Date : Mon, 02 Apr 1984 16:49:15 EST
From : Dave Towson (info-cpm) <cpmlist@Amsaa.ARPA>
Subject: SIMTEL20 ARCHIVES.
Public Domain Software Lovers - At long last, the Great Archive Blurb is
finished! This updated version covers ALL of the archives on SIMTEL20, and
will (I hope) answer most of the questions that have been pouring in since the
announcement of the new PC-BLUE archive.
I especially want to thank Gail Zacharias <GZ@MIT-MC> for a very thorough
job of proof-reading and error reporting. The blurb is considerably improved
as a result of her efforts.
Thanks are also due to Frank Wancho <WANCHO@SIMTEL20> for making the
archives possible, and to Keith Petersen <W8SDZ@SIMTEL20> and Richard Conn
<RCONN@SIMTEL20> for maintaining them. Without the efforts of these people,
I wouldn't have had to write this thing (hmmmmm).
Finally, thanks to all of you who have been patiently waiting for this
information, and wishing I'd hurry up so that you could get at the goodies.
This blurb is about thirteen-thousand characters long. It's a lot to
absorb at one time if you don't already know most of it. My advice is to print
it, and keep it on hand for reference.
Dave Towson
INFO-CPM-REQUEST @ AMSAA
THE SIMTEL20 ARCHIVES
OVERVIEW
There is a collossal amount of free public domain CP/M software in
several archives on SIMTEL20, a PDP-20 running TOPS-20 at White Sands Missile
Range. Files may be obtained using FTP (described in a following paragraph)
with user-name "anonymous". For a password, use your host-name (or any string
of printing characters). Throughout this message, FTP examples are given in a
GENERIC syntax. You will have to consult either a local documentation file or
your friendly system wizard to learn the actual syntax used with your local
mainframe operating system.
UNIX users can do "man ftp" for instructions. ITS users can do
":INFO FTP". I will be happy to update this message to include pointers to
other sources of documentation if they are sent to INFO-CPM-REQUEST.
To get directory listings, connect to SIMTEL20 via FTP and do this:
get micro:<cpm>cpm.crclst
get micro:<cpmug>cpmug.crclst
get micro:<sigm>sigm.crclst
get micro:<unix>unix.crclst
get micro:<pc-blue>pc-blue.crclst
The first will get you a directory of a cpm archive that was moved from MIT-MC.
This is the one to watch for the very latest CP/M offerings, as it is updated
frequently. The second is the full catalog of the CP/M Users Group. It (and
the third and fifth archives) will be updated as new disks are issued. The
third is the full catalog of the Special Interest Group for Microcomputers
(SIG/M), a service of the Amateur Computer Group of New Jersey. The fourth
contains UNIX-related software, not all of which is CP/M-specific. That which
does apply specifically to CP/M is in the directory <UNIX.CPM>. The CRCLST
file shows the contents of the full UNIX archive, which is growing rapidly.
The fifth archive contains software for the IBM-PC.
There are many overlaps in the first three archives, but you will find the
latest versions in the <CPM> archive. In general, the archived software is
very good, having been worked-over and refined by multiple users. The comments
tend to be complete and imformative.
FILE TYPES
Files in the <CPM> archive are stored in two formats, ASCII for DOC, HEX
and ASM files, and ITS binary for COM and squeezed files. Squeezed files have
been compressed using the programs available in directory <CPM.SQUSQ> to obtain
an approximate 35-percent size reduction. These files can be identified by the
letter Q in the file-type field. For example, file MICRO:<CPM.MODEM903>DEFF.AQM
is a squeezed file. It must be transferred as a binary file, and then un-
squeezed. The unsqueezing can be done on the CP/M system using USQ-20.COM (or
whatever is the current version from directory <CPM.SQUSQ>), or there are
several host-based unsqueezers in the <CPM> archive (see for example, directory
<CPM.TOPS-20>). File MICRO:<CPM>CPM.CRCLST shows the type of storage used for
each file in the <CPM> archive.
ALL FILES in the <UNIX> archive are stored in ASCII.
With the exception of the CATALOG FILES to be described later, ALL FILES
in the <SIGM>, <CPMUG> and <PC-BLUE> archives are stored in ITS binary,
a format which had its origin at MIT. Each file begins with a 36-bit
identifier-word containing DSK8 in SIXBIT code. This reads as 446353300000
in octal, and 933AD8000 in hexadecimal. All data are stored as four 8-bit
bytes per 36-bit SIMTEL20 word, with the low-order four bits of each word
filled with zeros. If such a file is interpreted as a contiguous string,
as will happen if a straight binary transfer is made to a 16 or 32-bit UNIX
machine, the four zero filler-bits per 36-bit group will cause rather bizarre
and frustrating results. The methods for dealing with this situation, which
differ from machine to machine, are explained in a following paragraph.
The ONLY files in the <SIGM>, <CPMUG> and <PC-BLUE> archives that are NOT
stored in ITS binary are the CATALOG files. These files, which are stored in
ASCII, contain (in reverse numerical order) the -CATALOG.nnn files from all the
volumes of their respective archives. To obtain these composite catalog
files, connect to SIMTEL20 via FTP and do this:
get micro:<sigm>sigm.cat
get micro:<cpmug>cpmug.cat
get micro:<pc-blue>pc-blue.cat
Remember, ALL are ASCII files.
FILE TRANSFER VIA FTP
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, a formalized procedure for moving
files among machines on the Defense Data Network (DDN) and other networks that
connect with the DDN. The protocol is implemented by a program called FTP.
The different mainframe operating systems implement FTP with variations in
command syntax. Some systems have the remote-file-name precede the local-file-
name in the command. Others reverse this order. Some versions have the whole
command on a single input line, while others use multiple lines. Read the
documentation for your local system, or consult a friendly system wizard
for the details of your local FTP command syntax. FTP transfers from SIMTEL20
can be made with user-name "anonymous". Use your host-name (or any string of
printing characters) for a password.
Users of TOPS-10, TENEX, TOPS-20 or ITS systems can use "type image" or
"type paged" mode for ALL transfers. UNIX users must use "type ascii" mode
for ASCII files, and "type tenex" or "type L 8" mode for ITS binary files.
MULTICS users must use "type ascii" mode for ASCII files, and "type image"
mode for ITS binary.
Once an ITS binary file has been transferred to your mainframe, additional
processing is needed to make it into a standard CP/M file. This processing is
done automatically by the programs used on TOPS-20 and ITS machines for
downloading to a micro, so those users need not be concerned with this. UNIX
users have only to remove the first four bytes of each file. These four bytes
are a special "ITS header", and are not really a part of the file. They can
be removed using the UNIX utility "dd", or they can be removed using the
program ITSCVT, available as an ASCII-transferable .HEX file in directory
MICRO:<CPM.HEX>.
Post-processing of files on MULTICS machines can be done using a modified
version of the system copy utility. At present, transfer of this program is
a delicate matter because of the need to preserve the vendor's proprietary
rights. If you need this utility, send a message to INFO-CPM-REQUEST, and
I'll put you in touch with the person who has the program.
Anyone who can obtain an exact contiguous copy of an ITS binary file
(probably using "type image" mode), and then download it to a CP/M machine
without losing any bits, can post-process the file into standard format
using a
CP/M program available from INFO-CPM-REQUEST. If there is enough interest in
this program, it can be added to the <CPM> archive. If it necessary for you to
take this route, study the description of ITS binary format given in the
section on FILE TYPES, so that you will know what to expect. This method
worked satisfactorily with transfers to our 16 and 32-bit UNIX machines before
we learned to use "type tenex" mode.
MAINFRAME PROGRAMS FOR TRANSFERRING FILES BETWEEN MAINFRAMES AND MICROS
Christensen Protocol:
For a micro to reliably exchange files with a mainframe, cooperating
file transfer programs with automatic error detection and retransmission of
faulty blocks must be running on both computers. One such family of programs
uses a popular protocol created by Ward Christensen and enhanced by others.
Directory MICRO:<UNIX.CPM> contains two programs, UC and the older UMODEM
(both written in C), which implement this protocol on UNIX machines. See the
file MICRO:<UNIX>UNIX.CRCLST for a list of other useful UNIX utilities.
On ITS machines, file transfer using the Christensen protocol can be done
using MMODEM (type :MMODEM for instructions), or LMODEM. Documentation for
LMODEM is in file .INFO.;LMODEM HELP. Other useful ITS utilities include TYPE8,
which types an ASCII file stored in ITS binary format; TYPESQ, which types an
ITS binary format "squeezed" file (see the first paragraph under FILE TYPES);
USQ, which creates an unsqueezed version of a squeezed file; HEXIFY, which
creates an Intel hex format file from an ITS binary format COM file; COMIFY
which creates a COM file from an Intel hex file; and CRC, which computes the
Cyclic Redundancy Check value for a file, using the same algorithm that is used
by the CP/M program CRCK. Brief instructions for any of these utilities except
LMODEM can be obtained by typing ":utility_name" (for example, :CRC).
TOPS-20 utilities for transferring and manipulating files can be found in
directory MICRO:<CPM.TOPS-20>. See MICRO:<CPM>CPM.CRCLST for a list of
available programs.
File transfer and conversion utilities for use with VAX/VMS machines are
contained in directory MICRO:<CPM.VAXVMS>. See MICRO:<CPM>CPM.CRCLST for
details.
Kermit:
Another excellent program for transferring files is called KERMIT. This
program has the advantage of being available for an impressively large number
of mainframes and micros. It is, for example, available for the IBM-PC, and
DOES NOT require CP/M.
To get started with KERMIT, connect to Columbia-20 using FTP, and do this:
get ps:<kermit>00readme.txt
dir ps:<kermit>
Note two things: The machine name is "columbia-dash-twenty", and the filename
begins with "zero-zero".
After reading 00README.TXT, look at your directory listing and see what's
currently available (it may have changed since the last edit of 00README.TXT).
From then on, you are on your own. Questions can be addressed to INFO-KERMIT @
COLUMBIA-20.
MICROCOMPUTER PROGRAMS FOR TRANSFERRING FILES BETWEEN MAINFRAMES AND MICROS
Christensen Protocol:
An excellent program for transferring files between micros, or between
micros and mainframes is called MDM7xx, where the "xx" is replaced with two
digits to give the current version number. This program, often referred to as
MODEM7 (the name of its easier to pronounce ancestor), uses the popular
Christensen protocol to transfer files with automatic error detection and
retransmission of erroneous blocks.
To get started with MDM7xx, you should first FTP and examine three files
from the directory MICRO:<CPM.MODEM7>. After connecting to SIMTEL20, do this:
get micro:<cpm.modem7>(see below)
get micro:<cpm.modem7>mdm7xx.doc
get micro:<cpm.modem7>mdm7xx.msg
All are ASCII files. Together, they will tell you just about all there is to
know about getting the program to run on your machine. Take the time to read
these files; they're quite informative. You will also get some helpful insights
from reading some of the overlay files. These overlays, described in file
MICRO:<CPM.MODEM7>(see below), are used to customize MDM7xx for particular
machines without having to edit and assemble the huge MDM7xx source file.
Complete instructions for performing this procedure are contained in each
overlay file. The above use of "see below" refers to a file with the
characters "OVL" in its name. This message will be updated when the name of
that file becomes stable (at this moment, there are two).
Kermit:
As stated in an earlier paragraph, KERMIT is also an excellent program for
transferring files between computers. It, too, does automatic error detection
and retransmission, and it works between mainframe and micro, between micros,
and between mainframes. See the earlier paragraph for details.
Getting Started:
In order to get MDM7xx or KERMIT running on your micro, you must first
transfer the necessary files from mainframe to micro. If you already have a
receive-to-disk communications program of some sort, you can use it to move
the needed files. It is VERY CONVENIENT to be able to transfer 8-bit binary
files, although in most cases it is not absolutely necessary. Some of the
files are quite large. For example, MDM7xx.COM is over 18K bytes, and the HEX
file (which you will need if you can't transfer 8-bit files) is over 52K.
Moving large files to your micro without using an error detecting protocol can
result in frustrating errors, but it can be done by receiving multiple copies
and using manual or machine-assisted comparisons to locate and repair bad parts
of the code. However, there IS a better way.
Directory MICRO:<CPM.MODEM> contains a file that can be FTPed to your
mainframe, printed, and then entered into your micro by hand and assembled.
It is quite short. To examine this option, connect to SIMTEL20 via FTP and
do this:
get micro:<cpm.modem>pipmodem.asm
get micro:<cpm.modem>pipmodem.doc
get micro:<cpm.modem>mboot3.asm
All are ASCII files. Read PIPMODEM.DOC first, then look at MBOOT3.ASM.
PIPMODEM.DOC explains the situation very nicely. Questions concerning these
programs should be sent to INFO-CPM @ AMSAA.
ADDITIONS, IMPROVEMENTS AND CORRECTIONS
Suggestions for additions, improvements and corrections to this message
are always welcome. Please send them to INFO-CPM-REQUEST. Additional
information concerning FTP is, however, beyond the scope of this message. If
you need help with FTP, please read the documentation for your local system,
or see your friendly system wizard.
Contributions of public domain software are actively solicited. If you
have something that seems appropriate for inclusion in the <CPM> archive,
please contact Keith Petersen <W8SDZ@SIMTEL20>. Likewise, contributions to the
<UNIX> archive can be addressed to Richard Conn <RCONN@SIMTEL20>.
Happy hacking!
Dave Towson
INFO-CPM-REQUEST @ AMSAA