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Moving Files to or from Macintoshes the Fast Way

Do you need to transfer a large number of files to or from ECN? Until recently the quickest method was to use a program like MacKermit or some other terminal program. Now Macintosh users with Macs connected to one of the seven AppleTalk networks bridged onto the ECN ethernet have a faster solution, NCSA Telnet or Mac/IP.

These programs use the AppleTalk network connected to your Macintosh in combination with a Kinetics gateway box to talk directly to ECN UNIX machines via FTP, File Transfer Protocol. AppleTalk runs at 230 K bits per second, more than 23 times the speed of the usual ECN terminal line. By going through the Kinetics box, your Mac can speak directly to any ECN UNIX machine, eliminating the need to move files to a specific machine before transferring them to your Macintosh.

For example:

• Double click on the NCSA Telnet icon.
• After it starts up, select open connection from the file menu.
• Fill in the Session Name line of the dialogue box which appears with the full name of the ECN host you want to connect to. (ie, ca.ecn.purdue.edu, not just ca)
• The Window Name line of the dialogue box can be left blank or filled in with the name you'd like on the terminal window's title bar.
• Click on the OK button.
• A window will appear and present the usual ECN login prompt.
• Login to your account.
• Select Send FTP Command from the Emulation menu.
• NCSA Telnet will type in an FTP command to your account, connecting your UNIX account back to your Macintosh.
• To transfer a file to your Mac from UNIX, type "put" and the name of the file.
• To transfer a file from your Mac to UNIX, type "get" and the name of the file.

A few things you should keep in mind:

• NCSA Telnet does run under Multi-finder, however on Mac IIs some problems seem to occur with other programs when NCSA Telnet is run under Multi-finder. For best results, use "single" finder when running NCSA Telnet on a Mac II.
• If the file you want to move has embedded carriage returns or other embedded control characters you will need to transfer it in "binary mode". To do this, type "binary" before using "put" or "get".

It's that simple. More details on using NCSA Telnet are contained in the User's Manual. Where can you get a copy of NCSA Telnet and it's User Manual? They are on-line in the folder "NCSA Telnet" on the "ECN Public" Mac file server described on page 12. NCSA Telnet is in the public domain and can be copied freely; therefore, you may be able to get a copy from Macintosh users in your area, or you can send me a floppy and I'll be happy to copy it for you.

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