The ECN No Name Newsletter is no longer being published. This is an archived issue.

Blockr Becoming Extinct

A commonly used facility on the ECN is the mechanism to transfer data between the ECN hosts and personal microcomputers. The original programs for this purpose used a protocol called "blockp" which was designed by the Computing Center. A local implementation of the protocol, called "blockr", has been used for a long period of time to perform file transfer functions.

As is so often the case in the computer field, the growth of the microcomputer market has led to the acceptance of more standard file transfer protocols such as "kermit" and "xmodem". In order to meet user demand, the ECN now offers programs that use both of these protocols.

We are very, very strongly encouraging current "blockr" users to convert to using the kermit or xmodem protocols. With the planned removal of the CDC 6000 systems from production at PUCC, the "blockr" protocol will become a "white elephant". It is highly unlikely that any new implementations of "blockr" will become available. There are implementations of the standard protocols such as "kermit" for almost every known type of hardware. It is our intention to cease support of the "blockr" protocol in the near future. Any remaining "blockr" users should start converting to one of the standard protocols as soon as possible. The ECN staff will be happy to answer any questions you have regarding utilization of the new protocols packages.

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