Notes on LMKERMIT -- Kermit for LMI and Symbolics Lisp Machines

This document created by Mark Ahlstrom starting 6/12/85.


To build LMKERMIT on LMI systems, see the file lmilod.lisp

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To build LMKERMIT on Symbolics systems, start by modifying the file
lm3600.tra to include your physical host and translations for the
location of the lmkermit files in your Symbolics file system.  (For
other examples, see the sections of the Symbolics documentation called
"Loading the System Definition" and "Making a System" in the Program
Development Utilities manual, Section II -- Maintaining Large Programs.)
Then move both the lm3600.tra and lm3600.sys files in your sys:site;
logical directory, and rename them to kermit.translations and
kermit.system respectively.  The kermit system can then be built using
the command:
            (make-system 'kermit :compile)

Once built in your environment, kermit can be run by selecting it from
the system menu program menu, the system menu create menu, or by the
select key sequence: <select> k

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Notes on the current 3600 implementation (Symbolics Release 6.0):

Not all features have been tested, but the basic terminal emulation and
file transfer features seem to work fine.  If you find (and especially,
fix) bugs or get additional features working, please send the report/fix
to me so that I can incorporate it in future releases.

I have not really been able to make effective use of the Symbolics
built-in modem.  At our site, we typically connect the 36xx to either
a LAN (as a terminal over an RS232 connection) or an external modem.
Also, the 36xx serial ports cannot yet be shared across the network, so
you need a communication connection to each of your 36xx workstations
which are to run Kermit.  For starters, you may want to just connect an
external modem to one of your ports.  If anyone takes the time to
integrate Kermit with the dialnet stuff (or other communication stuff),
I would be interested getting the code.

The current defaults (at this writing, anyway) are set to use port 1 at
9600 baud with no flow control.  Be sure to correctly set the baud rate
(via the kermit menu selection "Set baud rate") and the port/flow
control (via the kermit menu selection "Review Parameters").  Flow
control will probably be needed for effective terminal emulation when
connected at over 4800 baud... especially when the remote host is
throwing a big gob of stuff at you.  Note that this is only a
consideration for the emulator... the kermit protocol on both ends will
take care of the reliable transfer of data packets when doing protocol
transfers.

During the compilation of the lmkermit files, you should ignore warnings
about :ibase, :readtable, etc. not being one of the defined file attributes.  
These are LMI attributes, and cannot be removed with #-3600.  (Anyone know
a good way to make these attributes invisible to the 3600?)  Warnings about
*error-output* and buf never being used can also be ignored.

Also note that the lmistr file routines have not been tested on the 3600
at all yet.  It is normal to get the warning that s-terminal routines
are referencing three undefined functions.