C-Kermit 8.0 Announcement

This is to announce version 8.0 of C-Kermit, the all-purpose, portable communications and automation tool for Unix and VMS.
C-Kermit can be:

• A Telnet and Rlogin client
• An FTP client (Unix only) <-- New
• An HTTP 1.1 client (Unix only) <-- New
• An SSH client (via external ssh program, Unix only) <-- New
• A serial-port communications program
• A dialout communications program
• An Internet server (Unix only)

That can:

• Conduct terminal sessions (except on FTP and HTTP connections).
• Make secure Telnet, Rlogin, FTP, and HTTP connections using Kerberos IV, Kerberos V, SSL/TLS, or SRP security (Unix only).
• Transfer files over the communication connection or act as the far-end file-transfer-and-management partner of your desktop client.
• Convert character sets in both terminal sessions and file transfer, now including Unicode UTF-8.

and that includes a portable, cross-platform, easy-to-learn-and-use, transport-independent scripting language that allows automation of any communication task that can be done by hand (and many that can't).

Version 8.0 replaces Version 7.0 of Jan/Feb 2000, and adds the following major new features for Unix only:

• A scriptable FTP client capable of making secure connections.
• A scriptable HTTP 1.1 client that can make secure connections.
• An interface to your external SSH program, allowing file transfer, character-set conversion, and scripting of SSH terminal sessions.
• Security module source code is included in the standard distribution.

And for all platforms:

• RFC 2217 Telnet Com Port control allows shared network modems.
• Learned scripts (automatic script writing).
• Lisp-like S-Expressions.
• Date/time/timezone conversion and arithmetic supporting many formats.
• Bug fixes including plugging of buffer attack vulnerabilities.
• A new Web-based tutorial and other new Web-based documentation.
• New easier terms for commercial redistribution.

Links:

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckermit.html

The C-Kermit 8.0 web page, with links to everything you need.

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckermit.html#download

Download.

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ftpclient.html

More about the new built-in FTP client.

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckututor.html

The new C-Kermit tutorial (oriented mainly to Unix).

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckscripts.html

The C-Kermit script library and script-writing tutorial, including lots of new examples for C-Kermit 8.0.

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/COPYING.TXT

The C-Kermit license and disclaimer; same as C-Kermit 7.0, allows inclusion with Linux, FreeBSD, etc.

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/commercial.html

New terms and conditions for commercial redistribution.

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckbinaries.html

A big table of prebuilt C-Kermit binaries, including (as of this moment) 245 for C-Kermit 8.0 and another 254 for earlier releases, spanning 10 major operating system families (Unix, VMS, VOS, AOS/VS, Aegis, Plan 9, ...) IF YOU CAN MAKE C-Kermit binaries that are not in the table (or not at 8.0 level), please send them in!

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/cksendbin.html

How to make and contribute C-Kermit binaries.

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckuins.html

C-Kermit installation instructions for Unix. See, especially: http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckuins.html#x5.4 for the new makefile 'install' target.

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckvins.html

Installation instructions for VMS.

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckpackages.html

One-touch install packages such as RPM are not available yet. This page discusses the issues involved in putting together a C-Kermit 8.0 install package.

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckermit80.html

Thorough documentation of all the new features of C-Kermit 8.0.

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/cuiksd.html

Columbia's Internet Kermit Service.

If you have any trouble downloading or using the new version, send email to kermit-support@columbia.edu..

Frank da Cruz
The Kermit Project
Columbia University
New York City
http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/