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Conference hydra::amiga_v1

Title:AMIGA NOTES
Notice:Join us in the *NEW* conference - HYDRA::AMIGA_V2
Moderator:HYDRA::MOORE
Created:Sat Apr 26 1986
Last Modified:Wed Feb 05 1992
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5378
Total number of notes:38326

1800.0. "Upload help revisited" by CAM::ARENDT (DDT - The first and still the best) Thu Oct 20 1988 18:00

Hi I am back,

   I am going to post this in both the amiga an kermit notes file. 
    
    I posted this with my old note back in 1719 but it did not get noticed
    as far as I can tell so I am starting a new note.  Sorry for the
    inconveniance.
    

   This is my upload procedure for both kermit and xmodem.  Both will allow
me to download and neither will upload.  I feel it must be some simple problem
like the VAX never sends the first ACK.  The line has some noise but not a
lot.  I can use the terminal program just fine otherwise.  Any other info you
might need just ask.

Thanks in advance

   Harry Arendt
   dtn : 236-4313
   mail :  CAM::ARENDT




1. Settings amiga side;

   A. Modem
       2400 Baud
       8 data bits
       No Parity

   B. Vt200 emulator
      File type text
      convert on

2. Connection type was a direct dialin to a Decserver 200.  The response looked
   like;

       Decserver 200
       Terminal server v1.0(BL20)LAT V5.11


3. Upon connection I did a the following commands

       > set port flow control none

       > set local switch ^a

       > set forward switch none

4. I did a show port

       > show port

       Character size = 8               Input Speed  2400
       flow control XON                 Output Speed 2400
       Parity None                      Modem Control : enabled

       Access : Local                   Local Switch : ^a
       Backward switch : none           Name : Port7
       Break :  Local                   Session limit 4
       forward switch : none            Type soft

       Prefered service CAM

       Authorized Groups : 0
       (Current) Groups : 0

       Enabled characteristics

       Autobaud,Autoprompt,loss notification,message codes,verification

5. I connect to my node CAM then break and issue the commands

       > set session passall

       > res

6. Before invoking kermit I issue the command;

       $ set term/nobroad/eight/passall/past

7. I then do a show term.

       $ show term

       Terminal: _VTA537:    Device_Type: VT200_Series  Owner: DDT
       Physical terminal: _LTA537:                   Username: ARENDT
       LAT Server/Port: PB1/PORT_7

       Input:   2400      LFfill:  0      Width:  80      Parity: None
       Output:  2400      CRfill:  0      Page:   24

       Terminal Characteristics:

       Passall            Echo               Type_ahead         No Escape
       No Hostsync        TTsync             Lowercase          Tab
       Wrap               Scope              No Remote          Eightbit
       No Broadcast       No Readsync        No Form            Fulldup
       No Modem           No Local_echo      No Autobaud        Hangup
       No Brdcstmbx       No DMA             No Altypeahd       Set_speed
       Line Editing       Insert editing     No Fallback        No Dialup
       No Secure server   Disconnect         Pasthru            No Syspassword
       SIXEL Graphics     No Soft Characters No Printer Port    Numeric Keypad
       ANSI_CRT           No Regis           No Block_mode      Advanced_video
       Edit_mode          DEC_CRT            DEC_CRT2           No DEC_CRT3

8. I start kermit and use the following sequence

   $ kermit

   kermit_32> show version

   kermit_32> version 3.2.077

   kermit_32> set file type ascii

   kermit_32> server


9. On the amiga side I select Kermit send and use the file TEST80.TXT which
   contains the numbers 0-9 repeated 8 times for exactly 80 characters.  The
   file transfer window displays;

   File test80.txt  PCKT:A  NUM 2 RET 6  BYTES : 78
   Kermit error to many retrys

10. At this point kermit is totaly hung and I must hang up redial and kill the
    process.

11. Using the same setup procedure and CVTARC I can download a file using
    XMODEM but on the upload (Amiga to VAX) I get the following;

    Amiga side:   No Acknowledgement, ABORTING

    VAX side:   VAX ERROR etry limit exceeded



    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
1800.1Keep it simpleRLAV::WEGERBruce WegerThu Oct 20 1988 21:0620
    
    DO NOT use ^a or anything for any kind of local/forward/backward
    character on the terminal server.  You will be doomed!
    
    Simply invoke kermit on the VAX and put it in server mode. Period.
    
    The file transfer "type" is negotiated between the requesting kermit
    and the server kermit.  The VAX kermit (in server mode) will adjust
    to whatever you have your Amiga kermit 'xfer mode' set to. 
    
    I have NEVER, EVER had a kermit problem on any VAX, PeeCee, UNIX
    box or Ami as long as I kept the above rules in mind.
    
    Keep it simple... Don't "set" nothin'...
    
    -bw
    
P.S.  I know its amazing... but don't even worry about tt: lines bits
    per character or parity.  Kermit will save you  ;-)
    
1800.2Maybe LAT box overrunsSTAR::BANKSIn Search of MediocrityFri Oct 21 1988 11:3254
    The switch character advice sounds like a good one.  I ran into
    one more LAT related KERMIT problem back when the company lent me
    a 2400 BAUD modem.
    
    With our (now departed) 1200 baud modem, I could download all day,
    and upload all day, and generally did so on Saturdays and Sundays.
    But, when I plugged in the new modem at double the speed, downloads
    got to be real flakey (they'd stop after 20,000-100,000 bytes) and
    uploads were nearly impossible.
    
    The common symptom to all of them would be that it'd KERMIT along
    for a while, then do its maximum number of retransmissions, failing
    with an error message to the effect that it did its maximum
    retransmissions and couldn't get an ACK.
    
    Punting out of file transfer mode and back into terminal emulation
    mode (generic terms used as I had this happen with both KERMIT and
    WeckerTerm version 2.any-I-tried) would put me at a LAT prompt instead
    of the expected set of VMS or VMS Kermit prompts.
    
    Now, I'd go out of my way to clear all the forward and break characters
    on the LAT port, but it'd still do this.  What I eventually discovered
    was that the LAT box wasn't doing flow control on the line, or the
    flow control wasn't being responded to fast enough.  The LAT box
    would get frustrated that characters were still coming in too fast,
    and just break me back to the LAT prompt.  KERMIT wouldn't accept
    the LAT prompt as a reasonable ACK, and retransmit N more times
    until it gave up.
    
    Now, I don't know which flavors of LAT box this happens with, or
    for that matter, which versions of LAT code.  I do know that the
    problem isn't universal to all LAT servers, because the one I dial
    into now doesn't seem to have this problem anymore (and now, I use
    KERMITs with big packet sizes, so you'd expect the problem to be
    worse, instead of better).
    
    As to what to do if this is your problem: (Assuming that you took
    .1's advice and don't set local or forward characters)  Before you
    connect to the VAX, make sure the LAT port you're using has some
    sort of XON-XOFF flow control enabled.  I see from your procedure
    that you do the opposite.  This is bad!  The LAT server must be
    able to do flow control.  Just because the VAX behind it is ready
    to accept the characters doesn't mean that the LAT box in front
    will have the buffer space.
    
    If it still breaks under those conditions, it may be that
    
    1)  I'm describing a problem you're not having
    2)  The KERMIT program on the VAX is openning the line in some mode
    that causes the LAT box to clear or suspend its flow control (PASSALL,
    for instance).
    3)  I'm full of sh*t anyway.
    
    Whatever.  At least this is the one that got me a while back.
1800.3Use 2400 baud and Zmodem...ROMULN::MYEEBoycott Styrofoam cups, save the ozone.Fri Oct 21 1988 15:3013
    
    Re: .2
    
    That's interesting.  I have a 2400 baud Scholar modem at home and it
    works GREAT on downloads (approx 210 bytes per second with ZMODEM) !!
    BUT, I never have any luck with uploads with at 2400 baud (Strange).
    The only successful upload I've had was with the Scholar set at
    1200 baud mode using XMODEM.  I do agree that Kermit is the most
    robust file tranfer program, but ZMODEM is so much faster.  DOes
    anyone have comparative numbers for the different protocal (Kermit,
    Xmodem, Ymodem-batch, Zmodem)?
    
    _Mike_
1800.4Zmodem - The only way to fly...CGFSV2::CADAMSClint Adams - Calgary, CanadaFri Oct 21 1988 16:5424
When I first started using Zmodem I did some quick benchmarks on the
1200 Baud line. They are as follows:

        Kermit(Smokey)  Xmodem(Smokey)  Zmodem(ProtoComm)
        =============   =============   ================

           62 CPS          96 CPS           113 CPS

Obviously, Kermit is a dog. If you are on the household phone line and
your wife is breathing down your neck the shorter the better for
download times.

Also, Zmodem is supposed to have some fancy error detection/correction
features, but I haven't had any errors reported during downloads so
can't say if that's the case or not.

Xmodem or Ymodem with 1K packets should approach 100 CPS but I haven't
found an emulator for the Amiga end to try that yet.

BTW. Zmodem (at least SZ.EXE) will send multiple files by specifying
them all on the command line.  

        Regards....  Clint
1800.5BIG packets helps KERMIT a lotSTAR::BANKSIn Search of MediocrityFri Oct 21 1988 17:2748
    After working out my LAT problems (solved in the short term by dialing
    into something other than a LAT and in the long term with a new
    LAT server), I haven't had any more problems downloading or UPloading
    at 2400 baud.
    
    However, my fears that KERMIT at 2400 baud wouldn't be twice as
    fast as 1200 baud turned out to be very true.  Normally, KERMIT
    just sends small (around 96 byte) packets, and waits for the other
    end to ACK after each one.  Obviously, once you start getting into
    the higher line speeds, you'll be spending all your time waiting
    for the ACK latency.
    
    Two things to do to help this (given that you still want to use
    KERMIT):
    
    1)  Find a version of KERMIT that does ACK windowing.  I don't think
    any exist for either the Amiga or VMS.
    
    2)  Find a version of KERMIT that does big packets.  I think both
    WeckerTerm version 2.latest and C-Kermit for the Amiga do this on
    the Amiga side.  You'll need C-Kermit on VMS  as well (as the normal
    non-C VAX KERMIT doesn't seem to do big packets).  Set the packet
    size to something very large (I like 1024 byte packets), and fire
    away.
    
    Using solution (2), I've had a lot better luck.  Things definitely
    move a whole lot faster with 2400 Baud and 1000 byte packets than
    they did at 1200 baud with 96 byte packets.  Now, most of the latency
    I have to suffer is the floppy drive trying to saw the disk in half
    on the writes.
    
    While uploading, getting big packets to work is going to be a little
    more difficult, though.  First off, you'll have to set
    TERMINAL/ALTYPAHD, and of course, that has to be done BEFORE you
    dial into it (good trick, eh?).  Secondly, the ALTYPAHD buffer probably
    isn't big enough to handle the 1024 byte packets, so you'll have
    to change a SYSGEN parmeter or two and reboot.
    
    The solution I ultimately came to was to put a modem on the serial
    port of my workstation.  Before I leave for the evening, I shut
    down the network on the workstation and enable the modem.  From
    home, I dial into the workstation (technically not connected to
    the network), and do my up/downloading.  Since it's my workstation,
    I can set the terminal and SYSGEN parameters to whatever I want.
    
    Certainly, this technique requires working for a department which
    allows for easy hardware scamming.  I realize everyone doesn't have
    a spare workstation and scholar sitting on their desks.
1800.6Where?CIMNET::KYZIVATPaul KyzivatFri Oct 21 1988 18:376
>    You'll need C-Kermit on VMS  as well (as the normal
>    non-C VAX KERMIT doesn't seem to do big packets).

    Where can this version of Kermit be found?

	Paul
1800.7I can finally upload !!!!!!!!CAM::ARENDTDDT - The first and still the bestSat Oct 22 1988 00:5317
    
    Ah Gentlemen,
    
    It seems that this discussion has drifted off the main track.  However
    tonight I don't care.  For you see I have (after months of off and
    on frustration) finally achieve my goal of uploading files.  The
    culprit turned out to be the speed of the transfer, I was using
    2400, when I slowed down to 1200 'viola' everything worked fine
    !!  I wish to thank all of you for your help and hints, they really
    did help.  And I would encourage anyone having trouble with upload
    or download to try simply slowing down.
    
    Thank you for your support
    
    Harry who can go to bed now ( it's almost midnight )
    
    
1800.8C-KERMIT location (so says HUMAN::KERMIT.NOTESSTAR::BANKSIn Search of MediocritySun Oct 23 1988 01:1512
    Where to get a VMS C-KERMIT?
    
    The latest location seems to be CSCMAS::SYS$KERMIT:CK*.*.
    
    Actually, this will get you sources only (don't know if there's
    an .EXE laying around anywhere for this one).  It'll also get you
    sources for the Unix, Mac and Amiga versions, as well as the VMS
    version.  You might be able to subset the sources with CKC*.*, CKU*.*,
    and CKV*.*.
    
    Still, you'll have to compile it yourself, although I think the
    kit contains an .MMS file to aid in building.