Date : Fri, 25 Nov 1988 11:29:20 CET
From : A0045%DK0RRZK0.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Accessing SIMTEL20 files from Europe
The BITNET server at RPICICGE is no longer accessible from European
sites, but instead there are serveral 'sub-servers' spread throughout
Europe, which offer the same service on BITNET.
Below is the original Help file from these European TRICKLE servers.
======================== Begin of RED Help file ==========================
RED - Listserv Redirector
(C)1988 Turgut Kalfaoglu
What is RED?
RED provides the SIMTEL20 files, and directory listings, with its
own cache, where it keeps its most recently requested files. It
reduces the network load by providing the cache, and by providing
directory listings locally, instead of through a distant list
server.. It is a machine (process) that runs disconnected from a
terminal.
Currently, the four sites that run this software are called:
In Denmark: TRICKLE@DKTC11
In Turkey: TRICKLE@TREARN
In Italy: TRICKLE@IMIPOLI
In Belgium: TRICKLE@BANUFS11
You are urged to use the one that is closer to your location.
In this tutorial, we will be using 'TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN',
but this can be replaced with 'TELL TRICKLE AT DKTC11'
or 'TELL TRICKLE AT IMIPOLI'.
We also will use the 'TELL' command to send a single line message.
It should be replaced with whatever is appropriate for your system.
(Like XMIT , SEND, etc.)
How does it work?
It provides faster file delivery than LISTSERV@RPICICGE because it
holds the most recently requested files, and it also asks its peers,
to find out if any of them has the file.
It has two major commands. /PDDIR and /PDGET.. As the names
indicate, /PDDIR provides the names of the files, and /PDGET
delivers files.
How to use /PDDIR:
On IBM/VM systems, you can get a list of the 'major directory' names
by simply typing this command:
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDDIR
RED should now send you a list of the major directory names. Now,
you can obtain a list of the sub-directories of any of the displayed
names by putting the name between less-than and greater-than
symbols.. For example,
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDDIR <MSDOS>
RED will mail you a file containing the names of the
sub-directories. Once you choose a subdirectory to examine, type in
the main directory name, a period, then the name of the subdirectory
name. For example, if you chose SYSUTL sub-directory of MSDOS, then
you may type this:
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDDIR <MSDOS.SYSUTL>
RED will first notify you of the number of files found, then will go
ahead and mail you this list.. Once you choose your file(s) to
order, then read on..
How to use the /PDGET command:
Once you have a filename in hand, then tell RED to send you this
file by providing it with the full directory name, and the
filename.. If you wish to order a game called MADMAX.ARC that
resides in the <MSDOS.GAMES> directory, then you may type in this
command:
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDGET <MSDOS.GAMES>MADMAX.ARC
naturally, the above is only an example, and the file may or may not
be present if you send the above command.
Receiving your file in a different format:
Normally, SIMTEL files are sent AS-IS, meaning, ASCII. If you would
like to receive your file in a different format, you may want to
append any of the below to the end of your command:
(EBC80 Converts the file to 80-Column EBCDIC format
(EBC32 Converts the file to 132-Column EBCDIC format
(UUE uuencodes the file
(OLD Sends the file using DISK DUMP or PUNCH format
(SF Supresses BITSEND, and forces SENDFILE to be used for the
transfer.
(MAIL Forces results to be sent via MAILER. (This is the default
for MAIL command files)
You may also wish to combine several options together. For example,
to receive a directory listing in PUNCH format, and UUEncoded,
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDDIR <MSDOS.C> (OLD UUE
To receive a file in in EBCDIC format, you may enter a command that
looks like this:
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDGET <MSDOS.GAMES>MADMAX.ARC (EBC80
Other commands:
/NEWS sends you our 2-page newsletter.
/STAT provides you the statistics of usage.
/HELP sends you this file.
/IMDAT sends the Turkish version of this help file.
/CAC Sends you a list of the files that are stored on its
disk right now. These files can be sent faster than
the other files.
/OPS displays the RED operators
/QUO Shows you the RED's quota, and how much of that quotait
has used. Once RED exceeds its quota, it cannot
order files, until it receives some of the requested
files.
/SUB <dirnam>
Allows you to subscribe to a directory. Whenever
a new listing comes in, RED will send you a file
containing the names of the new files.
/UNSUB <dirnam> is to stop RED from sending you the new files
listings. Please issue this command if you will not use
the server anymore.
/NEW <dirnam> nnn
This command, displays the files that have arrived within
'nnn' days, in the 'dirnam' directory. If 'nnn' is
omitted, it defaults to the last time you issued this
command, for that directory. If you are issuing this
command for the first time, then it simply looks for
files that are at most a month old.
/POLL forces RED to check its peer servers
Priviledged commands:
(This is a subset of the actual RED administrator's command list)
/STOP will stop RED's activity
/OFFLINE Stops REDs interpretation of files and commands.
/ONLINE puts the server back online.
/SEND fn ft TO userid AT nodeid Sends a local file to a user
/RDR forces RED to examine its reader, and process those files.
/QRDR displays RED's reader
Delay Periods:
If the file that you requested already exists in the cache
directory, then you may expect to receive your file within a few
minutes.. However, the system that RED is running is often slowed
down by the other processes that are running. This negatively
affects the response time of RED. If the file requested does not
existin the cache directory, then RED will have to order this file
from its list server.. If this is the case, the response time of
RED is dependent upon the list server. RED will give up waiting for
a file after five to twelve days after its request.
Sending files to RED:
RED now accepts command files in either MAIL or NOTE format. Use
NOTE or MAIL utilities to prepare your command file. The files may
contain any number of instructions, one per line. Note that RED
will abort processing a file if it detects an invalid command within
the file. RED does not necessarily mail back command requests - it
may use single-line messages, when it is more appropriate to do so.
How to DONATE files to Simtel Archives:
Files that you receive from here are sent from another network
called ArpaNet. The person-in-charge for the programs can be
contacted at: W8SDZ@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL. Since it's another network,
you will need to use MAIL to send the message. He urges that you talk
to him before you send in the file, so that he can check where it
should be put, if it already exists, etc. After getting his
approval, you need to UUENCODE your file (perhaps using PDUTIL),
then MAIL it to him.
Format of the files that comes with /PDGET command:
RED will send the files in a NETDATA format, -unless you use
the (OLD option-. These files can be LOOKed, and RECEIVEd.
Note that PEEK command will not display NETDATA format
properly. However, since most files are in ASCII, it is of
little use to LOOK at them.
The files will mostly be either in Binary format, in ASCII format,
or in EBCDIC format. The binary files are recognized by the
'.BIN','.EXE', '.COM ', '.ARC', '.LBR' suffix in their names. These
files are machine-specific.The files that are in ASCII format can be
converted to EBCDIC (so that they can be used on an IBM system) by
running a conversion program called PDUTIL. If your installation
does not have either of these files, Either I, or the
LISTSERV@RPICICGE can provide it. Simply say:
TELL LISTSERV AT RPICICGE GET PDUTIL PACKAGE
The .ARC format:
ARC is a special compression method that provides substential
reduction on file size. There are one or more files contained
within an .ARC archive. In order to extract the files from an
archive, you will need a utility called ARC or PKXARC.These are
available from <MSDOS.ARC-LBR> directory. The actual file names of
these files vary, but you may
try: TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDGET <MSDOS.ARC-LBR>PK361.EXE
or: TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDGET <MSDOS.ARC-LBR>ARC512.EXE
If these attempts fail, it will probably mean that the file version
has changed, and so has the file name. You may wish to try
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDDIR <MSDOS.ARC-LBR>
and guess the new name of these files.
Once you receive either ARC or PKXARC and an .ARC file, transmit
them to your personal computer and issue the following command:
ARC X <filename.arc>
or
PKUNPACK <filename>
There is also a second utility called ARCUTIL, which runs on the VM
systems, and extracts files. It also provides ASCII to EBCDIC
conversion of the extracted files. To request ARCUTIL, enter:
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDGET <MISC.IBM-VM>ARCUTIL.LBR
The directories of SIMTEL change often. So, the above files may or
may not be in the same directories as I have indicated. So you may
have to do some searching to find them.. A good place to check
would be the <MSDOS.STARTER> directory, where additional help, and
the mentioned archive managers can be found.
How to use the BITSEND/BITRCV:
From now on, RED is sending its files in a special format called
BITSEND - Unless you include the (SF option while issuing your
command.
In this format, the files that are sent are broken into smaller
pieces, if the entire file is too big to be sent. (Too big: over
300K Bytes)
If the file you request is over 300K, then the server will first
send you a file called <fn> BITCTRL - this is the control file,
where BITSEND has written the protocol used, the number of pieces
that make up that file, etc.
( Important:)
( You should NOT 'RECEIVE' any files that have BITCTRL or)
( just numbers as filetype| )
If you wait a little longer, the rest of the file will arrive, the
filename will be the same as the <fn> BITCTRL file, but the filetype
will consist of just numbers. Once you have all the pieces that
make up that file, you can then issue the BITRCV command. You must
also specify the 'spool ID' of the file that has BITCTRL as
filetype. From RDRList, you can simply type BITRCV in front of the
file that has BITCTRL as filetype.
If you get back an error message, saying "UNKNOWN CP/CMS COMMAND" it
simply states that your installation does not have the BITRCV
program. Contact your network manager/system operator.
Note: BITRCV EXEC can be obtained from your country NETSERV as well.
Simply send "GET BITRCV EXEC" to your NETSERV.
(VAX users:)
(There is also an identical file for your installation, however,)
(it is called 'BITRCV COM', and can be obtained from a NETSERV. )
If you get back an error saying that not all of the file is in the
reader, it simply means that you have to wait a little longer for
the rest of the file to arrive.
Looking for a few good computer centers...
That would be interested in running a copy of RED. When you run a
copy of RED, you increase the power of the whole file serving
network. Since each RED is aware of each other's existence, they
will inquire each other about the requested files, and the users
will enjoy a fast service, if any of the participating REDs has that
file. Since they inquire each other about the files in their
caches, there are no multiple copies of a file on different REDs.
Your RED will automatically get its directories, (and sometimes its
source code) by its designated parent every couple of days.
You will need:
* VM/CMS 3 or higher
* 15, 3375 cylinders (minimum)
* Rexx Interpreter
Please get in touch with TURGUT@TREARN if you would like to learn
more about running a RED.
========================== End of RED Help file ==========================
Some additional remarks:
There are meanwhile at least two more servers:
TRICKLE @ AWIWUW11 (Vienna, Austria)
TRICKLE @ DB0FUB11 (Berlin, Germany)
Each of these servers is responsible for a certain region of Europe, and
if you try another one, it normally tells you to use the correct one.
One added exception is meanwhile: If a server has a requested file
already in its local cache, is sends the file directly. It answers also
to the command /CACHE, so you can find out what files are currently
present there.
This works very fine, but if you want to order a file, which is not yet
in any cache directory, it can take very long, resp. doesn't work at
all. All the servers seem to have a long list of outstanding files that
they don't get over from the States.
So you are not very lucky, if you are just interested in one particular
file and it is not yet there, but you can always browse the local
directories for interesting files, which are then sent very fast.
One last remark: The server programs are not always online, so it is
normally better to send them files or mail instead of interactive
messages.
To put it all together: I think the idea of the whole thing is very
good, but the actual results could still be improved. Perhaps it would
help, if more European sites participated in the service, as the primary
bottleneck seems to be the heavily used intercontinental line between
America and Europe.
Jochen Roderburg
Regional Computing Center
University of Cologne
Robert-Koch-Str. 10 Tel. : 49-221/470-4564
D-5000 Koeln 41 Email: A0045 @ DK0RRZK0.BITNET
West Germany
PS: I sent this note NOTE also to Gregory Hicks, Editor of the
INFO-IBMPC digest.