                  HOW TO USE AN EXTERNAL PROTOCOL MODULE
                           FROM WITHIN TELMERGE

TelMerge, the communications program included with WordStar Professional 
and WordStar 2000, is a simple and useful tool for sending and receiving 
electronic mail and for reading the forums on CompuServe.  However, to 
send and receive binary files, an error-checking protocol is needed, and 
TelMerge supports only XMODEM and CIS A protocols.

XMODEM was designed for direct connection between single-user 
microcomputers, and is optimized for low-speed (e.g., 300 bps) links.  At 
high data rates, it is relatively slow, and on packet-switched networks 
connected to multi-user systems it is subject to timeouts and aborted 
transfers.

CIS A was a first attempt by CompuServe to develop a protocol more suited 
to packet-switched multi-user systems.  It is also slower than necessary 
at today's speeds, and because CompuServe has since developed CIS B 
protocols, CIS A is no longer supported everywhere on the system.  
Easyplex does not support CIS A transfers, for example.

Because TelMerge allows you to shell to DOS without losing your network 
connection, you can use an external program to supply support for CIS B 
protocol transfers, and still use TelMerge for your interactive and ASCII 
communications.  One such program, quite small and efficient, is TCQB, 
which takes only 8935 bytes on your disk, yet provides support for CIS B 
and CIS QuickB protocols.  This allows you to gain the speed and error- 
resistance of large packets (up to 1K per packet), CRC error-checking, and 
continuous transmission (no more waiting for ACKs before the next packet 
can start).

As an example of how to use TCQB with TelMerge, we will pretend to 
download LH113C.EXE, a file-compression/extraction program, from Library 1 
of the WordStar Forum.  Make sure that TCQB.COM is either in your working 
directory or on your DOS path.

    1. After entering Library 1 of the WordStar Forum, at the prompt issue 
    the command "DOW LH113C.EXE/PROT:QB" (without the quotes).  DO NOT 
    PRESS <ENTER>!!  Alternatively, issue the command "BRO LH113C.EXE" and 
    press enter; you will see a description of the file and your choices 
    will be to download it or to press <enter> to return to the menu.  
    Since you plan to download this file, type "DOW/PROT:QB" and do not 
    press enter; or type "DOW<enter>", and select CompuServe QuickB 
    protocol from the menu, but do not press enter.

    2. At this point you have typed the command to download with QuickB 
    protocol, but you have not pressed <enter> to tell CompuServe to 
    proceed.  You will call TCQB before pressing the enter key, so that 
    you will be ready to receive when CompuServe is ready to send.

    3. Make sure your function key labels are on Set 2.  The label for 
    <F3> should say DOS.  If it doesn't, then press <F2> so that it does.  
    Press <F3> to shell to DOS.

    4. You will be prompted for a command.  Type "TCQB<enter>".  After a 
    few seconds you will have the TCQB identification line on your screen.  
    At this time, press enter to complete the command you typed to 
    CompuServe before shelling to DOS.  (Remember, you typed the command 
    to DOWnload, but did not press enter.)

    5. You will be asked, "Filename for your computer:".  You should type 
    the filename you want for the file on your computer.  Usually this 
    will be the same as the name at the CompuServe end, but it doesn't 
    have to be the same.  When you hit the <enter> key after the name, the 
    transfer will take place automatically.  A window on the screen will 
    display the progress of the transfer.

    6. At the conclusion of the transfer, you will see the familiar 
    CompuServe prompt.  You are still in TCQB at this point, not back in 
    TelMerge.  You can use TCQB as a very simple terminal program to 
    download or upload more files, or you can go right back to TelMerge.  
    To go back to TelMerge, hit <ESCAPE> to end TCQB, and <ESCAPE> (a 
    second time) to return to TelMerge.

That's all there is to it!  It takes less time to do than to describe.  
Now you can have the fastest file transfers available on CompuServe, and 
it still fits on a single floppy!

TCQB is Copyright 1988 by John Bridges (CIS ID# 73307,606).  These 
instructions are provided by Mark P. Fishman (CIS ID# 73127,617).

3 February 1990.
