Date: Mon 6 Apr 87 15:38:15-EST From: Christine M Gianone Subject: Announcing Release 3.3.111 of VAX/VMS Kermit Keywords: VAX/VMS Kermit This is to announce VAX/VMS Kermit Version 3.3.111, from Bob McQueen at Stevens Institute of Technology. This version is a maintenance version only and does not contain any major development work. This version has been tested under VMS 4.3, 4.4, and 4.5. It will definitely not run under pre-4.0 releases of VMS (version 3.1 of VMS Kermit was the last version that would do so; it is still kept in the Kermit distribution as VMSV31.HEX). The major change is the addition of a TRANSMIT command for raw file upload. There are also internal improvements and bug fixes involving the CONNECT command, IBM mainframe communication, etc. The task image is encoded in hex format using the VMSHEX program, and is decodable with the VMSDEH program. This release includes modified versions of the hexify/dehexify programs, contributed by Eric McQueen (no relation) of Utah State University; they allow 16-bit, 24-bit, or 32-bit addresses, and VMSDEH recognizes each kind automatically. The new release of Kermit-32 is hexified with 32-bit addresses, and so requires this new version of VMSDEH to decode it. ------------------------------ Date: Wed 1 Jun 88 12:00:00-EDT From: Christine M Gianone Subject: Announcing Release 3.3.117 of VAX/VMS Kermit Keywords: VAX/VMS Kermit This is to announce VAX/VMS Kermit-32 Version 3.3.117, submitted by Jonathan Welch of Amherst College. This version contains fixes for some of the bugs that were noted in VMSMIT.BWR, the "beware file" for the previous release, 3.3.111. Here's the list: - Fix the message generated in NEXT_FILE so that the filenames displayed (e.g. Sending: foo.bar;1 as foo.bar) are always terminated by a null (ASCIZ). - Modified SY_TIME to use $GETTIM as opposed to the LIB$timer routines (which broke when their method of calculating time differences changed in V4.4?). Removed the call to LIB$INIT_TIMER in SY_INIT. - Modified MAIN_ROUTINE to return the status code from COMND when exiting. Note: The error message codes returned are internal Kermit-32 error codes. - Added the ability to send a BREAK character to the outgoing terminal session using the sequence esc-chr B. The break will be sent after the next character arrives. This is because there must be no outstanding I/O on a channel in order to modify terminal characteristics (necessary to send a break). - Modified COMND_HELP to look for the kermit help file called KERMIT_HELP or pointed to by the logical name KERMIT_HELP. Thus if a user wants to have the kermit help file in a directory other than SYS$HELP it is not necessary to define the logical name KERMIT (which causes problems: i.e. RUN KERMIT will fail). - Calls to LIB$SIGNAL with multiple arguments were not coded correctly. For calls with multiple arguments an argument count was added. Minor changes to KERM_HANDLER to make use of the changed argument passing method. The hex file for the new version is in KER:VMSMIT.HEX, which can be converted into an .EXE file using the VMSDEH program. The program was linked under VMS 4.4, which means that the .EXE will run under VMS 4.4 and above. If you have an earlier release of VMS 4.x, then you will have to rebuild from Bliss or Macro source. If you are running VMS 3.x, you won't be able to use the new version at all, but must continue to run version 3.1 of VMS Kermit, which is in KER:VMSV31.HEX. ------------------------------ >From: Burt Johnson, Diversified Computer Systems, Boulder, CO Subject: Announcing VAX/VMS Kermit 3.3.118 Keywords: VAX/VMS Kermit 3.3.118 [Ed. - This new release of VAX/VMS Kermit-32 is most likely a one-shot deal. Burt has definitely not committed to take over support of the program. Future VAX/VMS Kermit development will focus on C-Kermit.] This version has added support for extended length packets. Extended length packets are supported by the normal SET RECEIVE PACKET and SET SEND PACKET commands. Sizes up to 1000 are allowed. By default, extended length packets are not used. Typically, use SET RECEIVE PACKET 1000 and SET SEND PACKET 1000 to enable it. If you want this as your packet default, write these two SET commands into an initialization file like KERMIT.INI. By defining the logical VMSKERMIT = mydisk:[mydir]KERMIT.INI, your KERMIT session will default to a packet size of 1000. Also, removed update to 3.3.107 that prevented quitting on receipt of an Error packet while in server mode. This also didn't allow for Ctrl-Cs to work properly. This update is an adaptation of Dan Norstedt's KERMIT-10 3(134) release. Because of increased program size for this update, word relative addressing boundaries were exceeded. A non-transportable PSECT redirection statement was used to put PLIT messages within the word relative boundary as a quick fix to correct this problem. The .MAR files are generated from the Bliss-32 sources on a VAX/VMS 5.0 operating system (sorry, this is the oldest VMS operating system I have available). The KERMIT 3.3.117 executable that was generated under VMS 4.3 remains available as the hex file VMSV43.HEX. Regards, Burt Johnson [Ed. - Thanks, Burt! The new files have NOT replaced the old ones in the standard Kermit distribution areas, but rather have been placed in the test area as follows: BITNET/EARN Internet KERMSRV@CUVMA watsun.cc.columbia.edu Description T:VMSCOM REQ kermit/test/vmscom.req Symbol definitions T:VMSMIT BLI kermit/test/vmsmit.bli Main program source code T:VMSMSG BLI kermit/test/vmsmsg.gli Protocol module source code T:VMSMIT HEX kermit/test/vmsmit.hex Encoded binary T:VMS43 HEX kermit/test/vms43.hex Encoded binary of 3.3.117 The encoded binary can be decoded back into KERMIT.EXE using the program VMSDEH.MAR. Read VMSAAA.HLP for instructions. Please get the new files, test the new version thoroughly, and report results back to us, so we'll know whether we can replace the current release with this new one. Thanks!] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 May 90 13:35:57 EDT From: Christine M Gianone Subject: New Kermit-32 Release for VAX/VMS Keywords: VAX/VMS Kermit 3.3.122 VAX/VMS Kermit-32 Version 3.3.118, contributed by Burt Johnson, and announced in Info-Kermit V11 #6, was not formally installed so that a testing period could verify whether it was suitable for release. Its major new feature was support for long packets (up to 1K in length). Jonathan Welch, JHWELCH@ECS.UMASS.EDU, picked up this version and fixed it up a bit, and now we are making it "official" and releasing it as version 3.3.122. Jonathan's changes include: . Relative offsets to data structures are now longwords. This change is an internal one which only those people compiling and linking Kermit-32 would be interested in, but it may allow the program to support packets even longer than 1K. . The second change corrects a problem with the status code kermit exits with. Under some circumstances if all kermit operations were successful a return status of 0 was generated; SS$_NORMAL is now returned instead. . The restriction on file name and type lengths is now 39 characters each. Previously the restriction was 9 characters for the name and 3 for the type (pre-VMS 4 format). . If SS$_HANGUP occurs on the outgoing terminal line the user will be notified. If the outgoing line is serviced by a DECserver (LTA type terminal) the user must issue a CONNECT LTAnnn command to reestablish a LAT link to the DECserver. . Added the SET FILE BLOCKSIZE nnn (where nnn is the record size in bytes) command for incoming BINARY and FIXED file transfers. If no blocksize has been specified the old behavior will be used. Also modified SHOW FILE to display record size when appropriate. People have been asking for this for years! This version of Kermit-32 was linked under VMS 4.5, and so the VMSMIT.HEX file requires VMS 4.5 or later to run. If you have an earlier version of VMS, then you can build Kermit-32 from the Macro-32 source code as outlined in VMSAAA.HLP. Jonathan will try to find a VMS 4.0 system to build the .HEX file on, but in the meantime, if anyone else with VMS 4.0 would care to contribute a VMSMIT.HEX file based on the new sources, it would be much appreciated. Meanwhile, Gary Stebbins sent in some new procedures for building VMS Kermit: VMSINS.KIT is a VMS install kit, VMSMKH.COM is a DCL procedure for creating the help files and library; VMSMKI.COM is a DCL procedure for creating the VMSINSTAL file. And Both Gary and Jonathan updated the help text; the new version with both of their changes in it is VMSMIT.RNH. Thanks to Jonathan and Gary, and once again to Burt, for their work on this popular Kermit version. The new files are in the B area of Kermit Distribution: Tape B, kermit/b/ on watsun (anonymous ftp), and also on BITNET KERMSRV at CUVMA. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Jun 90 13:17 EDT From: Jonathan_Welch Subject: Another New VMS Kermit-32 Keywords: VMS, Kermit-32, VAX/VMS, DEC VAX/VMS This version of Kermit-32, 3.3.126, was linked under VMS Version 4.5, so that the VMSMIT.HEX file can be VMSDEHex'd and will run on any VMS system 4.5 or later. Changes since edit 122: Modified a miscoded call which affected GETting files using long packets; standard length packets were being used when long packet support was available in both kermit programs. The buffer for terminal names has been increased from 20 to 255 characters. A bug which resulted in a "No default terminal line for transfers" message when kermit was run as a subprocess has been fixed. It turns out that when asking $GETJPI to return JPI$_TERMINAL a null string is returned for this item when called from a subprocess. A similar error that was corrected occurs when one VMS service returns a long terminal name sans trailing ':'. When used as input to another service an error occurs ("invalid device name" from the service is returned to the user as "no default terminal line for transfers"). Unfortunately the only cure is to either 1) upgrade the operating system or 2) have the code check for the lack of a ':' and add one (this is what the new version does). The batch problem is fixed, as it was related to the terminal line business. The spawn issue will have to be dealt with in the future as it will involve some tricky coding. DEC changed the meaning of the CAPTIVE bit in the user authorization file (UAF) to mean RESTRICTED and added a new bit for CAPTIVE as of VMS 5.2 (?). I supposed I could check for either of them irregardless of VMS version and not allow spawns if either bit was set. Even DEC hasn't got their act together in this case; if you try to spawn from inside mail with a restricted account under vms 5.3 you get a message saying that captive accounts aren't allowed to spawn! -jonathan. [Ed. - Thanks, Jonathan! Also, the truncated VMSMIT.HEX file has been replaced with an updated and full-length version, the missing VMSCOM.REQ file has been installed, without which it was not possible to build the program from the source code and get the new long packet support.] ------------------------------