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baslinux - copying large files via floppy (was: [BL] Direct dialup connection)

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  • From: Mike Dinolfo <mdinolfo AT erols.com>
  • To: baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: copying large files via floppy (was: [BL] Direct dialup connection)
  • Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 09:16:45 -0500

A suggested method for copying large files (over 1.44 Mb) via floppy is described below:

baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org wrote:

Sindi wrote:


I am able to use Kermit with ramdisk BL2 and I am dialed into my bbs with it right now (and telnetted to another computer from there since I cannot get the mail list mail at my usual bbs email address due to timeouts).

I copied kermit to /tmp after loading bl2. If your computer has at least 8M RAM there is an additional 4M of ramdisk created and kermit is only 2M so it fit easily. If you have only 4M RAM you are out of luck but minicom is about 250K .tgz and you might be able to copy just the binary.


My computer, a P166, has 84 megabytes of RAM

I can't copy a two megabyte file from a floppy drive to my ramdrive because my floppy drive holds only up to 1.44 megabytes of data.


This does not deal with the specific issue of copying files to ramdisk (I'm not exactly sure what you mean), but:

One method that you can use to transfer large files (over 1.44 Mb) via floppy (provided that the source machine is running linux) is as follows:

Say you've got a 3.5 Mb file named xxx.zzz on machine "source" that you want to duplicate on machine "target", with only floppies available to do the job.

With the linix (or unix) command "dd" you can selectively copy portions of the original file on "source" (with each portion less than 1.44 Mb, so it will fit on a floppy) and transfer the individual portions (via floppy) to "target", then add the individual portions back together to reconstruct a copy of the original file.

Procedure (for the sample 3.5 Mb file):

For the 3.5 MB file described above, on the source machine, type the
following command:

dd if=xxx.zzz bs=1k count=1400 of=x0.zzz

This command copies the initial portion of source file xxx.zzz (about 1.4 Mb, slightly smaller than will fit onto a floppy) to a new file called x0.zzz. Using a floppy, transfer the x0.zzz file to the target machine.

Then run

dd if=xxx.zzz bs=1k count=1400 skip=1400 of=x1.zzz

and

dd if=xxx.zzz bs=1k count=1400 skip=2800 of=x2.zzz

This creates two more files. Taken together, the contents of the three files you have created includes the contents of the original source file; you will notice that the sum of the bytes for x0.zzz + x1.zzz + x2.zzz equals the byte total for the original (still intact) xxx.zzz file.

(Of course, this method is described for a 3.5 Mb source file. If your source file is larger or smaller, additional or fewer "chunk" files will result.)

Continuing...

Just like you did for the x0.zzz file, move a copy of the x1.zzz and x2.zzz file to the target machine.

Then, on the target linix machine, enter the following commands:

cat x0.zzz > xxx.zzz
cat x1.zzz >> xxx.zzz
cat x2.zzz >> xxx.zzz

And you will have reconstructed the original xxx.zzz file on the target machine.

If the target machine is running DOS, the file can similarly be reconstructed using

copy x0.zzz /b + x1.zzz /b + x2.zzz /b xxx.zzz

This procedure can be extended to any large file.


I have heard that there is a way to format a floppy drive for linux so that it can hold a lot more data than just 1.44 M.

I haven't yet learned how to copy stuff from my hard drive to my ramdrive. I haven't yet even tried to learn how do that. I'm afraid to try it without knowing what I'm doing. I sure don't want
to mess up my hard drive.


Kermit also telnets and ftps and does file transfers and fetches files from the web and maybe other tricks as well. I use it to read Russian online after loading a VGA screen font. Type 'reset' after exiting kermit or less won't display anything at all.
kermit (you get a prompt)
then, to dial:
set line /dev/ttyS1 for com2
set speed 115200 for a modem at least 28K
dial 2345678 the phone number

C to connect; Ctl-\, C to get back to kermit.

Or instead of dialing, type ftp or telnet and the URL to go to.


Thanks for the info. I have heard that Kermit is a fine program. I have never yet tried to run any version of it.

Sam Heywood -- Message handled by BasicLinux, v. 2.1 -- See "http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/baslinux/";

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