Obtaining a copy of the software

Razor is distributed through a variety of routes. Over time, you may end up receiving the product releases through any number of different vehicles. Please refer to whichever section below applies to your situation.

Via the World Wide Web

An extremely popular and effective route for obtaining Razor is via the World Wide Web, (or just `the web', for short). Simply connect to the web with your favorite web browser then go to the Tower Concepts web site at "http://www.tower.com". From our main page, select the "Downloadables" link and follow the instructions on how to obtain a copy of Razor. We strongly urge you to download the README files as they contain information relevant to the installation process. Don't forget a copy of the manual, available in Postscript and HTML formats.

Via ftp

The notes here are for Tower Concepts' area at ftp.tower.com, but the themes will be similar for ftp sites sponsored by various resellers and distributors. People already familiar with "surfing the net" will be able to extrapolate the following steps to suit their situation.

NOTE: Many web browsers allow you to do ftp directly. Instead of connecting with the Tower web page, (http://www.tower.com), connect with the ftp site, (ftp://ftp.tower.com). You are then free to navigate the ftp site and download as necessary.

Obtaining the release via ftp

1. Connect to the ftp site and go to the proper directory.

# ftp ftp.tower.com
...<identifying info>...
login: ftp
password: <your e-mail address>
...<more info>...

2. Get a listing of what is in the directory. The output shown below is just a sample of what you may find.¹

ftp> dir
AIX
HPUX
IRIX
...

You will see several README files in this directory. Be sure to read them. They will contain information important to the installation process and late-breaking news that is not contained in this manual.

3. There is a directory for each of the supported platforms. Go to the appropriate location and get another directory listing. For example...

ftp> cd HPUX
ftp> dir
Razor.tar.Z

4. Put ftp into binary transfer mode. Get the files you are interested in. In most cases there will be only a single file (the release itself). For example...

ftp> bin
ftp> get Razor.tar.Z

5. While you're at it, be sure and download the manuals for Razor and IssueWeaver. They come in postscript (*_man) or HTML (*_web) format and either UNIX or PC-compressed files. For example,

ftp> cd ../docs
ftp> get rz_web.tar.Z

Via CDROM

Razor is also available from Tower Concepts for an nominal fee on a stylish CDROM. The CDROM contains binaries for all of the supported platforms as well as documentation. Plus it makes a nice coaster after the installation.

Please refer to the documentation on CDROM for the installation of the software, then return to this manual for all other aspects of administering and working with Razor. Review the README files for current installation instructions.

¹ Since the net is such a dynamic environment, it's quite likely that what you find on our ftp site will vary in layout from what is described in this manual. The themes remain the same, and we trust that you'll be comfortable with the differences.