Summary: MSKERMIT question

From: Kevin Kimsa (bragrt!kck@uunet.uu.net)
Date: Sat Feb 16 1991 - 15:50:13 CST


Thanks to all who responded. Here are the first set of responses which
I believe will cover off the the majority of info I will receive on the
subject...

original posting...

>>I've been informed that MS-KERMIT is a great little package that allows
>>you to easily customize terminal emulation. Is this s/w ported to SUN O/S?
>>And where can I get it, if it is.
>>I have a burning need to provide *very close to exact* PC key stroke
>>functionality for PC's attached to Sun boxes via ethernet, running Lotus and WP
>>on the Suns.
>>Any other packages that would do the trick would be welcome news aswell.

here are the responses...
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-1-
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From: "Anthony A. Datri" <suncan!gatech!harvard!uwvax!concave.convex.com!datri>

Such a port would be difficult, since I believe that at least part of mskermit
is written in assembler. Kermit is a protocol; mskermit is a program that
implements it. By far, the best Kermit program for Unix machines is "ckermit",
which builds easily on Suns. Exact keypress compatibility is impossible,
since a Sun doesn't call its serial ports things like "com1:", but the basic
commands tend to be the same or similar. If you can't get to the Internet
or uucp to an archive site, I could mail the sources to you on a tape.

-2-
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From: "Rand S. Huntzinger" <suncan!gatech!harvard!uwvax!ncbi.nlm.nih.gov!randy>
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   MS-Kermit is written is assembly language and is quite tailored to PC's.
There is another version of Kermit written for Unix (C-Kermit). C-Kermit
runs under SunOS. The two versions of kermit can communicate with each other
for file transfer, but one is not a port of the other and C-Kermit isn't so
much into terminal emulation features as MS-Kermit.

                                        Randy Huntzinger

-3-
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From: Bob Sutterfield <suncan!gatech!harvard!uwvax!morningstar.com!bob>
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Get the sources to Kermit (in C, for everything) via anonymous FTP
from watsun.cc.columbia.edu or via anonymous UUCP from osu-cis. Write
to uucp@cis.ohio-state.edu for instructions if you need them, and
subscribe to the newsgroup comp.protocols.kermit for further help.

-4-
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From: Dan O'Neill <suncan!gatech!harvard!uwvax!asihub.autosys.com!dano>
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This should not be posted to sun-managers. Please see the kermit
newsgroup or mailing list.

-- 
Dan O'Neill     Cadence Design Systems, San Diego, CA
UUCP: {uunet|ncr-sd}!asihub!dano     ...cadence!dano
Domain: dano@autosys.com     dano@cadence.com

-5- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: John Sin <suncan!gatech!harvard!uwvax!redondo.janet.ucla.edu!jsin> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

>I've been informed that MS-KERMIT is a great little package that allows >you to easily customize terminal emulation. Is this s/w ported to SUN O/S?

No, MS-KERMIT is just that, program for MS-DOS and PC-DOS machines. It's written mostly (if not entirely) in 8086 assembly language. Hence, it's not "ported" to Sun OS, but read on.

>And where can I get it, if it is.

MS-KERMIT and all other versions of KERMIT programs can be anonymously ftp'ed from columbia university; watsun.cc.columbia.edu (128.59.39.2) in directory kermit. There are directories a, b, c, etc, depending on which machine you want to run your kermit. They have version ranging from IBM VM/CMS kermit to Mac Kermit. I believe there is a "readme" file on the top level. If not, look for *aaaaa.hlp files.

>I have a burning need to provide *very close to exact* PC key stroke >functionality for PC's attached to Sun boxes via ethernet, running >Lotus and WP on the Suns.

Now, I'm quite lost as to whether you want the kermit running on the Sun, or the PC. I guess you are running the (lotus) programs on the Sun from a PC connected to it, but are having trouble finding a "terminal emulation" program for PC which does a good job. Am I correct in assuming this?

If so I can say w/o condition that MS-KERMIT provides the absolutely the best emulation of vt100 I've found any where. You want to emulate a vt100, you want this program. Highly recommended.

At last I heard, MS-KERMIT is at version 3.02A, but there had been couple of test releases.

Also, MS-KERMIT does not work with packet drivers or other generic ethernet driver that I'm aware of. It's strictly for serial connections. Although it has support for NET-BIOS, 3-COM net, or other networking standards for PCs, I don't think it supports TCP/IP connections. This might have been changed since I heard last, but I doubt it.

-- John Sin <jsin@janet.ucla.edu> ...!(uunet,ucbvax,rutgers)!seas.ucla.edu!jsin UCLA EE Dept. 53-109 Engineering IV, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (213)206-7983

-6- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Nick Cuccia <suncan!gatech!harvard!uwvax!eris.berkeley.edu!cuccia> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

MS-KERMIT is implemented in 8086/8088 assembly language, so portability will most definitely be a problem...

-7- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Brian Holgate <suncan!gatech!harvard!uwvax!central.sun.com!aptcorp!venus!brian> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kevin, I have C-Kermit 4E(070) in source form, if that is of interest to you let me know and i will mail you a copy of it.

Brian Holgate Systems Manager Cyrix Corporation (aka aptcorp) 1850 N. Greenville Ave. #184 Ricardson,Texas 75081

voice 214-234-8388 ext 215 fax 214-680-2401 email texsun!aptcorp!venus!brian or aptcorp!brian@central.sun.com

-8- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ken Rossman <suncan!gatech!harvard!uwvax!watsun.cc.columbia.edu!ken> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MS-KERMIT is not itself directly ported for SunOS, but since the Kermit standard definition was written quite system independly, there is indeed a version of Kermit that will run under SunOS (and in fact, under just about any version of Unix out there, really, as well as just about any other MACHINE out there, if it's mainstream enough).

And where can I get it, if it is.

You can get it from us directly here at Columbia (where it originated). There are several ways to do this:

- Easiest, cheapest, and probably best way is, if you have Internet (ftp) access, just connect to watsun.cc.columbia.edu (128.59.39.2) using anonymous ftp, 'cd' to the 'kermit' subdirectory there, and ftp over the file there called "read.me". That file contains more info on how to obtain the pieces of the version of Kermit that you want.

- If you don't have Internet access, you can call the Kermit Distribution Center here, at 212-854-3703 for more information on how to order Kermit in various forms of distribution media.

- If you have access to BITnet, you can get info and files from the KERMSRV machine on CUVMA.

- Find a friend who has it and get it from him/her. It's free software, and you're welcome to obtain it from any source you can.

The C-Kermit sources (MS-Kermit is for MS-DOS machines only) are many and take up a lot of space, else I'd offer to email the pieces to you.

I have a burning need to provide *very close to exact* PC key stroke functionality for PC's attached to Sun boxes via ethernet, running Lotus and WP on the Suns. Any other packages that would do the trick would be welcome news as well.

Kermit should do the trick. You can redefine the function of any key on your PC keyboard to be whatever you want it to be.

For more specific online info, send mail to:

uunet!columbia!kermit

Happy hunting.

Ken Rossman Network Planning Group Computer Center ken@columbia.edu Columbia University ken@cumin.bitnet 212-854-4876 uunet!columbia!ken



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