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Table 2–1. MAINKERMIT Command List
| SERVER | Enter server mode. |
| RECEIVE | Receive files. |
| SEND | Send files. |
| SET | Set a set option. |
| EXIT | Exit KERMIT to operating system. |
| QUIT | Exit KERMIT to MAINSAIL. |
| TAKE | Take commands from a command file. |
| CONNECT | Start terminal emulator. |
| DIAL | Edit the dial directory |
| CALL s | Call system s, where s is an entry in the dial directory. |
| GET | Get files from remote server. |
| FINISH | Tell remote server to finish. |
| TEXT | Queue a text file. |
| DATA | Queue a data file. |
| PTEXT | Queue a portable text file. |
| RTEXT | Remotely queue a text file. |
| RDATA | Remotely queue a data file. |
| RPTEXT | Remotely queue a portable text file. |
| SHOWQUEUE | Show current transfer queue |
| REMOTE | Execute a remote server command. |
| REXECUTE | Remotely execute a Kermit command. |
| HISTORY | Show the file transaction history. |
| TYPE | Type a local file on the screen. |
| DELETE | Delete a local file. |
| RENAME | Rename a local file. |
| COPY | Copy one local text file to another. |
| DIRECTORY | Display the local directory specified. |
| INVOKE | Invoke a MAINSAIL module. |
| ? | Display a list of commands. |
Syntax: SEND,
SEND fn,
or SEND fn1 fn2
The SEND command with no file name specified starts transmitting the current transfer queue, as specified by previous TEXT, PTEXT, or DATA commands.
If a file name fn is specified, the named file is transferred under the current default file type.
If both an input file name fn1 and an output file name fn2 are supplied, the file fn1 is transferred under the name fn2.
The corresponding Kermit must be in either server or receive mode.
2.2. The RECEIVE Command
Syntax: RECEIVE
The RECEIVE command accepts file transfers from a single SEND
command,
then returns to the Kermit command level. If the sending Kermit
supports file attributes, the file type is set by the
File Attribute packet.
If no attribute packet is sent, the file type is set to the default
file type.
2.3. The GET Command
Syntax: GET,
GET rfn,
or GET rfn1 fn2
Request the remote Kermit to send the remote file named. If the remote Kermit is MAINKERMIT, the rest of the remote transfer queue is sent as well. If the output file name fn2 is specified, the file is stored under that name. The remote Kermit must be in server mode to use this command.
The syntax of this command is different from that for most
Kermits. Usually, if no file name is given, the user is prompted for
a remote name, then a local file name. In MAINKERMIT a GET
with no file name requests the remote Kermit to send its transfer
queue. This queue can be built using the RTEXT, RPTEXT,
and RDATA commands (see Section 2.6).
2.4. The TEXT, PTEXT, and DATA Commands
Syntax: TEXT fn
or TEXT fn1 fn2;
PTEXT fn
or PTEXT fn1 fn2;
DATA fn
or DATA fn1 fn2
The TEXT command adds the filename fn to the local transfer queue as a text file. If the output file name fn2 is specified, the file fn1 is transferred under the name fn2.
The PTEXT command works the same as the TEXT command except that it does not filter out nulls or other special characters. Character set and eol translation is still done, however. This command should be used for transferring MAINSAIL intmods.
Similarly, the DATA command add the filename to the
transfer queue as a data file. If the remote Kermit does
not support File Attribute packets, it stores the files as its own
default value. Currently, no warning is issued in such a situation.
2.5. The SERVER Command
Syntax: SERVER
The SERVER command puts Kermit in “server mode”. All commands from that point must be in the form of server packets. Table 2–2 lists the commands to which the server responds.
Table 2–2. Server Commands Supported by MAINKERMIT
| Command | Server Response |
|---|---|
| GET | Send files |
| SEND | Receive files |
| FINISH | Exit server mode |
| REMOTE DIRECTORY | Send directory listing |
| REMOTE COPY | Copy files |
| REMOTE TYPE | Send file to display |
| REMOTE RENAME | Rename a file |
| REMOTE DELETE | Delete a file |
| RTEXT | Add TEXT file to transfer queue |
| RPTEXT | Add PTEXT file to transfer queue |
| RDATA | Add DATA file to transfer queue |
| REXECUTE | Execute a Kermit command |
Syntax: RTEXT rfn
or RTEXT rfn1 fn2;
RPTEXT rfn
or RPTEXT rfn1 fn2;
RDATA rfn
or RDATA rfn1 fn2
The RTEXT command sends a TEXT rfn command to a remote server, which causes the remote filename specified to be added to the remote transfer queue. If the output file name fn2 is specified, the file rfn1 is transferred under the name fn2.
The RPTEXT command acts the same way for a portable text file, and
the RDATA command acts the same way for a data file. The remote
transfer queue can be retrieved by using the GET command. These
commands work only for a MAINKERMIT server.
2.7. SHOWQUEUE
The SHOWQUEUE command shows the current list of files queued for
transfer.
2.8. The REMOTE, FINISH, and REXECUTE Commands
MAINKERMIT may request a number of services from a remote server. In addition to the SEND, GET, RTEXT, RPTEXT, and RDATA commands already described, Table 2–3 lists other commands.
| REMOTE DIRECTORY {dn} | Request a remote directory be sent. Use the directory name dn if supplied. |
| REMOTE COPY rf1 rf2 | Copy remote file rf1 to rf2. |
| REMOTE RENAME rf1 rf2 | Rename remote file rf1 to rf2. |
| REMOTE DELETE rf | Delete remote file rf. |
| REMOTE TYPE rf | Send the remote file rf to the screen. |
| FINISH | Cause the remote server to exit server mode. |
| REXECUTE s | Execute the Kermit command s. |
A few words about the REXECUTE command:
this causes the string s
to be sent to the remote Kermit's command exec, exactly as if you
had typed it in at the command prompt. This feature is supported by
the MAINKERMIT server, but
may not be supported by other servers. In general, care should be
taken with this command, as it is possible to send commands to the
remote server that may confuse it (e.g., if you were to change the
line while communication was in progress). On the other hand, it
can be useful to alter remote SET options. The RTEXT,
RPTEXT,
and RDATA commands are implemented through the REXECUTE command.
2.9. Local File Manipulation Commands
MAINKERMIT allows some local file manipulation. These commands are listed in in Table 2–4.
Table 2–4. MAINKERMIT Local File Commands
| DIRECTORY {dn} | Request a directory be sent. Use the directory name dn, if supplied. |
| COPY f1 f2 | Copy file f1 to f2. |
| RENAME f1 f2 | Rename file f1 to f2. |
| DELETE f | Delete file f. |
| TYPE f | Send the file rf to the screen. |
Syntax: SET option {value}
MAINKERMIT has a number of variables and options. The SET command allows the user to tailor these for a specific need. Table 2–5 lists the set options available. These options are described in detail below.
Table 2–5. MAINKERMIT SET Options
| LINE | Communication device name. |
| FILETYPE | Default file type (text, portable text, or data). |
| TARGET | Target operating system for data files. |
| BAUD | Baud rate of communication device. |
| DEBUG | Toggle the debug switch. |
| PROMPT | Change the Kermit prompt. |
| BLOCKCHECK [1|2|3] | Block checksum type. |
| RETRIES n | Number of retries for bad packet before timing out. |
| ERRORLOG fileName | Error log name. |
| HALFDUPLEX | Turn on local echo. |
| FULLDUPLEX | Turn off local echo. |
| TRANSLATION ebcdicCharCode asciiCharCode | Override default EBCDIC-ASCII conversion. |
| PARITY | Tell MAINKERMIT that local machine is using parity. |
| NOPARITY | Tell MAINKERMIT that local machine is not using parity. |
| ESCAPE newEscapeCharacter | Escape character. |
This sets the target used in a data transfer to the operating system
name specified.
osName is one of the XIDAK operating
system name abbreviations shown in Table B–2 of the MAINSAIL Language Manual.
Normally, this
command can be dispensed with, as most machines support 8-bit bytes.
Override the default EBCDIC-ASCII conversion for a particular character
code. Codes are entered in decimal.
2.10.1. SET LINE deviceName
SET LINE
sets the communication device. The device name is the
operating-system-specific
name for the line you plan to use, e.g., /dev/ttyb or
_TXA5:.
When the SET LINE command is given, Kermit is put in “local
mode”. By default, Kermit is in “remote mode”. After a SET LINE
command,
it is possible that a SET BAUD command may need to be issued.
Note that
the SET LINE command is operating-system-dependent, and may not be
implemented on all systems.
2.10.2. SET BAUD [300|1200|2400|4800|9600]
Set the baud rate of the line specified in the SET LINE command to
the baud rate selected. The command is supported only if the
host operating system allows the baud to be set. A SET LINE command
must be issued before this command.
2.10.3. SET FILETYPE [TEXT|PTEXT|DATA]
Set the default file type to TEXT, PTEXT, or
DATA, as specified.
File Attribute packets override this setting, but this is the
file type used in the absence of such a packet. By default, the
file type is TEXT.
2.10.4. SET TARGET osName
2.10.5. SET PROMPT s
Set the Kermit command prompt to the specified string s.
This can
be useful if you are using MAINKERMIT on two different system.
2.10.6. SET DEBUG
Toggle the debug switch. With debug on, packets are dumped to the
screen as they are received and sent. This may be useful in tracking
down a failing connection.
2.10.7. SET BLOCKCHECK [1|2|3]
This has the standard Kermit meaning of setting the
block checksum. 1 is a six-bit arithmetic checksum, 2
is a 12-bit arithmetic checksum, and 3 is a 16-bit CRC.
2.10.8. SET RETRIES n
This variable is the number
retries that will be attempted
for a bad packet before a transfer times out.
2.10.9. SET ERRORLOG fileName
Save error messages in the specified file.
2.10.10. SET HALFDUPLEX
Set Kermit to echo locally (used when talking to
half-duplex system).
2.10.11. SET FULLDUPLEX
Set Kermit not to echo locally (i.e., echo is remote).
Used with full-duplex systems.
2.10.12. SET TRANSLATION ebcdicCharCode asciiCharCode
2.10.13. SET PARITY
Indicate that local machine is using parity.
2.10.14. SET NOPARITY
Indicate that local machine is not using parity.
2.10.15. SET ESCAPE newEscapeCharacter
Set the Kermit escape character (the character used to
escape from the terminal emulator). The character is
typed as CTRL-characterEntered. For example, the
default escape character (CTRL-\) would be entered as
SET ESCAPE \.
2.11. The TAKE Command
Syntax: TAKE fn
The TAKE command instructs MAINKERMIT to execute commands from the filename fn. This file may also contain TAKE commands. The commands executed are echoed. Command files are especially useful in building transfer queues.
An implicit TAKE is done on the file kermit.ini when MAINKERMIT
is first invoked.
2.12. The CONNECT Command
The CONNECT command causes the terminal to go into a terminal emulator, talking to the line specified by the SET LINE command. All characters typed are passed through the line, and all characters received are displayed. This is an operating-system-specific command, as some operating systems cannot support this function. The quality of the terminal emulator may vary from system to system as well, depending on the exact nature of the primitives provided. Commands to the local Kermit are prefixed with CTRL-\ and a single character. Table 2–6 lists the control codes.
Table 2–6. MAINKERMIT Emulator Commands
| c | Close the connection, return to the local Kermit |
| b | Send a BREAK (not supported on all systems) |
| 0 | Send a NULL |
| CTRL-\ | Send a Control-backslash |
| ? | List the control codes accepted |
The “dial directory” is a list of host systems and their characteristics. It is maintained in the file kdiald.ini in the user's home directory. It should be edited only by using the MAINKERMIT DIAL command.
The DIAL command enters “dial mode”, which provides the following commands:
| INSERT | Insert new record |
| DELETE n | Delete record numbered n |
| EDIT n | Edit record number n |
| CALL s | Call system named s |
| SAVE | Save changes |
| QUIT | Return to Kermit prompt (exit dial mode) |
| EXIT | Return to Kermit prompt (exit dial mode) |
Upon entry to dial mode, the current dial directory is displayed.
Each entry contains a record number, a system name (which may be
used as an argument to the CALL command, either in dial mode or
at MAINKERMIT's top level),
a baud rate to use when calling,
a phone number to dial to reach the system,
a modem prefix transmitted before the phone number,
a modem suffix transmitted after the phone number,
and the name of an optional take file (a file of MAINKERMIT commands)
that is executed before dialing.
The dial mode INSERT and EDIT commands prompt for the values
of each of these parameters.
2.14. The HISTORY Command
Syntax: HISTORY
The HISTORY command lists all files transferred since MAINKERMIT was started. The command prints whether the file was sent or received, if it was text, portable text, or data, what the name was, what time it was started and what time it was completed. If the transfer was aborted for any reason, that fact is also noted.