From: "George D. Greenwade" <bed_gdg@SHSU.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: RE: Problems in FTPing from SHSU
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 08:06:33 CST
Organization: Info-Tex<==>Comp.Text.Tex Gateway
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In <1993Jan21.153023.13908@bsu-ucs> (comp.text.tex, 21 Jan 93 20:30:23 GMT)
<00r0ravichan@leo.bsuvc.bsu.edu> posted:
> I have encountered problems in FTPing files from SHSU site.
> 
> I have used the following procedure to download files from SIMTEL site
> without any problems.
> 
> I have a VAX/VMS account and use FTP to anonymously login.
> I issue the command "binary" to set the transfer the file.
> Then I use the "get" command to get the file.
> I logout from the ftp site and start up VAX/VMS kermit server.
> I then use MS-Kermit to download the file to my PC.
> I then use PKunzip to unzip the file.
> Everything so far has worked fine (EXCEPT for SIMTEL index-creation
> and maintenance program for the MSDOS collection).

In a subsequent posting, the use of setting the file type to binary in
Kermit was on for the local download was indicated.

> However, when I use the above procedure with SHSU, I get
> the following error message:
> 
>  PKUNZIP: Warning: DVISPELL.ZIP - Error in ZIP use PKZipFix
> 
> When I use the UNZIP utility (that I downloaded from SHSU
> using the same procedure as above) issues the following error
> message:
> 
>   Warning: Extra 267 bytes at beginning or within zipfile.
>             (attempting to pass anyway)
>   Error: Start of central directory not found; zipfile corrupt.
>    (Please check that you have transferred or created the zipfile in the
>     appropriate BINARY mode and that you have compiled unzip properly)
> 
> Although the above message seems to make sense, I am lost as to
> how to solve the problem.

With the very broad exception of the emTeX files or files with PKUNZIP
actually in the directory, UNZIP (5.0) is supposed to be used on files from
SHSU.  Since DVISPELL.ZIP is from emTeX, PKUNZIP is appropriate.  A very
general guess on this is that your parity is messed up somewere. 
Unfortunately, the variety of Kermit utilities on VMS vary widely in their
defaults.  I seem to recall that MS-Kermit uses even parity; Kermit-32 and
C-Kermit on VMS both default to no parity.  In just about every case where
VMS has been involved which has been brought to my attention, it was a
parity problem.  My real puzzle here is how you got UNZIP from SHSU to
work.

> On a related note, I used the pkunzip and unzip on other .zip files
> that I have downloaded from SIMTEL before. Everything seems to be fine.
> I have not changed any communications parameters on my PC and
> VAX/VMS ends.

Are you sure that the system-level Kermit didn't change on the VMS side?

> Obviously, I am doing something wrong. HELP!
> 
> Also , How do I use UUNENCODED files and put them together under
> VAX/VMS, PC and UNIX platforms?

You need to concatenate the files (in VMS, you can generally use the APPEND
command verb to create a file, or use EVE or some other editor to simply
include the files into one another).  Once concatenated, strip out any
headers so that you have a file which is 61 characters wide and full of
absolute nonsense.  This is were editing on the fly for concatenation comes
in handy.  

Use the UUDECODE utility to decode the nonsense into its original file
format.  In the directory [FILESERV.UUCODE] on Niord.SHSU.edu
(192.92.115.8) is a set of files for the UU*CODE suite.  The C sources are
for just about every platform.  There is also a copy of the executables for
VMS, as well as a command file to make these in VMS. You may also retrieve
these via e-mail by including:
 SENDME UUCODE 
in the body of a mail message to FILESERV@SHSU.BITNET (FILESERV@SHSU.edu).

On DOS and Unix there are some scripts to do this automagically.  Once the
VV*CODE suite is available, we will probably migrate to that as it is an
awful lot smarter and takes away the concatenation nonsense.  The betas on
VV*CODE which I have used are marvelous, BTW.

Regards,   George
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George D. Greenwade, Ph.D.                            Bitnet:  BED_GDG@SHSU
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