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- OZBEXT II
- Version 1.1b
- An external protocol module for the CompuServe "B" and "BPlus" protocols
-
- Copyright(c)1987,1990
- Steve Sneed
- CIS ID# 70007,3574
-
-
- Welcome to OZBEXT!
- ------------------
-
- OZBEXT II is an "external protocol module", a program that allows you to add
- the CompuServe "B" and "BPlus" file transfer protocols into other communi-
- cations programs. While not designed primarily as such, the program can
- also be used as a (limited) stand-alone communications package for accessing
- the CompuServe Information Service (CIS).
-
- Popular file transfer protocols such as XMODEM do not function well under
- CompuServe's complex packet-switching network. The KERMIT protocol, while
- operational, is very slow on CIS. CompuServe developed the B/B+ protocols
- to provide optimum performance on the network - it is the recomended method
- of file transfer when using CIS.
-
- OZBEXT II works with all major commercial and shareware/freeware communications
- programs, and can be used with any comm program that can shell out to DOS
- without dropping the connection. On those programs that provide the capa-
- bility, OZBEXT II works best when set up as an external protocol callable from
- within the program (examples are ProComm Plus, QModem, Boyan and GT-PowerComm.)
- A wide range of options, both on the command line and within the program, allow
- you to configure the program to match your needs. The program automatically
- matches itself to your existing communications port configuration, meaning you
- do not have to worry about setting things like baud rate and parity when
- calling the program.
-
- If you want or need the ability to view CompuServe's RLE and GIF graphics,
- such as the radar weather maps, CB pictures, stock trends analysis, and the
- over 6000 graphics images in the Graphics Forums, you will want to get OZBEXT
- II's sister program, OZRLE. OZRLE provides all the capabilities of this
- program plus adds the ability to view, offline or online in realtime, the
- available graphics files and displays CIS provides. In addition, OZRLE
- automatically captures images viewed online to a file for later offline
- viewing, saving you substantial connect-time charges. OZRLE supports all major
- IBM video hardware types, including Hercules monochrome, CGA, EGA, MCGA, VGA,
- and many "Super" VGA cards. If you need online graphics capability on BBS's
- and other services then BBSGIF will fit the bill; it provides all of the online
- graphics capabilities of OZRLE but uses the XMODEM-type protocols.
-
-
- Before we start...
- ------------------
-
- Please read this documentation completely. I know you want to get using the
- program right away, but taking a few minutes now may well save you time and
- money (in connect-time charges) later. The program is very simple to use,
- and for most users' configurations is fully automatic, but an ounce of pre-
- vention is worth a pound of cure. Thanks!
-
- Users of previous versions please note: while much appears the same in this
- version, it is completely new; at a minimum please review the command line
- switch/environment variables section and the "For users of previous versions"
- sections before striking out with this new version.
-
- It is assumed throughout this document that you have a good basic under-
- standing of DOS commands, batch files and batch file commands, what
- "environment variables" are and how to set them. If this is not the case,
- please have a good MS-DOS tutorial book handy in case I use unfamiliar
- terminology.
-
- Help for this program is available online in the IBMNew forum on CompuServe.
- Many program-specific help files written by SysOp Connie Kageyama are
- available in LIBrary 2 of that forum. Do a "DIR *.HLP" at the "!" prompt
- in that library for a list of those files, or do a "BRO/KEY:HELP" at the
- same prompt. The sysops themselves are available to answer questions, and
- of course I check the forums daily to help users.
-
-
-
- The Legalities...
- -----------------
-
- This program is the copyrighted work of its author, Steve Sneed. All rights
- under US copyright law are reserved. The author hereby grants to private,
- noncommercial users of this program a limited license to use, copy and
- distribute the program free of charge, as long as:
-
- a) the program and its accompanying files are not modified in any way other
- than changing the "archive format" used to store and transmit the program;
-
- b) no charge is made for any distribution beyond a nominal disk/duplication
- fee; and
-
- c) the distribution of the program is not done by a business, company or
- private entity whose primary business purpose is the distribution of
- public domain and/or "shareware" software, by any means magnetic or
- electronic, for profit. Specific exclusion of this clause is hereby
- granted by the author to The First Osborne Group (FOG) and The Public
- (Software) Library. This clause does not limit distribution by Bulletin
- Board Systems or other information services, and a fee may be charged
- for such access as long as such fees are not charged specifically for
- this software.
-
- If the program is used for commercial purposes, a license from the author
- is required along with payment of a $15 license fee per copy. Multi-copy
- and site licenses are available; contact the author at the address listed
- at the end of this document for more information. "Commercial purposes"
- as used above is defined as use by a company or government service or
- organization in an official capacity, or use by a company or individual
- whereby financial profit is made from such use - for example, a stock broker
- who uses the program to aquire ticker information for clients. Specific
- exclusion of this clause is hereby granted by the author to CompuServe Inc.,
- Borland International, TurboPower Software, and PCMagNet. No other rights
- are in any way relinqushed by the author, and the author reserves sole right
- to grant and administer licensing and distribution.
-
- This software is provided "as-is", without warranty of any kind, including but
- not limited to any warranty of mercantibility or suitability for a specific
- purpose. At no time will the author be held liable for any loss or damage,
- including loss of data or time, due to any operation or use of this program,
- even if the author has been informed of such loss or potential for loss.
-
- "GIF", "GIF Format" and "Graphic Interchange Format" are Service Marks of
- CompuServe Inc., an H&R Block Company.
-
-
- Installing OZBEXT II
- --------------------
-
- OZBEXT II generally should be installed in the same location as your comm
- program. If you use a hard disk, this means in the same subdirectory. If you
- use more than one comm program with OZBEXT II and have different programs in
- different subdirectories, be sure to place OZBEXT II in a subdirectory that is
- on your DOS path.
-
- OZBEXT II is delivered to the CompuServe forums in "ZIPped" format, using the
- PKZIP 1.10 utility by Phil Katz. Some forums (and BBS systems, if that is
- where you aquired this program) may re-compile the program files into a
- different archive format such as the .ARC format, or may use a utility like
- LHARC to create a self-extracting program archive. Once you have copied the
- archive file or self-extractor onto your disk, you will need to use the
- appropriate un-arc utility (if not a self-extractor) to un-arc the program
- files back to their original runable state. Utilities for this purpose are
- available in most forums on CompuServe, and on nearly every BBS in the world.
-
-
- Configuring OZBEXT II
- ---------------------
-
- Configuration of OZBEXT II is very simple. The program uses a "standard"
- internal configuration that will be correct for 90% or better of users.
- The program is quite flexible, however; almost any type of special con-
- figuration used on CIS is supported by the program, as well as several
- options governing the way the program functions or performs.
-
- The following list contains OZBEXT II's nominal configuration. Only if
- your particular configuration differs from this list should you worry
- about the various settings available.
-
- * Uses the COM1: serial port/modem.
- * Uses the chosen port's existing baud rate, parity and data/stopbits settings.
- * Uses full-duplex communications.
- * Provides an audible alarm at the end of a protocol transfer.
- * Returns to its own internal terminal mode at the end of a transfer.
- * Uses the DOS current working directory for storage of downloaded files,
- and looks in the same directory for files to upload.
- * On exit, leaves the modem CarrierDetect line high and restores the port to
- the same configuration in which it was found.
- * Perform no logging of transfer success.
-
-
- Setting Options
- ---------------
-
- If one or more of the above settings does not match your configuration, there
- are two possible ways to change things. The first way is thru setting
- variables in the DOS environment. The second is to use command line parameters
- when executing the program. If you are calling OZBEXT II from a program such
- as QModem that wants to see a batch file rather than a free- standing program
- to execute, it is simpler to use the command line parameters within the batch
- file (saving the DOS environment space for other programs.) Parameters set via
- environment variables can be overridden via command line options.
-
- Below is a list of OZBEXT II's environment variable names and the associated
- options:
- DSZPORT=?
- or
- OZPORT=? Replace ? with your commport number (1 - 4 for PC-compats,
- 1 - 8 for MCA machines)
- OZPATH=? Replace ? with the full path to use for up/downloaded files
-
- When using command line parameters, all parameters must begin with either
- a dash (-) or a forward slash (/) character. Parameters that require qual-
- ifying information (such as the port selection parameter) must have the
- information immediately after the option letter with no space. At least
- one space must separate each parameter. Below is the list of available
- parameter option letters:
-
- C{portnumber} Select the comport. If you use COM2, this would be "/C2".
- The default is COM1. Ports 1 thru 4 are available for PC-
- compatible machines, and ports 1 thru 8 are available on
- PS/2's and other MCA-buss machines.
-
-
-
- If you are using the program as a stand-alone comm program rather than from
- within another comm program (and, generally, _only_ when you use it as such),
- 4 other parameters are available to configure the port. They are:
-
- B{baudrate} Specifies the baud rate setting at which to open the port.
- Available baud rates are 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200,
- 38400 and 56000. The default is to use whatever setting the
- port currently holds.
-
- P{parity} Specifies the parity setting to use. Normally either None
- or Even, but Odd, Mark and Space settings are available as
- well. You only have to provide the first letter of the
- parity type word (so setting None parity would be "/PN".)
-
- W{dataword} Specifies the data word length; 5, 6, 7 or 8 databits.
-
- S{stopbits} Specifies the number of stop bits (almost always 1.)
-
-
- The other available parameters are used to configure the way OZBEXT II works.
- They are:
-
- X Exit OZBEXT II immediately on completion of a protocol
- transfer. The default is to return to OZBEXT II's internal
- terminal mode so you can download more files or navigate to
- another area of CIS. This option is normally only used when
- the program is being called from within another comm program's
- script file for automatic execution.
-
- J Log results of all transfers to OZBEXT.LOG. The file is
- created if it does not exist. The default is to not log
- xfers; this just allows those that want logging to have it.
-
- D Drop carrier on exit. The default is to leave CarrierDetect
- high. Using this parameter will mean that OZBEXT II will break
- any existing connection on the modem when exiting - not a good
- idea when you are loading the program from within another
- comm package.
-
- N Turn off the audible alarm normally provided at the end of a
- protocol transfer. The default is to provide a beeper at
- the end of a proto transfer and wait for a keypress before
- continuing. When this switch is used, no alarm sounds and
- the program does not wait for the keypress. (Version 13.1cd
- note: this turns off *all* noise, including the system bell
- when a ^G is received.)
-
- Q Automatically send an XON character on startup. This param
- is normally only used with the CIS-specific "auto-navigator"
- programs AUTOSIG and TAPCIS, both of which send an XOFF flow
- control command to CIS when shelling out to DOS.
-
- U Automatically send a Ctrl-U character on startup. Using this
- parameter means that, on startup of OZBEXT II, the CIS system
- will automatically interrogate OZBEXT for its terminal-type
- and protocol-support capabilities. This option should be
- used with caution; in a few places that you might call OZBEXT
- II the sending of the Ctrl-U may confuse the CIS system or may
- abort the imput prompt that was waiting when you called OZBEXT
- II.
-
-
- L Use a large (block) cursor while in the program. This can be
- handy for those using the program on a laptop. Laptop users
- will probably want to use the OZCOLS program to set the display
- colors to a reasonable set for their display type as well.
-
- O Turns off checking for the Carrier Detect signal from the
- modem during use. Normally OZBEXT II checks for this signal
- during a protocol transfer and if the signal is lost (for
- example, when the phone line connection is broken due to
- line noise or other problem) the protocol transfer is
- automatically aborted. Some CIS users are lucky enoough
- to be connected to the network via direct serial link; these
- links are usually a minimal 3-wire connection without CD
- support. Users so configured should use this switch; do
- not use this switch if you connect to CIS via modem unless
- you experience problem initiating a transfer.
-
- F{path} Tells OZBEXT II to put all downloaded files in the {path}
- drive and/or subdirectory, and to take all uploaded files
- from that same location. OZBEXT II verifies that the specified
- path does exist and if it does not notifies you of the error
- and reverts to the current DOS working directory. Note that
- you can override this path by including any desired path with
- the filename when answering the "Filename for your computer:"
- prompt from CIS right before beginning the transfer.
-
-
- Running OZBEXT II
- -----------------
-
- OZBEXT II is simple to use. Depending on what general communications software
- you use, it can be made almost automatic. Due to the wide range of different
- communications programs available, no one setup will always be right for
- your particular configuration. However, following these guidelines will make
- using the program simple and straightforward.
-
- 1) If your comm program supports it, always install OZBEXT II as an external
- protocol module. Some programs or versions of programs do not support
- defined external protocol modules but do allow the definition of external
- programs (like editors.) If this is true for your software, use that
- type of setup. Only use OZBEXT II from a "general" DOS shell if your soft-
- ware provides no other support for external programs. Installing OZBEXT II
- as an external protocol module means calling OZBEXT II will be done in the
- same manner as all other protocols, giving you a consistant interface.
-
- 2) If your program requires batch files for external protocol modules (ala
- QModem and a few others), do all parameters options on the batch file
- command line. Here is an example batch file for QModem:
-
- ECHO OFF
- CLS
- OZBEXT /c2 /fA:\DNLD\TODAY
- CLS
-
- This type of setup is also recommended if you use the program from a
- "plain" DOS shell or from within AutoSIG or TAPCIS, or if you run the
- program standalone.
-
- 3) If your communications program is like Boyan (where you can call the
- program directly), it is better to use environment variables to set
- any needed options. This is best done in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so
- that the variables are always set. Programs like Boyan make it easy
- to set a single configuration but make it difficult to modify that
- configuration for special cases; make your setup flexible.
-
- 4) In all the above cases, note that unlike most other protocol modules
- OZBEXT II does not distingush between upload and download on the command
- line. This is handled at the start of a protocol transfer by the protocol
- itself. Therefore, you generally only need one configuration for both
- the upload and download entries in your comm program. However, a tip here
- is that if you use different subdirectories for storing downloads and
- finding uploads, you can set up separate configurations with different
- paths on the /F option on the command line (either batch file or direct
- command methods), or set an environment variable for the files path for
- downloads and override it with a command line setting in the upload setup.
-
-
-
- Using OZBEXT II
- ---------------
-
- Most protocol modules, when executed, immediately enter the protocol itself.
- The B protocols do not work this way. CIS sends a special interrogation
- sequence to the remote system (you) to make sure the remote can in fact do
- B and/or B+ before initiating the protocol itself. OZBEXT II _must_ be loaded
- and running to reply to this interrogation properly, or you may well not be
- able to do the transfer. (This is not a deficiency, it is a safety mechanism
- for both CIS and you.) Many places on CIS where you can transfer files, this
- interrogation may not be done immediately prior to the protocol initiation;
- often it is done when you first request a transfer but before CIS has asked
- you for the filename to process and the file type (binary or ASCII.) Because
- of this you should call OZBEXT II _before_ you request the transfer. OZBEXT II
- comes up in terminal mode so that you can answer any pending prompts, etc.
-
- Usually, when you shell out to OZBEXT II from another comm program, there is
- a prompt from CIS pending input. There is no way OZBEXT II can know what this
- prompt was and therefore redisplay it (or anything else that was on the screen
- when you called it) so you must remember what the prompt was and reply to
- it after OZBEXT II is operational. This is no problem; just type in what you
- would have had you been sitting at the prompt. CIS never sees OZBEXT II load
- so it never knows you were not able to see the prompt.
-
- Some users have noted that they "forget I'm in OZBEXT II rather than my main
- program." OZBEXT II provides a status line at the bottom of the screen at all
- times to remind you. I have tried to make sure it does not resemble too
- closely the status lines provided by many other comm programs, to make this
- recognition easier. An added tip here is to use the OZCOLS utility program to
- set the colors used by OZBEXT II do some set different from your main program.
-
- Many CIS users (most?) log in at 7 bits/Even parity. OZBEXT II has no problem
- with this; it knows how to switch to 8 bits/No parity for the actual transfer
- and back at the correct times. HOWEVER... some serial ports and/or modems
- do not handle the "flying switch" properly and will cause grief. For this
- reason I recommend you use 8 bits/No parity at all times on CIS. To do so
- you must change some of your "user profile" parameters that CIS maintains
- on you. At any CIS "!" prompt, issue a GO TERMINAL command and follow the
- menus.
-
-
- Commands Within OZBEXT II
- -------------------------
-
- OZBEXT II provides several commands while operational. These all are used to
- modify the same functions you set with command line options or environment
- variables. Generally, the letter used for a particular option setting in the
- list above will be the key used with the [Alt] key to modify that option while
- in OZBEXT II. To see a menu of available Alt-Key commands in the program, press
- the [Home] key. One extra command is available, however: Alt-X is used to exit
- the program.
-
-
-
- CIS Protocols
- -------------
-
- There are three distinct species of B protocol supported by CIS: "Classic" B,
- "Quick" B and B Plus. Most CIS users know that Classic B is the old (and slow)
- version of the protocol, but there seems to be a large amount of misconception
- concerning QuickB versus BPlus; many users assume that QuickB is faster than
- BPlus and therefore preferred (I guess because of the "Quick" in the name.)
- This is incorrect. QuickB and BPlus use almost exactly the same core
- procedures to perform the transfer, and under nominal conditions the two will
- post identical or nearly identical transfer times. What BPlus adds is
- flexability and safety, by adding features such as Aborted Transfer Resume and
- better file management including file information transfer at protocol start,
- and more flexible protocol packet size. BPlus is always the preferred version
- to use.
-
- Note that in many areas of CIS where a menu is displayed for protocol type,
- only the "B" and "QuickB" types are listed. Both QuickB and BPlus are designed
- to negotiate the actual protocol type level during the protocol startup
- handshaking, but some early QuickB implementations (not this program) did not
- properly handshake the type - CIS accomodated these ill-behaved programs by
- making the QuickB option available in transfer menus. However, when using this
- program, you should always respond with "B" at such a menu so that OZBEXT can
- properly handshake the negotiation with the host; selecting "QuickB" at such a
- menu forces QuickB mode from CIS and will cause problems when attempting to
- resume an aborted transfer as well as locking OZBEXT II into the 512-byte
- packet size (rather than the optimal 1024-byte size at 2400bps.)
-
-
- Protocol Performance
- --------------------
-
- Another common misconception is that packet size has a large effect on protocol
- performance. It does indeed effect performance, but not in the way most folks
- assume. The difference in performance at 2400bps between 512-byte packets and
- 1024-byte packets is seldom more that 3% (unless network loading is heavy) *if*
- no transmission errors occur. In the face of protocol errors where packets
- must be resent, smaller is often better because less time is wasted resending
- data. The total size of the transfer, number of errors, network type and
- network loading factors cloud the issue, to the point that meaningful
- comparisons are quite difficult to achieve. OZBEXT II juggles default packet
- size based on the current baud rate - 128 bytes for 300 baud, 512 bytes for
- 1200bps and 1024 bytes for 2400bps. This strikes a reasonable balance between
- optimal thruput with no errors, and resend time in case of errors; each packet
- will take 4 to 5 seconds to send/receive at the current baud rate. Some BPlus
- implementations lock the packet size at some value, usually 512 bytes.
- Sometimes this is for simplicity's sake, and sometimes because there are
- factors besides file transfer thruput to be considered (CompuServe's
- Information Manager is an example of the latter.) OZBEXT II has been designed
- with one thought in mind: do everything it can to get the highest possible
- thruput during the file transfer. It has proven to be consistently as fast or
- faster than any other program available that supports the QuickB and BPlus
- protocols, including CIS' own programs.
-
-
-
- Users that are used to the transfer rates seen when connected to BBS systems
- are oftem shocked and disappointed at the transfer rates seen on CIS. Keep in
- mind that, when connecting to a PC-based BBS, you are connecting to a system
- where the entire resources of the computer can typically be devoted to
- processing the protocol; such systems can on a clean connection turn optimal
- transfer rates for the baud rate used. CIS is not a BBS; it is a group of
- several large computers sharing processor and system resources amomg dozens
- or even hundreds of users at any given time. In order to allow access by all
- these people all over the world, CIS uses a special network of phone lines and
- satelite links called a "packet-switched" network. The packet switcher is what
- makes all of this possible, but it also introduces delays in communications, so
- the typical transfer rate to/from CIS is often lower than a comparable transfer
- to/from a dedicated BBS. The B series protocols have been designed with these
- delays in mind, so a QuickB or BPlus transfer should show a very close to
- optimal rate under light to moderate network loads. When network loads are
- heavy (such as early weekday evenings, especially Mondays), performance can
- still drag down. Also, connecting thru a supplimental carrier such as Tymnet
- can effect performance, as can connecting thru a busy node with several other
- users. If you are concerned with the time you spend online to CIS and have
- large and/or many files to transfer, it behooves you to plan your session ahead
- of time, including running the session during off-peak times like the small
- hours of the morning or weekends. Taking advantage of OZBEXT II's resumable
- transfers, by aborting the download and trying again at a different time or
- thru a different node when you see that network delays are seriously slowing
- the transfer, can also save you time and money.
-
-
-
- The Protocol Window
- -------------------
-
- During a protocol transfer a window appears on screen detailing the transfer
- activity. Most things about the window are pretty self-explanitory, but one
- area deserves clarification - the "Port" and "Data" percentages on the "Ef/Tm"
- (Efficiency/Time) line. The percentage displayed in the "Port" column is the
- comparison of current protocol "raw" port rate to the current port baud rate
- setting of the UART. In other words, at 2400baud this figure would optimally
- be 100% if we were seeing 240 bytes per second comming in the port during a
- transfer. Since CIS uses its packet-switching network and network delays of
- some magnitude are inevitable, this figure will almost always be less than
- 100%. Normally you can expect greater than 230 cps "raw" rates on downloads,
- with uploads usually a bit more. Connections established thru suplimental
- carriers such as Tymnet may well be less. The percentage under the "Data"
- column, on the other hand, is the ratio of total data bytes received to the
- protocol's average "raw" port rate. In other words, the efficiency of the
- actual data comming in the port. This figure normally runs around 92 - 96%
- for binary files and 98 - 99% for ASCII text files. However, bad packet
- resends when an error occurs and is corrected cause this figure to drop,
- sometimes dramatically. Providing both figures makes it easier for you to
- decide when to abort a transfer. If the "Port" figure is dramatically low
- (usually due to a high network traffic load but can also be due to delays
- caused by suplimental carrier networks), you may want to abort the transfer
- and wait until network traffic had dropped so good port rates are possible.
- If the "Data" figure is low (usually due to a high error-packet count), you
- may want to abort and call back on another node. To avoid confusion, just
- remember that the "Port" efficiency percentage gives data on how efficient
- the port is operating, while the "Data" percentage gives overall port-to-data
- efficiency regardless of actual port rate or port efficiency. The time display
- under the "File" column is the time the transfer has taken so far, while the
- time under the "Remaining" column is an estimate of the time it will take the
- rest of the transfer to complete. The "Remaining" time figure will vary based
- on the current port rate, because it is recalculated at the end of each packet.
- Oh, one other thing: users with high-speed modems that run the port-to-modem
- link at 19.2Kbps or higher will see some really poor port eff. values.
- Remember that OZBEXT II uses the actual UART chip's baud rate setting to
- perform its calculations and cannot know to what speed the modem is throttled,
- so on a 19.2Kbps modem and 2400bps line you will see port rate of less than
- 20%. The Data eff. rate will always be correct, since it is dependant on
- actual port thruput rather than hardware settings.
-
-
-
- For users of previous versions...
- ---------------------------------
-
- You may have noticed that this version is called "OZBEXT II". This program
- is now going on 3 years old, and has seen about 12 versions released to the
- public. It has matured from a somewhat flakey but servicable B-protocol only
- module in its original release to a solid program covering the full range of
- current-generation CompuServe-developed protocols, and from a single small
- file-transfer-only program to a whole family of programs supporting online
- graphics and other special features of CIS. It has seen a steady stream of bug
- fixes and enhancements, and about once a year, it has received a complete,
- top-down rewrite.
-
- This new one is that annual rewrite. While it looks and acts very similar
- to every version since 10.1, it is in no way the same "under the hood." The
- entire program is written using Object-Oriented Programming techniques, from
- the serial port library to the screen management to the protocol handler to
- the terminal emulation manager. There are a total of 75 lines of programming
- source code kept from the last version, out of over 20,000 lines of code.
- Also, previous versions relied very heavily on routines from TurboPower
- Software's TurboProfessional and ObjectProfessional libraries' screen
- management services, and in the latter library's case were somewhat topheavy
- due to unneeded code being linked in; this version has a custom set of
- windowing object routines based on just the OPro low-level capabilities and
- optimized to its needs.
-
- I set out to call this version "Version 20" (all development and early testing
- were done under that name), but realized that such a complete overhaul deserved
- a new name. With literally thousands of users, a whole new name was out of the
- question (not to mention the possiblitiy of death threats from forum sysops!),
- yet it needed something to distingish it from earlier versions... so OZBEXT II
- was born.
-
- Specifics: support for MCA commports above COM 2 is now fully automatic, so the
- /A and /I commandline and environment parameters are gone (if you are using a
- multiport card with ports at non-standard addresses or otherwise have oddball
- hardware, I will be happy to see what can be done in a custom version.) The
- bug that caused problems with Abort Resume for those using the DOS utility
- SHARE with large partitions or on networks, and for DesqView users, has been
- removed. DesqView awareness in the screen management has been improved.
- CarrierDetect checking throughout the program (especially at protocol startup)
- is dramatically improved, to eliminate the problems some users experienced with
- error messages from CIS and aborted transfer starts. Port handshaking is
- faster and smoother, so users with high-speed modems that want to run the port
- at 19.2Kbps or 38.4Kbps can do so safely and reliably. A couple of bugs in the
- detection and handling of 16550A-series UART chips have been squashed, and
- 16550A-series UARTs are now fully supported at the maximum 14-byte buffering
- level. Users calling from overseas should find the program more robust in the
- face of intermittant PADs and phone systems. Overall, the program is faster,
- smoother and more robust - and it is smaller than the last few versions.
-
- One important note: the OZPAT utility program that could be used with previous
- versions to set the program's colors will not work with this new one. A new
- program that replaces that utility, called OZCOLS, is available.
-
-
-
- Kudos, Credits, Karma Enhancements
- ----------------------------------
-
- The sysops of the IBMNet forums on CIS: Don Watkins, Connie Kageyama, Chris
- Dunford and Vern Buerg. My primary beta testers, and the greatest group
- of folks around. Ditto for Valerie Zen and Tom Potoki, sysops of the Graphics
- Forums on CIS, who also help test.
-
- Kim, Brian, Rich and Terry (especially Terry) of TurboPower Software, for
- writing and maintaining the best libraries of Turbo Pascal utility routines in
- the free world.
-
- Russ Ranshaw ("Wiz10") and others at CIS, for providing exellent documentation
- on the B+ protocols, and understandable source code for same. Ditto to Brion
- Jones of CIS for informative literature on interrogation/response sequences
- and terminal reply codes.
-
- Most importantly... you, the users. Your questions, criticisms and sugges-
- tions have helped make the program what it is. If you like it thank yourself,
- not me.
-
-
- Point of Contact
- ----------------
-
- I can most easily be reached via CompuServe at ID# 70007,3574. Please leave
- questions in either IBMNEW or IBMCOM rather than EasyPlex; other users or the
- sysops may well be able to give you a faster answer. If you need to contact
- me concerning registration, please do so by EasyPlex or US mail:
-
- Steve Sneed
- 409 San Juanico
- Santa Maria, CA. 93455
-
- This program is not shareware in the traditional sense; I do not require
- private non-commercial users to register or pay a license fee (see the section
- on license requirements at the top of this document.) If you have a burning
- urge to send me money anyway... I won't turn it down. <grin> Please make
- checks payable to Steve Sneed. Updates are only done thru CIS; I do not
- notify users of updates (except for fully-licensed commercial users.) If
- you are registering for full license, please plainly state so in your
- corospondence along with how you are using the program. Site licenses and
- multi-license discounts are available; please contact me for specific info.
- Finally, please do not call me voice, and I cannot accept any collect calls.
- Thanks.
-
- I hope you enjoy the program!
-
- <eof>