


                       THE KERMIT FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL

                                 November 1986




Kermit  is  an  error-correcting protocol for transferring sequential files be-
tween computers of  all  sizes  over  ordinary  asynchronous  telecommunication
lines.  Kermit is non-proprietary, thoroughly documented, and in wide use.  The
protocol and the original implementations were developed at Columbia University
and  have  been shared with thousands of other institutions all over the world,
many of which have made significant contributions of  their  own.    Kermit  is
presently available for more than 200 different machines and operating systems,
and additional versions are always under development.

All Kermit programs perform  file  transfer  using  the  Kermit  file  transfer
protocol.    In  addition,  Kermit programs for personal computers also provide
terminal emulation, usually of the DEC VT52, VT100, or  similar  terminal,  and
some  of  the  mainframe Kermit programs are capable of initiating connections,
acting as dumb terminals to remote systems.  Kermit  programs  work  only  over
asynchronous  RS-232 direct or dialup connections, or connections that simulate
them.  For file transfer to take place, there must be a Kermit program  running
on each end of the connection, one on each computer.

There are Kermit programs for most popular "generic" operating systems, includ-
ing UNIX, MS-DOS, and CP/M, and for  mainframes  and  minicomputers  from  Bur-
roughs,   Cray,  CDC,  Data  General,  DEC,  Gould  (SEL),  Harris,  Honeywell,
Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Perkin-Elmer (Concurrent), Prime, Sperry/Univac, and Tan-
dem,  and  for  particular  microcomputers and workstations from Apple, Apollo,
Atari, Commodore, IBM, Tandy, and many others, written in  a  wide  variety  of
languages  including  many different assemblers, plus high-level languages like
Algol, Basic, Bliss, C, Forth, Fortran, Lisp, Mumps, Pascal, PL/I, and  Ratfor.
A complete list of currently available Kermit programs accompanies this flyer.

Here  are some details about the several most popular Kermit programs.  Most of
the following implementations are capable of both local and  remote  operation,
server  and  client  modes,  text  and binary file transfer, and support a full
range of communications options -- speed, parity, duplex, flow  control,  hand-
shake  --  to  allow  adaptation  to  a  wide  variety  of hosts (including IBM
mainframes) and communication media.

   - IBM PC Kermit Version 2.29 runs under PC-DOS version 2.0 and later on
     the entire IBM PC family, as well as on IBM "clones" and compatibles.
     It provides nearly complete DEC VT102 terminal emulation at speeds up
     to  38.4K  baud  fully  buffered and interrupt driven -- and includes
     support for  color  displays,  compatibility  with  various  "desktop
     organizers,"  and selectable emulation of other terminals.  There are
     also versions of Kermit specifically tailored for a variety of  other
     MS-DOS  systems,  including the DEC Rainbow, Zenith-100, Victor 9000,
     and many others, and there is a "generic" MS-DOS Kermit  for  systems
     not explicitly covered.

   - Macintosh  Kermit  Version 0.8(34) runs on the entire Apple Macintosh
     family, from the original 128K Mac to the Mac/XL, to the  fully  con-
     figured  Macintosh-Plus.  It provides fairly complete VT102 emulation
     at speeds up to 9600 baud, and file transfer speeds up to 56Kb.

   - UNIX Kermit is distributed only in C-language source form.  It may be
     built  for  nearly any machine running practically any post-V6 varia-
     tion of UNIX, including V7, Berkeley 2.x and 4.x, AT&T System III and
     System  V, Xenix, Venix, and so on.  The same source also serves as a
     basis for Macintosh, Amiga, and other Kermit programs.

   - VAX/VMS Kermit is written in Bliss, but it  is  also  distributed  in
     Macro-32  and  hex  form,  so  that a Bliss compiler is not required.
     Other versions exist in C and Pascal.

   - IBM mainframe Kermit  programs  for  VM/CMS  and  MVS/TSO  work  with
     asynchronous  ASCII  TTY connections through 3705 or equivalent front
     ends, or through Series/1, 7171, or similar protocol converters  that
     support  the Yale ASCII Communications System; beyond this exception,
     Kermit cannot be  used  to  transfer  files  in  the  IBM  3270-style
     full-screen  terminal  environment.  There are no Kermit programs for
     DOS/VSE, or IBM minis like the System/34 and System/38, because these
     systems do not support asynchronous ASCII communications.  Currently,
     IBM mainframe Kermits run only in remote mode.

The Kermit software -- including source code -- is furnished free  and  without
license, and without warranty of any kind, and neither Columbia University, nor
the individual  authors,  nor  any  institution  that  has  contributed  Kermit
material, acknowledge any liability for any claims arising from the use of Ker-
mit.  Furthermore, it must be stated that the quality of  the  Kermit  programs
varies  --  some are polished, well-documented professional products and others
are not.  Kermit programs are contributed by  public-spirited  volunteers,  and
Columbia  University does not wish to discourage such contributions by subject-
ing them to a rating system.  Since source code is provided for  all  implemen-
tations, users may make improvements or write documentation where it is lacking
and are encouraged to contribute their work back to Columbia for  further  dis-
tribution.    Under  certain  conditions  (described  in  a  separate document)
software producers may include Kermit protocol in their products.

Although the Kermit software is free and unlicensed, Columbia University cannot
afford  to  distribute  it for free because the demand is too great.  To defray
our costs for media, printing, postage, labor, and computing resources, we  re-
quire  moderate  distribution  fees from those who request Kermit directly from
us.  The schedule is given on the accompanying Kermit Order Form.  You may also
obtain  Kermit  programs  from  many other sources, including user groups, net-
works, dialup bulletin boards, and you may copy them from  friends,  neighbors,
and  colleagues.    In  fact, you may obtain Kermit programs from anyone who is
willing to share them with you, just as you may share them yourself.

Kermit is distributed by Columbia  University  primarily  on  9-track  magnetic
tape,  suitable for reading on most mainframe and minicomputers.  It is assumed
that Kermit will be ordered in this form  by  institutional  computer  centers,
whose  professional  staff will take the responsibility for "bootstrapping" the
microcomputer versions from the tape to diskettes for their users.   The  tapes
include  source  code and any available documentation for each Kermit implemen-
tation, and in some cases also binaries (usually encoded in hex or other print-
able format).  Selected microcomputer versions are also available from Columbia
on diskette, and from diskette services, user  groups,  and  individual  volun-
teers, some of whom are listed on a separate flyer.

Documentation  includes  the  Kermit  User  Guide  (about 250pp) and the Kermit
Protocol Manual (90pp); one printed copy of each is included free with any tape
order.  Other documents may be ordered separately, including addition copies of
the manuals, the manuscript from the Kermit article that appeared in  the  June
and  July  1984 issues of BYTE Magazine (36pp), and the new book Kermit, A File
Transfer Protocol by Frank da Cruz, 400pp, Digital Press (1987).

The Kermit book is a comprehensive introduction and guide  to  Kermit;  it  in-
cludes  an  overview  of what Kermit is for and how it works, with tutorials in
computer file systems and data communications, a generalized command reference,
a  troubleshooting  guide,  a  complete protocol specification with program ex-
amples, a glossary, an index, and numerous tables, figures, and  illustrations.
The User Guide contains detailed, specific instructions for the use of the most
popular Kermit programs (MS-DOS, VMS, UNIX, Apple, etc).  The  Protocol  Manual
is  an  older  description of the Kermit protocol, which lacks the organization
and program examples from the book.  If you have the book, you don't  need  the
Protocol Manual but you will still need the User Guide.

Once  you  receive Kermit, you are encouraged to copy and redistribute it, with
the following stipulations: Kermit should not be sold for profit; credit should
be  given  where  it  is  due; and new material should be sent back to Columbia
University so that we can maintain a definitive and comprehensive set of Kermit
implementations  for further distribution.  And finally, please use Kermit only
for peaceful and humane purposes.

ORDERING INFORMATION:

All Kermit material is available on magnetic tape as described below.  Selected
Kermit programs may also be ordered on diskette; see the order form.  Tapes in-
clude program source code, diskettes generally do not have room for source.

There are 3 separate Kermit tapes: A, B, and C. There are too many Kermit files
to  fit  on fewer tapes.  All tapes are half-inch, 2400-foot, 9-track, 1600bpi,
odd parity.  They are available ONLY in the following formats:

  ANSI:   ANSI labeled ASCII, format D (variable length records, VMS COPY)
  TAR:    UNIX TAR format (written on a VAX with 4.2BSD or Ultrix-32)
  OS:     IBM OS standard labeled EBCDIC, format VB (variable length records)
  CMS:    IBM VM/CMS VMFPLC2 format (unlabeled)
  DEC-10: DECsystem-10 Backup/Interchange format (unlabeled)
  DEC-20: DECSYSTEM-20 DUMPER format (unlabeled)

Tape blocksizes, when applicable, are our choice and in the range  8K-10K  (use
of  smaller  blocksizes could overflow the tapes).  NO OTHER FORMATS ARE AVAIL-
ABLE.  We can NOT make 800bpi or 6250bpi  tapes,  unlabeled  tapes  (except  as
noted  above),  fixed-block tapes, or custom tapes of any kind.  If none of the
above formats looks familiar to you, then specify ANSI -- this is  an  industry
standard format that should be readable by any computer system (ANSI specifica-
tions are provided on paper).  VAX/VMS sites should specify ANSI.

TAPE "A" CONTAINS:
   - The more popular microcomputer  (PC,  workstation)  Kermit  implemen-
     tations.

TAPE "B" CONTAINS:
   - The more popular mainframe and minicomputer Kermit implementations.

TAPE "C" CONTAINS:
   - Esoteric, less popular, or redundant Kermit implementations.
   - Text formatter source for the Kermit User Guide and Protocol Manual.
   - Archives of old mail, other large documents.

EXCEPTIONS:
   - C-Kermit  is  the basis of all Unix Kermit implementations, mainframe
     and micro, and also for Commodore Amiga and Apple Macintosh  Kermits.
     It is on tape B.




         TO ORDER KERMIT, fill out the Kermit Order Form and send it to:
               __________________________________________________

                               Kermit Distribution
               Columbia University Center for Computing Activities
                              612 West 115th Street
                            New York, NY 10025 (USA)
               __________________________________________________


Prepayment  by  check  is encouraged; an additional order processing fee is re-
quired if we must issue an invoice.   North  American  orders  are  shipped  by
delivery  service  or first class US mail, with shipping costs included.  Over-
seas orders are shipped first class US (air) mail, with an additional  shipping
charge  required.    Orders are normally processed within 2-4 weeks of receipt,
but firm delivery schedules or methods cannot be guaranteed.  USA rush  service
is available for an extra fee (see order form *).

Call  (212)  280-3703 for additional ordering information (telephone orders can
not be accepted, nor can payment by credit card or bank transfer).

Make checks in US Dollars payable to
  COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR COMPUTING ACTIVITIES

KERMIT ORDER FORM:                                                    #________

Check each desired Kermit Distribution Tape, $100 PER TAPE:

Format:                 ANSI    TAR      OS     CMS    DEC-10   DEC-20
  Tape A (micros):      [  ]    [  ]    [  ]    [  ]   [  ]     [  ]
  Tape B (mainframes):  [  ]    [  ]    [  ]    [  ]   [  ]     [  ]
  Tape C (esoterica):   [  ]    [  ]    [  ]    [  ]   [  ]     [  ]

[ ] For PRIME Computers: Specify ANSI and check  here  to  request  a
   short ANSI-tape-reader program listing (no charge).

Tape Subtotal (number of tapes times $100)  . . . . .  $__________

Kermit programs on diskette (not copy-protected), no source code, $10 each:
[  ] Apple Macintosh  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  $__________
[  ] DEC Rainbow; CP/M-86 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  $__________
[  ] DEC Rainbow; MS-DOS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  $__________
[  ] IBM PC, XT, and AT; PC-DOS . . . . . . . . . . .  $__________

Printed documents, enter quantity:
[  ] Book: Kermit, A File Transfer Protocol ($25) . .  $__________
[  ] Manual: Kermit User Guide ($10)  . . . . . . . .  $__________
[  ] Manual: Kermit Protocol Manual ($10) . . . . . .  $__________
[  ] BYTE Magazine article manuscript ($5)  . . . . .  $__________

NOTE:  Kermit  manual  prices  have  been raised to reflect increased
printing costs.  Source listings are no  longer  available  on  paper
because managing the custom print jobs slows down production of tapes
and diskettes.  Source is still available on tape.

If you can NOT prepay with a check, include BOTH:
  1.  A $100.00 Order Processing (Billing) Fee: . . .  $__________
  2.  AND a Purchase Order (terms net 30, FOB origin):

Purchase Order Number: __________________________
                      (not required if you prepay)

Outside North America, add $25.00 for shipping. . . .  $__________
* USA RUSH ORDERS (Sent Federal Express), add $20.00.  $__________

GRAND TOTAL: (Do Not Add Sales Tax) . . . . . . . . .  $__________

[ ] Check here for a Columbia University DEC-20  account  application
   form.    A  CU20B  account  will allow you to read the Info-Kermit
   electronic newsletter, and to use  Kermit  itself  to  obtain  new
   releases of Kermit.

IMPORTANT: WRITE SHIPPING ADDRESS HERE, exactly as it should appear on label:
(* For RUSH orders, include phone number, and don't use a Post Office Box.)

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