


				  - 1 -



		     XMODEM/YMODEM PROTOCOL REFERENCE
		 A compendium of documents describing the

			    XMODEM and YMODEM

			 File Transfer Protocols











			 Edited	by Chuck Forsberg














		 Please	distribute as widely as	possible.

		       Questions to Chuck Forsberg





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		    UUCP: ...!tektronix!reed!omen!caf















				  - 2 -



1.  ROSETTA STONE

Here are some definitions which	reflect	the current vernacular in the
computer media.	 The attempt here is identify the file transfer	protocol
rather than specific programs.

XMODEM	refers to the original 1979 file transfer etiquette introduced by
	Ward Christensen's 1979	MODEM2 program.	 It's also called the
	MODEM or MODEM2	protocol.  Some	who are	unaware	of MODEM7's
	unusual	batch file mode	call it	MODEM7.	 Other aliases include
	"CP/M Users's Group" and "TERM II FTP 3".  This	protocol is
	supported by every serious communications program because of its
	universality, simplicity, and reasonable performance.

XMODEM/CRC replaces XMODEM's 1 byte checksum with a two	byte Cyclical
	Redunancy Check	(CRC-16), giving modern	error detection
	protection.

YMODEM	refers to the XMODEM/CRC protocol with the throughput and/or batch
	transmission enhancements described below.


2.  YET	ANOTHER	PROTOCOL?

Since its development half a decade ago, the Ward Christensen modem
protocol has enabled a wide variety of computer	systems	to interchange
data.  There is	hardly a communications	program	that doesn't at	least
claim to support this protocol.

Recent advances	in computing, modems and networking have revealed a number
of weaknesses in the original protocol:

   + The short block length caused throughput to suffer	when used with
     timesharing systems, packet switched networks, satellite circuits,
     and buffered (error correcting) modems.

   + The 8 bit arithmetic checksum and	other aspects allowed line
     impairments to interfere with dependable, accurate	transfers.

   + Only one file could be sent per command.  The file	name had to be
     given twice, first	to the sending program and then	again to the
     receiving program.

   + The transmitted file could	accumulate as many as 127 extraneous
     bytes.

   + The modification date of the file was lost.

A number of other protocols have been developed	over the years,	but none
have displaced XMODEM to date:




Chapter	2







X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				 3



   + Lack of public domain documentation and example programs have kept
     proprietary protocols such	as MNP,	Blast, and others tightly bound	to
     the fortunes of their suppliers.

   + Complexity	discourages the	widespread application of BISYNC, SDLC,
     HDLC, X.25, and X.PC protocols.

   + Performance compromises and moderate complexity have limited the
     popularity	of the Kermit protocol,	which was developed to allow file
     transfers in environments hostile to XMODEM.

The YMODEM Protocol extensions were developed as a means of addressing the
weaknesses described above while maintaining XMODEM's simplicity as much
as possible.

YMODEM is supported by the public domain programs YAM (CP/M),
YAM(CP/M-86), YAM(CCPM-86), IMP	(CP/M),	KMD (CP/M), MODEM76.ASM	(CP/M),
rb/sb (Unix, VMS, Berkeley Unix, Venix,	Xenix, Coherent, IDRIS,	Regulus)
as well	as Professional-YAM.1 These programs have been in use since 1981.

The 1k packet length capability	described below	may be used in conjunction
with the Batch Protocol, or with single	file transfers identical to the
XMODEM/CRC protocol except for the minimal changes to support 1k packets.

Another	extension is simply called the g option.  It provides maximum
throughput when	used with end to end error correcting media, such as X.PC
and error correcting modems, including the emerging 9600 bps units by
Electronic Vaults and others.

To complete this tome, Ward Christensen's original protocol document and
John Byrns's CRC-16 document are included for reference.

References to the MODEM	or MODEM7 protocol have	been changed to	XMODEM to
accommodate the	vernacular.  In	Australia, it is properly called the
Christensen Portocol.

Watch for an article describing	the YMODEM protocol in a more coherent
fashion	later this year.  The article will include some	interesting
history	on the development of microcomputer file transfers.








__________

 1. Available for IBM PC,XT,AT,	Unix and Xenix




Chapter	2







X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				 4



2.1  Some Messages from	the Pioneer

#: 130940 S0/Communications 25-Apr-85  18:38:47
Sb: my protocol
Fm: Ward Christensen 76703,302 (EDITED)
To: all

Be aware the article2 DID quote	me correctly in	terms of the phrases like
"not robust", etc.

It was a quick hack I threw together, very unplanned (like everything I
do), to	satisfy	a personal need	to communicate with "some other" people.

ONLY the fact that it was done in 8/77,	and that I put it in the public
domain immediately, made it become the standard	that it	is.

I think	its time for me	to

(1) document it; (people call me and say "my product is	going to include
it - what can I	'reference'", or "I'm writing a	paper on it, what do I put
in the bibliography") and

(2) propose an "incremental extension" to it, which might take "exactly"
the form of Chuck Forsberg's YAM protocol.  He wrote YAM in C for CP/M and
put it in the public domain, and wrote a batch protocol	for Unix3 called
rb and sb (receive batch, send batch), which was basically XMODEM with
   (a) a record	0 containing filename date time	and size
   (b) a 1K block size option
   (c) CRC-16.

He did some clever programming to detect false ACK or EOT, but basically
left them the same.

People who suggest I make SIGNIFICANT changes to the protocol, such as
"full duplex", "multiple outstanding blocks", "multiple	destinations", etc
etc don't understand that the incredible simplicity of the protocol is one
of the reasons it survived to this day in as many machines and programs	as
it may be found	in!

Consider the PC-NET group back in '77 or so - documenting to beat the band
- THEY had a protocol, but it was "extremely complex", because it tried	to
be "all	things to all people" -	i.e. send binary files on a 7-bit system,
etc.  I	was not	that "benevolent". I (emphasize	> I < )	had an 8-bit UART,


__________

 2. Infoworld April 29 p. 16

 3. VAX/VMS versions of	these programs are also	available.




Chapter	2







X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				 5



so "my protocol	was an 8-bit protocol",	and I would just say "sorry" to
people who were	held back by 7-bit limitations.	 ...

Block size: Chuck Forsberg created an extension	of my protocol,	called
YAM, which is also supported via his public domain programs for	UNIX
called rb and sb - receive batch and send batch.  They cleverly	send a
"block 0" which	contains the filename, date, time, and size.
Unfortunately, its UNIX	style, and is a	bit weird4 - octal numbers, etc.
BUT, it	is a nice way to overcome the kludgy "echo the chars of	the name"
introduced with	MODEM7.	 Further, chuck	uses CRC-16 and	optional 1K
blocks.	 Thus the record 0, 1K,	and CRC, make it a "pretty slick new
protocol" which	is not significantly different from my own.

Also, there is a catchy	name - YMODEM.	That means to some that	it is the
"next thing after XMODEM", and to others that it is the	Y(am)MODEM
protocol.  I don't want	to emphasize that too much - out of fear that
other mfgrs might think	it is a	"competitive" protocol,	rather than an
"unaffiliated" protocol.  Chuck	is currently selling a much-enhanced
version	of his CP/M-80 C program YAM, calling it Professional Yam, and its
for the	PC - I'm using it right	now.  VERY slick!  32K capture buffer,
script,	scrolling, previously captured text search, plus built-in commands
for just about everything - directory (sorted every which way),	XMODEM,
YMODEM,	KERMIT,	and ASCII file upload/download,	etc.  You can program it
to "behave" with most any system - for example when trying a number for
CIS it detects the "busy" string back from the modem and substitutes a
diff phone # into the dialing string and branches back to try it.



3.  XMODEM PROTOCOL ENHANCEMENTS

This chapter discusses the protocol extensions to Ward Christensen's 1982
XMODEM protocol	description document.

The original document recommends the user be asked whether to continue
trying or abort	after 10 retries.  Most	programs no longer ask the
operator whether he wishes to keep retrying.  Virtually	all correctable
errors are corrected within the	first few retransmissions.  If the line	is
so bad that ten	attempts are insufficient, there is a significant danger
of undetected errors.  If the connection is that bad, it's better to
redial for a better connection,	or mail	a floppy disk.





__________

 4. The	file length, time, and file mode are optional.	The pathname and
    file length	may be sent alone if desired.




Chapter	3				      XMODEM Protocol Enhancements







X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				 6



3.1  Graceful Abort

YAM and	Professional-YAM recognize a sequence of two consecutive CAN (Hex
18) characters without modem errors (overrun, framing, etc.) as	a transfer
abort command.1	The check for two consecutive CAN characters virtually
eliminates the possibility of a	line hit aborting the transfer.	 YAM sends
five CAN characters when it aborts an XMODEM or	YMODEM protocol	file
transfer, followed by five backspaces to delete	the CAN	characters from
the remote's keyboard input buffer (in case the	remote had already aborted
the transfer).


3.2  CRC-16 Option

The XMODEM protocol uses an optional two character CRC-16 instead of the
one character arithmetic checksum used by the original protocol	and by
most commercial	implementations.  CRC-16 guarantees detection of all
single and double bit errors,  all errors with an odd number of	error
bits, all burst	errors of length 16 or less, 99.9969% of all 17-bit error
bursts,	and 99.9984 per	cent of	all possible longer error bursts.  By
contrast, a double bit error, or a burst error of 9 bits or more can sneak
past the XMODEM	protocol arithmetic checksum.

The XMODEM/CRC protocol	is similar to the XMODEM protocol, except that the
receiver specifies CRC-16 by sending C (Hex 43)	instead	of NAK when
requesting the FIRST packet.  A	two byte CRC is	sent in	place of the one
byte arithmetic	checksum.

YAM's c	option to the r	command	enables	CRC-16 in single file reception,
corresponding to the original implementation in	the MODEM7 series
programs.  This	remains	the default because many commercial communications
programs and bulletin board systems still do not support CRC-16,
especially those written in Basic or Pascal.

XMODEM protocol	with CRC is accurate provided both sender and receiver
both report a successful transmission.	The protocol is	robust in the
presence of characters lost by buffer overloading on timesharing systems.

The single character ACK/NAK responses generated by the	receiving program
adapt well to split speed modems, where	the reverse channel is limited to
ten per	cent or	less of	the main channel's speed.

XMODEM and YMODEM are half duplex protocols which do not attempt to
transmit information and control signals in both directions at the same


__________

 1. This is recognized when YAM	is waiting for the beginning of	a packet
    or for an acknowledge to one that has been sent.




Chapter	3				      XMODEM Protocol Enhancements







X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				 7



time.  This avoids buffer overrun problems that	have been reported by
users attempting to exploit full duplex	aynchronous file transfer
protocols such as Blast.

Professional-YAM adds several proprietary logic	enhancements to	XMODEM's
error detection	and recovery.  These compatible	enhancements eliminate
most of	the bad	file transfers other programs make when	using the XMODEM
protocol under less than ideal conditions.


3.3  1024 Byte Packet Option

The choice to use 1024 byte packets is expressed to the	sending	program	on
its command line or selection menu.

Programs using the Hoff	protocol use a two character sequence emitted by
the receiver (CK) to automatically trigger the use of 1024 byte	packets	as
an alternative to specifying this option on this command line.	Although
this two character sequence works well on single process micros	in direct
communication, timesharing systems and packet switched networks	can
separate the successive	characters by several seconds, rendering this
method unreliable.

An STX (02) replaces the SOH (01) at the beginning of the transmitted
block to notify	the receiver of	the longer packet length.  The transmitted
packet contains	1024 bytes of data.  The receiver should be able to accept
any mixture of 128 and 1024 byte packets.  The packet number is
incremented by one for each packet regardless of the packet length.

The sender must	not change between 128 and 1024	byte packet lengths if it
has not	received a valid ACK for the current packet.  Failure to observe
this restriction allows	certain	transmission errors to pass undetected.

If 1024	byte packets are being used, it	is possible for	a file to "grow"
up to the next multiple	of 1024	bytes.	This does not waste disk space if
the allocation granularity is 1k or greater.  When 1024	byte packets are
used with YMODEM batch transmission, the file length transmitted in the
file name packet allows	the receiver to	discard	the padding, preserving
the exact file length and contents.

CRC-16 should be used with the k option	to preserve data integrity over
phone lines.2 1024 byte	packets	may be used with batch file transmission
or with	single file transmission.




__________

 2. Some programs enforce this recommendation.




Chapter	3				      XMODEM Protocol Enhancements







X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				 8



	  Figure 1.  1024 byte Packets

	  SENDER				  RECEIVER
						  "s -k	foo.bar"
	  "foo.bar open	x.x minutes"
						  C
	  STX 01 FE Data[1024] CRC CRC
						  ACK
	  STX 02 FD Data[1024] CRC CRC
						  ACK
	  STX 03 FC Data[1000] CPMEOF[24] CRC CRC
						  ACK
	  EOT
						  ACK

	  Figure 2.  Mixed 1024	and 128	byte Packets

	  SENDER				  RECEIVER
						  "s -k	foo.bar"
	  "foo.bar open	x.x minutes"
						  C
	  STX 01 FE Data[1024] CRC CRC
						  ACK
	  STX 02 FD Data[1024] CRC CRC
						  ACK
	  SOH 03 FC Data[128] CRC CRC
						  ACK
	  SOH 04 FB Data[100] CPMEOF[28] CRC CRC
						  ACK
	  EOT
						  ACK

4.  YMODEM Batch File Transmission

The YMODEM Batch protocol is an	extension to the XMODEM/CRC protocol that
allows 0 or more files to be transmitted with a	single command.	 (Zero
files may be sent if none of the requested files is accessible.) The
design approach	of the YMODEM Batch protocol is	to use the normal routines
for sending and	receiving XMODEM packets in a layered fashion similar to
packet switching methods.

Why was	it necessary to	design a new batch protocol when one already
existed	in MODEM7?1 The	batch file mode	used by	MODEM7 is unsuitable


__________

 1. The	MODEM7 batch protocol transmitted CP/M FCB bytes f1...f8 and
    t1...t3 one	character at a time.  The receiver echoed these	bytes as
    received, one at a time.




Chapter	4				      XMODEM Protocol Enhancements







X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				 9



because	it does	not permit full	pathnames, file	length,	file date, or
other attribute	information to be transmitted.	Such a restrictive design,
hastily	implemented with only CP/M in mind, would not have permitted
extensions to current areas of personal	computing such as Unix,	DOS, and
object oriented	systems.  In addition, the MODEM7 batch	file mode is
somewhat susceptible to	transmission impairments.

As in the case of single a file	transfer, the receiver initiates batch
file transmission by sending a "C" character (for CRC-16).

The sender opens the first file	and sends packet number	0 with the
following information.2

Only the pathname (file	name) part is required for batch transfers.

To maintain upwards compatibility, all unused bytes in packet 0	must be
set to null.

Pathname The pathname (conventionally, the file	name) is sent as a null
     terminated	ASCII string.  This is the filename format used	by the
     handle oriented MSDOS(TM) functions and C library fopen functions.
     An	assembly language example follows:
			      DB      'foo.bar',0
     No	spaces are included in the pathname.  Normally only the	file name
     stem (no directory	prefix)	is transmitted unless the sender has
     selected YAM's f option to	send the full pathname.	 The source drive
     (A:, B:, etc.) is never sent.

     Filename Considerations:

	+ File names should be translated to lower case	unless the sending
	  system supports upper/lower case file	names.	This is	a
	  convenience for users	of systems (such as Unix) which	store
	  filenames in upper and lower case.

	+ The receiver should accommodate file names in	lower and upper
	  case.

	+ The rb(1) program on Unix systems normally translates	the
	  filename to lower case unless	one or more letters in the
	  filename are already in lower	case.

	+ When transmitting files between different operating systems,
	  file names must be acceptable	to both	the sender and receiving
	  operating systems.


__________

 2. Only the data part of the packet is	described here.




Chapter	4				      XMODEM Protocol Enhancements







X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				10



     If	directories are	included, they are delimited by	/; i.e.,
     "subdir/foo" is acceptable, "subdir\foo" is not.

Length The file	length and each	of the succeeding fields are optional.3
     The length	field is stored	in the packet as a decimal string counting
     the number	of data	bytes in the file.  The	file length does not
     include any CPMEOF	(^Z) characters	used to	pad the	last packet.

     If	the file being transmitted is growing during transmission, the
     length field should be set	to at least the	final expected file
     length, or	not sent.

     The receiver stores the specified number of characters, discarding
     any padding added by the sender to	fill up	the last packet.

Modification Date A single space separates the modification date from the
     file length.

     The mod date is optional, and the filename	and length may be sent
     without requiring the mod date to be sent.

     The mod date is sent as an	octal number giving the	time the contents
     of	the file were last changed measured in seconds from Jan	1 1970
     Universal Coordinated Time	(GMT).	A date of 0 implies the
     modification date is unknown and should be	left as	the date the file
     is	received.

     This standard format was chosen to	eliminate ambiguities arising from
     transfers between different time zones.

     Two Microsoft blunders complicate the use of modification dates in
     file transfers with MSDOS(TM) systems.  The first is the lack of
     timezone standardization in MS-DOS.  A file's creation time can not
     be	known unless the timezone of the system	that wrote the file4 is
     known.  Unix solved this problem (for planet Earth, anyway) by
     stamping files with Universal Time	(GMT).	Microsoft would	have to
     include the timezone of origin in the directory entries, but does
     not.  Professional-YAM gets around	this problem by	using the z
     parameter which is	set to the number of minutes local time	lags GMT.
     For files known to	originate from a different timezone, the -zT
     option may	be used	to specify T as	the timezone for an individual
     file transfer.



__________

 3. Fields may not be skipped.

 4. Not	necessarily that of the	transmitting system!




Chapter	4				      XMODEM Protocol Enhancements







X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				11



     The second	problem	is the lack of a separate file creation	date in
     DOS.  Since some backup schemes used with DOS rely	on the file
     creation date to select files to be copied	to the archive,	back-
     dating the	file modification date could interfere with the	safety of
     the transferred files.  For this reason, Professional-YAM does not
     modify the	date of	received files with the	header information unless
     the d parameter is	non zero.


Mode A single space separates the file mode from the modification date.
     The file mode is stored as	an octal string.  Unless the file
     originated	from a Unix system, the	file mode is set to 0.	rb(1)
     checks the	file mode for the 0x8000 bit which indicates a Unix type
     regular file.  Files with the 0x8000 bit set are assumed to have been
     sent from another Unix (or	similar) system	which uses the same file
     conventions.  Such	files are not translated in any	way.


Serial Number A	single space separates the serial number from the file
     mode.  The	serial number of the transmitting program is stored as an
     octal string.  Programs which do not have a serial	number should omit
     this field, or set	it to 0.  The receiver's use of	this field is
     optional.

The rest of the	packet is set to nulls.	 This is essential to preserve
upward compatibility.5 After the filename packet has been received, it is
ACK'ed if the write open is successful.	 The receiver then initiates
transfer of the	file contents according	to the standard	XMODEM/CRC
protocol.  If the file cannot be opened	for writing, the receiver cancels
the transfer with CAN characters as described above.

After the file contents	have been transmitted, the receiver again asks for
the next pathname.  Transmission of a null pathname terminates batch file
transmission.  Note that transmission of no files is not necessarily an
error.	This is	possible if none of the	files requested	of the sender
could be opened	for reading.

In batch transmission, the receiver automatically requests CRC-16.

The Unix programs sb(1)	and rb(1) included in the source code file
RBSB.SHQ (rbsb.sh) should answer other questions about YMODEM batch
protocol.



__________

 5. If,	perchance, this	information extends beyond 128 bytes (possible
    with Unix 4.2 BSD extended file names), the	packet should be sent as a
    1k packet as described above.




Chapter	4				      XMODEM Protocol Enhancements







X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				12



	  Figure 3.  Batch Transmission	Session

	  SENDER				  RECEIVER
						  "sb foo.*<CR>"
	  "sending in batch mode etc."
						  C (command:rb)
	  SOH 00 FF foo.c NUL[123] CRC CRC
						  ACK
						  C
	  SOH 01 FE Data[128] CRC CRC
						  ACK
	  SOH 02 FD Data[1024] CRC CRC
						  ACK
	  SOH 03 FC Data[128] CRC CRC
						  ACK
	  SOH 04 FB Data[100] CPMEOF[28] CRC CRC
						  ACK
	  EOT
						  NAK
	  EOT
						  ACK
						  C
	  SOH 00 FF NUL[128] CRC CRC
						  ACK

       Figure 4.  Filename packet transmitted by sb

       -rw-r--r--  6347	Jun 17 1984 20:34 bbcsched.txt

       00 0100FF62 62637363 6865642E 74787400	|...bbcsched.txt.|
       10 36333437 20333331 34373432 35313320	|6347 3314742513 |
       20 31303036 34340000 00000000 00000000	|100644..........|
       30 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000
       80 000000CA 56




















Chapter	4				      XMODEM Protocol Enhancements







X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				13



       Figure 5.  Header Information used by YMODEM Implementations


_____________________________________________________________________
| Program   | Batch | Length | Date | Mode | S/N | 1k-Blk | g-Option |
|___________|_______|________|______|______|_____|________|__________|
|Unix rb/sb | yes   | yes    | yes  | yes  | no	 | yes	  | sb only  |
|___________|_______|________|______|______|_____|________|__________|
|VMS rb/sb  | yes   | yes    | no   | no   | no	 | yes	  | no	     |
|___________|_______|________|______|______|_____|________|__________|
|Pro-YAM    | yes   | yes    | yes  | no   | yes | yes	  | yes	     |
|___________|_______|________|______|______|_____|________|__________|
|CP/M YAM   | yes   | no     | no   | no   | no	 | yes	  | no	     |
|___________|_______|________|______|______|_____|________|__________|
|KMD/IMP    | yes   | no     | no   | no   | no	 | yes	  | no	     |
|___________|_______|________|______|______|_____|________|__________|
|MEX	    | no    | no     | no   | no   | no	 | yes	  | no	     |
|___________|_______|________|______|______|_____|________|__________|

4.1  IMP/KMD Record Count

Due to programming constraints,	these programs do not send the file length
as described above.  Instead, they send	(and look for) the CP/M	record
count stored in	the last two bytes of the header packet.  The least
significant bits are stored in the penultimate byte.

KMD and	IMP use	the record count to allow the receiving	program	to display
the file size and estimated transmission time; the file	length is
determined by the actual number	of records sent.


5.  g Option File Transmission

Developing technology is providing phone line data transmission	at ever
higher speeds using very specialized techniques.  These	high speed modems,
as well	as session protocols such as X.PC, provide high	speed, error free
communications at the expense of considerably increased	delay time.

This delay time	is moderate compared to	human interactions, but	it
cripples the throughput	of most	error correcting protocols.

The g option to	YMODEM has proven effective under these	circumstances.
The g option is	driven by the receiver,	which initiates	the batch transfer
by transmitting	a G instead of C.  When	the sender recognizes the G, it
bypasses the usual wait	for an ACK to each transmitted packet, sending
succeeding packets at full speed, subject to XOFF/XON or other flow
control	exerted	by the medium.

The sender expects an initial G to initiate the transmission of a
particular file, and also expects an ACK on the	EOT sent at the	end of
each file.  This synchronization allows	the receiver time to open and



Chapter	5				      XMODEM Protocol Enhancements







X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				14



close files as necessary.


	Figure 6.  g Option Transmission Session

	SENDER					RECEIVER
						"sb foo.*<CR>"
	"sending in batch mode etc..."
						G (command:rb -g)
	SOH 00 FF foo.c	NUL[123] CRC CRC
						G
	SOH 01 FE Data[128] CRC	CRC
	SOH 02 FD Data[1024] CRC CRC
	SOH 03 FC Data[128] CRC	CRC
	SOH 04 FB Data[100] CPMEOF[28] CRC CRC
	EOT
						ACK
						G
	SOH 00 FF NUL[128] CRC CRC


6.  XMODEM PROTOCOL OVERVIEW

8/9/82 by Ward Christensen.

I will maintain	a master copy of this.	Please pass on changes or
suggestions via	CBBS/Chicago at	(312) 545-8086,	CBBS/CPMUG (312) 849-1132
or by voice at (312) 849-6279.

6.1  Definitions

  <soh>	   01H
  <eot>	   04H
  <ack>	   06H
  <nak>	   15H
  <can>	   18H
  <C>	   43H


6.2  Transmission Medium Level Protocol

Asynchronous, 8	data bits, no parity, one stop bit.

The protocol imposes no	restrictions on	the contents of	the data being
transmitted.  No control characters are	looked for in the 128-byte data
messages.  Absolutely any kind of data may be sent - binary, ASCII, etc.
The protocol has not formally been adopted to a	7-bit environment for the
transmission of	ASCII-only (or unpacked-hex) data , although it	could be
simply by having both ends agree to AND	the protocol-dependent data with
7F hex before validating it.  I	specifically am	referring to the checksum,
and the	block numbers and their	ones- complement.



Chapter	6					  Xmodem Protocol Overview







X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				15



Those wishing to maintain compatibility	of the CP/M file structure, i.e.
to allow modemming ASCII files to or from CP/M systems should follow this
data format:

   + ASCII tabs	used (09H); tabs set every 8.

   + Lines terminated by CR/LF (0DH 0AH)

   + End-of-file indicated by ^Z, 1AH.	(one or	more)

   + Data is variable length, i.e. should be considered	a continuous
     stream of data bytes, broken into 128-byte	chunks purely for the
     purpose of	transmission.

   + A CP/M "peculiarity": If the data ends exactly on a 128-byte
     boundary, i.e. CR in 127, and LF in 128, a	subsequent sector
     containing	the ^Z EOF character(s)	is optional, but is preferred.
     Some utilities or user programs still do not handle EOF without ^Zs.

   + The last block sent is no different from others, i.e.  there is no
     "short block".
	      Figure 7.	 XMODEM	Message	Block Level Protocol

Each block of the transfer looks like:
      <SOH><blk	#><255-blk #><--128 data bytes--><cksum>
in which:
<SOH>	      =	01 hex
<blk #>	      =	binary number, starts at 01 increments by 1, and
		wraps 0FFH to 00H (not to 01)
<255-blk #>   =	blk # after going thru 8080 "CMA" instr, i.e.
		each bit complemented in the 8-bit block number.
		Formally, this is the "ones complement".
<cksum>	      =	the sum	of the data bytes only.	 Toss any carry.

6.3  File Level	Protocol

6.3.1  Common_to_Both_Sender_and_Receiver
All errors are retried 10 times.  For versions running with an operator
(i.e. NOT with XMODEM),	a message is typed after 10 errors asking the
operator whether to "retry or quit".

Some versions of the protocol use <can>, ASCII ^X, to cancel transmission.
This was never adopted as a standard, as having	a single "abort" character
makes the transmission susceptible to false termination	due to an <ack>
<nak> or <soh> being corrupted into a <can> and	cancelling transmission.

The protocol may be considered "receiver driven", that is, the sender need
not automatically re-transmit, although	it does	in the current
implementations.





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X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				16



6.3.2  Receive_Program_Considerations
The receiver has a 10-second timeout.  It sends	a <nak>	every time it
times out.  The	receiver's first timeout, which	sends a	<nak>, signals the
transmitter to start.  Optionally, the receiver	could send a <nak>
immediately, in	case the sender	was ready.  This would save the	initial	10
second timeout.	 However, the receiver MUST continue to	timeout	every 10
seconds	in case	the sender wasn't ready.

Once into a receiving a	block, the receiver goes into a	one-second timeout
for each character and the checksum.  If the receiver wishes to	<nak> a
block for any reason (invalid header, timeout receiving	data), it must
wait for the line to clear.  See "programming tips" for	ideas

Synchronizing:	If a valid block number	is received, it	will be: 1) the
expected one, in which case everything is fine;	or 2) a	repeat of the
previously received block.  This should	be considered OK, and only
indicates that the receivers <ack> got glitched, and the sender	re-
transmitted; 3)	any other block	number indicates a fatal loss of
synchronization, such as the rare case of the sender getting a line-glitch
that looked like an <ack>.  Abort the transmission, sending a <can>


6.3.3  Sending_program_considerations
While waiting for transmission to begin, the sender has	only a single very
long timeout, say one minute.  In the current protocol,	the sender has a
10 second timeout before retrying.  I suggest NOT doing	this, and letting
the protocol be	completely receiver-driven.  This will be compatible with
existing programs.

When the sender	has no more data, it sends an <eot>, and awaits	an <ack>,
resending the <eot> if it doesn't get one.  Again, the protocol	could be
receiver-driven, with the sender only having the high-level 1-minute
timeout	to abort.


Here is	a sample of the	data flow, sending a 3-block message.  It includes
the two	most common line hits -	a garbaged block, and an <ack> reply
getting	garbaged.  <xx>	represents the checksum	byte.
















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X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				17



	      Figure 8.	 Data flow including Error Recovery

SENDER					RECEIVER
			      times out	after 10 seconds,
			      <---		<nak>
<soh> 01 FE -data- <xx>	      --->
			      <---		<ack>
<soh> 02 FD -data- xx	      --->	 (data gets line hit)
			      <---		<nak>
<soh> 02 FD -data- xx	      --->
			      <---		<ack>
<soh> 03 FC -data- xx	      --->
(ack gets garbaged)	      <---		<ack>
<soh> 03 FC -data- xx	      --->		<ack>
<eot>			      --->
			      <---	 <anything except ack>
<eot>			      --->
			      <---		<ack>
(finished)

6.4  Programming Tips

   + The character-receive subroutine should be	called with a parameter
     specifying	the number of seconds to wait.	The receiver should first
     call it with a time of 10,	then <nak> and try again, 10 times.

     After receiving the <soh>,	the receiver should call the character
     receive subroutine	with a 1-second	timeout, for the remainder of the
     message and the <cksum>.  Since they are sent as a	continuous stream,
     timing out	of this	implies	a serious like glitch that caused, say,
     127 characters to be seen instead of 128.

   + When the receiver wishes to <nak>,	it should call a "PURGE"
     subroutine, to wait for the line to clear.	 Recall	the sender tosses
     any characters in its UART	buffer immediately upon	completing sending
     a block, to ensure	no glitches were mis- interpreted.

     The most common technique is for "PURGE" to call the character
     receive subroutine, specifying a 1-second timeout,1 and looping back
     to	PURGE until a timeout occurs.  The <nak> is then sent, ensuring
     the other end will	see it.

   + You may wish to add code recommended by John Mahr to your character
     receive routine - to set an error flag if the UART	shows framing
     error, or overrun.	 This will help	catch a	few more glitches - the


__________

 1. These times	should be adjusted for use with	timesharing systems.




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X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				18



     most common of which is a hit in the high bits of the byte	in two
     consecutive bytes.	 The <cksum> comes out OK since	counting in 1-byte
     produces the same result of adding	80H + 80H as with adding 00H +
     00H.



7.  XMODEM/CRC Overview

1/13/85	by John	Byrns -- CRC option.

Please pass on any reports of errors in	this document or suggestions for
improvement to me via Ward's/CBBS at (312) 849-1132, or	by voice at (312)
885-1105.

The CRC	used in	the Modem Protocol is an alternate form	of block check
which provides more robust error detection than	the original checksum.
Andrew S. Tanenbaum says in his	book, Computer Networks, that the CRC-
CCITT used by the Modem	Protocol will detect all single	and double bit
errors,	all errors with	an odd number of bits, all burst errors	of length
16 or less, 99.997% of 17-bit error bursts, and	99.998%	of 18-bit and
longer bursts.

The changes to the Modem Protocol to replace the checksum with the CRC are
straight forward. If that were all that	we did we would	not be able to
communicate between a program using the	old checksum protocol and one
using the new CRC protocol. An initial handshake was added to solve this
problem. The handshake allows a	receiving program with CRC capability to
determine whether the sending program supports the CRC option, and to
switch it to CRC mode if it does. This handshake is designed so	that it
will work properly with	programs which implement only the original
protocol. A description	of this	handshake is presented in section 10.

	    Figure 9.  Message Block Level Protocol, CRC mode

Each block of the transfer in CRC mode looks like:
     <SOH><blk #><255-blk #><--128 data	bytes--><CRC hi><CRC lo>
in which:
<SOH>	     = 01 hex
<blk #>	     = binary number, starts at	01 increments by 1, and
	       wraps 0FFH to 00H (not to 01)
<255-blk #>  = ones complement of blk #.
<CRC hi>     = byte containing the 8 hi	order coefficients of the CRC.
<CRC lo>     = byte containing the 8 lo	order coefficients of the CRC.

7.1  CRC Calculation

7.1.1  Formal_Definition
To calculate the 16 bit	CRC the	message	bits are considered to be the
coefficients of	a polynomial. This message polynomial is first multiplied
by X^16	and then divided by the	generator polynomial (X^16 + X^12 + X^5	+



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X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				19



1) using modulo	two arithmetic.	The remainder left after the division is
the desired CRC. Since a message block in the Modem Protocol is	128 bytes
or 1024	bits, the message polynomial will be of	order X^1023. The hi order
bit of the first byte of the message block is the coefficient of X^1023	in
the message polynomial.	 The lo	order bit of the last byte of the message
block is the coefficient of X^0	in the message polynomial.

	   Figure 10.  Example of CRC Calculation written in C

/*
 * This	function calculates the	CRC used by the	XMODEM/CRC Protocol
 * The first argument is a pointer to the message block.
 * The second argument is the number of	bytes in the message block.
 * The function	returns	an integer which contains the CRC.
 * The low order 16 bits are the coefficients of the CRC.
 */
int calcrc(ptr,	count)
char *ptr;
int count;
{
    int	crc, i;

    crc	= 0;
    while (--count >= 0) {
	   crc = crc ^ (int)*ptr++ << 8;
	   for (i = 0; i < 8; ++i)
	       if (crc & 0x8000)
		   crc = crc <<	1 ^ 0x1021;
	       else
		   crc = crc <<	1;
	   }
    return (crc	& 0xFFFF);
}

7.2  CRC File Level Protocol Changes

7.2.1  Common_to_Both_Sender_and_Receiver
The only change	to the File Level Protocol for the CRC option is the
initial	handshake which	is used	to determine if	both the sending and the
receiving programs support the CRC mode. All Modem Programs should support
the checksum mode for compatibility with older versions.  A receiving
program	that wishes to receive in CRC mode implements the mode setting
handshake by sending a <C> in place of the initial <nak>.  If the sending
program	supports CRC mode it will recognize the	<C> and	will set itself
into CRC mode, and respond by sending the first	block as if a <nak> had
been received. If the sending program does not support CRC mode	it will
not respond to the <C> at all. After the receiver has sent the <C> it will
wait up	to 3 seconds for the <soh> that	starts the first block.	If it
receives a <soh> within	3 seconds it will assume the sender supports CRC
mode and will proceed with the file exchange in	CRC mode. If no	<soh> is
received within	3 seconds the receiver will switch to checksum mode, send



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X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				20



a <nak>, and proceed in	checksum mode. If the receiver wishes to use
checksum mode it should	send an	initial	<nak> and the sending program
should respond to the <nak> as defined in the original Modem Protocol.
After the mode has been	set by the initial <C> or <nak>	the protocol
follows	the original Modem Protocol and	is identical whether the checksum
or CRC is being	used.


7.2.2  Receive_Program_Considerations
There are at least 4 things that can go	wrong with the mode setting
handshake.

  1.  the initial <C> can be garbled or	lost.

  2.  the initial <soh>	can be garbled.

  3.  the initial <C> can be changed to	a <nak>.

  4.  the initial <nak>	from a receiver	which wants to receive in checksum
      can be changed to	a <C>.

The first problem can be solved	if the receiver	sends a	second <C> after
it times out the first time. This process can be repeated several times.
It must	not be repeated	too many times before sending a	<nak> and
switching to checksum mode or a	sending	program	without	CRC support may
time out and abort. Repeating the <C> will also	fix the	second problem if
the sending program cooperates by responding as	if a <nak> were	received
instead	of ignoring the	extra <C>.

It is possible to fix problems 3 and 4 but probably not	worth the trouble
since they will	occur very infrequently. They could be fixed by	switching
modes in either	the sending or the receiving program after a large number
of successive <nak>s. This solution would risk other problems however.


7.2.3  Sending_Program_Considerations
The sending program should start in the	checksum mode. This will insure
compatibility with checksum only receiving programs. Anytime a <C> is
received before	the first <nak>	or <ack> the sending program should set
itself into CRC	mode and respond as if a <nak> were received. The sender
should respond to additional <C>s as if	they were <nak>s until the first
<ack> is received. This	will assist the	receiving program in determining
the correct mode when the <soh>	is lost	or garbled. After the first <ack>
is received the	sending	program	should ignore <C>s.










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X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				21



7.3  Data Flow Examples	with CRC Option

Here is	a data flow example for	the case where the receiver requests
transmission in	the CRC	mode but the sender does not support the CRC
option.	This example also includes various transmission	errors.	 <xx>
represents the checksum	byte.

      Figure 11.  Data Flow: Receiver has CRC Option, Sender Doesn't

SENDER					      RECEIVER
			<---		    <C>
				times out after	3 seconds,
			<---		    <C>
				times out after	3 seconds,
			<---		    <C>
				times out after	3 seconds,
			<---		    <C>
				times out after	3 seconds,
			<---		    <nak>
<soh> 01 FE -data- <xx>	--->
			<---		    <ack>
<soh> 02 FD -data- <xx>	--->	    (data gets line hit)
			<---		    <nak>
<soh> 02 FD -data- <xx>	--->
			<---		    <ack>
<soh> 03 FC -data- <xx>	--->
   (ack	gets garbaged)	<---		    <ack>
				times out after	10 seconds,
			<---		    <nak>
<soh> 03 FC -data- <xx>	--->
			<---		    <ack>
<eot>			--->
			<---		    <ack>

Here is	a data flow example for	the case where the receiver requests
transmission in	the CRC	mode and the sender supports the CRC option.  This
example	also includes various transmission errors.  <xxxx> represents the
2 CRC bytes.
















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X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				22



	   Figure 12.  Receiver	and Sender Both	have CRC Option

SENDER					     RECEIVER
			  <---		       <C>
<soh> 01 FE -data- <xxxx> --->
			  <---		       <ack>
<soh> 02 FD -data- <xxxx> --->	       (data gets line hit)
			  <---		       <nak>
<soh> 02 FD -data- <xxxx> --->
			  <---		       <ack>
<soh> 03 FC -data- <xxxx> --->
(ack gets garbaged)	  <---		       <ack>
				     times out after 10	seconds,
			  <---		       <nak>
<soh> 03 FC -data- <xxxx> --->
			  <---		       <ack>
<eot>			  --->
			  <---		       <ack>


8.  MORE INFORMATION

More information may be	obtained by calling Telegodzilla at 503-621-3746.
Hit RETURNs for	baud rate detection.

A version this file with boldface, underlining,	and superscripts for
printing on Epson or Gemini printers is	available on Telegodzilla as
"YMODEME.DOC" or "YMODEME.DQC".

UUCP sites can obtain this file	with
	     uucp omen!/usr/spool/uucppublic/ymodem.doc	/tmp

The following L.sys line calls Telegodzilla (Pro-YAM in	host operation).
Telegodzilla waits for carriage	returns	to determine the incoming speed.
If none	is detected, 1200 bps is assumed and a greeting	is displayed.

In response to "Name Please:" uucico gives the Pro-YAM "link" command as a
user name.  The	password (Giznoid) controls access to the Xenix	system
connected to the IBM PC's other	serial port.  Communications between
Pro-YAM	and Xenix use 9600 bps;	YAM converts this to the caller's speed.

Finally, the calling uucico logs in as uucp.

omen Any ACU 1200 1-503-621-3746 se:--se: link ord: Giznoid in:--in: uucp

Contact	omen!caf if you	wish the troff sources.








Chapter	9					  Xmodem Protocol Overview







X/YMODEM Protocol Reference	 10-10-85				23



9.  YMODEM Programs

A demonstration	version	of Professional-YAM is available as YAMDEMO.LQR	(A
SQueezed Novosielski library).	This may be used to test YMODEM
implementations.

Unix programs supporting the YMODEM protocol are available on Telegodzilla
in the "upgrade" subdirectory as RBSB.SHQ (a SQueezed shell archive).
Most Unix like systems are supported, including	V7, Sys	III, 4.2 BSD, SYS
V, Idris, Coherent, and	Regulus.

A version for VAX-VMS is available in VRBSB.SHQ, in the	same directory.

A CP/M assembly	version	is available as	MODEM76.AQM and	MODEM7.LIB.

Irv Hoff has added YMODEM 1k packets and YMODEM	batch transfers	to the KMD
and IMP	series programs, which replace the XMODEM and MODEM7/MDM7xx series
respectively.  Overlays	are available for a wide variety of CP/M systems.

MEX and	MEX-PC also support some of the	YMODEM extensions.

Questions about	YMODEM,	the Professional-YAM communications program, and
requests for evaluation	copies may be directed to:
     Chuck Forsberg
     Omen Technology Inc
     17505-V Sauvie Island Road
     Portland Oregon 97231
     Voice: 503-621-3406
     Modem: 503-621-3746 Speed:	1200,300
     Usenet: ...!tektronix!reed!omen!caf
     Compuserve: 70715,131
     Source: TCE022






















Chapter	9					  Xmodem Protocol Overview











				 CONTENTS


1.  ROSETTA STONE.....................................................	 2

2.  YET	ANOTHER	PROTOCOL?.............................................	 2
    2.1	 Some Messages from the	Pioneer...............................	 4

3.  XMODEM PROTOCOL ENHANCEMENTS......................................	 5
    3.1	 Graceful Abort...............................................	 6
    3.2	 CRC-16	Option................................................	 6
    3.3	 1024 Byte Packet Option......................................	 7

4.  YMODEM Batch File Transmission....................................	 8
    4.1	 IMP/KMD Record	Count.........................................	13

5.  g Option File Transmission........................................	13

6.  XMODEM PROTOCOL OVERVIEW..........................................	14
    6.1	 Definitions..................................................	14
    6.2	 Transmission Medium Level Protocol...........................	14
    6.3	 File Level Protocol..........................................	15
    6.4	 Programming Tips.............................................	17

7.  XMODEM/CRC Overview...............................................	18
    7.1	 CRC Calculation..............................................	18
    7.2	 CRC File Level	Protocol Changes..............................	19
    7.3	 Data Flow Examples with CRC Option...........................	21

8.  MORE INFORMATION..................................................	22

9.  YMODEM Programs...................................................	23






















				  - i -














			     LIST OF FIGURES


 Figure	1.  1024 byte Packets.........................................	 7

 Figure	2.  Mixed 1024 and 128 byte Packets...........................	 7

 Figure	3.  Batch Transmission Session................................	11

 Figure	4.  Filename packet transmitted	by sb.........................	11

 Figure	5.  Header Information used by YMODEM Implementations.........	13

 Figure	6.  g Option Transmission Session.............................	14

 Figure	7.  XMODEM Message Block Level Protocol.......................	15

 Figure	8.  Data flow including	Error Recovery........................	17

 Figure	9.  Message Block Level	Protocol, CRC mode....................	18

Figure 10.  Example of CRC Calculation written in C...................	19

Figure 11.  Data Flow: Receiver	has CRC	Option,	Sender Doesn't........	21

Figure 12.  Receiver and Sender	Both have CRC Option..................	22

























				  - ii -




