Network Management Strategies for the CIO
The protocols that modems agree on and use for checking and correcting transmission errors have evolved toward accuracy, speed, and efficiency since 1978 when the Xmodem protocol became a de facto standard. To briefly summarize: in all protocols data is chunked into "blocks" of a certain byte size and sent to the destination modem which checks each block for errors and, depending on the results and the protocol, returns a positive (ACK) or negative (NAK) acknowledgement, the latter usually resulting in a retransmission. The type of checking (checksum or cyclic redundancy checking) and the frequency at which a response is sent vary by protocol. Today, new modems use a V.42 protocol, but the earlier protocols are still in use for older modems.
| Protocol | Block size | Frequency of response | Type of checking | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xmodem | 128 bytes | Every block | checksum | Also called MODEM7 |
| Xmodem CRC | 128 bytes | Every block | cyclic redundancy checking | Cyclic redundancy checks detect errors that checksum won't |
| Xmodem-1K | 1024 bytes | Every block | Cyclic redundancy check | Better for large files |
| WXmodem | 128 bytes | Every block but doesn't hold up the sender before accepting the next block | Checksum | More efficient than Xmodem |
| Ymodem | 1024 bytes | Every block | Cyclic redundancy check | Includes a batch mode that allows multiple files to be sent with one command |
| Ymodem-g | 1024 bytes | Only when an error is detected to blocks sent as a stream and all must arrive successfully | Cyclic redundancy check | Supports batch transfers |
| Zmodem | 512 bytes | When a block with an error is detected | Cyclic redundancy check | A transmission can be interrrupted and resumed without retransmitting blocks already sent. |
| Kermit | Adjusts to the computer system | When a block with an error is detected | Checksum | Can resynchonrize transmissions after a line interruption |
| V.42 (LAPM) | 128 bytes | Up to 15 blocks (frames) can be sent before a response | Cyclic redundancy check | This takes precedence over V.42 MNP4. |
| V.42 (MNP4) | Varies | When a packet (block) with an error is detected | Cyclic redundancy check | Used when LAPM can't be used by both modems. |