OSX telnet program /w binary "send file" feature

November 19, 2005 5:08 PM

Anyone know of a OSX telnet program /w binary "send file" feature like TeraTerm on the PC?
posted by joshgray to Computers & Internet (14 answers total)

That's a toughie, but you should be able to do this with Kermit.

Just a note, you're trying to do something really hard. If you've got a more modern/appropriate alternative like ssh/scp or ftp I'd recommend using it.
posted by onalark at 5:55 PM on November 19, 2005

rcp or scp
posted by jdg at 6:03 PM on November 19, 2005

Use scp.
posted by devilsbrigade at 6:22 PM on November 19, 2005

I don't think we can derail the thread to recommend scp until joshgray tells us what he's trying to do.

There are plenty of systems (think non-computers and older operating systems) which support older protocols like Telnet but wouldn't know Secure Shell Technology if they were dipped in Boiling SSH.

For all we know joshgray is trying to transfer binary data over a really simple serial connection to a device that understands VT 100 and little more.
posted by onalark at 6:43 PM on November 19, 2005

http://minicom.darwinports.com/

Supports x/y/zmodem.

Umm.. but I am not sure if it can go over a TCP 'socket' though..
posted by cowmix at 6:57 PM on November 19, 2005

Take a look at DataComet Secure, which would appear to do what you want. It costs money, though.

onalark: why is this really hard? IMHO, launching a Zmodem session over an ssh tunnel is just as easy or easier than using scp, especially when dealing with multiple arbitary files. Just type rz on the remote session, select Zmodem send in the terminal, choose the files, off they go. Kermit is not the answer here.

other folks: The remote machine may be older and not support scp, but have rz installed. scpd is not necessarily a compatible replacement for what joshgray's asking (even if these days it's usually the obvious solution for what he's doing).
posted by eschatfische at 6:58 PM on November 19, 2005

eschatfische: I meant really hard in the sense of finding a simple GUI for doing Zmodem transfers over OS X, since there's kind of a generation gap between OS X and Zmodem.

You're right on Kermit being a bad call, but I'm unclear on how to do a Zmodem send in the Apple Terminal.
posted by onalark at 7:06 PM on November 19, 2005

OS X comes with the BSD uuencode utility if you want to use Terminal.app — uuencode your binary file into nice easy ASCII, dump it across your telnet connection (even if it just means opening the uuencoded file in TextEdit, Command-C’ing it, and Command-V’ing it into an open telnet session where you've run “cat > myFile” or something), and then uudecode your stuff back to binary on the far side.
posted by letourneau at 8:11 PM on November 19, 2005

Response by poster: LOL sorry got distracted - yea of course what i'm trying to do is arcane. Only way i can update firmware on an old and busted console server i'm trying to fix.
posted by joshgray at 9:45 PM on November 19, 2005

Response by poster: Looks like the newest update to virtual PC may fix a problem i had with virtual switch, which, sigh, in turn may let me use a PC program the vendor suggests using. Keep the fingers crossed.
posted by joshgray at 9:47 PM on November 19, 2005

There's a "classic" Mac OS program called ProTERM which supports both Telnet and Zmodem in the same session. I believe it'll run in Mac OS X under Classic. It may be more convenient than Virtual PC. I have no idea whether they're even selling it anymore, though. Hey look, they are, and it's only $70... ;)
posted by kindall at 7:55 AM on November 20, 2005

This might be too late, but have you tried LePutty. It's a different version of Putty that supports zmodem transfers, and should work on OSX. I don't have OSX, so I can't say for sure, but I've use the zmodem transfer with Windows all the time.
posted by stovenator at 12:09 PM on November 20, 2005

On second look, it doesn't work for OSX. Sorry. I just glanced over the "ported to OSX", not realizing that they are NOT ported. Sigh.
posted by stovenator at 12:10 PM on November 20, 2005

I use ZTerm for my Mac OS X serial port needs. It does pretty much all of the 'binary send file' protocols like X/Y/Z-modem & kermit. And unlike minicom has a standard OS X GUI. (but I would recommend getting familiar with minicom as it exists on many unix systems enabling you to twiddle serial consoles remotely while logged in via SSH)
posted by todbot at 1:41 AM on November 21, 2005