host computer. If you are sure of the operating parameters required by the remote host and are still experiencing difficulty, the data link may be the cause. If this is the case, an alternate (or more direct) method of connection may be required. If you have exhausted all the above possibilities and just can't solve the problem, feel free to contact Data Graphics - See 'How to Obtain Additional Help'. & HELP with CompuServe PROBLEM: After dialing into CompuServe, characters appear 'garbled' before and/or after entering my USERID number. ANSWER: CompuServe requires that you be aware of 3 communication settings: 1) The CompuServe access port settings. The Access port prompts you for the system, user id and password. Settings are either 7E1 or 8N1. 2) The CompuServe online TERMINAL settings. After entering your USERID during login at your access port, CompuServe will switch to ONLINE settings. These online settings can be viewed or changed by typing GO TERMINAL from the CompuServe prompt. 3) Your PC Communication Port Settings set by UNICOM using the Comm Port menu selection from the Setup menu. Should your PC Communication settings differ from 1 or 2 above at any time, UNICOM may report a PORT STATE RX-PARITY message and characters received can be lost. When you first call into CompuServe via an access port, your PC communication settings must match those of the access port. There are two types of settings with CompuServe: 8 Data Bits, No Parity and 1 Stop Bit, or 7 Data Bits, EVEN Parity and 1 Stop Bit DO THIS: 1) Determine the Parity and Word Size (or Data Bit Size) settings for the CompuServe access port that you dial into. You may need to contact customer service at 800-848-8990 for this info. 2) Log into CompuServe and change your TERMINAL SETTINGS to match the parity and word size of your dial-in access port. Type GO TERMINAL at the CompuServe ! prompt. Make this setting permanent when asked to make the change for the session only or permanent (for all future sessions). 3) Set UNICOM to match the parity and wordsize for CompuServe in the Dialing Directory using the Change option. & File Transfer Capability A powerful feature of UNICOM is the ability to exchange information between computers. The protocols provided with this software will allow you to transfer files between many different computers. UNICOM performs file transfer tasks in the background, so you may switch to other running applications at any time. & Downloading Files To download a file into your computer, start the download procedure on the remote system and select the DOWNLOAD FILE option from the Control menu. The PgDn key (if not macro defined) or the DOWNLOAD screen button may also be used. UNICOM will then prompt you to select a protocol from window. & Uploading Files To upload a file to the remote system, instruct the remote computer to receive a file from you. Initiate the file upload on your computer by selecting UPLOAD FILE from the transfer menu. A protocol selection window will appear. Select the file(s) to be transferred using the file selection window. & Using Chat Mode UNICOM provides a Chat capability to support keyboard conversations with a person on the other end of a connection. To activate Chat Mode, select Chat Mode from the control menu. UNICOM will split the screen with two listboxes. The top listbox displays characters received from the remote user. The bottom listbox is used to edit messages for transmission to the remote user. Edit the line of text to be transmitted then press ENTER. The edited line will not be transmitted until a carriage return is entered. This allows each line to be edited (or corrected) before transmission. To exit Chat Mode, select the Chat Mode option from the Control Menu. & Resuming an aborted Zmodem transfer UNICOM supports the ZMODEM Crash Recovery feature so aborted transfers may resume at the point of interruption. When ZMODEM Resume is specified by the receiver on the next transfer attempt, the receiver compares the size of the interrupted file to that of the sender. If the sending file is longer, the receiver instructs the sender to resume transmission at the appropriate offset and appends the incoming data to the existing local file. & Manually Dialing from the Keyboard You may command the modem to dial by entering a keyboard command. A typical manual Dial command might be: AT D 555-1212 followed by a Carriage Return & RS-232 Pin Assignments To From Pin Number Description Modem Modem 1 Protective Ground x x 2 Transmitted Data x 3 Received Data x 4 Request-To-Send x 5 Clear-To-Send x 6 Data Set Ready x 7 Signal Ground x x 8 Carrier Detect x 20 Data Terminal Ready x 22 Ring Indicator At a minimum, UNICOM requires pins 1,2,3 and 7 . If you want to use EIA (hardware) handshaking, include pins 4 & 5 To allow UNICOM to hangup using DTR, include pin 20 & Hayes Modem S Registers Register Range Default Definition S0 0-255 Rings 0 Auto answer on Ring S1 0-255 Rings 0 Incoming Ring Count S2 0-127 ASCII 43 Escape Character S3 0-127 ASCII 13 Carriage Return Char S4 0-127 ASCII 10 Linefeed Character S5 0-32,127 ASCII 8 Backspace Character S6 2-225 Secs 2 Wait for Dialtone S7 1-255 Secs 30 Wait for Answer S8 0-255 Secs 2 Pause time for comma S9 1-255 (.10 sec) 6 Carrier detect response time S10 1-255 (.10 sec) 7 Delay between loss of remote carrier and hangup S11 50-255 msec 70 Duration/Spacing of Touch Tones S12 20-255 (1/50sec)50 Escape Guard Time