Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!ABN.ISCAMS@usc-isid From: ABN.ISCAMS@usc-isid@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.micro Subject: Re: What are KERMIT and UMODEM anyway? Message-ID: <12079@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Mon, 26-Sep-83 22:17:00 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.12079 Posted: Mon Sep 26 22:17:00 1983 Date-Received: Sun, 2-Oct-83 01:13:17 EDT Lines: 42 KERMIT -- a program that (1) can act as a dumb terminal to talk over modems with anything pretty much, and (2) a program that can talk with other KERMITs that run in a different environment. The KERMITs don't know that, so they can talk to each other for file transfers, etc. And it works. I'm presently typing this on my Freedom 100 terminal, hooked to my Decision I Z80 micro, pushing out port 3 to a Racal-Vadic VA212LC 1200 baud modem, over a private phone line to a port on our local host here at Fort Bragg for the ARPAnet. My KERMIT was downloaded in hardcopy by FTPing from COLUMBIA-20's directory. I got the CPMGENERI.ASM (GENERIC KERMIT) version, and keyed in all bloody 100+ pages! Found out my Morrow CBIOS DOES NOT implement the IOBYTE GENERIC KERMIT relies on, so I had to learn all about my Multi I/O board, ports, etc. Then had to reconfigure the I/O board as a terminal instead of modem (easy). Then had to write reader/punch drivers (stealing code from my CBIOS like the CONIN and CONOUT) in assembler into KERMIT, pick and choose which parts of KERMIT to use (it's full of IF-END statements for a bunch of machines) ... but I GOT IT WORKING!! Dumb terminal works fine -- pushes out control characters, escapes, etc.; is completely invisible. Yet, at any time I can drop out of my link with the mainframe, play micro for a while in CP/M, and come right back up to where I was. Will try downloading and uploading all sorts of files next (.COM, .HEX, text, even 32-bit words from the DEC just to drive my terminal crazy). Don't have much info on exactly what different environment KERMITS are talking to each other, but mine sure works great on the ARPAnet! I'll be posting details and patches to COLUMBIA-20 as to the how-to and wuffos of the Decision I implementation. If this works, I'll be glad to upload the entire bloody patched and kludged TOADKRMT.ASM or .HEX or .COM or .PRN (if you'll pay the phone bill) to anyone who wants it. (Subject to the usual public domain constraints, of course -- and all full credit to Columbia, Bill Catchings, BG Eiben, Frank da Cruz, Daphne Izoar, Bernie Eiben, et al.) David Kirschbaum SGM, USA HQ XVIII Abn Corps and Toad Hall