+.TH KERMIT 1C LOCAL
+.SH NAME
+kermit \- file transfer, terminal connection, character-set translation,
+and script programming
+.SH SYNOPSIS
+.B kermit
+[ options ...] [files ...]
+.SH DESCRIPTION
+.I Kermit
+is a family of file transfer, management, and communication software programs
+available for most computers and operating systems. The UNIX version of
+Kermit, called C-Kermit, supports serial connections (direct or dialed) and,
+in most UNIX implementations, also TCP/IP connections. On SunOS systems
+equipped with SunLink X.25, C-Kermit also supports X.25 connections.
+.PP
+C-Kermit's major functions are file transfer using the Kermit protocol,
+automatic dialing, terminal connection, translation of national and
+international character sets, and script programming for automated
+communications. This manual gives a brief overview of C-Kermit version
+5A(188). C-Kermit is fully documented in the book
+.IR "Using C-Kermit"
+by Frank da Cruz and Christine M. Gianone, Digital Press, Burlington, MA,
+USA. Digital Press ISBN: 1-55558-108-0; Prentice-Hall ISBN: 0-13-037490-3.
+Price: US $34.95. In USA, call DECdirect at 1-800-344-4825, refer to order
+number EY-J896E-DP. Available: January 1993.
+.PP
+C-Kermit can be used in two "modes" -- remote and local. In remote mode,
+you connect to the UNIX system from a desktop PC, Macintosh, or workstation
+and transfer files between your desktop computer and UNIX C-Kermit. In that
+case, connection establishment (dialing, TELNET connection, etc) is handled
+by the Kermit program on your desktop computer.
+.PP
+In local mode, C-Kermit establishes a connection to another computer
+by direct serial connection, by dialing a modem, or by making a network
+connection. When used in local mode, C-Kermit gives you a terminal connection
+to the remote computer, using your actual terminal, emulator, or UNIX
+workstation window or console driver for specific terminal emulation.
+.PP
+C-Kermit also has two types of commands: the familiar UNIX-style command-line
+arguments, and an interactive dialog with prompt. Command-line arguments give
+you access to a small but useful subset of C-Kermit's features for terminal
+connection and file transfer, plus the ability to pipe files into or out of
+Kermit for transfer.
+.PP
+Interactive commands give you access to dialing, script programming,
+character-set translation, and in general, detailed control and display of all
+C-Kermit's features. Interactive commands can also be collected into command
+files or collected into macros.
+.PP
+.SH "STARTING C-KERMIT"
+.PP
+C-Kermit should be available as "kermit" somewhere in your PATH. To start
+C-Kermit simply type "kermit", possibly followed by command-line options. If
+there are no "action options" on the command line, C-Kermit starts in
+interactive mode; you will see a greeting message and then the "C-Kermit>"
+prompt. If you include action options on the command line, C-Kermit takes the
+indicated actions and then exits back to UNIX. Either way, C-Kermit
+executes the commands in its initialization file,
+.IR ".kermrc" ,
+in your home directory before it executes any other commands, unless you have
+included the -Y (uppercase) command-line option, which means to skip the
+initialization file.
+.PP
+.SH "USING C-KERMIT TO TRANSFER FILES"
+.PP
+Here is a common scenario for Kermit file transfer:
+.PP
+.in +0.5i
+.ll -0.5i
+.ta +0.2i
+.ti -0.2i
+\(bu Start Kermit on local computer and establish a connection to the
+remote computer. If C-Kermit is on your local
+computer, use the sequence SET MODEM <modem-name>, SET LINE, SET SPEED, and
+DIAL <number> if you are dialing; SET LINE and SPEED for direct connections,
+SET NETWORK and SET HOST (or, for TCP/IP, simply TELNET) for network
+connections.
+
+.ti -0.2i
+\(bu SET any other necessary communication parameters, such as PARITY,
+DUPLEX, and FLOW-CONTROL. If you will be communicating with an IBM mainframe
+in line-mode (not full-screen mode), give the command DO IBM.
+
+.ti -0.2i
+\(bu Give the CONNECT command.
+
+.ti -0.2i
+\(bu Log in to the remote computer.
+
+.ti -0.2i
+\(bu Start Kermit on the remote computer, give it any desired SET commands
+for file, communication, or protocol-related parameters. If you will be
+transferring binary files, give the command SET FILE TYPE BINARY to the remote
+Kermit.
+
+.ti -0.2i
+\(bu Give the remote Kermit the SERVER command.
+
+.ti -0.2i
+\(bu Escape back to the Kermit program on your local (desktop) computer.
+If your local computer is running C-Kermit, type Ctrl-\\ c (Control-backslash
+followed by the letter 'c') (on NeXT workstations, use Ctrl-] c). If MS-DOS
+or OS/2 Kermit, use Alt-X or Ctrl-] c. Now you should see your local Kermit
+program's prompt.
+
+.ti -0.2i
+\(bu If you will be transferring binary files, give the command SET FILE
+TYPE BINARY to your local Kermit program.
+
+.ti -0.2i
+\(bu To get files from the remote computer to your local computer, use GET
+followed by the filename. Use SEND followed by the filename to put files
+from your local computer to the remote system. You may use "wildcard"
+characters such as * and ? in the filenames to specify groups of files.
+
+.ti -0.2i
+\(bu When you finish transferring files, and you need to continue your work
+on the remote remote computer, type FINISH and then CONNECT. You're now
+talking Kermit on the remote computer again. Type EXIT to get back to the
+command prompt on the remote system. At the end, logout normally from the
+remote computer. Then escape back to Kermit on your local computer, and then
+EXIT from the local Kermit program.
+
+.ti -0.2i
+\(bu If you don't need to go back to the remote computer again, type the
+BYE command to the local Kermit program. This will shut down the remote
+Kermit server and terminate (log out) your remote session.
+.ll +0.5i
+.in -0.5i
+.fi
+.PP
+.SH HELP
+.PP
+Kermit has extensive built-in help. You can find out what commands exist by
+typing ? at the beginning of a line. You can type HELP followed by the name
+of a command for information on it. For commands that take multiple
+arguments, you can type ? in the middle of the command for more information,
+and you can also use help with several arguments. E.g. SET has many different
+things you can set, like SET RECEIVE PACKET-LENGTH 1000. You can type 'SET
+?', or 'SET RECEIVE ?', etc. 'HELP SET' talks about the 'SET' command in
+general, 'HELP SET RECEIVE talks about the SET RECEIVE options.
+.SH BACKSLASH NOTATION
+Within an interactive command, \\ is a special character to help you enter
+special quantities, or ordinary characters that would otherwise be illegal or
+hard to type. At the end of a line, \\ (backslash) (or - dash) makes the next
+line a continuation of the current line. Other than that, the character
+following the \\ identifies what the thing is:
+.nf
+
+ % A user-defined simple (scalar) variable such as \\%a or \\%1
+ & an array reference such as \\&a[3]
+ $ an environment variable such as \\$(TERM)
+ v (or V) a built-in variable such as \\v(time)
+ f (or F) a function such as \\fSubstring(\\%a,3,2)
+ d (or D) a decimal (base 10) number (1 to 3 digits, 0..255) such as \\d27
+ o (or O) an octal (base 8) number (1 to 3 digits, 0..377) such as \\o33
+ x (or X) a hexadecimal (base 16) number (2 digits, 00..ff) like \\x1b
+ \\ the backslash character itself
+ b (or B) the BREAK signal (OUTPUT command only)
+ l (or L) a Long BREAK signal (OUTPUT only)
+ a decimal digit (a 1-3 digit decimal number) such as \\27
+ anything else: following character taken literally.
+
+.fi
+Note that numbers turn into the character with that binary code, so
+you can use \\7 for a bell, \\13 for carriage return, \\10 for linefeed.
+
+.SH COMMANDS
+.PP
+You can use upper- or lower case for commands. Either one will work (but
+remember that UNIX filenames are case-sensitive). Also, you can abbreviate
+commands as long as the abbreviation matches only one possibility. This is a
+summary of C-Kermit's commands. For more information on each, see
+.IR "Using C-Kermit" ,
+or type HELP and then the command name.
+.nf
+.in 0
+.ll 80
+.ta 15
+
+; Introduce a full-line or trailing comment (also #).
+! Run a system command or enter system command interpreter.
+ASK Prompt the user, store user's reply in a variable.
+ASKQ Like ASK, but, but doesn't echo (useful for passwords).
+ASSIGN Assign an evaluated string to a variable or macro.
+BYE Terminate and log out a remote Kermit server.
+C Special abbreviation for CONNECT.
+CD Change Working Directory (also, CWD).
+CHECK See if a particular feature is built in.
+CLEAR Clear communication device input buffer.
+CLOSE Close a log or other local file.
+COMMENT Introduce a full-line comment.
+CONNECT Establish a terminal connection to a remote computer.
+DECLARE Declare an array.
+DECREMENT Subtract one (or other number) from a variable.
+DEFINE Define a variable or macro.
+DELETE Delete a file or files.
+DIAL Dial a telephone number.
+DIRECTORY Display a directory listing.
+DISABLE Disallow access to selected features during server operation.
+DO Execute a macro ("DO" can be omitted).
+E-PACKET Send an Error packet.
+ECHO Display text on the screen.
+ELSE Used with IF.
+ENABLE Allow access to selected features during server operation.
+END A command file or macro.
+EXIT Exit from the program, closing all open files and devices.
+FINISH Instruct a remote Kermit server to exit, but not log out.
+FOR Execute commands repeatedly in a counted loop.
+G Special abbreviation for GET.
+GET Get files from a remote Kermit server.
+GETOK Ask question, get Yes or No answer, set SUCCESS or FAILURE.
+GOTO Go to a labeled command in a command file or macro.
+HANGUP Hang up the phone or network connection.
+HELP Display a help message for a given command.
+IF Conditionally execute the following command.
+INCREMENT Add one (or other number) to a variable.
+INPUT Match characters from another computer against a given text.
+INTRO Print a brief introduction to C-Kermit.
+LOG Open a log file -- debugging, packet, session, transaction.
+MAIL Send a file to other Kermit, to be delivered as e-mail.
+MSEND Send a list of files to the other Kermit.
+MSLEEP Sleep for given number of milliseconds.
+OPEN Open a local file for reading or writing.
+O Special abbreviation for OUTPUT.
+OUTPUT Send text to another computer.
+PAD Command for X.25 PAD (SunLink X.25 only)
+PAUSE Do nothing for a given number of seconds.
+PING Check status of remote TCP/IP host.
+PRINT Print a file on a printer.
+PUSH Invoke host system interactive command interpreter.
+PWD Display current working directory.
+QUIT Same as EXIT.
+R Special abbreviation for RECEIVE.
+READ Read a line from a local file.
+RECEIVE Passively wait for files to arrive.
+REDIAL The the most recently DIALed number again.
+REINPUT Reexamine text previously received from another computer.
+REMOTE Issue file management commands to a remote Kermit server.
+RENAME Change the name of a file.
+RETURN Return from a user-defined function.
+RUN Run a program or system command.
+S Special abbreviation for SEND.
+SCRIPT Execute a UUCP-style login script.
+SEND Send files.
+SERVER Begin server operation.
+SET Set various parameters.
+SHOW Display values of SET parameters.
+SLEEP Sleep for given number of seconds.
+SPACE Display current disk space usage.
+STATISTICS Display statistics about most recent file transfer.
+STOP Stop executing macro or command file, return to prompt.
+SUSPEND Suspend Kermit (use only if shell supports job control!).
+TAKE Execute commands from a file.
+TELNET Make a TCP/IP TELNET connection to a remote network host.
+TRANLATE Translate a file's character set.
+TRANSMIT Upload a file with no error checking.
+TYPE Display a file on the screen.
+VERSION Display the program version number on the screen.
+WAIT Wait for the specified modem signals.
+WHILE Execute commands repeatedly while a condition is true.
+WRITE Write text to a local file.
+XIF Extended IF command.
+XLATE Synonym for TRANSLATE.
+XMIT Synonym for TRANSMIT.
+.ll
+.in
+.fi
+.SH PARAMETERS YOU CAN SET
+Here are some of the parameters you can change with the SET command. Note
+that many of them require further specification, e.g. there are several
+RECEIVE parameters. So commands using SET RECEIVE
+look like "SET RECEIVE PACKET-LENGTH 1000". For parameters like that,
+the possible second words are listed below them.
+.nf
+.in 0
+.ll 80
+.ta 15
+
+ATTRIBUTES Turn Attribute packet processing on or off.
+ BLOCKSIZE, CHARACTER-SET, DATE, DISPOSITION,
+ LENGTH, OS-SPECIFIC, SYSTEM-ID, ALL
+BLOCK-CHECK Level of file transfer error detection.
+BUFFERS Size of send and receive packet buffers.
+CARRIER Treatment of carrier on terminal connections.
+CASE Treatment of alphabetic case in string comparisons.
+COMMAND BYTESIZE used between C-Kermit and your keyboard and screen.
+COUNT For counted loops.
+DEBUG Log or display debugging information.
+DELAY How long to wait before sending first packet.
+DIAL Parameters related to dialing.
+ DIAL-COMMAND, DIRECTORY, DISPLAY, HANGUP, INIT-STRING,
+ KERMIT-SPOOF, MNP-ENABLE, SPEED-MATCHING, TIMEOUT
+DUPLEX Specify which side echoes during CONNECT.
+ESCAPE Prefix for "escape commands" during CONNECT.
+FILE Set transfer file parameters:
+ BYTESIZE, CHARACTER-SET, COLLISION, DISPLAY,
+ INCOMPLETE, NAMES, TYPE
+FLOW-CONTROL Communication line full-duplex flow control.
+HANDSHAKE Communication line half-duplex turnaround character.
+HOST Specify network host name.
+INPUT Control behavior of INPUT command.
+KEY Key mapping and macros for use in CONNECT mode.
+LANGUAGE Enable language-specific character-set translations.
+LINE Serial communication device name.
+MACRO Control aspects of macro execution.
+MODEM-DIALER Type of modem-dialer on communication line.
+NETWORK Network type, e.g. TCP/IP, X.25.
+PAD X.25 X.3 PAD parameters (SunLink X.25 only).
+PARITY Communication line character parity.
+PROMPT The C-Kermit program's interactive command prompt.
+RECEIVE Parameters for inbound packets.
+ END-OF-PACKET, PACKET-LENGTH, PAD-CHARACTER, PADDING
+ START-OF-PACKET, TIMEOUT
+RETRY Packet retransmission limit.
+SEND Parameters for outbound packets.
+ See RECEIVE for subparameters. Normally you set only
+ RECEIVE parameters. SEND parameters come automatically
+ from the Kermit on the other end.
+SERVER Parameters for server operation.
+ TIMEOUT
+SESSION-LOG File type for session log, text or binary.
+SPEED Communication line speed, e.g. 2400, 9600.
+TAKE Control aspects of TAKE file execution.
+TERMINAL Terminal parameters:
+ BYTESIZE, CHARACTER-SET, CR-DISPLAY, ECHO,
+ LOCKING-SHIFT, NEWLINE-MODE
+TRANSFER File transfer parameters:
+ CHARACTER-SET, LOCKING-SHIFT
+TRANSMIT Control aspects of TRANSMIT command execution:
+ ECHO, EOF, FILL, LINEFEED, LOCKING-SHIFT, PAUSE, PROMPT
+UNKNOWN Specify handling of unknown character sets.
+WINDOW File transfer packet window size.
+X.25 Specify X.25 connection parameters (SunLink X.25 only).
+.in
+.ll
+.SH "MACROS AND VARIABLES"
+C-Kermit allows macros and variables. A macro is a command
+that you define, composed of one or more other C-Kermit commands.
+A typical macro is a list of Kermit commands, separated
+by commas. For example:
+.nf
+
+ define sun set speed 9600, set parity none, set duplex full,-
+ set flow xon/xoff
+
+.fi
+You call a macro by using its name, just like normal commands. You can also
+call them using the DO command. If you have given the DEFINE command above
+(or have it in your .kermrc file), then you can type SUN or DO SUN to execute
+all the commands in the definition.
+.PP
+C-Kermit also lets you define variables. Normal variables look like \\%i,
+where i is a single letter. The alphabetic case doesn't matter. \\%a and
+\\%A are the same. Like macros, they are defined by DEFINE or ASSIGN. All
+values are strings. DEFINE gives a variable a fixed value. ASSIGN computes a
+value and assigns it to the variable. To see the difference, look at
+.nf
+
+ def \\%a Monday
+ def \\%b Today is \\%a
+ assign \\%c Today is \\%a
+ def \\%a Tuesday
+ echo \\%b
+ echo \\%c
+
+.fi
+This will print "Today is Tuesday" then "Today is Monday". The difference is
+that when defining \\%c, the \\%a is evaluated at the time of the definition,
+whereas when defining \\%b, the variable name \\%a itself is put in the
+definition. It isn't evaluated until the echo \\%b.
+.PP
+There are also arrays, which use \\& instead of \\%. They are declared by
+DECLARE, e.g. DECLARE \\&A[100]. Elements are referenced with subscripts,
+which may themselves be variables, and act like simple variables, e.g.
+.nf
+
+ DEFINE \\&A[3] Tuesday
+
+.fi
+You can destroy the array by making it zero size, DECLARE \\&A[0].
+The first element of an array is [1].
+.PP
+Macros have normal names. No \\. You call them by using the name like a
+command. If you put additional words on the same line as the macro
+invocation, they become arguments. Inside the macro, you can refer to the
+arguments as \\%1, \\%2, etc. For example:
+.nf
+
+ C-Kermit>define bsend set file type binary, send \\%1
+ C-Kermit>define tsend set file type text, send \\%1
+ C-Kermit>bsend kermit
+ C-Kermit>tsend kermit.doc
+
+.fi
+The number of arguments supplied can be referred to as \\v(argc). If you call
+another macro from a macro, the new one gets its own set of arguments, which
+do not interfere with the previous set.
+.PP
+There are a number of built-in variables, which are referred to by \\v(name).
+They cannot be changed. Type SHOW VARIABLES for a complete list.
+.nf
+
+ \\v(argc) number of arguments in current macro
+ \\v(args) number of program command-line arguments
+ \\v(cmdfile) name of current command file, if any
+ \\v(cmdlevel) current command level
+ \\v(cmdsource) where command are currently coming from, macro, file, etc.
+ \\v(count) current COUNT value
+ \\v(cpu) CPU type C-Kermit was built for
+ \\v(date) date as 8 Feb 1992
+ \\v(day) day of week
+ \\v(directory) current/default directory
+ \\v(exitstatus)current EXIT status (0 = good, nonzero = something failed)
+ \\v(filespec) filespec given in most recent SEND/RECEIVE/GET command
+ \\v(fsize) size of file most recently transferred
+ \\v(home) home directory
+ \\v(host) computer host name
+ \\v(input) current INPUT buffer contents
+ \\v(inchar) character most recently INPUT
+ \\v(incount) how many characters arrived during last INPUT
+ \\v(line) current communications device, set by LINE or HOST
+ \\v(local) 0 if in remote mode, 1 if in local mode
+ \\v(macro) name of currently executing macro, if any
+ \\v(ndate) Current date as 19920208 (yyyymmdd)
+ \\v(ntime) Current local time in seconds since midnight
+ \\v(platform) Specific machine and/or operating system
+ \\v(program) Name of this program ("C-Kermit")
+ \\v(return) Most recent RETURN value
+ \\v(speed) Current speed, if known, or "unknown"
+ \\v(status) 0 or 1 (SUCCESS or FAILURE of previous command)
+ \\v(system) UNIX
+ \\v(time) time as 13:45:23 (hh:mm:ss)
+ \\v(ttyfd) file descriptor of current communication device
+ \\v(version) numeric version of Kermit
+.fi
+.PP
+There are builtin functions, invoked as \\Fname(args). Type SHOW FUNCTIONS for
+a complete list.
+.nf
+
+ \\Fcharacter(arg) convert numeric arg to character
+ \\Fcode(char) numeric code for character
+ \\Fcontents(v) return current definition of variable
+ \\Fdefinition(m) return current definition of macro
+ \\Feval(expr) evaluate arithmetic expression
+ \\Fexecute(m a) execute macro "m" with parameters "a"
+ \\Ffiles(f) number of files matching file spec
+ \\Findex(a1,a2,a3) position of string a2 in a1, starting at pos a3
+ \\Flength(arg) length of the string "arg"
+ \\Fliteral(arg) copy argument literally, no evaluation
+ \\Flower(arg) convert to lower case
+ \\Flpad(text,n,c) left pad text to length n with char c
+ \\Fmax(a1,a2) max of two numbers
+ \\Fmin(a1,a2) min of two numbers
+ \\Fnextfile() next file name from list in last \\Ffiles
+ \\Frepeat(a1,a2) repeat a1 a2 times
+ \\Freverse(arg) reverse character in arg
+ \\Fright(a1,a2) rightmost a2 characters of string a1
+ \\Frpad(text,n,c) right pad text to length n with char c
+ \\Fsubstr(a1,a2,a3) substring of a1, starts at a2, length a3
+ \\Fupper(arg) convert to upper case
+
+.fi
+Eval allows the following operators in the expression. The expression
+can contain variables. Precedences are shown as numbers, 1 is highest
+precedence, 6 is lowest.
+.in +.2i
+.nf
+.ta \w'n @ n 'u +\w'5 'u
+
+( ) 1 parentheses
+n ! 2 factorial
+~ n 3 logical NOT
+- n 4 negative
+n ^ n 4 power
+n * n 5 times
+n / n 5 division
+n % n 5 modulus
+n & n 5 logical AND
+n + n 6 plus
+n - n 6 minus
+n | n 6 logical OR
+n # n 6 exclusive OR
+n @ n 6 greatest common divisor
+
+.fi
+.SH "OPTIONS AND COMMAND LINE ARGUMENTS"
+.PP
+Typically you run Kermit without any arguments, and use a combination
+of .kermrc and interactive commands. However it is possible to put options on
+the command line. This is normally used for scripts. In this case, Kermit is
+invoked as follows:
+.nf
+.ll 80
+
+ kermit [-x arg [-x arg]...[-yyy]..]]
+
+ -x is an option requiring an argument,
+ -y an option with no argument.
+.ta 15
+
+Actions:
+ -s files send files
+ -s - send files from stdin
+ -r receive files
+ -k receive files to stdout
+ -x enter server mode
+ -f finish remote server
+ -g files get remote files from server (quote wildcards)
+ -a name alternate file name, used with -s, -r, -g
+ -c connect (before file transfer), used with -l and -b
+ -n connect (after file transfer), used with -l and -b
+
+Settings:
+ -l line communication line device
+ -j host network host name
+ -q quiet during file transfer
+ -i binary file transfer
+ -b bps line speed, e.g. 1200
+ -m name modem type
+ -p x parity, x = e,o,m,s, or n
+ -t half duplex, xon handshake
+ -e n receive packet length
+ -v n window size
+ -w write over files
+
+Other:
+ -y name alternate init file name
+ -Y Skip init file
+ -d log debug info to debug.log
+ -S Stay, don't exit, after action
+ -C "cmds" Interactive-mode commands
+
+If no action command is included, enter interactive dialog.
+.ll
+.in
+.fi
+.SH FILES
+$HOME/.kermrc \fIKermit\fR initialization commands
+.PD
+.SH AUTHORS
+Frank da Cruz, Columbia University, with contributions from hundreds of
+other volunteer programmers all over the world; "man page" mostly courtesy of
+Charles Hedrick, Rutgers University.
+.SH SEE ALSO
+.TP
+Frank da Cruz and Christine Gianone
+.IR "Using C-Kermit" ,
+Digital Press, Burlington, MA, USA (1993)
+.TP
+Frank da Cruz,
+.IR "Kermit, A File Transfer Protocol" ,
+Digital Press, Bedford, MA, USA (1987)
+.SH DIAGNOSTICS
+The diagnostics produced by
+.I Kermit
+itself are intended to be self-explanatory. In addition, every command
+returns a SUCCESS or FAILURE status that can be tested by IF FAILURE or
+IF SUCCESS. In addition, the program itself returns an exit status code of
+0 upon successful operation or nonzero if any of various operations failed.
+.SH BUGS
+See recent issues of the Info-Kermit digest (on BITNET/EARN, the Internet, or
+the comp.protocols.kermit newsgroup on Usenet) for discussion, or the files
+ckcker.bwr and ckuker.bwr, for a list of bugs. Report
+bugs via e-mail to Info-Kermit-Request@columbia.edu or KERMIT@CUVMA.BITNET.
+Subscribe to Info-Kermit by sending e-mail to I$KERMIT@CUVMA.BITNET or
+I$KERMIT@CUVMA.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU containing the text "subscribe i$kermit"
+followed by your name.
+.br
projects / unix-history / commitdiff