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241 lines
8.3 KiB
Plaintext
241 lines
8.3 KiB
Plaintext
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Introduction
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DFTP is a user-invoked file archiving program that, via the
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Arpanet, stores and retrieves local files on the Datacomputer, a
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dedicated data management system. This Introduction is intended
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to provide information sufficient for basic use of the program.
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A general description of it and information on its more esoteric
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features can be found in the DFTP User's Guide.
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DFTP command processing is similar to that in TENEX and
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TOPS-20. Both <control-A> and <rubout> delete a character, both
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<control-U> and <control-X> delete a line, and <control-R>
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retypes a line. A <space> or <escape> can be used to complete a
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command (for example, typing DI<space> is equivalent to typing
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DIRECTORY).
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Since DFTP's primary function is file storage and retrieval,
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the most fundamental commands are those that store and retrieve
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files -- PUT and GET. Both take as an argument the name of the
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file of interest (in the standard format of name followed by
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optional extension), so that
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PUT MAIL.TXT
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causes the local file MAIL.TXT to be shipped over the network to
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the Datacomputer, and
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GET MAIL.TXT retrieves it.
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Groups of files may be moved with one command by using a '*'
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in either or both the name and extension parts of the file name.
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Thus
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PUT MAIL.*
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stores all files with the name MAIL, and
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GET *.TXT
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retrieves all files with the extension TXT.
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Files may be given different names when stored and
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retrieved. This is accomplished by inputting a <space> or
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<escape> after the first file name, so that
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PUT MAIL.TXT<space>MAIL.15-APRIL-1977
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stores the local file MAIL.TXT as MAIL.15-APRIL-1977, and
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GET MAIL.15-APRIL-1977<space>MAIL.OLD
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retrieves the stored file MAIL.15-APRIL-1977 as the local file
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MAIL.OLD.
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Different versions of the same file can be stored, with the
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Datacomputer assigning higher numbers to more recent files. Thus
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storing one day's messages as MAIL.TXT, and later storing the
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next day's messages as MAIL.TXT results in two files on the
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Datacomputer, MAIL.TXT;1 (the messages stored first) and
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- 1 -
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<EFBFBD>
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MAIL.TXT;2 (the messages stored later). Version numbers are
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denoted as in TENEX, with the number following the file name and
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separated from it by a ';'. Version numbers may be used in
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retrieving files, so that
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GET MAIL.TXT;1
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retrieves the first version of the file. If no version number is
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given, DFTP uses the largest as the default. A '*' may be used
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in the version number field, so that
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GET MAIL.TXT;*
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retrieves all versions.
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Nearly as fundamental as storing and retrieving files is
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finding out what files have been stored -- what files exist on
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the Datacomputer. The DIRECTORY command performs this function,
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taking as its argument a file name similar to that accepted by
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PUT and GET. Thus
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DIRECTORY *.TXT
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lists all stored files with the extension TXT. Note that
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DIRECTORY <space>
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(DFTP echoes the <space> as '*.*;*') causes all stored files to
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be listed. The command takes as a subargument the specification
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of the amount of information desired about the listed files. A
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<space>, equivalent to TERSE, lists files and their sizes. The
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VERBOSE option additionally lists the date the file was
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originally created and the date it was stored on the
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Datacomputer.
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Another important facility is the ability to eliminate
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unwanted files on the Datacomputer. This is done via the DELETE
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and EXPUNGE commands.
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The DELETE command, taking as its argument a file name
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similar to that accepted by PUT and GET, marks files as deleted,
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but does not permanently remove them. Deleted status is only a
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conditional state. Deleted files may be listed by the DELETED
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option of the DIRECTORY command, and a file's deleted status may
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be rescinded by the UNDELETE command. The UNDELETE command takes
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as its argument a file name similar to DELETE. Thus
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DELETE MAIL.*
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marks all files with the name MAIL as deleted, and
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UNDELETE MAIL.15-APRIL-1977
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rescinds the deleted status of the file MAIL.15-APRIL-1977. Note
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that, for files of which there are multiple versions, the default
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for DELETE is the (undeleted) file with the smallest version
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number, and for UNDELETE is the (deleted) file with the largest
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version number.
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The EXPUNGE command permanently removes all files then
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marked as deleted, recovering the space used by those files. It
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takes no arguments (as far as this Introduction is concerned),
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and is invoked by typing
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EXPUNGE <space><space>
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- 2 -
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<EFBFBD>
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(DFTP echoes the first <space> as '<').
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The QUIT command causes a graceful exit from DFTP.
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Introduction to Additional Commands
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The commands described in the followings paragraphs are
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useful, but are not necessary for ordinary use of DFTP. They
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introduce complexities discussed in the User's Guide. The
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information and explanations in this section are of limited scope
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in an attempt to keep the complexity at a minimum.
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The commands discussed here are motivated by one general
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concern -- the desire to divide a user's file space into parts.
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DFTP allows such separation via user-specified named groupings,
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called subdirectories. For example, one typically divides files
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into classes by type, such as MESSAGES, SOURCES, and GAMES.
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Subdirectories may be thought of as containing files and as being
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under -- subordinate to -- the user's Datacomputer identity --
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the user's name. For example, the user HACKER at CCA has, on the
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datacomputer, under the user name HACKER, the subdirectories
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MESSAGES, SOURCES, and GAMES. One need not have separate
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subdirectories -- all one's files may be stored directly under
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one's user name. Alternatively, some files may be stored
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directly under one's user name and some in separate
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subdirectories, or all files may be stored in separate
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subdirectories.
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All the commands in the preceding section operate within
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only one subdirectory at a time. The CONNECT command is used to
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choose which subdirectory is of interest. Once a subdirectory is
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chosen, all PUT's, GET's, DIRECTORY's, DELETE's, UNDELETE's, and
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EXPUNGE's operate within that subdirectory until another is
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chosen. Thus
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CONNECT MESSAGES
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selects the MESSAGES subdirectory. CONNECT also creates new
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subdirectories. If in the above example, MESSAGES did not exist,
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DFTP would inform the user of that fact with the comment '[New
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Node]', and would ask for confirmation to proceed and make the
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new subdirectory.
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The files stored directly under one's user name are in a
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special subdirectory. At the beginning of a session this
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subdirectory is the default subdirectory that all PUT's etc.
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operate in (making possible use of DFTP by people who are unaware
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of subdirectories). If one has explicitly CONNECTed to some
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other subdirectory and wishes to go back and reference files
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directly under one's user name,
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- 3 -
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<EFBFBD>
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CONNECT <space>
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(DFTP echoes the <space> as '<<') will perform the desired
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function.
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One may see one's existing subdirectories, when connected to
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the initial default subdirectory, via the LIST command, in the
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form
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LIST <space>
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(DFTP echoes the <space> as '**'). LIST takes a subargument
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similar to DIRECTORY. A <space>, equivalent to TERSE, simply
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lists the subdirectories, while VERBOSE lists all available
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information about them, including megabits allocated (MX-U) and
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used (CHRG). The symbol <FILES> indicates that some files
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actually exist in the associated subdirectory.
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One may delete subdirectories and their files, when
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connected to the initial default subdirectory, via the REMOVE
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command. The subdirectory name given the command as its argument
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should be terminated in a <space>. Thus
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REMOVE MESSAGES<space>
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(DFTP echoes the <space> as '>**') eliminates the subdirectory
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MESSAGES and all files in it.
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- 4 -
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<EFBFBD> |