Article-I.D.: brl-adm.4001
Posted: Wed Jan 28 06:32:35 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 29-Jan-87 04:29:30 EST
Sender: news@brl-adm.ARPA
Lines: 184

 >  I'm sorry to keep coming back with more questions but
 >  somehow either the info overviews are not specific or there is
 >  some presupposed knowledge or intuition which I just don't have.
 >  I can't get at the basic tools to open up the archives. I also
 >  haven't figured out where to direct these beginner's trivia
 >  questions (what are info-cpm@aamsa.arpa and
 >  info-cpm-request@???.???) hence . . .

INFO-CPM-REQUEST@AMSAA-SEER.ARPA is the proper address to use.

 >  1. What do I do when I know a directory name but no filename?

 >     The format for the SEND command says that the 
 >  name AND a following filename must be included, but I don't know
 >  any filenames to tack on if all I have been given is the
 >  directory name so I can't use a SEND command for the directory.

Wild cards are allowed.  PD:*.* will get the entire directory.
Case is ignored.

 >  The overview gives directory and filenames for directory listings
 >  such as pd:ada.crclst but then goes on to say that
 >  information about the directory can be found in
 >  pd:.???

The directory list can be found in PD:ada.crclst.  Information on
specific files (i.e., descriptions) are found in PD:.

 >     I am interested in cpm stuff but the informational
 >  overviews I have seen include lots of different cpm directory
 >  names, such as pd: with no accompanying filenames to
 >  allow me to access those directories. "see for example, directories...
 >  pd:".  Is there some standardized filename like
 >  unix.cpm.crclst that is found in every directory and has filename
 >  lists and/or descriptions in it? Another one that confused me was
 >  the one that said "for the current version check the directory
 >  list pd:. I thought that was pd:cpm.crclst.??? 

Each main directory has directoryname.crclst (where directoryname is
the name of that main directory).  The crclst file contains the names,
sizes and CRCs of files in ALL subdirectories under that main directory.

 >     A related problem is when the filename is given with xx
 >  version number. How do I find out what the latest, or any valid
 >  version number is when all I know is the directory name?

Version numbers should be IGNORED.  Do not include them in your
archive server request.  You will automatically get the latest version
of the file if one exists with that name.

 >  2. What do I do when I know a filename but no directory name?

 >     Some places I have seen a filename without an
 >  accompanying directory name like unarc.com (of particular
 >  interest to me because I would like to be able to read those
 >  directory lists like pd:cpm.crclst). I tried the obvious
 >  pd:unarc.com but only got back messages about double checking
 >  my filename.

Send a message to ARCHIVE-REQUEST@SIMTEL20.ARPA with the command:

SEND BOOTSTRAP

as the first and only line of your message.  It will give a complete
listing of files to get started with.

 >  3. If I find the directory for unarc.com can I SEND RAW a com
 >  file?

 >     Otherwise how do I get started with unarking?

No.  You'll have to tell ARCHIVE-REQUEST to send the file in HEX
format or UUENCODED.

Here is a copy of the file you get when you tell the server to
SEND HELP.

-----
To obtain up to five files in a single request message by netmail from
the public domain archives kept on SIMTEL20.ARPA, send a message to:

ARCHIVE-REQUEST@SIMTEL20.ARPA

or via uucp:
   ...!ucbvax!simtel20.arpa!archive-request
   ...!uw-beaver!simtel20.arpa!archive-request
   ...!decwrl!simtel20.arpa!archive-request
   ...!lll-crg!simtel20.arpa!archive-request
   ...!ut-sally!simtel20.arpa!archive-request
   ...!harvard!simtel20.arpa!archive-request

[do NOT use host "seismo" - they are blocking messages from the server]

The message body must contain lines beginning with the keyword SEND,
one SEND line for each file requested.  Case is not significant.

The general syntax of a SEND line is:

SEND format filename

In general, a filename consists of the following components:

device:file.type.generation

"device:" is usually PD:, and the combination of PD: is
expected unless an alias has been advertised of the form "alias:",
which takes the place of both device and directory fields.  The
generation field should be left off in order to default to the highest
generation number so you can be sure of getting the latest version of
the file requested.  "file.type" follows the usual filenaming
conventions.

In all formats listed below, if the file to be sent is larger than
55K, the file is sent in numbered parts.  The parts must be
reassembled in order and edited to remove any headers, preface, and
trailers before the process can be reversed to reconstruct the
original file.

Allowable formats are:

SEND HELP
        This file you are reading now.

SEND INFO
        A detailed description of the SIMTEL20 Archives, which
        includes this file, pointers to certain key files, and
        descriptions of various file transfer programs and related
        utilities.

SEND BOOTSTRAP
        A brief quick reference listing of filenames of the key
        utilities used to reconstruct files sent by the compression
        and encoding techniques listed below.

SEND DIR filespec
        This format returns a CRC list of the requested files, and is
        the only format which allows wildcard filenames (but not
        wildcard directory names).  The list is sent as an ASCII text
        file.  The wildcard characters are "*" and "%".  The asterisk
        means any number of characters, while the percent sign means
        exactly one character.  Either or both may appear in any
        combination in either or both the file or type fields, while
        only the asterisk may appear in the generation field.

SEND RAW filename
        If the file is ASCII, it is sent as-is, regardless of size.
        This format is the least efficient over network and mail
        gateway resources.  Use this format only if you absolutely
        must.

With the four formats listed below, if the file is ASCII and under 25k
characters, it is sent as-is, as if RAW format was requested.  Binary
files are always processed according to the requested format.
However, a request for ARC or SQ processing of files with type ".ARC",
".LBR", or ".%Q%" is ignored and the original file is either uuencoded
or hexified (if possible), according to the requested format.  If the
file was not sent RAW, a short preface is inserted at the front of the
message describing the process actually taken and a CRC entry
describing the original file.

SEND ARE filename  or  SEND filename
        The original file is made into a uuencoded ARC file.

SEND ARH filename
        The original file is made into a hexified ARC file if the ARC
        file is under 64K bytes long.  Otherwise, an apology is
        returned instead of the requested file.

SEND SQE filename
        The original file is made into a uuencoded SQueezed file.

SEND SQH filename
        The original file is made into a hexified SQueezed file if the
        Squeezed file is under 64K bytes long.  Otherwise, an apology
        is returned instead of the requested file.

To get started in finding your way around the SIMTEL20 archives, send
a message to the server with the request: SEND INFO

--Keith Petersen
Arpa: W8SDZ@SIMTEL20.ARPA
Uucp: {bellcore,decwrl,harvard,lll-crg,ucbvax,uw-beaver}!simtel20.arpa!w8sdz
GEnie Mail: W8SDZ
RCP/M Royal Oak: 313-759-6569 (300, 1200, 2400 bps)