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rfc:rfc409

Network Working Group J. White Request for Comments: 409 SRI-ARC NIC: 12401 8 December 1972 Related RFCs: 122, 399

        TENEX Interface To UCSB's Simple-Minded File System

I. PREFACE

 A subsystem for TENEX called SMFS has been written to interface
 ARPANET TENEX users to the Simple-Minded File System at UCSB-MOD75
 (see NIC 5834 / RFC 122 and NIC 11917 / RFC 399).  The Simple-Minded
 File System is a resident server process at UCSB which currently
 manages approximately 10K pages of on-line, direct-access storage.
 Using the simple command language or the subsystem here described,
 the user can transfer files to and from UCSB, and delete and rename
 them while they reside at Santa Barbara.  Files stored at UCSB may be
 read and/or write protected, and a file archived to UCSB from the
 TENEX system can be retrieved from another.
 This document is intended to provide users with the information
 necessary to use SMFS from a terminal; the reader is assumed familiar
 with TENEX.
 SMFS is currently installed at SRI-ARC (note in particular that the
 ARC EXEC WILL NOT give the user any 'GENERAL SUBSYSTEMS NOT AVAILABLE
 FOR NIC USE' flack about invoking SMFS).
 Copies of the source file are available upon request from the NIC.
 Bug reports and comments upon the code and documentation are
 solicited by the author, and may be sent to JEW through the Journal.

II. LIMITATIONS

 SMFS can archive at Santa Barbara any file resident in a TENEX file
 system except:
    (1) Long files (in the strict, TENEX sense), and
    (2) Files whose directory name, filename, or extension contains
        other than alphameric characters, or whose combined length
        exceeds 32 characters (this limitation arises because of
        naming restrictions imposed at UCSB).

White [Page 1] RFC 409 TENEX INTERFACE TO SIMPLE-MINDED FILE SYSTEM December 1972

III. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

 SMFs is invoked like any other subsystem --- by typing its name
 followed by a carriage return (CR).  SMFS responds with the herald
 'UCSB Archival System (ver n date)' followed by its prompt character
 '#'.  Whenever SMFS types its prompt character, it expects the user
 to respond with a command ('?' will generate a list of all valid
 commands).
 The user selects a command by typing its first letter (here and
 throughout the exchange, upper- and lower-case alphabetics are
 interchangeable).  SMFS acknowledges a command it recognizes by
 typing the remaining characters of the keyword, and rejects those it
 doesn't by typing '?'.
 If the command requires arguments, SMFS prompts the user for each one
 in turn by describing it in parentheses.  If the argument is a
 keyword, SMFS will list the set of alternatives (separated by
 slashes).  The user selects one by typing its first letter.  Again,
 SMFS acknowledges a valid selection by completing it; if the user's
 response is in error, SMFS prompts for the parameter a second time.
 If the argument is not a keyword (e.g., a filename), the user enters
 an appropriate character string terminated by a CR.  Commands with no
 predicate are simply confirmed by the user with a CR.
 Entering the last argument initiates execution of the command.  In
 most cases, successfully executed commands illicit no explicit
 response (SMFS simply prompts for the next command).  Unsuccessful
 commands illicit a diagnostic.

IV. COMMAND EDITING

 Anytime a character string is called for, the following editing
 features are available to the user:
    control-A     deletes the previous character
    control-X     deletes the entire string
    Control-R     retypes the string
 Anytime a filename (see Section V) is called for, the following
 additional editing features are available:
    control-W     deletes the current field
    control-F     recognizes the current field
    ESC           recognizes all remaining fields
 Control-O aborts a command during specification or execution (some
 commands cannot be aborted once the final CR has been typed).

White [Page 2] RFC 409 TENEX INTERFACE TO SIMPLE-MINDED FILE SYSTEM December 1972

V. FILE SPECIFICATION

 Whenever SMFS solicits a filename from the user, either of the
 following is acceptable:
    (1) hostname  :  filename
        'Hostname' is a standard host name or decimal host address
        identifying the host to which the file at UCSB belongs (to
        distinguish, for example, the directory <SUBSYS> at SRI-ARC
        from the directory <SUBSYS> at USC-ISI).
        If unspecified, the host name defaults to that of the TENEX
        system from which SMFS is invoked (and in this case the
        delimiting ':' must be dropped).
        Note that 'hostname' need be specified only in connection with
        inter-TENEX file transfers, and CANNOT be specified as part of
        the local filename in a MOVE or COPY command.
        'Filename' is a standard TENEX filename (subject to the
        constraints of Section II).
        If no directory is specified, that to which the user is
        currently connected is taken as the default.
        If name, extension, or version number is left unspecified, it
        defaults to the one most recently specified.
    (2) ESC (i.e.,  Altmode)
        ESC in this context denotes the most recent file
        specification, which SMFS will retype for the user.

VI. SYNTAX CONVENTIONS

 In the description which follows, the following syntax conventions
 are employed:
    Characters which must be entered literally by the user are
    represented in upper-case (although they may be either in upper-
    or lower-case when typed by the user).
    Variables (like filenames) which must be entered by the user are
    represented by their generic names in lower case (although they
    may be either in upper- or lower-case when typed by the user).

White [Page 3] RFC 409 TENEX INTERFACE TO SIMPLE-MINDED FILE SYSTEM December 1972

    The following special symbols represent control characters entered
    by the user:
       CR  --carriage return or Telnet new-line
       SP  --space
       ESC --alt mode or escape
    Output from the system is distinguished by enclosing it in square
    brackets.
    Whenever an element in the user-system exchange can take more than
    one value, the alternatives are listed vertically in a column.

VII. COMMAND DESCRIPTIONS

A. USER NAME AND ACCOUNT

    UCSB identifies users of its Simple-Minded File System by:
    (1) user name --
        a character string of from one to eight alphameric characters
        of SP, and
    (2) account --
        a character string of from one to four alphameric characters
        or SP.
 SMFS maintains internally a pair of accumulators.  One contains a
 user name, the other an account, each either a character string
 specified explicitly by the user or an SMFS-supplied default (the
 user's TENEX login directory name and 'l', respectively).  Both
 accumulators are set initially to their default values.
 Note:  If the user's login directory name exceeds eight characters in
 length, the user must explicitly supply a user name; no default is
 available.
 Whenever SMFS interacts with the server process at Santa Barbara on
 the user's behalf, it does so with the accounting parameters then in
 the accumulators.

White [Page 4] RFC 409 TENEX INTERFACE TO SIMPLE-MINDED FILE SYSTEM December 1972

 The user sets and inspects the user name and account with the USER
 NAME and ACCOUNT commands:
    U[ser name]
    [[currentusername]]  newusername CR
                         SP [logindirectoryname]
                         CR
    A[ccount]
    [[currentaccount]]   newaccount CR
                         SP [1]
                         CR
 USER NAME and ACCOUNT display and optionally change the contents of
 the user name and account accumulators, respectively:
    If 'newusername' or 'newaccount' is specified, it replaces the
    current contents of the appropriate accumulator.
    If SP is specified, the accumulator is set to the appropriate
    default.
    If CR is typed, the user name or account is left unchanged.

B. COPY

 The COPY command effects the transfer of a copy of a file to or from
 UCSB.  The file which is the source of the copy remains unmodified;
 the user must have read access to it.  The syntax of the command is
 one of the following, depending upon the direction of transfer:
    C[opy]
    [(to/from UCSB] T[o]
    [(file)] localfilespec CR
    [(store as file)] remotefilespec CR
    [(create/replace)] C[reate]
                       R(eplace]
    C[opy]
    [to/from UCSB] F[rom]
    [(file)] remotefilespec CR
    [(store as file)] localfilespec CR
    where 'localfilespec' and 'remotefilespec' are as defined in
    Section V.

White [Page 5] RFC 409 TENEX INTERFACE TO SIMPLE-MINDED FILE SYSTEM December 1972

 Note that a file can effectively be renamed in transit between TENEX
 and UCSB by specifying 'localfilespec' different from
 'remotefilespec'.  The more common  situation is that in which the
 second of the two filespec's is simply ESC.  In 'localfilespec', the
 field-defaulting algorithms of Section V are not applied; the normal
 TENEX defaults are applicable.
 If in a copy to UCSB the user specifies 'create'; SMFS will ignore
 the command (and so inform the user) if a file of the same name
 already exists at UCSB.  If 'replace' is specified, the command will
 be ignored if a file of the same name DOESN'T  already exist at UCSB.
 Also, if 'replace' is specified, the user must have write access to
 the existing file at UCSB.

C. MOVE

 The MOVE command functions like COPY except that the source file for
 the operation is deleted once it has been transferred successfully.
 The user must have both read and write access to the source file.

D. LOCATE

 The LOCATE command verifies the existence of a file at UCSB.  Its
 syntax is
    L[ocate (file)] filespec CR
      [Archived at UCSB]
      [Not Archived at UCSB]
 Neither read nor write access to the designated file is required.
 Note:  LOCATE is the nearest thing to a TENEX DIRECTORY command
 available.  A full DIRECTORY command cannot currently be implemented
 because of restrictions imposed at UCSB.

E. DELETE

 The DELETE command deletes and releases all secondary storage
 assigned to a file previously copied or moved to UCSB:
    D[elete (file)] filespec CR
 The user must have write access to the file at UCSB.

White [Page 6] RFC 409 TENEX INTERFACE TO SIMPLE-MINDED FILE SYSTEM December 1972

F. RENAME

 The RENAME command changes the name of a file residing at UCSB as the
 result of a previous move or copy operation:
    R[ename (file)] filespec CR
    [(new file)] newfilespec CR
 The user must have write access to the file at UCSB, and no file may
 already exist there with the name 'newfilespec'.

G. PASSWORD

 While files reside at UCSB, they may be protected from unauthorized
 access or modification by the assignment of a read and/or write
 password, respectively.  Each is a character string of from one to 36
 alphameric characters or SP.
 SMFS maintains internally a pair of accumulators.  One is always
 either empty or containing a read password, the other empty or
 containing a write password (both accumulators are initially empty).
 Whenever a command issued by the user requires (always implicitly) a
 password(s), the one then contained in the appropriate accumulator is
 applied.  An empty accumulator implies 'no password'.
 The user sets and inspects the two passwords with the PASSWORD
 command:
    P[assword]
    [(read/write)] R[ead]
                   W[rite]
    [[currentpassword]] newpassword CR
                         SP [none]
                         CR
 PASSWORD displays and optionally changes the contents of one of the
 two password accumulators:
    If 'new password' is specified, it replaces the current contents
    of the accumulator.
    If SP is specified, the accumulator is made empty.
    If CR is typed, the password is left unchanged.

White [Page 7] RFC 409 TENEX INTERFACE TO SIMPLE-MINDED FILE SYSTEM December 1972

H. NEWS

 The NEWS command prints at the user's terminal the contents of the
 file:
    SRI-ARC: <SYSTEM >SMFS.NEWS1
 residing at UCSB.  SRI-ARC maintains this file, and as necessary
 places in it information (e.g., command syntax changes) of concern to
 users of UCSB's archiving service.  Should the user, for example,
 have difficulty with any of the commands described in this document,
 NEWS is a good starting point for obtaining help.
 The command has the syntax:
    N[ews] CR
 If the news file is long, SMFS will periodically pause and type
 'Continue?'.  The user may then respond 'N' to halt printout, or 'Y'
 or CR to continue (of course, control-O will abort printout at any
 time).

I. QUIT

 The QUIT command causes SMFS to return to the EXEC:
    Q[uit] CR
      [This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry]
  [into the online RFC archives by Helene Morin, Via Genie 12/99]

White [Page 8]

/data/webs/external/dokuwiki/data/pages/rfc/rfc409.txt · Last modified: 2001/11/08 19:30 by 127.0.0.1

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