Network Working Group
Request for Comments: 2839
Category: Informational

F. da Cruz
J. Altman
Columbia University
May 2000

Internet Kermit Service

Status of this Memo

This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

ABSTRACT

This document describes a new file transfer service for the Internet based on Telnet Protocol for option negotiation and Kermit Protocol for file transfer and management. The Internet Kermit Service provides access to both authenticated and anonymous users. The use of Kermit protocol over a Telnet connection provides several advantages over FTP, including easy traversal of firewalls, transfers over multiple transports, and security via a combination of supported Telnet authentication and encryption option negotiations, plus significant functional benefits. While this document describes a new service for the Internet, the clients for this service already exist on most platforms in the form of Telnet clients that support the Kermit file transfer protocol. These clients are available not only from Columbia University's Kermit Project but also numerous third parties.

   1. INTRODUCTION ................................................ 2
   2. BACKGROUND .................................................. 3
   2.1. History ................................................... 3
   2.2. Motivation ................................................ 4
   3. THE INTERNET KERMIT SERVICE MODEL ........................... 7
   3.1. Server-Side Kermit Server ................................. 7
   3.2. Client-Side Kermit Server ................................. 8
   3.3. Loosely Coupled Operation ................................. 9
   4. SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS .....................................10
   4.1. AUTHENTICATION ............................................10
   4.1.1. Telnet Authentication ...................................10
   4.1.2. Telnet over TLS option ..................................11
   
   4.1.3. Plaintext Authentication via Kermit REMOTE LOGIN ........11
   4.1.4. Plaintext Authentication via Command Prompt .............11
   4.1.5. Anonymous Login .........................................12
   4.2. ENCRYPTION (PRIVACY) ......................................12
   4.2.1  Telnet Encryption .......................................12
   4.2.2  Telnet Start_TLS ........................................12
   5. SERVICES ....................................................13
   5.1. Features for System Administrators ........................13
   5.2. Features for Users ........................................14
   5.3. User Interface ............................................16
   6. REFERENCES ..................................................18
   7. AUTHORS' ADDRESSES ..........................................19
   8. Full Copyright Statement ....................................20

PREFACE

This document describes an Internet Kermit Service (IKS) which provides an alternative to FTP for the transfer of files. This service is based upon both the TELNET protocol and the Kermit file transfer protocol.

1. INTRODUCTION

The Internet Kermit Service:

Provides direct access to Kermit file transfer and management services without requiring the user to first login to a shell account;

Provides Kermit file transfer and management services to anonymous users;

Provides services to all Telnet clients that support Kermit file transfer protocol via a simple, predictable, scriptable, and well-documented textual interface;

Provides direct and tightly-coupled access to a Kermit server when requested via the Telnet Kermit Option [TKO].

This memo assumes knowledge of Transmission Control Protocol, the Telnet Protocol [TEL], the Kermit File Transfer Protocol [KER,PRF], Telnet Kermit Option [TKO], and the commands and features of Kermit software [CKB,CMG,K95].

The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119 [BCP].

Definitions:

Kermit server: A software program that is ready to accept and act upon commands in the form of well-defined Kermit packets [KER].

Kermit client: A software program that receives requests through its user interface from a human user (or a script or other source) and translates them to command packets, which it sends to a Kermit server, thus initiating a Kermit protocol transaction such as the transfer of one or more files.

2. BACKGROUND

2.1. History

"Kermit" is the name of an extensible platform- and medium- independent file transfer and management protocol [KER,PRF] and of a suite of communications software programs that implement it and integrate it with other communications functions [CMG,CKB,K95].

The Kermit protocol was first developed at Columbia University in New York City in 1981 for transferring files without errors between diverse types of computers over potentially hostile communication links. Since 1981, the Kermit Project at Columbia University has expanded the protocol, developed communications software that implements it upon key platforms, and worked with volunteer programmers at other sites adapting Kermit protocol to other platforms or communication methods. The Kermit Project also serves as the central point of Kermit software development, support, information, and distribution throughout the world.

Kermit software is now available for nearly every computer and operating system in existence. The major features of the most popular Kermit programs are:

Connection establishment and maintenance for a variety of connection methods including direct serial, dialup, TCP/IP, X.25, DECnet, and NETBIOS.

Terminal emulation.

Error-free transfer of both text and binary files, individually or in groups.

Character-set translation during both terminal emulation and text-mode file transfer -- a unique feature of Kermit software.

Remote file management through the client/server protocol.

A powerful and portable scripting language allowing complete automation of any task that can be performed manually.

Kermit's command and script language is consistent across all platforms and communication methods, thus offering a unified method for accomplishing a wide range of communication tasks manually or under script control.

   A single Kermit program combines the functions of many different
   programs such as uucp, cu, tip, telnet, rlogin, ftp, iconv, and
   expect:  it is a Telnet and Rlogin client that can also transfer
   files; it is a file transfer program that can also convert character
   sets; it is a dialout program that can use dialing directories and
   understands country codes and area codes; it is fully scriptable; it
   offers both client/server and interactive modes of operation.  In its
   desktop versions (particularly for DOS, Windows, and OS/2) it offers
   all the features of communications software that are usually lacking
   from Internet client software (key mapping, colors, scrollback, mouse
   functions, printer control, etc)

Kermit software is widely used throughout the academic, government, and corporate spheres, both in the USA and internationally.

In addition to the Kermit software developed and/or distributed by the Kermit Project at Columbia University, hundreds of other software products -- commercial, shareware, and freeware -- also include some level of support for the Kermit protocol. Thus there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of independent and interoperable Kermit protocol implementations based upon the open Kermit protocol specification [KER].

The Internet has formed the primary mechanism by which users and developers of Kermit software have collaborated to produce feature and command sets that continually evolve to meet their needs as technology changes.

2.2. Motivation.

Kermit protocol and software makes connections from one computer to another and transfers data between them. Countless people "live" in Kermit all day long; as a customizable Telnet or Rlogin (or serial communication) client with a wide selection of terminal emulations and convenience features, it is their window onto the Internet.

Others use it in more creative ways, including some that involve key parts of the Internet, e.g. in batch or cron jobs that update news or Web servers or fetch email, or to monitor routers, terminal servers, and hubs and dial pagers when faults are detected. It is used by vendors of telecommunications equipment for remote diagnosis, patching, and updates. Telecom managers often use Kermit scripts to configure PBXs, muxes, routers, or terminal servers. In the world of commerce, Kermit is widely used for financial transactions, EDI, medical claim submission, and so forth. It is used with mobile barcode readers in warehousing and inventory applications. It is found in US Postal Service sorting and scanning equipment. It connects many of the logistics and supply systems throughout the military. It is found in fast-food restaurant cash registers, milling and die-cutting machines, textile looms and cutters, printing presses, and medical diagnostic equipment. It was the communications backbone of the 1994 Brazilian national election -- the largest in history.

And yet there has never been a strong, explicit connection of Kermit with the Internet. In the early years, Kermit acted as a kind of do-it-yourself network, enabling ordinary users to make connections that were not already there, and for some years was the predominant method of connecting a personal computer to the ARPAnet (e.g. by dialing a TAC).

Nowadays, however, with so many of the world's computers on the Internet, the role of Kermit software and protocol is changing. Kermit users on the network would like to have the features, functions, and interface they are accustomed to -- especially the automation features -- available for use in settings where presently only tools like FTP are available -- and even more so in situations where standard software like FTP can't be used.

An Internet Kermit Service can fill this role, and augment the data transfer power and flexibility of other Internet applications such as Web browsers:

Like FTP, Kermit provides a service that can be accessed from many different platforms with a consistent set of commands, but unlike FTP, these commands include programming constructions such as variables, arrays, looping and selection mechanisms, and local and remote procedure calls.

Like FTP, Kermit provides both text- and binary-mode data transfer, as well as file management capabilities. But Kermit also offers numerous features lacking from FTP, such as character-set translation, flexible file selection mechanisms, attribute preservation, and so on (see Section 5.3 for a longer list).

Unlike standard FTP, Kermit can transfer data through multiple firewalls, proxies, and network address translators (NATs) on a single port.

Unlike FTP, Kermit can transfer data across a combination of transports (e.g. dial-up to a terminal server and thence to an Internet host).

Authentication and data transfer can take place over secure connections (mutually authenticated and encrypted) using established Telnet authentication and encryption options.

Unlike traditional Kermit use over Telnet, anonymous access is possible, and the considerable overhead of the intervening Telnet server and pseudoterminal service is eliminated.

Until now the primary obstacles to an Internet Kermit Service have been:

   -  Issues of authentication, privacy, and anonymous access.  These
      have been addressed in our implementation, as described Section 4
      of this document.

Issues of coordination and control. A Kermit software program can be in any of several "modes": at its command prompt or menu, awaiting commands from the user; in terminal mode, in which the user's keystrokes are sent to the remote computer or service; or in protocol mode, in which two Kermit programs communicate via well-defined Kermit packets [KER]. Commands or operations valid in one mode do not necessarily work in another. Until now, it has been the user's responsibility to switch modes at one or both ends of the connection as needed. A companion document [TKO] to this one specifies a mechanism to closely couple the client and server via Telnet protocol negotiations, allowing each to know the other's state and to switch to the appropriate mode automatically so a valid and useful relationship obtains at all times.

Lack of a standard TCP port. The "registered" port 1649 was assigned by IANA for this purpose (27 September 1995) and is named "Kermit". (renamed from "Inspect".)

3. THE INTERNET KERMIT SERVICE MODEL

The Internet Kermit Service (IKS) uses a standard Telnet [TEL] connection, in which all Telnet rules apply. Unlike FTP, which requires additional TCP connections, IKS uses a single channel for both signaling and data transfer. The connection is multiplexed via (a) Telnet options, and (b) Kermit protocol messages. This allows existing Telnet clients that also support the Kermit protocol, whether or not they support the Telnet Kermit Option [TKO], to use the IKS and take advantage of all relevant Telnet options including authentication and encryption.

The system Internet services daemon (e.g. inetd) waits for a connection on the Kermit socket (1649) and then starts the IKS on the new connection. The IKS performs the familiar Telnet negotiations including the Telnet Kermit option. Unlike a standard Telnet server, the IKS does not support the ability to present the user with an interactive system shell. The Kermit socket is used only for file transfer and management functions provided by Kermit file transfer protocol and the Kermit script language.

Once the connection is established, the Telnet Kermit Option is negotiated in both directions. The results determine which of the following configurations is used by the Telnet client and Server:

    . Server-side Kermit Server (SKS)
    . Client-side Kermit Server (CKS)
    . No Kermit Server (NKS)

Different procedures and functions apply to each configuration. The configuration may be changed at any time by Telnet Kermit Option subnegotiations, which assure that the Telnet client and server are always in compatible states.

The three configurations are described in the following sections.

3.1. Server-Side Kermit Server

In the Server-Side Kermit Server (SKS) configuration, the Telnet server is the Kermit server and the Telnet client is the Kermit client. This configuration is used when both Telnet client and IKS support the Telnet Kermit Option and the IKS sends WILL KERMIT to the Telnet client and receives DO KERMIT from the Telnet client [TKO].

In this case, the IKS immediately starts a Kermit server and reports this to the Telnet client with a Telnet KERMIT START-SERVER subnegotiation.

The SKS configuration is appropriate when the user wishes to interact only with the Telnet client's commands or menus.

If authentication was not performed with one of the Telnet Authentication Option protocols, the Kermit server rejects all Kermit protocol operations (except REMOTE LOGIN, REMOTE HELP, REMOTE EXIT, BYE, or FINISH -- that is, the ones that request help, that log in, that close the connection, or that change the status of the connection) until:

A Kermit REMOTE LOGIN command successfully authenticates the user;

The login retry limit is reached;

- A Kermit BYE or REMOTE EXIT command is received, which closes the

      connection;

- A Kermit FINISH command or a Telnet KERMIT REQ-KERMIT-STOP: subnegotiation is received to request the IKS exit from Kermit server mode. At this point, the IKS can either exit and close the connection or issue an interactive login prompt, depending on how it was started or configured by the system administrator.

Once the user is authenticated:

- The Telnet client configures itself for Kermit client/server: operation, with itself as the Kermit client, communicating with the server only by Kermit packets, and optionally adjusting its menus or commands to eliminate functions (such as terminal emulation) that make no sense in this context.

- The relationship persists until the Telnet client and IKS agree to: terminate the Kermit server via Kermit protocol commands (BYE, FINISH, or REMOTE EXIT), or by Telnet Kermit Option subnegotiation, or by closing the connection.

3.2. Client-Side Kermit Server

In the Client-Side Kermit Server (CKS) configuration, the Telnet server is the Kermit client, and the Telnet client is the Kermit server. This configuration is used when the IKS has sent WONT KERMIT or SB KERMIT STOP-SERVER, and the Telnet Client has sent WILL KERMIT and SB KERMIT START-SERVER, indicating that it is prepared to accept and process Kermit protocol packets.

In the CKS configuration, the Telnet client assumes the role of Kermit server by virtue of its ability to recognize and process Kermit protocol packets in its terminal emulator. Thus the Telnet client must not send WILL KERMIT or the KERMIT START-SERVER subnegotiation unless its terminal emulator is capable of recognizing Kermit packets.

If the IKS is at top command level (as opposed to executing a script), or when it reaches top level after finishing a script, it issues its interactive command prompt.

At this point, the user may type commands or send scripted commands to the IKS command prompt. When a data-transfer command (such as SEND) is issued by the user at the IKS prompt, a Kermit packet is transmitted and recognized by the Telnet client, causing it to automatically perform the requested action (e.g. receive a file), and then resume its previous mode (terminal emulation or script execution) when the data transfer is complete.

Thus, in the CKS configuration, data transfers are initiated by the IKS rather than by the Telnet client. This configuration is useful when the user prefers the command interface or repertoire of the server to that of the client.

If the IKS sends a Telnet KERMIT START-SERVER subnegotiation, the relationship switches automatically to Server-Side Kermit Server (Section 3.1), in which the Telnet client is the Kermit client and the Telnet server is the Kermit server.

If the Telnet client sends a KERMIT STOP-SERVER subnegotiation, the connection switches to No Kermit Server (Section 3.3) and the IKS issues its command prompt. At this point, neither side is a Kermit server, and both sides may optionally disable Kermit protocol commands. Subsequent user action can designate one side or the other as the Kermit server, as desired.

3.3. No Kermit Server

If both Telnet client and IKS send WONT KERMIT or SB KERMIT STOP- SERVER, or if the Kermit client and server are connected across multiple hosts or transports, thus precluding end-to-end Telnet negotiation, a Kermit server is not known to be available. In the KERMIT STOP-SERVER case, the Kermit partners can later switch back to SKS or CKS, but in the other two cases, there is no such signaling and loose coupling characterizes the entire session.

In the No Kermit Server (NKS) configuration, the IKS presents a command prompt to the Telnet client. As in the Client-Side Kermit Server configuration, plain-text commands are issued to the IKS.

In the loosely coupled NKS configuration, the Telnet client does not know the state of the Telnet server, and so can not automatically adjust its commands and menus to present only valid choices, or automatically change its state to complement the server's; it is the user's responsibility to assure that the "mode" (command prompt, terminal emulation, server command wait) of each Kermit partner is appropriate for each action. Thus an Internet Kermit Server appears as an ordinary remote Kermit program to any Telnet client that does not implement the Telnet Kermit Option, or in which this feature is disabled or can not be used.

The NKS configuration allows successful manual operation of the IKS through Telnet clients that do not support the Telnet Kermit Option. The Telnet client might or might not support Kermit "autodownload" and "autoupload"; if it does not, then the user is forced to manually issue command on both sides of the connection in the traditional and familiar manner [CKB,CMG,K95].

4. SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS

4.1. AUTHENTICATION

Authentication is provided via one or more of the following methods:

    - The Telnet AUTHENTICATION option;
    
    - The Telnet START_TLS option;

Plaintext userid/password verification.

4.1.1. Telnet Authentication option

The use of one of the many Telnet authentication option methods removes the need to transmit passwords in plaintext across public networks. In addition, the exchange of user authentication information often provides a shared secret that can be used with the Telnet Encryption Option protocols to encrypt the connection in one or both directions.

Telnet authentication may also be used in conjunction with the Telnet START_TLS option to negotiate end user identity over the encrypted and host authenticated TLS channel.

The IKS currently supports Kerberos 4, Kerberos 5, Secure Remote Password and Microsoft NTLM authentication methods via the Telnet AUTH option.

4.1.2. Telnet over TLS option

The Telnet START_TLS option provides for the negotiation and establishment of a TLS version 1 session after the initial telnet connection. The TLS connection provides host to client authentication via the use of X.509 certificate chains. TLS also supports optional client to host authentication using host verified X.509 certificates which may be used to authenticate a userid provided by the client or be mapped to a userid based upon properties of the certificate.

4.1.3. Plaintext Authentication via Kermit REMOTE LOGIN

In the Server-Side Kermit Server configuration, if the client is not yet authenticated, the client must log in using a REMOTE LOGIN command, in which a Kermit packet containing user ID and password in clear text is sent from the Telnet client to the Telnet server, which then calls upon local mechanisms to authenticate the user. Any packets other than login (or REMOTE HELP, REMOTE EXIT, FINISH, or BYE) packets are rejected (returned with an error message) until the user is authenticated. If the number of unsuccessful login attempts exceeds the limit, the connection is closed. Many Kermit client programs support this login method already.

This method should be avoided whenever possible. If plaintext passwords are used, they should only be sent after the Telnet START- TLS option has been negotiated (see 4.2.2). Otherwise, passwords are open to packet sniffing.

4.1.4. Plaintext Authentication via Command Prompt

In the Client-Side Kermit Server and No Kermit Server configurations, the server presents the user with a plain-text interactive interface that begins with the server issuing "Username:" and "Password:" prompts, just as if the user were logging in to a multiuser timesharing system such as VMS or UNIX. When a password is not required an empty response can be given. Invalid username-password combinations result in a new series of prompts up to the login retry limit, and then disconnection.

4.1.5. Anonymous Login

When the username is "anonymous" or "ftp", the IKS behaves like an anonymous ftp server, in a manner appropriate to the underlying platform. In UNIX, for example, access is restricted to a designated area of the file system. A password might or might not be required, according to the preference of the site administrator.

If privacy is desired the Telnet START-TLS option should be used (see 4.2.2).

4.2. ENCRYPTION (PRIVACY)

As the Internet becomes ever more public and susceptible to eavesdropping, it becomes increasingly necessary to provide methods for private access to services. Telnet provides two such mechanisms:

. Telnet Encryption option
. Telnet START-TLS option

4.2.1. Telnet Encryption option

The Telnet Encryption option, although it has never achieved RFC status, has been used for years in conjunction with the Telnet Auth option in Telnet clients and servers that support Kerberos 4, Kerberos 5, Secure Remote Password, and others. The IKS currently supports the following encryption methods under the Telnet Encryption option:

    .  cast128_ofb64
    .  cast5_40_ofb64
    .  des_ofb64
    .  cast128_cfb64
    .  cast5_40_cfb64
    .  des_cfb64

4.2.2. Telnet over TLS option

Transport Layer Security (TLS), the successor to Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), provides methods to implement Server authentication, Client authentication, and Transport Layer encryption. Unlike Telnet Encryption, Start-TLS does not require the use of Telnet Authentication in order to provide a private channel. This means that it can be used in conjunction with plaintext passwords and anonymous connections.

5. SERVICES

The Internet Kermit Service includes features for both users and system administrators. The IKS is incorporated into the 7.0 release of Columbia University's C-Kermit software, which is the "master" Kermit software program in terms of features and command language. An overview of C-Kermit can be found at:

     http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckermit.html
     http://www.kermit-project.org/ckermit.html

When C-Kermit is employed as an Internet Kermit Service, it may offer all its functions to "real" users (those who are authenticated as specific users), and a safe subset of its functions to anonymous users.

The Internet Kermit Service resembles an FTP server in that it performs its own authentication and uses a well-defined protocol to communicate with its client, but differs from the FTP server by also offering (at the system manager's discretion) an interactive user interface to the Telnet client when it is in terminal mode. It also differs from FTP in restricting all protocol messages and data transfer to a single socket connection.

An IKS has been deployed at Columbia University for worldwide public access to the Kermit FTP site:

     telnet://kermit.columbia.edu:1649/
     telnet://ftp.kermit-project.org:1649/

5.1. Features for System Administrators

The system administrator can supply IKS configuration parameters as command-line options or in a configuration file, or both in combination. Such parameters include:

. Whether anonymous logins are allowed.

. The file system or root directory to which anonymous users are: restricted.

. Specification of permissions and other attributes to be assigned: to files uploaded by anonymous users.

. Whether to make session entries in system logs.

. Specific services to disable: reception of files, sending of: files, sending of email, printing, changing of directories, getting directory listings, deleting files, etc (see next section).

. Whether access to the interactive command prompt is allowed.

5.2. Features for Users

The IKS supports a wide range of services, including, but not limited to, the following:

. Authentication as a real user or anonymously.

. Transmission of files to which read access is allowed.

. Reception of files into directories or devices to which write: access is allowed.

. The ability to display a file on the client's screen.

. Ability to list files.

. Ability to change its working (default) directory.

. Ability to delete files to which write or delete access is: allowed.

. Ability to rename and copy files

. Ability to create and remove directories.

. The ability to route received files to a specified printer, or to: send them as email to a specified address list.

. Client control of server parameter settings, within limits: established by the server system administrator.

. Transmission of variables from client to server or vice versa.

. Remote and local script execution.

. Remote and local procedure execution.

File transfer features include:

. Kermit text-mode transfers incorporate not only record-format

      conversion, but also character-set translation;

. Kermit can switch automatically between text and binary mode on a: per-file basis when sending groups of files.

. A selection of file collision options, including "make backup copy: of existing file and accept incoming file", "reject incoming file", "accept incoming file only if newer than existing file", etc.

. Numerous methods for selecting the files to be transferred,: including pattern matching, lists of filenames (or patterns), exception lists, date and/or size ranges, etc.

. Filename conversion and file renaming.

. Automatic directory creation if elected and enabled.

. Standard mechanisms for directory traversal, allowing transmission: of entire directory trees or other file hierarchies even between unlike file systems such as VMS, UNIX, and Windows.

. Atomic file movement: optionally, the source file can be deleted: (or renamed, or moved) when and only when it has been transferred successfully.

. Kermit can retain file attributes including time stamps and: permissions (at the user's or system administrator's discretion), even between unlike platforms;

. Recovery of interrupted transfers from the point of failure.

. File-transfer pipes and filters.

Script programming features include:

. Macros with parameter substitution.

. Built-in and user-defined variables and arrays, with global or: local scope.

. Built-in and user-defined functions. Built-in functions include:

- String functions
- Arithmetic functions
- Date / time functions
- File functions

. Input search for multiple simultaneous targets.

. IF-ELSE, WHILE, FOR, SWITCH, GOTO, C-like block structure.

. Every command returns a completion status that may be tested and: used as a basis for subsequent actions.

5.3. User Interface

The Internet Kermit Service uses the Kermit command and script language, as implemented in Columbia University's C-Kermit communication software [CKB]. This program and its command language are portable to all known varieties of UNIX, as well as to Windows 95/98/NT, OS/2, Digital (Open)VMS, Stratus VOS, Data General AOS/VS, Plan 9, OS-9, QNX, the Commodore Amiga, and other platforms. The C-Kermit command language is a superset of that of other Kermit software programs including MS-DOS Kermit for DOS and Windows 3.x, IBM Mainframe Kermit for VM/CMS, MVS/TSO, CICS, and MUSIC, PDP-11 Kermit for RT-11, RSTS/E, RSX-11, and IAS, and dozens of other Kermit programs.

It is far beyond the scope of this document to enumerate, let alone describe, the commands and services of C-Kermit; this is the subject of a 600-page book [CKB], augmented by hundreds of pages of online material. A brief overview is included here.

Commands are based on English words. There is no plan at present to support other natural languages (Italian, Portuguese, Norwegian, Russian, Hebrew, Japanese, Cherokee, etc) as alternative bases for command words, since this would reduce the portability of scripts. However, since the command language includes a macro capability, macros may be defined to provide selected commands in different languages if desired.

Certain commands can apply either locally or remotely, for example "CD" (Change Directory). The convention is to prefix the command with the word REMOTE if it is to apply remotely. Example: "cd foo" changes to the "foo" directory on the computer where the command was given; "remote cd foo" sends a Kermit packet to the Kermit server requesting it to change its directory to "foo". The commands in this category include:

     ASSIGN <variable> <value>      Assign a value to a variable.
     CD <directory>                 Change working directory.
     COPY <files> <destination>     Copy file(s)
     DELETE <files>                 Delete file(s)
     DIRECTORY [ <pattern> ]        List file(s)
     EXIT                           Exit
     HELP [ <topic-or-command> ]    Display help text
     MKDIR <directory>              Create a directory
     PRINT <files>                  Print file(s)
     PWD                            Print working directory
     RENAME <old> <new>             Rename file(s)
     RMDIR <directory>              Remove a directory
     SET <parameter> <value>        Change a parameter's value
     TYPE <file>                    Display the contents of a file

As a convenience, REMOTE commands also have short synonyms: RASSIGN, RCD, RCOPY, RDELETE, and so forth.

The basic file transfer commands are:

     SEND [ modifiers ] <files>    Send file(s) (to server)
     GET [ modifiers ] <files>     Get file(s) (from server)

These commands take a file name, pattern, or list, plus various optional modifiers, including transfer mode specifiers (text, binary), file selectors (date, size, exception list), aliasing, name and path options, disposition specifiers, and so on.

In addition to the commands listed above, the following commands are sent by the client to the server:

     REMOTE QUERY                   Get value of variable or procedure
     BYE                            Log out and close the connection
     FINISH                         Request the server leave server mode

Like all Kermit client/server commands, these can be disabled if desired.

Of course there are numerous other commands with purely local effect, such as the many scripting commands. These, plus all the commands above, are fully documented in [CKB]. The repertoire grows over time, but never in a way that invalidates existing scripts.

The system administrator can allow or forbid access to any of these features, and to the command language as a whole. In the latter case, the IKS may be accessed only as a Kermit server, by giving commands to the client.

6. REFERENCES

   [TKO] Altman, J. and F. da Cruz, "Telnet Kermit Option", RFC 2840,
         May 2000.
   
   [BCP] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement
         Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
   
   [KER] da Cruz, Frank, "Kermit, A File Transfer Protocol", Digital
         Press/ Butterworth Heinemann, Newton, MA (1987).  379 pages,
         ISBN 0-932376-88-6.
   
   [CKB] da Cruz, Frank, and Christine M. Gianone, "Using C-Kermit",
         Second Edition, Digital Press / Butterworth-Heinemann, Woburn,
         MA (1997).  622 pages, ISBN 1-55558-164-1.
   
   [CMG] Gianone, Christine M., "Using MS-DOS Kermit", Second Edition,
         Digital Press / Butterworth-Heinemann, Woburn, MA (1992). 345
         pages, ISBN 1-55558-082-3.
   
   [K95] Gianone, Christine M., and Frank da Cruz, "Kermit 95", Manning
         Publications, Greenwich CT, (1996). 88 pages, ISBN 1-884777-
         14-7.
   
   [PRF] Huggins, James K., "Kermit Protocol - Formal Specification and
         Verification", in Boerger, E., "Specification and Validation
         Methods", Oxford University Press (1995).  ISBN 0-19-853854-5.
   
   [FTP] Postel, J. and J. Reynolds, "File Transfer Protocol (FTP)", STD
         9, RFC 959, October 1985.
   
   [TEL] Postel, J. and J. Reynolds, "Telnet Protocol Specification",
         STD 8, RFC854, May 1983, et seq.; "Telnet Option
         Specification", STD 8, RFC855, May 1983, et seq.

[IAN] Internet Assigned Numbers Authority:

         http://www.iana.org/numbers.html
         http://www.iana.org/assignment/port-numbers

7. AUTHORS' ADDRESSES

   Frank da Cruz

EMail:

          fdc@columbia.edu
   
   Jeffrey E. Altman
   
   EMail:jaltman@columbia.edu
   
   The Kermit Project
   Columbia University
   612 West 115th Street
   New York NY 10025-7799
   USA
   http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/
   http://www.kermit-project.org/

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