Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
By Alan Caruana
2. Disclaimer
Description
3. What is included
Distribution
Getting Started
6. Hardware Requirements
The IZMSETUP Program
7. IceZmodem Functions
Using this shareware system, you will be able to try out the software before
you make a commitment to purchase it. If you have paid any money for this
program, it has gone to the distributor of the program and not to IceSoft
Software.
IceSoft Software
215 Labelle Ave.
Blasdell, NY 14219
* You can chat with the remote user during the file transfer.
* You can shell to DOS and execute DOS commands and programs.
(transfer pauses while programs are executed)
* You can play MOD digital music files through a Sound Blaster,
DAC, or PC Speaker.
* You can play built-in arcade games during the file transfer.
IceZmodem can easily be configured to work with any BBS or terminal program.
The command lines that are used to operate IceZmodem are similar to the
popular DSZ external protocol. INSTALL.DOC contains instructions on how to
set up IceZmodem with many popular BBS and terminal programs. Refer to this
file now if you do not know how to get started with your particular BBS or
Terminal program. Also, be sure to run IZMSETUP.EXE! (see page 6)
--- PAGE 4 -------------< The IceZmodem Command Line >------------------------
port - This tells IceZmodem what COM PORT you would like to communicate
with. It can be any value from 1 to 4. You do not need to specify
the port if you have already set up your default port in IZMSETUP
and the default port is the one you would like to use. Specifying
this option will override your default port in IZMSETUP, but it
will NOT override your default address/IRQ nonstandard port in
IZMSETUP.
* Do not use the PORT option combined with the adrirq option *
Below are the standard addresses and IRQs that IceZmodem recognizes
when you specify the port command. If your address/IRQ is different
than these, you need to use the adrirq option or set up your
default address/IRQ in IZMSETUP.
adrirq - This tells IceZmodem the ADDRESS and the IRQ of your NONSTANDARD
COM PORT if you have one. If upon examining the chart above, you
do not find your port address/IRQ, you use this command to specify
the address/IRQ of your port. It uses the syntax:
adrirq address,irq
speed - This tells IceZmodem the speed (bits per second) that the COM PORT
is operating at. If this option is not specified, IceZmodem will
assume that the COM PORT is already set at the proper speed (which
it always should be before IceZmodem is executed) and should work
properly.
node - If you are running a multi-node BBS and you have specified the
location of your BBS dropfile in IZMSETUP with the * macro, you
must use this command line to tell IceZmodem what node you would
like to replace the * macro with.
**** EXAMPLE FOR NODE: IZM port 2 speed 38400 node 5 rz C:\BBS\UPLOADS\
flow - After the word flow, you may use SLOW or HARD. Specifying SLOW
will cause IceZmodem to stop the sender from sending data during
disk writes. This is good if the receiver is writing the file to
a floppy disk or a slow hard disk. Specifying HARD will turn the
hardware handshaking on. This means if the sender is sending data
too fast and the receiver can't keep up, the receiver will tell the
sender to stop sending data until the receiver catches up. ALL high
speed modems MUST use flow hard. These options override the
defaults that you specify in IZMSETUP.
You may combine both flow slow and flow hard. See below:
**** EXAMPLE FOR FLOW: IZM port 2 speed 2400 flow slow
**** EXAMPLE FOR FLOW: IZM speed 19200 flow hard
**** EXAMPLE FOR FLOW: IZM speed 38400 flow slow flow hard
page - Use either PAGE ON or PAGE OFF to allow the remote to page you with
a loud beep or not. This will override your default selection in
IZMSETUP. If PAGE OFF is specified, the screen will flash on and
off instead of making an audible noise.
A filename: SZ program.zip
A pathname: SZ c:\bbs\dloads\sysop\program.zip
Many Names: SZ program.zip c:\bbs\log.txt a:\program.exe
Wildcards : SZ *.zip
File Lists: SZ @file.lst
--- PAGE 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------
Environment Variables
"""""""""""""""""""""
If you set the environment variable DSZLOG equal to a filename, IceZmodem
will create a DSZ-compatible log for programs which require it to run.
Example: SET DSZLOG=C:\BBS\DSZLOG.TXT
Processor: 8086 or better. You will need at least an 80286 to use the
Digital MOD Music or to utilize 16800+ bps reliably.
DOS......: Version 3.0 or better. Any earlier versions will not work.
IceZmodem will work under DesqView, OS/2, and Windows however
some features (such as MOD player) will not work.
Memory...: At least 200k to transfer files. To play music, edit text files
and shell to dos, you must have from 200k-300k. This amount of
memory must be present on top of all the other memory taken by
terminal programs or BBS systems. (See Appendix A for
information on gaining more memory)
The IZMSETUP program included with the IceZmodem package lets you set up
many of the default options in IceZmodem and sets several options which are
not adjustable anywhere else in the program. I recommend that you run the
IZMSETUP.EXE program when you first install your IceZmodem and whenever you
upgrade to a newer version of IceZmodem. The configuration options are
stored within the IZM.EXE file itself - eliminating the need for more files
cluttering up your hard disk and causing more headaches. The only problem
with this is that you will need to run IZMSETUP whenever you receive an
IZM.EXE upgrade.
--- PAGE 7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
When you first execute IZMSETUP, it will want to know where the IZM.EXE
file is located. If it is in the current directory, simply hit enter
otherwise tell it where it is. I am not going to document each option in
IZMSETUP because there is already documentation within the program. I
suggest that you go through each option and read what each option does and
choose wisely to get the best performance and reliability out of IceZmodem.
F1 - Main Screen
""""""""""""""""
The main screen is the heart of IceZmodem. Here you will see how the
transfer is progressing by the numerous indicators and graphs.
CPS - This stands for characters per second, how efficient your file
transfer is going. Please be aware that this is an estimate and
is NOT very accurate. The actual CPS is usually a bit higher.
TurboTrans - This tells wether TurboTrans is in use or not. (See page 10)
Completion - A graph and a percentage that tells how complete the file
transfer is.
Batch Status Window - This window contains the same as above with the
exception that the Batch is the information on
all the files you are transferring if you are
transferring multiple files.
F2 - Chat
"""""""""
You may chat with the remote user on this screen. If they are not in
chat, hit F10 to page them. When somebody is paged in IceZmodem, either
a beeping noise will come out their speaker or (if the page is turned
off) the screen will flash. Once both people are in chat, just type a
sentence and hit enter. The message will appear in the upper window.
F3 - DOS Shell
""""""""""""""
Using DOS Shell, you may execute any DOS commands or small programs
without greatly disturbing the transfer. Whenever you execute a
command or program in the DOS Shell, the file transfer temporarily
stops and then resumes when the prompt reappears. Knowing this,
you can execute small commands like DIR, RENAME, DEL, COPY, etc. and
the transfer wouldn't be harmed at all. You can load small utility
programs as well providing you dont remain in them for too long.
I wouldn't recommend staying in any executable file for more than
15-25 seconds. Especially if you are paying for long distance charges.
IceZmodem DOS Shell does not multitask. You cannot load up your favorite
text editor and expect the transfer to continue. There will be a certain
point where the buffer can no longer hold the incomming data and you
will loose data. This wont affect the file you are transfering.
F4 - Screen Saver
"""""""""""""""""
This will print the percentage complete in large numbers on a black
screen. To exit it, hit F1-F7.
--- PAGE 9 ------------------------------------------------------------------
F5 - Text Editor
""""""""""""""""
This is a simple text editor that I threw in at the last minute to see
if it could be done. There are some bugs in the text editor and I am
going to completely re-write the text editor in a future version.
Select a file to load. If you wish to create a new file, hit T and then
type in a filename. If you get an error message, refer to Appendix B.
The text editor can currently only load files 64k or less. The file must
not contain more than 78 characters per line. When you are done editing
the file, hit F9 to save it. If you dont want to save it, hit F8 to
unload the text file. You must either save or unload the text file
before IceZmodem will exit when the transfer is complete.
F6 - Module Player
""""""""""""""""""
The Module Player will play Amiga Digital MOD music files. These should
be available on one of your local BBSs or any information service. They
are quite popular on many platforms these days, especially on the PC.
You may play the files using a PC Speaker, a D/A converter, a Sound
Blaster, or a Disney Sound Source. The PC Speaker provides very poor
sound reproduction and some sort of additional hardware is required to
hear true high fidelity sound. Assuming you have enough memory and you
have correctly configured your sound device and sampling rate in
IZMSETUP, you will now be able to select a file to play. If you get an
error message, refer to Appendix B. You may adjust the MOD volume, turn
channels 1,2,3,4 on and off and skip forward/backward in the song while
it is playing. You can go to any of the other functions in IceZmodem
and the MOD will continue playing (the sound will stop during DOS Shell)
including System Info, text editor and Chat. The MOD Player may not work
properly with LANtastic software or other Local Area Network Operating
Systems.
F7 - System Information
"""""""""""""""""""""""
This will present a page or two of system information about the local
and remote computers. Find out what kind of computer that guy REALLY is
using. Great for online technical support. Registered users can also
view the remote device drivers, TSRs, and open file handles. Future
versions may be expanded in this area even further.
F8 - Games
""""""""""
Just for fun, this will give you something to do during the transfer!
Speedboat Willy is a simple game where you use the left and right arrow
keys to avoid the bouys and other obstacles comming at you as you speed
down the river. There are four waves, if you complete the first group of
four waves you will go back to wave 1, although the game will be faster
this time! Good luck. WARNING: Excessive playing of this game will make
the room look like it is elevating when the game ends!
--- PAGE 10 -----------------------------------------------------------------
F9 - User Screen
""""""""""""""""
If you are a sysop of a BBS and have told IceZmodem the filename of
your BBS dropfile in IZMSETUP, you may view your BBS dropfile using
this option. If you have used the * macro in the path/name, be sure
you are using the node option on the command line!
There are thousands of different types of PCs out there, and along with
that, there are thousands of different speeds of PCs. Speed is dependant
on not only the processor and computer architecture, but also the software
that is running. For example, a memory manager slows down the speed of your
PC by a noticeable factor. Because modems allow us to hook faster PCs up
to slower ones, we need some way to let the slower PCs tell the faster
ones that they are sending data too fast for them to handle. That is
basically what Handshaking is. If the receiver cannot receive data as
fast as the sender is sending it, it has to tell the receiver to stop.
Handshaking is needed on ALL modems that run faster than 2400 bps. If
you use 2400 bps, you don't need to read this (now). If you are using
9600 bps or faster, you MUST understand handshaking. There are two
types of handshaking - hardware and software. All modems can use
software handshaking, but IceZmodem doesn't because it is inefficient
and adds overhead to the transfer, so lets ignore that for right now.
Hardware Handshaking. Most high speed modems transmit the CTS/RTS
(clear to send/request to send) signal on the phone line along with the
data that is being transmitted/received. IceZmodem can manipulate this
signal to tell the sender to stop sending data when the receiver cannot
keep up. When the receiver catches up, it will resume the data
transmission. So, if you are using a high speed modem, BE SURE to set
HARDWARE HANDSHAKING to on - otherwise you will get a lot of errors
in the data transmission.
--- PAGE 11 ----------------< The 16550A UART >------------------------------
If you are going to use over 9600 bps, I recommend you use a 16550A UART
chip. This will eliminate a lot of errors and problems you may have down
the road. You will be able to use over 9600 bps without a 16550A, but
in practice, it is not a good idea - especially on slower computers.
IceZmodem as it is today would not have been possible without the code that
has been written by 1) the person who wrote the Source Code for Pascal
Zmodem. There was no author listed in the public domain code. 2) Mark J. Cox
who wrote the module playing routines. 3) Chuck Forsberg who developed the
original Zmodem protocol which is pretty much the standard protocol for
file transfers now. 4) TurboPower Software
I would like to thank all Beta testers, including Jim Nunn, Mark Niedziela,
Yaser Behbehani, Tony Jones, George Wheeler, and all others who have helped
to make IceZmodem what it is today. And for support from God, Mom, and all
IceZmodem users who support this product.
Error 45 This error means you are trying to tell IceZmodem to use both a
"""""""" standard and a nonstandard COM port. You are probably using the
PORT option on the command line when you already have an IRQ and ADDRESS set
up in IZMSETUP. To get around this, set up a standard port in IZMSETUP and
use the ADRIRQ option on the command line. Another cause of this problem
is trying to use the PORT and ADRIRQ options at the same time.
You have reached the maximum text file size. No more data may be added!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
You are attempting to add more than 64k of data to a large text file.
IZM RZ - Will open the COM port specified in IZMSETUP at the baud rate that
the port is currently at. It will then receive files and put them
in the current directory.
IZM port 1 speed 2400 RZ c:\downloads - Will open COM1 at 2400 baud and
receive files into the directory
C:\DOWNLOADS.
IZM port 2 SZ F.TXT F2.EXE C.COM - Opens COM2 at the current baud rate and
sends F.TXT, F2.EXE, and C.COM.
IZM SZ @FILE.LST - Opens the COM port specified in IZMSETUP at the current
baud rate. It then opens the file called FILE.LST and
reads the path/filenames stored within and proceeds to
send all files.
IZM port 3 speed 9600 SZ *.EXE - Opens COM3 at 9600 baud and transmits all
the files ending with EXE.
On a 2400 bps modem connection, IceZmodem averages about 238 CPS with peaks
of 239 CPS on 80386 class systems transferring a maximally compressed ZIP
file.
On a 14400 bps modem connection with the com ports locked at 38400 bps,
IceZmodem averages about 1640-1660 CPS on 80386 class systems transfering
a maximally compressed ZIP file.
7/09/1994 Version Beta3 - Fixed major bug in version Beta2 (LIMITED RELEASE)
7/15/1994 Version Beta4 - Fixed major bug in version Beta3 (Public Release)
7/27/1994 Version Beta5 - Fixed minor bugs in version Beta4 (Public Release)
- Fixed Crash Recovery
- Fixed Chat Screen Flash
- Efficiency "N/A" with locked baud rates
- Added Speedboat Willy Game
- Added adjustable block size
Next version will have another one player game and a new two player
game!