Windows Internet Kermit Service

`Windows Internet Kermit Service - Overview`

Internet Kermit Service (IKS) is an Internet standard file transfer and management service defined in RFC2839 and RFC2840. It's similar to an FTP server except:

It uses Kermit protocol instead of FTP protocol, thus offering numerous capabilities scarce or totally lacking in FTP.
It offers not only the FTP-like client/server mode of operation, but also an interactive file-transfer and management shell to Telnet clients.
The server can be automated by client-provided scripts.

A well-known publicly accessible Internet Kermit Service is the Unix-based one at Columbia University.

Internet Kermit Service is also available for Windows. The Windows Internet Kermit Service Daemon (WIKSD):

Is Kermit 95 2.0 (or later).
Is available for Windows NT, 2000, and XP.
Runs as a Windows Service.
Accepts connections from the Internet.
Authenticates against the Windows user database.
Offers scriptable Kermit-based file-transfer and management services.
Supports SSL/TLS and other security methods.

WIKSD is new with Kermit 95 2.0 (June 2002). Previously Kermit 95 handled remote access through a "host mode" script:

Host mode is available for Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, and XP.
It runs as a user process.
It accepts both Internet and serial (modem or direct) connections.
It authenticates against its own user database.
It offers limited functionality through a simple menu.
Secure versions are not available.

Although Host Mode is still available, it is "deprecated" in favor of WIKSD for TCP/IP network network connections (but is still needed for modem or serial-port connections). Host Mode is documented in Chapter 9 of the Kermit 95 manual.

The WIKSD documentation is:

The WIKSD Administrator's Guide: Setting up and administering remote access with WIKSD.
The WIKSD User's Guide: How to use WIKSD to manage and transfer files.

WIKSD is simply Kermit 95 (K95.EXE), installed as a service and accessed remotely. When K95 is acting as WIKSD, it is strictly a "remote mode Kermit" -- that is, it can not make connections and you can not activate its terminal emulator. For this reason, certain Kermit 95 commands don't work and generate error messages when given to IKSD, for example:

SET PORT, SET HOST, TELNET, SSH, RLOGIN, ...
SET TERMINAL, SET KEY. ...
SET DIAL, SET MODEM, ...
SET NETWORK, SET TELNET, SET TELOPT, SET AUTHENTICATION, ...

In other words, any commands having to do with setting up, making, or using connections. Also RUN and PUSH are disallowed.

WIKSD's command restrictions can cause problems for people who use the same PC locally (from its physical keyboard, mouse, and screen) and remotely (who come in through WIKSD): if their K95CUSTOM.INI files contains any of the above commands, lots of error messages will appear when logging in to WIKSD. The way to avoid this is to separate the forbidden commands from the always-legal ones, as in this example:

  ; FILE K95CUSTOM.INI -- Kermit 95 Customizations
  ;
  (Commands acceptable to both K95 and WIKSD here)

  IF IKSD END 0 IKSD Setup Complete.

  (Commands not acceptable WIKSD here)

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Windows Internet Kermit Service - Overview / The Kermit Project / Columbia University / 2 April 2002