Category : Communication (modem) tools and utilities
Archive   : TAPDO541.ZIP
Filename : TAPDOC.7

arameters screen followed by the CompuServe
filename for this file.

If another file of the same name is in the download path, TAPCIS prompts
you:

File exists. Y to verify or resume; N to overwrite

If you wish to have the file currently in your download path overwritten
with the file that is on CompuServe, press within 30 seconds. TAPCIS
beeps every few seconds to get your attention in case you are not watching
the screen. If you do not press within 30 seconds, or if you press
, TAPCIS tells CompuServe that it has a file of a certain length and
CRC. If CompuServe sees that the file you have on your disk is a partial
copy of the file you've asked to download, it resumes the download from the
end of your file.

Otherwise, the download is aborted and your file is left untouched. You'll
need to delete it and re-select the file using atalog ownload in
order to download the file.

[Figure 7-4: Download in Progress]


If the download fails in the middle, TAPCIS will ask you whether you want
to retain the partial file. Saving the partial file, then re-trying the
download can save significant time if a large part of the file has already
been captured.

At the top of the screen in Figure 7-4 is the TAPCIS version number, a note
that the entire session is being captured to ONLINE.LOG (TAPCIS was started
with the /LOG=Y start-up option), and the time the transfer was started.
Below the top status line is the description of the file being downloaded.

The protocol status box at the bottom has at the top a reminder that
will abort the transfer (after a delay for TAPCIS to convince CompuServe
that it wants to abort).

The box shows that the full B Plus Protocol is being used to transfer this
file. CRC's are being used to detect any errors in the transmission. The
data in the file is being broken into chunks (packets) of 1K (1024 bytes).
This is a download of an ASCII file (rather than a binary file). It is


TAPCIS Forum Libraries 7-5

being stored in the download storage path, C:\TAP\DL in the file
TAPCIS.INF.

The left section has four columns: Port, Data, File, and Remaining. The
rows are Received (Rec'd), Sent, Rate (in characters per second), and
Percent efficiency (% Eff).

In the example above, 5171 bytes have been received by the modem through
the serial port. Of that, 5120 bytes were data. The difference of 51 bytes
is the B Plus protocol overhead. The File column also shows 5120 bytes.
That means that this download started from the beginning of the file. If
it were a restart of an aborted download, the File count will be higher
than the Data count.

TAPCIS still needs to receive the remaining 8843 bytes in the file. If you
add the Remaining figure to the File figure, you get the total length of
the file shown in the top right of the box.

On the Sent line you can see that TAPCIS has sent 12 bytes back to
CompuServe to start the download and acknowledge the packets.

The Rate and % Eff lines go together. This call is at 2400 baud, with a
maximum throughput of roughly 240 bytes per second. The Port Rate shows
that the full 240 cps maximum rate has been achieved for an efficiency rate
of 100%. In this example we have a clean line, no errors that had to be
retransmitted, and a data efficiency of 99%.

Why the discrepancy? The CompuServe "B Plus" protocol-like any file
transfer protocol-has a certain amount of overhead. Each packet of data is
sent with a header, data, and some check digits called a CRC. The CRC is
what insures that the packet was received correctly. Without the overhead,
erroneous data could be stored in your downloaded file without your knowing
it. For binary transfers the discrepancy will be larger because of the need
to mask some 8-bit characters.

The section at the right shows the current time (16:21:25), the elapsed
time of 22 seconds, and the estimated time remaining of 0:38. The
estimated time is based on bytes remaining divided by the current data rate
in bytes per second.

Under the estimated time remaining are the number of data packets exchanged
and the number of errors detected. The B Plus protocol is an "error
detecting" protocol. If an error is detected, the protocol asks for a
resend of the damaged packet. TAPCIS does not store the data on disk until
it has been received error-free.


------------------------------------
Transfer Log

Downloading files without user intervention is one of the ways TAPCIS can
save you time and money. If you use this feature, it is wise to also turn
on transfer logging so you can later review whether the transfer was
completed properly. Press

arameters from the main menu, then press
og until it says either "Transfers" or "Time and transfers."




7-6 Forum Libraries TAPCIS

The status information and file descriptions are logged in the file
XFER.LOG. You can then review this information using a file viewer, the
DOS TYPE command, or an external editor or file viewer. TAPCIS does not
delete this log, so you will need to delete the file from DOS using:

[C:\TAP] DEL XFER.LOG


------------------------------------
Downloading Tips

* Download during off-hours when the system is not heavily loaded for
the best time and money savings.

* Download a few files at a time. You need not go through the entire
catalog on one pass. The catalog will remain until deleted by you.
However, files do get removed from CompuServe or get switched from one
library to another. You should get an updated catalog if the one on
disk is old.

* If you start getting beeps during the download, the protocol is
detecting errors. If it gets excessive, you should abort and retry
the downloading. You can safely save the partial file despite the
errors reported. Only valid data gets written to disk. When you try
again, the transfer will resume from where it left off.

* Be sure to check the file size before marking the file for
downloading. A file may sound very interesting but may not be worth
an hour or two of download time. Some of the best software available
online (like TAPCIS) is quite large (well over 200K archived). You
may want to ask for opinions before spending a lot of money
downloading a large (over 100,000 byte) file.

* If the download of a series of files is interrupted, you should ill
the OW file for that forum and go back to the atalog command to
redo the list of files to download, omitting the ones that already
came through okay. TAPCIS won't download the same file twice, but it
does take 30 seconds or more for each duplicated file to be skipped.
If you use the dit OW command to remove the files, be sure to
remove all three lines associated with the file (LIB, BRO, and DOW).

* Turn on transfer logging and review the XFER.LOG file after a batch
download of several files is completed. Delete the log file if you
are short on disk space. The log can be useful for determining where,
what, who, and when a particular file was downloaded.

* is a toggle command that tells TAPCIS that you want to logoff
after the in-progress file transfer. If ON, a "Q" appears next to the
elapsed/remaining times in the status box.

Note: it can take several seconds for this to update. when
not doing a protocol transfer will send an immediate BYE.

If you abort a download session by pressing , TAPCIS will
delete the DOW file after it gets offline, whether all files have been
downloaded or not. To download any remaining files in a future
session, you will have to use atalog and re-mark those files.


TAPCIS Forum Libraries 7-7

===========================================================================
Uploading
===========================================================================

Uploading is the process of taking a file from your computer and submitting
a copy to a forum library. It is one of the few processes not fully
automated by TAPCIS. Fortunately, the actual uploading is currently free
of CompuServe connect charges (network surcharges do still apply during
your upload).

First we go online using the nteractive command. Enter the number of
the forum where you'll be uploading the file when prompted. TAP dials the
phone, logs in, and goes to the forum. On the screen you'll be left at a
prompt that says:

Forum ! LIB 2

You need to enter the command LIB followed by the number of the LIB for
your file. If you can't remember which LIB is most appropriate, type NAME
at the prompt. The following dialogue between a user uploading the file
C:\FILES\WEA.ARC demonstrates the uploading process.


------------------------------------
Upload Dialogue

Forum ! LIB 2

LIB 2 ! UPL

Suspending connect charges...

Under our Agreement and Operating Rules,
you must own or have sufficient rights to
any information you place on the Service.

File name: WEA.ARC

Transfer types available -

1 ASCII
2 Binary
3 Image
4 Graphic:RLE
5 Graphic:NAPLPS
6 Graphic:GIF

Enter choice ! 2

File name for your computer: C:\FILES\WEA.ARC



Enter File Description (up to 549 chars, or about Seven 80-character lines)

Type "/EXIT" when finished:
This is a script and documentation file for downloading today's


7-8 Forum Libraries TAPCIS

weather and storing it in the file TODAY.WEA.
/EXIT

Enter Keywords ( or type "?" for HELP ):
SCRIPT WEATHER WEA TODAY

Enter Title (up to 49 chars, when finished):
| |
Title: TAPCIS Script and docs for downloading weather

Title : TAPCIS Script and docs for downloading weather

Keywords: SCRIPT WEATHER WEA TODAY

This is a script and documentation file for downloading today's
weather and storing it in the file TODAY.WEA.

Is this okay (Y or N)? Y

Your request will be processed by the
Sysop as soon as possible.

Resuming connect charges.

LIB 2 ! OFF

Thank you for using CompuServe!

Off at 17:41 EST 22-Oct-91
Connect time = 0:03


------------------------------------
Upload Tips

* You can shorten the above dialogue by providing the necessary
information on a single line as in:

UPL FILENA.EXT/typ:bin/pro:B

If the file is ASCII, replace "/typ:bin" with "/typ:asc". Most files
should be uploaded as binary files!

* Always archive (ZIP) files over 10K or if multiple files are in the
"distribution" such as a series of macros or a utility with
documentation. Separate files make it difficult to download all the
files and keep them together. Archiving also preserves file integrity
better.

* Keywords are important. Make yours meaningful. Think about how you
would try to locate the file if you did not know its name.

* Descriptions should give a clear picture of the contents and purpose
of the file. If it is a demo, say so. If you are the author, say so
and give your name. If you are uploading with permission of the
author, indicate that and give the authors name (and user ID if any).
The more info you provide, the less follow-up required by the sysops.


TAPCIS Forum Libraries 7-9

* The limit for DEScriptions is 549 characters, for KEYwords 80
characters, and for Titles 49 characters.

* Files are "merged" (made visible) by the sysops on a regular basis.
Sysops try to verify every upload before the files are made available
to the forum membership. This can sometimes take a few days. If your
file is not merged after a few days, drop a message to *SYSOP to see
if there was a problem with the upload. Make sure the file is
available before announcing it.

* Don't upload files you don't have the right to make available for
public downloading.

* The maximum length of a file name is 6 characters plus a 3 letter
extension. CompuServe will truncate longer filenames. Also, avoid
using special characters in the filename. CompuServe truncates a name
like MDM_CMDS.ARC to MDM.

* Use a script to help automate uploading files. The Scripts section
begins on page 9-3.







































7-10 Forum Libraries TAPCIS