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PC-SIG Diskette Library (Disk #125)
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Information about “HOST-III PUBLIC BBS”
The HOST-III communications package, while designed for private
remote-to-host type file transfers, can be used as a public BBS.
HOST-III automates the RECEIVE end of any file transfer, allowing
unattended operation of the host. HOSTCALL automates unattended file
transfers for late-night, low-rate use.
HOSTCALL can also initiate telephone calls to host computers (such as an
IBM-PC running HOST-III) and exchange files based on the commands in
what is called a Command File. The host computer may or may not be an
IBM-PC. You create the Command File which contains the information
HOSTCALL needs, such as the time to call a host system, the telephone
number, and the names of the files to exchange. A single COMMAND FILE
can sequentially access a number of host computers. Both programs
support the XMODEM protocol of file transmission.
While this is an older program and does not have some of the features of
the more up-to-date models, is is also considerably less complicated to
set up.
Special Requirements: Two disk drives and Hayes Smartmodem or
equivalent.
How to Start: Type GO (press enter).
Suggested Registration: $35.00
File Descriptions:
CS-NEW Text file
HOST-III DOC Documentation for HOST-III
HOST-III EXE Program that receives telephone calls
HOSTCALL BAT Batch file that starts up HOSTCALX
HOSTCALL DOC Documentation for HOSTCALL
HOSTCALX EXE Program that initiates telephone calls...Part 1
HOSTCL2X EXE Program that initiates telephone calls...Part 2
RACKET BBS Example of BBS SIG
README Information about HOST-III use & other programs available
FILES125.TXT
Disk No: 125
Program Title: HOST-III PUBLIC BBS
PC-SIG version: 1.2
The HOST-III communications package, while designed for private
remote-to-host type file transfers, can be used as a public BBS.
HOST-III automates the RECEIVE end of any file transfer, allowing
unattended operation of the host. HOSTCALL automates unattended file
transfers for late-night, low-rate use.
HOSTCALL can also initiate telephone calls to host computers (such as an
IBM-PC running HOST-III) and exchange files based on the commands in
what is called a Command File. The host computer may or may not be an
IBM-PC. You create the Command File which contains the information
HOSTCALL needs, such as the time to call a host system, the telephone
number, and the names of the files to exchange. A single COMMAND FILE
can sequentially access a number of host computers. Both programs
support the XMODEM protocol of file transmission.
Usage: Communications.
Special Requirements: Two disk drives and Hayes Smartmodem or
equivalent.
How to Start: Type GO (press enter).
Suggested Registration: $35.00
File Descriptions:
CS-NEW Text file
HOST-III DOC Documentation for HOST-III
HOST-III EXE Program that receives telephone calls
HOSTCALL BAT Batch file that starts up HOSTCALX
HOSTCALL DOC Documentation for HOSTCALL
HOSTCALX EXE Program that initiates telephone calls...Part 1
HOSTCL2X EXE Program that initiates telephone calls...Part 2
RACKET BBS Example of BBS SIG
README Information about HOST-III use & other programs available
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1985,86,87,88,89 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ <<<< Disk No 125 HOST III >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ To start the program, type HOST-III (press enter) ║
║ ║
║ To copy the documentation to your printer, type MANUAL (press enter) ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
HOST-III.DOC
HOST-III
Version 1.1
Unattended Telecommunications for the IBM Personal Computer
Requires a Hayes Smartmodem and 128K
Copyright 1984 William HT Bailey
All Rights Reserved
COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL
--- REQUEST FOR CONTRIBUTION ---
If you are using this program and find it to be of value then a $35
contribution is suggested.
William HT Bailey
P.O. Box 29723
Elkins Park, PA 19117-0923
CompuServe: 74145,1046
--- USER SUPPORTED CONCEPT ---
This HOST-III / HOSTCALL software package is being distributed under the USER
SUPPORTED concept. That is you are granted permission to copy and share this
program as long as no price is charged for the software or documentation.
Contributions, although completely voluntary, will compensate the Author for
his effort and will ensure further development. Anyone may request a copy of
this package by either
1. Sending the Author a blank formatted double-sided diskette (or 2 single
sided diskettes) along with a self-addressed postage-paid mailer
or
2. Sending the Author $35 in which case the diskette, mailer and postage
will be supplied.
--- DISCLAIMER ---
In no event will the Author be liable to you for any damages, including any
lost profits, lost savings or other incidental or consequential damages
arising out of the use of or inability to use these programs, even if the
Author has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim
by any other party.
COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL
HOST-III
Version 1.1
Unattended Telecommunications for the IBM Personal Computer
Requires a Hayes Smartmodem and 128K
CONTENTS
Page
I. General Description ............................................... 1
II. HOST-III Setup .................................................... 6
III. HOST-III Signon ................................................... 9
IV. User Commands ..................................................... 10
V. System Operator Commands .......................................... 13
VI. File Transmission ................................................. 15
VII. File Reception .................................................... 17
VIII. HOST-III Signoff and Reset ........................................ 19
HOST-III
I. General Description
This section has two objectives. They are:
1. To describe the uses of this program.
2. To provide enough information so that you can start using the program
immediately.
The second objective is possible, because the use of this program is quite
straight forward. You will find the details which will enable you to use
HOST-III to its fullest capability in the remaining sections.
If you and a friend have ever transferred files over the telephone lines using
manual communication packages, then you know that it involves a lot of message
typing to coordinate who is going to send what when and making sure that the
receiver is ready. HOST-III takes care of that coordination at your end. Your
friend at the other end transfers the files at his own pace while you watch or
attend to some other business. You could also use this program to transfer
files to and from your computer while you are someplace else. These are just a
couple of examples of how HOST-III can be used. In general it can be used
whenever one end of a communications link must be automated. However, if the
computer at the other end is running HOSTCALL, then both ends of the
communications link will be automated.
In normal operation, HOST-III assumes that the file it is transferring is an
ASCII file. However ANY type of file can be transferred if the user at the
other end invokes the XMODEM protocol of file transmission (and the user's
program supports this protocol). This protocol is invoked by appending a +X to
a filename specification. The XMODEM protocol is simply a sophisticated method
of transferring files.
HOST-III asks for a password before it allows files to be transferred.
Initially the password is WORD.
The program recognizes 9 commands from the user at the other end. They are:
A - List the files on drive A.
B - List the files on drive B.
C - List the files on drive C.
D - List the files on drive D.
G - Signoff (GOODBYE).
M - Send message.
R - Receive a file from the remote location.
T - Transmit a file to the remote location.
? - Summarize the commands.
The program recognizes 4 commands from the system operator at its end. They
are:
CTRL Prtsc - Printout on / Printout off (of intercomputer correspondence).
ALT D - Display files / View a file. (Inactive during a comm. link).
ALT M - Send message to remote location.
ALT X - Exit program.
-1-
HOST-III
Some other important notes concerning this program are:
1. HOST-III requires the use of a Hayes Smartmodem and 128K memory.
2. An active communication link is automatically closed, if 5 minutes of
inactivity passes.
3. If a file that is that is being received as an ASCII file already
exists, then the received file is attached to the end of the old file.
4. If a file that is being received under the XMODEM protocol already
exists, then the old file is first deleted.
After the simple setup procedure (described in detail in section II), HOST-III
is ready to accept a telephone call. The 2 figures at the end of this section
contain examples of HOST-III sessions. Note that the numbers on the right side
of these figures are not produced by the program. They are in these figures
for the sake of this discussion.
Figure 1 illustrates a session in which the user at the remote location sends
the ASCII file PROG1.BAS to HOST-III and requests the ASCII file PROG2.BAS
from HOST-III. The following is a line by line discussion of figure 1.
Line 1. HOST-III asks for the password and the user responds with WORD.
Line 2. This is the program's message indicating a successful signon.
Line 3. At the program's prompt (>), the user issues a ? command.
Ln 5-14. HOST-III lists the summary of commands.
Line 16. The user issues an R command.
Line 17. HOST-III requests the name of the file the user is about to
send. The drive on which the user wants the file to be stored
may be part of the specification. The user responds with
B:PROG1.BAS.
Line 19. After the program opens the file it is about to receive, it is
ready for the user to send it.
The file transfer occurs between lines 17 and 18. HOST-III lists
the file on the screen as the file is being received.
Line 20. At the end of the file, HOST-III pauses for about 15 seconds and
then asks the user to confirm that the end of file has been
reached. The user responds with Y.
Line 21. The program closes the file it has just received and issues this
message.
Line 22. The user issues a T command.
Line 23. HOST-III requests the name of the file the user wants it to send.
The drive on which the file resides may be part of the
specification. The user responds with B:PROG2.BAS.
Line 25. The program informs the user that he has about 15 seconds to
prepare his end to receive the file.
Line 26. The program informs the user that he may abort the transmission
by typing an X.
The file transfer occurs between lines 24 and 25. HOST-III lists
the file on its screen as the file is being sent.
Line 27. This is the end of file message. It is in the format of a BASIC
remark statement, so that a transmitted BASIC program may be used
without having to first edit it. (This message is not sent when
HOST-III is operating with HOSTCALL).
Line 28. Notice that HOST-III does not issue a prompt after transmitting a
file. However it still ready for the next command. The user
issues the signoff command.
Line 29. The program responds with the signoff message.
-2-
HOST-III
Figure 2 illustrates a session in which the user at the remote location
requests that the file PROG.COM be sent from HOST-III under XMODEM protocol.
The following is a line by line discussion of figure 2.
Lns 1,2. Signon.
Line 3. The user issues a T command.
Line 4. HOST-III requests the name of the file. The user responds and
appends to the end of the filename specification a +X, indicating
that the program is to be sent under the XMODEM protocol.
The file transfer occurs between lines 4 and 5. The program lists
numerous transmission status messages on the screen throughout
the transfer.
Lns 5,6. Signoff.
-3-
HOST-III
PASSWORD? WORD -- 1
*** ENTER ? FOR SUMMARY OF COMMANDS *** -- 2
>? -- 3
-- 4
--- SUMMARY OF COMMANDS --- -- 5
A - LIST THE FILES ON DRIVE A -- 6
B - LIST THE FILES ON DRIVE B -- 7
C - LIST THE FILES ON DRIVE C -- 8
D - LIST THE FILES ON DRIVE D -- 9
G - SIGNOFF (GOODBYE) -- 10
M - SEND MESSAGE -- 11
R - RECEIVE A FILE FROM YOUR LOCATION -- 12
T - TRANSMIT A FILE TO YOUR LOCATION -- 13
? - PRINT THE SUMMARY OF COMMANDS -- 14
-- 15
>R -- 16
NAME OF FILE: B:PROG1.BAS -- 17
-- 18
*** READY TO RECEIVE FILE *** -- 19
.
.
.
RECEPTION SUSPENDED. END OF FILE? (Y/N) Y -- 20
*** RECEPTION TERMINATED *** -- 21
>T -- 22
NAME OF FILE: B:PROG2.BAS -- 23
-- 24
*** TRANSMISSION BEGINNING IN 15 SECONDS *** -- 25
TYPE X TO ABORT TRANSMISSION -- 26
.
.
.
65529 ' *** TRANSMISSION COMPLETE *** -- 27
G -- 28
*** GOODBYE *** -- 29
FIGURE 1. Sample HOST-III session.
-4-
HOST-III
PASSWORD? WORD -- 1
*** ENTER ? FOR SUMMARY OF COMMANDS *** -- 2
>T -- 3
NAME OF FILE: A:PROG.COM+X -- 4
.
.
.
G -- 5
*** GOODBYE *** -- 6
FIGURE 2. Sample HOST-III session using XMODEM.
-5-
HOST-III
II. HOST-III Setup
This section describes the setup procedure that you must complete before
HOST-III will be ready to receive a telephone call. The setup procedure
involves getting the program started and providing information on the
following items:
Password
Communication parameters
Screen width
Your setup will be saved and presented to you the next time you start the
program. Therefore the full setup must be completed only on the first time you
run the program, and when you want to change the setup.
Connect and turn on your Hayes Smartmodem. Insure that the lights above the TR
and MR are lit.
The following are the 2 steps required to get HOST-III loaded and running:
1 . Insert a disk containing the Disk Operating System into disk drive A
(the drive on the left) and turn on the computer. Answer any questions
the computer may ask you (such as DATE and TIME) until you get to the
point where the computer prompts you with
A>
2a. If the disk currently in drive A contains HOST-III then type
HOST-III
Press carriage return.
2b. If the disk does not contain HOST-III then remove the disk and
insert your disk containing HOST-III into drive A. Type
HOST-III
Press carriage return.
-6-
HOST-III
HOST-III begins by printing a heading, a copyright notice and the following
questions.
Current password is WORD
Is this OK? (Y,N):
A user of HOST-III must provide the current password before he/she is signed
on. If you do not want to change the current password, then enter Y (or y).
If you do want to change the current password, then enter N (or n).
Enter new password:
If you responded to the previous question with N, then the program will ask
for the new password. This new password of 8 characters or less will remain in
effect for this and all future uses of HOST-III, until it is once again
changed. UPPER AND LOWER CASE LETTERS ARE NOT INTERCHANGABLE. For instance, if
you change the password to abcdef, then program will not sign on a user if he/
she enters ABCDEF as the password. If you are using HOST-III with HOSTCALL,
then changing the password will have no effect on operations since HOSTCALL
bypasses the password requirement.
Do you want to lockout HOSTCALL? (Y,N):
Since HOSTCALL bypasses the password requirement, a person calling your system
using HOSTCALL could access your files despite a changed password. This option
permits you to prevent access of your system by HOSTCALL. Enter Y (or y) if
you want to lockout HOSTCALL. ENTER N (OR n) IF YOU DESIRE COMMUNICATIONS WITH
HOSTCALL.
Current communication parameters are:
SPEED 300
PARITY E
DATA BITS 7
STOP BITS 1
Are they OK? (Y,N):
If you do not want to change the communication parameters, the enter Y (or y),
and the program will skip the next 4 questions. If you do want to change the
communication parameters, then enter N (or n). If you do not understand this
question, then enter Y (or y) since the default parameters will suffice for
most cases.
SPEED (75,110,150,300,600,1200):
Enter transmission speed. (This question is skipped, if the current
communication parameters are OK).
PARITY (S,O,M,E,N):
Enter parity type. (This question is skipped, if the current communication
parameters are OK).
-7-
HOST-III
DATA BITS (4,5,6,7,8):
Enter the number of data bits. (This question is skipped, if the current
communication parameters are OK).
STOP BITS (1,2):
Enter the number of stop bits. (This question is skipped, if the current
communication parameters are OK).
Choose screen width (40,80):
Choose the number of characters you want displayed across your screen. You
should choose 80 unless your display does not have the resolution to handle an
80 column screen.
At this point the program will clear the screen, display the message
********* HOST COMPUTER III program active *********
and turn on the light above the AA on the Smartmodem. HOST-III is now ready to
receive a telephone call.
-8-
HOST-III
III. HOST-III Signon
This section describes the signon procedure that a user calling into HOST-III
must complete before he/she will be allowed to transfer files.
When a user dials HOST-III, the program answers the telephone and asks the
user the question
PASSWORD?
If an incorrect password is given, then the program says
TRY AGAIN
If the correct password is not given in 3 tries, then the program tells the
user
*** GOODBYE ***
and signs off.
If the current password is received within 3 tries, then the program says
*** ENTER ? FOR SUMMARY OF COMMANDS ***
>
and signon is complete.
-9-
HOST-III
IV. User Commands
This section describes the commands that a user can issue to HOST-III once
he/she is signed on.
HOST-III recognizes 9 single character commands from the user. THey are:
A - List the files on drive A
B - List the files on drive B
C - List the files on drive C
D - List the files on drive D
G - Signoff (GOODBYE)
M - Send Message
R - Receive a file from the remote location
T - Transmit a file to the remote location
? - Summarize the commands
The prompt
>
indicates that the program is ready to accept a command. All commands must be
terminated with a carriage return. If HOST-III is expecting a command but
receives something longer than 1 character, then it issues the message
SINGLE CHARACTER COMMANDS PLEASE
A description of how HOST-III responds to each command follows.
A
The program responds with
FILES A
and sends the file directory of the disk in drive A. Possible error conditions
such as an open drive door or an empty drive will be detected and will result
in the program issuing a message followed by its prompt. The program will
then wait for the next command.
B
The program responds with
FILES B
and sends the file directory of the disk in drive B. Possible error conditions
such as an open drive door or an empty drive will be detected and will result
in the program issuing a message followed by its prompt. The program will
then wait for the next command.
-10-
HOST-III
C
The program responds with
FILES C
and sends the file directory of the disk in drive C. Possible error conditions
such as an open drive door or an empty drive will be detected and will result
in the program issuing a message followed by its prompt. The program will
then wait for the next command.
D
The program responds with
FILES D
and sends the file directory of the disk in drive D. Possible error conditions
such as an open drive door or an empty drive will be detected and will result
in the program issuing a message followed by its prompt. The program will
then wait for the next command.
G
This is the signoff command. It must be issued before the user hangs up. Upon
receiving the signoff command, HOST-III issues a
*** GOODBYE ***
and resets itself so that it may receive the next call. The user may hang up
after he/she receives the
*** GOODBYE ***
M
This command allows the user to send a one line message to the system operator
(the operator at the computer which is running HOST-III). User messages are
received and printed without interpretation by the program. Upon receiving
this command, the program transmits
ENTER 1 LINE MESSAGE
At the same time HOST-III beeps its buzzer and prints on its screen
*** USER MESSAGE ***
At this point the user may enter his/her message followed by a carriage
return.
R
This command is described in section VII.
-11-
HOST-III
T
This command is described in section VI.
?
This command results in the printout of the user's command options. Upon
receiving this command the program transmits
--- SUMMARY OF COMMANDS ---
A - LIST THE FILES ON DRIVE A
B - LIST THE FILES ON DRIVE B
C - LIST THE FILES ON DRIVE C
D - LIST THE FILES ON DRIVE D
G - SIGNOFF (GOODBYE)
M - SEND MESSAGE
R - RECEIVE A FILE FROM YOUR LOCATION
T - TRANSMIT A FILE TO YOUR LOCATION
? - PRINT THE SUMMARY OF COMMANDS
-12-
HOST-III
V. System Operator Commands
This section describes the options available to the person at the computer
which is running HOST-III. This person (which is you) is called the system
operator.
HOST-III recognizes 4 commands from the system operator. They are:
CTRL Prtsc - Printout on / Printout off (of intercomputer correspondence).
ALT D - Display files / View a file. (Inactive during a comm. link).
ALT M - Send message to remote location.
ALT X - Exit program.
They are activated by a double key depression. That is, the first key must be
pressed while the second key is hit, then both keys are released.
A description of how HOST-III responds to each command follows.
CTRL Prtsc
This command allows you to turn on the printout if it is off, or to turn off
the printout if it is on. With the printout on, all commands, responses and
messages transferred during an active communications link are listed on the
printer as well as the display. NOTE that printout is deactivated during file
transfer. If the printout is off when this command is issued, then HOST-III
turns the printout on, beeps and responds with
--- PRINTOUT ON ---
If the printout is on when this command is issued, then HOST-III turns the
printout off, beeps and responds with
--- PRINTOUT OFF ---
At startup the printout is initially off.
ALT D
This command allows you to both display the file directories on disk drives A
B, C and D and view an ASCII file. Viewing a file means displaying the
contents of an ASCII file on the screen. Upon receiving this command, the
program responds with
Drive A, B, C, D, View a file or Return? (A,B,C,D,V,R):
If you enter an A, B, C or D, the program will display the file directory of
the corresponding disk drive.
If you enter a V, the program will respond with
Name of file:
-13-
HOST-III
At this point you may enter the filename specification of the file you wish to
see. HOST-III will display 18 lines of the file at a time and prompt you to
continue by pressing the space bar. You may abort the viewing of a file by
hitting the ESC key.
To return to the program's normal mode, you must enter an R when the program
asks you to select an option.
NOTE the program will ignore the ALT D command, if it is engaged in an active
communications link.
ALT M
This command allows you to send the user a one line message. Upon receiving
this command the program responds with
*** SYSTEM OPERATOR MESSAGE ***
At this message you may enter a message followed by a carriage return, which
HOST-III will send to the user. NOTE the user will not receive the prompt
>
after a system operator message, because the program is still waiting for a
response to the prompt it issued just before the message. Therefore the user
can issue his/her next command immediately after receiving the message.
ALT X
This command allows you to exit the program. HOST-III responds to this command
with
--- EXIT ---
and terminates the program.
-14-
HOST-III
VI. File Transmission
This section describes the protocol involved in transferring a file from the
HOST-III location to the user's location.
Upon receiving the command
T
from the user, the program responds with
NAME OF FILE:
HOST-III is asking the user to give it the full name of the file the user
wants to be transmitted. For instance if the user wants the file PROG2.BAS and
it resides on drive B, then the user may respond with
B:PROG2.BAS
followed by a carriage return. If HOST-III encounters an error such as "file
not found" or "disk not ready", then the program will inform the user of this
and send him/her a prompt for the next command.
If there are no errors then HOST-III tells the user
*** TRANSMISSION BEGINNING IN 15 SECONDS ***
TYPE X TO ABORT TRANSMISSION
The user now has 15 seconds to prepare his program to receive the file. The
user may abort transmission at any time by typing an X.
To denote the end of the file, HOST-III sends
65529 ' *** TRANSMISSION COMPLETE ***
The user may remove this trailing message with a text editor before using the
file. A prompt is NOT sent after file transmission. Therefore the user may
issue his/her next command immediately after the transmission is complete.
NOTE that if the user is the program HOSTCALL, then a trailing message is not
attached to the end of the file since the two programs have a protocol to
determine the end of a file.
If the user's program supports the XMODEM protocol of file transmission, then
he/she may elect to have HOST-III send him/her the file under this protocol.
To have HOST-III send the program PROG.COM from drive A, the user would
respond to the request
NAME OF FILE:
with
A:PROG.COM+X
-15-
HOST-III
As shown, the user invokes the XMODEM protocol by appending a +X to the
filename specification. During transmission HOST-III will display a number of
status messages on the screen. At the end of the file, the program will issue
its prompt and wait for the next command.
-16-
HOST-III
VII. File Reception
This section describes the protocol involved in transferring a file to the
HOST-III location from the user's location.
Upon receiving the command
R
from the user, the program responds with
NAME OF FILE:
HOST-III is asking the user to give it the full name of the file the user
intends to send. For instance if the user intends to send the file PROG1.BAS
and he/she wants to store it on drive B, the user may respond with
B:PROG1.BAS
followed by a carriage return. If HOST-III encounters an error such as "bad
file name" or "disk write protected", then the program will inform the user of
this and send him/her a prompt for the next command.
If there are no errors then HOST-III tells the user
*** READY TO RECEIVE FILE ***
The program will wait 15 seconds for the beginning of transmission. If
transmission has not begun within this time, the program transmits
RECEPTION SUSPENDED. END OF FILE? (Y,N)
If this happens, the user should just complete his procedure for transmitting
a file. NOTE however that if the END OF FILE question is asked before
transmission begins, then HOST-III assumes that the first character it
receives is the answer to its question. Therefore that first character is not
stored as part of the received file. Moreover if the first character of the
transmitted file is Y (or y), then reception is terminated. In short, it is
best for the user to initiate his transmission within 15 seconds.
At the end of transmission, the program pauses for about 15 seconds and
transmits
RECEPTION SUSPENDED. END OF FILE? (Y,N)
If the user responds with Y (or y) or if there is no response within 1 minute,
HOST-III terminates reception and tells the user
*** RECEPTION TERMINATED ***
-17-
HOST-III
If the user's program supports the XMODEM protocol of file transmission, then
he/she may elect to have HOST-III receive the file under this protocol. To
have HOST-III receive the program PROG.COM and store it on drive A, the user
would respond to the request
NAME OF FILE:
with
A:PROG.COM+X
As shown, the user invokes the XMODEM protocol by appending a +X to the
filename specification. During reception HOST-III will display a number of
status messages on the screen. At the end of the file, the program will issue
its prompt and wait for the next command.
-18-
HOST-III
VIII. HOST-III Signoff
This section lists the conditions which will cause HOST-III to sign off.
When HOST-III is dialed and it initiates communications by answering the
telephone, there are 6 ways in which these communications can be terminated.
They are:
1. Normal signoff command - G.
2. Timeout after 5 minutes of inactivity.
3. Incorrect password in 3 tries.
4. Failing to detect a carrier (such as when it is called by a human
instead of a computer).
5. User hangup before correct password is issued.
6. User hangup during active communications.
In all cases HOST-III will clear the screen, issue the message
********* HOST COMPUTER III program active *********
and wait for the next telephone call.
-19-
HOSTCALL.DOC
HOSTCALL
Version 1.1
Unattended Telecommunications for the IBM Personal Computer
Requires a Hayes Smartmodem and 128K
Copyright 1984 William HT Bailey
All Rights Reserved
COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL
+++ REQUEST FOR CONTRIBUTION +++
If you are using this program and find it to be of value then a $35
contribution is suggested.
William HT Bailey
P.O. Box 29723
Elkins Park, PA 19117-0923
Compuserve: 74145,1046
+++ USER SUPPORTED CONCEPT +++
This HOST-III / HOSTCALL software package is being distributed under the USER
SUPPORTED concept. That is you are granted permission to copy and share this
program as long as no price is charged for the software or documentation.
Contributiions, although completely voluntary, will compensate the Author for
his effort and will ensure further development. Anyone may request a copy of
this package by either
1. Sending the Author a blank formatted double-sided diskette (or 2 single
sided diskettes) along with a self-addressed postage-paid mailer
or
2. Sending the Author $35 in which case the diskette, mailer and postage
will be supplied.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
In no event will the Author be liable to you for any damages, including any
lost profits, lost savings or other incidental or consequential damages
arising out of the use of or inability to use these programs, even if the
Author has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim
by any other party.
COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL
HOSTCALL
Version 1.1
Unattended Telecommunications for the IBM Personal Computer
Requires a Hayes Smartmodem and 128K
CONTENTS
Page
I. General Description ............................................... 1
II. HOSTCALL Setup .................................................... 15
III. Build Command File ................................................ 18
IV. HOSTCALL Menu ..................................................... 26
V. Review / Edit Command File ........................................ 28
VI. Review Status File ................................................ 30
VII. Idle Mode ......................................................... 31
VIII. Active Mode ....................................................... 32
IX. Dialing ........................................................... 33
X. Messages .......................................................... 34
HOSTCALL
I. General Description
This section has two objectives. They are:
1. To describe the uses of this program.
2. To provide enough information so that you can start using the program
immediately.
The second objective is possible, because the use of this program is quite
straight forward. You will find the details which will enable you to use
HOSTCALL to its fullest capability in the remaining sections.
If your use of host computer systems involves routinely putting data onto a
host system or pulling data off of a host system, then you are aware that this
involves a series of specific commands to the host system. With HOSTCALL you
can put that series of commands, along with the telephone number and the time
to call, into what is called a COMMAND FILE. HOSTCALL will then perform the
calling, signon, data transfer and signoff for you while you sleep or attend
to some other business. HOSTCALL also maintains what is called a STATUS FILE
which stores all the messages which are transferred between the two computers.
Therefore, the next morning or whenever you return to your computer, you can
review exactly what correspondence occurred between the two computers.
HOSTCALL can also be used in the situation where you are exchanging a number
of files with a friend, if your friend is running HOST-III. In this situation
you can create a COMMAND FILE specifying a sequence of operations, and watch
HOSTCALL operate with HOST-III for two-sided unattended telecommunications. A
small business with plants at different locations can use HOSTCALL along with
HOST-III to transfer data files between plants at night. In general HOSTCALL
can be used to automate data transfers between host computer systems.
When you ask HOSTCALL to transfer a file, the program will normally assume
that the file is an ASCII file. However ANY type of file can be transferred,
if you ask HOSTCALL to transfer the file under the XMODEM protocol of file
transmission (and the host system supports this protocol). You can specify
this protocol by appending a +X to a filename specification. The XMODEM
protocol is simply a sophisticated method of transferring files.
Once you have created a COMMAND FILE, the program presents you a menu of of
options. These options are:
Exit
Review / Edit COMMAND FILE
Review STATUS FILE
Enter the mode of automatic operations
Display the disk directories / View a file
Enter the manual communications mode
The exit path from any option (except the EXIT option) is always back to the
menu. Also, the program will allow you to exit to the menu at any time during
automatic operations. In that case the program will pick up where it left off
upon re-entering automatic operations.
The program recognizes 3 operator commands once it has begun automatic
operations. They are:
ALT M - Send a spontaneous message to the HOST-III system operator.
(Meaning only during active communications with HOST-III).
ALT U - Exit to menu.
CTRL Prtsc - Printout on / Printout off (of intercomputer correspondence).
-1-
HOSTCALL
Some other important notes concerning this program are:
1. HOSTCALL requires the use of a Hayes Smartmodem and 128K memory.
2. The STATUS FILE is created anew each time the program is run.
3. The program enters a 15 minute HOLD state when it dials a busy number.
It tries the number one more time after leaving this state before
moving on. You can be override this state by exiting to the menu and
then re-entering automatic operations. If you do this, the program will
redial the number immediately upon re-entering automatic operations.
The 15 minute HOLD can also be overriden by pressing the ESC key.
4. If a file that is being received as an ASCII file already exists, then
the received file is attached to the end of the old file.
5. If a file that is being received under the XMODEM protocol already
exists, then the old file is first deleted.
After the simple setup procedure (described in detail in section II), you may
either construct a new COMMAND FILE or recall an old one. The 6 figures at the
end of this section illustrate the construction of 3 different COMMAND FILE's
and the contents of the resulting COMMAND FILE's.
Figure 1 illustrates the construction of a COMMAND FILE where the HOSTCALL
user wants to call HOST-III and transfer two ASCII files. He wants to transfer
PROG1.BAS from his location to the remote location and he wants to transfer
PROG2.BAS from the remote location to his location. The numbers on the right
side of the figure are not produced by the program. They are there for the
sake of this discussion. The following is a line by line discussion of figure
1.
Line 1. HOSTCALL asks for a time (based on the 24 hour clock) to dial
the host system. The user responds with the time which represents
10:00 PM.
Line 2. HOSTCALL asks for a telephone number and the user responds with
2221111.
Ls 4-11. HOSTCALL displays the 7 single character commands available from
the primary menu. Commands particular to communicating with
HOST-III are entered from this menu. You would select the D
command from this menu, if you wanted to communicate with any
other host system.
Line 13. The program requests a command. The user responds with an R,
meaning that he wants to transfer a file FROM his location TO the
HOST-III location. Note that the R command is what HOST-III wants
to see, if HOST-III is doing the receiving.
Line 14. The program requests the name of the file. The user responds with
PROG1.BAS.
Line 15. The program requests the specification of the drive at the remote
location where the user wants the file to be stored. The user
responds with B.
Line 16. The program requests the specification of the drive at the user's
computer on which the file resides. The user responds with A.
Line 17. The program requests a command. The user responds with a T,
meaning that he wants to transfer a file TO his location FROM the
HOST-III location. Note that the T command is what HOST-III wants
to see, if HOST-III is doing the transmitting.
Line 18. The program requests the name of the file. The user responds with
PROG2.BAS.
Line 19. The program requests the specification of the drive at the remote
location on which the file resides. The user responds with B.
-2-
HOSTCALL
Line 20. The program requests the specification of the drive at the user's
computer where the user wants the file to be stored. The user
responds with A.
Line 21. The program requests a command. The user responds with a / and
HOSTCALL ends the construction of the COMMAND FILE.
Figure 2 illustrates the COMMAND FILE that results from the procedure in
figure 1. The numbers on the left side of the figure are not part of the
COMMAND FILE. However they are produced by the program when the COMMAND FILE
is reviewed, so that the COMMMAND FILE can be edited by line number. The
following is a line by line discussion of figure 2.
Line 1. HOSTCALL recognizes this as a command to initiate a
communications link at a specific time. That time is on line 2.
Note that all the commands in this file are in pairs. Note also
that only the first character in the first part of a command pair
is significant. (For instance, HOSTCALL reads the C in CLOCK and
ignores the rest of the word).
Line 2. This is the time to initiate the communications link.
Line 3. This is the first part of the command pair which gives HOSTCALL
the telephone number to call. The D in DIAL id read by HOSTCALL
and the rest of the word is ignored.
Line 4. This is the telephone number to call.
Line 5. HOSTCALL transfers the R from this command to HOST-III telling
HOST-III to receive a file.
Line 6. This line contains the information needed by both HOSTCALL and
HOST-III to perform the transfer. Note that the remote computer
drive specification begins on column 15 and the local computer
drive specification begins on column 17.
Line 7. HOSTCALL transfers the T from this command to HOST-III telling
HOST-III to transmit a file.
Line 8. This line contains the information needed by both HOSTCALL and
HOST-III to perform the transfer. Note that the remote computer
drive specification begins on column 15 and the local computer
drive specification begins on column 17.
Figure 3 illustrates the construction of a COMMAND FILE where the HOSTCALL
user wants to call HOST-III and transfer the file PROG.COM from the remote
computer using the XMODEM protocol of file transfer. The numbers on the right
side of the figure are not produced by the program. They are there for the
sake of this discussion. The following is a line by line discussion of figure
3.
Lns 1,2. The time and telephone number for the communications link are
requested and input. The time represents 1:30AM.
Ln 4-11. HOSTCALL displays the primary menu. In this example the user will
enter his commands from this menu, since the commands from this
menu are particular to communicating with HOST-III. HOSTCALL will
take care of the signon, signoff and file transfer protocol, if
commands to HOST-III are entered from this menu.
Line 13. The program requests a command. The user responds with a T,
meaning that he wants to transfer a file TO his location FROM the
HOST-III location. Note that the T command is what HOST-III wants
to see, if HOST-III is doing the transmitting.
Line 14. The program requests the name of the file. The user enters the
filename specification and appends it with a +X indicating that
the file is to be transferred under the XMODEM protocol.
Line 15. The program requests the specification of the drive at the remote
location on which the file resides. The user responds with A.
-3-
HOSTCALL
Line 16. The program requests the specification of the drive at the user's
computer where the user wants the file to be stored. The user
responds with A.
Line 17. The program requests a command. The user responds with a / and
HOSTCALL ends the construction of the COMMAND FILE.
Figure 4 illustrates the COMMAND FILE that results from the procedure in
figure 3. The numbers on the left side of the figure are not part of the
COMMAND FILE. However they are produced by the program when the COMMAND FILE
is reviewed, so that the COMMMAND FILE can be edited by line number. The
following is a line by line discussion of figure 4.
Lns 1,2. These are the command and time to call HOST-III.
Lns 3,4. These are the command and telephone number for HOSTCALL to call.
Line 5. HOSTCALL transfers the T from this command to HOST-III telling
HOST-III to transmit a file.
Line 6. This line contains the information needed by both HOSTCALL and
HOST-III to perform the transfer. Note that the filename
specification is appended with a +X indicating that the file is
to be transferred under the XMODEM protocol. Note also that the
remote computer drive specification begins on column 15 and the
local computer drive specification begins on column 17.
Figure 5 illustrates the construction of a DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE. A DIRECT
COMMAND SEQUENCE is one that you construct, if you want to specify precisely
what messages HOSTCALL is going to send to the host computer system. The
feature of allowing you to specify an exact sequence of commands gives you the
ability to automate communications with any host system. In this figure the
HOSTCALL user instructs the program to call a computer running HOST-III and
perform the same functions as was instructed in figure 1. That is, the ASCII
file PROG1.BAS will be transferred from the local computer to the remote
computer, and the ASCII file PROG2.BAS will be transferred to the local
computer from the remote computer Note that in this case, unlike the case in
figure 1, the user must be concerned with signon, signoff and the exact
structure and sequence of commands to the host system. The numbers on the
right side of the figure are not produced by the program. They are there for
the sake of this discussion. The following is a line by line discussion of
figure 5.
Lns 1,2. The time and telephone number for the communications link are
requested and input. The time represents 3:00AM.
Ln 4-11. HOSTCALL displays the primary menu.
Line 13. The program requests a command. The user responds with a D,
requesting to be transferred to the secondary menu for the
purpose of constructing a DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE.
L 15-25. The program reminds the user that a DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE must
be constructed with an intimate knowledge of the host system's
protocol.
Line 27. The program asks the user if he wants to continue with the
DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE. The user responds with a Y.
L 29-38. The program displays the secondary menu. The first entry in the
menu represents the fact that any command of 20 characters or
less can be inserted into a DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE. The
remaining entries represent commands that control the operation
of HOSTCALL. They are double lettered so that the program can
distinguish between commands to itself and commands it should
pass on to the host system. It assumes that double lettered
commands are commands to itself. Note that you cannot end a
COMMAND FILE from the secondary menu. You must return to the
primary menu to do that.
Line 40. The program requests a command.
-4-
HOSTCALL
Line 41. This is the first message sent to the host system, when a
communications link is established. The user knows that the first
piece of information he must provide HOST-III is the password.
Line 42. The program is giving the user the option to incorporate
intelligent processing into the command sequence. If the user
enters a Y, then he/she would be given an opportunity to specify
a portion of the expected reponse. The user would then enter the
number of commands for the program to advance, if the expected
response is not received. However in most instances the answer to
this question would be an N, since the primary use of this
program is to automate communication sequences of precise
protocols. In this case the user responds with an N.
Line 43. The program requests a command.
Line 44. Since HOST-III does not echo commands back to the originator, the
user instructs HOSTCALL to print all outgoing messages to the
screen, so that he can follow the activities if he is sitting at
the console.
Line 45. The program requests a command.
Line 46. HOST-III will recognize this command as an instruction for
HOST-III to receive a file.
Line 47. The user responds to this question with an N.
Line 48. The program requests a command.
Line 49. The HOSTCALL user knows that after HOST-III receives the R
command, it requests the name of the file that it should receive
and the drive on which it should be stored. Therefore this
command is the information the user knows that HOST-III has
requested, and it is in the format that the user knows that
HOST-III has requested it.
Line 50. At this point the user responds to option to incorporate
intelligent processing into the command sequence with a Y. He/she
does this to cover the possibility that some abnormal condition,
such as a full disk at the remote computer, could prevent
HOST-III from receiving a file.
Line 51. The program asks for the response that the user expects to
receive. Only a portion of the expected response need be
entered.
Line 52. The user knows that if there are no abnormal conditions then
HOST-III will respond with
*** READY TO RECEIVE FILE ***
Therefore he/she enters just enough to allow the program to
determine if the expected response was received.
Line 53. If the expected response is not received, then the user can have
HOSTCALL advance a number of commands. In this case the user
tells HOSTCALL to advance 2 commands, if the expected response is
not received. This effectively skips the following command IN THE
COMMAND FILE (see figure 6), which is to be a command telling the
program to send HOST-III a file. (NOTE that the number 0 is a
legal entry. If 0 is entered, then the program would execute the
current command a number of times. HOSTCALL would ask the user to
specify the maximum number of times the current command should be
executed before giving up.)
Line 54. The program requests a command.
Line 55. The user knows that HOST-III is ready to receive a file, so he
instructs HOSTCALL to export a file.
Line 56. HOSTCALL asks for the filename specification. The user responds
with PROG1.BAS.
Line 57. THe user responds to this question with an A.
Line 58. The program requests the next command to be processed after
PROG1.BAS has been sent to HOST-III.
-5-
HOSTCALL
Line 59. The user instructs HOSTCALL to prepare to import a file that will
later be sent by HOST-III.
Line 60. HOSTCALL asks for the filename specification. The user responds
with PROG2.BAS.
Line 61. THe user responds to this question with an A.
Line 62. The program requests a command.
Line 63. HOST-III will recognize this command as an instruction for
HOST-III to transmit a file.
Line 64. The user responds to this question with an N.
Line 65. The program requests a command.
Line 66. The HOSTCALL user knows that after HOST-III receives the T
command, it requests the name of the file it should transmit and
the drive on which it resides. Therefore this command is the
information the user knows that HOST-III has requested, and it is
in the format that the user knows that HOST-III has requested
it.
Line 67. The user responds to this question with an N.
Line 68. The program requests a command.
Line 69. The user knows that HOST-III is about to transmit a file so he
instructs HOSTCALL to import the file that was specified on lines
59-61.
Line 70. The program requests the next command to be processed after
PROG2.BAS has been receives from HOST-III.
Line 71. HOST-III will recognize this command as the signoff command.
Line 72. The user responds to this question with an N.
Line 73. The program requests a command.
Line 74. The user instructs HOSTCALL to return to the primary menu.
L 76-83. HOSTCALL displays the primary menu.
Line 85. The program requests a command. The user responds with a / and
HOSTCALL ends the construction of the COMMAND FILE.
Figure 6 illustrates the COMMAND FILE that results from the procedure in
figure 5. The numbers on the left side of the figure are not part of the
COMMAND FILE. However they are produced by the program when the COMMAND FILE
is reviewed, so that the COMMMAND FILE can be edited by line number. The
following is a line by line discussion of figure 6.
Lns 1,2. These are the command and time to call the host system.
Lns 3,4. These are the command and telephone number for HOSTCALL to call.
Line 5. The dot indicates to HOSTCALL that the command is to be processed
as part of a DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE. This command is sent AS IS
to the host system. It represents the password that HOST-III
wants to see upon signon.
Line 6. This command instructs HOSTCALL to print all outgoing messages to
the screen.
Line 7. This command is sent directly to HOST-III. It tells HOST-III to
prepare to receive a file.
Line 8. This command is sent to HOST-III after HOSTCALL receives a
response to the command in line 7. It provides the information
about the file that HOST-III is about to receive. Also contained
on this line are a portion of the response that should be
received from HOST-III as a result of this command, and the
number of commands to advance if the expected response is not
received. Notice that if the expected response is not received,
then the program would advance 2 commands to the command in line
10.
-6-
HOSTCALL
Line 9. This command instructs HOSTCALL to export the file that HOST-III
is ready to receive. For the sake of future editing, you should
note that the drive specification and program name at the local
computer starts on column 17.
Line 10. This command instructs HOSTCALL to prepare to import a file. For
the sake of future editing, you should note that the drive
specification and program name at the local computer starts on
column 17.
Line 11. This command is sent directly to HOST-III. It tells HOST-III to
transmit a file.
Line 12. This command is sent to HOST-III after HOSTCALL receives a
response to the command on line 11. It provides the information
about the file that HOST-III is about to transmit.
Line 13. This command instructs HOSTCALL to import the file that HOST-III
is about to transmit. The file was specified on line 10.
Line 14. This command is sent directly to HOST-III. It is the signoff
command.
-7-
HOSTCALL
Time for first communication (e.g. 18:30): 22:00 -- 1
Phone number: 2221111 -- 2
-- 3
+++ COMMAND FILE HELP MENU +++ -- 4
(C)lock. Time to dial host system. -- 5
(R)eceivs FROM this location. (Transfer to HOST.) -- 6
(T)ransmit TO this location. (Transfer from HOST.) -- 7
(M)essage. -- 8
(/). End COMMAND FILE. -- 9
(H)elp. This menu. -- 10
(D)irect. Allows communication with any host system. -- 11
-- 12
ENTER COMMAND (C,R,T,M,/,H,D): R -- 13
Enter filename: PROG1.BAS -- 14
Remote computer drive (A,B,C,D): B -- 15
Local computer drive (A,B,C,D): A -- 16
ENTER COMMAND (C,R,T,M,/,H,D): T -- 17
Enter filename: PROG2.BAS -- 18
Remote computer drive (A,B,C,D): B -- 19
Local computer drive (A,B,C,D): A -- 20
ENTER COMMAND (C,R,T,M,/,H,D): / -- 21
FIGURE 1. Construction of sample COMMAND FILE.
-8-
HOSTCALL
1>CLOCK
2>22:00:00
3>DIAL
4>2221111
5>RECEIVE FROM THIS LOCATION
6>PROG1.BAS B:A:
7>TRANSMIT TO THIS LOCATION
8>PROG2.BAS B:A:
FIGURE 2. Sample COMMAND FILE.
-9-
HOSTCALL
Time for first communication (e.g. 18:30): 1:30 -- 1
Phone number: 2221111 -- 2
-- 3
+++ COMMAND FILE HELP MENU +++ -- 4
(C)lock. Time to dial host system. -- 5
(R)eceive FROM this location. (Transfer to HOST.) -- 6
(T)ransmit TO this location. (Transfer from HOST.) -- 7
(M)essage. -- 8
(/). End COMMAND FILE. -- 9
(H)elp. This menu. -- 10
(D)irect. Allows communication with any host system. -- 11
-- 12
ENTER COMMAND (C,R,T,M,/,H,D): T -- 13
Enter filename: PROG.COM+X -- 14
Remote computer drive (A,B,C,D): A -- 15
Local computer drive (A,B,C,D): A -- 16
ENTER COMMAND (C,R,T,M,/,H,D): / -- 17
FIGURE 3. Construction of sample COMMAND FILE with XMODEM.
-10-
HOSTCALL
1>CLOCK
2>1:30:00
3>DIAL
4>2221111
5>TRANSMIT TO THIS LOCATION
6>PROG.BAS+X A:A:
FIGURE 4. Sample COMMAND FILE with XMODEM.
-11-
HOSTCALL
Time for first communication (e.g. 18:30): 3 -- 1
Phone number: 2221111 -- 2
-- 3
+++ COMMAND FILE HELP MENU +++ -- 4
(C)lock. Time to dial host system. -- 5
(R)eceive FROM this location. (Transfer to HOST.) -- 6
(T)ransmit TO this location. (Transfer from HOST.) -- 7
(M)essage. -- 8
(/). End COMMAND FILE. -- 9
(H)elp. This menu. -- 10
(D)irect. Allows communication with any host system. -- 11
-- 12
ENTER COMMAND (C,R,T,M,/,H,D): D -- 13
-- 14
+++ DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE +++ -- 15
-- 16
Direct commands are transferred to the host system AS IS. -- 17
Therefore direct commands may be used to communicate with -- 18
any host system. -- 19
-- 20
However unlike a HOST COMPUTER command sequence, a direct -- 21
command sequence cannot detect warnings of abnormal -- 22
conditions from the host system. Therefore direct commands -- 23
must be entered in the exact sequence required by the host -- 24
system. -- 25
-- 26
Continue with DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE? (Y,N): Y -- 27
-- 28
+++ DIRECT COMMAND HELP MENU +++ -- 29
__ - Any command recognized by host system. (20 chars or less.) -- 30
CC - Send a Control C. -- 31
XX - Export a file to the host system. -- 32
OO - Open a local storage file. -- 33
II - Import a file. (A storage file must have been OPENED.) -- 34
PP - Insert an 8 second pause into command sequence. -- 35
EE - Enable local echoing to screen of outgoing messages. -- 36
RR - Return to the main menu. -- 37
HH - Print this menu. -- 38
-- 39
ENTER COMMAND (__,CC,XX,OO,II,PP,EE,RR,HH) -- 40
WORD -- 41
Alter command sequence if expected response not received? (Y,N): N -- 42
ENTER COMMAND (__,CC,XX,OO,II,PP,EE,RR,HH) -- 43
EE -- 44
ENTER COMMAND (__,CC,XX,OO,II,PP,EE,RR,HH) -- 45
R -- 46
Alter command sequence if expected response not received? (Y,N): N -- 47
ENTER COMMAND (__,CC,XX,OO,II,PP,EE,RR,HH) -- 48
B:PROG1.BAS -- 49
Alter command sequence if expected response not received? (Y,N): Y -- 50
Enter 10 characters (or less) of the expected response -- 51
RECEIVE -- 52
Advance how many commands if not expected response?: 2 -- 53
-12-
HOSTCALL
ENTER COMMAND (__,CC,XX,OO,II,PP,EE,RR,HH) -- 54
XX -- 55
Name of file to be exported: PROG1.BAS -- 56
File resides on which drive? (A,B,C,D): A -- 57
ENTER COMMAND (__,CC,XX,OO,II,PP,EE,RR,HH) -- 58
OO -- 59
Name of file to be imported: PROG2.BAS -- 60
Store file on which drive? (A,B,C,D): A -- 61
ENTER COMMAND (__,CC,XX,OO,II,PP,EE,RR,HH) -- 62
T -- 63
Alter command sequence if not expected response? (Y,N): N -- 64
ENTER COMMAND (__,CC,XX,OO,II,PP,EE,RR,HH) -- 65
B:PROG2.BAS -- 66
Alter command sequence if not expected response? (Y,N): N -- 67
ENTER COMMAND (__,CC,XX,OO,II,PP,EE,RR,HH) -- 68
II -- 69
ENTER COMMAND (__,CC,XX,OO,II,PP,EE,RR,HH) -- 70
G -- 71
Alter command sequence if not expected response? (Y,N): N -- 72
ENTER COMMAND (__,CC,XX,OO,II,PP,EE,RR,HH) -- 73
RR -- 74
-- 75
+++ COMMAND FILE HELP MENU +++ -- 76
(C)lock. Time to dial host system. -- 77
(R)eceive FROM this location. (Transfer to HOST.) -- 78
(T)ransmit TO this location. (Transfer from HOST.) -- 79
(M)essage. -- 80
(/). End COMMAND FILE. -- 81
(H)elp. This menu. -- 82
(D)irect. Allows communication with any host system. -- 83
-- 84
ENTER COMMAND (C,R,T,M,/,H,D): / -- 85
FIGURE 5. Construction of COMMAND FILE containing DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE.
-13-
HOSTCALL
1>CLOCK
2>3:00:00
3>DIAL
4>2221111
5>.WORD
6>.EE. ECHO ON / ECHO OFF.
7>.R
8>.B:PROG1.BAS RECEIVE 2
9>.XX A:PROG1.BAS
10>.OO A:PROG2.BAS
11>.T
12>.B:PROG2.BAS
13>.II. Import a file.
14>.G
FIGURE 6. Sample DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE.
-14-
HOSTCALL
II. HOSTCALL Setup
This section describes the setup procedure that you must complete before
HOSTCALL will be ready to accept your commands. The setup procedure involves
getting the program started and providing information on the following items:
Current time
Type of telephone line you have - rotary or touchtone
Communication parameters
Your type of telephone line and communication parameters will be saved and
presented to you the next time you start the program. Therefore the full setup
must be completed only on the first time you run the program, and when you
want to change the setup.
NOTE THAT HOSTCALL REQUIRES SOME SPACE ON ITS DISK FOR ITS WORK FILES. INSURE
THAT ITS DISK IS NOT FULL BEFORE RUNNING.
Connect and turn on your Hayes Smartmodem. Insure that the lights above the TR
and MR are lit.
The following are the 2 steps required to get HOSTCALL loaded and running:
1 . Insert a disk containing the Disk Operating System into disk drive A
(the drive on the left) and turn on the computer. Answer any questions
the computer may ask you (such as DATE and TIME) until you get to the
point where the computer prompts you with
A>
2a. If the disk currently in drive A contains HOSTCALL then type
HOSTCALL
Press carriage return.
2b. If the disk does not contain HOSTCALL then remove the disk and
insert your disk containing HOSTCALL into drive A. Type
HOSTCALL
Press carriage return.
HOSTCALL begins by printing a heading, a copyright notice and the following
questions.
The current time is ________
Is this correct? (Y,N):
The first line will contain what the program thinks is the current time. If it
is correct, then enter Y (or y). If it is not correct then enter N (or n).
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HOSTCALL
Enter time (e.g. 18:30:00):
If you responded to the previous question with N, then the program will ask
for the correct time. Enter the time based on the 24 hour clock. The sample
time in the parenthesis represents 6:30PM. The program will not accept an
invalid input for time.
OK to erase STATUS FILE from previous activity? (Y,N):
HOSTCALL checks for the existence of the STATUS FILE. IF IT IS NOT FOUND, THEN
THIS QUESTION IS SKIPPED. (Therefore this question will be skipped the first
time you run the program). If it is found, then the program gives you the
opportunity to preserve this file if you wish to do so. If you enter N (or n),
then the program will request
Enter a name for old STATUS FILE:
HOSTCALL will rename the old STATUS FILE with the name you enter. THis allows
the program to create a new STATUS FILE, using the name it normally uses,
without destroying the old one.
Alternatively, if it is not necessary to preserve the previous STATUS FILE or
if you have already preserved it, then enter Y (or y).
Rotary or Touchtone dialing? (R,T):
The Smartmodem must know if your telephone line has rotary or touchtone
dialing. Enter R (or r) if it is rotary. Enter T (or t) if it is touchtone.
Current communication parameters are:
SPEED 300
PARITY E
DATA BITS 7
STOP BITS 1
Are they OK? (Y,N):
If you do not want to change the communication parameters, the enter Y (or y),
and the program will skip the next 4 questions. If you do want to change the
communication parameters, then enter N (or n). If you do not understand this
question, then enter Y (or y) since the default parameters will suffice for
most cases.
SPEED (75,110,150,300,600,1200):
Enter transmission speed. (This question is skipped, if the current
communication parameters are OK).
PARITY (S,O,M,E,N):
Enter parity type. (This question is skipped, if the current communication
parameters are OK).
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HOSTCALL
DATA BITS (4,5,6,7,8):
Enter the number of data bits. (This question is skipped, if the current
communication parameters are OK).
STOP BITS (1,2):
Enter the number of stop bits. (This question is skipped, if the current
communication parameters are OK).
At this point, HOSTCALL proceeds to the BUILD COMMAND FILE portion of the
program.
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HOSTCALL
III. Build Command File
This section describes the commands you can submit to HOSTCALL when you are
building a COMMAND FILE. In this portion of the program, HOSTCALL accepts and
stores the sequences of activities you want it to perform. The program allows
you to save and reuse a COMMAND FILE.
A particular COMMAND FILE can contain a number of command sequences. A command
sequence is a series of commands which results in HOSTCALL engaging in a
complete communications link with a host computer from signon to signoff.
There are 2 types of command sequences. They are:
HOST-III COMMAND SEQUENCE.
DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE.
You would construct a HOST-III COMMAND SEQUENCE, when you want HOSTCALL to
communicate with HOST-III. You would construct a DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE, when
you want HOSTCALL to communicate with any other host computer system. HOSTCALL
knows the communication protocol of HOST-III, so your using a HOST-III COMMAND
SEQUENCE to communicate with HOST-III releases you from the chore of
formatting the outgoing commands in the precise structure and sequence that
HOST-III wants to see them. Instead HOSTCALL will interpret your commands and
perform the necessary formatting. On the other hand, if you communicate with
any other host system using a DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE, then HOSTCALL will
output your commands without, interpretation, exactly as you entered them.
However, the program gives you the option to specify an expected response for
each command in a DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE. The program will advance a
specified number of commands, if the expected response is not received. This
gives you the ability to incorporate
IF NOT...GOTO
constructs into your DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE. You can also have HOSTCALL
execute a certain command a specified number of times until an expected
response is received, by instructing the program to advance 0 commands.
There are 2 menus associated with the BUILD COMMAND FILE portion of the
program. Selections from the primary menu allow you to construct a HOST-III
COMMAND SEQUENCE. Selections from the secondary menu allow you construct a
DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE.
There are 5 different commands associated with the primary menu. They are;
C - CLOCK command.
D - DIAL command.
R - RECEIVE command.
T - TRANSMIT command.
M - MESSAGE command.
There are 7 different commands associated with the secondary menu.They are:
__ - Any 20 character or less command recognized by host system.
CC - CONTROL C command.
XX - EXPORT command.
OO - OPEN command.
II - IMPORT command.
PP - PAUSE command.
EE - ECHO command.
A DESCRIPTION OF EACH COMMAND FOLLOWS. THE 5 COMMANDS ASSOCIATED WITH A
HOST-III COMMAND SEQUENCE ARE ADDRESSED FIRST. A DESCRIPTION OF THE 7 COMMANDS
ASSOCIATED WITH A DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE WILL FOLLOW.
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HOSTCALL
C - CLOCK command
The CLOCK command both initiates a new sequence of commands and terminates the
preceeding sequence if there is one. It designates the time that HOSTCALL is
to dial a host system. When you issue a CLOCK command, the program asks you
to enter the time you want it to telephone the host system. A CLOCK command is
always followed by a DIAL command.
D - DIAL command
The DIAL command is not directly selectable by the operator. It is
automatically selected after a CLOCK command. It allows you to designate the
telephone number that HOSTCALL is to dial.
R - RECEIVE command
DO NOT CONFUSE THIS COMMAND WITH THE TRANSMIT COMMAND. The RECEIVE command is
transmitted to HOST-III as a command for HOST-III to receive a file. Therefore
the result of this command is that a file is transferred FROM your location TO
the remote location. When you issue a RECEIVE command, the program asks you
to enter a filename and the disk drive designators for the remote and local
computers.
T - TRANSMIT command
DO NOT CONFUSE THIS COMMAND WITH THE RECEIVE COMMAND. The TRANSMIT command is
transmitted to HOST-III as a command for HOST-III to transmit a file.
Therefore the result of this command is that a file is transferred TO your
location FROM the remote location. When you issue a TRANSMIT command, the
program asks you to enter a filename and the disk drive designators for the
remote and local computers.
M - MESSAGE command
The MESSAGE command is used to transmit comments to HOST-III. Since the STATUS
file stores all requests and responses exchanged between HOSTCALL and
HOST-III, this command is useful for annotating the STATUS FILE. THis command
is also useful for reserving locations in the COMMAND FILE that later may be
edited to a RECEIVE or TRANSMIT command. The program will allow you to enter a
message of 35 characters or less when you issue a MESSAGE command.
THE PROCEEDING WERE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE 5 COMMANDS ASSOCIATED WITH A HOST-III
COMMAND SEQUENCE. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE 7 COMMANDS ASSOCIATED WITH A DIRECT
COMMAND SEQUENCE FOLLOW.
__ - Any command 20 characters or less
When entering commands into a DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE, HOSTCALL will accept
any command of 20 characters or less. This command will be passed directly to
the host system and therefore should be meaningful to the host system. A
command with zero characters IS meaningful. It is passed to the host system as
a simple carriage return. You can specify what you expect the response from
the host system will be. You can instruct HOSTCALL to either advance a number
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HOSTCALL
of commands or to re-execute the current command a number of times, in the
event that the expected response is not received.
CC - CONTROL C command
The result of this command is that a CONTROL C character is transmitted to the
host system. Some host systems require this character before they start.
XX - EXPORT command
The EXPORT command instructs HOSTCALL to transfer a file FROM its location TO
the host location. When you issue this command, the program asks for a
filename and the designation of the disk drive on which the file resides. If
the filename is appended with +X, the program will send the file under the
XMODEM protocol of file transmission.
OO - OPEN command
The OPEN command instructs HOSTCALL to reserve an area on disk that will be
used to store a file that will later be transferred from the host system by an
IMPORT command. When you issue an OPEN command, the program asks for a
filename and the designation of the disk drive on which the file will be
stored. If the filename is appended with +X, the program will receive the file
under the XMODEM protocol of file transmission when an IMPORT command is
issued.
II - IMPORT command
The IMPORT command instructs HOSTCALL to transfer a file TO its location FROM
the host location. The file will be stored under the name opened in an OPEN
command. IF YOU FORGET TO OPEN A FILE PRIOR TO ISSUING AN IMPORT COMMAND AND
THE FILE IS BEING RECEIVED AS AN ASCII FILE, THEN THE PROGRAM WILL EITHER
ATTEMPT TO STORE THE FILE ON THE DEFAULT DRIVE UNDER THE NAME IMPORT.HCL OR
ATTEMPT TO STORE IT IN THE STATUS FILE.
PP - PAUSE command
The PAUSE command instructs HOSTCALL to insert an 8 second pause into the
command sequence. You may find this command useful, if HOSTCALL must be slowed
down in order to wait for the host system. Multiple PAUSE commands will create
a longer pause.
EE - ECHO command
Some host computer systems echo your outgoing messages back to your screen and
some do not. The ECHO command will allow you to handle either situation, if
you plan to sit at the console and monitor the activities while a
communications link is active. HOSTCALL assumes that the host system will echo
your outgoing messages to the screen. If the host system does not, then this
command will instruct HOSTCALL to print your outgoing commands to the screen
as they are sent to the host system. The next issuance of this command will
instruct HOSTCALL to stop printing your outgoing messages to the screen.
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HOSTCALL
THE PROCEEDING WERE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE COMMANDS AVAILABLE TO YOU WHILE YOU
ARE CONSTRUCTING A COMMAND FILE. THE FOLLOWING ARE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE
PROCEDURES INVOLVED IN THE ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE FILE.
The BUILD COMMAND FILE portion of HOSTCALL begins by displaying the header
+++ BUILD COMMAND FILE +++
It then asks you
Build a New or use an Old COMMAND FILE? (N,O):
Enter N (or n), if you want to construct a new COMMAND FILE. Enter O (or o),
if you want to use one that has already been constructed. If you enter O, then
the program will display the file directory of the disk on the default drive
and request
Name of old COMMAND FILE:
After you enter the name of the old COMMAND FILE, the program will proceed to
the HOSTCALL MENU.
If you elect to construct a new COMMAND FILE, then HOSTCALL will take you
through the following procedure.
Time for first communication (e.g. 18:30):
Enter a time based on the 24 hour clock. The sample time in the parenthesis
represents 6:30PM. The input is checked for validity.
Phone number:
This entry is transferred directly to the Smartmodem at the designated time.
Therefore any type of input acceptable to the Smartmodem is acceptable here.
For instance both of these inputs are acceptable
(404) 393-5678
4048935678
HOSTCALL makes no validity checks on phone number entries.
After this initial information is input, HOSTCALL prints the following
+++ COMMAND FILE HELP MENU +++
(C)lock. Time to dial host system.
(R)eceive FROM this location. (Transfer to HOST.)
(T)ransmit TO this location. (Transfer from HOST.)
(M)essage.
(/). End COMMAND FILE.
(H)elp. This menu.
(D)irect. Allows communication with any host system.
ENTER COMMAND (C,R,T,M,/,H,D):
This is the menu which allows you to construct a HOST-III COMMAND SEQUENCE.
The following describes the procedure associated with each command.
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HOSTCALL
C
Enter time:
Enter a time based on the 24 hour clock. Time entries are checked for
validity. This command terminates the previous command sequence, if there was
one, and initiates a new one.
Enter telephone number:
The CLOCK command automatically generates a request for a telephone number.
R
Enter filename:
Do not enter a drive designator at this point. Append +X to the filename to
the filename if you want to transfer the file under the XMODEM protocol of
file transmission.
Remote computer drive (A,B,C,D):
Enter the remote computer drive on which the file you will be transmitting
will be stored.
Local computer drive (A,B,C,D):
Enter the drive on your computer which contains the file you will be
transmitting.
T
Enter filename:
Do not enter a drive designator at this point. Append +X to the filename to
the filename if you want to transfer the file under the XMODEM protocol of
file transmission.
Remote computer drive (A,B,C,D):
Enter the remote computer drive which contains the file you will be
receiving.
Local computer drive (A,B,C,D):
Enter the drive on your computer on which the file you will be receiving will
be stored.
M
The program displays a field in which you may enter your message.
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HOSTCALL
/
This command terminates the BUILD COMMAND FILE process. The program will
proceed to the HOSTCALL MENU.
H
This command displays the COMMAND FILE HELP MENU.
D
This command transfers the program to the menu which allows you to construct a
DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE.
If you issue a D command, HOSTCALL will display a message concerning DIRECT
COMMAND SEQUENCES and then ask you
Continue with DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE? (Y,N):
If you enter N (or n), the program will return to the primary menu. If you
enter Y (or y), the program will proceed to secondary menu by displaying:
+++ DIRECT COMMAND HELP MENU +++
__ - Any command recognized by host system. (20 chars or less.)
CC - Send a Control C.
XX - Export a file to the host system.
OO - Open a local storage file.
II - Import a file. (A storage file must have been OPENED.)
PP - Insert an 8 second pause into command sequence.
EE - Enable local echoing to screen of outgoing messages.
RR - Return to the main menu.
HH - Print this menu.
ENTER COMMAND (__,CC,XX,OO,II,PP,EE,RR,HH)
A description of the procedure associated with each of these commands
follows.
__
HOSTCALL will register a command to be sent to the host system and continue
with
Alter command sequence if expected response not received? (Y,N):
If you enter an N, the program will proceed to the next command. If you enter
a Y, the program will request
Enter 10 characters (or less) of the expected response:
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HOSTCALL
Enter a portion of the response you expect from the host system. HOSTCALL will
then ask
Advance how many commands if not expected response?:
Enter the number of commands you want the program to advance in the event that
the expected response is not received. If you enter 0, indicating that you
want HOSTCALL to retry the current command, then the program will ask
Maximum number of times to execute this command?:
Enter the maximum number of times you want the program to issue the current
command looking for the expected response, before it stops trying and proceeds
to the next command.
CC
HOSTCALL will simply register the CONTROL C command.
XX
Name of file to be exported:
Do not enter a drive designator at this point. Append +X to the filename, if
you want to transfer the file under the XMODEM protocol of file transmission.
File resides on which drive? (A,B):
Enter the drive on your computer which contains the file you will be
exporting.
OO
Name of file to be imported:
Do not enter a drive designator at this point. Append +X to the filename, if
you want to transfer the file under the XMODEM protocol of file transmission.
Store file on which drive? (A,B):
Enter the drive on your computer on which the file you will be receiving will
be stored.
II
HOSTCALL will simply register the IMPORT command.
PP
HOSTCALL will simply register the PAUSE command.
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HOSTCALL
EE
HOSTCALL will simply register the ECHO command.
RR
This command transfers the program back to the main menu. From there you can
either initiate another COMMAND SEQUENCE or end the COMMAND FILE.
HH
This command displays the DIRECT COMMAND HELP MENU.
Upon ending the construction of a COMMAND FILE, HOSTCALL asks
Save this COMMAND FILE? (Y,N):
If you enter N (or n), the program will proceed to the HOSTCALL MENU. If you
enter Y (or y), the program will request
Name for this COMMAND FILE:
Enter a name by which you will refer to this COMMAND FILE when you reuse it.
The program will proceed to the HOSTCALL MENU.
You have just completed section III whose intent was to provide instruction on
constructing COMMAND FILE's. After reviewing this section along with the
examples in section I, and with some practice, you will develop facility in
constructing COMMAND FILE's. Before you attempt to construct a particular
DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE, it would be wise to first run through the desired
sequence with a manual communications program to gain assurance that you know
the host system's protocol.
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HOSTCALL
IV. HOSTCALL Menu
This section describes the facilities available to you, once a COMMAND FILE is
established. Along with the option which transfers HOSTCALL to the mode in
which it performs automated telecommunications, there are a number of options
which give you extreme flexibility in controlling and monitoring the operation
of the program.
Upon entering this menu, HOSTCALL displays
+++ HOSTCALL MENU +++
0. EXIT
1. REVIEW / EDIT COMMAND FILE
2. REVIEW STATUS FILE
3. ENTER COMMAND MODE
4. DISPLAY FILES / VIEW A FILE
5. MANUAL COMMUNICATIONS
Enter selection:
and waits for you to enter a number. The menu also generates a time display at
the bottom of the screen. The following describes the options available from
the menu.
REVIEW / EDIT COMMAND FILE
This option is described in section V.
REVIEW STATUS FILE
This option is described in section VI.
ENTER COMMAND MODE
This option transfers HOSTCALL to the portions which interpret the COMMAND
FILE and perform the designated activities.
There are two states associated with the COMMAND MODE. They are the IDLE MODE
and the ACTIVE MODE. HOSTCALL resides in the IDLE MODE until it is time to
initiate a communications link. HOSTCALL operates in the ACTIVE MODE during
active communications.
You can return to the menu from the COMMAND MODE with an ALT U. That is, you
must depress the ALT key while simultaneously hitting the U key, and then
release both keys.
HOSTCALL exits from the COMMAND MODE to the menu when it reaches the end of
the COMMAND FILE. If you enter the COMMAND MODE after the program has reached
the end of the COMMAND FILE, then HOSTCALL will immmediately return to the
menu.
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HOSTCALL
DISPLAY FILES / VIEW A FILE
This command allows you to both display the file directories on disk drives A,
B, C, and D, and view an ASCII file. Viewing a file means displaying the
contents of an ASCII file on the screen. Upon receiving this command, the
program responds with
Drive A, B, C, D, View a file or Return? (A,B,,C,D,V,R):
If you enter an A, B, C, or D, the program will display the file directory of
the corresponding disk drive.
If you enter a V, the program will respond with
Name of file:
At this point you may enter the filename specification of the file you wish to
see. HOSTCALL will display 18 lines of the file at a time and prompt you to
continue by pressing the space bar. You may abort the viewing of a file by
hitting the ESC key.
To return to the menu, you must enter an R when the program asks you to
select an option.
MANUAL COMMUNICATIONS
This option allows you to operate your computer as a dumb terminal. You will
find this option useful, when you are developing a new DIRECT COMMAND
SEQUENCE. From this option you can practice the sequence of commands you want
to automate. Also you can escape to this option to regain control of the host
computer, if a new DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE you are monitoring goes astray.
Since some host computer systems echo your outgoing commands back to your
screen and some do not, this option contains a function which allows you to
handle both situations. By entering an ALT E, you can alternately activate and
deactivate HOSTCALL's instruction to print outgoing commands to the screen. An
ALT E is entered by depressing the ALT key while simultaneously hitting the E,
and then releasing both keys.
You can return to the menu by entering an ALT U. An ALT U is entered by
depressing the ALT key while simultaneously hitting the U, and then releasing
both keys.
EXIT
Upon selecting this option, the program prints
+++ COMMAND FILE WILL BE DEACTIVATED +++
EXIT? (Y,N):
HOSTCALL is letting you know that its place in the COMMAND FILE is lost upon
leaving the program. If the program has not completed processing the COMMAND
FILE, you may want it to do so before you exit. Entering Y (or y) terminates
the program. Entering N (or n) transfers the program back to the menu.
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HOSTCALL
V. Review / Edit Command File
This section provides the details associated with reviewing and editing a
COMMAND FILE. It is good practice to review a COMMAND FILE you have just
created to ensure you have not made any errors. If you are reusing an old
COMMAND FILE, then you may want to update the time that HOSTCALL is to
telephone the host system. After you become sophisticated, you may want to do
editing based on what has transpired in the course of an active communications
link.
This function is invoked from the HOSTCALL MENU. When invoked, the program
does the following. It displays the header
+++ REVIEW / EDIT COMMAND FILE +++
then generates a time display and then prints the first sequence of commands
in the COMMAND FILE. (A sequence of commands is a series commands which begins
with a CLOCK command and ends at the next CLOCK command or at the terminator
of the COMMAND FILE. It represents the activity in a communications link from
the initial dialing to the terminating hangup.)
After displaying a sequence of commands, the program prints
Line number to edit (0=CONTINUE,ESC=EXIT):
If you enter a line number in the current sequence, HOSTCALL will ask you
Change, Insert pair or Delete pair? (C,I,D):
If you enter a C (or c), the program will display an input field which will
allow you to overwrite the current entry on the selected line.
Insertions and deletions of commands must be done in pairs, because HOSTCALL
processes the commands in groups of two. Therefore insertions and deletions
are allowed only at odd numbered commands and apply to that command and the
following command. Note that since the first two pairs of commands must remain
a CLOCK command pair and a DIAL command pair, insertions and deletions are not
allowed at these commands.
Entering an I (or i) in response to the prompt
Change, Insert pair or Delete pair? (C,I,D):
results in a pair of dummy commands being inserted BEFORE the current pair at
the selected line number. These dummy commands may then be overwritten. If you
elect to insert at the last pair the program will ask you
Insert Before or After? (B,A):
thereby giving you the option to insert before or after the last pair.
Entering a D (or d) in response to the prompt
Change, Insert pair or Delete pair? (C,I,D):
results in the deletion of the selcted command pair.
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HOSTCALL
After the selected line has been edited, the current sequence of commands will
be redisplayed followed by
Line number to edit (0=CONTINUE,ESC=EXIT):
Entering a 0 (followed by a carriage return) will display the next sequence of
commands. The program returns to the menu when the COMMAND FILE terminator is
reached. You may abort the review of the COMMAND FILE by hitting the ESC key.
Note that a DIRECT COMMAND SEQUENCE may contain a line of 3 dots. These lines
are just fillers, and they are ignored by the program. However, you can enter
a line beginning with 3 dots when you are building a COMMAND FILE, which you
can later edit into a meaningful command.
Edited input is not checked for validity. This means that there are no
restrictions on editing. However it is important to exercise extreme care to
ensure that you do not introduce invalid entries. Invalid entries are divided
into 4 categories. They are
Invalid command
Invalid time entry
Invalid telephone number
Invalid filename
Entries from the first two categories are intercepted by HOSTCALL while in the
COMMAND MODE. Depending upon where one occurs, HOSTCALL will take one of the
following 3 actions.
Bypass the command
Bypass the remainder of the command sequence
Deactivate the entire command file
Telephone numbers are interpreted by the Smartmodem. An invalid number may or
may not cause the Smartmodem to generate an error, but in either case a
communications link is not made and the entire sequence of commands is
bypassed. Filenames are interpreted by the Disk Operating System. If either
HOSTCALL or HOST-III (if you are communicating with HOST-III) encounters a bad
filename, then HOSTCALL bypasses the associated command.
NOTE THAT EDITING IS NOT ALLOWED IF HOSTCALL IS IN THE 15 MINUTE TIME DELAY TO
REDIAL A BUSY NUMBER. (See section IX).
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HOSTCALL
VI. Review Status File
This section provides the details associated with reviewing the STATUS FILE.
The STATUS FILE will contain a copy of all the correspondence which occurs
between HOSTCALL and the host system. Therefore you will want to review the
STATUS FILE after communications have taken place. If you are communicating
with HOST-III, then this file will also contain the drive A and B directories
of the remote computer.
This function is invoked from the HOSTCALL MENU. When invoked, HOSTCALL does
the following. It displays the header
+++ REVIEW STATUS FILE +++
then prints a screen of the STATUS FILE and then prompts you to press the
space bar to continue. Each depression of the space bar displays the next
screen of the STATUS FILE. The program returns to the menu, if you depress the
ESC key or when the end of file is reached.
You can distinguish between HOSTCALL error messages and HOST-III error
messages (if you are communicating with HOST-III) by the highlighting.
HOSTCALL error messages will be highlighted by plus signs and HOST-III error
messages will be highlighted by dashes. For instance a HOSTCALL error message
is
+++ FILE NOT FOUND +++
and a HOST-III error message is
--- FILE NOT FOUND ---
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HOSTCALL
VII. Idle Mode
While HOSTCALL is in the state of automatic operation known as the COMMAND
MODE, it will be either in the IDLE MODE or the ACTIVE MODE. This section
describes HOSTCALL's activities and the options available to you while the
program is in the IDLE MODE.
The program resides in the IDLE MODE when it is waiting to make a telephone
call. Upon entering the IDLE MODE, HOSTCALL prints the header
+++ IDLE MODE +++
and generates a time display at the bottom of the screen.
If the next command in the COMMAND FILE is a CLOCK command, then the program
will display
Next activity at ________
indicating the time at which the next communications link will begin. It will
wait until that time is reached and then transfer to the ACTIVE MODE.
If, upon entering the IDLE MODE, the next command in the COMMAND FILE is not a
CLOCK command, then HOSTCALL will transfer directly to the ACTIVE MODE.
If, upon entering the IDLE MODE, HOSTCALL has already reached the end of the
COMMAND FILE, then the program will return immediately to the menu.
The current time is printed to the STATUS FILE at 10 minute intervals.
You can alternately activate and deactivate the printer with a CTRL Prtsc.
That is, you must depress the CTRL key while simultaneously hitting the Prtsc
key, and then release both keys. When active, then printer will printout the
information being stored on the STATUS FILE.
You can return to the HOSTCALL MENU with an ALT U. That is, you must depress
the ALT key while simultaneously hitting the U, and then release both keys.
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HOSTCALL
VIII. Active Mode
While HOSTCALL is in the state of automatic operation known as the COMMAND
MODE, it will be either in the IDLE MODE or the ACTIVE MODE. This section
describes HOSTCALL's activities and the options available to you while the
program is in the ACTIVE MODE.
The program is in the ACTIVE MODE, when it is engaged in active
communications. Upon entering the ACTIVE MODE, HOSTCALL prints the header
+++ ACTIVE MODE +++
and generates a time display at the bottom of the screen. All requests and
responses exchanged between HOSTCALL and the host computer are printed to the
screen and the STATUS FILE, while the program is in the ACTIVE MODE.
HOSTCALL recognizes 3 keyboard commands, while it is in the ACTIVE MODE. They
are
ALT M - Take and transmit a message from the keyboard. (Available
only when operating with HOST-III).
ALT U - Transfer to the HOSTCALL MENU.
CTRL Prtsc - Print intercomputer correspondence on printer.
You can select one by depressing the first key while simultaneously hitting
the second key, and then releasing both keys.
Another special key is the ESC key. Whenever the program is in a state of
delay, such as when it is waiting for a response from the host system, the ESC
key will force it out of the delay. If you want to return to the menu upon
breaking out of a delay state, then you should enter an ALT U instead of the
ESC key.
Commands from the COMMAND FILE are processed until a CLOCK command or the file
terminator is encountered. If a CLOCK command is encountered, the program will
close the communications link and transfer to the IDLE MODE. If the file
terminator is encountered, the program will close the communications link and
transfer to the HOSTCALL MENU.
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HOSTCALL
IX. Dialing
This section provides information concerning the program's process of making a
telephone call.
The DIAL command instructs HOSTCALL to initiate a communications link. If the
host computer answers the telephone, then a link will be made and HOSTCALL
will proceed to the next command. However, if for some reason the host
computer does not answer the telephone (such as when the line is busy), then
HOSTCALL will delay activities and redial after waiting 15 minutes.
You can override the 15 minute redial delay in two ways. One is by hitting the
ESC key. The other is by transferring to the HOSTCALL MENU and then
transferring back to the COMMAND MODE. The program will immediately redial the
number. You can elect to review the COMMAND FILE while you are in the menu.
However editing will not be allowed, if HOSTCALL is waiting to redial a
number.
The program will bypass the entire sequence of commands, if a connection is
not made after redialing.
All of these activities will be recorded in the STATUS FILE.
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HOSTCALL
X. Messages
This section provides information concerning the exchange of messages while
communicating with HOST-III.
There are 3 categories of messages. They are:
Message entered into the COMMAND FILE
Spontaneous message initiated by the HOSTCALL operator
Spontanoeus message initiated by the HOST-III operator
Messages entered into the COMMAND FILE as it is being constructed are
transferred during normal activity as they are encountered. The procedure for
entering this type of message is described in section III.
If you want to send the HOST-III operator a spontaneous message while a
communications link is active, then enter ALT M. That is, you must depress the
ALT key while simultaneously hitting the M, and then release both keys. When
HOSTCALL finishes processing the current command, it will prompt you with
+++ PROCEED WITH MESSAGE +++
At this point you may key in your message to the HOST-III operator.
If the HOST-III operator has sent you a message, then HOSTCALL will prompt you
with
+++ ENTER ALT-M TO RESPOND TO MESSAGE +++
and wait one minute for you to so. If you do not respond to the prompt, then
the program will resume processing the COMMAND FILE. If you do want to answer
the message, then you must first respond to the prompt by depressing the ALT
key while simultaneously hitting the M, and then releasing both keys. When
HOSTCALL receives the ALT M, it will prompt you with
+++ PROCEED WITH MESSAGE +++
At this point you may key in your response to the HOST-III operator.
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Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #0125
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
HOST-III DOC 32512 5-28-85 9:39a
HOSTCALL DOC 78631 12-27-83 5:47p
HOST-III EXE 52864 5-28-85 9:32a
HOSTCALX EXE 44032 12-25-83 3:30a
HOSTCL2X EXE 63104 12-25-83 3:35a
HOSTCALL BAT 11 12-27-83 9:51p
CS-NEW 10331 1-15-84 10:19p
RACKET BBS 14431 1-15-84 10:07p
README 4224 1-15-84 10:25p
FILES125 TXT 1707 1-24-89 3:43p
GO BAT 38 1-11-89 1:55p
GO TXT 540 1-24-89 3:43p
MANUAL BAT 147 1-24-89 3:43p
13 file(s) 302572 bytes
12288 bytes free