612 West 115th Street, New York NY 10025 USA • kermit@columbia.edu
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The Kermit Project |
Columbia
University
612 West 115th Street, New York NY 10025 USA • kermit@columbia.edu |
As of K95 Version: 2.1.3
This page last updated: Tue Mar 15 09:34:57 2011
Invoking Kermit 95 from: [ Visual Basic ] [ Java ] [ C++ ]
Keyboard: [ Kermit 95 Keycodes ] [ Kermit 95 Keyboard Verbs (Kverbs) ]
The current release of Kermit 95 is 2.1.3. It operates under Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, and Windows 7 in regular 32-bit sessions on your desktop PC, as well as in Windows Terminal Server; the same executable program image — K95.EXE (console) or K95G.EXE (GUI) — runs on all of these Windows platforms. K95G.EXE, the GUI version, is recommended because of the limitations of the Windows console environment. Problems that might surface in any of these environments are noted below, in most cases with diagnoses and workarounds.
Kermit 95 also operates under IBM OS/2 3.0 and later; this is a separate executable that is available only on the Kermit 95 2.0 CDROM that comes in the retail shrinkwrap package. Kermit 95 does not operate under "mini" versions of Windows such as Windows CE, Pocket PC, or Windows Mobile, nor can it be used in Windows 3.1 or earlier.
Kermit 95 is remarkably stable, robust, and resilient to changes in Windows and the Internet. It is highly customizable and fully automatable using its built-in cross-platform transport-independent scripting language.
Although Kermit 95 comes with a graphical Dialer for setting up connections, it's really a lot easier to set them up with Good Old Notepad, creating text files on your desktop with names that end in .KSC. These files contain Kermit commands, and the .KSC extension automatically makes them into icons that you can double click to launch K95 and have it execute the commands. Here's an example:
Simply double-clicking on this file makes an SSH connection to a host called Cunix in the same Internet domain as the user's PC (the full IP hostname is CUNIX.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU) with all the desired font, character-set, terminal emulation, and other customizations. Of course the file could contain any commands you want, for example to automate some repetitive interactive task; see the Kermit script library for examples and ideas.SET SSH COMPRESSION OFF # SSH compression changed after K95 2.1.3 release SET TERMINAL TYPE VT220 # Default of VT320 is not recognized by newer hosts SET TERM AUTODOWNLOAD ON # Allow autodownload but suppress popup dialog SET TERM CHARACTER-SET CP1252 # Adapt to "modern usage" of ISO 8859-1 SET TERM FONT COURIER_NEW 13 # Pick a reasonable font and size SET TERM HEIGHT 55 # Have big monitor - allow 55 lines on screen SSH CUNIX /USER:fdc # Make SSH connection specifying the username
Like all software, Kermit 95 can have bugs. It can also tickle bugs in the underlying Windows operating system, network stack, drivers, etc. K95's bug history (bugs and fixes) through the current release is HERE. Bugs discovered since the last release are documented HERE.
Several issues, not exactly bugs, are worth mentioning up front:
As noted in the previous section, a very simple way to work around problems 1-3 and 6 is to create a plain-text file on your Windows desktop (use NotePad for this) containing the following commands:
set terminal type vt220 # Or other desired type that is supported on the host set terminal char cp1252 # Set terminal character-set to Microsoft CP1252 set ssh compression off # Disable SSH compression set file download \v(home)Downloads # Define download directory if desired
You can also add these commands to your K95CUSTOM.INI (your K-95 customization file; see the section “Where Do I Put Commands” in the Kermit 95 manual, accessible from the K95 Help menu), as described HERE, so no matter how you launch K95, they will always be in effect.
No significant problems are known when installing and using Kermit 95 2.1.3 on Windows Vista or Windows 7, but there are a few minor differences.
Probably similar things will happen the first time you try to accept an incoming network connection with Kermit 95 in Windows Vista. For safety, you should test this "by hand" prior to installing WIKSD, the Windows Internet Kermit Service (which has not yet been checked on Vista).
If you have difficulties accessing other computers with SSH, or with terminal-screen formatting or character sets, these are not problems with Vista; see the previous section. If you come across any other problems with Kermit 95 under Windows Vista or Windows 7, please report them.
The Console version of K95 can not be used in fullscreen mode (Alt-Enter) because the Windows video drivers no longer support this as of Windows Vista; this is true for any Console application, not just K95. You can achieve nearly the same effect by choosing the appropriate combination of font size and terminal dimensions, or by using the GUI version instead, in which case fullscreen mode is entered via the Maximize box on the right side of the Toolbar.
Mysteries of Windows Dept: One user reported that, on three identical machines, configured identically with Windows Vista, K95G.EXE (the GUI version) loses its cursor at certain screen positions on one of the machines but not on the other two, accessing the same application on the same host, using the same communication method and terminal emulation. So far we have not been able to diagnose this problem, but K95.EXE (the console version) displays its cursor correctly on the same machine.
CLICK HERE for further information about Kermit 95 and Windows Vista.
In 64-bit versions of Windows Kermit 95 operates in 32-bit mode. K95 2.1.3 was tested briefly on a 64-bit version of Windows XP. The installation was normal, and the GUI version performs its basic jobs correctly; for example, making an SSH connection, emulating any kind of terminal, and transferring files with Kermit or Zmodem protocol. This version of Kermit does not use any 64-bit APIs and so (for example) can not access or transfer extremely long files (with sizes greater than 231 bytes). Actually you can transfer them, but the file-transfer display (progress bar and numbers) are all wrong.
The trial version of K95 can not be installed on Windows Terminal server because it requires read/write access to the Registry, which is not permitted in Terminal Server (click here for details).
As required by all applications on Windows Terminal Server, Kermit 95 must be installed by the Domain Administrator via the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel. The Phone and Modem Options Control Panel settings must be initialized on each user's PC. If the machine is locked down to prevent those settings from being manipulated, then Kermit 95 will hang for almost two minutes on startup while the Telephone API attempts to initialize its state. This is true on any machine, not just Terminal Server.
Normally you would use the GUI version of Kermit 95 in a Terminal Server session, but the Console versions should work too, except in fullscreen mode. In the GUI version, if the screen size and font need adjustment, use the dialogs in the Toolbar and/or size the screen using the mouse to drag the edges or lower-right corner of the K95 screen; read more about K95's GUI controls and options HERE.
Slow Kermit sessions through Windows Terminal Server (especially newer releases) could be explained by increased network traffic requirements of with each new release and increased CPU and memory requirements on the client and on the server.
Make sure the Terminal Server client and server versions are the same (e.g. 2003). For example, the terminal server client for 2003 is different from the one that ships with XP and 2000. For the 2003 environment, users should be installing the 2003 Terminal Server client which is available from Microsoft for download. You can also make it available via Group Policy if you are using a managed environment.
Version 2 of K95 is still available in a Console version (K95.EXE), but now there is also a Graphical User Interface (GUI) version (K95G.EXE). They are the same program. They both do the same things, they both have the same commands, they are both driven by commands. The main differences are that (a) the GUI version works better because it does not have to suffer the bugs and limitations of the Console environment; and (b) the GUI version has some additional controls and conveniences (task bar, scroll bars, font selection, resizing, etc).
Incoming connections have access only to the answering Kermit process and its text-based menus or commands and its file transfer protocols. Kermit is not a "remote desktop" or graphical client or pcAnywhere replacement, nor does it give you access to the Windows shell (for technical and security reasons which are explained in the Host Mode documentation).
Then, each major C-Kermit platform (Unix, VMS, Windows, ...) has its own platform-specific documentation. The manual for Kermit 95 is included with K95 itself, and is accessible from Kermit 95 by:
The Kermit 95 manual concentrates on the Dialer (how to graphically set up and launch connections) and the Terminal Emulator (terminal types, scrollback, key mapping, colors, local printing, character sets, etc).
In addition to the K95 manual, K95 also includes a great deal of other documentation, including the C-Kermit 7.0 and 8.0 manual supplements, linked to from the K95 manual. You can also find a brief tutorial for K95 HERE and another for C-Kermit HERE.
Those who purchased shrink-wrapped copies of K95 through version 1.1.17 received a printed copy of Using C-Kermit. Those who purchased shrinkwrapped copies of K95 1.1.20 received a PDF version of the book on CDROM. Due to renegotiated agreements between publishers, the Kermit 95 2.1 package (January 2003) does not include the PDF version of Using C-Kermit, but it does include a license key to let you download it (note: this applies ONLY to owners of the K95 2.1 shrinkwrap). Electronically delivered versions of K95 from e-academy.com (now called OnTheHub.com) do not include the Using C-Kermit book because:
This is the primary reason that the cost of the electronically delivered version of K95 is so low. The shrinkwrapped version costs more. In any case, the printed book can still be purchased separately.
The Kermit Project Website contains hundreds of pages of information about Kermit software, including Kermit 95 and C-Kermit. Sometimes it might be hard to find what you are looking for, but it almost certainly is somewhere in the C-Kermit manual (which is well indexed) or the Kermit 95 manual (which can be searched with the search feature of your Browser) or on the Website. To search the website, go to the Kermit Project home page:
and use the Search box.http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/
Meanwhile, for those who are not able to benefit from the Open Source version, or who wish to continue using the established procedures, Kermit 95 can still be purchased in single copies either electronically or as a retail shrinkwrap package from the sources indicated near the top of the Kermit 95 page, and in Bulk Right-to-Copy License form from Columbia Technology Ventures.
As for "Kermit"... This name was chosen on a whim back in 1981, before we had any idea that Kermit protocol or software would ever escape the bounds of Columbia University or remain current and popular for decades. The whim, in turn, was based on (a) a Muppets calendar on the wall when we were searching for a name, and (b) the fact that some of us had small children addicted to The Muppet Show. Although a name like "Kermit" might have certain drawbacks in today's fast-paced, high-powered software marketplace, it also has (we think) a certain charm and simplicity: It's easy to say, easy to spell, and utterly lacking in hyperbole and condescension. But if you prefer, feel free to refer to K95 as:
UltraHyperExtremeTurboCyberOpenEnterpriseSmartSecureE-CommercePowerPro-2011 Gold
Millenium Edition!
set bell audible # Make sure Ctrl-G is audible set terminal margin-bell on 72 # Margin bell like typewriter set terminal statusline off # For scroll detection set terminal screen-update smooth # Or "fast" - depends on screen reader set terminal screen-optimization on # This is the default anyway set terminal mouse off # Might be required by some readers
In addition, certain keys might need to be set to \Kignore, so they can be used as controls for the screen reader or Braille software. Depending on the specific screen reader, these might be the keys on the numeric keypad. The method for doing all this is illustrated in the ASAP.KSC file, for setting K95 up to be used with the ASAP screen reader.
For related resources, see our links page.
A full-featured 21-day trial version of K95 is packaged and distributed by our electronic sales and delivery agent, e-academy.com. You can download it from one of two places:
The two are the same. If you have trouble downloading one, try the other. At e-academy, you will notice different buying options and configurations:
The trial version is the regular release version (available in both Crypto and Non-Crypto versions) with a "Vbox" front end applied to it by e-academy, which consists of a "nag screen" with "Try" and "Buy now" buttons. The Buy Now button lets you pay for and obtain a licensed version of Kermit 95. This version is discounted since (a) there is no physical package and (b) the book Using C-Kermit is not included.
The trial version of Kermit 95 was built in 2003 in a clean environment. It has been downloaded and used tens of thousands of times. It is safe. However, beginning in October 2010, Symantec antivirus reports it as containing a Trojan Horse. It does not. The Trojan Horse diagnosis is probably explained by the fact that regular Kermit 95 executables (K95.EXE, K95G.EXE, K95DIAL.EXE) had E-Academy's "Vbox" features grafted on after the fact. This has been reported to E-Academy and hopefully they can inform Symantec about their Try and Buy technology.
The 21-day trial period can not be extended. A second trial version can not be installed on the same computer. If your trial period expired before you could finish your testing, you must either purchase a copy or install a fresh trial version on a different computer.
The normal procedure for registering the trial version is: When you get the "nag screen" upon startup of the trial version, click "Buy Now". This takes you to the e-academy site where you order and pay securely. Once payment is processed, you can download the nontrial version, and you are sent to a page at e-academy to pick up your registration keys (serial numbers), one for each copy you have purchased. To install the registered version:
When you run the install procedure, which is the same as the one for the regular shrinkwrapped retail version, at some point you are asked to enter the serial number. YOU MUST ENTER THE WHOLE SERIAL NUMBER, including the prefix and suffix, for example:
That's "K95", a dash (hyphen), 11 decimal digits, another dash, and the software version, in this case "2.1" (two point one). Leading zeros in the numeric part can NOT be omitted.K95-00007654321-2.1
Please note that you will need to uninstall ALL previous Kermit software you may have installed already (including the 21 day evaluation).
Please try the following steps to delete the previous Kermit program.
Once you remove previous Kermit program, please re-download "KERMIT" as following.
Please note, if you have any particularly active virus scanners (such as Norton or McAfee) these can interfere with the install files during the download and cause issues of this nature. As well, wireless connections have minor latency that can cause corruption during transfers, so it's advisable to connect directly to your modem or router via a cable while retrying the download.If deactivating your antivirus does not allow you to download correctly, please try activating in Safe Mode with Networking. This can be accessed by rebooting your computer and hitting the F8 key repeatedly (before the Windows login loads), until you're given the option of a preferred boot mode. Choosing "Safe Mode with Networking" and trying the download link directly from the site again should allow you to download the software without any possibility of third-party software interfering.
Following the download, if the installer does not work in Safe Mode with Networking, you should be able to try launching the install manually by rebooting into Normal mode (without hitting any additional keys), and double-clicking the installer file in the folder where the software was downloaded (which should default to My Computer → C:\→Temp).
Kermit 95 2.1 is distributed as a full upgrade installation to those who have earlier K95 versions, no patching required.
Kermit 95 1.1.17 and later are distributed on CDROM. Version 1.1.16 was distributed only in patch form. Versions 1.1.15 and earlier were distributed on diskette. Since the last diskette release was in 1997, we've removed the longwinded discussion of problems with diskettes and diskette drives from the FAQ.
Occasionally it happens that the Upgrade Installer reports it can't find a licensed version, and offers to let you browse to the location, but even when you choose the registered copy of the K95.EXE executable, it reports failure. This seems to happen only when you chose the "Don't make Registry entries" option when you installed your original version. If you remove your old version and reinstall it, but this time choose to make Registry entries, then the Upgrade Installer should be able to find it.
If you are upgrading from K95 2.0 or later and the upgrade fails for a spurious reason (e.g. "This update requires that you have an eligible Crypto-enabled Kermit 2.0 or 2.1 version installed", when that is the case), download the larger "full" upgrade and use that.
One user reported that the Upgrade Installer complained (on Windows 2000) "No valid Kermit 95 installation in C:\K95, try a different path". Repeated attempts to run the installer said the same thing. Rebooting didn't help. Downloading a fresh copy of the installer didn't help. He shut down and turned off the machine and went home. The next morning when he turned on the machine and tried the procedure again, it worked. The Mysteries Of Windows.
If you are one of the unfortunate few who can't get the upgrade installer to locate and verify your old copy of K95, the best course is to visit our electronic sales and distribution provider, e-academy.com, and purchase the new version; it's only $64 (less for academic institutions), which is probably less than the value of the time you would spend continuing to pursue the upgrade.
If all else fails, we would appreciate it if you would simply buy a new version; discounted copies are available on the Web from e-academy.com. Due to the harsh economic conditions, we no longer have sufficient staff to help people one-on-one with relatively ancient Kermit releases. Most other companies would have made you pay for upgrades all these years, and we never have – which might be part of the problem!
When people ask how to accomplish a certain customization, we give them a command (or list of commands) to do it. The next question is invariably, "where do I put these commands?" The answer is, "If you want them in effect for all your K95 sessions, put them in your customization file," meaning: edit your K95CUSTOM.INI file (with Notepad) to include the desired commands. In K95 1-point-anything versions (i.e. K95 1.0 through 1.1.21), you could find this file in the same directory as K95 itself, which would be the following unless you went out of your way to install it in a different place:
C:\K95\K95CUSTOM.INI
So in this case, to edit the file, give the following command in a CMD ("DOS") window:
notepad c:\k95\k95custom.ini
(or open the file from Notepad's File menu), edit it as desired, and save it.
But now where is it in K95 2.0 and later??? This is thoroughly explained in the K95 Read Me document, but here is a simple recipe for how to edit your K95CUSTOM.INI file, wherever it is, in K95 1.1.21 or later. Start K95G or K95, then:
K-95> kcd appdata K-95> run start notepad k95custom.ini
Remember, Kermit command files should be edited only by plain-text editors such as Notepad, DOS EDIT, EMACS, or VI, not word processors like MS Word or (unless you know what you're doing) Wordpad.
K-95> "C:\Program Files\Kermit 95 2.1\k95g.exe"
change this to:
K-95> "C:\Program Files\Kermit 95 2.1\k95g.exe" "-Y"
The Dialer is the graphical front end for Kermit 95. It is built using a portable GUI builder that creates versions for both Windows and OS/2.
The remaining .DAT files are associated with the GUI setup and registration programs.
If you use K95 to make different types of connections, not just TAPI, take the TAPI-related commands out of your K95CUSTOM.INI file.
The following command-line options can be used to tell K95 not to load certain DLLs; this can speed startup:
These numbers are powers of 2, representing single bits, and can be added to form a "bit mask" of options. Thus "-# 30" means don't load any of the above. On a 90 MHz PC, starting K95 1.1.16 with "-# 30" took about 1 second; without it about 4 seconds. You can omit the network DLLs if you will not be making network connections. You can omit TAPI if (a) you will not be making dialout connections, or (b) you will be using COM1 or COM2 directly rather than the TAPI modem device (i.e. the Control Panel name for the modem). You can omit Kerberos DLLs if you will not be making secure connections with Kerberos authentication. You can omit the XYZMODEM DLLs if you will not be transferring files with XMODEM, YMODEM, or ZMODEM.
It can take Windows 20-30 seconds to release the TAPI device if your modem is disconnected or powered off. When it is connected and turned on, it still can take 5-10 seconds. That's Windows, not Kermit, being slow. If you can use the SET PORT COMx / SET MODEM TYPE xxx interface instead of the TAPI one (which is possible only for standard COM ports, not Winmodems, etc), opening and closing of modems will be faster.
k95 scriptfilename = arg1 arg2 arg3 ...
The equal sign (=) is necessary. arg1 becomes \%1; arg2 becomes \%2, etc. Note that you can not pass arguments on the command line if you invoke the script directly:
scriptfilename.KSC arg1 arg2 arg3 ... scriptfilename.KSC = arg1 arg2 arg3 ...
Neither one of these forms works because Windows does not pass the arguments along when the application is invoked through the filename extension of a "data file" (.KSC in this case).
Specify the full pathname of K95 (or K95G) if it is not in the PATH. Specify the full pathname of the script file if it is not in the current directory.
In a shortcut to K95 or K95G you can put the script file name and arguments after the Kermit 95 executable name in the Target box of the Shortcut properties.
In a shortcut to a Kermit 95 script file, you can put the arguments to the script after the script file name in the Target box of the Shortcut properties.
From the Kermit 95 prompt, or within a Kermit 95 script, you can use the TAKE command, followed by the script file name, followed by its arguments.
k95g oofa.ksc --xpos:500 --ypos:500 = "This is script arg 1" scriptarg2
http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/helper.ksc http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ftp/scripts/ckermit/helper.ksc
@start /w /min "C:\Program Files\Kermit 95 2.1\k95.exe" scriptname = args...
K95 2.1.3 and later also have a --minimized command-line option (--maximized too).
k95 -# 96
You can use it to make any kind of connection that you could make from a regular window: Telnet, SSH, Dialout, FTP, etc, and you can transfer files over the connection in the normal way.
The only fly in the ointment is that your keystrokes are read by EMACS, not K95, and EMACS intercepts Alt keys, F keys, and all Control characters, and furthermore, doesn't pass your keystrokes to Kermit until after you press the Enter key, so command-line editing (e.g. Ctrl-U), completion (Esc or Tab), ?-help, etc, don't work as they do when K95 has "direct access" to the keyboard. Escaping back from CONNECT mode is a bit tricky too; you have to type:
Ctrl-Q Ctrl-] c CR
That's Ctrl-Q followed by Ctrl-Rightbracket, then the letter C, then press the Enter key. In fact, every control character is intercepted by EMACS, so to pass it through to Kermit you have to quote it with Ctrl-Q, and you probably also have to hit Enter afterwards.
And of course, when K95 is using stdio, there is no terminal emulation, so you can't (for example) run EMACS in your CONNECT session to the host :-)
But on the plus side, your CONNECT session is an EMACS buffer, so you can move around in it, edit it, etc, with regular EMACS commands.
Kermit 95 lets you use either the DOS-like interface or the TAPI interface. The rule of thumb is: if one doesn't work, try the other. Example:
DOS-Like Method TAPI Method set modem type usrobotics
set port com1
set speed 57600
dial 18007654321set port tapi Courier_V.Everything_EXT_PnP_(V90-x2)
set speed 57600
dial 18007654321
If you have only one TAPI device, that is the default device name for the SET PORT TAPI command; in that case you don't have to spell out the device name, you can just use:
set port tapi
For more about TAPI, consult the document TAPI - Microsoft Telephony included with the Kermit 95:
Help→Kermit 95 Manual→TAPI Command Reference
plus the other relevant items in this section, especially the next two:
set port com1 # Or COM2 or whatever the port is set carrier-watch off # Assume there is no carrier signal set flow none # Assume there is no flow control set speed 9600 # Or whatever the speed has to be connect # Begin terminal emulation
If the "set port" command gets an error messages, then read the next sections. Otherwise now you're in the (usually blue) "terminal screen". If you press the Enter key, you should see an intelligible response from the device – a login or other prompt, a menu, or somesuch. If not:
There are many tools and techniques you can use for troubleshooting – breakout boxes, loopback connectors, data scopes, etc – but that's beyond the scope of this document. See, for example, Appendix II of Using C-Kermit.
[C:\Users\fdc\tmp] K-95> set port com1 Sorry, can't open connection: com1 [C:\Users\fdc\tmp] K-95> set port com2 Sorry, can't open connection: com2 [C:\Users\fdc\tmp] K-95> set port com3 [C:\Users\fdc\tmp] K-95>
In most cases, the port number will be 3 or higher since COM1 and COM2 are usually reserved for real serial ports. If the SET PORT command does not produce an error message, you might have identified the simulated serial port used by the USB modem. You can check this by watching the modems and giving a HANGUP command to Kermit:
The DTR light should go off for about a second. You can also check the modem directly by entering the Terminal Screen as follows:[C:\Users\fdc\tmp] K-95> hangup
And then type AT (uppercase letters A and T) and press enter. You should see either "OK" or "1" on your screen. You can return to the Command Screen by clicking the little button with two arrows in the toolbar.[C:\Users\fdc\tmp] K-95> set speed 57600 [C:\Users\fdc\tmp] K-95> set carrier-watch off [C:\Users\fdc\tmp] K-95> connect
or if you look in the Control Panel under Phones and Modems.[C:\Users\fdc\tmp] K-95> set modem type tapi ?
Control Panel → System → Hardware tab → Device Manager → Ports
Another possibility is that some other process has the desired port open already; Windows won't let Kermit open it at the same time.
Let's assume you have a cable connecting your serial port to another computer or to a modem, and that is is the appropriate kind of cable (null modem or modem, respectively), and no other process is using it. If the SET PORT command identifies the physical port you are using, then SHOW COMM should say that at least one of the following modem signals is "On": DSR, CTS, or CD. Example:
[C:\tmp\] K-95> set port 1 [C:\tmp\] K-95> show comm Communications Parameters: Port: com1, speed: 1200, mode: local, modem: generic Parity: none, stop-bits: (default) (8N1) Duplex: full, flow: rts/cts, handshake: none Carrier-watch: auto, close-on-disconnect: off Terminal bytesize: 8, escape character: 29 (^]) Priority: regular Carrier Detect (CD): Off Dataset Ready (DSR): On Clear To Send (CTS): On Ring Indicator (RI): Off Data Terminal Ready (DTR): (unknown) Request To Send (RTS): (unknown) [C:\tmp\] K-95>
In that case, you probably have the correct port and now you can start experimenting with the speed, flow control, and parity. If they are all Off or Unknown, you probably have the wrong port or the wrong kind of cable (modem instead of null modem, or vice versa). HINTS:
SET PORT COM2
SET SPEED 9600
SET FLOW NONE
SET CARRIER-WATCH OFF
CONNECT
A second possibility is that the port on the other computer is not configured to do anything. For example, if it's a Unix computer, you have to configure it for logins, or else you won't see anything when you connect to it. See previous item in this FAQ.
A third possibility is that the port is a Windows-only device that can't be accessed through the COM port drivers because the underlying hardware (if any) is not the same as a real COM port, so you have to use the native Windows software interface, called TAPI, rather than the direct device ("DOS") interface to access it. So, for example, rather than:
SET PORT COM1
you might have to use:
SET PORT TAPI Communications_cable_between_two_computers
Look in the Control Panel's Modems folder and see what's there (in Windows XP, it's the Phones and Modems folder, and then you have to choose the Modems tab). Look at the list of modems. Do you see "Communications cable between two computers"? If so, try the SET PORT TAPI command shown just above. If not:
Finally, if you have more than two COM ports, or a serial mouse, or any other devices that use IRQ 3 or 4, you might also have an interrupt conflict. Solving PC interrupt conflicts is WAY beyond the scope of this document.
SET TAPI MODEM-DIALING OFF SET PORT TAPI device-name SET SPEED 57600 # Or other desired speed DIAL number
Or if you want to dial the number by hand:
SET TAPI MODEM-DIALING ON SET CARRIER-WATCH OFF SET PORT TAPI device-name SET SPEED 57600 # Or other desired speed CONNECT # Enter terminal screen AT # Now maybe you can type modem commands OK
By-hand dialing is not guaranteed to work with TAPI modems. Who knows, maybe the modem and its driver use some secret dialing protocol instead of AT commands.
For a variety of reasons, one dialing method might work when another one doesn't. If TAPI dialing doesn't work, try Kermit dialing. And vice versa.
You can also write a Kermit script that awaits and handles incoming calls. Here's a simple example:
set port tapi # Or "set port com1", "set modem type usr", etc
set speed 57600 # Or other speed
set flow rts/cts # Always use hardware flow control if available
set carrier-watch auto # (see below)
disable cd # (if desired) Don't let client change server directory
while true { # Loop to wait for any number of calls
cd some-directory # Change to desired directory
answer 0 # Wait for call to come in
if success server # If answered successfully, enter server mode
}
SET CARRIER-WATCH AUTO means that Kermit does not require a carrier signal from the modem while waiting for a call to come in, but then requires the carrier signal after the call is answered so it can detect a disconnection and automatically exit from server mode and go back to await another call. Meanwhile, the ANSWER command automatically hangs up the phone and resets the modem before putting the modem into answer mode. Obviously many variations and refinements are possible; for example, you can DISABLE SEND to allow only uploads, or DISABLE RECEIVE to allow only downloads.
Suppose the script shown above is named ANSWER.KSC. The ".KSC" filetype associates it automatically with Kermit 95, so you can "run" it the same way you would run any program – double-click on its icon or shortcut, put it in your Startup folder, put it in the System Startup folder, type its pathname at a CMD prompt, add it to your Start menu, etc.
"C:\Program Files\Kermit 95 2.1\k95g.exe" "path of script" --minimize
On Windows NT, 2000, and XP, you can make any application into a Service. Go to the Microsoft Download Center and search for the Resource Kit that goes with your version of Windows. Within the kit you will find a program called SRVANY.EXE and a Microsoft Word documentation file call SRVANY.DOC. Follow the directions provided in SRVANY.DOC for installing a non-service as a service. If you want to run a Kermit script as a service, you have to put the scriptfile pathname as the first argument to the pathname of the Kermit 95 executable (as shown above) in the service setup dialog. Also include "-# 128" (Do not terminate process in response to Session Logoff, "help options -#"). Example:
path\k95g.exe scriptfilepathname -# 128 [ = any parameters for script... ]
Problems with Winmodems surface most frequently during script execution (as opposed to online interactive sessions) because OUTPUT commands can overdrive the Winmodem. Winmodems don't expect fast output from the PC but typing (at 10cps or less) doesn't bother them. You can work around this problem by adding a SET OUTPUT PACING command to your script to slow down the rate at which OUTPUT sends characters to the modem.
set modem speed-matching { on, off }
SPEED-MATCHING ON means that Kermit should change its interface speed to match what the modem reports. Of course this setting is OFF by default for compatibility with modern modems.
The problem happens when Kermit's SPEED-MATCHING setting in ON but the modem is not really changing its interface speed. Then Kermit tries to change its interface speed to the one reported in the modem's CONNECT message. If it succeeds, you won't have any useful communication because the two interfaces are set to different speeds. If it fails ("ttsspd failed") it's because the reported speed (e.g. 31000) is not a legal interface speed (you can get a list of legal interface by typing "set speed ?" at the K-95> prompt).
The "ttsspd failed" problem happens most commonly when you SET PORT TAPI to use Microsoft's built-in modem database, but the database erroneously calls for speed matching. The solution is to tell Kermit to SET MODEM SPEED-MATCHING OFF after you have selected the TAPI modem:
set port tapi set modem speed-matching off
If you are using the K95 Dialer:
Then when placing a call, make sure:
If the phone number is not in portable format, neither Kermit nor TAPI will be able to apply any prefixes or suffixes, including the credit card number. (This process is referred to as "Phone number conversions" in the menus.)
To create a new TAPI Location that uses a Credit Card:
Now when you dial, these dialing rules – including the calling card number – will be used.
SET PORT LPT1
(or other parallel-port device). Only DOS names are allowed. Parallel ports (like Serial ports) are not automatically installed as TAPI devices since they are not modems. If you want a parallel port installed as TAPI device you must manually install it as a "Direct Serial Connection" device.
set host hostname port set modem type name ... dial phone-number
However, since the modem is at the other end of a Telnet connection, you would not normally be able to control its serial-port settings. But if the terminal server supports RFC2217 Telnet COM Port Control K95 can do everything it could do with a local PC COM port: set the serial port interface speed and flow control method, sense modem signals, control the DTR signal, send BREAK, etc.
One user reported trouble using NASI until they selected "use hardware flow control always" in the NASI Workstation Global Settings configuration dialog.
Kermit 95 does not include a direct CAPI interface.
set host /server * 3000
to tell K95 to wait for an incoming TCP/IP connection on port 3000 (or other port) and then automatically enter server mode when the connection comes in.
In the Dialer on TCP/IP Settings page you will find a checkbox labeled "Use Default IP Address on Local Machine". If you uncheck the box, you will be allowed to specified an address which Kermit 95 should bind to when establishing connections.
Under almost all circumstances there will be no reason for you to use this. The only reason you should use this is if you have multiple network adapters which each can route to the destination address. For instance, you have a direct path and an alternate path over a VPN connection and the VPN software has not properly configured the routing tables to make the VPN be the default. Then you could enter the IP address assigned to the VPN and Kermit 95 will ensure that it uses the VPN for outbound packets. (However, Kermit 95 cannot force inbound packets to be delivered via the VPN.)
If your Windows user ID is the same as your ID on the host you are Telneting to, you only need to supply your password on the host, since it already has your user ID.
However, if they are not the same, or if you want to ensure predictable behavior, e.g. in a script program, you can instruct K-95 not to send your user ID with the command:
set login userid
(without a user ID). Then the host will give its normal login: or Username: prompt. Put this command in your K95CUSTOM.INI file or your script file, depending on where/when you want it to apply.
Also see: The FTP Client FAQ and Integrating Kermit 95 with Other Applications.
Longer answer: In the modern age, in which all the hard-fought standards of past decades have flown out the Window, I've had to switch from Latin-1 as my normal character set to CP1252, in order to keep my terminal emulator from getting wedged hundreds of times a day by "smart quotes" and other atrocities stuffed into the C1 control area. Sad to say, ISO 8859-1 and the other ISO Latin alphabets are next to useless now in the terminal-host environment because of Microsoft code page pollution. (It's fine that companies have their own proprietary code pages, but these should not be used for interchange on the open network, but too bad, it's already happened; the Internet is full of this stuff, and to make matters worse, as often as not it's labeled as ISO-8859-x.)
This, in turn, makes the Kermit's emulation of DEC VT220 and VT320 terminals problematic, because they were designed to use the 8-bit C1 controls of ISO 6449 and hosts that know about these terminals can and sometimes do use those controls (VMS in particular).
This is especially unfortunate since K95's default terminal emulation is VT320. New users will often find their very first terminal session getting stuck or going crazy, which does not leave a very good first impression. Just remember that terminal emulation means doing what a particular terminal would do. If you were using a real VT220 (or 320, 420, or 520) terminal in the same situation, it would become totally wedged in the same way (but with less indication of why).
To adapt Kermit 95 to the new way of the world, change the character set from Latin1 to CP1252 (or from any other Latin alphabet that you are using to the corresponding Windows Code Page). This, by the way, is something you could not do with a real VT terminal! To change K95's terminal character set to CP1252:
VMS poses a particular problem because it is perhaps unique among host platforms in actually using the standard 8-bit C1 control characters to control the terminal. You can tell VMS not to do this with the following DCL command:
$ SET TERM /NOEIGHT
This should inhibit VMS from sending 8-bit controls (in which case it sends the corresponding 7-bit two-character sequences, such as ESC P instead of DCS), but still allows the display of 8-bit text.
Toolbar → Help → Kermit 95 Manual → Contents → Using the Terminal Emulator → Key Mapping
Here is a complete and current list of Kermit's "keyboard verbs" for each terminal family:
http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/kverbs.html
Kverbs start with \K, followed by a descriptive name, like "\Kkp9", meaning "Send what the Numeric Keypad 9 key would send", or "\Kdecf07", "Send what what the DEC (VT220/320) F7 key would send". The first group of Kverbs in the table are strictly local in function, such as "\Kpaste", "\Kholdscrn", and the various local scrolling keys that allow you to move around in K95's scrollback buffer. Then come the Kverbs for each terminal family. In these lists, each Kverb is shown together with the actual terminal key to which it corresponds, for example, in the Wyse terminal section, "\Kwyreplace" corresponds to the Wyse terminal Replace key.
In Kermit 95, you can see what a particular key is mapped to as follows:
show key
and then press the desired key or key combination.
To find out what all the key assignments are at once use:
save keymap k95keymap.ksc
Now the file k95keymap.ksc (in K95's current directory) contains the current key assignments (of course you could give this file any other name you want, and you can put it in any directory you want). You can use this file in conjunction with the Kverbs table to find out which PC key corresponds to which terminal key. Once you know how the keys are mapped, you can test them against your application and satisfy yourself that they work. Then, if you wish, you can remap them to suit your preferences, simply by editing the k95keymap.ksc file using a plain-text editor such as Notepad. Read the next item for instructions on loading a keymap.
K-95> take k95keymap.ksc
If the file is not in K-95's current directory, you have to include the relative or full pathname, sufficient to let K-95 know where it is. HINT: use "forward slash" as the directory separator to avoid quoting problems, and if the file specification includes any spaces, enclose it in doublequotes:
K-95> take "C:/Documents and Settings/fdc/Application Data/Kermit 95/k95keymap.ksc"
Alternatively, make sure the file that contains the key mapping commands has the filetype ".KSC", and then put it (or a link to it) on your desktop, and then launch Kermit 95 by double clicking its icon.
For samples of Kermit 95 Key Mapping files see:
See previous item about how to load a key map file. In the K95 Dialer, you can make an entry for Arkansas Medicare if you don't already have one.
To complicate the situation, on certain common types of terminals, notably the DEC VT100 series (VT100, VT102, VT220, VT320, etc), arrow keys can be in one of two modes: "Cursor" or "Application". In each mode, they send different codes. Thus, not only must Kermit's terminal type agree with the host, but so must the arrow keypad mode.
By default (that is, unless you give SET KEY commands to change things), Kermit uses the PC keyboard arrow keys as the VT terminal arrow keys. Each key has a "verb" assigned to it:
Key Keycode Assignment Description Up Arrow \4390 \Kuparr Sends what the terminal's Up-Arrow key sends Down Arrow \4392 \Kdnarr Sends what the terminal's Down-Arrow key sends Right Arrow \4391 \Krtarr Sends what the terminal's Right-Arrow key sends Left Arrow \4389 \Klfarr Sends what the terminal's Left-Arrow key sends
The \Kxxxx's are Kermit Keyboard Verbs (Kverbs). The arrow-key Kverbs track the arrow keypad mode automatically. For example, in VT100-series terminals:
Kverb Cursor Mode Application Mode \Kuparr CSI A SS3 A \Kdnarr CSI B SS3 B \Krtarr CSI C SS3 C \Klfarr CSI D SS3 D
CSI is ESC (ASCII 27) followed by left bracket ([) on a 7-bit connection or decimal 155 on an 8-bit connection, and SS3 is ESC followed by O (uppercase letter O) on a 7-bit connection and decimal 143 on an 8-bit connection. Thus, as you can see, in VTxxx emulation each arrow key can send any of four different code sequences depending on the arrow keypad mode (Cursor or Application) and Terminal Controls Mode (7-bit or 8-bit).
How does the arrow keypad mode change? The host can change it by sending special escape sequences, or you can change it yourself by using the command:
SET TERMINAL ARROW-KEYS { CURSOR, APPLICATION }
Ditto for Terminal Controls Mode:
SET TERMINAL CONTROLS { 7, 8 }
Key Keycode Assignment Description Num Lock \4496 \Kgold Sends what the terminal's "Gold" (PF1) key sends Keypad Slash (/) \4463 \Kpf2 Sends what the terminal's PF2 key sends Keypad Asterisk (*) \362 \Kpf3 Sends what the terminal's PF3 key sends Keypad Minus (-) \365 \Kpf4 Sends what the terminal's PF4 key sends Keypad Plus (+) \363 \Kpcoma Sends what the terminal's keypad comma key sends Keypad Enter \4365 \Kpenter Sends what the terminal's keypad Enter key sends
Problems occur when the terminal types don't match, the numeric keypad modes don't match, and/or the terminal controls modes don't match. Sometimes when the terminal receives "garbage" from the host, this can change the keypad mode. Relevant commands:
SET TERMINAL TYPE name
SET TERMINAL KEYPAD-MODE { NUMERIC, APPLICATION }
SET TERMINAL CONTROLS { 7, 8 }
The Kverbs that are assigned to the non-digit keypad keys by default vary with the terminal type. This example shows VT100-series terminal assignments. Other types of terminals do not have Gold or PFn keys and therefore have different verbs assigned.
Depending on the terminal type, the digit keys themselves can affected by the keypad mode. When the keypad is in Application mode, they send escape sequences (e.g. in VT100 emulation, the '4' key sends ESC, uppercase letter 'O', then lowercase letter 't'). When the keypad is in numeric mode, they send the digits that appear on their keytops (the '4' key sends the digit '4').
K95's numeric is in numeric mode by default. It can be changed by the SET TERMINAL KEYPAD command or by an escape sequence from the host (or "garbage" that mimics the escape sequence). To get the keypad back in numeric mode, you can:
CLICK HERE for a diagram of the DEC editing and numeric keypads.
Of course you can also assign anything else you want to function keys with the SET [TERMINAL] KEY command – commonly-used shell commands, whatever. For detailed information about Kermit 95's Function key mapping for DEC VT220 and VT320 emulation, CLICK HERE.
DEC VT100-series terminals (VT100, VT101, VT102, VT125, etc) do not have F keys. But they do have PF keys as the top row of the numeric keypad: PF1-PF4. PF1 is also called the "Gold Key".
DEC VT200-series terminals (VT220, VT320, etc), have function keys F1 through F20, but F1-F5 are reserved for local use by the terminal. If you have host software that wants you to "press F1" (or F2-F5) on a VT220 or higher, that software would not work with a terminal because those keys don't send anything. These terminals, the like VT100-series, have PF1-PF4; try using them instead of F1-F4. Otherwise some investigation will be needed to find out what the host application expects to receive from the DEC F1-F5 keys! (This is always possible, but sometimes difficult.)
Higher-numbered function keys can be problematic. For example DEC VT220-series terminals have function keys up to F20, but the PC keyboard only has them up to F12. In this case there must be a mapping. Kermit's default mapping is Alt-F1 → F11, Alt-F2 → F12, ... Alt-F10 → F20.
If you want the editing keypad to act like the DEC VT220 (or VT320, VT420, or VT520) keypad, you can use the Alt Key in combination with these keys. By default, K95's VT220 and VT320 emulators assign the editing keys positionally, rather than according to keytop labels:
PC Key Unmodified With Alt Key With Shift Key With Ctrl Key Insert Undefined DEC Find (\KdecFind) Paste (\Kpaste) \KmarkCopyClip Home Top of Scrollback buffer (\Khome) DEC Insert Here (\KdecInsert) Undefined Undefined Page
UpLocal scroll up one screen (\KupScn) DEC Remove (\KdecRemove) Undefined Local scroll up one line (\KupOne) Delete Sends DEL (\127) DEC Select (\KdecSelect) Sends DEL (\127) Sends Backspace (\8) End Bottom of scrollback buffer (\Kend) Sends DEL (\127) DEC Prev Screen (\KdecPrev) Undefined Page Down Local scroll down one screen (\KdnScn) DEC Next Screen (\KdecNext) Undefined Local scroll down one line (\KdnOne)
DEC Keys: Find Insert
HereRemove Select Prev
ScreenNext
Screen
PC Keys: Insert Home Page
UpDelete End Page
Down
So on the PC keyboard, Alt-Insert = DEC Find; Alt-Home = DEC Insert Here, etc.
Of course you can remap these functions any way you want, for example:
set key \4397 \KdecFind # Gray Insert = DEC Find set key \4388 \KdecInsert # Gray Home = DEC Insert Here set key \4385 \KdecRemove # Gray Page Up = DEC Remove set key \4398 \KdecSelect # Gray Delete = DEC Select set key \4387 \KdecPrev # Gray End = DEC Prev Screen set key \4386 \KdecPrev # Gray Page Down = DEC Next Screen
This map assigns the functions to the same keys, but without requiring you to use the Alt key. The map is "positional", corresponding to the VT220 keys. Of course you can also assign them any other way you want, e.g. according to the keytop labels (to the extent they correspond). Put these commands in an appropriate place (see the first couple items in this section for details).
PCTERM Ctrl-CAPSLOCK to deactivate.
(if your current emulation includes a status line). In any case, you can restore the keyboard to normal with another Ctrl-CapsLock or, in K95G, in the Actions menu ("PCterm Keyboard", which toggles the PCterm keyboard on and off).
To defeat this, you can tell Kermit to "do something" automatically every so often after you haven't transmitted anything on the connection for a given amount of time. The commands are:
And for Telnet connections:
If you have a Telnet connection, try one of these; it is preferable to sending characters to the host session, since these Telnet messages are intercepted by the Telnet server and never reach your host session, yet they count as activity on the connection and should defeat any idle monitors between here and there.
Example 1: Suppose a certain Telnet connection has a five-minute idle limit; If you don't transmit anything to the host for five minutes (300 seconds) your session is closed. To defeat this, do:
set terminal idle-timeout 270 # 4.5 minutes set terminal idle-action telnet-ayt # Send Telnet "Are You There?"
Example 2: Suppose a certain dialup connection has a 10-minute idle limit; If you don't transmit anything to the host for ten minutes (600 seconds) your session is closed. Since it's not a network connection, you can't send network protocol messages; you have to send an actual character. Pick a character that is least likely to cause anything to happen on the remote end, such as NUL (ASCII 0) or Space (ASCII 32):
set terminal idle-timeout 570 # 9.5 minutes set terminal idle-action output # Send NUL
or:
set terminal idle-timeout 570 ; 9.5 minutes set terminal idle-action output " " ; Send Space
If you want these commands to be in effect for all sessions, put them in your K95CUSTOM.INI file. If you want them to be in effect for certain connections only, put them in the text box of the Login Settings page of the Dialer entry for each desired connection, or just type the commands at the K-95> prompt.
Sometimes people want to have certain attributes shown as colors of their choice. K95 supports this for the following attributes: Blink, Protected, Reverse, and Underline. You need two commands for this. First disable normal treatment of the given display attribute with:
Then specify the colors to be used to simulate the attribute:
We don't support color substitution for all attributes (such as Bold, Dim, Italic, Invisible) since that gets into combinatorial problems: what happens when a character has multiple attributes, e.g. Bold, Blinking, Underlined, and Reverse? Plus that fact that color itself can be attribute. Similarly, assigning colors to a combination of attributes is not supported either.
set terminal type scoansi ; What I am set telnet terminal-type ansi ; What I say I am
The same might (or might not) apply to some or all releases of UnixWare and Open Unix 8. It's necessary in any SCO operating system that uses SCO ANSI but does not have a terminal type called "scoansi".
UNFORTUNATELY there are still some complications:
mapchan -n
VTNT is Unicode based. If you are using a Console version of K95, you must select a Unicode-based TrueType font such as Lucida Console.
Also see the section discussing Microsoft Windows Telnet Server and Kermit 95 in http://www.kermit-project.org/telnet.html.
Most IBM mainframe operating systems support "linemode" sessions, which are similar to hardcopy sessions – no screen formatting. Unless your IBM mainframe has linemode disabled, you should be able to establish a regular Telnet session to it. You can transfer files between K95 and Kermit-370 over any of these kinds of connections.
In the Console version, you can simply remap all the scrollback keys to execute the \Kignore verb:
set key \4385 \Kignore ; Gray Page Up set key \4386 \Kignore ; Gray Page Down set key \4388 \Kignore ; Gray Home set key \5409 \Kignore ; Ctrl Gray Page Up set key \5410 \Kignore ; Ctrl Gray Page Down
You can do this in the GUI version too, but that doesn't remove the scrollbar. However, it's harder to scroll back by accident with the mouse than it is to hit the wrong key by mistake.
In both the Console and GUI version, you can limit the scrollback capacity with:
set terminal scrollback number-of-lines ; (Terminal screen) set command scrollback number-of-lines ; (Command screen)
However, the minimum number of lines is 256.
<ESC>[2;1H<ESC>[J<ESC>[1;1H<ESC>[K
(replace <ESC> with an actual Esc character). What it does:
These forms of clearing do not enter anything into the scrollback buffer.
Purchase the manuals from the current marketer of the terminal. Manuals are still being sold for all Wyse and DEC VT terminals. Note that (a) DEC sold off its terminal products division years ago, and it has probably changed hands several times since then, and (b) DEC was sold to Compaq, and later Compaq was bought by Hewlett Packard. DEC and Wyse terminal manuals tend to be quite expensive.
For further information, visit Richard Shuford's Video Terminal Information site.
Kermit 95 virtualizes the display. This is how it is capable of functioning as both a console and a GUI application not to mention supporting other operating systems such as OS/2. Any perceptible delays are usually due to thread allocation algorithms within the OS. If you are using K95 on a Windows Server edition, you should be aware that the OS is tuned to favor server, rather than client, applications, e.g. by allocating longer timeslices, and of course it runs an increased number of processes with "service" priority, which can result in some jumpiness between the threads.
Normally K95 refreshes the entire screen every 100 milliseconds, i.e. 10 times per second. This has proven to provide the best overall throughput, which is always a tradeoff between (a) responsiveness to keystrokes, and (b) speed of displaying large amounts of scrolling text. You can change the balance and the frequency with the command:
A smaller interval might produce snappier echoing, but probably at the expense of scrolling speed. SMOOTH forces screen refresh with every incoming character, and so turns the balance to totally favor fast echoing.
In version 1.1.16, K95's echoing strategy was redesigned to give snappier echoing on modem connections, virtually eliminating any delay that can not be attributable to external causes. Echoing of a character from the local modem's command processor now takes less than 0.001 second, compared to about 0.110 second in 1.1.15.
Also, beginning in 1.1.16, screen updates are optimized. This results in noticeable speed improvements on most PCs, but paradoxically, slows down some others. To disable optimization, use:
SET TERMINAL SCREEN-OPTIMIZE OFF
On TCP/IP connections (Telnet, SSH, Rlogin) you might be able to speed up echoing by disabling the "Nagle algorithm" in Windows TCP/IP, which saves up characters for a while before deciding to send them in case any more will be added to the queue, thus allowing more efficient transmission (more characters per TCP packet) but, obviously, slower response to keystrokes. To do this, give the command:
SET TCP NODELAY OFF
This command must be given before the connection is made because it affects how the connection is opened.
One user reported severe sluggishness on a certain PC but not on others. Eventually the problem was traced to a new monitor he had just installed, which came with a utility called Display Switcher (DS4.EXE), which had been installed as an autostart "service" as part of the monitor installation, and which tended to run wild and consume excessive CPU cycles. Although it seemed at first to affect only Kermit 95, as the day progressed, other applications slowed down too. Rebooting didn't help, of course, so it had to be removed from the Startup folder.
Traditionally, these matters would be left to the host computer and its applications. For example, with Hebrew (another RTL language), Unix applications such as the ALEPH bibliographical systems, or special versions of the Vi text editor, would take care of character presentation by sending escape sequences to position each character at the right place on the screen. You can read more about this in the Kermit 95 manual:
Help → Kermit 95 Manual → Index to Reference Materials → Character Sets → Hebrew Terminal Emulation
The same would be true for Arabic, but I don't know the situation for host applications and software. If your host computers have software that takes responsibility for positioning each character, then you should be able to use Kermit 95 for Arabic if (a) you choose an appropriate font, (b) you have activated an appropriate keyboard driver, and (c) the host is using one of the following character sets:
There is also the complication that Arabic (unlike "square Hebrew") has complex shaping rules based on context. Kermit 95 would not handle this, any more than any character-cell terminal which it emulates would. (I am aware that terminals designed specifically for Arabic existed in the past, but Kermit does not emulate any of them, because we have never been able to obtain technical details.)
In addition, Kermit 95 has a built-in Hebrew Keyboard Mode, that can be used to enter Hebrew letters from (e.g.) a US keyboard without having to load a Windows Hebrew keyboard driver. See:
Help → Kermit 95 Manual → Index to Reference Materials → Character Sets → Hebrew Terminal Emulation
Be sure to read the sections on printing in the Kermit 95 manual:
- Help → Kermit 95 manual → Index to Reference Materials → Terminal Emulation → Printer Setup and Troubleshooting
- Help → Kermit 95 manual → 7. Using the Terminal Emulator → Local Printing and Host-Initiated Printing
So-called "WinPrinters" are presently not supported by Kermit 95. These printers are marketed specifically for use with Microsoft Windows operating systems, and work only with Microsoft Windows. It might seem strange that Kermit 95 does not support them, since Kermit 95 is a native Windows 32-bit application, but "WinPrinters" require the print job to be formatted by the Win32 application. Transparent printing material, however, contains escape sequences or other non-textual data that can not be formatted as text. Ironically, WinPrinters come with a 16-bit driver for use by DOS applications, but since K95 is a 32-bit application, it can't see this driver. Presently, the only way to print on a WinPrinter from Kermit 95 is to:
set printer xxxwhere xxx is a filename, and then to:
run copy /b xxx prn(i.e. run the DOS command to copy the print file in binary mode to the DOS printer). A series of macros can be defined to accomplish this, and can be assigned to hot keys to make printing to Windows printers relatively painless.
$ kermit -s image.jpg
The Kermit 95 terminal emulator automatically sees that a file is coming and it switches into "Kermit Receive" mode and receives the file. When the transfer is over, it automatically puts you back in the terminal window. This process is called "autodownload" and it is governed by the SET TERMINAL AUTODOWNLOAD command.
But increasingly, the thing on the other end of the connection is something else entirely, such as a menu, e.g. for uploading insurance claims or purchase orders. Most of these menu systems do not know how to command Kermit 95, automatically through its terminal screen, to upload a given file (they could do this but they don't). So once you choose the "upload" item on menu, you have to return to K95 and tell it which file(s) to send. This is where an upload dialog would come in handy. Until such time as one is added, you'll need to do it the old-fashioned way:
K-95> send invoice.doc
Kermit 95 2.1.3, 1 Jan 2003, This_PC [000.000.000.000]
Current Directory: C:/fdc/tmp9/xx_files/
Network Host: somehost.xyzcorp.com (UNIX)
Network Type: SSH (SECURE)
Parity: none
RTT/Timeout: 08 / 00
SENDING: Invoice.doc
File Type: BINARY
File Size: 311372
Percent Done: 100
Kermit Protocol: ...10...20...30...40...50...60...70...80...90..100
Elapsed Time: 00:00:17
Transfer Rate, CPS: 10699
Window Slots: STREAMING
Packet Type: D
Packet Count: 84
Packet Length: 8
Error Count: 0
Last Error:
This example assumes the file you want to upload is in K95's current directory, and you only want to upload one file. If that's not the case, keep reading.
K-95> send c:\business\invoice.doc
But if the pathname contains any spaces, as often happens in Windows, you have to enclose the whole thing in doublequotes:
K-95> send "C:\Documents and Settings\myname\My Documents\invoice.doc"
Well this is a lot of stuff to type so there is a shortcut:
K-95> kcd personal K-95> send invoice.doc
or:
K-95> send \v(personal)invoice.doc
This is only one example, which applies only to your "My Documents" directory. These shortcuts are explained in the Kermit 95 README file, in the Files and Directories section.
K-95> send *.doc
tells K95 to send all the files in the current directory whose names end with ".doc". For details about wildcard syntax. type "help wildcard" at the K-95> prompt.
Another way to send multiple files at once is to use the MSEND command, which lets you name one, two, three, or more files to be sent:
K-95> msend invoice.doc revenue.xls addresses.txt
K-95> set protocol zmodem K-95> send invoice.doc
K-95> send /protocol:zmodem invoice.doc
Sometimes file transfers – especially uploads of binary files – fail using these settings. Such failures can almost always be fixed by restoring full control-character prefixing:
SET PREFIXING ALL
Or in the Dialer, edit the connection's File Transfer page. Change Performance to Custom, and change Control Char Prefixing to Never.
If that doesn't help, then give this command:
CAUTIOUS
If you still have problems, give this command:
ROBUST
(You can choose these on the Dialer's File Transfer page too).
If none of that helps, then consult Chapter 10 of Using C-Kermit, 2nd Edition: "Solving File Transfer Problems". And if that doesn't help, maybe K95's file-transfer partner has a defective Kermit implementation. Kermit 95 offers workarounds for most of the implementation bugs we know about in other products; click HERE and HERE for details.
This section has been moved to: The Kermit FTP Client FAQ.
Some Kermit commands have options to write their output to a file. For example, REMOTE commands allow Unix-like redirectors at the end, for example:
remote directory *.jpg > jpglist.txt
The DIRECTORY, GREP, and TYPE commands include /OUPUT: switches that tell them to write their output to the given file, e.g.:
directory /recursive /after:-5days /sort:date /output:recent.txt *.[ch]
K95 also lets you clear and save both command and terminal screens and scrollback into a file with the CLEAR and SAVE commands. To create a file showing the results of one or more commands, do this:
set command more-prompting off clear command scrollback (execute desired commands here) save command scrollback filename
/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wBDAAIBAQEBAQIBAQECAgICAgQDAgICAgUEBAMEBgUGBgYF BgYGBwkIBgcJBwYGCAsICQoKCgoKBggLDAsKDAkKCgr/2wBDAQICAgICAgUDAwUKBwYHCgoKCgoK CgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgr/wAARCAQNBgADASIA AhEBAxEB/8QAHwAAAQUBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQFBgcICQoL/8QAtRAAAgEDAwIEAwUFBAQA
So how to view that snapshot that Aunt Hilda sent you? The labor-intensive method is to save the message in a separate file, edit out the base-64 encoded picture, save that to still another file, decode it into its original JPG, GIF, or BMP format into yet another file using the appropriate decoder, and then either put it on your own host-based website and (after setting the permissions appropriately) and view it from your PC browser, or download it to your PC and tell K95 to "run start hilda.jpg" or whatever.
Here's an easier method, but one that's not quite as safe:
kermit -s xxx.eml (Substitute actual file name)
run start xxx.eml (Substitute actual file name)
This starts your Windows e-mail client (e.g. Outlook Express) with the mail message in it so you can see the picture(s). But again: be careful! If the message contained any enclosures other than pictures (such as Visual Basic scripts, Microsoft Word documents, HTML, ActiveX, etc), they could give your PC a virus, as explained in the Safe Computing document. In more recent versions of Windows, particularly those with security patches, the Microsoft mail client might refuse to show you any enclosures that are not pictures.
ssh add local-port 25 email.xyzcorp.com 25
in which email.xyzcorp.com should be replaced by the hostname of your own mail server, and 25 is the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP, i.e. mail server) Internet port. This sets up TCP port 25 on your PC to forward to port 25 on the e-mail host through the SSH tunnel.
Now SSH to your login host. In your mail program, set the SMTP server to "localhost". Then as long as you keep the SSH connection open, you can use your mail program in the usual way.
The same trick can be used for any other TCP service that might be blocked from normal access.
Also see: What Is Kermit? by Ishakawa, Section "Embedded System Development and Kermit".
If you have a C or C++ or Java application that already includes communications i/o and you just want to add Kermit file transfer protocol to it, you can use Embedded Kermit. If you need more than that, read on.
and on and on. And they desire this functionality to be packaged as a link library for this or that platform, a DLL, an OCX, a VBX, an Active X control, a .NET component, a COM object, a Delphi component, a Netscape Plugin, a Java object, a Visual FoxPro object, a Windows Service, etc etc etc. The combinations of functionality and interface are many, and there is no way we can satisfy them without warehouses full of programmers, which nobody can afford to pay for.
Consequently we recommend that software makers who wish to embed Kermit functionality in their products (communications, scripting, file transfer, terminal emulation, character-set translation, etc) license and use the programs we already have available. See the next item for an example.
The "API" (Application Program Interface) is the command language. It is more fully expressive, precise, comprehensive, and portable than any other API that could be designed (look at all the commands in C-Kermit or MS-DOS Kermit or Kermit 95; each one is there for a reason). As new releases of the Kermit program come out, your product can be easily updated and will benefit from all the new features, fixes, and speedups automatically.
The recommended method of embedding Kermit in another application is via command-line invocation. The Kermit command line can contain a selection of simple commands, and it can also refer to more complex command files or scripts composed by or for your application. Kermit can be configured to create any kind of log you need, and it can return the status of its operations in various ways that can be used by your application.
When you license Kermit software for embedding in your application, we are happy to work with you to ensure it meets your needs. And if Kermit protocol transfers are important to you, then it should also be important to you to come to the source – we designed and created the protocol, we continue to improve it, we believe in it, and we stand behind it.
Following this advice allows each party to concentrate on what they are good at, rather than unnecessarily duplicating efforts and "reinventing the wheel". You concentrate on your application; we'll do the communications. We support our software, you support yours, everybody is happy.
Kermit 95 version 2.1.3 (January 2003) includes new "lockdown" features of special interest to those who which to integrate Kermit 95 sessions with their own applications. For details, see the release notes.
k95 update.ksc
The command file can be prefabricated, or it can be created dynamically by your application. If it is not in the current directory, of course you must specify the full path:
k95 d:\scripts\update.ksc
If you want K95 to exit automatically when the script is complete, put EXIT commands in the script wherever you want to return control to your VB program.
To invoke K95 from VB, use:
Shell (commandline, windowstyle)
where commandline is the command with which to invoke Kermit 95, such as "k95 update.ksc", and windowstyle is one of the following:
0 - Hidden 1 - Window has focus and is restored 2 - Window is an icon with focus 3 - Window is maximized with focus 4 - Window is restored, current window keeps focus 6 - Window is an icon, current window keeps focus
The Shell() function returns Kermit 95's task ID.
"C:\Program Files\Kermit 95 2.1\k95g.exe" -l 664
Example:
"C:\Program Files\Kermit 95 2.1\k95g.exe" -j _636
If you want to invoke Kermit to perform only one action, such as receiving a file (as you might do when using Kermit as a file-transfer agent within another application), put the desired action option after the -l or -j argument:
"C:\Program Files\Kermit 95 2.1\k95g.exe" -j _636 -r
In this case you might also want to include other command-line options to inhibit execution of the initialization file (-Y), loading of unneeded DLLs (-#), suppress unwanted messages (-Q), etc. See the Kermit 95 manual or type "help options" at the K-95> prompt for documentation of K95's command-line options.
When you invoke Kermit with an open file or socket handle on the command line, Kermit does NOT close the connection when it exits.
For testing, you can use Kermit 95 to make a connection and then invoke a second copy of itself to use it. Example for serial-port connection:
K-95> set port com1 K-95> set speed 57600 K-95> run start \v(exedir)k95g.exe -l \v(ttyfd)
Kermit's \v(exedir) variable contains the full path of the directory containing the Kermit executable, complete with trailing directory separator. The \v(ttyfd) variable contains the numeric file handle of the open connection.
Example for Telnet connection:
K-95> set host xyzcorp.com K-95> run start \v(exedir)k95g.exe -j _\v(ttyfd)
When the spawned copy of Kermit exits, it does NOT close the connection; thus it should still be open and usable by the original process that spawned Kermit.
"pathname\k95g" -j xyzcorp.com:3000
then Kermit does not send Telnet negotiations. Obviously the target host must have a service listening on that port. Alternatively, you can use a short script such as the following:
set login userid ; Don't try to send authentication info set network directory ; Skip host lookups set network type tcp/ip ; It's a TCP/IP connection if fail end 1 TCP/IP Failed ; Make sure Kermit supports this set exit on-disconnect on ; (or OFF as desired) set host \%1:\%2 /raw-socket ; "Open" the connection as a raw socket if success connect ; (or whatever else you wish Kermit to do)
Suppose this script is called "rawsocket.ksc", it's in the PATH, and Kermit 95 is the registered application for ".ksc" files. Then your application can invoke it like this:
rawsocket.ksc = hostname port
Suppose you wanted to make K95, executing this script, the Telnet application for your browser, to force raw-socket connections for all "telnet://" URLs. In that case you would define the Telnet invocation string as:
"pathname\k95g.exe" rawsocket.ksc = hostname port
where pathname is the location of the Kermit 95 executable and hostname and port are in whatever notation required by your browser to indicate parameter substitution. This assumes your browser allows you to extract the hostname and protocol from the "telnet://" URL (as opposed to, say, passing the entire URL, which would force Kermit to use Telnet protocol).
If you wish to pass the socket handle of an already-open raw socket connection to Kermit, you can't do it as described in the previous section because at present there is no command-line option to specify the protocol (or lack of one), nor can you include a port number with a socket handle; thus when given a -j or -J command-line option with a socket handle number, Kermit assumes a Telnet connection and sends Telnet negotiations. To force Kermit to treat the connection as a raw (no-protocol) socket, you can create a short script, such as this:
set network directory "" ; Don't look anything up set telnet wait off ; Don't wait for Telnet negotiations set exit hangup off ; Don't close the socket upon exit set host _\%1 7777 /raw ; "Open" the already-open socket
and then instead of invoking Kermit 95 directly with the -j or -J command line option, you would invoke the script like this:
"pathname\k95g.exe" openrawsocket.ksc = socketnumber
replacing socketnumber by the numeric socket number. This replaces the \%1 formal parameter in the script so, for example, if you invoke the script as follows:
"C:\Program Files\Kermit 95 2.1\k95g.exe" rawsocket.ksc = 644
the SET HOST command becomes:
set host _644 7777 /raw ; "Open" the already-open socket
When any SET HOST class command is given a numeric argument preceded by an underscore (or a dollar sign), this indicates an already-open socket. The port number (7777 in this example) must be given but is ignored. The SET EXIT HANGUP command in the script prevents Kermit from closing the connection when it exits, so the invoking process will still have it available.
k95.exe -l 1234
where "1234" is the numeric file handle of the open serial port. Of course you can add any other desired command-line options; for example, the name of a script file to be executed:
k95.exe -l 1234 -C "take makethecall"
This tells Kermit the port is already open gives it the handle to use, and then has it execute the file called "makethecall", which contains Kermit commands (e.g. to make a modem call). This file should include the command SET EXIT HANGUP OFF, to prevent Kermit from hanging up when exiting. Here is the C++ code illustrating how to do this:
char buf[64];
SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES sec;
STARTUPINFO si;
PROCESS_INFORMATION StartKermitProcessInfo;
sec.nLength = sizeof(sec); // Set security parameters
sec.lpSecurityDescriptor = NULL;
sec.bInheritHandle = TRUE; // Let new process inherit handle
memset(&si, 0, sizeof(STARTUPINFO)); // Set desired startup info
si.cb = sizeof(STARTUPINFO);
si.dwFlags = STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW;
si.wShowWindow = ShowCmd;
HANDLE // Open real serial port
hComm = CreateFile( "COM1",
GENERIC_READ|GENERIC_WRITE,
0, // NOT exclusive access
&sec, // security attributes
OPEN_EXISTING, // device must exist
FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED, // use overlapped i/o
NULL // hTemplate
);
if (hFile == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) {
// handle error...
}
sprintf(buf,"k95.exe -l %ul",hComm); // K95 invocation command line
if (CreateProcess( NULL, // Start K95
buf,
NULL,
NULL,
TRUE,
CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE|CREATE_NEW_PROCESS_GROUP,
NULL,
NULL,
&si,
&StartKermitProcessInfo
) {
// handle error...
} else {
CloseHandle(StartKermitProcessInfo.hProcess);
CloseHandle(StartKermitProcessInfo.hThread);
}
Replace "k95.exe" with "k95g.exe" if you prefer the GUI version, and include the full path if necessary.
For further information, see the Microsoft Windows API Reference.
If you need to use the Console version (K95.EXE) for some reason, you have to work around problems with how javaw.exe starts Console applications, you must begin with a Console window, run java.exe in it, and then start K95.EXE from there.
If you want Kermit to use an existing network connection (one that was made from your Java application), the socket must be inherited from the parent process. Here's an example that starts K95G to have it receive a file (-r) on an open socket connection. In this case, it was found that the "$" prefix to the socket handle was required to prevent Windows from "aborting" the socket before control was returned to the Java process:
private void RunKermit_ReceiveFile(int socketHandle) {
Process p = null;
try {
p = Runtime.getRuntime().exec(
"C:\\Program Files\\Kermit 95 2.1\\k95g.exe -j $" +
Integer.toString(socketHandle) +
" -r"
);
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
try {
p.waitFor();
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
Here's the code snippet from the same application that returns the socket handle by using java.lang.reflect to extract the protected socket file descriptor, so it can be passed to Kermit 95:
private int getSocketHandle(Socket clientSocket) throws Exception {
// Get the SocketImpl impl object from the client socket
Field socketImplField = getFieldFromClass("java.net.Socket","impl");
socketImplField.setAccessible(true);
SocketImpl impl = (SocketImpl)socketImplField.get(clientSocket);
// Get the FileDescriptor fd object from the impl object
Field fileDescriptorField = getFieldFromClass("java.net.SocketImpl","fd");
fileDescriptorField.setAccessible(true);
FileDescriptor fd = (FileDescriptor)fileDescriptorField.get(impl);
// Get the int fd from the fd (FileDescriptor) object
Field socketHandleField = getFieldFromClass("java.io.FileDescriptor","fd");
socketHandleField.setAccessible(true);
int socketHandle = socketHandleField.getInt(fd);
return socketHandle;
}
private Field getFieldFromClass(String className, String fieldName)
throws Exception {
Class tempClass = Class.forName(className);
Field[] classFields = tempClass.getDeclaredFields();
for (int i = 0; i<fields.length; i++)
{
if (fields[i].getName().equals(fieldName))
return fields[i];
}
return null;
}
Thanks to Marcus Mullins for the Java code samples.
If your application contains all the necessary communications functions (connection establishment, i/o, etc) and you prefer to integrate Kermit file-transfer protocol code directly into your Java application, you can use the Java version of E-Kermit; contact us for details.
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