The National Center for Supercomputing Applications                     1/28/92
Anonymous FTP Server General Information

This file contains information about the general structure, as well as
information on how to obtain files and documentation from the FTP server.
NCSA software and documentation can also be obtained through the the U.S.
Mail.  Instructions are included for using this method as well.

Information about the Software Development Group and NCSA software can be 
found in the /ncsapubs directory in a file called TechResCatalog.


THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS GIVES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, FOR THE
SOFTWARE AND/OR DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, 
WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY AND WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.


_____________________________________________________________

FTP INSTRUCTIONS

Most NCSA Software is released into the public domain.  That is, for these 
programs, the public domain has all rights for future licensing, resale, 
and publication of available packages. If you are connected to Internet
(NSFNET, ARPANET, MILNET, etc) you may download NCSA software and documentation and source code if it is available, at no charge from the anonymous file 
transfer protocol (FTP) server at NCSA where you got this file. The procedure
you should follow to do so is presented  below. If you have any questions
regarding this procedure or whether you are connected to Internet, consult your local system administration or network expert.

1. Log on to a host at your site that is connected to the Internet and is
   running software supporting the FTP command.

2. Invoke FTP on most systems by entering the Internet address of the server.
   Type the following at the shell (usually "%") prompt:

      % ftp ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu

3. Log in by entering anonymous for the name.

4. Enter your local email address (login@host) for the password.

5. Enter the following at the "ftp>" prompt to copy a text file from our 
   server to your local host:

      ftp> get filename

   where "filename" is the name of the file you want a copy of.  For example,
   to get a copy of this file from the server enter:

      ftp> get README.FIRST

   To get a copy of our software brochure, enter:

      ftp> cd ncsapubs
	   get TechResCatalog 

   NOTE:  Some of the filenames on the server are rather long to aid in
          identification.  Some operating systems may have problems with names
          this long.  To change the name the file will have on your local
          machine type the following at the "ftp>" prompt ("remoteName" is the
          name of the file on the server and "localName" is the name you want
          the file to have on your local machine):

             ftp> get remoteName localName

          Example:

             ftp> get TechResCatalog catalog.txt


6. For files that are not text files (almost everything else) you will need to
   specify that you want to transfer binary files.  Do this by typing the
   following at the "ftp>" prompt:

      ftp> type binary

   You can now use the "get" command to download binary files.  To switch back
   to ASCII text transfers type:

      ftp> type ascii

7. The "ls" and "cd" commands can be used at the "ftp>" prompt to list and
   change directories as in the shell.

8. Enter "quit" or "bye" to exit FTP and return to your local host.


_____________________________________________________________

FTP SOFTWARE BY MAIL

To obtain an order form, send your request to the following address:

FTP Archive Tapes
c/o Debbie Shirley
152 Computing Applications Building
605 East Springfield Avenue
Champaign, IL  61820

or call:
Debbie at (217) 244-4130


_____________________________________________________________

VIRUS INFORMATION

The Software Development Group at NCSA is very virus-conscious. We routinely
check our machines for viruses and recommend that you do so also. For the
Macintoshes we use Disinfectant. You can obtain a copy of Disinfectant from
the /Mac/Utilities directory.

If you use Microsoft DOS or Windows you can find the latest virus scan from 
the anonymous site oak.oakland.edu in the /SimTel/msdos/virus directory.

_____________________________________________________________

GENERAL INFORMATION


DIRECTORY STRUCTURE

The FTP server is organized as specified below:

   /Mac       		Macintosh software
   /PC        		IBM PC software
   /Unix      		Software for machines running UNIX or equivalent OS
   /Unix/SGI		Software that primarily runs on Silicon Graphics 
			 machines only
   /Visualization	Software tools for data visualization.
   /Web			World Wide Web tools, including Mosaic, httpd,
			and html editors.
   /HDF   	 	Hierarchical Data Format applications and tools
   /Samples   		Samples that can be used with most of NCSA software 
			 tools
   /Documentation 	Currently being constructed, check each application's 
			 directory for documentation
   /ncsapubs		Information produced by the Publications group,
			 including Metacenter announcements, data link & access,
			 a software listing, start-up guides, and other 
			 reference documents.
   /misc      		Miscellaneous documentation and software
   /incoming  		directory for contributions
   /outgoing		swap directory

Information for a particular application can be found in the README file,
located in the same directory as the application.  The README files contain
information on new features, known bugs, compile information, and other
important notes.

All directories on the FTP server contain an INDEX file.  These files outline
the hierarchical structure of the directory and (recursively) all files and
directories contained within it.  The INDEX at the root level contains the
structure of the enire server listing all files and directories on it.  The
INDEX file in each software directory contains additional information about
each file.  The letter in parenthesis after the file name indicates how the
file should be downloaded:  ascii (a), binary (b), or mac binary (m).

The "misc" directories found in some software tool directories contain
supplementary code or other information.  Refer to the README file in that
directory for a description of what is contained within the "misc" directory.

The "contrib" directories contain contributed software.  This directory usually
contains NCSA source that has been modified by people outside of NCSA as well
as binaries compiled on different platforms not available to the Software 
Development Group.  If you have modified NCSA software or would like to share 
some code please contact the developer of the source so arrangemnts can be 
made to upload it to the "incoming"  directory.  If you are downloading 
software from the "contrib" directory please note that this software is not 
supported by NCSA and has not been checked for viruses (see statement on 
viruses above).  NCSA may not be held responsible for anything resulting from 
use of the contributed software.  *** RUN AT YOUR OWN RISK ***


FILE NAMES

All file names consist of the name of the tool, the version number, and one or
more extensions.  The extensions identify what type of information is contained
in the file, and what format it is in.  For example, here is a list of files in
the /Mac/DataScope directory:

   DataScope2.0.1.asc.tar.Z
   DataScope2.0.1.src.sit.hqx
   DataScope2.0.1.smp.sit.hqx
   DataScope2.0.1.mac.sit.hqx
   DataScope2.0.1.msw.sit.hqx

The first three character extension indicates what type of data can be found in
that file (ASCII documentation, source, samples, etc.).  The other extensions
indicate what format the files are in.  The extensions ".tar" and ".sit"
indicate types of archives, and the ".Z" and ".hqx" indicate compression and
encoding schemes.  (See below for instructions on extracting files that have
been archived and/or compressed.)  Following are a list of extensions and their
meanings:

   .sn3   Sun 3 executables
   .sn4   Sun 4 executables
   .386   Sun 386i executables
   .sgi   Silicon Graphics Iris executables
   .dgl   Silicon Graphics Iris using DGL executables
   .rs6   IBM RS6000 executables
   .cv2   Convex 2 executables
   .cv3   Convex 3 executables
   .cr2   Cray 2 executables
   .crY   CrayYMP executables
   .d31   DEC 3100 executables
   .m88   Motorola 88k executables
   .m68   Motorola 68k executables
   .exe   IBM PC executables
   .mac   Macintosh executables
   .src   source code
   .smp   sample files
   .asc   ASCII text documentation
   .msw   Microsoft Word documentation
   .ps    postscript documentation
   .man   formatted man page
   .shar  Bourne shell archive
   .sit   archive created by Macintosh application, StuffIt
   .hqx   encoded with Macintosh application, BinHex
   .sea   Self extracting Macintosh archive
   .tar   archive created with UNIX tar command
   .Z     compressed with UNIX compress command

The files in the PC directory are the only exception to this naming convention.
In order to conform with the DOS convention of eight character file names and
one, three character extension, the names for PC files are slightly different.
Whenever possible the scheme outlined above is used, but the names are usually
abbreviated and all but one of the dots "." have been omitted.


_______________________________________________________________________________
EXTRACTING ARCHIVED FILES


INSTRUCTIONS FOR MACINTOSH FILES

If a file ends with the extension ".sit" it must be unstuffed with either the
shareware program StuffIt or the Public Domain program UnStuffIt.  Files ending
with the ".hqx" must be decoded with BinHex.  These programs can be found on
the FTP server in the /Mac/Utilities directory.  Note that the BinHex program
must be downloaded with MacBinary enabled, and the StuffIt program must be
decoded before it can be used.  Files downloaded from the server may be both
Stuffed (".sit" extension) and BinHexed (".hqx" extension).  These files must
be first decoded and then unstuffed.

To decode a file with the ".hqx" extension (a BinHexed file):

   1. Download the file to your Macintosh.
   2. Start the application BinHex by double-clicking on it.
   3. From the "File" menu in BinHex, choose "UpLoad -> Application".
   4. Choose the ".hqx" file to be decoded and select "Open".
   5. The suggested file name will appear in a dialog box.
   6. Select "Save" to decode the file.

To uncompress a file with the ".sit" extension (a Stuffed file):

   1. Download the file to your Macintosh.
   2. Start the application Stuffit by double-clicking on it.
   3. From the "File" menu in Stuffit, choose "Open Archive...".
   4. Choose the ".sit" file to be unstuffed and select "Open".  A window with
      all the files contained in the stuffed file will appear.
   5. Choose "Select All" in the "Edit" menu to select all of the files.
   6. Click on the "Extract" box at the bottom of the window.
   7. Select "Save All" in the dialog box to save all the selected files in
      the current directory.


INSTRUCTIONS FOR PC FILES

Most IBM PC files are archived and compressed using the pkzip utility.
(If you do not have the pkzip utility on your PC, you may obtain it from the
FTP server by anonymous ftp.  The file you need is called pkz110.exe and it
is located in /PC/Telnet/contributions.  Set the ftp mode to binary and "get"
the file pkz110.exe.  Then, on your PC, run PKZ110.EXE with no arguments and
several files will be self-extracted, including one called PKUNZIP.EXE.  It
may then be convenient to copy PKUNZIP.EXE to the directory where you have
placed, or are going to place, your Telnet files.)
To extract these files, first download the file with the ".zip" extension to
your PC and then type the following at the DOS prompt:

   > pkunzip -d filename.zip

where "filename" is the name of the file you want to unarchive.


INSTRUCTIONS FOR UNIX FILES

Most files on the FTP server will be both tarred and compressed.  For more
information on the "tar" and "compress" commands you can type "man tar" and
"man compress" at your shell prompt to see the online manual page for these
commands, or ask your system administrator for help.  You should first
uncompress and then unarchive files ending in ".tar.Z" with the following
procedure.

Files with the ".Z" extension have been compressed with the UNIX "compress"
command.  To uncompress these files type the following at the shell prompt:

   % uncompress filename.Z

where "filename.Z" is the name of the file ending with the ".Z" extension that
you wish to uncompress.

Files with the ".tar" extension have been archived with the UNIX "tar" command.
To extract the files type the following at the shell prompt:

   % tar xf filename.tar

Some files are archived using a shell archive utility and are indicated as such
with the ".shar" extension.  To extract the files type the following at the
shell prompt:

   % sh filename.shar


_______________________________________________________________________________
DOCUMENTATION

NCSA offers users several documentation formats for its programs including
ASCII text, Microsoft Word, and postscript.  If one of these formats does not
fit your needs, documentaion can be obtained through the mail at the following
address:

Documentation Orders
c/o Debbie Shirley
152 Computing Applications Building
605 East Springfield Avenue
Champaign, IL  61820

or call:

(217) 244-4130

Members of the Software Development Group within NCSA are currently working 
on videotapes that demonstrate and also offer tutorials for NCSA programs. A
note will be posted here when these tapes are available for distribution.


ASCII FORMAT

ASCII text files are provided for all software and are indicated with the
".asc" extension.  Helpful figures and diagrams obviously cannot be included
in this form of documentation.  We suggest you use the other forms of
documentation if possible.


MICROSOFT WORD FORMAT

If you are a Macintosh user, please download documents with the ".msw"
extension. These files should also be stuffed and BinHexed (information on
extracting these files from the archive is contained earlier in this file).
The documents can be previewed and printed using the Microsoft Word
application.  Word documents contain text, images, and formatting.


POSTSCRIPT FORMAT

If you are a UNIX user and/or have access to a postscript printer, please
download files with the ".pos" extension.  The documents can be previewed using
a poscript previewer or can be printed directly to a poscript printer using a
command like "lpr".


_______________________________________________________________________________
BUG REPORTS AND SUPPORT

The Software Development Group at NCSA is very interested in how the software 
tools developed here are being used. Please send any comments or suggestions 
you may have to the appropriate address.

NOTE: This is a new kind of shareware. You share your science and
successes with us, and we can get more resources to share more
NCSA software with you.

If you want to see more NCSA software, please send us a letter,
 email or US Mail, telling us what you are doing with our software.
We need to know:

	(1) What science you are working on - an abstract of your 
	    work would be fine.

	(2) How NCSA software has helped you, for example, by increasing
	    your productivity or allowing you to do things you could
	    not do before.

We encourage you to cite the use of any NCSA software you have used in
your publications. A bibliography of your work would be extremely 
helpful.


NCSA Telnet for the Macintosh:  Please allow ***time*** for a response.

Bug reports, questions, suggestions may be sent to the addresses below.

        mactelnet@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Internet)

NCSA Telnet for PCs:   Please allow ***time*** for a response.

Bug reports, questions, suggestions may be sent to: 
        pctelnet@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Internet)

All other NCSA software: 

Bug reports should be emailed to the adresses below.  Be sure to check the
BUGS NOTES section of the README file before sending email.   
Please allow ***time*** for a response.

        bugs@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Internet)


Questions regarding NCSA developed software tools may be sent to the address
below.  Please allow ***time*** for a response.

        softdev@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Internet)
_______________________________________________________________________________
COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS

Apple
Motorola
Digital Equipment Corp.
Silicon Graphics Inc.
International Business Machines
Sun Microsystems
UNIX
StuffIt
Microsoft
