Conference hydra::amiga_v1

    What is the command "bilf"?  Never heard of it.  As you may know,
    KERMIT is a separate product that must be installed; at which time it
    will create its own command verb "KERMIT".  Are you running VMS?
    
    

    I don't know what the 'bilf' utility is.  Typically I'll use
    CVTARC to convert files from one format to the other.  If
    you're using Kermit, you can also do
    
    Kermit32> set file type block
    
    This allows you to upload/download regardless of the file type.
    I've used this to send VAX objects ( variable, 512 max ),
    executables ( 512 fixed ) and backup save sets ( choose your own 
    size ) from VAX - VAX.
    
    It should also work for Amiga - VAX transfers.
    
    Steve
          

    
    Both BILF and CVTARC are utilities to convert from stream LF to fixed
    lenght mode or vice versa. Typically BILF is used for ZOO files and
    CVTARC for arc files but as far as I can tell they both worked on
    any files.
    
    They do not come with VMS they are probably available on either 
    TAPE:: or NORSE::.
    
    But if you don't want to bother with these try VLT and ZModem for VMS.
    
    Hubert.

    
    > Is this a utility that has to be specificaly put on each individual vax
    > if you want it or is supposed to be in the system as a matter of course?
      
    > Thanks for any explaination.
    
    I'm not sure that we really answered this question for you yet :^)
    
    I'm not a VMS expert by even the wildest stretch, but I do believe that
    if a comand (executable program) is not
    
    a) a valid DCL command
    b) an installed system utility, perhaps with an alias
    
    then you must define it as a foreign command in your login.com file.
    
    If you have an executable version of CVTARC or BILF, you would edit
    your login.com file to include the line
    
    $ CVTARC	:== DEVICE[PATH]EXECUTABLE
    
    I have had to do this with VMS Zoo and Arc, as well as many other
    goodies available to run on the VAX.
    
    I hope I haven't botched this too badly...
    
    Ed.

    Almost, Ed...
    
    $ CVTARC :== $ device:[dir]CVTARC
                 ^--( this is the "magic" that makes the command work )

    Is there a way to direct the ZOO output files to a different
    device:directory than the one I'm currently in? There are times,
    especially when deailing with FISH archives, that there isn't room for
    the .ZOO file AND the de-zoo'd files.

Change default to the directory where you want the files to go.

For example, if your zoo file is on df0: and you want to unpack it
into df1:

cd df1:
zoo e// df0:file.zoo

All the unpacked files will be placed on df1:

- steve

    Yes,  by using the CD command to point to the one disk (destination)
    and having the source file.zoo and the zoo utility on the other disk
    and typing "sourcedrivename:zoo e sourcedrivename:filename.zoo",
    the zoo program will unpack to the destination drive.  I typically use
    either ram: or df0: (or both) as source and df1: as destination.
    
    As for unpacking to a specific directory.  Some zoo'ed programs require
    the use of the '///' to properly place the elements into subdirectories
    and require that the files be in those specific directories for program
    execution.  You can force the files to be placed in a specific subdirectory
    by a "cd destinationdrive:directory" as the first thing you type... but
    might be caught later when you newly unpacked program looks for a 
    directory that is now hidden at another level.
    
    If space allows, I copy zoo utility to ram: and the filename.zoo to
    ram: and then use either df0: or df1: as the destination (again using
    'cd destinationdrivename:' and ram: as the source).
    
    Brute force but it works.

    
    For posterity, "BILF" is supposed to come with the VAX version of
    ZOO.EXE, but I havent found it on the nets yet.
    
    There is a full explanatory document about these Stream-LF to Binary
ZOO.DOC, along with ZOO.EXE
    for your use on the VMS end if needed.
    
    I guess CVTARC is just another way to achieving the same end.
    
    Cross reference to Topic 3904 for similar discussion, amongst others.
    
    Randall King @SNO                                                    

    Look in CLOVAX::DISK$USER1:[COBURN.PUBLIC] for a copy of BILF.EXE
    
    I also have the source for ZOO somewhere if you need it (this would
    include BILF I believe).
    
    John