From: IN%"POSTMASTER@EMBL.BITNET" "General PostMaster" 7-FEB-1990 17:29:15.71
To: HARPER@cc.Helsinki.FI
CC:
Subj: Automatic response to : GET SOFTWARE:BIOBIT.3
Received: from jnet-daemon by cc.Helsinki.FI; Wed, 7 Feb 90 17:27 EET DST
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Date: Wed, 07 Feb 90 16:04:28
From: EMBL Network File Server <NETSERV@EMBL.BITNET>
Subject: Automatic response to : GET SOFTWARE:BIOBIT.3
To: HARPER@cc.Helsinki.FI
Reply-to: General PostMaster <POSTMASTER@EMBL.BITNET>
Organisation: European Molecular Biology Laboratory
Postal-address: Meyerhofstrasse 1, 6900 Heidelberg, W. Germany
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No 3
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
-= INDEPENDENT NEWSLETTER PRODUCED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI =-
<< EDITED BY ROBERT HARPER >>
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Why do I use a Personal computer? Well I use it to perform
numerous tasks. I write reports and articles with a word
processor, I do statistical analysis of data, I draw graphs and
curves for publications, copy, rename, erase, and move files from
one place on my hard disk to another, and I also use it as a
terminal so I can hook up to a main frame and read my EARN/BITNET
mail.
Everyone has their own special programmes for performing these
functions, and usually it is a question of laying out hard cash to
obtain the programmes that you need. However SIMTEL-20 in the
States keeps a large quantity of "FREE" software which can be had
for the asking... and the 64 000 FIM question is... how do you ask
for it?
Well this edition of BIOBIT is especially for Europeans and is an
introduction to the TRICKLE server which has now been installed at
a number of nodes in Europe. They have been set up so that
Europeans do not need to go SIMTEL-20 to get the files they want,
but rather they can query a TRICKLE node which is near them.
The most convenient way to query a TRICKLE node is by sending
"interactive" commands (sorry UK you loose out again) but for
those folks who can not work "interactively" you can always make
up BATCH MAIL and get the same results.
So without further ado here is an introduction to RED. It is every
so slightly biased towards doing things the IBM way but I am sure
that VAXen can easily catch the drift of things and get the
commands working from their machines... It is also highly
recommended that you become aquaint with the programmes UUDECODE
and ARC. These two programmes should be the first two that you
grab for yourself... you will need them if you are to engage in
some serious downloading.
ARC files are compressed so they do not take up so much space.
The smaller the file the quicker it gets transported.
UUENCODE/UUDECODE is used for getting binary files over the net
without them getting trashed at gateways (EBDIC--> ASCII
translation)... and if you are on a VAX machine and are requesting
files from an IBM machine always make sure you ask for them
UUENCODED. This will save you alot of disappointment.
TRICKLE is such a nice piece of software I think it would be a
great idea if molecular biologists could have a server for their
own software and use TRICKLE for distributing it. Comments or sug-
gestion can be made to the address below.
Happy Trickling
-=ROB=- (HARPER@FINFUN)
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
RED - Listserv Redirector
(C)1988 Turgut Kalfaoglu <TURGUT@TREARN>
What is RED?
""""""""""""
RED provides the SIMTEL-20 files, and directory listings, with its
own cache, where it keeps its most recently requested files. It
reduces the network load by providing the cache, and by providing
directory listings locally, instead of through a distant list
server. It is a machine (process) that runs disconnected from a
terminal.
Currently, the six sites that run this software are called:
In Denmark: TRICKLE@DKTC11
In Turkey: TRICKLE@TREARN
In Italy: TRICKLE@IMIPOLI
In Belgium: TRICKLE@BANUFS11
In Austria: TRICKLE@AWIWUW11
In Germany: TRICKLE@DB0FUB11
You are urged to use the one that is closer to your location. In
this tutorial, we will be using 'TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN', but this
can be replaced with 'TELL TRICKLE AT <your location of
preference>'. We also will use the 'TELL' command to send a single
line message. It should be replaced with whatever is appropriate
for your system. (Like XMIT , SEND, etc.)
How does it work?
"""""""""""""""""
It provides faster file delivery than LISTSERV@RPICICGE because it
holds the most recently requested files, and it also asks its
peers, to find out if any of them has the file. It has two major
commands. /PDDIR and /PDGET.. As the names indicate, /PDDIR
provides the names of the files, and /PDGET delivers files.
How to use /PDDIR:
""""""""""""""""""
On IBM/VM systems, you can get a list of the 'major directory'
names by simply typing this command:
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDDIR (on IBM systems)
or SEND TRICKLE@TREARN /PDDIR (on VAX systems)
RED should now send you a list of the major directory names. Now,
you can obtain a list of the sub-directories of any of the
displayed names by putting the name between less-than and
greater-than symbols.. For example,
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDDIR <MSDOS>
or SEND TRICKLE@TREARN /PDDIR <MSDOS>
RED will mail you a file containing the names of the
sub-directories. Once you choose a subdirectory to examine, type
in the main directory name, a period, then the name of the
subdirectory name. For example, if you chose SYSUTL sub-directory
of MSDOS, then you may type this:
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDDIR <MSDOS.SYSUTL>
or SEND TRICKLE@TREARN /PDDIR <MSDOS.SYSUTL>
RED will first notify you of the number of files found, then will
go ahead and mail you this list.. Once you choose your file(s) to
order, then read on..
How to use the /PDGET command:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Once you have a filename in hand, then tell RED to send you this
file by providing it with the full directory name, and the
filename.. If you wish to order a game called MADMAX.ARC that
resides in the <MSDOS.GAMES> directory, then you may type in this
command:
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDGET <MSDOS.GAMES>MADMAX.ARC
naturally, the above is only an example, and the file may or may
not be present if you send the above command.
Receiving your file in a different format:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Normally, SIMTEL files are sent AS-IS, meaning, ASCII. If you
would like to receive your file in a different format, you may
want to append any of the below to the end of your command:
(EBC80 Converts the file to 80-Column EBCDIC format
(EBC32 Converts the file to 132-Column EBCDIC format
(UUE uuencodes the file
(OLD Sends the file using DISK DUMP or PUNCH format
(SF Supresses BITSEND, and forces SENDFILE to be used for the
transfer.
(MAIL Forces results to be sent via MAILER. (This is
the default for MAIL command files)
You may also wish to combine several options together. For
example, to receive a directory listing in PUNCH format, and
UUEncoded,
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDDIR <MSDOS.C> (OLD UUE
To receive a file in in EBCDIC format, you may enter a command
that looks like this:
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDGET <MSDOS.GAMES>MADMAX.ARC (EBC80
or SEND TRICKLE@DKTC11 /PDGET <PC-BLUE.VOL358>MANDELEX.ARC (MAIL UUE
Note it is always a good principle to receive files to a VAX site
as UUENCODED.
Other commands:
/NEWS sends you our 2-page newsletter.
/STAT provides you the statistics of usage.
/HELP sends you this file.
/IMDAT sends the Turkish version of this help file.
/CAC sends you a list of the files that are stored on its
disk right now. These files can be sent faster than
the other files.
/OPS displays the RED operators
/QUO Shows you the RED's quota, and how much of that quotait
has used. Once RED exceeds its quota, it cannot
order files, until it receives some of the requested
files.
/SUB <dirnam>
Allows you to subscribe to a directory. Whenever
a new listing comes in, RED will send you a file
containing the names of the new files.
/UNSUB <dirnam> is to stop RED from sending you the new files
listings. Please issue this command if you will not use
the server anymore.
/NEW <dirnam> nnn
This command, displays the files that have arrived within
'nnn' days, in the 'dirnam' directory. If 'nnn' is
omitted, it defaults to the last time you issued this
command, for that directory. If you are issuing this
command for the first time, then it simply looks for
files that are at most a month old.
/POLL forces RED to check its peer servers
Priviledged commands:
"""""""""""""""""""""
(This is a subset of the actual RED administrator's command list)
/STOP will stop RED's activity
/OFFLINE Stops REDs interpretation of files and commands.
/ONLINE puts the server back online.
/SEND fn ft TO userid AT nodeid Sends a local file to a user
/RDR forces RED to examine its reader, and process those files.
/QRDR displays RED's reader
Delay Periods:
""""""""""""""
If the file that you requested already exists in the cache
directory, then you may expect to receive your file within a few
minutes.. However, the system that RED is running is often slowed
down by the other processes that are running. This negatively
affects the response time of RED. If the file requested does not
existin the cache directory, then RED will have to order this file
from its list server.. If this is the case, the response time of
RED is dependent upon the list server. RED will give up waiting
for a file after five to twelve days after its request.
Sending files to RED:
"""""""""""""""""""""
RED now accepts command files in either MAIL or NOTE format. Use
NOTE or MAIL utilities to prepare your command file. The files may
contain any number of instructions, one per line. Note that RED
will abort processing a file if it detects an invalid command
within the file. RED does not necessarily mail back command
requests - it may use single-line messages, when it is more
appropriate to do so.
How to DONATE files to Simtel Archives:
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Files that you receive from here are sent from another network
called ArpaNet. The person-in-charge for the programs can be
contacted at: W8SDZ@SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL. Since it's another network,
you will need to use MAIL to send the message. He urges that you
talk to him before you send in the file, so that he can check
where it should be put, if it already exists, etc. After getting
his approval, you need to UUENCODE your file (perhaps using
PDUTIL), then MAIL it to him.
Format of the files that comes with /PDGET command:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
RED will send the files in a NETDATA format, -unless you use the
(OLD option-. These files can be LOOKed, and RECEIVEd. Note that
PEEK command will not display NETDATA format properly. However,
since most files are ASCII, it is of little use to LOOK at them.
The files will mostly be either in Binary format, in ASCII format,
or in EBCDIC format. The binary files are recognized by the
'.BIN','.EXE', '.COM ', '.ARC', '.LBR' suffix in their names.
These files are machine-specific.The files that are in ASCII
format can be converted to EBCDIC (so that they can be used on an
IBM system) by running a conversion program called PDUTIL. If your
installation does not have either of these files, Either I, or the
LISTSERV@RPICICGE can provide it. Simply say:
TELL LISTSERV AT RPICICGE GET PDUTIL PACKAGE
or SEND LISTSERV@RPICICGE GET PDUTIL PACKAGE
The .ARC format:
""""""""""""""""
ARC is a special compression method that provides substantial
reduction on file size. There are one or more files contained
within an .ARC archive. In order to extract the files from an
archive, you will need a utility called ARC or PKXARC. These are
available from <MSDOS.ARC-LBR> directory. The actual file names of
these files vary, but you may try:
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDGET <MSDOS.ARC-LBR>PK361.EXE or:
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDGET <MSDOS.ARC-LBR>ARC512.EXE
The PK suit of programmes is faster at unarchiving than the ARC
programme but both should be compatible with each other. If these
attempts fail, it will probably mean that the file version has
changed, and so has the file name. You may wish to try:
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDDIR <MSDOS.ARC-LBR>
and guess the new name of these files.
Once you receive either ARC or PKXARC and an .ARC file, transmit
them to your personal computer and issue the following command:
ARC X <filename.arc>
or
PKUNPAK <filename>
There is also a second utility called ARCUTIL, which runs on the
VM systems, and extracts files. It also provides ASCII to EBCDIC
conversion of the extracted files. To request ARCUTIL, enter:
TELL TRICKLE AT TREARN /PDGET <MISC.IBM-VM>ARCUTIL.LBR
The VAX equivilent or ARCUTIL is called VMSSWEEP and can also be
found in the <MISC> directory for VAX-VMS.
The directories of SIMTEL change often. So, the above files may or
may not be in the same directories as I have indicated. So you may
have to do some searching to find them.. A good place to check
would be the <MSDOS.STARTER> directory, where additional help, and
the mentioned archive managers can be found.
How to use the BITSEND/BITRCV:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
From very large files , RED is sending its files in a special
format called BITSEND - Unless you include the (SF option while
issuing your command. In this format, the files that are sent are
broken into smaller pieces, if the entire file is too big to be
sent. (Too big: over 300K Bytes)
If the file you request is over 300K, then the server will first
send you a file called <fn> BITCTRL - this is the control file,
where BITSEND has written the protocol used, the number of pieces
that make up that file, etc.
( Important:)
( You should NOT 'RECEIVE' any files that have BITCTRL or)
( just numbers as filetype! )
If you wait a little longer, the rest of the file will arrive, the
filename will be the same as the <fn> BITCTRL file, but the
filetype will consist of just numbers. Once you have all the
pieces that make up that file, you can then issue the BITRCV
command. You must also specify the 'spool ID' of the file that has
BITCTRL as filetype. From RDRList, you can simply type BITRCV in
front of the file that has BITCTRL as filetype.
If you get back an error message, saying "UNKNOWN CP/CMS COMMAND"
it simply states that your installation does not have the BITRCV
program. Contact your network manager/system operator.
Note: BITRCV EXEC can be obtained from your country NETSERV as well.
Simply send "GET BITRCV EXEC" to your NETSERV.
(VAX users:)
(There is also an identical file for your installation, however,)
(it is called 'BITRCV COM', and can be obtained from a NETSERV. )
If you get back an error saying that not all of the file is in the
reader, it simply means that you have to wait a little longer for
the rest of the file to arrive.
How to receive the file that arrives:
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Once the file you requested arrives, and is stored on your disk,
you will most likely wish to 'download' this file to your personal
computer. There are many types of mainframe computers, many kinds
of personal computers, so it is impossible for me to give you
direct, and precise directions. However, here are some clues:
* If you have a PC with a 3270 Emulation program, and an IBM mainframe,
you should request your files from the server without options, or
with (SF option, and use the built-in transfer protocol of the
emulation program, without any options again.
* If you have KERMIT at your installation, request your file
without options, or with (SF option, then set the KERMIT's
FILE-TYPE to BINARY before transferring your file.
* Remember that if you send a MAIL command file to the server to
request your file, the file will arrive in UUENCODE format, since
it's the only 'digestable' way for the mailer.
How Does the Cache Work?
"""""""""""""""""""""""
Imagine that you ask for a file, and the server brings this file
from United States for you. Thinking that others may wish to have
this file as well, the server keeps this file in an area called
'cache.' When someone else requests this file, the server simply
uses the stored copy of the file, instead of asking for the file
again from overseas. All the servers that you see on top of this
document have different files in their caches. So, if you wish to
see the files they are holding right now, you will have to issue
'/CAC' to each one of them. Note that a file does not stay in
cache forever. As new files arrive, the older ones are deleted to
make room.
The Amazing Life of a /PDGET request:
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Once you order your file via /PDGET, the server will first check
its local cache listings. If the file is not there, then it will
check the SIMTEL20 listings to ensure that a such file indeed
exists. After this, the server sends the request to all other
servers, asking them if they have your file in cache. If a server
replies 'YES!', then that server has to send you the file.
Everything fails: none of the servers have your file, or even some
servers don't respond. Your server will give up waiting for a
reply in a day, and order your file from the United States. Once
the file requested arrives from there, it will be sent to you, and
put into the cache directory. Quite a trip for one /PDGET
command.
Quotas, and Other Ugly Limitations
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
You may be surprised that even though most TRICKLE servers have
some kind of quota, we still get several hundred requests daily.
Without them, this number may easily rise to thousands. The impact
of a such usage rate on the local computer can be very 'tiring.'
So, the following quota schemes have been implemented:
1) Total outstanding bytes quota:
This quota is not really put by the server's operators. It
is the amount that a TRICKLE server can order from The
United States. This is currently set at 10 megabytes for
most servers.
2) Prime times:
Some of the servers, do not function during the day, they
record the commands received, and process these commands
later, when the load on the computer is low.
3) User request limitations:
Most TRICKLE servers have a limit on how many requests a
user can make on the server per day. The request can be
a simple /OPS command, or a file order via /PDGET. It
still counts as one. The server will warn you that you are
approaching the limit, once you have 3 more commands left.
4) Outstanding files per user:
This scheme is also employed by some servers, and it limits
the number of files a user can order from The United States.
5) Delayed Sendfile:
This last scheme is simple: it delays sending your file until
a specified time comes. Usually at night, when the network
load is low. If a site uses delayed sendfile, you will see
a '* Your file will be mailed' notice, instead of '* Your
file is being mailed.'
Puzzled?
""""""""
Get in touch with your local TRICKLE operator. You can get his
network address by using the /OPS command. We wish you great
benefits from using TRICKLE..