Date   : Sat, 28 Jan 1984 08:31:22 EST
From   : David Towson (CSD) <towson@amsaa>
Subject: Re: cpmug/sigm file format on simtel20

Bill - ALL sigm and cpmug archive files on Simtel20 are stored in ITS binary
format, which uses four bytes per 36-bit word (that includes four junk-zeros 
per word).  If you use plain binary mode in FTP, you will get the 36-bit words
as-is, which will comeout looking pretty strange on an 8-bit system.  To get
the files moved correctly in bytes, use TENEX mode if your FTP has it (just
type "tenex" at the FTP prompt, and if the program doesn't complain, you're
in).  Otherwise, try typing "type L8" to notify the sender that the local 
user (you) wants bytes not 36-bit words.  (Can someone tell me whether this is
necessary for a TOPS-to-TOPS transfer?)  After setting tenex or type L8 mode,
then do your gets.  Due to the ITS format, you will have four ITS "header
bytes" hanging on the front of the file you receive.  These can be stripped
using a utility on the receiving machine (e.g., DD on UNIX), or you can go
ahead and move the files to your CP/M machine and use Keith Petersen's ITSCVT,
which can be found in "micro:<cpm.hex>itscvt.hex" on Simtel20.  That is an 
ASCII file.  If you are using a UNIX system (which expects lines in ASCII files
to be ended with only a line feed) you will find that after you move an ASCII 
file to the CP/M machine, you may have the CRLF's that were already in the file
(and were not changed to LF-only by the receiving FTP because this was a 
binary transfer) have been changed to CRCRLF.  (You may be able to turn this 
off.)  If you do have this problem, the CP/M ED command mf^L^Z-3cd2c will 
remove the extra CR's.


Dave
towson@amsaa