Nicron #46 07 августа 1997

Софт

Soft - The Many Faces of CDOS! On the system.

                      The Many Faces of CDOS!


(C) WLODEK BLACK

Good day to all readers around the world! Familiarizing 
themselves with the already had become numerous (which is good 
news) network and simple computer Spectrum newspaper, we are 
not in the wording could pass a pleasant fact: the network 
platform CDOS develop not only in Moscow. Particularly 
successful in this Fraternal Belarus, but progress is in the 
suburban Naro-Fominsk, in Lviv, Krasnodar and other large and 
small cities. And in each network are trying to adapt to fit 
their CDOS conditions and needs, which is not surprising, since 
the program This is as true was noted - "a solid big glitch." K

Unfortunately, in the hands of the pioneers of new networks do 
not always fall the most advanced version of the program, and 
some users must overcome already overcome in other regions

problems, glitches and just defects. We here in Moscow, does
do not want to say that we have the most progressive CDOS - we
just want to tell you what we have achieved, what we have,
that satisfies us, is something yet to be tricky.

By the time my active involvement in the process of redrawing
CDOS she already had a speakerphone and HISTORY, for which once 
again Many thanks MPR HARD-y and Kolovrat.

But during the operation continued to float serious glitches
affecting mainly in server mode.

The first flaw was corrected, related to the processing of disk
errors. In Moscow, the servers are mostly at night, without
monitoring by sisopov. Disk errors, even those easily
triggered by an attempt to write to the completed up to the 
limit disk, called an error message, after which

required intervention sysop. As a result, nocturnal BBS-ki
often hang out. Mikhail Ilyin (BigWolK) first came to the simple
and it is a reasonable solution: disk error - should quit
tube and all. All the same night, one to deal with the disk did 
not become. In version CDOS 1.10 was introduced a simple 
transition to JP not on the procedure output messages and 
processing errors, and to the point installing server mode.


The following revision has been made already by me, with a fire
order because this "bug", revealed almost by accident,
threatened to disrupt the entire network, find out about him at 
least one dishonest user. We are here about. If you have a 
server CDOS version not older than 10 th or made based on the 
version does not over the 10 th, ask someone to upload your 
file of length 0 sectors (such a file is easy to "do" with the 
disk-doctor directly in the directory of the disk). The 
following will occur: will be passed 256 sectors of RAM your 
computer, and just 256 sectors will be on the server, without 
switching pages of memory! Then RAM is a user goes entirely 
into RAM server, along with screen stack, SET_UP-th and the 
like. Server, of course, hang, because even if the same 
versions of the CDOS stacks are differently (and in different 
versions sysop finds "marvelous transformation "of its CDOS 
1.10 to some 2.00 or even worse; All will depend on the 
caller's fantasy on the server). But this more! If the transfer 
is not 256 sectors, and "breykanut" early, wait until the 
server itself will throw up and then call back - you can 
download any secret files, as SET_UP user with his secret name 
has already moved on server! And then for sweeping tracks you 
can certainly hang server, it's understandable ... That in such 
pain and was born 11-th version, which receive files with 
lengths 0 sectors locked. 

Next trouble showed up, when Moscow began
ATS to transfer to the new equipment with meters
talk time. On the updated ATS busy signal
evolved from a series of short beeps in a continuous-tone
siren without pauses between the different frequencies parcels. 
At the same time "Arm fell, and another problem - a false lift 
on the tube server because of "vzvyakivaniya" phone when 
lowering the tube in the end of next konnekta. The combination 
of a false off-hook and neraspoznavanie CDOS-Coy-tone siren 
again started hang servers. And on the two-tone siren CDOS 
"stuck" in a series of survey lines so that not even respond to 
BREAK!!! But this is what allowed me to easily find the two 
identical branches in the cycles (one - in anticipation of the 
transition from 0 to 1, the other - from 1 to 0), in which 
there was a jam (loop). The initial branches of this cycle - 
induction, performed only once in each call to accept bits, and 
an introduction to them additional commands almost no effect on 
accuracy determine the temporal characteristics of signal 
there, I added additional count of "mistakes" that counts 
65,536 times (About half a minute). If during this time, if the 
signal is not there was nothing useful, the handset is hung up. 
Origin of the same useful events (reception sector, marker, 
etc.) zeroes an additional counter, while it is still 
overflows, and CDOS working as usual. Version of this release - 
1.14. It also added "dead" pause 2 seconds after lowering the 
tube to spurious "vzvyakivanie" did not cause a false answer

server.

The 15-second versions done automatically after the shipment 
HISTORY each communication session, the next user when lowering

tube. "History" now is not lost when disconnected
electricity failures, and computer - which, as they say, sin
conceal - erroneous actions of the sysop (turned off the 
computer and recalled: "B %@#$, forgot to write History!"). For 
the record "Emergency" History is allocated a place in advance 
on any drive: write an arbitrary file length of 62 sectors in 
the beginning of the disk. Later this file can be deleted, but 
the disc does not condense; History written not as a file, but 
as a block of sectors, always at one and the same place. To 
eject created a simple utility. So as a record 62-x sectors 
requires a few seconds, this time used as a pause after 
dropping the tube, and special procedure, applied to the delay 
time in the 14 th version, the 15-th removed. CDOS1.15 
seamlessly operated in year and a half months. Not yet found a 
way to "hang" server with 15-second version (of course, if the 
computer is defective and not failure).


And made other improvements aimed not at eliminating
glitches or improve reliability, and the introduction of new 
functions. For example, the main gateway ZXNet in Moscow - ALEX 
BBS - working Sparks' ZX-IBM. On the Spectrum has a special 
CDOS, in which drive B: - a communication channel with IBM. 
Enough to upload it file "secret" or "SPACE" (secret names for 
the post messages), the letter immediately goes on the IBM PC, 
which also immediately and automatically be sent to the 
Internet. True, so a lot of flexibility achieved in the literal 
sense dearly: Alex pays second telephone line.

There is also a truncated version of this CDOS - detection
the secret name of "secret" or "SPACE" program immediately
associated with ALEX BBS and sends these files back. This is how
one intermediate gateway, or buffer, as we call it.

With regard to family CDOS1 .**, developed for conventional
servers, we are happy to share our modest
achievements with everyone, I can not exactly promise as
One of the participants in these developments. We have in 
Moscow and source CDOS, in the format TASM2.0, even with the 
comments :-). In ZIP-e occupy about 400 sectors. We on this 
source code trying to find all the important parts of the plot 
CDOS, and more ... more acted hacking methods. You know, just 
so convenient! And reliable. Therefore, all the old procedure 
CDOS so until now and sitting on his previous addresses. Many 
of these addresses are already so burned into memory, which 
CDOSnye "crackers" can lead them, without looking at the crib, 
for example: # 7957 - procedure to communicate with TR-DOS; # 
9684 - an entry point to the server mode; # 6B61 - printing 
character on screen. 

Reserve for future upgrades a lot more. For example,
if you do not use SELECT USERS (as in Moscow and is almost
100%), free an entire page of memory - to 6-I. There can be
shove, for example, a small text editor (but not
ZX-Word v2.52, which does not work without the port
Kempston joystick!) and get the opportunity to respond to 
letters without leaving the CDOS. Unfortunately (the great and, 
no joke), we in Moscow, many were unable to check out NewCDOS 
from Minsk. In Moscow, then in the majority - "Pentagon", in 
which, missing Kempston joystick port is read # FF;

editor thinks that pressed all the positions the joystick, and 
empties into the mad :-). But anyway - cool and wrong are those 
who are trying to CDOS bury in his letters and articles! By the 
way, Hayes - does not a panacea. I personally watched as a 
modern modems may not be able to contact any of the internet

servers - the "quality" day can not communication, but at night 
... 

In addition to the improvements itself CDOS, set up subsidiary
utilities, for example, AUTOHIST - automatic "historizator. C
It can help you get a detailed report on the server for
the entire session - in a text file will bear the names of 
callers users will be counted downloaded and uploaded sector

text will be formatted nicely into paragraphs. In short,
convenient! To work avtohistorizatora files are needed HISTORY 
+. W in any number (you can repeatedly upload HISTORY +) and

user list ph_v with any number. By the way, in Belarus,
Moscow took over the where the list format ph_v, AUTOHIST will
work without alterations. Operators of the same BBS, where the 
list is another, or telephone numbers from 7-digit, we can

send source avtohistorizatora - please
modify for themselves, to health, an elementary program.
Also at Moscow BBS-framework of common practice design
server disk in Russian. Tools for such
clearance have been many, some of them are simply transferred
sample, written in the ZX-Word-e, a directory of the drive, 
while others allow us to write a few bogus files, and then

rename them in Cyrillic characters. There is a whole family
programs, shells, allow you to view text and pictures
process server drives, copy files, etc., the most
known "representatives" are versions of STS-boot.

Please write to us at the address NICRON-a (see end of paper)
or ZXNet: Internet addresses ZXNet - zxnet@deol.ru; in the field
"Subject:" you must specify ZXNet-ovsky address of the 
recipient, such as "095/462" - addressed to me.


Yours -
Vladimir Bulchukey.
ZXNet: 095/462
Phone: 462-8902.