K E R B O O

                    A simple Kermit Boot Program


KerBoo is a small Fortran program that implements the Kermit
Protocol to allow you to receive files.

The idea is that you already have both a Kermit on one machine and a
somewhat featureful Kermit in "HEX" format for the other.  The
purpose behind the program is to allow you to send the HEX file to
the machine with nothing with some sort of error detection and
recovery (By using the Kermit on the machine you have one running
on.)

This program is VERY dumb.  It has no timeouts, no 2 or 3 character
checksums, no eighth bit quoting, and no protection. It doesn't even
try to turn off echoing.  In fact, I could spend all day telling you
the things it does not do.  It does do one thing, it lets you send
using Kermit to a machine that doesn't have anything.

I have tried it under VMS, and Versions 3.2 and 4.0 of RSX-11M, and
it seems to work.  If it doesn't, it will most likely be obvious why
it is failing.  ("Hmmm - This Fortran Doesn't allow file names in
opens") I have tried to write very generic Fortran.

How to use it:

First, you need to get it to the other machine.  I have been
sending it to RSX systems via:

	>SET /NOECHO=TI:
	>PIP KERBOO.FTN=TI:

Then, I escape out of Kermit and use a program that just sends a file out
to a terminal line.  (Making sure to remove the LF in CRLF sequences!)

Then I connect back and type a ^Z.  I then repeat with
KERBOOTKB.CMD, which is a command file for TKB to taskbuild
KerBoo.  Then:
	>SET /ECHO=TI:
	>FOR KERBOO=KERBOO
	>TKB @KERBOOTKB
	>SET /NOECHO=TI:
	>RUN KERBOO

And you are all set to send files.

How to test it:

You may want to send a small file first to see if it works.  Also, If
you leave echo on, and yourself type "^A# N3" at it, it should reply
with the same sequence.  Also, "^A# S8 will cause it to splutter a
"Send-Init" Acknowlegement packet at you.

What you might need to change:

If the machine can't deal with large incoming packets,
you may need to reduce the "60" in the line that has "TOCHAR(60)"
in it.  That is the maximum packet size that this Kermit wants
to see.  The "10" Right above that is the timeout the other side.
should use.


Final notes:

I will be sending it to an IAS system soon, so I suspect a slightly
more generic version will result from that encounter.


Happy Kermiting,

Jim Lewinson
Breuer & Company
Bedford, Massachusetts

(ARPA: JIML@SU-SCORE.ARPA)