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I really do agree with earlier comments about learning to use the notes
file to your advantage, but I also appreciate the fact that this file
is almost to the point of being unnavigable. A while back I put this
info together for a few folks in my group who were also "beginners".
Hope it helps...
Mike
PS, It's a bit long, so you may want to extract and print it out.
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VAX-Amiga M. Terella
ALLVAX::TERELLA
This document is intended to help you make the connection
between your Amiga at home and your VAX at work. It also provides you
with the information you will need to to load PD (Public Domain)
Software into your VAX account and transfer (download) it to your
Amiga. It assumes user knowledge of modem operations.
This document is also intended to help you gain a basic level
understanding about what PD software is, and where you can get it.
There are many different ways of transferring data from VAX's
to PC's. This document does not cover all the variations of terminal
emulators (e.g. HandShake, VLT, VT100 etc.) nor all the variations of
file transfer protocols, (e.g. Kermit, Xmodem, Ymodem, Zmodem). It
concentrates mainly on the use of "HandShake" for terminal emulation
using the Ymodem file transfer protocol.
Finally, I have used several cutouts from notes obtained from
the Amiga notes conference (BOMBE::AMIGA), which has proven invaluable
for gaining information.
Contents of this document include:
I What and Where's the data?
II How to prepare the data.
III How to connect.
IV How to download the data.
V What to do with it now that you've got it!
I What and Where's the data?
Public Domain (PD) software comes in a couple basic flavors.
First there's "Freeware". This is software which may or may not be
copyrighted, often times includes source code, and generally allows
free distribution/modification etc.
"Shareware" is very much like Freeware, only it's not (quit)
free, is (always?) copyrighted, and usually doesn't include source
code. Based on the "try before you buy" concept, if you use it, you
are obligated (morally) to send a contribution to the author, hopefully
to stimulate his/her interest in future development. Registration
usually entitles users get copies/notifications of new releases sooner
than the rest of the population.
Regardless of type, PD software usually comes with some type
of documentation, stating terms and/or conditions for distribution.
There are many locations within DEC where Amiga PD software can be
found, however, the five primary locations are as follows;
NODE: LOC: GROUP:
CGOU01 CGO Calgary Alberta, Canada Branch/West Canada Dist Office
CRISTA NUO Nashua N.H. CSS/Business Operations
DICKNS PKO Maynard, MA Parker Street Facility
TAPE NKS Marlboro, MA Engineering
WJG NKS Marlboro, MA Engineering
By far and away the largest collection of PD S/W is on TAPE,
with hundreds of listings including the complete (400 +) disk Fred
Fish collection (There's also a nice catalog utility, "Aquarium" for
discovering what's available in the Fish collection). In addition
there is an "UPLOAD" directory on TAPE with the "latest" releases.
You can get a listing of what is available on the system with
the following commands. Add the /output=filename switch if you want
to keep the listing(s) around for reference. To get a complete list;
For NODE: Type:
TAPE dir TAPE::USER2:[AMIGA...] and dir TAPE::USER2:[UPLOAD]
WJG dir WJG::DUA1:[AMIGA...]
DICKNS dir DICKNS::USER:[MACDONALD.AMIGA...]*
CGOU01 dir CGOU01::AMIGA:[*...]
CRISTA dir CRISTA::AMIGA::*
Once you have decided what you want, use copy or FTSV to
transfer the the file(s) into your account. If you used the VAX
Start-up kit I provided, you have a [.AMIGA.DOWNLOAD] sub-directory.
I suggest you copy the files into this account, and transfer them into
the [..UPLOAD] directory after you have transferred the data to your
Amiga. It's a little easier to keep track of what's loaded or
not loaded this way.
II How to prepare the data.
Most of the available software files, be they executable,
source code, image, sound files etc. are stored/loaded into one of a
number of archive formats. These archives generally contain multiple
files in binary compressed form, and must be "unarchived" to be used.
Here's a list of commonly used file types and which programs you need
to pack/unpack them...
File archivers - can be unloaded into any directory on any disk;
File Ext. Archiver Program VAX Version
--------- ---------------- ------------
.ARC ARC yes
.ZOO ZOO yes
.LZH LHARC yes
.ZIP PKAZIP no
Disk archivers - must be unpacked onto blank (unformatted) floppy,
producing exact duplicate of original disk, including boot block, etc.;
File Ext. Archiver Program
--------- ----------------
.WRP WARP, UNWARP
.LHW LHWARP
Once an archived file has been copied into your account, it
can be looked at, "unarced", and even re-packed on the VAX, but only
if it exists in the correct format for the archivers to handle. The
VMS versions of ARC LHARC, and ZOO, as well as Xmodem and Ymodem,
require the record format to be Stream_LF (as opposed to Variable
or Fixed length records).
This can be checked for in a couple of ways. You can use the
dir/full command to see the record format, or you can try "listing"
the archive with the appropriate tool. If the archive program returns
an error message indicating "bad or unknown header" info, chances are
the record format is incorrect.
Note: To list the contents of an archive file type
ARC l filename (for .ARC files) or
LHARC l filename (for .LZH files) or
ZOO l filename (for .ZOO files)
If the record format is not correct, you must change it using the
CVTARC program on your system.
Usage: CVTARC {uv} <from file> [<to file>]
Where: u = convert to STREAM_LF
V = convert to fixed length records
Example (converts a FIXed formatted file to Stream_LF for Ymodem
transfer):
CVTARC u HANDSHAKE.ZOO
III How to connect with the VAX (via HandShake)
Set up:
- Your modem should be connected to the serial port of the
Amiga.
- Use Preferences to set the characteristics of serial port.
Note that you can set baud rate at a speed different
than the modem speed. If you have a serial printer (LA50
or LA75), set the baud rate at the highest setting usable
by the printer (2400 and 4800 respectively?). Bit count,
parity and stop bit settings however should all match.
(Set everything for 8 bit, no parity, one stop bit and you'll
be fine.)
- If your planning on downloading information, have a formatted
labeled blank disk ready to use. (Format a disk by putting
it in a drive, clicking on it once, and selecting the
"Initialize" option on WB's "Disk" pull down menu. Then
use "Rename" to label it.)
- Invoke HandShake by double clicking on HandShake icon and
check settings via the SETUP and TERMINAL pull down menus.
Note that baud rate here must match modem speed (2400 for
Scholar). All other settings should agree with Preferences.
Contact:
1. Once in HandShake, use normal dialing procedure for your modem
(^B, the #, etc....). Regular Scholar modems can't take advantage
of HandShake's dialing features. The new Scholar Plus can, but you
must reset it to do so. (See Scholar manual, it's not that tough)
If your dialing direct (not through TSN), when a connection been
established, press return a few times to get the attention of the
LAT. When the # sign appears enter the password to get the Local>
prompt. When you get the this prompt type:
Local> SET PORT LOCAL SWITCH ^A
Note ^A translates to Ctrl-A, this will let you get back to the
LAT after logging into the system, as there is no "Break" key on
the Amiga.
NOTE: If you are intending to download files to your Amiga, then steps
2 and 3, although not absolutely necessary, may help ensure good
results.
2. Log into your account on the system, then type Ctrl-A. This will
bring you back into the Local> prompt. Type:
Local> SET SESSION PASSALL
Local> FORWARD
This allows all characters to be passed through the server. If
you do not do this, some control characters may not be passed
through and binary file transfers may fail, though to be honest,
I've never had a problem omitting this step.
3. After resuming your session, type the following commands:
$ SET TERMINAL/EIGHTBIT/NOBROADCAST
or
$ SET TERMINAL/NOBROADCAST (if term setting is already set at
eightbit. Use "show term" to see)
This sets your terminal port to 8 bits necessary for Xmodem
and prevents the system from sending any messages to your
terminal during the download which would ruin it.
IV How to download the data.
4. Once logged in, to send binary file(s) from the VAX to your Amiga,
enter the appropriate VMS command as follows:
- To send a single binary file use:
$ XMODEM/SEND=BINARY/ONEK FILENAME.EXT
(or, using the symbols provided)
$ YSEND FILENAME.EXT
- To send a multiple binary files use:
$ XMODEM/SEND=BINARY/ONEK/YMODEM *.EXT
(or, using the symbols provided)
$ YSENDB FILENAME.EXT,FILENAME.EXT,FILENAME.EXT
(you can also use "*" as a wildcard)
(If you don't like these symbols you can invent your own and
put it in AMIGA.COM See Appendix A for a list of all VMS
commands/symbols/logicals provided in the Startup kit and an
IMPORTANT note on device names)
Xmodem will issue a ready message if it finds the file(s) and is
ready to transmit.
5. Next, to receive this file on the Amiga (within Handshake) use the
pull down "TRANSFER" menu to verify/select the appropriate protocol:
- To receive a single binary file select the YMODEM option
within the "BINARY PROTOCOL" menu item (this should be the
default).
- To receive multiple binary files select the YMODEM BATCH
option from within the "BINARY PROTOCOL" menu item.
6. Then (using the TRANSFER menu) select the "RECEIVE BINARY FILE"
option, or just type "Right-Amiga R" instead of using the menu.
At this point Handshake will display one of two file requester
boxes (selectable from the set up menu). The "simple" file
requester is self contained (in Handshake). The ARP requester
is a scrolling box type. The ARP requester is easier to use,
however, it requires the ARP.library file be resident in your
libs: directory.
7. When the file requester appears, enter the following:
- If receiving a single file, enter a full filespec
including Volume:Directory/Sub-directory/Filename
EX. To receive the archive file for Handshake and
place it in the "Utilities" drawer of a disk
Labeled Extras_II, you would enter
Extras_II:Utilities/Handshake.zoo
- When doing a batch transfer, you specify only the path.
The protocol sends the filename.
EX. To receive a group of .ARC files and place
them in place it in the "Games" sub-directory of
a disk Labeled New_Programs, you would enter
New_Programs:Games
Hitting the Return key will then initiate the transfer. A progress
box will appear so you can watch the bits go by, and the errors get
caught. Don't worry too much about error counts. The only time a
receive gets aborted is when too many (10) errors are detected on
the same block of information. If this happens, it may mean that
the file was not of the correct record format (use CVTARC and try
again) or you chose the wrong protocol (selected RECEIVE TEXT instead
of RECEIVE BINARY) or something like that. Errors occurring as a result
of the transmission (noisy lines etc.) normally are detected and
corrected.
When complete, Handshake will beep and Xmodem will display a
"Transmit Successful" message. At this time you will get the DCL
prompt back. During the transfer, your "terminal" is tied up. (Don't
forget however you have a multi-tasking machine here. You should be
able to "click" handshake to the background, and fire up another task!)
8. When your finished, (after logging out) select the "HANGUP" option
from the "PHONE" menu.
V What to do with it now that you've got it!
To make use of the archive files, you must "unarc" them. There
are two ways of doing this with the utilities you have. Through the CLI,
or through some file manipulation utilities such as SID. The easiest
way is to use SID.
SID: Select the Device gadget for the drive in which
you've placed disk with the archive files (DF0, DF1 etc.). Then, in
the main window, select the sub-directory (if applicable) and finally
the archive file itself. Double clicking on the filename will list the
contents of the archive. To "unarc it, highlight the file (single click)
and click the "UNARC" gadget. SID will determine which archive utility
to use. SID's pointer will "sleep" while un-archiving.
Note: If the unarc process seems to be taking too long, it could be
stuck. Handshake spawns a task to unarc. Some of the archive utilities
will stop and ask a question occasionally, like "file xxx exists,
over-write - Y or N" The application will then wait for an answer.
If this happens, you should be able to push SID's window to the back
and reveal the task window and answer the question to continue the job.
CLI: The second way to unarc a file is directly through
the command line. Open a SHELL window. Set default to the location
of the archive file. From our first example, you'd type...
> cd Extras_II:Utilities
(type dir to see what's there in case you forgot the filename. In this
case we'll assume it Handshake.zoo)
To unarchive, simply type..
> Zoo -e Handshake.zoo
To get help on any of the archive utilities on the Amiga, just
enter the archive name (ARC,ZOO,LHARC) with no argument.
I'd recommend you give this a try just to get familiar with the
different commands.
Have fun!
M. Terella
Appendix A - Amiga Logicals
NOTE: IF YOU HAVE CHANGED SYSTEMS SINCE INSTALLING THE AMIGA
INSTALLATION KIT, BE SURE TO EDIT YOUR AMIGA.COM FILE
TO SPECIFY YOUR NEW DISK DEVICE NAME (DISK$YOURDEVICE).
If you used the installation kit I provided, you should have the
following logicals and commands pre-defined for your convenience:
Logicals; (for SET DEF or COPY commands)
amiga = YOURDISKDEVICE:[YOURACCOUNT.amiga]
amivms = YOURDISKDEVICE:[YOURACCOUNT.amiga.vms]
amiup = YOURDISKDEVICE:[YOURACCOUNT.amiga.upload]
amidwn = YOURDISKDEVICE:[YOURACCOUNT.amiga.download]
Commands/symbols; (don't type RUN)
arc = runs ARC archive/unarchive program
cvtarc = convert file record format for transmission
xmhelp = get help on X-Modem"
xsendb = send a binary file using X-Modem
xrecvb = receive a binary file using X-Modem
xsendt = send a text file using X-Modem
xrecvt = receive a text file using X-Modem
ysend = send a binary file using Y-Modem
yrecv = receive a binary file using Y-Modem
ysendb = send binary batch files using Y-Modem
yrecv = receive binary batch files using Y-Modem
ysendt = send a text file using Y-Modem
yrecvt = receive a text file using Y-Modem
zoo = run ZOO archive/unarchive program
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