Mix Of Programs Can Meet Lab Communication Needs

Communications software packages solve a variety of laboratory computer problems. They let incompatible computers talk to each other, for example, and they allow scientists to access laboratory computers from home or in the field. While I haven’t found any single program that will solve all my lab’s communications needs, a combination of two or three fairly inexpensive packages should be the answer for most labs. In my toxicity testing laboratory, when we need to transfer files from one incompatible model of a computer to another, from our vintage 8-bit Quay to our spanking new 32-bit Dell-386, for example, we rely on Mastercom, a product of the Software Store of Marquette, Mich. At $75, Mastercom is probably the least expensive communications program one can buy, and versions are available for almost all models of CP/M-80 and MS-DOS computers. Mastercom is easy to use with menus, prompts, and defaults for even the simplest operations. A proprietary batch transfer mode lets us transfer 10 to 20 files with a single keystroke. This sure beats sitting in front of the computer waiting for it to finish transferring one file before we can start transferring another. Like all good file transfer programs, Mastercom checks the validity of the data as it is transferred. First, it divides the file into small, easily managed blocks. Then, if the codes of a received and a transmitted block don’t match, Mastercom retransmits the block automatically. This automatic error detection and correction is not essential for text, since you can always “guess” at missing letters, but it is a must for scientists working with numeric data. But Mastercom has its limitations. We can only use it for transferring files among the computers in the lab. Those weekends when I want to access the laboratory computer without going into the lab, I switch to a second package, Relay Silver, that lets me access an unattended remote computer. Here is how Relay Silver works: Before I leave the lab on a Friday evening, I switch on my modem and start Relay going in its unattended mode. Then Saturday or Sunday, whenever the mood strikes, I dial into the lab from my home computer. I can scan the directories of my laboratory computer and download whatever files I need for use at home. When I’m through editing a file, I can upload the revised version to my lab computer so it will be waiting for me on Monday morning. I also use Relay Silver when I’m in the field or on a business trip with my portable computer. It allows me to upload data files to the laboratory computer and to download programs to my portable. Recently, I tested a new communications program, Carbon Copy, that goes one step further. With Carbon Copy’s aid, I can call in from the field, upload a data file from my portable, and process it on my laboratory’s new, superfast Dell-386, just as if I were sitting in the laboratory at the 386’s own keyboard. If someone is already at the 386’s keyboard, I can transfer files in the background without interrupting him or her. Carbon Copy compresses the data before transmitting it, resulting in potential transmission rates of 38.2 kiobits per second or greater. This ultrafast transmission rate really cuts the phone bills. (Note: You’ll need one of the new, still expensive 9600 bits-per-second modems to take advantage of this rapid transmission capability.) Like Relay Silver, Carbon Copy provides two layers of password protection, allowing us to limit access and privileges on a directory-by-directory basis. For example, we keep our A and B disks off-limits completely, make our D disk and its toxicity database open to the public, and limit access to our C disk to our own field personneL On the downside, because Carbon Copy lacks a batch-transfer mode, it represents an addition to our software library rather than a replacement for all of our other communications software. Phillip Good is the editor of Laboratory Computer Letter, based in Huntington Beach, Calif [Ed. note: Scientists with questions about data communications or any other computer-related topic they would like to see answered in future issues should address their queries to: Laurel Joyce, Assistant Editor, The Scientist, 3501 Market St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104 -3302.]

Mix Of Programs Can Meet Lab Communication Needs

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