Darn Download Difficulties (mostly with C-Kermit)

Feb 27 18:17 UTC 1994

What is the problem with C-Kermit?
Where is the sz.doc file which is the only documentation for the options
available when downloading from GREX via x-, y- or z-modem protocols.
(Enter "sz" with no filename and you'll see what I mean.)

As for C-Kermit, Yesterday I tried to download a file from my home directory,
but got an error saying No Such File or Directory, or some similar junk.
I also got an error saying Too Many Retries.
        What's up with that?
        Why Won't C-Kermit recognize a file in the active (working) directory?
        (I triplechecked to make sure that I was properly identifying the
        filename and active directory, so don't even try to explain it that
        way!) :)

response 2 of 49:

Feb 27 18:45 UTC 1994

I just changed the filename to mlayers and tried sx mlayers.
It was working fine until I tried to interrupt it in order to set a larger
packet size.  Then Irealized i had no idea how to do that with sz, since I
can't find the docs!

Now I need to know how to interrupt a download at the GREX end without having
to drop my DTR and dial in again.  ^D and ^C both failed, as did esc, break,
and everything else I tried short of dropping the carrier.
  :(

response 4 of 49:

Feb 27 19:31 UTC 1994

Re C-Kermit:  Please enter the specifics on what you tried.  Like Steve,
I've never encountered the error you experienced.
And I use C-Kermit a lot.

Re interrupting downloads:  For C-Kermit, use ^C.  You may have to hit
it several times.  For sz or sx, use ^X, as Dave indicated.  You may have
to hit it a number of times (like, 10 or so) for it to "take".

response 6 of 49:

Feb 28 05:04 UTC 1994

I've had trouble with c-kermit before.  Usually, the trouble is that
a remote filename is not legal on the local system.  Wildcards also
might not act as you'd expect them to.  Also, watch out for the fact
that UNIX filenames are case sensitive.  

response 8 of 49:

Feb 28 16:59 UTC 1994

My equipment:
        Macintosh SE, System 7.0, Versaterm 4.5.3
C-Kermit settings (modified only, all unlisted were unchanged from default):
        Set file type text
        Set send size 1024
        Set parity even
        Set Block 3 (CRC)   (I don't know what CRC means, BTW)
 I think that's it. 
All matching setting locally.
        The filename was used exactly as printed in my directory listing
by cut and paste into/from my local buffer, verified by pasting into ls -l.
Steve (srw) verified because I was in talk with him, and pasted the output
into our conversation.
        The file is now in my home dir, and renamed mlayers.  I successfully
began a download using xmodem protocols, but i wanted to increase packet size.
I would like to be able to find the sz.doc file so I can use the options that
are available with s{x,b,z}.
        BTW the file *was*     maclayers1.30.sit.hqx

response 10 of 49:

Mar 1 01:14 UTC 1994

There are probably man pages in that, too, John, unless they've given up on
them.

response 12 of 49:

Mar 1 10:59 UTC 1994

Thanks, remmers, for retrieving that doc file.
davel, there are no man pages for sx,sb,sz.
tsty, it is necessary to change my settings to 8N for the download, but then
I can switch back after.

response 14 of 49:

Mar 1 14:56 UTC 1994

other, I meant in the package - obviously they weren't installed.  John,
you mean they aren't *also* distributing sz.1 and rz.1 in addition to the
doc files?  (This seems quite possible, but they used to have them.)

response 16 of 49:

Mar 1 21:47 UTC 1994

I could get them for you if I could ftp out...

response 18 of 49:

Mar 2 03:30 UTC 1994

Actually, I did look around a bit (from work) and found that the
newer rzsz* archives have pre-formatted *.doc files that go through
nroff just fine (no nroff commands to process, so they just kinda
come out like they went in, I guess); rename sz.doc to sz.1 and let
the man page formatter have a go.  I do have an rz.1 and sz.1
that are a bit older (1989 I think) that are formatted for nroff
if you want those, but they'll probably differ in content enough to
be annoying.  Anyone wanting some practice in formatting man pages
could practice on sz.doc and rz.doc...  

response 20 of 49:

Mar 2 11:40 UTC 1994

The worst of it is that obviously the nroff version is being maintained
somewhere by somebody.

response 22 of 49:

May 3 06:16 UTC 1994

Now I'm having a new download difficulty. I want to use Z-modem
instead of Kermit. When I log in through Merit, this means I need 
a full 8-bit connection. I read somewhere (but I can't remember where)
that there is a '%' command one can issue at the which host? prompt
that will ensure an 8 bit instaed of a 7 bit link.

Does anyone know if this is true, and if so, what is the command.
I have alseo searched through conferences and Merit's help files
without being able to discover this. Thanks in advance.

response 24 of 49:

May 3 22:26 UTC 1994

You can also issue the "%bpc=8" command directly from the "Which Host?"
prompt, without preceding it with a <break>.

My connect script when using Procomm goes something like this:

Merit                      Terminal
-----                      --------
%Terminal=                 <return>
Which Host?                 %bpc=8
[n/a]                       [change connection to 8N1]
[...]

So I automagically get connected at 8N1 when using procomm.