RTR - RSTS to RSX Transfer ========================== RTR is a small program which provides two facilities. The first is to allow a limited form of copying files from a RSTS disk to an RSX-11M disk, without having to bother with shutting down the RSX-11M system and transferring the files to tape first. The second facility allows the user to examine a (possibly corrupted) RSTS directory structure - in particular allowing him to bypass the MFD in accessing the UFD. For all purposes the RSTS/E disk must be loaded onto a drive on the RSX-11M system, but not mounted. The command then takes the standard form of:- RTR For help on transferring files type HELP RTR TRANSFER. For help on listing a directory type HELP RTR FILE_LIST. For a list of valid switches type HELP RTR SWITCHES. For help on an individual switch type HELP RTR . 2 TRANSFER The format of files as held on a RSTS/E disk are completely different to those on an RSX-11M disk (unless they are RMS files) and, even worse, they are not as well documented. Thus it helps to know what sort of file you are copying before asking RTR to copy it. The format of a copy command is:- RTR = where the input-filespec may contain wildcards in UIC and/or filename the output-filespec may contain just a disk/UIC in which case the input filename(s) are used for the new files, or a filename as well in which case (all) the input file(s) is copied into that filename switches may be any of:- /IM - Transfer in Image Mode /BA - Transfer a BASIC-PLUS file /NM:xxxxxx - Find the UFD specified, but ignore the MFD links. xxxxxx is the UFD password, which enables RTR to find the UFD without going through the MFD links. By default files are transferred as variable-length records, where any linefeed or carriage-return character (or any combination thereof) is regarded as a record terminator. This is OK except for BASIC-PLUS files which use linefeed as a continuation marker, and the /BA switch terminates records only on a valid carriage return/linefeed pair. /IM will simply copy the file block by block, creating an output file of fixed 512. byte records. This mode should be used for RMS-11 files, and the file header should then be tweaked to make the file acceptable to RMS-11. 2 FILE_LIST RSTS/E disks are very fussy about their directory structure, and should one link break are often thereafter unusable from RSTS itself. RTR attempts both to list out RSTS directories, and to circumvent them where possible. The standard command-line for listing a directory is:- RTR where the output-filespec, if given, is where the listing is to be put the input-filespec may contain just a directory (possibly wildcarded) or a filename (possibly wildcarded) as well. valid switches are:- /DI - List out MFD /LI - List out UFD(s) specified /NM:xxxxxx - List out the UFD specified, but ignore the MFD links. xxxxxx is the UFD password, which enables RTR to find the UFD without going through the MFD links. /SP - Spool the output file. 2 SWITCHES Valid switches for RTR are:- /BA - Copy file as BASIC-PLUS program /DI - List out MFD /IM - Copy file in Image Mode /LI - List out UFD /NM:xxxxxx - Ignore MFD links (xxxxxx is UFD password) /SP - Spool output listing file For more help on a given switch type HELP RTR 2 /BA /BA - Copy a BASIC-PLUS file BASIC-PLUS files are held on RSTS/E disks in a very odd format. This switch simply transfers them in a format that can be passed through the BASIC-PLUS-2 Translator Utility (after going through FORMAT first). It simply regards each record of the input file as terminating at a carriage-return/linefeed pair, and passes all other carriage-returns and linefeeds through unchanged. 2 /DI /DI - List the Master File Directory This switch produces a listing of the MFD - that is, a listing of each UFD followed by the password for the UFD. Note that as RSX-11M is an octal system the UFD numbers are output in octal rather than the original decimal. Naturally this will only work if the directory is not corrupt. 2 /IM /IM - Copy a file in Image Mode This switch is used for copying files in Image Mode - i.e. copying the file a block at a time, and creating (as output) a fixed-length 512. byte file. This switch is particularly useful for copying RMS-11 Indexed Files - where most of the control information resides in the first few blocks - but in that case it is vital to update the RSX-11M File Header with the special RMS-11K values (RTR is not yet intelligent enough to do that). 2 /LI /LI - List the files in the UFDs specified This switch is used to produce a listing of the contents of a given UFD or UFDs as specified in the commandline. The listing will be output into a file, if one was specified, or on the terminal otherwise. If the UFD links are corrupt, RTR will list as far as it can and then give up. 2 /NM /NM:xxxxxx - Override MFD links All UFD Headers in the MFD are linked together in a list. Normally the way to find a UFD is to start at the first such link and follow the list through. However a common accident that occurs to a RSTS/E disk is losing one of the MFD blocks, and as the linked list twists and turns from block to block that virtually guarantees that the link will be broken very early on. However, in such cases, most of the UFDs (and their files) are usually intact. If /NM is specified the RTR will simply check each blockette in the MFD in turn looking for one which matches the UFD given in the UFD field, and the password given (xxxxxx) in the password field. The password is required to guard against corruption of the MFD producing a blockette which looks like the desired UFD header. /NM may be used either in a directory listing, or a file transfer, but obviously only when a single UFD is specified. 2 /SP /SP - Spool the Output File This switch requests that the output file be spooled when finished. It is usually used with a directory listing, and is ignored if no output file was specified.