Amanda Work Place Instructions Manual

							Chapter 10:
Accessing Amanda Remotely
Accessing Amanda from Another Computer
You can control and configure [email protected] remotely from another computer 
using the Host and Remote programs. Host runs on Amanda (server or standalone) and 
Remote runs on the computer that is accessing Amanda remotely. You also need either a 
null modem cable to connect the computers or a modem on each computer.
These programs allow the remote computer’s monitor and keyboard to take over for 
Amanda’s monitor and keyboard. You should see whatever is (or would be) visible on 
Amanda’s monitor, and you can use Amanda as though you were operating her keyboard. 
You can run Setup and other programs on Amanda’s computer while sitting at the remote 
computer.
N
OTE:DOS programs that use graphics and pop-up decision windows may not 
be controllable or appear correctly on the screen while you are using the 
Remote program. Examples are Edit, MSD, Scandisk, and Defrag (when 
run in interactive, rather than batch, mode). 
Never use Edit remotely. When you press Alt+X to close the file, you be-
come disconnected. Use JOVE instead.
Setting Up Amanda’s Computer as a Host
It is a good idea to run the Host program automatically whenever Amanda’s computer 
starts. The AUTOEXEC.BAT file already contains lines that you can use for this purpose. 
However, you must remove the REM at the beginning of the line to be used and at the 
beginning of the line above it (that line starts REM ECHO…) You might also have to 
change the number of the COM port to be used by the null modem cable or by the modem 
in Amanda’s computer. If the line is missing, add it as the first line of the 
AUTOEXEC.BAT file. 
Then reboot the computer to load the Host program.
The line for the null modem cable is:
REM LH HOST /2 /f /n >>%LOGN% 
						

							74 Installing [email protected]
This lines for the modem and null modem cabled can be explained as follows:
The line for the modem is:
REM LH HOST /4 >>%LOGN%
Use the list above (for the null modem) to understand each part of this line.
Change the /4 to the number of the COM port used by the modem on Amanda’s computer, 
and add a /f if your modem can handle data speeds of higher than 2400 bps.
Setting Up the Remote Computer
The remote computer must have a copy of the Remote program. Then you can run the 
Remote program from that computer (for example, a notebook).You can copy 
REMOTE.COM from C:\AMANDA to a floppy disk using the following command at the 
DOS prompt:
copy c:\amanda
emote.com a:
emote.com
(Your floppy disk drive may be b: rather than a:.) Then you can insert the floppy disk into 
the remote computer and copy the file to that computer.
REMOTE.COM is also on one of your installation disks. You can use that floppy disk if 
you prefer.
If Amanda is running as a standalone, you can copy the file using the Alt+F (Filecopy) 
command from the Main screen. Simply answer the Copy From: and Copy To: prompts.
REMIndicates that the line is currently ignored. Remove the 
REM to use the line.
LH HOSTTells the computer to load this program in high memory.
/2The 2 is for COM2. You can change this number to the 
number of the COM port the null modem cable or modem 
will use.
/fIndicates that the cable or modem is faster than 2400 bps.
/nIndicates that a null modem cable will be connected to 
both computers.
>>%LOGN%Sends information about loading the Host program to ei-
ther the C:\BOOTLOG file or to the screen, depending 
whether your AUTOEXEC.BAT file contains the line 
SET LOGN=C:\BOOTLOG or the line SET 
LOGN=CON: 
						

							Chapter 10: Accessing Amanda Remotely 75
Connecting by Cable
To connect over a null modem cable: 
1. Attach one end of the null modem cable to the correct serial port (for example, 
COM2) on Amanda’s computer and to a serial port on the remote computer.
2. Turn on both computers. 
3. From the remote computer, use the following command to start the Remote program. 
remote /x
 /n /f 
where x is 1 or 2, depending on what COM port the cable is connected to on the 
remote computer. For COM1, you can use /1 or nothing at all because COM1 is the 
default.
You execute the command from the directory in which the Remote program is stored 
or you add the path name to the command. For example, if the program is stored in 
the UTIL directory on your C: drive, C:\UTIL\REMOTE would replace REMOTE in 
the command. If the computer runs a version of Windows, run the command from a 
DOS box.
4. Press Enter.
The following appears on the screen:
Remote Version 2.0
You can run Setup and other programs on Amanda’s computer while sitting at the 
remote computer. (If the screen is blank because of Amanda’s screen saver, press the 
spacebar to exit the screen saver.)
5. To end the Remote session, press Alt+X.
The program asks you to confirm your decision to exit by typing Y.
The remote computer disconnects from Amanda. 
Connecting by Modem
To connect via data modem, both Amanda’s computer and the computer that will be 
accessing Amanda remotely must be running and have a modem that is connected to both 
a serial port and a telephone line. The data modem must be connected to either a dedicated 
telephone number (this works best) or station separate from the telephone system.
The Host program can use COM1 through COM4. The Amanda Company recommends 
that Amanda’s computer use one of the following for the data modem:
COM1 with IRQ4 and not other devices on COM1 or using IRQ4
COM2 with IRQ3 and not other devices on COM2 or using IRQ3
COM3 with IRQ11 and not other devices on COM3 or using IRQ11
COM4 with IRQ5 and not other devices on COM4 or using IRQ5 
						

							76 Installing [email protected]
The Remote program works only with COM1 or COM2, with industry standard IRQ and 
I/O port addressing. That is: 
COM1 with IRQ4 and not other devices on COM1 or using IRQ4
COM2 with IRQ3 and not other devices on COM2 or using IRQ3
To control Amanda via modem:
1. Use the following command to start the Remote program:
remote /x
 
where x is 1 or 2, depending on what COM port the cable is connected to on the 
remote computer. (For COM1, you can use /1 or nothing at all because COM1 is the 
default.)
You execute the command from the directory in which the Remote program is stored 
or you add the path name to the command. For example, if the program is stored in 
the UTIL directory on your C: drive, C:\UTIL\REMOTE would replace REMOTE in 
the command. If the computer runs a version of Windows, run the command from a 
DOS box.
2. Press Enter.
The following appears on the screen:
Remote Version 2.0
Enter phone number:
3. Type the telephone number for Amanda, then press Enter.
For example, if both modems are on the station side of the telephone switching sys-
tem, you might use 9,17147530414,,,,,102 where the commas are two-second pauses 
and the 102 is for mailbox 102. In this example, the Extension field for mailbox 102 
would have to be 102H to achieve a blind transfer to extension 102.
Enter password: appears on the screen.
4. Type 
JENNIFER in uppercase letters, then press Enter.
You can run Setup and other programs on Amanda’s computer while sitting at the 
remote computer. (If the screen is blank because of Amanda’s screen saver, press the 
spacebar to exit the screen saver.)
5. When you have finished, type Alt+X to end the connection. 
The program asks you to confirm your decision to exit by typing Y.
The remote computer disconnects from Amanda. 
						

							Chapter 11:
Programming Amanda
Using Tokens
The Token Programming Language allows you to write programs for Amanda. These 
programs consist of tokens entered in Extension fields (defined per mailbox using the 
Users screen) and/or in Method fields (defined per mailbox using the Notify Screen). This 
section describes the language and introduces you to common programming terms. 
Understanding these terms can help you understand any programming language.
A token is a sequence of one or more characters that represents an action that Amanda can 
perform. The tokens that you use most often are simple and perform routine actions such 
as dialing an extension. However, a program can be much more complicated than that.
With the Token Programming Language, you can use tokens to do either of the following:
 Enhance Amanda’s normal processing of the Extension and Method fields. Nor-
mally, she uses Programmed Call Progress Monitoring (PCPM).
In this case, you add the tokens where appropriate within the field.
For example, 
147H is a sequence of four tokens that tells Amanda to dial the DTMF 
digits 147 (for extension 147) and then hang up. Notice that the tokens are not sepa-
rated by spaces (or any other characters). You write tokens one right after the other. 
 Stop Amanda’s normal processing of the fields and tell her what to do.
In this case, the first character in the field is @. Then you add the tokens that tell 
Amanda what to do.
For example,
@
R(G1,%S1)
assigns the DTMF digits entered by the caller to a variable named %S1. This starts 
with an @ to indicate that you are NOT processing this Extension field normally.
Normal processing for the Extension field: Amanda plays “Please hold while I try that 
extension,” puts the caller on transfer hold, then evaluates the tokens in the field. Unless 
told to do otherwise, she listens for call progress tones and an answer.
The @ stops Amanda from performing the dial code that puts a caller on transfer hold 
(also known as the dl_dtwait dial code). As explained in Installing [email protected], 
you use the Setup utility (selection 1) to set or view the dial codes. The codes are stored in 
C:\AMANDA\PBX.DB\1001.PBX, which you can view or edit using the JOVE utility.
Normal processing of the Notify Method field: Amanda tries to access a port for an 
outbound notification call. The @ stops Amanda from going off-hook. 
						

							78 Installing [email protected]
When most people think of a program, they think of a series of lines, each of which 
contains a single action or command. The Token Programming Language is similar, but 
each line become the contents of a different field, using the Extension field of a mailbox.
If the program contains only a few lines, sometimes you can use just one Extension or 
Method field for the entire program. However, when you need more fields, you use the 
Extension fields from additional mailboxes. Even if a Method field must be extended, you 
extend it to the Extension field in another mailbox. 
You use additional fields for any of the following reasons:
 The logic of the program branches or repeats. You use a G() command or I() com-
mand to create the branch or loop. See “Flow of Control: Branching and Looping” 
on page 85 for more details.
 The length of the string of tokens exceeds 65 characters, so you are forced to con-
tinue in another field. You use a G() command to extend the token string to a new 
Extension field.
Mailbox Settings
If you are using a mailbox’s Extension field for token programming, you must use all of 
the following settings:
 Do Not Disturb must be off. Amanda ignores the Extension field altogether if Do 
Not Disturb is on.
 Call screening must be off. 
Success and Failure
Amanda evaluates tokens from left to right. If Amanda performs a token successfully, she 
goes on to the next token. 
When all the tokens have been performed successfully in an Extension field, Amanda goes 
to the RNA Chain field. If the RNA field is blank, she goes to the Done Chain field for the 
company greeting mailbox (usually mailbox 990). 
When all the tokens have been performed successfully in the Notify Method field, 
Amanda goes to the next Notify Method field (if there is one). If there are no more Notify 
Method fields, Amanda goes to the Done Chain field for the current mailbox.
If the token is unrecognized (because of a syntax error or a typographical error) or fails, 
Amanda immediately goes to the Done Chain field without processing the rest of the 
tokens in the field. If the last successful token gives Amanda an invalid mailbox, she 
processes the Done Chain field for the mailbox associated with the current port because 
she cannot locate a Done Chain field for the invalid mailbox. (The mailbox associated 
with the port is usually 990, the Company Greeting mailbox.) 
For a literal or system variable, there is no such thing as failure. The token always 
succeeds. Some tokens define almost any behavior as successful. For example, you can 
have Amanda spell an empty string. Amanda doesn’t say anything, but no failure occurs 
either.  
						

							Chapter 11: Programming Amanda 79
Tracing Token Execution
Amanda’s trace files can let you know where and how a token program is failing. This is 
an invaluable debugging tool. 
Amanda creates trace files as she runs, because the following trace command should be in 
the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
amanda /t5 /s1300
Like the default trace command, this command creates C:\AMANDA\TRACE.OUT file 
and limits its size to the last 1.3MB of data. (A file this size will fit on a 3 1/2-inch floppy 
disk.) What is different about this command is that it writes to the trace file every 10 lines. 
In this way, if Amanda crashes while running your token program, no more than ten lines 
of trace information can be lost. You can use /t with a number less than 10 if you need to, 
but it will slow down the system.
You can also display trace information on-screen.
To display trace information:
1. Press Ctrl+Home.
2. Press Alt+T.
Pressing any key stops the display. On-screen traces are stored by default in 
C:\AMANDA\SCREEN.OUT. To change the name of this file, use the Setup utility to 
change the setting for the configuration option screen_save.
Kinds of Tokens
Tokens fall into the following categories: 
 Literals
Variables
 Commands
Literals
A literal is an exact value such as the whole numbers 4 or 1144. Notice that you do not use 
commas within numbers. You use 1144—not 1,144.
The DTMF digits and most single-character tokens are literals. For example, the comma 
(,) that causes a pause is a literal.
Another type of literal is the string. In the Token Programming Language (as in most 
programming languages), a string is a sequences of characters. For example, JAMES 
DOLE is a 10-character string that starts with the letter J and ends with the letter E. To 
clearly show where a string begins and ends, programming languages require delimiters 
(characters that enclose the string, but are not part of it. In the Token Programming 
Language, you use single or double quotation marks as string delimiters. So JAMES 
DOLE becomes 
JAMES DOLE or 
JAMES DOLE.  
						

							80 Installing [email protected]
9, is a string that Amanda might dial for an outside line. It consists of the DTMF digit 9 
followed by the comma for a pause.
A string that has no characters is called the empty string. It often occurs in programming 
and is written as 
 or 
.
If you use one kind of quotation mark within a string, you should use the other kind as the 
string’s delimiters: Amandas or Do not use  (the double quotation character).
Variables
Each variable is the name of a storage location within the computer that can store a string 
or a whole number. After you store something in a variable, you can use that variable’s 
name instead of typing the string or the number. This is useful because:
 Amanda’s variables have simple names (no more than four characters) and save 
you typing time. (You are less likely to make a mistake typing a short variable 
name than a long string.)
 You can change the contents of the storage location and still use the same variable. 
 Amanda can perform the same set of tokens over and over again with different val-
ues because the tokens use the variables rather than the values. For example, if you 
change the telephone number stored as a variable, Amanda dials the new number 
without you having to change any tokens.
The Token Programming Language has system, port, and global variables. Each of them 
starts with a percent sign (%).
System variables are controlled by Amanda. For example, %D contains the amount of 
available disk space, and %C contains the number of the port currently in use.
Port variables are controlled by you. Their names range from %S0 to %S19. Port variables 
provide 20 locations in which to store information on a per-port basis. The %S0 accessed 
by Amanda while using one port is not the same location as the %S0 accessed by Amanda 
while using another port.
Global variables are also controlled by you. Their names range from %G0 to %G9. These 
10 locations are used by all the ports. The %G2 accessed by Amanda while using one port 
is exactly the same location as the %G2 accessed by Amanda while using another port.
Assignment
You control port and global variables. For example, you can assign numbers or strings to 
them and later change those numbers or strings. For example, you might assign the value 
of 65 to %G4 and the value Amanda to %S9. Assigning a value to a variable copies that 
value to the variable’s storage location. 
Initially, each port and global variable has the empty string as its value. Assignment is 
done in the Token Programming Language using the assignment command, which starts 
with the equal sign (=). When the variable contains a number, you can add to that number 
or subtract from it using the command that starts with a plus sign (+).
For example, =(%S1,24) puts the number 24 in the variable named %S1. 
+(%S1,15) adds 15 to the 24 in %S1 and then stores the sum 39 in %S1.
+(%S1,-10) subtracts 10 from the 39 in %S1 and then stores the difference 29 in %S1. 
						

							Chapter 11: Programming Amanda 81
Commands
Commands are more complex than literals and variables. Commands perform actions. For 
example, a command may tell Amanda to play a particular message or go to another 
mailbox. 
Each command has a name followed by a series of parts called parameters. Some 
parameters contain information that Amanda needs to perform the command. Others 
contain information that Amanda obtains for you as she performs the command. Each 
parameter is a literal, variable, or another command. 
The parameters are delimited (surrounded) by parentheses and separated by commas. For 
example, P(M8) tells Amanda to play message number 8. The command name is P, and its 
only parameter is M8, which is surrounded by parentheses. 
The command P(0745,T) tells Amanda to say the number 0745 as a time. It also has the 
command name P, but it has two parameters: the number 0745 and the literal T.
When a command is referred to by name in this guide, the parentheses appear after the 
command’s name. For example, the command named P is referred to as the P() command, 
which is read as “the P command.” 
						

							82 Installing [email protected]
Parameters
Parameters can be required or optional. The syntax places brackets […] around optional 
parameters.
Parameters can also be for input or for output. Input parameters provide the information 
that Amanda needs in order to perform the action that you requested. For example, 
Amanda might need the name of the file in which to store a fax or the telephone number 
for a pager. You supply the input parameters and make sure that the information in them is 
correct. Input parameters can be literals, variables, or other commands. 
Output parameters are parameters that store information you asked Amanda for. Output 
parameters are always variables because Amanda must store the information you 
requested in a storage location. Usually one command asks for the information, Amanda 
stores the information in a variable, and another command uses that variable. For example, 
you might use the V() command to retrieve a telephone number from a file. If the output 
parameter for the telephone number is %S5, Amanda stores the telephone number in the 
variable %S5. Then you use %S5 in a T() command to send a fax using that telephone 
number. 
The syntax in the guide does not indicate which parameters are input and which are 
output. This is clear from the descriptions of the command and parameters. 
When a string is used as a parameter, you don’t always need the quotation marks, because 
the commas and parentheses serve as delimiters. You must use the quotation marks when a 
variable is part (but not all) of the string. For example, if %S0 is MARY and %S5 is HU, 
the string MARY HU can be used as a parameter with or without quotation marks, but 
the strings %S0 HU, %S0 %S5, and %S0 %S5 must have quotation marks. Most 
programming languages do not allow you to put variables within strings. The Token 
Programming Language allows this, but it only checks for variables within a string if you 
delimit that string with quotation marks. You cannot use a number from 0 to 9 after %S1 
in a string because Amanda assumes that you meant the variable %S10 or %S11, etc.
Most system variables do not have parameters. However, a couple of system variables 
have parameters that affect the contents of that system variable. For example, to use %I, 
the system variable that retrieves data from specific fields of specific messages, you use 
parameters to indicate which field, message number, and mailbox you want the data from.
Syntax
The exact sequence of characters for each token is defined by its syntax, so you have to 
learn to read syntax. The following table shows the conventions used in this guide. They 
are similar to the syntax conventions used for other programming languages.
Syntax ConventionMeaning
boldBold is used for characters that must be 
used by you exactly as they appear—if 
you use them at all.
italicsItalics are used for characters that you 
must replace with real strings, numbers, 
variables, or other commands.