Novaterm 9.6 User's Guide
3.4 File transfers
Transferring files between computers is one of the oldest
telecommunications activities. When transferring a file over a modem,
the main concern is theat the file gets transferred intact, unaffected by
any noise on the telephone line that might corrupt the file in transit.
To this end, every transfer uses some sort of file transfer "protocol",
which is just an agreed-upon method of conversation between two
computers to ensure that every portion of a file is transferred
correctly. All file transfer protocols use some sort of checksum to
make sure data is being transferred without corruption, and some
protocols can handle several files at once, making sure the file names
remain the same on the computer receiving the files.
To clear any confusion: To "upload" a file means to send it; to
"download" a file means to receive it.
Novaterm allows you to send and receive files from another computer
using any one of a variety of popular file transfer protocols. This
section covers the steps you must take to accomplish this.
3.4.1 Getting a file from an on-line service
If you are connected to an on-line service, you must somehow request
a file to download, or request to upload a file. How you do this
depends completely on the service itself. You'll have to check the
bulletin board's help menus to find out.
3.4.2 Transferring files with a friend
If you have a friend who also has a computer and modem, you may
transfer files with him or her by establishing a modem connection and
following the steps below. Your friend doesn't have to use Novaterm
or even a Commodore 64; any modem and communications software
will do, provided you both choose the same file transfer protocol (see
below).
3.4.3 Selecting a protocol
Before transferring a file, you must select a file transfer protocol. The
on-line service (or your friend) on the other end of your modem must
be set up to use the same protocol. If you're using an on-line service,
check the help menus to find out how to do this. A file will transfer
only when both ends of the link are using the same protocol.
To select a protocol in Novaterm, use the C= P command from
Terminal Mode (see 3.1.3, Commodore key commands, C= P).