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I guess I'm at least as bad as anyone else about documentation. There are comments in the sample files, GOPHERD FILELIST and such.

The package, including both client (GOPHERC) and server (GOPHERD) is available in several forms, any one of which contains all you need:

GOPHER23 CARDDUMP -- Cornell 'CARD' format GOPHER23 TAR -- Rice CMS TAR format (UNIX 'tar' compatible) GOPHER23 READCARD -- punch it to yourself and run READCARD GOPHER23 PACKAGE -- available via LISTSERV

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Setting up the client (user end):

Really there's not much to it. Just have GOPHER EXEC on an ACCESSed disk and the rest of the package on some other, or the same, disk. GOPHER EXEC is site-tailorable and calls GOPHERC EXEC, the real code. Here at Rice, we put most applications on their own minidisk (makes maintenance easier, for us anyway), and our GOPHER EXEC checks for the existence of GOPHERC EXEC and does a LINK and ACCESS of the right product disk(s) iff needed.

Setting up the server:

CMS Gopher server "directories" are defined by FILELIST files. FILELISTs within FILELISTs define sub-directories. The "root" is typically <userid> FILELIST, where <userid> is the VM userid of the server virtual machine, usually GOPHERD.

Everything after the filemode (third word, presently ignored, BTW) is considered a "relative path" and concatenated onto the end of the path to the directory (FILELIST) which lists the file. This path is the "name" that the client displays, unless the name is overridden in a NAMES file (or if the file is a GOPHER (link) file). The filename (first word) must be preceeded by at least one blank space in the FILELIST. An asterisk in column one defines a comment in the FILELIST. (just like a standard CMS FILELIST, so you can in fact use a Gopher FILELIST as input to CMS' FILELIST EXEC)

A GOPHER file (filetype GOPHER) is a "link" to another Gopher server. The contents of a GOPHER (link) file are the same as for a UNIX Gopher link file, of the form:

name=Rice University CMS Gopher server host=RICEVM1.RICE.EDU port=70 path=1/ type=1

A NAMES file may accompany any FILELIST file, providing overrides to the default "type" and "name" values sent to the client(s). The NAMES file is also where pipeline specifications are defined, if any, for each file.

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There is a discussion list, VMGOPHER@PUCC.Princeton.EDU.

There is another CMS Gopher (both server and client), sometimes called "the Vienna Gopher", available from Gerhard Gonter <GONTER@AWIWUW11>.

From: WTS@MAINE.MAINE.EDU (Wayne Smith)

The basics, documents and FILELIST menus, is fairly easy to grasp, but the relationship of a NAMES file and its entries to a FILELIST file and its entries is not at all evident to the poor soul that just wants to provide an information service without much time invested (I.e., without subscribing to VMGOPHER).

A: The easiest way to start is just name some plain-text files in GOPHERD FILELIST (which are available to your GOPHERD service machine on an accessed disk or SFS directory). Then try some "links" (filetype GOPHER) and sub-menus (filetype FILELIST). Then try some overrides (with a NAMES file for the FILELIST to be overridden).

It has been suggested that the whole thing be consolidated: from FILELIST/GOPHER/NAMES, just have NAMES files. In the long run, this will probably work. It's almost possible now, but still, many may find FILELISTs easier to understand.

Q: How to I point to another server/menu? A: The easiest way is with a "link" file (filetype GOPHER). When a link file shows-up in any FILELIST, the contents of that file are read and the information specified is presented to the client for that particular menu item.

Q: How does a GOPHER file differ from a "link" in a NAMES file? A: The NAMES file is far more extensive. With CMS GopherD, you don't use "link" files to override the characteristics of other files in the menu (as you would with a UNIX server). With CMS GopherD, GOPHER (link) files are exclusively used to reference other network (usually non-local) resources, while the NAMES file may apply to files which reside on your system and/or "links" or remote services which are mearly listed locally.

Q: Some folks have made it seem that their GOPHER server files are free for the taking ... is there a GOPHER feature to pull these in? A: To "receive" an item, press PF5. The receive function will not overwrite an existing file (though you can still view & SAVE from XEDIT).

Q: GOPHERD should document DISKWRIT in the prolog. A: GOPHERD uses DISKWRIT to perform the same "reaccess" trick GONE EXEC does when you reconnect. If disks appear to have changed, they are reACCESSed so that GopherD has the latest revision of any files on said minidisks.

Q: Why are the "STANDARD" translate-table files provided? Are these for use with the server? A: The default ASCII<--->EBCDIC translation in VM TCP/IP (FAL) is not 100% correct for the majority of the VM/UNIX/VMS/DOS/Mac world we live in. STANDARD TCPXLATE and TCPXLBIN provide a 1-for-1 translation between de-facto "network EBCDIC" (codepage 1047) and "extended ASCII" (ISO 8859-1).

Q: If PhoneBk and Search are available, how do we use them? A: Presently, CMS GopherD does not support PhoneBk and Search engines. The client (GOPHERC) is happy to utilize such servers on other hosts.

Q: Some GOPHERs restrict access or output to some clients; how? A: Specify an "auth" value in the NAMES file. The tag :auth. allows for control over any object in a menu (defined by a FILELIST and/or NAMES file), even the menu itself.

Q: Is there anything different about your RXSOCKET? A: RXSOCKET was created by Arty Ecock. He maintains it. Rice doesn't have any mods to RXSOCKET, and Gopher doesn't need any special treatment from RXSOCKET. If you find an RXSOCKET packaged with CMS Gopher to be out-of-date, by all means, use the current one or get the latest from Arty.

If you pick-up RXSOCKET MODULE from a UNIX FTP host, you must "deblock" it back into its CMS form (record oriented) with:

PIPE DISK RXSOCKET U-MODULE | DEBLOCK CMS | DISK RXSOCKET MODULE

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Thanks:

Yossie Silverman, Jim Gerland, Arty Ecock, Serge Goldstein, Chuck Boeheim, Wayne Smith,

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Files associated with CMS Gopher 2.3:

GOPHER23 README this file GOPHER23 FILELIST list of all files in the package GOPHER23 NAMES overrides; not needed

client: GOPHER EXEC "wrapper"; locally configured GOPHERC EXEC main client code GOPHERC REXX TCP/IP support pipeline stage GVM EXEC used by "DIALed Gopher" service v-machine GVM DIRECT definition of the DIALed Gopher SVM

server: GOPHERD EXEC TCP/IP server GOPHERD REXX main GopherD code as a pipeline stage GOPHERDM REXX menu-builder pipeline stage

support: EXPAND REXX used by GOPHERC EXEC to expand tab characters DROPDOTS REXX used by GOPHERC EXEC to remove trailing lines containing just a period PRINT REXX used by GOPHERC EXEC to print files viewed A2E REXX used by both (client and server) E2A REXX " to translate between ASCII and EBCDIC RXSOCKET MODULE used by both (client and server) to communicate via TCP/IP TCPA2E REXX same as A2E, but reads STANDARD TCPXLBIN TCPE2A REXX same as E2A, but reads STANDARD TCPXLBIN STANDARD TCPXLATE ideal ASCII/EBCDIC translation source STANDARD TCPXLBIN converted (binary) table from source above Note that GOPHERC REXX has an option, "(TRANSLATE", which makes it speak EBCDIC so that your own home-grown clients need not handle translation (you could toss A2E and E2A)

help files for client (user): GOPHER HELPCMS BROWSER HELPGOPHER VIEW HELPGOPHER FIND HELPGOPHER LOOKUP HELPGOPHER SEARCH HELPGOPHER BOOKMARK HELPGOPHER BOOKLIST HELPGOPHER

serving CMS HELP via Gopher: HELP NAMES defines the "help" Gopher directory put HELP FILELIST into some other FILELIST (notice, no real FILELIST in this case) HELPPIPE REXX pipeline stage for all Gopher-ized CMS HELP HELPTASK REXX pipeline stage for handling CMS HELP TASKs HELPMENU REXX pipeline stage for handling CMS HELP MENUs

general information: GOPHER PROTOCOL