Hi, Paul.

PE> PE> What an interesting life.  I almost replied telling you everything was
PE> in
PE> PE> order (basically I didn't believe you, and I had checked and another
PE> point
PE> PE> [besides me] also received the message from Dave), and I was going to
PE> ask
PE> PE> you to send me 0000ffe4.sa0 that I sent you, so that I could have a loo
PE> fo
PE> PE> myself.  I checked my logs, and I didn't send you a 0000fffe4.sa0.  I
PE> didn'
PE> PE> send you a file for Saturday.  I haven't sent you a file for Saturday
PE> since
PE> PE> 30 Sep 95.  The reason for this is most likely because your zmodem sent
PE> a
PE> PE> skip command shortly after 30 Sep 95 (probably because you ran out of
PE> disk
PE> PE> space), and that's the way Binkley works.  So every week, since late
PE> '95, I
PE> PE> have been appending to that file, and you have not been getting it. I
PE> have
PE> PE> now manually added that file (and another in the same boat).

PE> FM> Can you explain the above to me? Things like "skip command"

PE> The zmodem file transfer protocol allows multiple files to be sent.  The
PE> sender says "here's a file, what position do you want to start sending
PE> from", and the receiver can reply "0", or
"5000", or "skip this file".

OK. I didn't know about the skip possibility.

PE> FM> and "Binkley works like that"

PE> On receipt of the skip command, rather than say "oh, they obviously don't
PE> want their mail, I'll delete the file", it instead says OK, I've already
PE> attempted to send it, so delete it from the .HLO file.  But don't delete th
PE> actual file.  That way, data isn't lost, it just isn't sent.

OK.

PE> FM> and why does it persist forever.

PE> No-one ever writes to the .HLO file again.  The archiver utilities assume
PE> that because an archive exists, it's already in the .HLO file, and can be
PE> appended to.  Obviously once you know the problem, solutions exist.

Yes. Thanks.

Regards, fIM.

 * * $1000 reward for finding this man:
@EOT:

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