Heading:
Interim MFTP
Page Numbers: Yes X: 527 Y: 10.5"
Inter-Office Memorandum
ToDistributionDateJune 16, 1980
FromTim DiebertLocationPalo Alto
SubjectInterim MFTP Magnetic TapeOrganizationPARC/CSL
Program
XEROX
Filed on: [IVY]<TapeServer>Docs>InterimMFTP.memo, .press
This document describes the interim Magtape File Transfer Program originally written by Glenn Krasner of SSL. The Program may be retirieved from [IVY]<TapeServer>Software>MFTP.run. The program is written in Bcpl and should run on all of the PARC personal computers. The program is interactive in nature and therefore does not understand command line entries. The program is invoked by:
MFTP.run
The program will respond with:
Magtape File Transfer Program, version 1.2, June 9, 1980
Connect to (CR to exit program):
The present network name of the tape serving Alto is Saintpaulia. Once a connection is established, MFTP will respond with:
Open!
The program will then prompt for a command. The currently supported commands are:
? (Help), c(lose connection), r(ead), w(rite), f(ile skip forward), b(ack skip file) and u(rewind).
All commands should be self explanitory except for one caveat related to back skip file. Since tapes are a sequentially recorded media, files are deliniated with a special record called an EOF or tapemark. When a tape is forward skipped, the position of the tape head after the operation is after the EOF mark. If a back skip file is performed with the tape head positioned after an EOF the back skip will only skip over the EOF and not over any data records. Therefore the back skip must be performed again if the data records are to be skipped over as well.