INAC Computer GmbH User's Guide TcpLink 3000 USB Communication System

Chapter 1

Introduction

The TCPLINK unit is an accessory to your ASPECT computer that expand its capabilities significantly. TCPLINK was designed to connect the ASPECT to a PC via USB and on this way at least to network running the standard TCP/IP communication protocol. The ASPECT is thus prepared for data exchange with modern UNIX computers and workstations that are part of the network.

The TcpLink 3000 will be connected on one side to the I/O bus of the ASPECT and on the other side to the USB bus of a PC. The data will be transfered to or from a logical drive of this PC. If it is a network drive then the communication works over the network with the mapped disk of this host. As default, TCPLINK addresses a 3.5 inch diskette drive where you can archive up to 1.4 Mbytes of data in the convenient DOS format. This allows you to exchange data off-line with PCs.

1.1 TcpLink

TCPLINK provides your ASPECT with the following capabilities:

send files from the ASPECT to the computer which is connected via it's USB bus or to the network drives of host computers which are connected over TCP/IP network
fetch files from a host and store it on an ASPECT disk
archive data on DOS formatted floppy diskette of the connected PC

The general command syntax for data transfer or archiving as to be entered on the ASPECT keyboard is as follows:

`TCP <destination>:<command char.> <specifications>`

For example, the command line

`TCP C:S SPECTRUM.100`

would send the file SPECTRUM.100 to the drive of a computer with the characterics of which are stored in the ADAKOS text file C.TCP.

TCPLINK offers the following advantages for the data communication of an ASPECT with other computers:

Use of the standard communication protocol of the network via the connected network drives to the desired workstations
Reliable file transfer is guaranteed by the USB bus protocol
Ease of installation: the TCPLINK unit is plugged into the rear side of the ASPECT without the necessity of opening the ASPECT
TCPLINK is equipped for the USB bus connections.

1.2 Command overview

The following table presents all available commands in alphabetical order at one glance. Details can be found in the next chapters.

TCP A<:config> Print/alter default destination parameters

TCP <destination>:G files> Get (retrieve) files from the destination host or archiving medium

TCP H Help: print the command option list

TCP <destination>:S files Send files to the destination host or archiving medium

TCP V Print program version and copyright message

If <destination> is omitted, the default destination is used. This is the floppy disk after program installation. As described later, the user may define his own default destination.