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System User's Guide: Operating System and Devices

DOS Files

The AIX operating system allows you to work with DOS files on your system. Copy to a diskette the DOS files you want to work with. Your system can read these files into a base operating system directory in the correct format and back onto the diskette in DOS format.

Note: The wildcard characters * and ? (asterisk and question mark) do not work correctly with the commands discussed in this section (although they do with the base operating system shell). If you do not specify a file name extension, the file name is matched as if you had specified a blank extension.

Copying DOS Files to Base Operating System Files

The dosread command copies the specified DOS file to the specified base operating system file.

Note: DOS file-naming conventions are used with one exception. Because the backslash (\) character can have special meaning to the base operating system, use a slash (/) character as the delimiter to specify subdirectory names in a DOS path name.

For example, to copy a text file named chap1.doc from a DOS diskette to the base operating file system, type:

dosread -a chap1.doc chap1

Press Enter. This copies the DOS text file \CHAP1.DOC on the /dev/fd0 default device to the base operating system file chap1 in the current directory.

For example, to copy a binary file from a DOS diskette to the base operating file system, type:

dosread -D/dev/fd0 /survey/test.dta /home/fran/testdata

Press Enter. This copies the \SURVEY\TEST.DTADOS data file on /dev/fd1 to the base operating system file /home/fran/testdata.

See the dosread command in the AIX 5L Version 5.2 Commands Reference for the complete syntax.

Copying Base Operating System Files to DOS Files

The doswrite command copies the specified base operating system file to the specified DOS file.

Note: DOS file-naming conventions are used with one exception. Because the backslash (\) character can have special meaning to the base operating system, use a slash (/) character as the delimiter to specify subdirectory names in a DOS path name.

For example, to copy a text file named chap1 from the base operating file system to a DOS diskette, type:

doswrite -a chap1 chap1.doc

Press Enter. This copies the base operating system file chap1 in the current directory to the DOS text file \CHAP1.DOC on /dev/fd0.

For example, to copy a binary file named /survey/test.dta from the base operating file system to a DOS diskette, type:

doswrite -D/dev/fd0 /home/fran/testdata /survey/test.dta

Press Enter. This copies the base operating system data file /home/fran/testdata to the DOS file \SURVEY\TEST.DTA on /dev/fd1.

See the doswrite command in the AIX 5L Version 5.2 Commands Reference for the complete syntax.

Deleting DOS Files

The dosdel command deletes the specified DOS file.

Note: DOS file-naming conventions are used with one exception. Because the backslash (\) character can have special meaning to the base operating system, use a slash (/) character as the delimiter to specify subdirectory names in a DOS path name.

The dosdel command converts lowercase characters in the file or directory name to uppercase before it checks the disk. Because all file names are assumed to be full (not relative) path names, you need not add the initial slash (/).

For example, to delete a DOS file named file.ext on the default device (/dev/fd0), type:

dosdel file.ext

Press Enter.

See the dosdel command in the AIX 5L Version 5.2 Commands Reference for the completet syntax.

Listing Contents of a DOS Directory

The dosdir command displays information about the specified DOS files or directories.

Note: DOS file-naming conventions are used with one exception. Because the backslash (\) character can have special meaning to the base operating system, use a slash (/) character as the delimiter to specify subdirectory names in a DOS path name.

The dosdir command converts lowercase characters in the file or directory name to uppercase before it checks the disk. Because all file names are assumed to be full (not relative) path names, you need not add the initial / (slash).

For example, to read a directory of the DOS files on /dev/fd0, type:

dosdir

Press Enter. The command returns the names of the files and disk-space information, similar to the following.

PG3-25.TXT
PG4-25.TXT
PG5-25.TXT
PG6-25.TXT
Free space: 312320 bytes

See the dosdir command in the AIX 5L Version 5.2 Commands Reference for the complete syntax.

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