Timothy
Parker Consulting Incorporated
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Blast: File Transfers the easy way Blast Software’s Blast file transfer utility has been in
use in many locations for years. Blast
does one job -- file transfers – and it does it very well. The idea behind Blast is to provide as flexible a file
transfer tool as possible and bundle extra features like a scripting language
and automation facilities into one dedicated package. Blast is available for a number of platforms, including
Intel-based UNIX and Linux, as well as Windows, Macintosh, and UNIX
workstations. Blast allows file transfers over networks, serial ports, or modems
(in fact, over any device that can be attached to a serial port). Blast can use its own proprietary protocol for file
transfers between machines running Blast, as well as FTP and the usual alphabet
soup of supported file transfer protocols (Kermit, Xmodem, Ymodem and Zmodem).
The fastest of the bunch is the proprietary protocol, modestly called “the
Blast protocol”, which provides for noticeably shorter transfers for two
reasons. The first is because Blast
uses the modem or network’s maximum speed possible, reducing handshaking to a
minimum, by using a sliding window approach for constant streaming of data as
well as on-the-fly compression. The second reason is that Blast can pick up an
interrupted file transfer without having to retransfer the entire file. One of the strengths of Blast is the scripting language,
which allows people who have never programmed before create automated routines.
Using the scripting language it’s easy to create autopoll scripts that will
dial up or connect to remote machines and handle any queued file transfers.
This is especially useful for unattended
operation, or repeated transfers throughout a day. While some systems will not
require this capability, commercial operations or companies with many locations
will find automated transfers very handy. The
interface to Blast is character based, and allows you to enter information like
logins and passwords for access to remote machines. If you have files to transfer, it’s hard to find a better tool than Blast. This is especially true if you need to automate the transfers. Blast Software Summary: The easiest was to transfer files between UNIX, Linux and Windows. Excellent scripting tool, fast transfers! |
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Send mail to
tparker@tpci.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
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