Announcing Kermit 95 1.1.19
Frank da Cruz
This is to announce Kermit 95 1.1.19 for Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT, and
2000, and IBM OS/2, replacing version 1.1.17 of June 1998.
Like its predecessors, version 1.1.19 comes in two pieces: a GUI Dialer to
set up and launch your connections, and the K95 program itself, that runs in
a Console window. We had originally planned that the next release after
1.1.17 would include a version of K95 that ran in a GUI window, but it's not
ready yet. However, a new release was needed now:
. Because of incompatible changes in the MIT Kerberos libraries;
. To bring K95 current with C-Kermit 7.0.
Kermit 95 1.1.19 is a downloadable patch to K95 1.1.17:
http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/k95patch.html
If you are running a pre-1.1.17 K95 version, you'll need to patch up to
1.1.17 first, and then patch to 1.1.19.
Warning: the 1.1.19 patch is about 3MB; allow sufficient time and disk space
for the download.
Here is a brief list of the changes since 1.1.17:
DIALER
. Redesigned File-Transfer page.
. Lots of new configuration options added especially for secure connections.
. Defunct predefined entries pruned.
GENERAL
. New MANUAL command brings up the online K95 1.1.19 manual.
. New built-in DIRECTORY command with numerous options.
. New SET OPTIONS command to customize directory-listing preferences.
. Consistent file-selection switches for SEND, DIR, DELETE, etc.
. New notation for relative dates (+3days, -6months, yesterday, tomorrow)
. Ability to restrict filenames to 8.3 notation on Windows 95/98/NT/2000.
SECURITY
. Kerberos implementation updated to new Kerberos library releases.
. Kerberos Rlogin protocol added with encryption option.
. Automatic Kerberos TGT get and destroy modes.
. Secure Remote Password implementation updated to support SRP 1.5.0.
. OpenSSL support added to provide secure connections to TELNET, IKS,
HTTP, and other services using public key cryptography and X.509
certificates.
. Microsoft NTLM authentication added for use with Microsoft Windows
2000 and NT Services for Unix.
NETWORKING
. Internet Kermit Service client.
. Overhauled Telnet negotiation engine:
+ Improved standards compliance.
+ More script-friendly.
+ More configurable.
+ Ability to set connection policies.
. File transfers through Pragma Systems' NT Telnet Server.
. Ability to forward X-Windows Session data across the Telnet connection
. DNS SRV record lookups.
. HTTP client commands.
SERIAL COMMUNICATIONS
. New support for 8 data bits + parity on serial connections.
. New ability to select number of stop bits on serial connections.
. Test dial procedures without actually dialing.
. Dialing improvements (10-digit dialing, blind dialing, PBXs, etc).
. New SET DIAL MACRO for last-minute phone number manipulations.
. SET DIAL METHOD AUTO defaults tone or pulse by country code.
. Better support for dialing without flow control.
. Automatic redial no longer unnecessarily re-initializes the modem.
. SET CLOSE-ON-DISCONNECT { ON, OFF } for serial connections.
. Streamlining and increased bulletproofing of Kermit/Modem dialog.
. Lots of new built-in modem types.
. New all-purpose "generic-high-speed" modem type.
TERMINAL EMULATION
. Microsoft VTNT for Telnet into Windows NT and 2000.
. IBM 3151 emulation.
. Wyse 160 emulation.
. Session-log format selections (binary, text, debug).
. Improved printer control.
. Built-in driver for PostScript printers.
. Televideo Send-Data mode.
. Block mode in Televideo and Wyse ASCII terminal emulations.
. SNI 97801 terminal support for National lanaguages and CH.CODE modes.
. HZ1500 graphics character-set.
FILE TRANSFER
. Ability to transfer directory trees even between unlike systems.
. Improved performance and responsiveness.
. Ability to move or rename each file after successful send or receive.
. High-precision timers and statistics.
. New display and log formats.
. New options for coping with defective Kermit protocol partners.
CLIENT/SERVER
. New keepalive during long-running REMOTE HOST commands prevents timeouts.
. Longer REMOTE commands allowed.
. R-command shortcuts for REMOTE commands (e.g. RCD for REMOTE CD).
. Optional server CD messages a`la FTP, local too.
. Additional GET options and combinations.
. New REMOTE EXIT, REMOTE SET FILE CHARACTER-SET commands.
. Numerous new file management commands and features.
CHARACTER SETS
. Automatic transfer/file character-set matching in file transfer.
. Unicode / ISO-10646 Universal Character Set.
. Full conversion between Japanese character sets and Unicode.
. KOI8-R (Russian) and KOI8-U (Ukrainian) character sets.
. ISO 8859-7 Latin/Greek Alphabet (= ELOT 928).
. ELOT 927 Greek, CP869 Greek code page.
. ISO 8859-15 Latin Alphabet 9 (includes Euro and OE).
. Bulgaria-PC (code page).
. Mazovia (Polish PC code page).
. CP855 (Cyrillic PC code page).
. CP858 (West European PC code page, includes Euro).
. CP1250, 1251, 1252 (Windows code pages, include Euro)
. Corrections to Hebrew-7 conversions.
LOGS
. New connection log
. New brief transaction-log format option
. New FTPD-like transaction-log format option
. Unbuffered transaction logs
. Time-critical debugging with millisecond timestamps
. Unbuffered transaction log
SCRIPT PROGRAMMING
. A new general-purpose file I/O package added supporting multiple files
open at once; character, line, and block i/o; sequential and random
access; read, write, update, and append modes; absolute and relative
seeks by line or byte, etc.
. Floating-point numbers and arithmetic.
. Associative arrays.
. Ability to pass arguments to command files as well as macros.
. Ability to pass more than ten arguments to a macro or command file.
. Expanded command buffer length to allow bigger macros, variables, etc.
. Maximum number of macros increased.
. New support for compound Boolean expressions.
. Automatic arrays.
. Array initializers.
. New built-in array operations: COPY, RESIZE, CLEAR, SET, SORT, . . .
. SEND an array as if it were a file.
. IF and XIF merged (so ugly XIF is no longer needed).
. New functions to load arrays with file or directory lists.
. New SCREEN command for screen clearing & cursor positioning.
. Date conversion functions (Julian dates, etc).
. Built-in help for functions.
. Function and variable diagnostics.
. Timed ASK commands.
. Popup ASK commands.
. Many new IF conditions.
. Autodownload during INPUT command execution.
. New OUTPUT command options.
. Automatic arrays.
. Array initializers.
. Assignment operators.
. New TRACE and SHOW STACK commands for debugging scripts.
DOCUMENTATION
. New and revised Third Edition of online Kermit 95 manual.
. New Supplement to Using C-Kermit, Second Edition.
. Updated Kermit 95 Bugs List.
. All of the above are now HTML documents, fully indexed and crosslinked.
. Most other auxilliary text converted to HTML too.
Thanks to everybody who sent in reports and suggestions, and especially to
the Beta testers.
If you have any problems with the patch or the new version, send email to:
Shrink-wrapped versions should be available in a few weeks. The price has
not changed.
Version 1.1.19 has been heavily tested and we don't anticipate significant
problems with it. So barring unforeseen difficulties, the GUI is next!
GUI plans are spelled out here:
http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/k95next.html
Jeffrey Altman, Frank da Cruz
The Kermit Project
Columbia University
New York City