Article-I.D.: rosevax.718
Posted: Fri Nov  7 17:19:16 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 8-Nov-86 07:23:23 EST
Distribution: na
Organization: Rosemount Inc., Eden Prairie, MN
Lines: 32
Keywords: Cables, File sizes/formats, baud rate
Xref: watmath net.micro.mac:8570 comp.sys.mac:3

I would like to store binhex'd files on an IBM PC-AT which I use as a terminal
into our VAX, then retrieve them from it using a direct connection between it
and my Mac (running Crosstalk on the PC, MacTerminal on the Mac.)  I have a
few questions which I thought I could get answers to faster here than by
poking around:

1.  Cabling:  The PC uses IBM's serial/parallel adaptor, which has a 9-pin
D-sub connector for the serial port.  I have a 9-pin to 25-pin D-sub 
adaptor cable for it which connects to our "standard" RS-232 VAX lines.  I
also have a 9-to-25 pin cable which connects the Mac to my Hayes modem.  
Am I lucky enough to have a workable connection, or do I need a special
9-to-9 PC-Mac cable?  If so, does anyone know the pinouts?

2.  Files:  After downloading a binhex file to the PC and stripping the
extraneous stuff off with a *text* editor (edlin, Norton Editor,...) the
PC files are slightly larger than the UNIX files are after similar 
operations using vi.  They seem to be larger by (number of lines) + (one
or two) characters.  I assume this is due to extra carriage returns or
some similar difference.  Will this make binhex bomb?  Can they be filtered
out, either during downloading to the Mac or during the binhex process?
My use of binhex has been limited only to downloads from UNIX, where the
default settings have always worked fine.

3.  Speed:  Can I use a high baud rate safely?  I'm looking for experience
as a guide, here.  It would be nice to blaze along at 9600 baud (that's 
a blaze compared to 1200) but would it (a) be safe, secure, etc. and (b)
be noticeably faster in reality?

-- 
Notice how they do not so much fly, as plummet. {appropriate head movement}
                                    --Monty Python (Flying Sheep Sketch)
Andy Hogan   Rosemount, Inc.   Mpls MN