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Usenet 1994 October
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volume16
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pcomm2
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1988-09-14
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PPPPPP CCCC OOOO MM MM MM MM
P P C O O M M M M M M M M
PPPPPP C O O M M M M M M
P C O O M M M M
P CCCC OOOO M M M M
Pcomm Reference Manual
version 1.1
written by
Emmet P. Gray
...!uunet!uiucuxc!fthood!egray
Pcomm is a public domain telecommunication program for Unix that
is designed to operate similar to the MSDOS program, ProComm.
ProComm (TM) is copyrighted by Datastorm Technologies, Inc.
This is a completely new program and contains no ProComm source
code. This is not a Datastorm product.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION .......... 3 5. UTILITY FUNCTIONS ..... 20
1.1 Abbreviations ........ 3 5.1 Program information .. 20
1.2 Requirements ......... 3 5.2 Setup screen ......... 20
1.3 Support files ........ 4 5.3 Change directory ..... 20
5.4 Clear screen ......... 20
2. RUNNING PCOMM ......... 5 5.5 Toggle duplex ........ 20
2.1 Hot key .............. 5 5.6 Hang up the phone .... 20
2.2 Status line .......... 5 5.7 Printer logging ...... 21
2.3 Help screen .......... 6 5.8 Toggle CR - CR/LF .... 21
2.4 Exit Pcomm ........... 6 5.9 Break ................ 21
3. SETUP SCREENS ......... 7 6. FILE FUNCTIONS ........ 22
3.1 Prompting ............ 7 6.1 Send files ........... 22
3.2 TTY setup ............ 8 6.2 Receive files ........ 23
3.3 Modem setup .......... 9 6.3 Pass thru mode ....... 24
3.4 Terminal setup ....... 10 6.4 Directory ............ 24
3.5 General setup ........ 11 6.5 Screen dump .......... 25
3.6 ASCII transfer setup . 12 6.6 Start data logging ... 25
6.7 Toggle logging ....... 25
4. MAJOR FUNCTIONS ....... 15
4.1 Dialing directory .... 15 7. DIALING WINDOW ........ 26
4.2 Redial ............... 17
4.3 Keyboard macros ...... 17
4.4 Line settings ........ 18
4.5 Exit Pcomm ........... 19
4.6 Unix gateway ......... 19
Appendix A - Typical Modem Configuration ...... 27
Appendix B - AT&T Unix PC 7300/3b1 Dial Codes . 28
Appendix C - Using Telebit Trailblazers ....... 30
1. INTRODUCTION
Pcomm is a public domain, menu driven, telecommunication program
designed to provide the same "ease of use" as similar programs
available in MSDOS. Some of its features are:
+o Large dialing directory
+o Automatic redial feature
+o Supports popular file transfer protocols
+o Data logging (log of the terminal session)
+o Printer logging
+o Screen dump
+o Shell escapes
+o Help screen
+o Keyboard macros
+o User customization
+o Administrative logging of phone calls
+o Administrative limits on long distance access
Pcomm does not emulate any particular terminal. Whatever
terminal you're on, is what the remote system "sees".
1.1 Abbreviations
Pcomm uses the notation "^A-X" to mean control-A followed by the
letter X. The dash (-) in the notation is just for clarity, it
is not included in the actual command sequence. Also, there is
no distinction between upper and lower case letters.
The following abbreviations appear in Pcomm:
<CR> carriage return key (sometimes labled "Enter")
<ESC> escape key
<SPACE> space bar
<DEL> del key
<up> up arrow key
<down> down arrow key
LF line feed character (control-J)
CR carriage return character (control-M)
1.2 Requirements
Pcomm will not run on terminals with a screen size of less than
80 columns by 24 lines or on terminals that lack cursor movement
capabilities. For terminals without arrow keys, use the letter
"U" in place of "up arrow" and the letter "N" in place of "down
arrow" (the letter "D" would have been a more obvious choice,
but, unfortunately, it is used elsewhere).
1.3 Support files
Pcomm uses three support files, namely:
pcomm.dial_dir the dialing directory
pcomm.modem the modem/TTY database
pcomm.param the start-up default parameters
There is a default directory (typically "/usr/local/lib/pcomm")
where the "standard" support files live. Since the average user
won't have write permission on these files, it's assumed that
they will copy one or more of these standard files to their own
directories and edit them to suit their needs.
Pcomm can use the environmental variable "PCOMM" to search for
these "private" support files. If used, the variable must
contain the path to the directory containing the files. You can
"mix and match" the use of standard and private support files.
For example, the pcomm.modem file is rarely changed by the user
so there would be no need to copy that file to the private
directory.
The following directories are searched to find the support
files:
+o directory given with the "-d" option
+o directory in the PCOMM environmental variable
+o the current working directory
+o the default directory (compiled into Pcomm)
2. RUNNING PCOMM
Pcomm has the following command line syntax.
pcomm [-d directory] [-f index]
The "-d" option allows you to specify an additional path to be
used when searching for the Pcomm support files. This option is
often useful for "borrowing" someone else's dialing directory.
The "-f" option is used to specify automatic dialing of an entry
in the dialing directory. The "index" field in the dialing
directory (described later) is checked against the string given
on the command line. If a match is found, that entry is
automatically dialed.
2.1 Hot key
Pcomm uses a "hot key" to precede each command. (The value of
the hot key is a user tunable parameter, but for the purpose of
this document we'll assume the hot key is defined as control-A).
The hot key is used to put Pcomm in the command mode. For
example, to get the help screen, you type control-A (to get to
the command mode) then the number 0 (to display the help
screen). When a command is completed, Pcomm returns to the
terminal mode.
NOTE: While in the command mode, the communication with the
remote system is temporarily suspended.
2.2 Status line
Whenever Pcomm is in the command mode (or is not currently
connected to a remote) a status line is displayed at the bottom
of the screen. A typical status line might look like this:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ^A-0 HELP | No TTY | FDX | 1200 E71 | LOG OFF | PTR OFF | CR | CR |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
The eight fields of the status line are:
+o help screen command (or a temporary message)
+o name of the TTY device in use
+o duplex mode (FDX = full duplex, HDX = half duplex)
+o current line settings
+o status of data logging option
+o status of printer logging option
+o incoming CR translation
+o outgoing CR translation
2.3 Help screen
The help screen gives a brief review of all the available
commands. To access the help screen type ^A and "0" (zero).
The typical help screen will look like this:
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| P C O M M H E L P |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
| Major Functions Utility Functions File Functions |
| |
| Dialing Directory. ^A-D Program Info .... ^A-I Send Files .... ^A-<up> |
| Auto Redial ...... ^A-R Setup Screen .... ^A-S Receive Files . ^A-<down>|
| Keyboard Macros .. ^A-M Change Directory. ^A-B Pass Thru Mode. ^A-T |
| Line Settings .... ^A-P Clear Screen .... ^A-C Directory ..... ^A-F |
| Exit Pcomm ....... ^A-X Toggle Duplex ... ^A-E Screen Dump ....^A-G |
| Unix Gateway ..... ^A-4 Hang Up Phone ... ^A-H Start Data Log. ^A-1 |
| Printer On/Off .. ^A-L Toggle Log .... ^A-2 |
| Toggle CR-CR/LF . ^A-3 |
| Break Key ....... ^A-7 |
| |
+------------------------ Press any key to continue ------------------------+
2.4 Exit Pcomm
To exit Pcomm, you type ^A and "x" to access the exit window.
+-- Exit -----------------------+
| |
| Exit to Unix? (y/n): _ |
| |
+-------------------------------+
To exit, you press the letter "y" (carriage return not required).
3. SETUP SCREENS
Pcomm allows you to change many of the default parameters. The
setup screen is accessed by typing ^A and "s". The following
screen is typical and shows the sub-menu choices:
------------------------ Setup Menu ----------------------------
1) TTY Setup
2) Modem Setup
3) Terminal Setup
4) General Setup
5) ASCII Transfer Setup
S) Save setup to disk
----------------------------------------------------------------
OPTION ==> _ Press <ESC> to exit
To select one of the sub-menu choices, you type the number (or
letter) at the "OPTION ==>" prompt. To exit from a sub-menu and
return to this setup menu screen, you press the escape key.
Changes made affect the current Pcomm session only. To make the
changes become the default, you select the "s" option.
3.1 Prompting
There are several different types of prompts used in the setup
screens. The prompts use the bottom two lines on the display
for user input and to give more information on what is being
asked. Pcomm will beep at any illegal input. The escape key
<ESC> will abort any prompt. The prompt types are:
+o Character prompt. Asks you to input a single
character.
+o String prompt. Asks you to input a word or group of
characters.
+o Numeric prompt. Asks you for a number.
+o Menu prompt. Shows a selection and allows you to
choose the current selection by pressing the carriage
return or change the selection by pressing the space
bar.
3.2 TTY setup
The TTY setup allows you to assign the serial ports that Pcomm
is allowed to use, and what is attached to each port. A typical
TTY setup screen might look like this:
-------------------------- TTY Setup ---------------------------
TTY name Modem name Init speed
1) tty10 HAYES 0
2) tty11 HAYES 0
3) tty12 DIRECT 0
4) tty13 TELEBIT 0
5) tty13 FAST_TELEBIT 0
6) 0
7) 0
8) 0
9) 0
10) 0
11) Add a TTY entry
12) Delete a TTY entry
----------------------------------------------------------------
OPTION ==> _ Press <ESC> to return
You may edit an entry by typing the entry number at the prompt.
To add an entry, you type "11" at the prompt, etc.
The TTY setup fields are:
1) TTY name. This is the name of the serial port that
Pcomm will be allowed to use. Notice that the path
component of the name, "/dev/" is not used.
2) Modem name. This a key word that is used later to
link the modem database with the TTY database. The name
could be any combination of letters or numbers (both
upper and lower case).
NOTE: All hard-wired ports (ports without modems attached)
*must* use the word "DIRECT" for the modem name.
3) Init speed. Normally Pcomm will initialize the modem
at the baud rate in the dialing directory. If the init
speed is non-zero, the initialization string is always
sent at the specified baud rate. The baud rate is
selected from a "menu prompt". See Appendix C for more
information about the use of this feature.
NOTE: It is often best to put the fastest modem/TTYs at the end
of the TTY database.
3.3 Modem setup
The modem setup contains the commands to make the modem dial,
hang up the phone, etc. A typical modem setup screen might look
like this:
-------------------------- Modem Setup -------------------------
1) Modem name (1 of 4) ... HAYES
2) Modem init string ..... ATS7=45S11=70E0Q0V1X4&D2!
3) Dialing command ....... ATDT
4) Dialing cmd suffix .... !
5) Hang up string ........ ~~+++~~ATH0!
6) Auto baud detect ...... Y
7) 300 baud connect ...... CONNECT!
8) 1200 baud connect ..... CONNECT 1200
9) 2400 baud connect ..... CONNECT 2400
10) 4800 baud connect .....
11) 9600 baud connect .....
12) 19200 baud connect ....
13) No connect string 1 ... BUSY
14) No connect string 2 ... VOICE
15) No connect string 3 ... NO CARRIER
16) No connect string 4 ...
----------------------------------------------------------------
OPTION ==> _ Press <ESC> to return
The fields of the modem setup are:
1) Modem name. This is the key word that links the
modem database with the TTY database. A menu prompt is
used to select the modem name (and the remaining
parameters that go with it). The "(1 of 4)" field
indicates there are additional modems in the database.
2) Modem initialization string. This is sent to the
modem whenever the port is selected. Consult your modem
manual for the codes to be used. Notice the use of the
"!" character. This is the "character synonym" for the
carriage return.
NOTE: See section 3.5 for the complete list of character
synonyms. To remove the special meaning of a character synonym,
you must prepend a "\" to the character.
3) Dialing command. The first part of the command to
make the modem dial. It is assumed that the phone
number will immediately follow.
4) Dialing command suffix. The last part of the command
to make the modem dial. Typically this will be the
carriage return "character synonym".
5) Hang up string. The command to make the modem hang
up the phone. The character synonym for a 1 second
pause is the tilde "~" character.
6) Auto baud detect. Should Pcomm attempt to change the
baud rate of the TTY to the baud rate matching the
connect string? This feature requires the connect
strings to be unique.
7-12) Connect strings. The return messages when the
modem has connected to the remote. If different
messages are returned for each baud rate at which the
modem answers, then they should be specified.
NOTE: Pcomm uses the connect strings to determine which baud
rates the modem is capable of supporting. For example, if the
4800 baud connect string is empty, Pcomm assumes the modem
can not support 4800 baud.
NOTE: If two connect strings are very similar, (for example,
"CONNECT" is entirely contained in "CONNECT 1200"), it is
possible that the return code from the modem will match the
incorrect string. To prevent this from happening, use the
command synonym for the carriage return to terminate the shorter
string (for example, use "CONNECT!" instead of "CONNECT").
13-16) No connect strings. The messages returned by the
modem when no connection is made.
3.4 Terminal setup
The terminal setup allows you to define the hot key and the
mapping of the end-of-line characters. A typical terminal setup
menu will look like this:
---------------------- Terminal Setup --------------------------
1) Hot key (decimal) ...... 1
2) ASCII version of hot ... ^A
3) Duplex ................. FULL
4) Flow control ........... XON/XOFF
5) CR translation (in) .... CR
6) CR translation (out) ... CR
----------------------------------------------------------------
OPTION ==> _ Press <ESC> to return
The fields in the terminal setup are:
1) Hot key. This is the decimal code for the user
definable hot key. Consult an ASCII/decimal conversion
chart for the decimal values of other characters.
2) ASCII version of hot key. This is the printable
version of the hot key used by Pcomm in the help screen
and status line.
3) Duplex. A menu prompt is shown to select between
FULL duplex and HALF duplex. In the half duplex mode,
characters sent to the remote system are also sent to
the the screen. (The duplex mode can also be changed
"on the fly" by the ^A-E command.)
4) Flow control. A menu prompt is shown to select
between XON/XOFF flow control and NONE. The flow
control selected here is only used during the terminal
session, not during file transfers.
5-6) CR translations. The end-of-line characters for
both incoming and outgoing carriage returns can be
altered to suit the remote system's needs. A menu
prompt provides the following choices:
+o CR (no translation)
+o CR/LF translate CR to CR/LF
The incoming CR translation can also be changed "on the
fly" with the ^A-3 command.
3.5 General setup
The general setup allows you to define the character synonyms
and the default files used by the screen dump and other
features. A typical general setup screen might look like this:
------------------------- General Setup ------------------------
1) Default log file ....... pcomm.log
2) Screen dump file ....... pcomm.dump
3) Strip high bit ........ YES
4) Pause character ........ ~
5) CR character ........... !
6) CTRL character ......... ^
7) ESC character .......... |
8) Break character ........ %
9) Aborted downloads ...... KEEP
10) Connect delay (sec) .... 35
11) Redial delay (sec) ..... 5
----------------------------------------------------------------
OPTION ==> _ Press <ESC> to return
The general setup fields are:
1) Default log file. The file name to be used as the
default when the data logging is activated (^A-1). The
log file name can be changed "on the fly" by the ^A-1
command.
2) Screen dump file. The file name to be used for the
screen dump command (^A-G).
3) Strip high bit. Should Pcomm strip the eighth bit on
incoming and outgoing characters? A menu prompts allows
you to select YES or NO. This feature is not used
during file transfers.
4-8) Character synonyms. These are symbols that Pcomm
uses to represent special characters (or perform special
functions) when sending commands to the modem. Synonyms
are useful for entering and displaying special
characters in a human readable form. The synonyms are:
+o Pause for 1 second
+o The carriage return character (control-M)
+o Convert the next character to control-xx
+o The escape character (control-[)
+o Send a modem break
NOTE: To prevent the special meaning of one of these characters
prepend a "\" to it.
9) Aborted downloads. When a download aborts (fails),
should the partially completed file be kept? The menu
prompt allows "KEEP" or "DELETE".
10) Connect delay. The number of seconds Pcomm will
wait for the modem to return a status code.
11) Redial delay. The number of seconds to wait before
Pcomm tries to call the number again.
3.6 ASCII transfer setup
This setup screen allows you to select options to be used for
ASCII uploads and downloads. A typical ASCII transfer setup
will look like this:
---------------------- ASCII Transfer Setup --------------------
ASCII UPLOAD
1) Echo locally ........... NO
2) Expand blank lines ..... NO
3) CR delay (ms) .......... 0
4) Pace the output ........ NO
5) CR translation ......... NONE
6) LF translation ......... ADD CR
ASCII DOWNLOAD
7) Transfer timeout (sec) . 5
8) CR translation ......... STRIP
9) LF translation ......... NONE
----------------------------------------------------------------
OPTION ==> _ Press <ESC> to return
The fields are:
1) Echo locally. This is similar to the duplex option
in that it copies outgoing characters to the screen.
The options are YES and NO.
2) Expand blank lines. Should a blank line (LF alone)
be expanded to a space and LF? Some BBS systems use a
blank line to signal the end of an ASCII upload. The
options are YES and NO.
3) CR delay. The delay in milliseconds to be used when
sending a CR. The menu prompt limits the choice to 0,
100, or 150.
4) Pace output. Should each character sent be delayed?
Very old BBS systems may require this. The choice is
YES or NO.
5) CR translation. The menu prompt provides the
following choices for upload translations:
+o NONE (no translation)
+o ADD LF translate CR to CR/LF
+o STRIP remove the CR character
6) LF translation. Same as above except the choices are:
+o NONE (no translation)
+o ADD CR translate LF to CR/LF
+o STRIP remove the LF character
7) Transfer timeout. The number of seconds to be used
to determine the end of an ASCII download. You can halt
the transfer before the timer goes off by hitting the
<ESC> key.
8-9) Same as 5) and 6) above, except the translations
apply to ASCII downloading.
4. MAJOR FUNCTIONS
When Pcomm is invoked without the "-f" command line option,
you're placed in the terminal mode with a blank screen and a
status line. However, since Pcomm hasn't yet selected a serial
port to use, characters typed at the blank screen are ignored.
Normally the first command you'll use is ^A-D to bring up the
dialing directory menu.
4.1 Dialing directory
To dial another system, you type ^A-D to access the dialing
directory menu, then enter the entry number at the prompt.
The entry number could be preceded by a special long distance
dialing code such as "#5" in lieu of "5" alone. Long distance
codes could contain access numbers such as those that MCI and
Sprint require.
A typical dialing directory will look like this:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| D I A L I N G D I R E C T O R Y |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Name Number Baud P D S Dpx Index/TTY |
| 1- Abbey Road 1 (512) 590-6036 2400-N-8-1 F |
| 2- Tel-Med-Com 555-8686 9600-E-7-1 F |
| 3- C Board 1 (619) 722-8724 2400-N-8-1 F |
| 4- Crest 1 (213) 471-2518 2400-N-8-1 F crest |
| 5- Last Chance 1 (219) 762-8411 2400-E-7-1 F |
| 6- Killer 1 (214) 827-1994 1200-E-7-1 F |
| 7- System A (direct) 19200-N-8-1 F tty12 |
| 8- 1200-E-7-1 F |
| 9- 1200-E-7-1 F |
| 10- 1200-E-7-1 F |
| |
| ==> _ R Revise M Manual Dialing Entry to Dial |
| P LD Codes D Delete Entry <CR> Scroll Down |
| <up>/<down> Page L Print Entries <ESC> Exit |
| |
| LD Codes Active: @ # |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
The fields of the dialing directory are:
+o Name. The name of the remote system.
+o Number. The telephone number to the remote system.
NOTE: The "(", ")", "-", and space characters are just for
looks, and don't get sent to the modem. To prevent the
stripping of one of these characters, prepend a "\" to it.
+o Line settings. The communications settings to be used
when dialing that entry. The range of values are:
Baud Parity Data bits Stop bits
----- -------- --------- ---------
300 N - none 7 1
1200 E - even 8 2
2400 O - odd
4800
9600
19200
+o Duplex. The duplex mode. Either "F" for full or "H"
for half.
+o Index. The string to be used to select this entry
with the "-f" command line option. This field is also
used to specify a particular TTY for the entry.
NOTE: On all hard-wired ports, the index field must be set to
the name of the port. For example, if tty12 is a hard-wired
port to "System A", then the dialing directory entry for "System
A" will have "tty12" in the index field.
The commands at the dialing directory prompt are:
R) Revise (or add) a dialing directory entry or long
distance dialing code. Prompts you to save the changes
to disk. A typical revise screen would look like this:
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Entry to revise? _ (Entry Number, +,-,@,#) |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
If a dialing directory entry is selected, each field of
the entry is shown with its current settings. You can
enter a new value, press a carriage return to skip past
a field, or enter a single space character to erase a
field. An <ESC> at any field will abort the command.
P) Print (display) the long distance dialing codes.
<up>/<down>) Scroll the dialing directory up or down 10
lines. Use the up and down arrow keys to access this
feature.
M) Manual dial. Prompts you for a phone number rather
than using a number already in the dialing directory.
D) Delete an entry or a range of entries. Prompts you
to save the changes to disk.
L) Print. Send the dialing directory to the printer or
a file of your choice.
1-100) Entry number. Dial the phone for that entry
number.
NOTE: To access the port directly without dialing (perhaps to
send the dial codes yourself), select an empty entry or enter a
single space character at phone number prompt of the manual dial
option.
<CR> Carriage return. Scroll the dialing directory down
one line.
4.2 Redial
The redial feature is a misnomer; it really is a queuing system
that allows Pcomm to dial several numbers in a cycle until one
of them answers.
When you invoke the redial command with ^A-R, you're prompted
for a list of dialing directory numbers. (You may also prepend
a long distance code to the entry number).
+-- Redial Queue ----------------------------------------------+
| |
| Directory Entry Number(s): _ |
| |
| (<CR> for previous numbers) |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
To redial the previous number, press a carriage return alone at
the prompt. An <ESC> aborts this command.
4.3 Keyboard macros
Keyboard macros are used as a shortcut to send commonly used
strings to the remote system with only a few keystrokes. The
characters used to identify the macros are the shifted number
keys. For example, if the string "hello" was assigned to the
"!" key (the shifted number 1 key), then when you press ^A-!,
the string "hello" is sent to the remote.
NOTE: While a keyboard macro is being sent to the remote, the
incoming characters are temporarily suspended. This often
results in an awkward visual effect.
To review or edit the keyboard macros, you type ^A-M. The
following screen will appear:
+------------------------------------------------------+
| Keyboard Macros |
|------------------------------------------------------|
| |
| ^A-! hello |
| ^A-@ |
| ^A-# |
| ^A-$ |
| ^A-% |
| ^A-^ |
| ^A-& |
| ^A-* |
| ^A-( |
| ^A-) |
| |
| Macro key to revise: _ |
| |
+---------------- Press <ESC> to continue -------------+
To edit a macro, you type the macro key character (without the
leading hot key). After typing the new string information, you
will be prompted to save the changes to disk. To erase an entry
enter a single space character.
NOTE: All of the character synonyms described in section 3.5
are available for use with the keyboard macros.
4.4 Line settings
The line settings menu is invoked by ^A-P. A typical line
settings menu will look like this:
+-----------------------------------------------+
| Line Settings |
|-----------------------------------------------|
| |
| Current Settings: 1200,E,7,1 |
| |
| 1) 300,E,7,1 7) 300,N,8,1 |
| 2) 1200,E,7,1 8) 1200,N,8,1 |
| 3) 2400,E,7,1 9) 2400,N,8,1 |
| 4) 4800,E,7,1 10) 4800,N,8,1 |
| 5) 9600,E,7,1 11) 9600,N,8,1 |
| 6) 19200,E,7,1 12) 19200,N,8,1 |
| |
| Parity Data Bits Stop Bits |
| 13) Odd 14) 7 bits 16) 1 bit |
| 15) 8 bits 17) 2 bits |
| |
| 18) Save Changes YOUR CHOICE: _ |
| |
+------------- Press <ESC> to return -----------+
While dialing a remote, the line settings in the dialing
directory entry are automatically used. Therefore the line
settings menu is used to fine tune the values during a terminal
session or to select the parameters for manual dialing. You can
make the current setting the default by selecting the "Save
Changes" option.
The current line settings are also displayed in the status line.
NOTE: During file transfers, certain parameters (namely the
data bits and parity) will be temporarily changed. The status
line will *not* reflect these temporary promotions.
4.5 Exit Pcomm
To exit Pcomm, you type ^A-X. The phone is hung up (if a call
was in progress), the print and data logging features are
closed, and the TTY resources are released.
NOTE: Pcomm drops the DTR (Data Terminal Ready) on the port
before exiting to Unix.
4.6 Unix gateway
To temporarily suspend Pcomm and spawn a Unix shell, you type
^A-4. To return to Pcomm, you exit the shell normally,
typically with ^D or "exit".
NOTE: The SHELL environmental variable is used to determine
which program to invoke.
5. UTILITY FUNCTIONS
The following commands perform secondary functions.
5.1 Program information
To display the opening information screen, you type ^A-I. Press
any key to return to the terminal mode.
5.2 Setup screen
The setup screens are described in detail in section 3 of this
manual.
5.3 Change directory
To change the current working directory while still inside
Pcomm, you type ^A-B. A screen similar to the following will
appear:
+-- Change directory ------------------------------------------+
| |
| Current directory: /usr/egray |
| New directory: _ |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
Abbreviations known to the shell are acceptable; for example,
the "~" character will be translated to the home directory in
the csh or ksh shell.
5.4 Clear screen
To clear the local screen and home the cursor, you type ^A-C.
NOTE: The remote system may not "know" the screen has been
cleared, and may make assumptions about the screen that are
incorrect.
5.5 Toggle duplex
The ^A-E command changes the duplex mode from FULL to HALF, or
from HALF to FULL. The status line shows the current duplex
mode.
5.6 Hang up the phone
To hang up the phone, you type ^A-H. The word "disconnecting"
will briefly show in the status line.
NOTE: Pcomm does not drop the DTR (Data Terminal Ready) during
a hang up. Therefore, this would have no effect on direct
lines.
5.7 Printer logging
The ^A-L command toggles the printer logging on or off. The
current printer status is displayed in the status line.
NOTE: Since all printing goes to the normal Unix print spool
program, the characters will not print on the printer as they
appear on the screen. The printing will actually begin when the
printer logging is turned *off* and the complete print job is
sent to the spool.
NOTE: Due to a technical limitation of Pcomm, characters typed
while in the half duplex mode will not appear in the print log.
5.8 Toggle CR - CR/LF
The ^A-3 command toggles the incoming line termination
characters between CR and CR/LF. The status line shows
the current settings (in the next to the last field).
5.9 Break
The ^A-7 command sends a modem break to the remote system. The
word "break" is (very) briefly displayed on the status line.
NOTE: This not the same as the break key on the keyboard (we
don't want to send a break to the local system, we want to send
it to the *remote*).
6. FILE FUNCTIONS
One of the most important features of a telecommunication
program is the ability to transfer files. The following file
transfer protocols are implemented:
protocol packet error multiple
name size detection files?
--------- -------- ------------ --------
xmodem 128 checksum/CRC no
xmodem-1k 128/1024 checksum/CRC no
modem7 128 checksum yes *1
ymodem 128/1024 CRC yes *2
ymodem-g 128/1024 none *3 yes
ASCII none none no
(external) ? ? ?
Notes: 1 CP/M style file name
2 MSDOS style file name and file size
3 Not needed!
The external "protocol" is really a method of running an
external program from Pcomm to accomplish a file transfer. The
most common use of this feature would be to run Kermit or Chuck
Forsberg's Zmodem (sz/rz/dsz) program.
NOTE: The external protocol feature can also be used (misused?)
to pipe the output of a Unix command to the remote.
NOTE: The protocols that send file name information, convert the
Unix style file name to fit the MSDOS name restrictions.
6.1 Send files
To send a file to the remote, you'll first have to instruct the
remote system to receive the file, then type ^A-"up arrow". The
following screen will appear:
+----- Upload -----+
| |
| 1) xmodem |
| 2) xmodem-1k |
| 3) modem7 |
| 4) ymodem |
| 5) ymodem-g |
| 6) ASCII |
| 7) (external) |
| |
| <ESC> to Abort |
| |
| Protocol: _ |
+------------------+
You then select the type of protocol at the prompt, and another
window similar to this will appear:
+-- Send xmodem -----------------------------------------------+
| |
| Enter filename: _ |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
Now you type in the file name or names you'd like to send.
Wildcards known to the shell are acceptable.
Now the file transfer actually begins. A screen similar to the
following is displayed during the transfer:
+-------------- Uploading -------------+
| |
| Protocol: xmodem |
| File name: main.c |
| File size: 4420 |
| Error check method: CRC |
| Est transfer time: 0:00:50 |
| Block count: 5 |
| Percent complete: 11.2% |
| Bytes transferred: 640 |
| Errors this block: 0 |
| Total error count: 0 |
| Last message: NONE |
| |
+------- Press <ESC> to abort ---------+
As the transfer progresses, the "block count", "percent
complete", and "bytes transferred" fields will be continuously
updated. If errors occur the "errors this block" and "total
error count" fields will be updated and the "last message" field
will contain a message about the error.
At the end of the transfer, Pcomm will beep and return to the
terminal mode. If an error occurred and the transfer was
aborted, you will be prompted to acknowledge the error by
pressing a key before returning to the terminal mode.
6.2 Receive files
To receive a file (or group of files) from a remote system,
you'll have to first instruct the remote system, then type
^A-"down arrow". Receiving a file is basically the same as
sending a file.
NOTE: Some systems do not pad the end of the file with
control-Z's and therefore files might grow in length when
received.
NOTE: Due to a technical limitation of Pcomm, characters
received during an ASCII download will not reappear on the
screen when you return to the terminal mode.
6.3 Pass thru mode
The pass through mode is used when you have two or more machines
in a communications daisy chain. The following diagram shows
an example of this type of arrangement:
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+
| IBM PC | | Unix | | IBM PC |
| running | -------> | running | -------> | running |
| ProComm | <------- | Pcomm | <------- | RBBS |
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+
If a file is to be transferred from the last machine to the
first machine, the middle machine must appear completely
transparent. The middle machine must "forward the data" without
altering it in any way. The pass through mode "expires" after a
designated period of of inactivity, after which the user is
returned to the terminal mode.
To access the pass through mode, you type ^A-T. The following
screen will appear:
+-- Pass Thru Mode --------------------------------------------+
| |
| Enter the expiration time (5-60 sec) : _ |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
NOTE: While in the pass through mode, no Pcomm command to the
middle machine will be honored. Therefore, the *only* way to
exit this mode is to not type anything on the keyboard until the
expiration period has elapsed.
NOTE: The baud rates to and from the middle machine need not be
the same, however the slowest speed determines the overall speed
of the transfer (the weakest link in the chain).
6.4 Directory
To obtain a listing of a directory on the local system while
still running Pcomm, you type ^A-F. The following screen will
appear:
+-- List Directory --------------------------------------------+
| |
| Current directory: /usr/egray |
| File spec (wildcards allowed): _ |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
Abbreviations know to the shell are valid.
NOTE: Since we're really doing a popen() to the "ls" command,
additional command line options are also valid.
6.5 Screen dump
To dump the contents of the current screen (minus any windows
showing) you type ^A-G. The contents of the screen are written
to the file specified in the general setup for this purpose. If
the file already exists, the screen contents are appended to the
file. The message "screen dump" will briefly appear in the
status line.
6.6 Start data log
To start the data logging, or change the file used for data
logging, you type ^A-1. The following screen will appear:
+-- Start Data Logging ----------------------------------------+
| |
| Default log file: pcomm.log |
| New log file: _ |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
To keep the default file, just press a carriage return at the
prompt, otherwise, enter a new file name. If the file already
exits, the new data is appended to the file.
The status of the logging is shown in the status line.
NOTE: Due to a technical limitation of Pcomm, characters typed
while in the half duplex mode will not appear in the log file.
6.7 Toggle logging
To temporarily suspend data logging or to start it again without
being prompted for the file name, you type ^A-2.
7. DIALING WINDOW
While Pcomm is dialing another system, a screen similar to the
following is shown:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| D I A L I N G W I N D O W |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
| System name: C Board |
| Pass number: 1 |
| Elapse time this try: 4 |
| Time at start of dial: 14:53:36 |
| Time at start of this try: 14:53:37 |
| Connect delay time: 35 |
| Redial delay time: 5 |
| Index/TTY: |
| Result of last try: |
| |
| <SPACE>: Recycle <DEL>: Remove from queue E: Change delays |
| |
+------------------------- Press <ESC> to abort -----------------------+
The options available during the dialing window are:
SPACE) Press the space bar to stop the dialing of the
current entry and go on to the next entry in the queue.
If there is only one entry in the queue, then that
number is redialed.
DEL) Press the DEL key to remove the current number from
the queue.
E) Press the letter "E" to change the connect delay
time, or the redial delay time (the pause between
dailing attempts). You will be prompted to save the
changes to disk.
NOTE: While the DEL and E options are being processed, the
dialing is temporarily suspended.
Appendix A
Typical Modem Configuration
I can't begin to describe how to configure every modem to work
with Pcomm. There are however, several guidelines that will
apply to virtually any modem.
1) Pcomm doesn't care about the DCD (Data Carrier
Detect) settings of the modem.
2) It would be nice (but not essential) if the loss of
the DTR (Data Terminal Ready) caused the modem to hang
up.
3) Pcomm doesn't care if commands are echoed back by the
modem (it might save a few milliseconds if echoing was
turned off).
4) Some sort of result codes are required. Numeric
result codes are ok... but since they are displayed on
the screen, word result codes will make more sense.
5) If the modem can return different result codes for
each baud rate at which it answers, then by all means,
use them.
6) Anything that is returned by the modem, but not
listed in the modem setup, is ignored.
7) Systems running uugetty (the bi-directional version
of getty that comes with HDB uucp) should include extra
commands in the initialization string to assure that
uugetty switches to its dial out mode. Normally,
"AT!~AT!~" causes enough dialogue to force uugetty to
release the line.
For example, a 2400 baud Hayes compatible modem might be
configured with the following command:
AT S7=45 S11=70 E0 Q0 V1 X4 &D2
AT Hayes attention command
S7=45 Wait 45 seconds for an answer
S11=70 70 ms touch tone dialing
E0 Don't echo commands (not essential)
Q0 Turn result codes on
V1 Return word result codes
X4 Use as many result codes as you've got
&D2 Hang up when DTR is lost (nice to have)
Appendix B
AT&T Unix PC 7300/3b1
Dial Codes
The dialing codes used by the OBM (On Board Modem) are not
straight-forward. The modem setup, as distributed, looks like
this:
-------------------------- Modem Setup -------------------------
1) Modem name (1 of 2) ... OBM
2) Modem init string .....
3) Dialing command ....... %
4) Dialing cmd suffix .... @
5) Hang up string ........
6) Auto baud detect ...... N
7) 300 baud connect ...... CONNECT
8) 1200 baud connect ..... CONNECT
9) 2400 baud connect .....
10) 4800 baud connect .....
11) 9600 baud connect .....
12) 19200 baud connect ....
13) No connect string 1 ...
14) No connect string 2 ...
15) No connect string 3 ...
16) No connect string 4 ...
----------------------------------------------------------------
OPTION ==> _ Press <ESC> to return
The relevant fields of the modem setup are:
1) Modem name. This must be "OBM".
NOTE: Pcomm uses the modem name as a flag to determine which
dialing method to use. The string "OBM" is a "reserved word"
that Pcomm uses to switch to the AT&T Unix PC 7300/3b1 dialing
method.
3) Dialing command. This should be "%" for touch tone
dialing or "^" for pulse dialing.
4) Dialing cmd suffix. This must be the "@" character.
6) Auto baud detect. The OBM cannot use the auto baud
detect feature.
7-8) Connect strings. Although the OBM doesn't actually
return any result codes, these fake fields are required.
Additional OBM dialing codes from the phone(7) manual:
"~" wait for next dial tone
"," pause 2 seconds
":" pause 10 seconds
"&" perform a hookflash
"%" begin tone dialing
"^" begin pulse dialing
These codes can be inserted into the phone number string, for
example:
555-1234~56 dial 555-1234, wait for tone, dial 56
9,555-1234 dial 9, wait 2 seconds, dial 555-1234
%555^1234 dial 555 using tone, 1234 using pulse
NOTE: The dialing codes for the OBM are not subject to
character synonym translations, therefore the "%", "^", and "~"
characters do NOT have to be preceded by the "\" character to
remove their special meaning.
Appendix C
Using Telebit Trailblazers
The Telebit Trailblazer modem is probably representative of the
newer high speed intelligent modems available today and
therefore warrants a more detailed discussion.
1) Locked interface speed
Trailblazers have the ability to maintain a locked
interface speed with the computer without regard to the
connected baud rate. For example, some people find it
necessary to lock the interface speed at 9600 baud (or
some other speed) for normal operations. However, Pcomm
assumes the interface speed is the same as the connected
baud rate.
The "init speed" field of the TTY database was created
to solve this problem. If this value is non-zero, Pcomm
will send the initialization string to the modem at this
baud rate. Normally, Pcomm would use the baud rate in
the dialing directory to send the init string.
The init string would now contain the codes to unlock
the interface, enter the autobaud mode on receipt of a
break, and arrange for the loss of the DTR to return the
modem to its previous locked state. For Telebit
Trailblazers this would be S66=0, S51=255, and S52=2.
2) Multiple setups
Users of Trailblazers often require a different "init
string" or "dial string" depending on the target baud
rate. For example, the init strings for 9600 and 19200
baud may contain the command "S50=255" (to wait for the
Telebit PEP tones) whereas the slower init strings would
contain "S50=0".
This problem is solved by creating an additional modem
entry in the modem database. For example, you could
have an entry called "TELEBIT" for baud rates in the
range of 300-2400 and another entry called
"FAST_TELEBIT" for baud rates in the range of
9600-19200.
Pcomm uses the connect strings to determine if the modem
can handle the requested baud rate. So, if the
"TELEBIT" entry had connect strings for 300, 1200, and
2400 baud it would be selected only if the requested
baud rate was in that range. Likewise, the FAST_TELEBIT
would have connect strings only for 9600 and 19200 baud.
3) Baud rate synchronization
In contrast to the Hayes 2400 modem, the Trailblazer
does not immediately synchronize with the serial port
when the baud rate is changed during the modem's command
mode.
To solve this problem, the init string and dial string
should contain the break character synonym followed by a
sufficient number of A's to allow the modem to
synchronize. The default character synonym for a modem
break is the "%".
4) Sample TTY database
The following is the contents of the sample TTY database:
TTY name Modem name Init speed
1) tty10 HAYES 0
2) tty11 HAYES 0
3) tty12 DIRECT 0
4) tty13 TELEBIT 0
5) tty13 FAST_TELEBIT 0
Notice that entries 4 and 5 share the same TTY.
NOTE: The examples assume the modem interface speed is not
locked. See paragraph 1 for additional codes to be added to the
init string if the lock interface feature is used.
5) Sample modem database entry for TELEBIT
The third entry in the sample modem database is for the
Telebit Trailblazer designated for use at slow speeds.
1) Modem name (3 of 4) .... TELEBIT
2) Modem init string ...... %AAAAAATS50=0S2=43S95=0M1!
3) Dialing command ........ %AAAAAATDTW
4) Dialing cmd suffix ..... !
5) Hang up string ......... ~~+++~~ATH0!
6) Auto baud detect ....... Y
7) 300 baud connect ....... CONNECT 300
8) 1200 baud connect ...... CONNECT 1200
9) 2400 baud connect ...... CONNECT 2400
10) 4800 baud connect .....
11) 9600 baud connect .....
12) 19200 baud connect ....
13) No connect string 1 ... BUSY
14) No connect string 2 ... ERROR
15) No connect string 3 ... NO CARRIER
16) No connect string 4 ...
6) Sample modem database entry for FAST_TELEBIT
The 4th entry is for the Telebit Trailblazer designated
for use at higher speeds.
1) Modem name (4 of 4) .... FAST_TELEBIT
2) Modem init string ...... %AAAAAATS50=255S2=43S95=0M1!
3) Dialing command ........ %AAAAAATDTW
4) Dialing cmd suffix ..... !
5) Hang up string ......... ~~+++~~ATH0!
6) Auto baud detect ....... N
7) 300 baud connect .......
8) 1200 baud connect ......
9) 2400 baud connect ......
10) 4800 baud connect .....
11) 9600 baud connect ..... CONNECT
12) 19200 baud connect .... CONNECT
13) No connect string 1 ... BUSY
14) No connect string 2 ... ERROR
15) No connect string 3 ... NO CARRIER
16) No connect string 4 ...
echo shar: "46 control characters may be missing from 'Doc'"
