D'Bridge EMAIL System Copyright (c) by Nick J. Andre, Ltd. www.dbridgemailer.com 1:1/130 * USER MANUAL * TABLE OF CONTENTS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Title Page ------- ----- ---- 0.00 NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR 1 1.00 GENERAL OVERVIEW 2 2.00 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION 6 2.01 BASIC EMAIL SETUP 7 2.02 BASIC ECHOMAIL SETUP 9 3.00 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION AND MAINTENANCE 14 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 15 3.02 DIRECTORY PATHS 30 3.03 COMM / MODEM SETUP 38 3.04 SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE 46 3.05 NODELIST CONFIGURATION 61 3.06 PACKET MAIL CONTROL 69 3.07 TIC AREA SETUP 82 3.08 XMAIL CONTROL 84 3.09 TIME CONTROL SYSTEM 91 3.10 FUNCTION KEYS 96 3.11 BBS CONFIGURATION 97 3.12 SECURITY MISCELLANEOUS 103 3.13 DISK SPACE MINIMUMS 113 3.14 ACCOUNTING TRANSLATION 114 3.15 ZMODEM PARAMETERS 118 3.16 SETUP EDITOR OPTIONS 120 3.17 ECHOMAIL AREAS 128 3.18 WINDOW COLORS 137 3.19 KEYBOARD MACROS 138 3.20 TRANSLATION TABLE 139 3.21 SOUP GATING 140 3.22 BINKD 141 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 146 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section Title Page ------- ----- ---- 5.00 EMAIL MESSAGE EDITOR 166 5.01 USING EDIT MODE 172 5.02 USING READ MODE 179 5.03 ADVANCED FEATURES 182 6.00 UNDERSTANDING THE QUEUE 185 6.01 CREATING A PRIVATE NODELIST 190 6.02 DUTIES OF A NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR 192 7.00 DBUTIL / UTILITY PROGRAM 193 7.01 MESSAGE STORAGE 194 7.02 USING THE SCRIPTING LANGUAGE 195 7.03 EXAMPLE SCRIPT FILE 200 8.00 BBS SYSTEMS 201 9.00 GLOSSARY OF TERMS 250 A.00 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 275 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 0.00 NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.00 NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR Hello, my name is Nick Andre, and I am the current developer of the D'Bridge EMAIL System originally written by Chris Irwin. What can D'Bridge do? Simple - it can move data, programs, documents, spreadsheets, pictures, drawings and sounds between continents in just seconds or minutes, depending on the size. Anything that can be stored in your computer may be automatically transmitted to other computers using compatible EMAIL systems anywhere in the world. It also features a vast array of options, a built-in scheduler and router. It is fully capable of "conference mail" (Echomail) internally and has a built-in message editor for reading and composing messages. D'Bridge isn't alone; there are many other programs out there that can communicate with it. This means you may communicate with anyone using simular programs such as FrontDoor, BinkleyTerm, Intermail, Fido, Opus, SEAmail, TIMS, TrapDoor and many others. D'Bridge is also Internet ready, and can communicate using the now- common BinkD protocol. In more advanced setups, it can also process messages from Usenet (NNTP) and exchange Internet Email using SMTP/POP3. I have updated the help system to include step-by-step walkthroughs and troubleshooting, as well as help for newer features such as Internet connectivity. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me by the methods indicated in the appropriate README file for this release. Nick Andre www.dbridgemailer.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 1.00 GENERAL OVERVIEW 2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.00 GENERAL OVERVIEW D'Bridge is one of the most flexible Fido EMAIL systems available today and its menu-driven operation makes it one of the easiest to use. The communications between D'Bridge systems use the powerful ZMODEM proto- col, ensuring that your data arrives as quickly and accurately as possible. In its simplest form, D'Bridge acts like a messenger between two or more points; at its best and most complex, it can be a multi-tired network connecting hundreds (or thousands) of cities using a "hub and spoke" topology (much like our major airlines and parcel services.) MESSAGES D'Bridge can send messages (text) from one location to another automatically. Messages may be prepared by using the built-in D'Bridge Message Editor or a third-party product. Messages are a simple and cost-effective way for offices to communicate with each other. It is usually more cost-effective to send EMAIL messages between offices than to use FAX or TELEX. With a high-speed modem, D'Bridge can transfer hundreds of messages in just a minute or two. FILES Along with messaging, D'Bridge can send files. Word processor files, spread- sheets, database files and graphic images are just a few of the types of files D'Bridge can transfer. Any file which can be put on a standard DOS storage medium may be sent anywhere in the world within minutes using D'Bridge. FUNCTION-REQUESTS D'Bridge also has the ability to spawn FUNCTION-REQUEST server tasks. These programs are designed to process received data then generate output to send back to the calling sytstem. Examples of function requests are the programs that issue "DEMO keys" and collect registration data. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 1.00 GENERAL OVERVIEW 3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DESIGN PHILOSOPHY / BASIC CONCEPTS D'Bridge is a complex program that allows a user complete control over its operation. Three highly-integrated programs are involved in the routine operation of the system. In addition, some "modules" are included for communications over the Internet. DB This is the MAILER portion. It controls your modem both answering and originating calls; it can control your FAX card or the FAX options inside your modem at the same time. Think of the MAILER as a fancy timer/ clock allowing you to program different "events" to happen using a weekly schedule. EMAIL is transmitted only when the schedule permits; mail schedules can be set up to send all mail at the least-expensive rates. DB EDIT This is the EDITOR portion. It is very much like a word-processor in operation, but instead of documents, there are EMAIL messages. The editor allows you to enter, read and reply to messages. Optionally, you may use your own message editor provided it is compatible with D'Bridge. DBUTIL This is the utility program. It allows for additional functions such as SEND FILE or POLL to be executed from a batch file so that nightly data transmissions can be automated. With the PURGE option, DBUTIL will purge the message base. BINKD This module allows D'Bridge to send mail and files via. the Internet using a transaction protocol called BinkP. VSOUP This module allows D'Bridge to process Internet EMAIL and USENET groups as regular "Fido-style" messages. There are some basic terms that are important to understand when dealing with D'Bridge. There is also a complete glossary of terms located in appendix A, but here are the ones you will need in order to get started: EMAIL Electronic mail, or in D'Bridge terms, messages that are sent directly between systems or routed through a host. EMAIL messages may be public or private and may be sent in normal or compressed (XMAIL) form. It may also refer to messages addressed to/from the Internet. NETmail NETmail or network mail is the name of the EMAIL message area for messages sent directly between systems. Each NETmail message has an ORIGIN and a specific DESTINATION where it is to be sent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 1.00 GENERAL OVERVIEW 4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ECHOmail ECHOmail is a form of conferencing. When an ECHOmail message is entered on your system, it is automatically "echoed" to all other systems participating in the given conference. ECHOmail messages are generally not private since they can be read by the system operator of each node receiving it. ECHOmail conferences are generally topic-specific. For example, there may be an ECHOmail conference about SKIING and one about SCUBA_DIVING. This provides a means of linking lots of people throughout the world in a common forum for discussion. ECHOfile Files which arrive on your system with corrosponding "TIC" files are "echoed" to other participating systems very simular to how Echomail works. D'Bridge fully supports TIC file processing to forward files to other systems. XMAIL In D'Bridge terms, XMAIL simply means compressed mail. Compression is achieved through the use of common com- pression/archival programs that store a series of files inside a single archive. By default, PKZIP by Phil Katz is used to store and compress the mail. ARC, LHA, ARJ, PAK ZOO and RAR are also supported as standard compression methods. NETWORK A NETWORK is a group of computer systems with the ability to send EMAIL on a scheduled or continuous basis. In D'Bridge, NETWORKS are defined by a NODELIST file. NODELIST A NODELIST is a text file containing a list of EMAIL systems in a given NETWORK. The list is in a structured form, known as the "St. Louis" format. D'Bridge needs to compile the raw list(s) into its database before a new nodelist file may be used. If you are joining a public NETWORK, you will need to obtain a copy of their NODELIST from a "network administrator". If you are setting up a private NETWORK, you will need to create your own NODELIST file. MESSAGE A MESSAGE is the basis of EMAIL communications. A user enters a MESSAGE in the editor and ADDRESSES it to any other system in the NODELIST. ADDRESS Each EMAIL MESSAGE has two addresses: the ORIGIN and DESTINATION ADDRESS. The ORIGIN is simply the ADDRESS of the system on which the message was written and the DESTI- NATION is the ADDRESS of the system where the message is being sent. In D'Bridge, addresses are broken up into four segments: ZONE, NET, NODE and POINT. Each of these segments is a number between 0 and 32767. The normal for- mat for an EMAIL ADDRESS is ZONE:NET/NODE.POINT. ZONE The ZONE ADDRESS is a number between 1 and 32767 desig- nating a NETWORK or geographic region. In the case of pu- blic NETWORKS, different ZONES have been used to designate completely separate NODELISTS. NET The NET ADDRESS is a number between 1 and 32767 designa- ting LOCAL NETWORKS. A LOCAL NETWORK consists of a HOST NODE, BOSS NODES and POINTS. NODE The NODE ADDRESS is a number between 0 and 32767 desig- nating the ADDRESS of an individual system. If the NODE number is 0, the system is a HOST NODE. POINT The POINT ADDRESS is a number between 0 and 32767 desig- nating the ADDRESS of an individual system acting as a POINT. If the POINT number is 0, the system is a BOSS NODE; otherwise, the system uses its BOSS NODE to receive mail. BOSS NODE A BOSS NODE is any system operating with a point address of zero. The difference between a BOSS NODE and a POINT is that BOSS NODES are listed in the NODELIST of a NETWORK, while POINTS are not. A BOSS NODE will HOLD and FORWARD EMAIL and files to its POINTS. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 1.00 GENERAL OVERVIEW 5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOST NODE A HOST NODE acts as a collecting point for EMAIL and HOST-ROUTED files. When a message and/or file is ROUTED, it is automatically FORWARDED for the appropriate NODES. EVENT An EVENT comprises of a number of scheduled parameter changes in order to control EMAIL routing or to execute a series of DOS commands at preprogrammed intervals. The SCHEDULE may hold a maximum of 64 EVENTS that tell D'Bridge what to do. D'Bridge features four basic modes of operation: MAILER The normal mode of operation, the MAILER mode of D'Bridge is normally running 24-hours/day unless you are running D'Bridge only at certain times. While in the MAILER mode, D'Bridge sends and receives EMAIL and files based on a preprogrammed schedule. The MAILER mode offers a completely unattended method for scheduled transfers of data between personal computer systems. The user has the ability to control the queue of outbound file-transmissions and file-requests as well as XMAIL and standard EMAIL. No mail will be sent if the system is not left in MAILER mode when not in use by the operator. EDITOR The EDITOR mode allows you to enter and read EMAIL messages sent and received by D'Bridge. The EDITOR is a specialized word-processor designed to offer powerful functions through a clear and simple user interface. The editor can be configured to read hundreds of local and ECHOmail areas as well as standard EMAIL. TERMINAL The TERMINAL mode allows D'Bridge to act as a ANSI terminal allowing the user to call other systems such as Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) or commercial systems. In order to make calls, you must have a modem installed in your computer that is supported by D'Bridge. CONFIGURATION The CONFIGURATION mode of D'Bridge consists of a series of parameter screens providing complete control over the operation of the software. There are many different user-definable parameters controlling the scheduling, communications and routing of the EMAIL. For added security, a password may be required to enter the various CONFIGURATION screens. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 2.00 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION 6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.00 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION Installing D'Bridge from the release ZIP file is quick and easy. Please refer to the README.TXT file for information on system requirements: - CPU types and speed. - Memory (RAM) - Hard-drive storage - Modem hardware, COM ports, telephone lines. - Internet connectivity. - Operating system support. The README.TXT file also contains last-minute information which may or may not be present in the F1-Help system or the manual. At this point, you should have the following files in the directory that you decompressed the release archive into. Lets take a look at what they are: DB4.EXE - This is the D'Bridge Setup program. Running this executable file begins the installation/upgrade process. DB4.TXT - This file contains information specific to this release of D'Bridge. You should always read this file before you upgrade your system with a new version. So to install or upgrade D'Bridge, simply type the command DB4 in the directory. C:\>DB4 The installation program will walk you through the installation process. Proceed to the next chapter for basic EMAIL configuration. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 2.01 BASIC EMAIL SETUP 7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.01 BASIC EMAIL SETUP In order to gain a complete understanding of D'Bridge, we suggest that you use the following guideline to initially configure the software. Using this section, follow along step-by-step as we install an operati- onal system. 1. When D'Bridge is first loaded, it will perform a series of tests on its environment, files and peripherals. 2. When the top-left corner of the screen says "IDLE," you may press the ESC key to display the main menu. Pressing the ESC key a second time will return the system to IDLE mode. Select menu items by using the ARROW keys to move to the desired option, then press ENTER. Pressing the first letter of any option will select that option im- mediately without any other keystrokes. 3. On the EDITOR menu, select the SETUP EDITOR OPTIONS option. (Pressing ESC-E-S is a quick way of getting to this menu from the IDLE state.) Choose answers for all the fields on this screen. If you're not sure about a field, leave it blank or accept the pre- programmed "default"; refer to SECTION 3.15 for more information. 4. On the CONFIG menu, select each of the following options and fill-in all the fields with the appropriate information. Again, if you don't understand something, just accept the "default" value or leave it blank. Screen Section BASIC CONFIGURATION 3.01 DIRECTORY PATHS 3.02 COMM / MODEM SETUP 3.03 NODELIST CONFIGURATION 3.05 INTERNET BINKD SETUP 3.22 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 2.01 BASIC EMAIL SETUP 8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. If you run a bulletin board system (BBS,) setup the information on the ADVANCED MENU, BBS CONFIGURATION screen; refer to SECTION 3.10 for more information on this screen. 6. Next, if there are certain mail schedules required for your NETWORK, you can set them up in the SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE option of the CONFIG menu. Typically, a NETWORK will have at least one MAIL EVENT each night. During these events, EMAIL and files are allowed to be sent; this allows EMAIL entered during the day to be transmitted at night, yielding the highest savings in tele- communication costs. See SECTION 3.04 for more information. 7. At this point, your system should be configured for basic EMAIL operation. Assuming that you defined a NODELIST on the NODELIST CONFIGURATION screen, it must be compiled before D'Bridge can use it. The NODELIST always gets compiled when the system is brought up and a new NODELIST exists. If you haven't left the program, you can force a nodelist compile by using the BUILD NODELIST DATABASE on the UTILITIES menu. This process takes a few minutes, so be patient. 8. In most cases, you are assigned a network address from another system which should be running the BINKD protocol for allowing transactions over the Internet. If this is the case, proceed to BINKD SETUP as described in SECTION 3.22. 9. Now EMAIL is fully configured and you may continue by reading SECTION 2.02, BASIC ECHOMAIL SETUP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 2.02 BASIC ECHOMAIL SETUP 9 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.02 BASIC ECHOMAIL SETUP It is assumed you've completed the previous section and set up most of the parameters on all the menus listed. If you haven't done this, please go back and read the previous section as you configure D'Bridge. Before you configure the ECHOmail subsystem, it is a good idea to have a general understanding of what it is and how it works. Once properly configured, the D'Bridge ECHOmail processor is completely automatic in operation. - What is ECHOmail? ECHOmail is a facility allowing for EMAIL-based conferencing in any number of message areas at the same time. An ECHOmail message differs from a NETmail message only in that there is no DESTINATI- ON ADDRESS for an ECHOmail message; it gets sent to ALL systems participating in a given conference. With ECHOmail, you have the capability of sharing ideas with other people in SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS or SIGS. A conference is created for each topic of discussion and you may participate in as few or as many as you wish. When you enter a message, it is automatically forwarded to all the other nodes you are linking to the conference. In turn, all the other nodes forward the message to all the nodes they link to; the process continues until your message has been seen by every system participating in the conference. Your message can be sent to THOUSANDS of systems if a conference is interesting enough to attract a large and widespread "audience"! ECHOmail is a unique form of communications. People living thousands of miles apart can carry on a public discussion on any topic or in- terest they have in common. During the Gulf War the CNN television network featured a report about D'Bridge being used for fast commu- nications between American soldiers and their families at home. In fact, within several days a special purpose all-D'Bridge SaudiNet had been set up for this particular purpose. While it took regular mail several weeks to get to its destination, D'Bridge carried Mega- bytes of messages back and forth between the Gulf Region and the States within minutes! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 2.02 BASIC ECHOMAIL SETUP 10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An example of some public ECHOmail conferences anyone may partici- pate in are: DBRIDGE D'Bridge users conference HUMOR Sick jokes and humor POLITICS International political discussion SYSOP International Sysop ECHO ZMODEM Discussion about the ZMODEM protocol For more information about how to receive public ECHOmail, contact any of our support nodes and we'll be glad to help you. - How does ECHOmail work? Each ECHOmail conference is actually an entire network within itself. An ECHOmail network is defined by its TOPOLOGY or the way in which the network interconnects. The following chart describes the topology of an ECHOmail conference from my system's point-of-view. (This is just an example...) -------------------- 1:110/68 (my system) ---------+---------- | | | /-----------+------------+-----+-----+-------------+-------------\ | | | | | | ---+--- ----+---- ----+---- ---+----- ----+----- ----+----- 1:105/3 1:107/150 1:150/613 1:3601/14 2:512/1006 1:110/68.1 ---+--- --------- --------- ---+----- ----+----- ---------- | | | +-----------+------------\ | +-------\ | | | | | | ---+---- ---+---- ----+---- ---+----- ---+----- | 1:105/10 1:105/50 1:105/300 1:3601/14.1 2:280/280 | -------- -------- ----+---- --------- --------- | | | +----------------\ | | | | -----+------ -----+------ -----+------ 1:105/300.14 1:105/300.68 2:512/1006.1 ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 2.02 BASIC ECHOMAIL SETUP 11 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To understand what topology is and how messages get to all the systems in the conference, let's take an example of a message entered on 1:105/300.68 replying to a message from 2:512/1006.1... The message would pass through the following systems to make it to its final destination: 1:105/300.68, 1:105/300, 1:105/3, 1:110/68, 2:512/1006, 2:512/1006.1 This could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days depending on the events running on the different systems; the message must be forwarded through four different systems before making it to 2:512/1006.1! You will notice the topology (interconnection) is in the form of a tree starting with my address at the top. ECHOmail topology is different from every system's point-of-view. In the above network, there may be links I am not aware of. For example, I have no way of knowing to which points 1:105/300 is sending the ECHOmail. The tree looks completely different from his point-of-view. The main thing to remember is never to have more than once "source" of an ECHO. It is fine to forward an echo to several other systems, but make sure all topology follows this tree structure and never causes any loops. Most networks have an ECHOmail coordinator whose job it is to ensure the validity of the local network topology. If you are a member of a public network, you should always contact the ECHOmail coordinator before setting up any ECHOmail links. IMPROPER TOPOLOGY ACCEPTABLE TOPOLOGY /-----------\ /-----------\ | | | | ---+--- ---+--- ---+--- ---+--- 1:134/2 1:134/5 1:134/2 1:134/5 ---+--- ---+--- ---+--- ---+--- | | | | ---+--- ----+---- ---+--- ----+---- 1:134/3 1:134/150 1:134/3 1:134/150 ---+--- ----+---- ------- --------- | | \-----------/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 2.02 BASIC ECHOMAIL SETUP 12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPTIMUM TOPOLOGY System FORWARD TO a ------ ---------- ------- 1:134/2 1:134/3 1:134/5 1:134/150 1:134/2 1:134/3 1:134/2 ---+--- 1:134/5 1:135/2 | 1:134/150 1:135/2 /-----------+-----------\ b | c | d | ---+--- ---+--- ----+---- 1:134/3 1:134/5 1:134/150 ------- ------- --------- While configuring basic ECHOmail capabilities, read the follo- wing sequence of instructions to gain a greater understanding of D'Bridge. 1. From the CONFIG menu, select the PACKET/MAIL CONTROL screen. Using this screen, set the ECHOmail-related parameters like this: Inbound mail handling? Automatic Kill null msgs? Yes Kill In-transit msgs? Yes In-transit rescan? Yes Secured ECHOmail only? No Save ECHOmail SEENBYs? No Save duplicate messages? No Auto-add ECHOmail areas? No (for now) Accept AREAFIX requests? Yes Remove empty PASSTHRUs? Yes 2. Next, select the XMAIL CONTROL screen. Here, you should already have defaults displayed for each of the compression commands. If you are using different archive programs than the ones specified, change them as appropriate, but remember the formats of the ARC, ZIP, LHA, ARJ, PAK or ZOO files must be the same. XMAIL uses the ZIP program by default, but you may specify which compression methods to use for which systems on this screen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 2.02 BASIC ECHOMAIL SETUP 13 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. On the ADVANCED menu, select the DISK SPACE MINIMUMS screen. D'Bridge comes preprogrammed with suggested minimum disk space criteria. If you plan to use more than one hard-drive to store the message bases or queue directory, make sure you specify minimums for them on this screen. 4. On the EDITOR menu, select the ECHOMAIL AREAS screen. Following the directions listed in SECTION 3.16, create all the ECHOmail areas you will be using. In the FORWARD TO fields, list the addresses of the systems you want to set up ECHOmail links for. 5. That's all there is to it. For ECHOmail to work, you must verify the following things: a. D'Bridge reports at least enough free memory as it takes to run the compression and decompression programs specified on the XMAIL CONTROL screen. When D'Bridge first comes online, it says how many bytes of memory are available. Typically, this must be around 100K, depending on the compression programs you are using. b. The compression programs specified must exist in the current default path. c. There is enough free disk space; there will be a warning at the bottom of the screen if disk space is too low to unpack or forward ECHOmail. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.00 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION AND MAINTENANCE 14 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.00 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION AND MAINTENANCE D'Bridge is configured by using a series of configuration options on the EDITOR, CONFIG and ADVANCED menus. These options give you complete control over all features and settings and, if improperly set, result in bad performance or malfunction. It is therefore advised that only the system operator have access to the maintenance functions. Configuration screens may have a password assigned, using the Config password parameter on the BASIC CONFIGURATION screen. The following menu options comprise the configuration/maintenance sub-system of D'Bridge: Setup editor options ECHOmail areas Keyboard macros Translation table Basic configuration Directory paths Comm/modem setup Schedule maintenance Nodelist configuration Packet/Mail control XMail control Time adjustment data Function keys BBS configuration Security/Miscellaneous Disk space minimums Accounting/Translation ZMODEM parameters Xport configuration Window colors All these options are described in detail in the following sections. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 15 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION The BASIC CONFIGURATION screen allows control over the "basic" functions of D'Bridge such as: - System log, Internet BinkD log, packet log - Primary and Alias (AKA) EMAIL addresses - System name - Operator name - Location or City - Data phone number - Flags - Alarms - Configuration password SYSTEM LOG LEVEL System log level: Verbose (None/Terse/Verbose/Debug) This controls the level of detail being written to the system log file. D'Bridge allows three levels of activity logging; it is high- ly recommended you select VERBOSE until you are familiar with the complete operation of D'Bridge Email System. /---------+----------------------------------------------------------------\ | NONE | Creates NO log whatsoever. Using this option, problems will | | | be difficult to resolve, once detected. Not recommended in | | | all but the strangest of setups... | | | | | TERSE | Writes only the important data, such as connections, events, | | | and file-transfer information. This is the recommended | | | setting once you are familiar with D'Bridge operations. | | | | | VERBOSE | Writes ALL information displayed in the log window. | | | | | DEBUG | Same as VERBOSE, except the times are recorded in the log | | | using fractional seconds. (HH:MM:SS.hh) Fractional seconds | | | are not displayed in the log window. | \---------+----------------------------------------------------------------/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 16 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CPS DISPLAY UNIT Units: bps (bps/cps/kpm/%) This setting determines the method to use when reporting the effective speed of a data transfer. These measurements are displayed in the ACTIVITY window during a modem session. The value of this parameter has absolutely no effect on the actual speed of a transfer. The CPS of the transfer is not displayed for Internet BinkD sessions. /-----+----------------------------------------------------------------\ | bps | Bits per second @ 10 bits per byte. ie. 17100 bps | | | | | cps | Characters or bytes per second. " 228 cps | | | | | kpm | Kilobytes per minute. (cps x 1024) " 94.2 kpm | | | | | % | Percentage of reported baud rate. " 113.2% | \-----+----------------------------------------------------------------/ PURGE LOG AFTER Purge log after: 7 days, BinkD: 3 days This specifies the number of days to retain the information in the system log files. Over time, the size of these log files can grow considerably so it may be desirable to purge old entries. Every day, all log entries older than the specified number of days will be erased from these files. This purge occurs only during the AutoUpdate event at midnight or by running DBUTIL PURGELOGS. On busy systems, large log files may take a long time to purge. Answering zero to any of the these questions disables automatic purging for that log file. This is not recommended unless you are running some other process to purge or "rotate" the log files. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 17 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HISTORY DAYS Keep history for: 7 (days) D'Bridge automatically maintains history files for INBOUND and OUTBOUND EMAIL calls as well as ECHOmail and AREAFIX requests. These files are automatically purged every night at midnight. This field defines how many days of history to keep before purging it. The default value for this option is 7, providing one week's history. LOG FILENAME Log filename: C:\DB\DBRIDGE.LOG Here is where you specify the path and filename of the system log file. This log will contain information about performance, system events, file transfers and mail processing. The amount of information logged is determined by the Log level setting earlier. LOG PACKET FILENAMES Log packets: None (None/Inbound/Outbound/Both) If it is ever necessary to troubleshoot "problems" with packets from other systems, you can specify the level of packet logging: /----------+-----------------------------------------------------------\ | NONE | Do not log packet file information. | | | | | INBOUND | Report the packet file and header when unpacking mail. | | | | | OUTBOUND | Log the outgoing packet files created for a system. | | | | | BOTH | Log both inbound and outbound packet information. | \----------+-----------------------------------------------------------/ Packet logging should NOT be enabled unless it is necessary since it will increase the size of the system log file. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 18 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BINKD LOG FILENAME Binkd log filename: C:\DB\DBBINKD.LOG BinkD is a method of exchanging Fidonet packets over the Internet. This question is where you specify the path and filename to write information logged by the BinkD subsystem. PRIMARY ADDRESS Primary address: 1:110/68.1 This specifies your primary system address. D'Bridge supports "four "dimentional" addressing, that consists of: /--------+------------------------------------------------------------\ | ZONE | Continent or nodelist designator 1=US, 2=Europe, etc. | | | | | NET | Usually represents a local calling area (1..32767.) | | | | | NODE | Specific system address within a ZONE and NET. | | | | | POINT | Zero unless running as a "point" of another system. | \--------+------------------------------------------------------------/ If you are a member of an already-existing network, contact your network coordinator for an address assignment. If you're not sure, make up an arbitrary address for now (avoid zones 1 through 6 please) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 19 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALIAS ADDRESSES Alias addresses: 201:201/0 FOR 201:ALL This specifies your secondary (alias) addresses. The field must be in the format:
[FOR ] The FOR filter is for address "matching" when either the mailer or message editor needs to identify which correct address to use. Note that the primary address is used in all cases where there is no match with an alias address filter. If you are using the Internet EMAIL and USENET features, please do not specify the address of the gateway in your alias-addresses. See PRIMARY ADDRESS for information about address formats. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. SYSTEM NAME System name: Darkrealms When D'Bridge communicates with a remote site, the SYSTEM NAME is displayed on the other system's screen along with OPERATOR NAME, CITY and your primary and alias addresses. This field should match the SYSTEM NAME field of your nodelist entry. The SYSTEM NAME is also used as the default "Origin" line on messages written using the internal message editor; unless you specify another Origin line to use in the ECHOMAIL SETUP screen. SYSTEM CITY System city: Toronto When D'Bridge communicates with a remote site, the SYSTEM CITY is displayed on the other system. Make sure it is not duplicated in the SYSTEM NAME field (it would be redundant...). This field should match the CITY field of your nodelist entry. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPERATOR NAME Operator name: Nick Andre When D'Bridge communicates with a remote site, the OPERATOR NAME is displayed on the other system and placed in its system log file. This name will also be used in the "FROM" field in the editor, when entering a NETmail or ECHOmail message. This field should match the OPERATOR field of your nodelist entry. The OPERATOR NAME is used by default in the internal message editor for composing new messages. If you wish to use a handle or "alias", specify those in the EDITOR SETUP screen. DATA PHONE Data phone: 1-647-847-2083 When D'Bridge communicates with a Fido system using a modem, the DATA PHONE field is transmitted to the other system for automatic addition to their nodelist database. If you do not specify your data phone number, it might not be possible for the remote system to return an answer to your mail directly by modem. If you don't use a modem, or you use a voice line and you do not wish to have incoming calls, specify -Unpublished-. If you have an Internet IP address or domain, DO NOT specify this in the phone number field. Instead, have your Network Co-ordinator list that information as an INA or IBN flag in the Nodelist. * NOTE * For proper translation, phone number MUST be in the format: -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 21 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CAPABILITY FLAGS Capability flags: XX,CM,V32 This specifies your system's capabilities. Each capability flag is separated by commas. These flags are transmitted to the remote site during the modem's initial EMSI handshake. With this information stored in a system's nodelist, it is possible to determine modem type, hours of operation and file-request capability. If you do not use a modem, leave this question blank except you should specify CM if you run your D'Bridge system "24 hours". It is not necessary to specify any Internet nodelist flags. Following is a partial list of standard capability flags: /-----+----------------------------------------------------------\ | CM | Continuous mail system. (On 24-hours every day) | | | | | XX | WaZOO file-requests and update-requests are accepted. | | | | | V32 | Modem conforms to the V.32 standard. | | | | | HST | Modem conforms to the US Robotics HST standard. | | | | | PEP | Modem conforms to the Telebit Trailblazer standard. | \-----+----------------------------------------------------------/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 22 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUDIO ALARMS Audio alarms? Yes (Yes/No) This parameter controls the PC's speaker, enabling or disabling the audio alarms. These alarms will alert the operator of incoming calls and new mail received. You will also be notified by a series of beeps if you received mail addressed to you personally. If you specify No, all automatic alarms will be disabled. When your D'Bridge system exchanges mail with another D'Bridge system by modem, this also controls the availability of split-screen chat alarms during this time. NOTE: Sounds should be disabled if you are accessing D'Bridge over a terminal server or RDP connection in Windows. D'Bridge allows you to run a program whenever personal mail arrives. It will check for the presence of PLAYMAIL.BAT and calls it to allow you to play digital audio files or run something of your choice. For more information on this, please consult the included PLAYMAIL.ZIP file. A sample WAV file and player is included for Microsoft Windows computers. ALARM HOURS Alarm hours: 24 hours -or- Alarm hours: 08:00 until 23:00 This parameter controls the time of day during which the audio alarms may be heard. This has no effect if the Audio alarms are disabled. Either specify nothing (for 24 hours) or enter both starting and ending times. Use 24-hour format to describe times after 12 noon. If the starting time is before the ending time, the period includes midnight. NOTE: Sounds should be disabled if you are accessing D'Bridge over a terminal server or RDP connection in Windows. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 23 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RING SIGNAL Ring signal? Yes (Yes/No) This parameter enables or disables the PC's speaker when the phone is ringing because of an incoming call. This has no effect unless the Answering method is configured for Hardware or RingMaster on the COMM/MODEM DEVICES screen. This signal is only heard during the allowed time period. NOTE: Sounds should be disabled if you are accessing D'Bridge over a terminal server or RDP connection in Windows. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 24 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CALL ALARM Call alarm: T120L8CGL4E This parameter would normally be blank, indicating that the standard alarm tones should be used. However, some people get tired of hearing the same alarm every day, so this field gives you the opportunity to write your own musical alarm. Either specify the music codes or the name of a text file containing the notes. Standard ANSI music codes are used, in fact, they are the same as the "PLAY" statement in Microsoft's BASIC. Following is a chart of supported music commands: /--------+--------------------------------------------------------\ | A .. G | The musical notes A thru G. A note may be followed | | | by an accidental ('#' or '+' for sharp and '-' for | | | flat.) Additionally, a note (With optional sharp or | | | flat) may also be followed by a number denoting the | | | note length (1 for a whole note thru 64 for a 64th) | | | The note, with optional accidental and length, may | | | also be followed by one or more dots ("."), each of | | | which extends the note by one half of its existing | | | value. For example, two dots produce a length 9/4ths | | | the original value, and three dots 27/8ths the value. | | | | | Ln | Specifies the default length of the notes following | | | ("n" must be 1 for a whole note thru 64 for a 64th | | | note.) The default value is 4 (quarter note.) | | | | | Mz | Specifies the fraction of the note length that the | | | note is actually sounding. "z" is either "S," "N" | | | or "L", which have these meanings: | | | | | | MS Music staccato (3/4 of note length) | | | MN Music normal (7/8 of note length) | | | ML Music legato (all of note length) | | | | | On | Specifies the octave in which the notes following | | | are to be played (0 thru 7). The initial default | | | octave is 3, which is the octave beginning at | | | middle C. | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 25 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Pn | Specifies that no sound is to be made for an | | | interval. "n" (optional) is the note length (1 | | | for a whole note thru 64 for a 64th note.) If "n" | | | is omitted, the current default note length is used. | | | One or more dots may follow, each of which extends | | | the rest by one half of its existing value. | | | | | Tn | Specifies the tempo in beats per minute (32 thru | | | 255.) The initial default value is 120. | \--------+--------------------------------------------------------/ NOTE: Sounds should be disabled if you are accessing D'Bridge over a terminal server or RDP connection in Windows. SPECIAL ALARMS Special alarms: 135/ALL T180L8O4GGGAAACD. If you would like to be notified when certain systems call, specify the address followed by the music codes you wish to hear. The format for the music is specified in the preceding section. The alarm will be heard after the call is complete, but only if new messages or files have been received. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. NOTE: Sounds should be disabled if you are accessing D'Bridge over a terminal server or RDP connection in Windows. CONFIG PASSWORD Config password: SECRET In a corporate environment where there may be several people using the EMAIL system, it may be desirable to put a "lock" on the configuration menu to prevent accidental changes of the D'Bridge configuration. If a password is specified here, then it must be entered when any of the SETUP menu options are selected. It only needs to be entered once for each time D'Bridge is run. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 26 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISPLAY TIMEOUT Display timeout: 5 (Minutes) D'Bridge features a built-in "screen-saver" which will blank your video screen after a specified period of inactivity. The DISPLAY TIMEOUT parameter specifies the number of minutes of inactivity before the screen goes blank. If a call comes in, a scheduled event starts, or you press any key, the screen will re-display and the timer starts over. When the screen is blank, D'Bridge is still fully-functional - just waiting for something to happen! If you do not want the screen to ever go blank, enter a zero ("0") and the display timeout will be disabled. Blankout graphics? Yes (Yes/No) When the D'Bridge screen is blanked due to inactivity, you have the option to display "blankout graphics." If you answer YES to this question, there will be a bouncing pattern of dots - a Starfield Simulation - that will tell you at a glance D'Bridge is still running and you haven't had a system crash or something terrible like that. Most computers hate to be bored and do nothing all day; blankout graphics make your system happy by giving it something to do when nothing else is going on. EFFECTS Effects? Yes D'Bridge animates the screens during certain operations such as unpacking mail and running external programs. By default this is enabled. If you are using an IBM XT, Tandy 1000, PS/2 or other older PC you can gain some performance by answering NO or if the animations bother you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 27 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRINTER PORT Printer port: PRN Specify the printer device here. If you wish to route output to a file for later printing, you may specify the filename here. The default is PRN, which maps to the default printer on DOS operating systems. The next question specifies the Printer Control File; which is a text file that contains control-codes to tell your printer how to print special formatting codes such as Bold, Italics, and if graphics can be printed. Some sample control files are included that you may edit to your liking. Note for Microsoft Windows: On Windows, printing might only function correctly if you use LPT1, LPT2 or LPT3 as the port name; and the printer must have the chosen port name specified in the printer properties. You should verify that this is set correctly in the Windows Device Manager or using the NET SHARE command. If the printer port is not assigned, printing may not function correctly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 28 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PCF NAME PCF name: OKIOL400 OKIDATA OL400 LED page printer The PCF NAME specifies the name of a D'Bridge "Printer Control File." Included, you will find an ZIP file which contains our standard PCF collection. If you press F10, you will receive a list of all printers currently supported. Simply select the Printer Control File to use for the printer port. When you select a different PCF or specify one for the first time, D'Bridge will unZIP the file if needed from PCFILES.ZIP. A list of printers supported is displayed from the list in PCFILES.LST. PCF files are simple control files that may be changed using any standard text editor. The following control language is used. Keywords are not case-sensitive, but must start in column 1 or they will be ignored. Invalid syntax is ignored without error to allow backward / forward compatibility. PCF ie. PCF OKIOL400 OKIDATA OL400 LED page printer must match the DOS filename (without the extension.) FIXED FONT PROPORTIONAL FONT TITLE FONT START BOLD END_BOLD START_ITALIC END_ITALIC GRAPHICS ie. FIXED FONT &l0O(10U(s0p10h12v0s0b3T PROPORTIONAL FONT &l0O(0U(s1p10v0s0b5T TITLE FONT &l0O(0U(s1p14.4v0s3b4T START BOLD (s7B END BOLD (s0B START ITALIC (s1S END ITALIC (s0S GRAPHICS ON ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.01 BASIC CONFIGURATION 29 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LINES PER PAGE Lines per page: 46 When printing from the F1-Help system or a message from the internal message editor, you may specify the number of lines printed before a new page is started. If you print messages using a different editor then this setting has no effect. The default setting is 46 lines per page. SOUP ADDRESS UUCP address: 1:229/2 This is an advanced feature. Please leave this blank unless you specifically use or run a Soup/UUCP gateway. The address specified must not be the Primary address or any defined Alias addresses. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.02 DIRECTORY PATHS 30 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.02 DIRECTORY PATHS The DIRECTORY PATHS screen allows you to set which drives and subdirectories D'Bridge will use. Parameters include: - Network mail storage - Inbound files path - Temporary queue path - Outbound queue path - Path for Tic storage - Bad ECHOmail path - New ECHO area path - Request paths - Specific requests - Inbound, outbound, ECHOmail and AREAFIX history NETWORK MAIL STORAGE Network mail storage: Fido This question is where you specify which storage format D'Bridge should keep NETmail messages in. Please note that only one NETmail area may be defined. Multiple NETmail areas are not supported. /----------+------------------------------------------------------------\ | FIDO/MSG | NETmail will be stored in Fido *.MSG format. Choose for | | | compatibility with most 3rd-party editors and utilities. | | | Messages are stored in individual files. | | | | | QUICKBBS | NETmail will be stored in QuickBBS/Hudson or GoldBase | | | databases; a series of index, header and message files. | | | Up to 200 areas may be defined for QuickBBS or up to 500 | | | for the GoldBase edition. The size of the databases must | | | not exceed 2 gigabytes. | \----------+------------------------------------------------------------/ Please refer to the README file with this version of D'Bridge for more information on supported storage formats. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.02 DIRECTORY PATHS 31 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NETWORK MAIL PATH This question changes depending on the NETmail storage method specified. Again, please note that D'Bridge only supports one NETmail area. Multiple NETmail areas are not supported. NETmail directory: C:\DB\MESSAGES If you are using the Fido *.MSG method to store NETmail messages, specify the directory path to use. QuickBBS area number: 1 If you are using QuickBBS, then specify the area number you would like to use for NETmail messages. (1-200 or 1-500 for the GoldBase edition) Area number 1 is the default for new installations. NETmail database name: EMAIL For any other supported storage format, this would be the name of the database to store NETmail messages in. The name must be alphanumeric only. Please refer to the README file for this version of D'Bridge for more information on supported storage formats. INBOUND FILES PATH Inbound files path: C:\DB\INBOUND This designates the drive and path for the directory where inbound files will be stored. Make sure there is always enough disk space available to store any files which may be received. This may be changed at any time without adversely affecting the system, as long as the specified directory path actually exists. Two subdirectories may be created within this path, specifically for files received via. modem calls. ISOLATED and RESTART. The first is for incomplete Zmodem file transfers that cannot be resumed. The second is for Zmodem aborted/cancelled transfers that are saved for resuming later on. The two directories are not created when using Internet BinkD transfers. If D'Bridge is being ran on Linux DOSEMU, DOSBOX or some other emulated environment, this path should not include the drive information, ie. it should just be set to INBOUND as in the above example. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.02 DIRECTORY PATHS 32 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UNSECURED DIRECTORY PATH Unsecured files path: C:\DB\UNSECURED If you prefer to move files received from systems that do not use a session password, specify that path here. D'Bridge will NOT process mail or files received in this directory. By default, this is left blank. TEMPORARY QUEUE PATH Temporary queue path: C:\DB\PACKETS This designates the drive and path for temporary packets created for the mail-queue. * NOTE * All files in this directory will be automatically erased each time the queue is rebuilt. OUTBOUND QUEUE PATH Outbound queue path: C:\DB\QUEUE This designates the drive and path for the outbound queue directory. XMAIL archives and poll, transmit, and request queue entries are stored in this directory. Under no circumstances should you store anything but D'Bridge-specific queue items in this directory. This directory should not be used by any 3rd-party programs unless the program is specifically designed to support the D'Bridge queue format. If D'Bridge is being ran on Linux DOSEMU, DOSBOX or some other emulated environment, this path should not include the drive information, ie. it should just be set to QUEUE as in the above example. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.02 DIRECTORY PATHS 33 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BAD ECHO PATH Bad echo path: C:\DB\BADECHO This designates the drive and path where invalid or unknown ECHOmail messages should be stored. The BADECHO messages are stored in Fido *.MSG format and may be accessed using area 99999 in the editor. There is no purge-criteria for the BADECHO area. NEW ECHO PATH New echo path: C:\DB\NEWECHO This designates the drive and path where Fido-style ECHOmail message bases will be created if Auto-add areas is configured for "Fido.". When new directories are created, D'Bridge will try its best to name them according to the area name. If it cannot, a random numeric name will be chosen. NEWTICS PATH New fileecho path: C:\DB\FILEECHO If D'Bridge is configured to auto-create new Fileecho/TIC areas, then specify the base path for creating the new areas here. Subdirectories will be created inside of this directory. When new directories are created, D'Bridge will try its best to name them according to the area name. If it cannot, a random numeric name will be chosen. Please refer to the TIC PROCESSING section for more information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.02 DIRECTORY PATHS 34 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DATABASE PATH Message databases: C:\QUICKBBS When a message storage format other than Fido *.MSG is being used, then this is where you would specify the path to the message database files. If this is blank, then the databases will be stored in the D'Bridge directory. If you are using a BBS or 3rd-party editor then you would set this to the existing directory containing the message databases. It is not necessary to specify anything if you are only using Fido *.MSG. Please refer to the README file with this version of D'Bridge for more information on supported storage formats. REQUEST PATHS Request paths: C:\PRIVATE\ SECRET D'Bridge has a feature allowing other systems to call in and request files from your system. If you wish to enable this option, you must specify which directories will be available for request. You may also specify a password that must accompany a request. If you use no pass- word, any system will have access to the specified directory. The format for the request paths is: Where password is an optional parameter. Any number of directories may be specified in the REQUEST PATHS window. Make sure to use passwords on any directory containing sensitive or confidential information. - or - @ Where filename is a text file containing a list of requestable directories in the same format defined above. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.02 DIRECTORY PATHS 35 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPECIFIC REQUESTS Specific requests: DBRIDGE C:\FREQ\DB*.ZIP This window allows you to specify any number of "magic filenames" that may be requested from your system. An example of this might be where you distribute a newsletter and the filename changes every month. You might have a line like: NEWS \NEWSLTR\PC-NEWS.021 The above line means that when a file-request arrives for "NEWS" - the file \newsltr\pc-news.021 will be transmitted instead of searching the directories specified in REQUEST PATHS. The format for this window is: Once again, password is optional, but should be specified if any of this information is not public. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. OUTBOUND HISTORY FILENAME Outbound history file: C:\DB\OUTBOUND.LOG The OUTBOUND HISTORY FILENAME parameter specifies a text file to write an outbound EMAIL history log. Every outbound connection is logged to a the specified text file listing the date/time, address, data sent and received, elapsed time and total cost. If you do not want such a log, leave this field blank. Note that this log file is not purged automatically. You must run your own process to purge or erase this history file. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.02 DIRECTORY PATHS 36 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INBOUND HISTORY FILENAME Inbound history file: C:\DB\INBOUND.LOG The INBOUND HISTORY FILENAME parameter specifies a text file to write an inbound EMAIL history log. Every outbound connection is logged to the specified text file listing the date/time, address, data sent and received and elapsed time. If you do not want such a log, leave this field blank. Note that this log file is not purged automatically. You must run your own process to purge or erase this history file. ECHOMAIL HISTORY FILENAME ECHOmail history file: C:\DB\ECHOMAIL.LOG The ECHOMAIL HISTORY FILENAME specifies what text file to use for the inbound ECHOmail history. This log lists date/time, address, area name, area description, messages and duplicates received. If you do not wish to have the area description or the origin address of the mail received, create a dummy/semaphore file called DBRIDGE.NDH (No Description in History) Note that this log file is not purged automatically. You must run your own process to purge or erase this history file. For advanced users or BBS Sysops - there is a special log file created that notes any Echomail unpacked to *.MSG storage areas called ECHODIRS.LOG. Only the directories are stored in this file as it is meant for use by 3rd-party programs. This special log file is automatically erased at midnight. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.02 DIRECTORY PATHS 37 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AREAFIX HISTORY FILENAME AREAFIX history file: C:\DB\AREAFIX.LOG The AREAFIX HISTORY FILENAME specifies what text file to use for an AREAFIX history log. This includes information about conferences added and removed either by remote AREAFIX request or New ECHOmail link, ALT-N. Note that this log file is not purged automatically. You must run your own process to purge or erase this history file. FILE REQUEST HISTORY FILENAME File-request history: C:\DB\FREQ.LOG The FILE-REQUEST HISTORY file specifies what text file to use for file requests to your system. Note that this log file is not purged automatically. You must run your own process to purge or erase this history file. DOWNLOAD PATH Download path: C:\DB\DOWNLOAD The DOWNLOAD PATH specifies the directory to receive downloaded files when using terminal mode. Two subdirectories may be created within this path, specifically for files received via. modems. ISOLATED and RESTART. The first is for incomplete Zmodem file transfers that cannot be resumed. The second is for Zmodem aborted/cancelled transfers that are saved for resuming later on. The two directories are not created when using Internet BinkD transfers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.03 COMM MODEM HARDWARE 38 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.03 COMM MODEM HARDWARE The COMM/MODEM hardware screen allows you to define your serial port and modem for direct-dial connections. You may also setup and configure: - Modem COM/FOSSIL port, answering method, line assignment - CostGuard limits, DimeSaver, Dialing overrides - Auto-initialization time D'Bridge 4 requires a FOSSIL driver for modem operation. FOSSIL stands for Fido/Opus/Standard/Serial/Interface/Library. It is somewhat of an abstraction layer or "link" between the COM ports on your computer and how they will be used by Fido software. Ray Gwinn's X00 driver is automatically installed by default, but other FOSSIL drivers can be used. If you plan to use a modem with D'Bridge, you should be using a Hardware modem, not a "softmodem" or "Winmodem" as those modems often rely on the operating system to perform data processing while on a call; adding CPU/OS overhead ontop of high-speed connections. Unfortunately a great amount of PCI and USB modems are softmodems. External serial modems and ISA modems are the recommended Hardware modems to use with D'Bridge, especially brands such as Hayes, Rockwell and US Robotics. External serial modems should always be used with a good quality shielded RS-232 serial cable. The use of modems over VOIP telephone service is not recommended or supported; your phone line should be a "landline" or "copper line". Also the use of virtual COM port software or serial redirection over TCP/IP is not supported. A comprehensive list of Modem Control Files (MCF's) for many brand-name modems are included, along with a general template for you to specify custom settings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.03 COMM MODEM HARDWARE 39 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PORT Port Status Ident MCF name Description COM3 The PORT identifies the name of the serial I/O channel connected to your modem. It also refers to the port that is used by the FOSSIL driver. Standard values are COM1 through COM4. COM5 to COM7 may also be specified if you are running D'Bridge on an IBM PS/2 computer system. On MS-DOS, PC-DOS, Tandy 1000 or IBM XT computers, you may need to first check that you have a high speed Uart chip, the 16550. This serial chip allows your computer to handle running a high-speed modem (14.4kbps or faster). High-speed modem transfers may not be reliable or possible if your computer has the 8250 or 16450 Uart chip. If you do not have a modem or don't wish to use one, leave this blank. WARNING: Specifying an incorrect port may cause a system malfunction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.03 COMM MODEM HARDWARE 40 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MCF NAME Port Status Ident MCF name Description USRC1438 US Robotics HST 14400 The MCF NAME specifies the name of a D'Bridge "Modem Control File." The MCF files are tiny text files that tell D'Bridge how to talk to your modem. Included, you will find an ZIP file which contains our standard MCF collection. If you press F10, you will receive a list of all modems currently supported. Simply select the Modem Control File to use for the specified serial port. When you select a different MCF or specify one for the first time, D'Bridge will unZIP the file if needed from MCFILES.ZIP. A list of files, modems and ident (ATI) codes are displayed from the list in MCFILES.LST. MCF files are simple control files that may be changed using any standard text editor. The following control language is used. Keywords are not case-sensitive, but must start in column 1 or they will be ignored. Invalid syntax is ignored without error to allow backward / forward compatibility. MCF ie. MCF USRC1419 US Robotics HST 14400 must match the DOS filename (without the extension.) is the displayed modem type. MCF This must always be the first line of a Modem Control File. BAUD ie. BAUD 19200 is 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400 or 57600. Any values other than these will be "rounded off" to the most applicable rate. LOCKED ie. LOCKED (no parameters) This causes D'Bridge to always use the specified baud rate, regardless of the "CONNECT" results reported by the modem. If you are using this mode, the modem must also be configured to use a fixed DTE rate. &B1 is used on HST's, for example. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.03 COMM MODEM HARDWARE 41 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DELAY ie. DELAY 50 This specifies the inter-character delay in milliseconds when sending commands to the modem. The default is 20, but some modems may require values as high as 50 or 60. TIMEOUT ie. TIMEOUT 75 This specifies the failsafe timeout when dialing or answering the phone. This defaults to 60, but might need to be increased if overseas calls take longer than one minute to complete. DIAL ie. DIAL 19200 ATDT is 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600 or 19200. Baud rates higher than 19200 will use the 19200 baud string setting. is the command sent to the modem before the phone number. ANSWER ie. ANSWER ATA is the command sent to the modem to answer the phone. INIT ie. INIT ATZ is a command to configure the modem as desired. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.03 COMM MODEM HARDWARE 42 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRANSLATE |<*C STRING> ie. TRANSLATE 2400 CONNECT 2400/ARQ|2400MNP is 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 14400, 19200 or 38400. is the connection result string from the modem. <*C STRING> is the translated response code for the BBS "*C" code. PREINIT ie. PREINIT AT&C1&D2&W is a command to pre-configure the modem as desired. OFFHOOK ie. OFFHOOK ATH1M0S0=0 is a command to take the modem offhook. IGNORE ie. IGNORE DATA is a unimportant code returned from the modem to be ignored completely. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.03 COMM MODEM HARDWARE 43 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANSWERING METHOD Answering method: Hardware (Hardware/Software/Modem/Ringmaster/Disable) This specifies the method D'Bridge will use to answer incoming calls. /------------+---------------------------------------------------------------\ | HARDWARE | Answers using hardware ring detection. (RS-232 pin 22) | | | NOTE: Hardware detection may not work on Microsoft Windows. | | | | | SOFTWARE | Answers using software ring detection. (RING from modem) | | | Usually this is the "safest" setting for all computers. | | | | | MODEM | Assumes that modem will auto-answer. (S0=1 assumed) | | | | | RINGMASTER | Hardware ring detection with multi-pattern ring detection. | | | 3 different ring patterns are detected, see LINE ASSIGNMENT. | | | | | DISABLE | Answering completely disabled. | \------------+---------------------------------------------------------------/ LINE ASSIGNMENT Line assignment: V1V (1/2/3/Voice) RingMaster (or Ident-a-Call in Canada) is a pay-service that some phone companies offer where you may assign up to three phone numbers to one physical telephone line. Each phone number rings in a special pattern sequence. D'Bridge can be programmed to act on a specific ring pattern. When using this answering method, it is necessary to assign the three possible ring patterns to the desired sequence. 1, 2 and 3 correspond to DATA/1, 2 and 3. Voice designates a ring pattern to be ignored by D'Bridge and logged as a voice call. A hardware adapter known as The Ring Selector manufactured by Aastra Telecom essentially performs this duty. If you are fortunate to own one of these and wish to use it, please go back and change from RingMaster to either Hardware or Software answering instead. The vast majority of unsolicited/telemarketing calls are "scraped" from public telephone directories. Some users with RingMaster prefer to use the first number for the modem since the phone company usually lists this number and not the pattern-numbers... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.03 COMM MODEM HARDWARE 44 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COSTGUARD TIME CostGuard limits: 240 (minutes) (cost) The COSTGUARD TIME specifies the absolute maximum amount of time an EMAIL session may last. When the elapsed time for any inbound or outbound call reaches the number of minutes specified, DTR is lowered and the call is aborted by D'Bridge. COSTGUARD COST CostGuard limits: (minutes) 100.00 (cost) The COSTGUARD COST specifies the absolute maximum cost of an outbound EMAIL session. When the accumulated cost for any outbound call reaches the amount specified, DTR is lowered and the call is aborted by D'Bridge. COLLISION DETECTION Collision detection? Yes This specifies whether or not D'Bridge will detect collision of outbound dialing attempts with inbound calls. This is usually desirable, but it is possible that it will not work well with every kind of modem, so you should disable it if it incorrectly detects collisions. DIMESAVER ENABLED DimeSaver enabled? Yes (Yes/No) This specifies whether or not the DimeSaver feature should be used. DimeSaver causes D'Bridge to answer a potential inbound call if the modem reports NO DIAL TONE when placing an outbound call. If there was no incoming call, subsequent DimeSaver activations will not occur. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.03 COMM MODEM HARDWARE 45 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTO INITIALIZATION Auto-Initialization: 5 (minutes) This parameter specifies the number of minutes idle before automatically re-initializing the modem. Sometimes, modems go "out-to-lunch" because of brown-outs, cats and so forth. Re-programming the modem every few minutes certainly can't hurt and sometimes solves problems of unattended operation. If you specify zero, this feature will be disabled and the modem will only be initialized after each call and upon startup. BUSY WHEN OFFLINE Busy when offline? No (Yes/No) D'Bridge does many things. During the time calls may not be answered, the phone can either be busy or just keep ringing. If you answer Yes to this question, the phone will be taken off hook whenever D'Bridge is not ready to accept a call. - If you are using a dedicated data line, Yes is preferred. - If you are using a voice/data line, in most cases, use No. TOUCH TONE DIALING Touch-Tone dialing? Yes (Yes/No) If you have a Touch-Tone telephone line, answer Yes to this question. Pulse (rotary) dialing will be used if you specify No. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.03 COMM MODEM HARDWARE 46 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAXIMUM RINGS Maximum rings: 4 Some modems will report RINGING when placing an outbound call. This allows D'Bridge to count the number of times the remote phone rings. If this count exceeds the maximum specified by this parameter, dialing will be aborted. If the maximum ring count is exceeded on two consecutive attempts at calling the same system, the call will be placed on Ten minute hold. Unless overridden by VIEW/MODIFY QUEUE, no further attempts will be made for at least ten minutes. FLAG DIAL "Flag" dial: HST ATB1DT This field is only used to define the exceptions to the normal dialing commands. The flag specifies a substring to match in the nodelist flags field. When D'Bridge places an outbound call, it searches the nodelist flags fields for a match in the "Flag" dial list. The first match found will determine the to use. The format is: * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.03 COMM MODEM HARDWARE 47 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPECIFIC DIAL Specific dial: 2:280/280 ATX0M1DT This field lists exceptions to the normal and "Flag" dialing commands. After D'Bridge searches the "Flag" dial list, it looks for the first match in Specific dial. If you are using an address such as 2:ALL, make sure any specific systems are listed before the wildcard entry. The format is:
ie. 2:280/280 should come before 2:280/ALL, etc. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.04 SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE 48 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.04 SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE The SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE screen allows you to program the weekly event schedule as well as set up routing, and access rules. The system uses a default Mail event, called the "Un-event"; which runs when no other Mail event is defined or applicable. In most cases this is sufficient, but you are welcome to add others as you see fit or DOS/Errorlevel events for running programs or triggering batch-file conditions. The ClockSync event will instruct D'Bridge to synchronize the computer time with another D'Bridge system or the Atomic Clock. Event Parameters include: - Event management (Mail, DOS, Exit/errorlevel and ClockSync events) - Schedule day/time and days of the week - Time between calls - Maximum tries, sessions and failures - Priorities allowed - Polling - Routing - Forwarding - Many more... EVENT TAG Event "tag": NMH The "TAG" is an arbitrary 8-letter name by which you identify the event. In the above example, I've used "NMH" to stand for "National Mail Hour." This "TAG" must be unique; it is used on the screen and in the log to identify events. EVENT ENABLED Enabled? Yes This Yes/No question simply specifies whether this event should be currently enabled or not. Normally, you would answer YES but if you ever want to temporarily disable the event, you may change it to NO. This option is provided so you may disable events without actually removing them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.04 SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE 49 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EVENT TYPE Type: Mail (Mail/DOS/Exit/ClockSync/EmailNNTP) There are five types of events; each functions differently: Mail A "mail" event defines a period of time when certain mail may be sent. The default is to send ALL mail, unless you specify ADVANCED ROUTING. DOS A "DOS" event defines a list of DOS commands, programs and batch files to execute at a pre-defined time. These tasks are all "spawned" while D'Bridge remains in memory. This will only work if you have enough memory. Exit An "exit" event specifies that you want D'Bridge to terminate at the specified time. This would normally be used in a batch file to transfer control to another program - instead of "spawning" it as above. With EXIT, you specify which DOS errorlevel you want to use. ClockSync A ClockSync event will set the system clock using the atomic clock or another D'Bridge system. The accuracy should be within a tenth of a second (plus the propagation delay) of the Timebase system. EVENT DAYS Weekday(s): [ ]All [X]Sun [ ]Mon [ ]Tue [X]Wed [ ]Thu [ ]Fri [X]Sat With the EVENT DAYS field, you put an "X" next to all days that you wish to run this event. If you specify ALL, then all the days of the week are marked. To access individual days, erase the "X" next to ALL by pressing the SPACE BAR. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.04 SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE 50 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EVENT START Start time: 14:30 Specify the time you wish to activate the event. This time should be specified in 24-hour format and must not conflict with any other scheduled event. To specify a START TIME, just enter a time using 3 or 4 digits. For example: 300 is 3:00 AM; 2250 is 10:50 PM EVENT END End time: 15:20 Specify the time you wish a mail event to end. This time should be specified in 24-hour format and must not conflict with any other scheduled event. To specify an END TIME, just enter a time using 3 or 4 digits. For example: 300 is 3:00 AM; 2250 is 10:50 PM EVENT ERRORLEVEL Errorlevel: 200 For EXIT EVENTS, you simply specify the DOS ERRORLEVEL to return when terminating. This number would normally be used by an "IF ERRORLEVEL" directive in a batch file. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.04 SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE 51 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EVENT DOS COMMANDS DOS commands: MAILCHEK -S For DOS events, you may specify any number of DOS commands, programs or batch files to execute. It is even possible to use DOS primitives like CD (change directory) and COPY. It is up to you to make sure none of the commands specified require human interaction. For example, if you specify the command to start your word processor, odds are the word processor will continue running until someone comes along... * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. BETWEEN CALLS Between calls: 15 to 45 (seconds) Here, you specify the period of time to wait between outbound calls. This is entered as a "range." If you say "30 to 60," then D'Bridge will wait a random amount of time between 30 and 60 seconds before placing a subsequent call. This period of time is used to receive incoming mail; if this event is supposed to send mail only, you may specify a very short time period. EVENT CRITICAL Critical? Yes (Yes/No) For DOS and EXIT EVENTS, you should specify "YES" if you want the event to execute even if D'Bridge is not running at the time of the event. A CRITICAL event is one that D'Bridge will execute even after the START TIME specified; it is only executed once. Specify "NO" if you want the event to occur ONLY if D'Bridge is running at that time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.04 SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE 52 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAX DIALING TRIES Max tries: 30 The MAX TRIES parameter indicates the maximum number of times D'Bridge should attempt to contact a specific system during the current MAIL EVENT. This setting will have no effect if no limit is placed on no-cost calls. MAX SESSIONS Max sessions: 30 The MAX SESSIONS parameter specifies the maximum number of actual connects allowed during the given mail event. This is handy for limiting ECHOmail turnaround to long-distance systems. This setting will have no effect if no limit is placed on no-cost calls. MAX SESSION FAILURES Max failures: 2 The MAX FAILURES parameter specifies the maximum number of aborted or bad sessions allowed with each system during the specified mail event. This parameter may help control costs when the answering system has crashed or is not functioning properly. EVENT CLOCKSYNC TIMEBASE TimeBase: 1:3601/14 For ClockSync events, this field designates the TimeBase to use for setting the system clock. Either specify the EMAIL address of another D'Bridge system, or leave the field blank to use the Atomic Clock. * Note * If the clock is wrong on the D'Bridge system specified, your clock will also be set to an incorrect time. Make sure you use a trust-worthy system. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.04 SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE 53 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACCEPT EMAIL CALLS Accept EMAIL calls? Yes (Yes/No) This specifies whether or not D'Bridge should answer the phone to accept EMAIL/BBS calls during this event when you are using a modem. If you answer No, the phone will not be answered and will remain on-hook for the duration of the event. PRIORITIES ALLOWED Priorities allowed? NCI (N/C/I) This field specifies what mail priorities (if any) may be sent during this event. For most events, specify NCI (Normal, Crash and Immediate), as allowable priorities. Keep in mind that outbound calls are still con- trolled by the cost-accounting system. This field simply serves as a master override to cost-accounting. HOST ROUTE PRIVATES Host-route privates? No (Yes/No) If you want NETmail messages destined for private or unlisted systems to be host-routed, answer Yes to this question. If you answer No, the mail will be held, waiting for the remote system to poll to pick it up. * Note * Host-routed mail may not be picked-up by the destination. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.04 SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE 54 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CM SYSTEMS ONLY CM/Non-CM systems only? Both (CM/Non-CM/Both) "CM" stands for Continuous Mail, a system designated as being able to receive EMAIL calls anytime. Certain events might be designated to send mail only to CM systems just as other scheduled events might be reserved for sending mail only to NON-CM systems. Specify Both if you want to send all mail regardless of the CM nodelist flag. EVENT SCAN ECHOMAIL Scan ECHOmail areas? Yes (Yes/No) If you want D'Bridge to scan all ECHOmail areas for new outbound traffic each time this event begins, answer Yes here. Only when the event starts for the first time each day will the ECHOmail scan be performed. EVENT DYNAMIC Dynamic event? No (Yes/No) If you answer Yes to this question, a mail event will terminate when there are no more outbound calls to make. When a dynamic event ends early, the UN-EVENT is resumed and the queue is rebuilt. ALLOW REQUESTS Process requests? Yes (Yes/No) If you want to allow file-requests during this event, answer Yes to this question. Otherwise, file-requests (FREQs) will be rejected. NOTE: This has no effect on file-requests via the Internet BinkD subsystem. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.04 SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE 55 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACCEPT HUMAN CALLS Accept human calls? Yes (Yes/No) If you want to allow human (BBS) calls during this event, answer Yes to this question. If you answer No, human calls will be rejected for the duration of the event and callers will be notified that the system is cur- rently accepting EMAIL calls only. EVENT ALLOW XMAIL AND TICS Allow XMAIL? Yes (Yes/No) If you want to allow XMAIL (compressed mail) traffic to be sent during this event, answer Yes to this question. If you answer No, all XMAIL will be held, disallowing pickup by remote systems. Specify No only for dedicated NETmail events. In most cases, Yes is the appropriate answer. PACKETS FOR Packets for: ALL Here's where we get into the filters and addresses! In PACKETS FOR, specify a filter as defined previously in this section. This will determine for which systems you want to create packets. The default setting is ALL, meaning packets can be created for everyone. * Note * This does not necessarily mean D'Bridge will call the system, since the packet might be on "HOLD" or "ROUTED" to a diffe- rent system. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.04 SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE 56 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLD FOR Hold for: NONE If you wish to hold all outbound traffic for certain systems, specify them here with a filter. With a system on "hold", no calls will be made to it during this event, regardless of priority. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. EVENT POLL Poll: 1:110/68 If you wish to poll certain systems each time this event is started, list the EMAIL addresses here. Polling means: to call a system in order to pick up any mail that is "on hold." * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. PICKUP FROM Pickup from: ALL This setting affects modem calls only. Normally, D'Bridge will pick up mail from ALL systems it calls. However, if you wish, you may specify a filter to control from which systems you would like to receive "hold" mail from when you call to deliver outbound traffic. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.04 SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE 57 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALLOW PICKUP FROM Allow pickup from: ALL This setting affects modem calls only. Normally, D'Bridge will allow ALL systems to pick up their "hold" mail when they poll or call to deliver mail. If you want to run a completely secure system, you might not want to allow pickup for certain systems. Since D'Bridge has password-security, it would be rare to use anything other than ALL here. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ROUTE TO Route to: NONE Normally, D'Bridge sends mail directly to the receiving system when you write EMAIL messages. "Routing" is a way to cut costs by sending mail through other EMAIL systems or networks to be delivered to its final destination. "Route to" may control specific routing and/or host-routing. This field may contain multiple lines, so the last line should contain HOSTS or host/hub-routing or NONE for direct delivery. Specific routing may be done by specifying: Route to:
FOR ie. Route to: 110/68 for 110/ALL 2:ALL 3:ALL * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.04 SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE 58 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ROUTE FILES FOR Route files for: NONE D'Bridge has the capability of routing attached data files along with EMAIL messages. This should be used only by special arrangement between the system operators involved. NONE should be specified in most cases. Specify the filter describing the systems willing to route in-transit files from your system. This is only applicable if you are using a rou- ting other than NONE. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. FORWARD FOR Forward for: ALL D'Bridge will forward in-transit mail for the systems specified in this filter. In most cases, ALL should be specified. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. FORWARD TO Forward to: OURNET D'Bridge will forward in-transit mail to the systems specified in this filter. Using OURNET means D'Bridge will only forward in-transit mail destined for systems with the same NET number as your own. (It is assumed there is no cost associated with calls within your NET) * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.04 SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE 59 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FORWARD FILES FOR Forward files for: ALL D'Bridge will forward in-transit files for the systems specified in this filter. In most cases, ALL should be specified. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. FORWARD FILES TO Forward files to: OURNET D'Bridge will forward in-transit files to the systems specified in this filter. Using OURNET means D'Bridge will only forward in-transit mail destined for systems with the same NET number as your own. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.04 SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE 60 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAIL RECEIVED DOS COMMANDS DOS commands: +TOSSMAIL.BAT During certain events, you may wish to have D'Bridge terminate or execute DOS commands every time mail is received from a remote system. The DOS COMMANDS field allows you to specify any number of DOS commands or programs to be executed when mail arrives. Any DOS command or program may be used, but you must make sure they don't require any human interaction or D'Bridge will be "stuck" until you give the program the input it wants. NOTE: Do NOT use commands to redirect DOS console output. As well as DOS commands, the following functions are available from the DOS COMMANDS field: /----------------+-----------------------------------------------------------\ | +(command) | Causes D'Bridge to swap to disk, leaving more memory | | | available to the application program. | | | | | -(command) | Causes the command to be executed inside the queue | | | window. Only use this for programs that do standard | | | DOS I/O. | | | | | *R | This will force a rescan of the queue. Same as ALT-Q | | | | | *L | This will be replaced with the current line number | | | | | *S | This will force a complete ECHOmail rescan. | | | | | *X | This causes an exit with the specified DOS errorlevel. | | | | | | Errorlevels 250, 251 and 252 are reserved by D'Bridge. | \----------------+-----------------------------------------------------------/ * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.05 NODELIST CONFIGURATION 61 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.05 NODELIST CONFIGURATION The NODELIST CONFIGURATION screen allows you to setup the nodelist database that D'Bridge uses to make outbound calls. Parameters include: - St. Louis nodelists - Private nodelists - Pointlist - Exclude/Translate NETs - Prefixes - Baud, Flag and Phone overrides ST LOUIS NODELISTS "St. Louis" nodelists? C:\DB\FILES\ DBNET DBDIFF "St. Louis" refers to a standard format for NODELIST text files. This includes a "nodelist" and a "nodediff". You may have any number of St. Louis-style nodelists at one time by listing each separately in the window. Each line in the window describes one nodelist and should contain: For example: C:\DB\FILES\ NODELIST NODEDIFF 7567 153 C:\DB\FILES\ ANETLIST ANETDIFF 38791 153 The two numbers on the right are the CRC of the nodelist name and the currently installed nodelist. These numbers are maintained by D'Bridge and the user need not concern himself with them. D'Bridge automatically determines which nodelist is the most-recent based on the extension of the "list" or "diff" file. The St. Louis format is based on weekly update files called "diff" files; these files contain the differences between last week's and this week's nodelists and are generally smaller than the nodelist itself. If a diff file exists for a nodelist, it will be automatically decompressed and installed when it arrives (if applicable). * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.05 NODELIST CONFIGURATION 62 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RETAIN OLD NODELISTS Retain old nodelists: 3 file(s) When D'Bridge compiles the nodelists you specify, it first examines your directory to determine the most recent lists to compile if there are multiple to choose from. D'Bridge can optionally purge old nodelist files. Typically you see this with the Fidonet Daily Nodelist or in "Othernets" where the ZC does not publish a nodelist using differential-files; merely just issues a new nodelist. So for each St. Louis Nodelist configured, only the number of nodelist files you specify will be kept. Personally I would answer just 1 file to this question because I don't really care to hang onto old Fidonet Daily lists or Othernet lists. Answer zero to keep all (the default setting). This option has no effect for traditional weekly nodelists with differentials applied, nor for any private-nodelists or point-lists. PRIVATE NODELISTS Private nodelist(s): MYLIST.PVT You may also use any number of private nodelists. In this field you may specify any number of text files to be included in your compiled nodelist. You may notice D'Bridge adds two numbers after the filename once the nodelist is compiled; these numbers are the date and time of the private nodelist file. If these numbers are changed or the node- list is replaced or edited, D'Bridge will automatically recompile the nodelist when it is started next. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.05 NODELIST CONFIGURATION 63 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- POINTLIST Pointlist: POINTS.LST If you are part of a point system, you will want to specify the name of your POINTLIST file. This is a list of POINTS under the same ZONE:NET/NODE as your system. Just like the PRIVATE NODELISTS, the numbers after the filename indicate the date and time of the POINTLIST when the nodelist was last compiled. If these are changed, D'Bridge will automatically recompile the nodelist. FAKE POINTNET Fake pointnet: 32001 To maintain compatibility with older EMAIL systems, a "FAKE POINTNET" has been established to allow Fidonet-based mailers to act as points of a D'Bridge BOSS. Since there is no definition of a "point" address in Fidonet, a fake NET number is used. Specify the fake net to use here. When a system calls in using that NET number, the node number used will be translated to a point address. If you do not wish to use a Fake Pointnet for legacy systems, then just leave this question blank. FAKE POINTS Fake points: 1 2 4 22 This field specifies which systems require the FAKE POINT addressing. Specify the point numbers of the systems for which FAKE POINT addressing is required. This affects the way in which ECHOmail packets are created. This is never required with points running D'Bridge EMAIL System; it is provided for compatibility with older Fidonet-based systems. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.05 NODELIST CONFIGURATION 64 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUTBOUND GATEWAY Outbound gateway: 1:110/68 Most networks do not use an outbound gateway, but if your NET has a system designated to send all outbound mail, then put its address here. You would use this in conjunction with the ROUTE TO field in the schedule maintenance subsystem. (ROUTE TO: OGATE FOR OTHERS) USERLIST FILE Additional user file: USER.LST You may specify the name of a text file containing an additional user- list to merge with the nodelists. Typically, this file will contain a list of people who use certain EMAIL systems but are not listed as the primary operator. The format for this file is:
ie. 1:135/68.2 George Meyers .20 John Smith 107/27.5 Oliver South EXCLUDE NETS Exclude ZONE:NET(s): 2:ALL 3:ALL Some systems (that use a large NODELIST like Fidonet) may want to completely eliminate certain ZONES and/or NETS from their nodelist. If there is no reason to communicate with people in other countries, you can greatly reduce the NODELIST size and compile-time by excluding those addresses you don't use. For example, if you live in the U.S. and don't plan to do any mail to Europe or Australia, you may exclude these continents completely by using the statement from the example above. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.05 NODELIST CONFIGURATION 65 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRANSLATE NETS Translate NET(s): This field gives you the option to actually translate one NET to another. This will let you move a NET from one zone to another or simply change the NET number to something else. This will not be used for most systems, but is a feature found in other EMAIL systems and I am including it for compatibility. The syntax is: * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. COUNTRY CODE Country code: 1 Here, you MUST specify your country code. This is the prefix found before the "area code" in the nodelist. For the U.S. and Canada, specify "1" - other countries, specify your country code (in the same way you do with DOS) LOCAL PREFIX Local prefix: If there is a prefix you must dial before NO-COST (local) calls, speci- fy it here. In the U.S. and Canada, this field will be left blank in most cases. (Some PBX systems might require you to dial "9" to get a local outside line.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.05 NODELIST CONFIGURATION 66 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DOMESTIC PREFIX Domestic prefix: If there is a prefix in your country that you must dial before all domestic calls, specify it here. For the U.S. and Canada, this field should be left blank; we need no PREFIX. (Some PBX systems might require you to dial an "8" to get a long-distance line.) INTERNATIONAL PREFIX International prefix: 011 Specify the prefix to dial before any international calls are made. In the U.S., use "011" - other countries, check with your phone company. An international call is defined as one where the COUNTRY PREFIX of the system being called differs from your own. PHONE NUMBER OVERRIDES Phone number overrides: 110/68 1-513-424-5167 If you wish to override the phone number for an existing address, or define the phone number for an unlisted NODE or POINT, the PHONE NUMBER OVERRIDES field is the place to do this. If you are using a SCRIPT with this particular address and phone number, enter the filename of the script file in quotation marks.
* REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.05 NODELIST CONFIGURATION 67 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BAUD RATE OVERRIDES Baud rate overrides: 110/68 9600 This is where you may specify temporary overrides to the baud rate for specified addresses.
* NOTE * This does not affect modems with a locked baud rate. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. FLAG OVERRIDES Flag overrides: 110/68 CM,XX,HST This is where you may specify temporary overrides to the nodelist flags for specified addresses.
* REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. SYNONYMS Synonyms: ARTHUR 1:3601/14 This field defines a list of synonyms that will substitute a KEYWORD for an EMAIL ADDRESS. These mnemonic keywords allow for quick and easy entry of commonly used systems.
* REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.05 NODELIST CONFIGURATION 68 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTO COMPILE NODELIST Auto-compile nodelists: Startup (Startup/Midnight/Never) Before a nodelist can be used, it must be compiled and indexed in the nodelist database files. This process can take anywhere from 5 seconds to 45 minutes, depending on the speed of your computer. Three options are available to specify when to test the nodelist for currency: /----------+---------------------------------------------------------------\ | STARTUP | Tests and/or rebuilds the database every time D'Bridge is | | | fired up. (This includes the nightly auto-restart.) | | | | | MIDNIGHT | Tests and/or rebuilds the database after the auto-restart | | | routine. | | | | | NEVER | Only rebuilds the database upon request or if it is missing. | \----------+---------------------------------------------------------------/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.06 PACKET MAIL CONTROL 69 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.06 PACKET MAIL CONTROL The PACKET/MAIL CONTROL screen allows you to set up general mailer controls. Parameters include: - NETmail archives - Message purge criteria - Renaming of duplicate files - Pre-unpack command - ECHOmail and EchoFILE/TIC controls - AREAFIX and FILEFIX controls OUTBOUND MAIL ARCHIVE Outbound mail archive: C:\DB\OLDMAIL\OUTBOUND.TXT This specifies the name of the text file to write messages flagged as ARCHIVE/SENT. This is quite useful as a history of NETmail; it includes the full message text and the date and time it was sent. Note that this text file is not purged automatically. You must run your own process to purge or erase this file. If this question is left blank, NETmail will not be archived to a file when it is sent. You can choose to keep them or delete them in the question Keep NETmail flagged Archive/Sent. NETMAIL ARCHIVE NETmail archive: C:\DB\OLDMAIL\MAIL-ARC.LOG The NETMAIL ARCHIVE parameter specifies the text file (if any) into which the DBUTIL PURGE option will archive NETmail messages before era- sing them. Note that this text file is not purged automatically. You must run your own process to purge or erase this file. If you do not wish to save old NETmail messages when DBUTIL PURGE runs, leave this field blank. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.06 PACKET MAIL CONTROL 70 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NETMAIL PURGE CRITERIA Purge NETmail after: 30 days -or- Purge NETmail except: 100 messages DBUTIL is a command-line program that performs various maintenance tasks associated with a D'Bridge system. In the DBUTIL PURGE program, there are two options for deciding which messages to erase from the system. When the cursor is on this field, you may press the F10 key to switch between the methods: PURGE EXCEPT and PURGE AFTER. With PURGE EXCEPT, DBUTIL will erase all but "x" messages; specify "x" in this field as how many messages to save after purging. With the PURGE AFTER option, DBUTIL will purge messages based on their age. PURGE AFTER 30 DAYS means to erase all messages over 30 days old when DBUTIL PURGE is run. Note that D'Bridge does not automatically run DBUTIL; you must schedule this using the Config-Schedule or by some other method. When calling the DBUTIL program from within the D'Bridge schedule, a plus-sign (+) is required before the DBUTIL command. The plus-sign tells D'Bridge to swap out of memory; giving DBUTIL the most memory to use for its operation. KEEP NETMAIL FLAGGED A/S Keep NETmail flagged A/S? No NETmail messages that are flagged as "Archive/Sent" are written into the text file you specify in the previous questions. After D'Bridge does this, you may choose to delete those messages or keep them in your NETmail area. Answer YES or NO. It is really your own personal preference; some operators do not like to keep old NETmail's hanging around if they have been archived already. The default answer is NO. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.06 PACKET MAIL CONTROL 71 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAIL AND TIC PROCESSING Inbound mail handling? Automatic (Automatic/Manual/External/Disabled) This parameter controls the method used for receiving and processing inbound mail traffic. For most cases, Automatic would be the best choice because mail is unpacked and possibly forwarded continuously allowing immediate access to all ECHOmail and forwarded NETmail for the nodes served by your system. The options available are: AUTOMATIC Automatically processes mail after each call. Exceptions are low disk-space, event override or QuickDial active. MANUAL Processes mail only when activated by the operator. EXTERNAL Completely disables internal processing and causes inbound XMAIL and EMAIL packets to be received as normal data files. DISABLED Completely disables processing of inbound mail. TICS ALLOWED Process EchoFILE/TIC files? Yes (Yes/External/No) Answer YES if you wish to accept, process and forward TIC files automatically, or EXTERNAL if you use a 3rd party program to do that for you. The external Tic program will be called as part of the DOS commands called for mail packets as defined in the current mail-event or the Unevent. If you do not process EchoFILE/TIC files then answer NO, the default setting. PACKET PREPROCESSOR Pre-unpack command: If you wish to run an external program before processing inbound .PKT files, you can specify a DOS command. The use for this varies from running archival/statistical analyzers to executing a "Message Police" program of some type. WARNING: Modifying packets might upset some people. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.06 PACKET MAIL CONTROL 72 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RENAME DUPLICATE FILES Rename duplicate files? Yes For modem sessions, there may be occasions when you receive different files with the same name. If you answer YES to this question, any files received having a duplicate name in the INBOUND FILES DIRECTORY will be renamed by "sequencing" the last character of the extension. A duplicate README.TXT would become README.TX1 if it existed; if "1" was already there as well, "2" would be used, etc. If you answer NO, the existing file will simply be replaced by the one just received. KILL IN TRANSIT MESSAGES Kill in-transit messages? Yes (Yes/No) An IN-TRANSIT message is a message which was neither originated from nor destined for your system. This message exists on your system just to be forwarded elsewhere. If you answer YES to this question, IN- TRANSIT messages will be flagged KILL/SENT when they arrive. If you answer NO here, forwarded mail will "pile-up" until it is purged or manually killed. KILL NULL MESSAGES Kill null messages? Yes (Yes/No) Usually, you would answer YES to KILL NULL MESSAGES. A null message means a message that has a TO, FROM and SUBJECT, but no text. These are usually just messages associated with a file-attach and should be ignored anyway. If you answer YES to this question, all messages that are unpacked and have no text will be ignored. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.06 PACKET MAIL CONTROL 73 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SAVE DUPLICATE MESSAGES Save duplicate messages? No (Yes/No) Personally, I would answer NO to this question, but if you would like to see what messages are received more than once, answer YES here. If you save the duplicate messages, they will be tossed into the BADECHO area for your inspection. MSGID ENTRIES MSGID entries: 10000 Most Echomail messages have a unique indentifier, known as a MSGID kludge. When an Echomail message is received, D'Bridge will check to see if that exact same message with that MSGID has ever been received before; if so then the message is considered to be a duplicate. Over a period of time the size of this log of MSGID's can grow considerably. Specify the number of MSGID's to remember per-system. Leave this as 10000 if you are unsure. If this is set to zero, then no MSGID checking takes place. WARNING: Only experienced D'Bridge operators should change this setting. LIMIT NO COST CALLS Limit no-cost calls? No (Yes/No) D'Bridge has a limit for the number of connections with a given system in each mail event. This limit exists to make sure ECHOmail traffic only turns-around a few times each mail event. Since local calls are usually free, you can circumvent this limit for no-cost calls. Answering No here will make unlimited local calls for ECHOmail turnaround. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.06 PACKET MAIL CONTROL 74 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IN TRANSIT RESCAN In-transit rescan? Yes (Yes/No) If your system acts as a hub or boss-node, you might want to provide immediate turnaround when "routed" mail is received. If you answer YES to IN-TRANSIT RESCAN, the NETmail area will be rescanned after each in-transit message is received. This will cause the message to be made available to the destination system immediately rather than at the be- ginning of the next event. Please note that if you enable the Areafix feature, any Areafix requests that arrive that are NOT destined for your system will be treated as IN-TRANSIT and forwarded to the appropriate system as determined by the ROUTING of the current event. SECURED ECHOMAIL ONLY Secured mail only? No (Yes/No/Detailed) Some hubs may wish to run a more secure system by only allowing mail from passworded systems, either SESSION or PACKET passwords. It makes sense that routine mail links should be secured for the benefit of the whole network. If you answer Yes to this question, all ECHOmail received from systems who use an incorrect password will be tossed into the BADECHO area for inspection. If you answer Detailed, D'Bridge will report the password of all packets received. This should only be used for diagnostics or troubleshooting incorrect passwords between systems. DO NOT enable this option if there is no need to troubleshoot passwords. SAVE JUNK MESSAGES Save junk messages? No (Yes/No) On Echomail areas which have the "Junk filter" enabled, if messages are received which match the junk criteria you specify; those messages can be saved in the BADECHO area for your inspection. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.06 PACKET MAIL CONTROL 75 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEAVE SEENBYS Save ECHOmail SEENBYs? Yes (Yes/No) If you wish to save the text containing the SEEN-BY lines in your message base, answer YES. It really doesn't matter how you respond to this question; the system will perform the same way. * NOTE * This question only affects the Quick storage method. AUTO ADD ECHOMAIL AREAS Auto-add ECHO areas? Fido D'Bridge has the capability of automatically adding areas that don't exist when undefined CONFERENCE TAGS are detected. This can save lots of work in setting up new areas. Specify which Echomail storage format to use here for them, or NO to completely disable auto-adding. /----------+------------------------------------------------------------\ | NONE | Will not create a new area, so messages received for | | | unknown areas will be rejected. | | | | | FIDO/MSG | Echomail will be stored in Fido *.MSG format. Choose for | | | compatibility with most 3rd-party editors and utilities. | | | Messages are stored in individual files. | | | | | QUICKBBS | Echomail will be stored in QuickBBS/Hudson or GoldBase | | | databases; a series of index, header and message files. | | | Up to 200 areas may be defined for QuickBBS or up to 500 | | | for the GoldBase edition. The size of the databases must | | | not exceed 2 gigabytes. | \----------+------------------------------------------------------------/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.06 PACKET MAIL CONTROL 76 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTO ADD ECHOFILE AREAS Auto-add EchoFILE/TIC areas? None If you wish to automatically add unknown EchoFILE/TIC areas received, then specify the type of storage to use: /-----------+------------------------------------------------------------\ | NONE | Will not create a new area, so any EchoFILE/TIC files | | | received for unknown areas will be rejected. | | | | | DIRECTORY | Creates a new directory for storing EchoFILE/TIC files. | | | | | 1/FILES | Creates a new directory and updates a text-file named | | | FILES.BBS containing the name and a one-line description | | | of the file processed. | | | | | 2/FILES | Same as above, except the FILES.BBS text-file will also | | | be updated with the "long description" of the TIC file. | \-----------+------------------------------------------------------------/ ONLY ADD FROM SYSTEMS Only add areas from: 1:229/426 A 50 This allows you to determine which systems D'Bridge should auto-add new areas from, if allowed to do so. Specify the addresses one per line. You may optionally specify a group access letter (A to Z) and security level. When D'Bridge adds the conference, it will automatically add your criteria to the new area. In the above example, new areas from 1:229/426 will be assigned group A, security level 50. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.06 PACKET MAIL CONTROL 77 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FORCED PRIORITIES Forced priorities: 1:110/68 CRASH This window allows you to absolutely override the priority for any system on a semi-permanent basis. The overrides are listed one per line and the format is:
This field is also maintained in the VIEW/MODIFY QUEUE, ALT-V screen. PACKET PASSWORDS Packet/TIC override: 1:110/68 Secret By default, D'Bridge uses the session password in ADVANCED/MISC-SECURITY as the password for mail packets and the TIC files for EchoFILE areas. In most cases this is fine but sometimes there may be a desire to have a different password for these. Note that passwords are case sensitive. If you specify the address without a password, then mail packets and TIC files will not have a password. This is not recommended and should only be for troubleshooting or strange setups. Try to resolve any problems with the other system so passwords are enforced correctly instead of using "band aid" fixes. For maximum compatibility with other Fidonet software products, it is recommended to have a packet password no more than 8 characters. Keep this in mind when defining the session passwords in the other screen. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.06 PACKET MAIL CONTROL 78 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PROCESS AREAFIX REQUESTS AREAFIX/FILEFIX enabled? Yes D'Bridge has a very robust security system for Areafix (Echomail) and Filefix (EchoFILE/TIC). Answer YES if you wish to have D'Bridge accept and process these transactions. If you answer no, then AREAFIX/FILEFIX is DISABLED. The requests received will just appear in your NETMAIL area and never be processed. D'Bridge only processes requests as they are unpacked, not from them already existing in the NETMAIL area. AREAFIX MAXIMUM REQUESTS Maximum requests per area: 50 This setting controls how many areas may be requested in an Areafix or Filefix request. This should be left as 50 unless there is a good reason to change this value. You may not set this past 200. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.06 PACKET MAIL CONTROL 79 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AREAFIX INFORMATION Areafix/Filefix info: 1:110/68 PASSWORD ABC,501 Normal Yes Yes AREAS68.BBS This window controls the AREAFIX/FILEFIX subsystem, allowing automated area list and ECHOmail/EchoFILE distribution management. For each system, specify:
Where:
is the address of the system in the form ZONE:NET/NODE.POINT is a codeword agreed upon by both systems (you and the system specified.) The password may be from 1 to 32 characters. For maximum compatibility with other Fidonet software and systems, the password should not exceed 8 characters. Unlike session and packet passwords, Areafix/Filefix passwords are NOT case sensitive. Keep this in mind if there is a need to troubleshoot any password issues with the remote system. contains the groups allowed and security level assigned to the system. ie. ABC,501 allows groups A, B and C and areas with a security level equal to or less than 501. is the EMAIL priority associated with the link. In most cases, you would use CRASH for systems in your local calling area and NORMAL or HOLD for long-distance links. Valid priorities are: Immediate, Crash, Normal and Hold. asks whether the specified system should be allowed to request a complete rescan of a conference as it is added. Normally, this is acceptable, but if your system is particularly busy, you may want to disallow this by answering NO. determines whether requests for unavailable requested areas will be forwarded to your ECHO hub(s). If you answer Yes, all unknown requests will be passed along to the first applicable ECHOhub. As per the next question, you should specify an AREAS.BBS file for forwarding. It is not required however. specifies the filename of the system's AREAS.BBS file to use when forwarding requests. This should only be specified for the systems which are your ECHOmail hubs or feeds. Any conference listed in this file may be requested by other allowed systems. Make sure these lines are listed in the desired search order. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.06 PACKET MAIL CONTROL 80 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REMOVE EMPTY PASSTHRUS Remove empty passthrus? Yes (Yes/No) Hub systems which carry many passthru areas may wish to remove unused conferences automatically. D'Bridge will erase these unused areas a few days after the last ECHOmail feed is cut. AREAFIX TIMEOUT DAYS controls the number of inactive days to wait before killing the last feed and sending an AREAFIX request to your feed, removing the conference. Note: An area will not be removed if it is set to be "permanent". AREAFIX TIMEOUT DAYS Request timeout days? 3 This parameter controls the number of days to wait for a new ECHOmail or TIC conference to arrive after forwarding a request. After this many days, if a new conference requested has not been received, a message is generated to the original requesting system, explaining why their request was not honored. This also controls the number of days before removing a passthru area with no links left. Note: An area will not be removed if it is set to be "permanent". UNKNOWN AREA FORWARDING Unknown area forwarding: Here, you may specify the address of an ECHOmail or EchoFILE/TIC hub to use "blindly", forwarding AREAFIX/FILEFIX requests for unknown areas. If the area is not found in any listed AREAS.BBS file, it will be sent to the specified system. The system must first be specified with proper password in the AREAFIX/ FILEFIX INFORMATION window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.06 PACKET MAIL CONTROL 81 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SHOW MAIL WAITING Show personal mail: Yes When D'Bridge unpacks mail, you can be notified on Netmail and Echomail messages addressed to you. Answer YES if you want an on-screen reminder of personal messages or NO if you do not. When you read these messages with the internal editor, the reminder goes away. DBRIDGE.PMT (Personal Mail Total) is a two-line text file. The first line is the number of personal NETmail messages and the second is for Echomail. DBRIDGE.PMW (Personal Mail Waiting) is a text file containing a short description of whats waiting to be read. If you are using BBS software or some other editor to read your messages, be sure to erase both of these files when done otherwise the reminder will remain or not be accurate. D'Bridge also has an ability to call an external program when personal messages are received and the AUDIO ALARMS setting in Config-Basic is enabled. It will check for the presence of a batch file called PLAYMAIL.BAT and run it if found. This allows you to play sound-files or run something of your choice the moment you receive a personal message. Some obsessive- compulsive users manipulate PLAYMAIL as a way to send an Internet email or text message containing the list of personal mail waiting. For more information on this, please look at the included PLAYMAIL.ZIP file. A sample .WAV file and player is included for Microsoft Windows computers. For "real-DOS", there are many simular freeware programs for Sound Blaster cards, Tandy 1000 or others... even the PC speaker. Whatever you decide to run, you MUST be sure that it does not require any input or the system will halt until you intervene. If there are certain names you do NOT wish to be notified when mail arrives addressed to you, create a simple text-file with those names, one per line, in a file called DBRIDGE.IPN (Ignore Personal Names). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.07 TIC AREA SETUP 82 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.07 TIC AREA SETUP TIC AREAS: This screen allows you to configure each of the fileecho/TIC areas available on your system. Codeword: NODEDIFF The CODEWORD is a word from 1 to 16 characters which you designate as a mnemonic reference to an area. It could be a word like NODEDIFF for node "diff" files or GRAPHICS for image files. CODEWORDs must be unique - the words "NETMAIL" and "BADECHO" are predefined by the system and may not be used here. Alert flag: D If you wish to be notified (on the status line) about new files in this area, specify a one character "flag" here. When files are received, the mailer will show it by listing the defined "flag" character on the right side of the bottom status line. Security level: 500 The SECURITY LEVEL is used by the FILEFIX subsystem to allow other systems to automatically add or delete themselves from Fileecho links. Security levels range from 0 to 9999; if a system has a security level of 50, it has access to all areas with a SECURITY LEVEL of 50 or less. If you don't want anyone to have access to an area, define its level to be 9999. Group/Sort: A1 GROUP/SORT is a two-byte field; the first character is the FILEFIX access group; the second is the sort code for use with DBUTIL SORT AREAS. In FILEFIX, each area is assigned a GROUP code. Each system with a FILEFIX password also has one or more group codes associated with it. Only those systems with matching GROUP codes have access to a given area. Description: Weekly Nodelist/Nodediff files This description field will be used throughout the system to describe the conference. Storage method: Directory (Or N for None/Passthru) This question is where you specify if the files will reside on your system. If NONE is specified, the area is regarded as an area "passing through" your system. The files will not be stored on this system, just forwarded to the specified systems. If "Files.BBS" is specified, then the file is stored on your system along with its listing in FILES.BBS updated with the description. There are two types of FILES.BBS files. Standard and Extended. Standard means only a one- line description is added. Extended means the full description is added after the first line with a plus-sign (+) beside each description line. Directory path: C:\FILES\NODEDIFF The DIRECTORY PATH is any DOS directory where D'Bridge should store the received files for this conference. It may be a local drive and path or a drive and path that is "mapped" from another computer on a network. Conference name: NODEDIFF Each fileecho area must have a unique CONFERENCE NAME. This may be the same as or different from the CODEWORD specified above, but must reflect the actual fileecho name or conference tag specified in the corrosponding TIC files that arrive with the files. The CONFERENCE NAME may be up to 54 characters and must not contain any spaces; when creating a new fileecho conference, it is suggested your CONFERENCE TAG should not exceed 16 characters if at all possible to maintain compatibility with other systems. NOTE: D'Bridge does not allow "NETMAIL" or "BADECHO" to be used as conference names. Those two names are reserved by the internal mail processor. Alias address: 1:229/427 If you are a member of more than one network, it might be necessary to use an "alias" address on a fileecho area. This means that the address put on the ORIGIN-LINE of the outgoing TIC files will be different than your primary address. Most systems would leave this blank. Default priority: Normal (Immediate/Crash/Normal/Hold) For each conference, you specify a DEFAULT PRIORITY for forwarding of fileecho files and TIC's. Choose either IMMEDIATE, CRASH, NORMAL or HOLD; This default may be overridden for any specific system. Forward to: 1:110/68 22 .20 The FORWARD TO fields allow you to specify a list of systems to whom you wish to forward files received in this conference. You may specify as many systems as will fit on the lines available; the systems should be separate by spaces and be in the format: ZONE:NET/NODE[,PRIORITY] or .POINT[,PRIORITY] Here's an example: 1:18/0 1:105/3 1:110/22,C .20,H In this example, 1:110/22 has CRASH priority as an override and .20 has HOLD priority specified. Please note that you may only forward files to points or your own node. You may not forward files to a point system of another node. DBRIDGE.DFQ A new file, DBRIDGE.DRQ (Deny Request), can be created containing the area name, a space, and the system of which Areafix messages can be denied to. The remote system will see an "Area unavailable" message if they are listed in this file and attempt to request the area and the area will NOT show up in any list-requests. For example: SECRET_AREA 1:229/500 Means that SECRET_AREA is not available to be requested by 229/500. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.07 TIC AREA SETUP 83 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TIC ACTIONS This screen allows you to configure actions to take when certain TIC files arrive on your system. A good example would be to automatically copy new Nodelists or node "Diffs" to your Nodelist directory. Codeword: NODEDIFF The CODEWORD is a word from 1 to 16 characters which you designate as a mnemonic reference to an area. It could be a word like NODEDIFF for node "diff" files or GRAPHICS for image files. CODEWORDs must be unique - the words "NETMAIL" and "BADECHO" are predefined by the system and may not be used here. Description: Weekly Fidonet NodeDIFF The DESCRIPTION of the action is entered here, and is for your reference. FileMask: NODEDIFF.* This is where you specify the filename or "wildcard" to match for this action when TIC files arrive. Action: CopyFile (Copy/Move/Hatch/NoForward/Exec) This is where you specify the action to take. COPY means copy the TIC file to a DOS directory of your choice. MOVE will move the TIC file from one area to another. HATCH means to create a new TIC in a specified area. NOFORWARD means to not forward that TIC file to any systems, and EXEC means to execute a DOS command. Run once-only? No If you answer YES, D'Bridge will delete this action when it has been executed. Otherwise, answer NO if this is to be a "permanent" action. Weekdays: [ ] All [ ] Sun [ ] Mon [ ] Tues [ ] Wed [ ] Thu [ ] Fri [ ] Sat Specify the applicable WEEKDAYS that this action should run on, or answer ALL if this action is allowed to run all the time. FromArea: NODEDIFF To area: NEW_AREA Specify the appropriate TIC AREA that this acion applies to. Path: C:\DB If you are copying TIC files from an area into a DOS directory, specify that directory path here. DOS commands: DOTHIS.BAT If this action is to execute a DOS command, specify that command or batch file here. LDesc: The NodeDIFF is the weekly "difference" in Fidonet nodelists Replaces: SOMEFILE.* MagicName: SOMENAME These three questions apply to hatching new TIC files only. Suspend: No If you answer YES to this question, files received in this area will NOT be forwarded to any downlinks listed in the FORWARD-TO section. This can be useful for temporarily "suspending" TIC processing for a given area. The default answer is obviously NO, meaning process/forward normally. Permanent: No If you answer YES to this question, D'Bridge will NOT remove this area if there are no passthru-links left, if you answered YES to "Remove empty passthrus". The area will also not be removed by using the DBUTIL REMOVEDEADECHOS command. The default answer is NO. Forced: No If you answer YES to this question, D'Bridge will not allow any system to unsubscribe/"Un-Filefix" themselves from this area. The default answer is NO. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.08 XMAIL CONTROL 84 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.08 XMAIL CONTROL The XMAIL CONTROL screen allows you to configure the various compression and decompression software that is used to bundle XMAIL packets. Parameters include: - XMAIL processing interval - Size limits - Default format - Specific formats - ZIP, LHA, ARJ, PAK, ARC, RAR and ZOO Compress and Decompress commands D'Bridge comes with the PK-ZIP/UNZIP and ARC software programs, and already is preconfigured to use the right parameters. It is not really necessary to obtain the programs needed to handle compression formats other than ZIP or ARC unless you have some sort of special setup with other Sysops. XMAIL PROCESSING INTERVAL XMAIL processing interval: 30 (minutes) This parameter specifies the minimum time interval between XMAIL processing cycles. In the above example, there will be a 30 minute delay between the end of one cycle and the start of the next. Any XMAIL received during this delay period will not be processed immediately. At the end of the period, processing will resume automatically. XMAIL PACKET SIZE LIMIT XMAIL packet size limit: 200 (kilobytes) This parameter controls the maximum size of outbound ECHOmail .PKT files. When ECHOmail is scanned or forwarded, a new packet is started when the origin address changes, or the packet size limit is exceeded. Making this field smaller than 50k is not a good idea; neither is exceeding 250k in a network using mailers other than D'Bridge. The default setting is 200k and should NOT be changed under most circumstances. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.08 XMAIL CONTROL 85 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- XMAIL PROTECTION There are two questions in the CONFIG - XMAIL screeny, RATIO and COUNT. These settings are designed to add some basic protection against a rare form of suspicious XMAIL archives received on your system. By default, these should be left at the default settings. Keep in mind that Fidonet and most "Othernets" in recent years almost never see this form of abuse. RATIO means that if the compression ratio within the XMAIL archive appears to be beyond a reasonable percentage, then the archive is treated as suspicious. Likewise for COUNT. If the number of files within the archive exceed a specified amount, the archive is treated as suspicious. These settings have no effect if an XMAIL archive program uses a "suffix". WARNING: Only experienced operators should change these setetings. COMPRESSED MAIL FORMAT Compressed mail format: ZIP [Press SPACE to change] This specifies the default compression format for outbound XMAIL files. Choose either ZIP, LHA, ARJ, PAK, ARC, ZOO or RAR. D'Bridge is capable of unpacking any of these archives, providing the decompression program is correctly specified. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.08 XMAIL CONTROL 86 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALTERNATE COMPRESSION FORMATS System-specific formats: ARJ 1:110/68 This field allows you to define specific compression formats for certain systems. This is a rare option but is here incase its needed. The format is as follows: ie. ARC ALL EXCEPT 1:110/68 .10 .20 * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ZIP COMPRESS COMMAND ZIP compress command: +PKZIP -M ZIP is arguably the most popular compression format and D'Bridge supports the use of PKZIP by Phil Katz or the open-source InfoZIP project. This specifies the command to move files to a ZIP archive. For PKZIP, the -M (move files) option must be specified. For Info-ZIP's "zip.exe" program, the case-sensitive -m and -D options are specified to move files and strip directory prefixing, ie. +C:\DB\zip.exe -m -D A plus sign (+) is required before running PKZIP, to tell D'Bridge to swap itself out of memory and give more memory to the PKZIP program. Note: Technical support will not be provided for running other "archiver" programs that handle the ZIP format. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.08 XMAIL CONTROL 87 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ZIP DECOMPRESS COMMAND ZIP decompress command: +PKUNZIP -O ZIP is arguably the most popular compression format and D'Bridge supports the use of PKUNZIP by Phil Katz or the open source Info-ZIP project. This specifies the command to extract files from a ZIP archive. PKUNZIP requires the -O option to overwrite existing files. Info-ZIP's "unzip.exe" program requires the case-senstive -o and the -j options to overwrite files and strip directory prefixing. In addition, the pipe-code and -d directory-output command is required, ie. +C:\DB\unzip.exe -o -j | -d A plus sign (+) is required before running PKUNZIP, to tell D'Bridge to swap out of memory and give more memory to the PKUNZIP program. Note: Technical support will not be provided for running other "archiver" programs that handle the ZIP format. LHA COMPRESS COMMAND LHA compress command: LHA M -M This specifies the command to move files to a LHA archive. LHA requires the M command and the -M option. Note: Technical support will not be provided for running other "archiver" programs that handle the LHA format. LHA DECOMPRESS COMMAND LHA decompress command: LHA E -CM This specifies the command to extract files from a LHA archive. LHA requires the E command and the -CM option to overwrite existing files. Note: Technical support will not be provided for running other "archiver" programs that handle the LHA format. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.08 XMAIL CONTROL 88 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ARJ COMPRESS COMMAND ARJ compress command: +ARJ M This specifies the command to move files to an ARJ archive. ARJ requires the M command. Note that recent shareware versions of ARJ have a "nag screen" asking you to register your copy of ARJ. Unless you do this, this screen will appear every time the ARJ program is called. For this reason, it is not recommended to use ARJ for mail compression nor is ARJ included here. A plus sign (+) is required before running the ARJ program, to tell D'Bridge to swap out of memory and give more memory to the ARJ program. ARJ is a rare format nowadays and should not be used. Note: Technical support will not be provided for running other "archiver" programs that handle the ARJ format or replacing ARJ with JAR. ARJ DECOMPRESS COMMAND ARJ decompress command: +ARJ E -y This specifies the command to extract files from an ARJ archive. ARJ requires the E command to decompress and the -y switch to automatically answer "yes" when it asks if you wish to update (overwrite) files. A plus sign (+) is required before running the ARJ program, to tell D'Bridge to swap out of memory and give more memory to the ARJ program. Note that recent shareware versions of ARJ have a "nag screen" asking you to register your copy of ARJ. Unless you do this, this screen will appear every time the ARJ program is called. For this reason, it is not recommended to use ARJ for mail compression nor is ARJ included here. ARJ is a rare format nowadays and should not be used. Note: Technical support will not be provided for running other "archiver" programs that handle the ARJ format or replacing ARJ with JAR. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.08 XMAIL CONTROL 89 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PAK COMPRESS COMMAND PAK compress command: PAK M This specifies the command to move files to a PAK archive. PAK requires the M command. PAK is a rare format nowadays and should not be used. Note: Technical support will not be provided for running other "archiver" programs that handle the PAK format. PAK DECOMPRESS COMMAND PAK decompress command: PAK E /WA This specifies the command to extract files from a PAK archive. PAK requires the E command to decompress and the /WA option to overwrite existing files. PAK is a rare format nowadays and should not be used. Note: Technical support will not be provided for running other "archiver" programs that handle the PAK format. ARC COMPRESS COMMAND ARC compress command: ARC M This specifies the command to move files to an ARC archive. ARC requires the M option to move the files to the archive. Note: Technical support will not be provided for running other "archiver" programs that handle the ARC format. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.08 XMAIL CONTROL 90 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ARC DECOMPRESS COMMAND ARC decompress command: ARC EO This specifies the command to extract files from an ARC archive. ARC requires the E option to actually extract the files, and the O option to overwrite any existing files. Note: Technical support will not be provided for running other "archiver" programs that handle the ARC format. ZOO COMPRESS COMMAND ZOO compress command: ZOO -M This specifies the command to move files to a ZOO archive. ZOO requires the -M command. ZOO is a rare format nowadays and should not be used. Note: Technical support will not be provided for running other "archiver" programs that handle the ZOO format. ZOO DECOMPRESS COMMAND ZOO decompress command: ZOO -E This specifies the command to extract files from a ZOO archive. ZOO requires the -E command. ZOO is a rare format nowadays and should not be used. Note: Technical support will not be provided for running other "archiver" programs that handle the ZOO format. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.08 XMAIL CONTROL 91 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RAR COMPRESS COMMAND RAR compress command: +RAR32 M Specify the command to compress a RAR archive. RAR requires the M parameter to move files into the archive. A plus sign (+) is required before calling the RAR program. RAR requires at least a 386 processor. If you are running D'Bridge under OS/2 Warp, you may first have to set the "DPMI Enabled" setting to YES under the DOS Session Properties screen. RAR DECOMPRESS COMMAND RAR decompress command: +RAR32 E -O+ This specifies the command to extract files from a RAR archive. Note that the RAR command requires the E parameter to extract files and the -O+ parameter to overwrite existing files. A plus sign (+) is required before calling the RAR program. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.09 TIME CONTROL SYSTEM 92 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.09 TIME CONTROL SYSTEM The TIME CONTROL SYSTEM screen allows you to set time-related parameters and display historical data. Functions and parameters include: - UTC offset - Daylight savings time status - Timezone names - Default ClockSync systems - Remote clock history - Adjustment history Note that the ClockSync features require a modem. OBSERVE DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME Observe DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME at this site? Yes In most locations, the time changes twice a year for daylight savings time. If your country/state observes this, answer Yes. ADJUST MAIL EVENTS * NOTE * This feature is not currently supported. ADJUST CLOCKSYNC EVENTS * NOTE * This feature is not currently supported. ADJUST DOS EVENTS * NOTE * This feature is not currently supported. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.09 TIME CONTROL SYSTEM 93 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DAYLIGHT TIME STARTS Daylight time starts: 04/23/92 Specify the date on which daylight savings time starts. If daylight time is currently in effect, use the date last spring when it started. If it is late fall or winter and daylight savings time is not in effect, use the date on which it will start next spring. DAYLIGHT TIME ENDS Daylight time ends: 10/21/92 Specify the date on which daylight savings time ends. Always make sure the ending date is greater than the starting date, next spring. DAYLIGHT TIME CHANGES Time of automatic change: 02:01 Specify the exact time at which daylight savings time changes. In the USA it is always 2:01 on a Sunday morning in the spring and fall. For times in the afternoon, make sure to use 24-hour format (ie. 13:00 is 1:00pm). LOCAL STANDARD TIME Name of local STANDARD time: Eastern Standard Time Specify the name of your timezone during standard time. LOCAL STANDARD TIME ABBREVIATION Abbreviation for local STANDARD time: EST Specify the commonly accepted abbreviation for your local standard time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.09 TIME CONTROL SYSTEM 94 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LOCAL DAYLIGHT TIME Name of local DAYLIGHT time: Eastern Daylight Time Specify the name of your timezone during daylight savings time. LOCAL DAYLIGHT TIME ABBREVIATION Abbreviation for local DAYLIGHT time: EDT Specify the commonly accepted abbreviation for your local daylight time. DISPLAY TIME DATA Display comparative time data? No On inbound as well as outbound calls D'Bridge will compare its time with that on other systems it connects to. If you want this data to be displayed in the LOG window, answer Yes here. TIME WARNING THRESHOLD Display average time-difference if: 5 minute(s) or more On inbound as well as outbound calls D'Bridge will compare its time with that on other systems it connects to. A history is kept and average differences are computed. If you wish to see a warning when the average time difference exceeds a certain threshold, specify the number of minutes here. In this example, a warning will be displayed when the average time difference exceeds 5 minutes. To reset this warning display, you will need to Zero the clock history screen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.09 TIME CONTROL SYSTEM 95 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CLOCK HISTORY FOR Store data from the clocks on: ALL Specify a filter controlling which systems will be included in your time/clock history screen. If there are some systems you wish to exclude, use: ALL EXCEPT nnn/nnn nnn/nnn ... etc. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. CLOCKSYNC SYSTEM Always synchronize clock with: 1:3601/14 You have the option of setting your clock using a certain system both on demand and every time you connect with it. In this example, my system will always synchronize its clock to 1:3601/14, a "D'Bridge Universal TimeBase." In most cases, leave this blank. AUTOMATIC CLOCKSYNC SYSTEM Default ClockSync timebase: Atomic clock If you start D'Bridge with the clock obviously wrong, it will set its clock using the specified system. Leaving it blank will make it call the atomic clock at the U.S. Naval Observatory near Washington D.C. The only time this happens automatically is when the date is set to before this release of D'Bridge occurred -- the clock is wrong without a doubt. (This occurs when there is no battery-backed clock on an XT most frequently.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.09 TIME CONTROL SYSTEM 96 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CLOCK SET COMMAND DOS command after clock adjustment: Some computers, usually XTs, require a command to be issued to set the battery-backed clock which is not on the motherboard. If you own such a clock, you probably know what this means. If you don't, leave this field blank. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.10 FUNCTION KEYS 97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.10 FUNCTION KEYS The FUNCTION KEYS screen allows you to define programmable function keys for use within D'Bridge. USER FUNCTION There are 19 programmable function keys that may be made available from the main menu or D'Bridge idle state. F2 through F10 and ALT-F1 through ALT-F10 may be programmed to execute any number of DOS commands or spe- cial functions. As well as DOS commands, the following functions are available here: /----------------+-----------------------------------------------------------\ | +(command) | Causes D'Bridge to swap to disk, leaving more memory | | | available to the application. | | | | | -(command) | Causes the command to be executed inside the queue | | | window. Only use this for programs that do standard | | | DOS I/O. | | | | | *R | This will force a rescan of the queue. Same as ALT-Q | | | | | *L | This will be replaced with the current line number | | | | | *S | This will force a complete ECHOmail rescan. | | | | | *X | This causes an exit with the specified DOS errorlevel. | | | | | | Errorlevels 250, 251 and 252 are reserved by D'Bridge. | \----------------+-----------------------------------------------------------/ * NOTE * You must NEVER load a TSR using this method. It will cause a system crash when D'Bridge resumes. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.11 BBS CONFIGURATION 98 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.11 BBS CONFIGURATION The BBS CONFIGURATION screen allows you to set up an interface between your BBS system and D'Bridge. Parameters include: - EMAIL calls only text - Press ESC for BBS text - Loading BBS text and filename - Human caller timeout - BBS online hours - After hours file - Minimum baud rate - Too slow file - ECHOmail scan - DOS commands for BBS BBS SOFTWARE INSTALLED BBS software installed? Yes If you are using D'Bridge as the "front-end" for a bulletin board system (BBS), answer "YES" to this question. If you do not want D'Bridge to run another program (such as a BBS) when "humans" call, specify "NO." If D'Bridge is being ran "on the line" from a Telnet server or requires an immediate exit upon hangup, please create the semaphore/dummy file LINExxx.OTL, where xxx is the line number. Optionally, you may specify in this file the connected baudrate, ie. 38400. EMAIL CALLS ONLY TEXT "EMAIL calls only" text: Please hang up... accepting EMAIL calls only. If a human caller dials in when D'Bridge is not accepting human callers during the current mail event, this line of text will be displayed on the caller's terminal. This is also displayed if you have answered No to "BBS software installed." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.11 BBS CONFIGURATION 99 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRESS ESC FOR BBS TEXT "Press ESC for BBS" text: Press the ESC key twice to access the BBS. When someone first dials into D'Bridge, it displays its copyright notice and this text. You may specify any message you wish to replace the stan- dard message, but remember you should inform the caller to 'press the ESC key twice for faster access' in this line. LOADING BBS TEXT "Loading BBS" text: BBS now loading - Please wait... This text will be displayed when a human caller presses the ESC key twice or the "human caller timeout" has expired. This is to inform the caller that the BBS is currently loading and that he should wait. LOADING BBS FILE "Loading BBS" file: C:\DB\LOADBBS.TXT If you wish to display some sort of "banner" file when the BBS is loading, specify the name of a text file here. You may use ANSI codes and IBM graphics if you wish, but keep in mind that not all callers have computers compatible with IBM ANSI. You're best off keeping it printable ASCII (32-126 decimal). HUMAN CALLER TIMEOUT "Human" caller timeout: 20 Specify the number of seconds D'Bridge should wait before determining that a call is "human" and not an EMAIL call. The minimum value for this field is 10 (seconds), but you may want to make this time longer if you have "noisy" phone lines or trouble with inbound connections. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.11 BBS CONFIGURATION 100 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BBS ONLINE HOURS BBS online hours: 06:00 until 23:00 This field allows you to specify the hours of operation for your BBS. If a human caller is detected outside of these hours, the "After hours" file will be transmitted and D'Bridge will hang-up. This is another way besides the use of mail events to restrict BBS access times. AFTER HOURS FILE "After hours" file: C:\DB\BBSHOURS.TXT If you restrict the hours of operation of your BBS, you need to prepare a text file in which you explain your policy to human callers. Specify the name of a text file here; it will be transmitted to all human callers dialing in outside the specified time frame. MINIMUM BAUD RATE Minimum baud rate: 1200 If you wish to restrict BBS access to those callers that have a faster modem, specify the minimum allowable baud rate here. In this example, 300 baud callers will be rejected and the "Too slow" file will be sent. If you don't care about the baudrate, just leave this question blank. TOO SLOW FILE "Too slow" file: C:\DB\TOOSLOW.TXT If you have specified a minimum baud rate for BBS access, this file will be transmitted to callers with slower modems. If you're going to reject callers based on baud rate, the least you can do is explain your policy... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.11 BBS CONFIGURATION 101 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DOS COMMANDS FOR BBS DOS commands for BBS: +BBS /LINE 1 /BAUD 14400 Here, you specify the DOS commands that will be used to invoke the BBS, telling it you already have a caller on. It is highly recommended to swap D'Bridge out of memory by placing a plus-sign (+) infront of the command to load the BBS. This will ensure the BBS has the most amount of memory available when running. There are several "special" commands that substitute values or cause an EXIT. Refer to the manual of your BBS software for which commands you need to configure this correctly. You may refer to the BBS SYSTEMS help section for some examples. NOTE: Do NOT use commands to redirect DOS console output. Always remember that no matter the commands you specify; special care must be taken to ensure the program does not require any interaction from you. /----------------+-----------------------------------------------------------\ | +(command) | Causes D'Bridge to swap to disk, leaving more memory | | | available to the application program. | | | | | -(command) | Causes the command to be executed inside the queue | | | window. Only use this for programs that do standard | | | DOS I/O. | | | | | *B | This is replaced by the baud rate of the connection. | | | | | *C | This is replaced by the actual or translated connect | | | string from the modem. | | | | | *P | This is replaced by the comm port number (1-8) | | | | | *L | This is replaced by the number of the current line | | | | | *R | This will force a rescan of the queue. Same as ALT-Q | | | | | *S | This will force a scan of ECHOmail after the call. | | | | | *T | This is replaced by number of minutes until the next | | | event defined in "schedule maintenance." | | | | | *X | This causes an exit with the errorlevel corresponding | | | to the baud rate divided by 100. ie. 1200 baud = 12 | | | | | *X | This causes an exit with the specified DOS errorlevel. | | | | | | Errorlevels 250, 251 and 252 are reserved by D'Bridge. | \----------------+-----------------------------------------------------------/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.11 BBS CONFIGURATION 102 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As an example, here's what my DOS BBS COMMANDS field looks like to run Opus, then execute the MYMAIL program (An Opus MAIL-CHECK program by Steve Sullivan): cd \opus opus opus -t*t -p*p -b*b mymail -u When a caller dials in at 2400 baud with 120 minutes until the next event, D'Bridge runs the following DOS commands: cd \opus opus opus -t120 -p1 -b2400 mymail -u After all these commands are complete, D'Bridge initializes the modem and returns to its previous status (Mail event, IDLE, etc.). * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.12 SECURITY MISCELLANEOUS 103 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.12 SECURITY MISCELLANEOUS The SECURITY/MISCELLANEOUS screen allows you to setup various parameter which affect security and other settings. For security settings relating to packets, see PACKET/MAIL CONTROL. The settings in the screen include: - Hang-up on security violation - Ignore unauthorized mail packets - Rename unauthorized/unknown files - Allow unlisted nodes to send mail - File request controls - Session passwords - Automatic password request control - Function requests - Gateways - External receivers - Fidonet and WaZOO protocol overrides HANG UP ON SECURITY VIOLATION Hang-up on security violation? No If you are using SESSION PASSWORDS to protect any or all of your links, you may choose to hang-up and not accept any mail from any system with a missing or invalid password. This option has no effect on systems that have no password specfied. Used in conjunction with Secured ECHOmail only, this provides a fairly good security method for ECHOmail traffic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.12 SECURITY MISCELLANEOUS 104 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IGNORE UNAUTHORIZED MAIL PACKETS Ignore unauthorized mail packets? No If you are using SESSION PASSWORDS to protect any or all of your links, you may choose to completely ignore incoming mail from a link using the wrong (or no) password. If you indeed wish to ignore this mail, specify Yes to this field. If you want to receive the mail normally, answer No. Unauthorized mail that comes in will be renamed to BAD-MAIL.001, BAD-MAIL.002, etc. RENAME UNAUTHORIZED INBOUND FILES Rename unauthorized inbound files? Yes You may choose to rename file-attachments that come in from unknown/unlisted systems or from systems that connect with an incorrect password. D'Bridge will rename the files to BAD-ATCH.001, BAD-ATCH.002, etc. The reason for doing this is to prevent unauthorized ECHOMAIL and FUNCTION REQUESTS from being executed. Specify Yes if you want to automatically rename incoming files or No if you want to receive them normally. ALLOW UNLISTED NODES TO SEND MAIL Allow unlisted nodes to send mail? Yes In a private network, possibly the BEST way to discourage hackers from the outside is to hang-up on them immediately. If you specify Yes to this question, D'Bridge will immediately reject any incoming call from a system not listed in your nodelist. This should only be used in a private network - public networks often have communications from new addresses or private addresses that are not in the nodelist (yet). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.12 SECURITY MISCELLANEOUS 105 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FILE REQUESTS FOR UNLISTED NODES File-requests for unlisted nodes? Yes If you support file-requests, you must decide whether or not you wish to allow systems that are NOT in your nodelist to request files. Some people (kids, usually) will abuse your system's file-request privilege by calling back many times, using many fake node numbers to file-request. If you say Yes to this question, any system, listed or not will be able to issue file-requests. If you say No then only requests from systems found in your nodelist will be honored. TIME LIMIT FOR FILE REQUESTS Time limit for file-requests: 30 (minutes) When you are running a public system, you may find you have trouble with people abusing the file-request privilege by constantly requesting too many files and keeping your system busy for hours. D'Bridge allows you to limit the time allowed for file-requests. Here you may limit the num- ber of minutes allowed before refusing to honor a request. NOTE: This setting has no effect for file-requests via the Internet BinkD subsystem. FILE REQUEST LIMIT File-request limit: 500 (kilobytes) You may limit the total number of kilobytes allowed for file-request by specifying it here. It is suggested you make this larger than the biggest file you have available for request. If this is left blank or zero, there will be no limit applied. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.12 SECURITY MISCELLANEOUS 106 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAXIMUM FILES FOR FILE REQUEST Maximum files for file-request: 10 You may limit the total number of files allowed for request. This is really not as meaningful as the other limits because time is the main factor requiring a limitation. If this is left blank or zero, no total-limit will be applied. ENFORCE LIMITS FOR 24 HOURS Enforce limits for 24-hours? No If you wish to accumulate these file-request limits for a 24-hour period, answer Yes here. If you want the limits enforced on a per-call basis, answer No. If the limits are enforced for 24-hours, a file is created containing the address, timestamp and limit data. The limit will be reset exactly 24-hours from the START of the first file-request. If you must manually reset these limits, delete the file "DBRIDGE.FRS." MINIMUM BAUD RATE FOR REQUESTS Minimum baud rate for request? 1200 This specifies the minimum link rate (baud) allowed for file-requests. (300/1200/2400/4800/9600... Etc.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.12 SECURITY MISCELLANEOUS 107 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SESSION PASSWORDS Session passwords: 1:3601/14 SECRET You may specify a SESSION PASSWORD for each system you plan to communicate with directly. This password must be specified by BOTH systems and must be agreed upon in advance. Once in place, it becomes impossible to communicate with the other system if you don't use the same password. For a password with 135/20, type: 135/20 WALLY (Where "WALLY" is the desired SESSION PASSWORD) Any number of session passwords may be defined. Remember, in the above example, it is important 135/20 also sets up a session password for my address, 110/68, or it won't work. Both ends must use the same password! Passwords are case sensitive and also apply as the PACKET PASSWORD. There is a seperate question in CONFIG/PACKET-MAIL CONTROL if there is a desire to have a different packet password. For maximum compatibility with other Fidonet software products, it is recommended to have a packet password no more than 8 characters. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. AUTOMATIC PASSWORD REQUEST FOR Automatic password request for: 201:ALL 1:110/ALL D'Bridge has the capability to automatically establish session passwords with new links. This field specifies a filter that controls which EMAIL addresses that you wish to request an automatic session password be added. If you wish to disable this feature, specify NONE as the filter. This field only affects outbound calls on modems, not Internet sessions. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.12 SECURITY MISCELLANEOUS 108 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALLOW PASSWORD REQUESTS FROM Allow password requests from: ALL The D'Bridge Automatic Password Request System allows a remote system to request that a session password be established automatically. If a calling system makes this request, the answering system creates a random 8-character password and transmits it back using the EMSI handshake. This field specifies a filter that controls which EMAIL addresses that you wish to allow password requests from. If you wish to disable this feature, specify NONE as the filter. This field only affects inbound calls to modems, not Internet sessions. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.12 SECURITY MISCELLANEOUS 109 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FUNCTION REQUESTS Function requests: A FUNCTION REQUEST is an online service provided to calling systems while they are still "on the line". FUNCTION REQUESTS only work with other WaZOO-based EMAIL systems such as D'Bridge, FrontDoor, Opus and BinkleyTerm. This is a VERY advanced feature and will not be used by most systems, so don't feel bad if you don't understand this... A function request can be defined in four steps: 1) The caller sends the REQUEST FILE. 2) D'Bridge recognizes the filename as being a FUNCTION REQUEST and spawns the REQUEST SERVER task. (user-provided) 3) The REQUEST SERVER (a program provided by the user) takes its input data from the REQUEST FILE and the CALLER.FIL file cre- ated by D'Bridge. It prepares output file(s) to send back to the caller plus an OUTPUT FILE LIST telling D'Bridge which files to send. 4) When the REQUEST SERVER has terminated, D'Bridge then transmits all the files listed in the OUTPUT FILE LIST, deletes them, and continues to send the rest of the "pickup" mail. To use this feature, you must either write your own REQUEST SERVER or use one of the existing systems such as ML-INQ. The format for the FUNCTION REQUESTS field is: For an example, I'll explain how I run the ML-INQ program on my system. ML-INQ stands for Megalist Inquiry. The Megalist is another program I wrote that creates a "master file listing" for all participating Fido and Opus systems. The list got so huge, I decided to add an on in- quiry service. To access the MegaList Inquiry feature, the calling sys- tem simply creates a text file containing a list of filenames to search for; this file is called MEGALIST.INQ. Anytime D'Bridge receives a file called MEGALIST.INQ, the REQUEST SERVER "ML-INQ" is executed. Here's what I have in my FUNCTION REQUEST field: MEGALIST.INQ MEGALIST.LST ML-INQ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.12 SECURITY MISCELLANEOUS 110 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The ML-INQ program first opens the file "CALLER.INF" to get general information about the system and the caller. CALLER.INF is a text file created automatically by D'Bridge just before spawning the REQUEST SERVER task. Here's what my CALLER.INF contains at the moment: 1:101/200 (The Fidonet address) TC-Trader (The system name) Cheryl Buzzell (The operator name) C:\DB\FILES\ (My INBOUND FILES DIRECTORY path) ML-INQ then opens the file "C:\DB\FILES\MEGALIST.INQ" to get the actual request from the caller. Then, it prepares the file "MEGALIST.OUT" con- taining the results of the search. Finally, ML-INQ creates the OUTPUT FILE LIST, this time called MEGALIST.LST (in the current directory); this file contains the list of files to send back to the caller, then erase. In this case, the OUTPUT FILE LIST only contains MEGALIST.OUT. Finally, ML-INQ returns control to D'Bridge and the file gets sent and deleted as specified. The request file, MEGALIST.INQ, is also erased. A request server may transmit files without erasing them (if they are available for file-request) simply by creating a WaZOO-style request file (with the extension .REQ) in the INBOUND FILES DIRECTORY. D'Bridge will treat these files like inbound file requests. IMPORTANT: It is essential that any REQUEST SERVER takes no more than 30 seconds to execute. Taking more time than this can cause the calling system to timeout and hang-up. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. EXTERNAL RECEIVERS External receivers: CONNECT FAX|*X50 This feature is designed for use with combination modems that also handle FAX and/or VoiceMail. The above example causes D'Bridge to exit with errorlevel 50 when a "CONNECT FAX" response is received from the modem. The syntax for this field is: | * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.12 SECURITY MISCELLANEOUS 111 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXTERNAL GATEWAYS External gateways: Again, this is a VERY advanced feature and will not be used by 99% of the D'Bridge systems out there; this is for the other 1%: An EXTERNAL GATEWAY allows D'Bridge to act as a "front-end" for up to 20 other EMAIL receivers at the same time. The way this works, is by defining a specific "SYNC" sequence; D'Bridge can look for that sequence and spawn another EMAIL system while the calling system is still on. This way, D'Bridge can be compatible with as many systems as possible. As of this time, I know there are gateway programs for UUCP and USENET. I'm sure there are others I just don't know about. As an example, let's say I want to install a UUCP mail receiver "on top" of D'Bridge. I have a program written for the IBM PC which will receive mail when a call is received. Assuming this program features an option to respond to a call already in progress and terminate after finishing the session, it is compatible. The first thing you need to do is figure out what the SYNC sequence is. A SYNC sequence is the sequence of bytes the calling system sends to the receiving system (multiple times) until the receiver responds with an acknowledgment that it is ready to begin a mail session. D'Bridge can be programmed to recognize up to 20 separate sequences of up to 16 bytes each and spawn a different task depending on which one is received. For example, let's say your UUCP transmitter continuously sends the sequence: 9F, A9, 9F, A9... (hex) until the receiving system acknowledges. For this sequence, simply specify your EXTERNAL GATEWAYS field as: 9F/A9 UUCP_RCV -b*b -p*p As soon as an incoming call is detected sending the sequence 9F, A9, D'Bridge will spawn the UUCP mail receiver with the following command line: UUCP_RCV -b2400 -p1 Just like described in DOS BBS COMMANDS, the BAUD RATE and PORT NUMBER can be substituted by using a *B and *P respectively. It is up to the spawned task (UUCP_RCV in this case) to handle the mail session from this point on; it should terminate as soon as the mail is received and make sure it doesn't answer any calls itself. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.12 SECURITY MISCELLANEOUS 112 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because of the normal operation of D'Bridge, we've restricted three characters: 1B (Escape), AE (Fidonet TSYNC), and F1 (WaZOO YOOHOO character). These three bytes may not be a part of your SYNC string. It is also suggested you use bytes with high parity (greater than 7F (hex)) to prevent "human" users from easily activating your alternate mailer. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. FIDONET PROTOCOL FOR Fidonet protocol for: NONE If you want to override the default EMSI/WAZOO protocol D'Bridge uses and revert to XMODEM/TELINK protocols, specify the NET/NODE filter here. This field should contain "NONE" in all but the strangest setups. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. WAZOO PROTOCOL FOR WaZOO protocol for: NONE If you want to override the default EMSI protocol D'Bridge uses and revert to the YOOHOO-YOOHOO/2U2 handshake, specify the NET/NODE filter here. This field should contain "NONE" in all but the strangest setups. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.13 DISK SPACE MINIMUMS 113 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.13 DISK SPACE MINIMUMS The DISK SPACE MINIMUM screen allows you to set minimum criteria for system operation: - System operation minimum - BBS operation minimum - Unpack/forward minimum In most cases it is not necessary to change the settings in this screen. System operation: 256 The system operation line specifies the minimum disk space allowed (in Kb) before D'Bridge will completely shut down. Once shut down, D'Bridge will not reactivate without human interaction. Either disk space must be freed, or DB SETUP must be used to change the minimum. BBS operation: 512 The BBS operation line specifies minimum disk space criteria for BBS operation. If disk space is below specified criteria, human callers will be told the BBS is offline due to disk space shortage. Unpack/forward: 1024 The unpack/forward line specifies the minimum disk space required before a mail packet may be decompressed or unpacked. Once this limit is reached, all ECHOmail and NETMAIL unpacking will be halted. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.14 ACCOUNTING TRANSLATION 114 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.14 ACCOUNTING TRANSLATION The ACCOUNTING/TRANSLATION screen allows you to set up costing data and controls which determine where D'Bridge uses a modem to place calls and when. This system allows for minimum telecommunications cost when NORMAL priority is used. PREFIX Prefix: 1-513- This is the "key" to the database record. You cannot change it. If you must, you need to remove and add the record again. The PREFIX field is the first part of a phone number (which will be replaced with the TRANSLATE TO field when a number is dialed). TRANSLATE TO Translate to: 1- When phone number are translated, this field will be used to replace the PREFIX for dialing. The field is actually broken down into two subfields: PREFIX and SUFFIX. If you need to dial something after the number, such as a credit card or billing account number, you may specify a SUFFIX by using a vertical pipe ( | ) to separate the PREFIX from the SUFFIX. An example would be: 1-305-370|,,3188. ",,3188" would be sent to the modem after dialing. The two commas represent a modem command meaning "pause a few seconds before dialing the following digits". LOCATION Location: Southwestern Ohio This is just a description field for your information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.14 ACCOUNTING TRANSLATION 115 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COST DATA SOURCE Cost data source: Table Here, you either specify Table or Xref for the data source. If you use Xref, you will be prompted for another prefix to cross-reference. Otherwise, you will use the table listed below... The box at the bottom of the screen contains the cost information. In order to keep communications costs low, D'Bridge has adopted a system of "cost-based control". This means the system can be programmed to place all calls during the most economical periods based on this cost screen entirely. The cost-information for calling a given country or city can be acquired by calling your long-distance company. Typically, there are different rates on different days and at different times. This table allows you to specify up to 5 cost-periods for accounting and control purposes. When D'Bridge looks at these cost-tables, it searches from the top of the list to the bottom, stopping on the first match. For this reason, "catch-all" entries, like the one shown at the bottom of our example should be listed last. For flexibility and simplicity, you are allowed to define overlapping periods, but nevertheless D'Bridge will always select the first applicable period for accounting and control. Please note that any time-ranges left undefined are assumed "free" and D'Bridge will actually try to dial out during these times. Therefor: DON'T LEAVE ANY TIME-RANGE UNSPECIFIED. REFERENCE PREFIX Reference prefix: 1- When using a cross-referenced table, you must specify the prefix whose table you wish to use for costing and control purposes. The translation will still be based on the data listed above, but now it will be applied to the referenced table. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.14 ACCOUNTING TRANSLATION 116 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE WEEKDAYS All S M T W T F S H In these fields, specify for which day(s) the costing-line is applicable. Any non-blank character will designate a weekday. H stands for holiday. TABLE START TIME Here, you specify the starting time for the cost period. Make sure you use 24-hour time format (e.g. 23:00 is 11:00 pm). TABLE END TIME In this field, you specify the ending time for the cost period. TABLE NCI Here's the CRITICAL part to understand. During a given cost-period, you may choose which priorities of mail you would like to be sent. In the NCI field, you may specify any or all of the letters N, C and I, desig- nating the priorities NORMAL, CRASH and IMMEDIATE. If you list all three "NCI," then all priorities of mail are allowed to be sent during this cost-period. If you enter "CI," then just CRASH and IMMEDIATE mail will be sent. This allows you to send NORMAL priority mail during the low-cost periods and higher priority mail anytime (that's what this example shows). TABLE FIRST PERIOD COST In this field, enter the cost associated with the first billing period. This is a decimal number with three digits after the decimal point. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.14 ACCOUNTING TRANSLATION 117 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE FIRST PERIOD SECONDS Specify the number of seconds on which the FIRST PERIOD COST field is based. In the United States, this is normally "60", but other countries and/or long-distance carriers may have a different billing increment. TABLE SUBSEQUENT PERIOD COST In this field, enter the cost associated with the subsequent billing periods. This is a number with three digits after the decimal point. TABLE SUBSEQUENT PERIOD SECONDS Specify the number of seconds on which the SUBSEQUENT PERIOD COST field is based. In the United States, this is normally "60", but other countries and/or long-distance carriers may have a different billing increment. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.15 ZMODEM PARAMETERS 118 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.15 ZMODEM PARAMETERS The ZMODEM PARAMETERS screen allows you to set the behavior of the ZMODEM protocol which D'Bridge uses to send EMAIL over modem sessions. The values in this screen should not be changed unless there is a specific reason to do so. You may press F9 to use "minimums" for troubleshooting transfer problems over noisy lines, or F10 to set the default settings. STARTING BLOCK SIZE This is the block size to be used at the start of a ZMODEM file-transfer. This must be a power of two between 32 and 8192 (32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096 or 8192). MAXIMUM BLOCK SIZE This is the largest block size D'Bridge will use in ZMODEM. The value will increase from the STARTING BLOCK SIZE to MAXIMUM BLOCK SIZE using the BLOCK STEP RATE specified here. RECOVERY BLOCK SIZE This is the block size to be used after an error has been reported by the receiver. Normally, this value should be less than the starting block size because where there is one error (phone noise) there may im- mediately be another. Making the recovery block size small reduces the amount of time it takes the system to recover from bad line noise. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.15 ZMODEM PARAMETERS 119 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BLOCK STEP RATE When the ZMODEM sender is not receiving error reports from the receiver, it will increase the block size by doubling it after "x" successful blocks until it reaches the MAXIMUM BLOCK SIZE specified. The BLOCK STEP RATE is "x". In other words, it tells the system after how many con- secutive good blocks it may increase the block size. By default, D'Bridge uses a factor of 4. DIRECT ZMODEM When D'Bridge communicates with other EMAIL systems capable of the DZA or IZE protocols, you have the option of increasing throughput an average of 1.6% by selecting direct ZMODEM. By answering Yes to this parameter, the protocol will transmit the XON and XOFF characters transparently rather than "escaping" them as the ZMODEM specification calls for. If you are having ZMODEM trouble, try setting this to No to see if it makes a difference. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.16 SETUP EDITOR OPTIONS 120 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.16 SETUP EDITOR OPTIONS The SETUP EDITOR OPTIONS screen allows you to control the behavior of the internal editor or configure an external editor such as GoldED or TimED. EMAIL EDITOR EMAIL editor: Internal (Internal/GoldEd/TimED/Other) This selects the EMAIL editor to be used when ALT-E is pressed or the menu option "READ/EDIT EMAIL" is selected. The default is Internal, but GoldED and other Fidonet-compatible editors may just as well be used. Editor version: Original When GoldEd or TimED are used, the next question is where you specify what version of the program you are using. Press the SPACE BAR until the correct version for your editor is shown. If however your version is not listed, then you should go back up and configure as an "Other" editor. You will then need to specify the commands that launch that program. You should only use message editors that specifically state that they will work with D'Bridge. The use of message editors designed for other Fidonet products may not work as desired. EDITOR REBUILD QUEUE Rebuild queue? Yes This parameter gives you the option to automatically rescan the NETmail area after EMAIL has been entered or deleted. This scan will happen im- mediately after exiting the editor. If you want the mail scanned automa- tically, specify Yes here. It will not scan automatically if you spe- cify No. Scan ECHOmail? Yes If you want to send ECHOmail messages immediately after leaving the editor, specify YES here. The D'Bridge ECHOmail scanner knows what areas need to be scanned if any. If you don't say YES here, then ECHOmail will not be sent until an ECHOscan is run either in an event or manually using the menu option: UTILITIES/Process ECHOmail. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.16 SETUP EDITOR OPTIONS 121 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITOR SOUND EFFECTS Sound effects? Yes This specifies whether the sound effects will be active in the internal editor. Usually Yes, or No if noise bothers you. NOTE: Sounds should be disabled if you are accessing D'Bridge over a terminal server or RDP connection in Windows. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.16 SETUP EDITOR OPTIONS 122 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITOR DEFAULT PRIORITY DEFAULT: Priority? Normal (Immediate/Crash/Normal/Hold) This specifies the default priority for EMAIL messages. The priority de- termines when (if at all) the message will be transmitted from the system. Four priorities are available, listed here from highest to lowest: IMMEDIATE When a message is flagged as IMMEDIATE, it has the ultimate priority on the system. All IMMEDIATE messages must be transmitted before any other out- bound calls are possible. Using this priority is quite effective in getting the mail out fast, but has the disadvantage of slowing down outbound mail traffic if the IMMEDIATE systems are busy or not answering. CRASH Messages flagged as CRASH are allowed to be sent anytime, 24-hours a day. Unless a "hold" override is placed on a system, an EMAIL message with CRASH priority will be sent during the UNEVENT or any scheduled event. If entered during the day, CRASH- priority messages will most-likely be sent at the highest phone rates. NORMAL When a message is flagged as NORMAL, it will not be transmitted until a scheduled mail event occurs. Using this priority (usually overnight delivery) is the most cost-effective way to use D'Bridge for EMAIL. HOLD When a message is flagged as HOLD, it will not be sent until the destination system polls or another non-HOLD message is entered. Use HOLD priority if you intend for most systems to call to pickup their mail. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.16 SETUP EDITOR OPTIONS 123 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITOR FORCED ROUTING Forced Routing: None (Direct/Hub/None) Choose the desired routing method for NETmail messages entered using the internal editor: DIRECT This designates all messages (by default) to go directly to the destination systems, bypassing any event-specific routing controls. HUB This defaults all messages to be HUB- or HOST-routed. NONE This defaults to standard routing as defined in each mail event. EDITOR DEFAULT PRIVATE Default private? Yes This specifies whether the editor will default all new messages to private status or not. "Private" usually means the EMAIL is only intended for the receiver. However, you should note that mail can be read on all systems it passes through (unless the messages are encrypted somehow). The "Private" status does not work in Echomail. EDITOR DEFAULT KILL SENT Default Kill/Sent? No This specifies the default for the "Kill when sent" flag in the editor. If you have no use for a copy of outbound mail, you might want to specify Yes here. Mail flagged KILL/SENT is erased after being sent to the next destination. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.16 SETUP EDITOR OPTIONS 124 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITOR DEFAULT ARCHIVE SENT Default Archive/Sent? Yes This specifies the default for the "Archive when sent" flag in the editor. If you want to save a copy of the outbound mail in a text file "archive", answer Yes here. When a message is sent, it will be added to the text file, showing the date and time of transmis- sion; the original message will subsequently be erased. EDITOR DEFAULT XMAIL Default XMAIL? No This specifies the default setting for the "XMAIL" flag. If set to Yes, all NETmail entered using the internal editor will, by default, be sent as com- pressed mail utilizing the compression method defined in the XMAIL CONTROL screen. When NETmail is marked as XMAIL, it will be marked as sent, deleted and/or archived when the queue is built, making it impossible to re-edit the message later. Unless this is really what you want, it is suggested you specify No here. Note that the maximum number of Netmails able to be packed into Xmail when the queue is built is 1024. If you run a system which processes large amounts of Netmail on a regular basis, it may be necessary to add some DOS events that "force" the Queue to be rescanned, ie. ECHO > DBRIDGE.RSN so that the NETmail is always "packed out". EDITOR DEFAULT INSERT Default insert? No This specifies the default state of the "insert mode" in the editor. Some people prefer to work in insert mode; others don't. If you want "insert" to be on in the editor by default, answer Yes here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.16 SETUP EDITOR OPTIONS 125 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITOR DEFAULT INTL ADDRESSING Custom kludges: TZ: -0500 The internal message editor can optionally add your own kludge-lines to all outgoing messages written. Specify the kludge name, followed by a space, then the value. WARNING: This is an advanced feature. Fidonet typically frowns on people inventing kludge-lines. EDITOR QUOTE SEENBYS Quote SEEN-BYs? No When entering a quoted reply with the internal editor, this field gives you the option of including ECHOmail SEEN-BY information in the reply text. If you want this, answer Yes, otherwise specify No. EDITOR CUSTOM TEAR LINE This option allows you to specify your own "tear" line that gets added to outgoing Echomail messages generated from the internal message editor. This is a feature found in other message editors and I am including it here as a convenience. Your custom tear line must NOT begin with "-" and must be less than 20 characters. If you don't want your own custom tear line, leave it blank, and D'Bridge will generate one that contains it's version/release information. Note that this feature only works if you are using the internal editor to write mail. It will not work if you're using an external message editor such as GoldEd or you're running BBS software that modifies the tear line. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.16 SETUP EDITOR OPTIONS 126 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACKNOWLEDGE RRQS A Return Receipt Request (RRQ) kludge is a flag on a NETmail message to trigger D'Bridge to send the sender of the message a "receipt" acknowledging that the message has been read by the receiver. When a RRQ kludge is encountered, D'Bridge will write a "receipt" NETmail to the sending system indicating that the original message has been read for the first time by the receiver. The receipt that gets sent back is a simple NETmail message indicating the time and date that the message was read, along with a copy of the original message. The receipt is sent back to the receiver during the next QueueScan, and is subject to the routing defined in the SCHEDULER. Note that the RRQ kludge feature only works for the built-in internal message editor. It will NOT work with GoldED or any external editors. The RRQ kludge feature has three options: YES - The editor will acknowledge RRQ's automatically without your consent. ASK (Default) - The editor will display a pop-up window when it encounters a message with the RRQ kludge and ask you if you wish to acknowledge receipt. NO - The editor will not acknowledge RRQ's. The internal editor's "Add Return Receipt" option will only show up in the menu when you are writing a NETmail message only. It will not be shown when writing Echomail messages or if the RRQ kludge feature is turned off. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.16 SETUP EDITOR OPTIONS 127 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITOR USERS Valid users: Chris Irwin,SECRET Here, you specify a list of valid users and their "passwords". The correct format for a user line with a password is: [,] If more than one line is entered here, every time the editor is run, you must specify which user you are. This is for the "FROM" field in the message editor. If you only specify one line, you won't have to confirm anything (except your password, if specified). The internal message editor will use the SYSOP NAME by default. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. TAGLINE SUPPORT D'Bridge has the ability to add a TAGLINE to outgoing messages. Taglines are nothing more than cute "words of wisdom", and are placed just before the tear line in the message. For example: ... Work fascinates me. I can sit and watch it for hours. ... The Big Bang is only the universe rebooting. ... NO MESSAGES FOUND. [H]it modem. [S]cream at fido gods. [Y]ell profanity ... Death before dishonor, neither before breakfast. You get the idea. So, answer this question as follows: YES - Append a tagline to all messages. ECHOMAIL ONLY - Append a tagline to Echomail messages only. NETMAIL ONLY - Append a tagline to NETmail messages only. ASK - Ask each time if its okay to add a tagline. DISABLED - Shuts off the tagline support. The default setting is ECHOMAIL ONLY - Taglines will be added only to messages in Echomail areas. The taglines are saved in a text file called DBTAGS.TXT that is read and indexed by D'Bridge upon starting the internal message editor. Feel free to modify this file to whatever you like. It is not necessary to add the three dots (...) before the tagline. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.16 SETUP EDITOR OPTIONS 128 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITOR KLUDGE LINES Kludges are "hidden" lines of text in Fidonet messages that contain details such as the path of the message and zone information. Kludge lines are used by almost all software out there that allows you to participate in Fidonet or related networks. Answer YES if you wish to view the kludges when reading messages in the internal editor, or NO if you don't care to read all that extra stuff. The default is NO. EDITOR QUOTE STYLE When replying to a message and quoting the original, you can have the initials of the original poster before the > symbol. Answer YES if you want this, or NO if not. This option is set to NO if you are upgrading from version 2.68 or lower. EDITOR PATH Editor path: C:\GOLDED If you have chosen an external editor as your EMAIL reader/editor, specify the directory path where this program is located. EDITOR DOS COMMANDS DOS commands: C:\MYEDIT\MYEDITOR /C /U If you have chosen Other as your EMAIL reader/editor, specify the DOS commands to invoke your editor here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.17 ECHOMAIL AREAS 129 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.17 ECHOMAIL AREAS The ECHOMAIL AREAS screen allows you to define the local and ECHOmail areas that you wish to use with D'Bridge. ECHOMAIL CODEWORD Codeword: DBRIDGE The CODEWORD is a word from 1 to 16 characters which you designate as a mnemonic reference to an area. It could be a word like POL for politics or PROG for programming conference. CODEWORDs must be unique - "NETMAIL" and "BADECHO" are predefined by the system and may not be used here. ECHOMAIL ALERT FLAG Alert flag: D If you wish to be notified (on the status line) about new mail in this area, specify a one character "flag" here. When mail is received, the mailer will show it by listing the defined "flag" character on the right side of the bottom status line. ECHOMAIL SECURITY LEVEL Security level: 500 The SECURITY LEVEL is used by the AREAFIX subsystem to allow other systems to automatically add or delete themselves from ECHO links. Security levels range from 0 to 9999; if a system has a security level of 50, it has access to all areas with a SECURITY LEVEL of 50 or less. If you don't want anyone to have access to an area, define its level to be 9999. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.17 ECHOMAIL AREAS 130 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ECHOMAIL GROUP SORT Group/Sort: A1 GROUP/SORT is a two-byte field; the first character is the AREAFIX access group; the second is the sort code for use with DBUTIL SORT AREAS. In AREAFIX, each area is assigned a GROUP code. Each system with an AREAFIX password also has one or more group codes associated with it. Only those systems with matching GROUP codes have access to a given area. ECHOMAIL DESCRIPTION Description: D'Bridge Support Conference This description field will be used throughout the system to describe the conference. ECHOMAIL STORAGE Storage method: Fido (Or N for None/Passthru) This question is where you specify which format D'Bridge should store the Echomail messages in. Any 3rd-party software or BBS should be configured to use the same settings for this area. /----------+------------------------------------------------------------\ | FIDO/MSG | Echomail will be stored in Fido *.MSG format. Choose for | | | compatibility with most 3rd-party editors and utilities. | | | Messages are stored in individual files. | | | | | QUICKBBS | Echomail will be stored in QuickBBS/Hudson or GoldBase | | | databases; a series of index, header and message files. | | | Up to 200 areas may be defined for QuickBBS or up to 500 | | | for the GoldBase edition. The size of the databases must | | | not exceed 2 gigabytes. | | | | | NONE | If NONE is specified, the area is regarded as an area | | | that "passes through" your system. The messages are not | | | actually stored on your system, just forwarded to the | | | specified systems in the FORWARD-TO lines. | \----------+------------------------------------------------------------/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.17 ECHOMAIL AREAS 131 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ECHOMAIL DATABASE INFORMATION This question is where you specify either the DIRECTORY PATH for Fido *.MSG storage or the number or name of the Echomail database for any other formats. Directory path: C:\MESSAGES\CHATECHO For Fido *.MSG storage, enter a valid path to where Echomail will be stored. QuickBBS #: 23 If QuickBBS is being used to store messages, then each QuickBBS area should have a unique area number in a range from 1 to 200 (or 500 for GoldBase). If you accidentally assign the same number to different areas, you will locally "crosslink" the conferences. Specify a UNIQUE number here or match your existing BBS setup. Database name: CHATECHO If any other storage format is being used, enter the database name here. The name must be alphanumeric only. ECHOMAIL DEFAULT PRIVATE Default private? No If you want the editor to flag messages as PRIVATE by default, answer Yes. This only affects the internal message editor when entering or replying to messages. Most ECHOmail conferences are by nature "public" - Private ECHOmail can be read by all receiving system operators. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.17 ECHOMAIL AREAS 132 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ECHOMAIL ARCHIVE FILE Area archive: C:\ECHO\DBRIDGE.TXT If you want D'Bridge to save a copy of each message purged when DBUTIL PURGE is run, specify a text file to "archive" them in. Each area may write messages to a different file, or you may combine several areas into a single text file. If you don't want to save a copy of the messages, just leave this field blank. Archive kludges? No Answer YES if you wish to have the kludge lines of each message saved into the text-file archive when DBUTIL PURGE is ran, or NO if you do not. ECHOMAIL PURGE CRITERIA Purge except: 100 messages Purge after: 30 days In the DBUTIL PURGE program, there are two options for deciding which messages to erase from the system. When the cursor is on this field, you may press the F10 key to switch between the methods: PURGE EXCEPT and PURGE AFTER. With PURGE EXCEPT, DBUTIL will erase all but "x" messages; specify "x" in this field as "how many messages to save after purging". With the PURGE AFTER option, DBUTIL will purge messages based on their age. PURGE AFTER 30 DAYS means to erase all messages over 30 days old when the utility is run. ECHOMAIL PRESERVE MESSAGES Preserve: 200 messages In DBUTIL PURGE, you may specify a certain number of messages to ignore while purging. These will be the lowest-numbered messages in the area and contain information you don't want erased such as conference rules, etc. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.17 ECHOMAIL AREAS 133 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ECHOMAIL AREA TYPE Area type: ECHOmail (ECHOmail/Local) User-defined areas are either Local or ECHOmail. The default is ECHOmail and should be left this way under most circumstances. D'Bridge ignores LOCAL areas except while in the editor; when an ECHOscan is executed, all ECHOmail areas are scanned for outbound mail. ECHOMAIL CONFERENCE NAME Conference name: DBRIDGE Each ECHOmail area must have a unique CONFERENCE NAME. This may be the same as or different from the CODEWORD specified above, but must reflect the actual ECHOmail name or conference tag used for the specified area. The CONFERENCE NAME may be up to 54 characters and must not contain any spaces. When creating a new ECHOmail conference, it is suggested your CONFERENCE TAG should not exceed 16 characters if at all possible to maintain the most compatibility with non-D'Bridge systems. NOTE: D'Bridge does not allow "ALL", "NETMAIL" or "BADECHO" to be used as conference names. Those names are reserved by the internal mail processor. Names must also not contain asterisks (*'s) ECHOMAIL ORIGIN LINE Origin line: Nancy's BBS - Middletown, Ohio The ORIGIN LINE defaults from your SYSTEM NAME (specified on the BASIC CONFIGURATION screen) and will be added to the bottom of all ECHOmail messages originating from your system. Typically, sysops use the name of their system and the city where it is located. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.17 ECHOMAIL AREAS 134 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ECHOMAIL ALIAS ADDRESS Alias address: 1:229/427 If you are a member of more than one network, it might be necessary to use an "alias" address on an ECHOmail area. This means that the address put on the ORIGIN-LINE of the messages will be different than your pri- mary address. Most systems would leave this blank. ECHOMAIL TINY SEENBYS Tiny SEEN-BYs? No If you say YES to TINY SEEN-BYs, then only the systems you are forwar- ding a conference to will appear on the SEEN-BY lines. This is fine if you are a "leaf node" or a local ECHO hub; PLEASE NOTE THAT USING THIS OPTION IS NOT ALLOWED IN SOME NETWORKS - CONTACT YOUR LOCAL ECHOMAIL COORDINATOR FOR MORE INFORMATION. ECHOMAIL DEFAULT PRIORITY Default priority: Normal (Immediate/Crash/Normal/Hold) For each conference, you specify a DEFAULT PRIORITY for forwarding of ECHOmail. Choose either IMMEDIATE, CRASH, NORMAL or HOLD; This default may be overridden for any specific system. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.17 ECHOMAIL AREAS 135 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ECHOMAIL FORWARD TO Forward to: 1:110/68 22 .20 The FORWARD TO fields allow you to specify a list of systems to whom you wish to forward this ECHOmail conference. You may specify as many systems as will fit on the lines available; the systems should be separated by spaces and be in the format: ZONE:NET/NODE[,PRIORITY][READ/WRITE/BOTH] Or: .POINT[,PRIORITY][READ/WRITE/BOTH] Here's an example: 1:18/0 1:105/3 1:110/22,C .20,H In this example, 1:110/22 has CRASH priority as an override and .20 has HOLD priority specified. Please note that you may only forward ECHOmail to points or your own node. You may not send ECHOmail directly to a point of another system. With this example, if I enter an ECHOmail message in this area, it will automatically be forwarded to these four systems, who will in turn send my message on to all the other systems participating in the conference. If there are many systems defined in the FORWARD-TO lines, D'Bridge may take a bit longer to pack/forward Echomail; this is normal behavior. SUSPEND Suspend: No If you answer YES to this question, mail received in this area will NOT be forwarded to any downlinks listed in the FORWARD-TO section. This can be useful for temporarily "suspending" mail processing for a given area. The default answer is obviously NO, meaning process/forward normally. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.17 ECHOMAIL AREAS 136 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PERMANENT Permanent: No If you answer YES to this question, D'Bridge will NOT remove this area if there are no passthru-links left, if you answered YES to "Remove empty passthrus". The area will also not be removed by using the DBUTIL REMOVEDEADECHOS command. The default answer is NO. FORCED Forced: No If you answer YES to this question, D'Bridge will not allow any system to unsubscribe/"Un-Areafix" themselves from this area. The default answer is NO. CIRCULAR PATH DETECTION CPD? No Every Echomail message contains both SEEN-BY and PATH kludge-lines to indicate the systems it makes its way through... if a system appears "twice" in the PATH then this is known as a circular-loop as a result of another system's stripping the SEEN-BY kludge lines. If you answer YES to this question, D'Bridge will reject any message with a circular PATH kludge. Note that SEEN-BY and PATH kludges do not take into account any Echomail from Point systems; so D'Bridge will not apply this filter if the message originates from a Point. The default answer to this question is NO because a little bit of extra memory and processing is required, and circular paths are unlikely in any message network that does NOT strip the SEEN-BY kludge lines. Thats the reason why most message processing software makes a huge deal about making sure the Sysop doesn't enable that unless its *really* necessary. This setting may be required for Fidonet if you receive an unusual number of duplicates NOT being rejected in a typical Unpack cycle; on "Othernets" such as Micronet, Agora, FSX etc, it should not be necessary to enable this setting as these networks follow traditional Hub/tree-style topology. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.17 ECHOMAIL AREAS 137 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MSGID DETECTION MSGID? No The MSGID kludge has been adapted by some BBS and mail tossing software as a means of checking for a "unique" serial-number on every message generated by a system. I say the word unique in quotes because over a period of time the maximum possibilities for a serial become exhausted... and MSGID does NOT solve the problem of duplicates caused by a misconfigured system such as message-base rescans or SEEN-BY kludge stripping. D'Bridge has never used MSGID for duplicate detection but it can if you desire. Answer YES if you really want this or NO if not; this is the default setting as a little bit of extra processing and disk-space is needed for this to work. This setting may be required for Fidonet if you receive an unusual number of duplicates NOT being rejected in a typical Unpack cycle; on "Othernets" such as Micronet, Agora, FSX etc, it should not be necessary to enable this setting as these networks follow traditional Hub/tree-style topology. JUNK FILTER Junk filter: No When you answer YES to this question, D'Bridge will examine every received message in this area against the following text-files for a "keyword match" and reject the message accordingly. The default setting is NO. DBRIDGE.JMF - The message FROM field will be scanned against this file. DBRIDGE.JMT - The message TO field will be scanned. DBRIDGE.JMS - The message SUBJECT field will be scanned. DBRIDGE.JMB - The message body will be scanned. DBRIDGE.JME - New Echomail areas matching this file will have Junk enabled. Isolate? Yes When you answer YES to this question, if a junk message is encountered, the message will NOT be forwarded onward to other systems defined in FORWARD-TO. The default setting is NO. Isolating junk messages may seem like a good idea, but may upset some people you forward mail to if it is discovered that your system is deleting/trapping messages. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.18 WINDOW COLORS 138 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.18 WINDOW COLORS The WINDOW COLORS screen allows you to set the screen colors that D'Bridge will use. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.19 KEYBOARD MACROS 139 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.19 KEYBOARD MACROS The KEYBOARD MACROS option allows the operator to define "macros" that cause keys, ALT F1-F10 and CONTROL F1-F10, to substitute preprogrammed text while editing. This might be handy for "canned" introductions, signatures or whatever you can think of. Twenty keys may be defined and each key can have any amount of text desired. Note: This limit is RAM- based, so check your memory status if in question. The cursor will appear on the top line. Fields may be changed by typing over the current values or by using the field edit keys: INSERT, DELETE, LEFT and RIGHT arrows. Pressing ENTER or the DOWN arrow advances to the next line and pressing the UP arrow moves the cursor to the previous line. You must press the ESC key to exit this window and save the setup. The above example shows the definition for the CONTROL-F1 key as being my mailing address. Each key is defined in its own window. All vertical pipe characters "|" are translated to hard-returns in the editor. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.20 TRANSLATION TABLE 140 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.20 TRANSLATION TABLE The TRANSLATION TABLE screen allows you to redefine how certain characters will be displayed. This may be used to allow line-drawing or foreign character sets to be used in the internal message editor. The ALT-keys (a-z) may be defined as displaying any character and transmitting it as a normal printable character in the range of 33-126. This is an advanced option and is not normally needed, so if you have no need for foreign character sets, skip this screen. It allows you to redefine part of the printable character set as translating to non-standard characters. Pressing the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys scans through the characters, helping you to locate the proper ASCII code. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.21 BINKD 141 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.21 BINKD The questions in this screen is where you configure the systems that will be connecting for their mail over the Internet using the BinkD protocol. D'Bridge treats mail for Internet systems the same way it does for modem sessions. Queue entries are built and "calls" placed are subject to the limits specified for the current mail event defined in the SCHEDULER. If you need to have people connect to your system over the Internet so they can exchange mail, then you need to run the BINKD system as a "server" process. OPERATING SYSTEM Operating system integration: Windows (No/Windows/Os2/Linux or other) Specify the operating system which is running on your computer. D'Bridge will adjust the configuration for the BinkD subsystem accordingly. You will need to make note of the appropriate executable for your operating system. On Windows, the BinkD executable will either be BINKD9X.EXE for Windows 95, 98 or ME, or BINKDWIN.EXE for Windows 2000 or newer. For OS/2, its BINKDOS2.EXE and your system should be Warp 3 or newer, and may require the installation of the EMX runtime libraries to function properly. D'Bridge on EcomStation and ArcaOS have not been tested. If your BinkD setup is running under Linux or some other environment, then you will need to obtain, install and/or compile the appropriate BinkD for your system. With Linux, both the INBOUND and QUEUE path may need a slight change in Config-Directory Paths. On some operating systems, it may be necessary to configure a firewall or security software to allow BinkD to have access to the Internet or to allow incoming connections on the port(s) you specify. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.21 BINKD 142 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RUN AS A SERVER Run BinkD as a server? Yes Answer NO if you are not accepting any incoming connections and are just "polling someone else" for all of your mail. Answer YES if you are accepting incoming BinkD connections. You will then need to run the BinkD executable in a seperate process on your operating system. The file DBRIDGE.BNK is the automatically-updated configuration file that the BinkD system must use. On Windows, create a shortcut to run BINKD9X.EXE -C DBRIDGE.BNK if you are running Windows 95, 98 or ME. If you running Windows 2000 or newer, the command will be BINKDWIN.EXE -C DBRIDGE.BNK On OS/2, create a new Workplace Shell object to run BINKDOS2.EXE -C DBRIDGE.BNK On Linux or other environments you will need to install the appropriate BinkD package for your environment. Typically it would be called by /usr/sbin/binkd -C [home directory] DBRIDGE.BNK. Answer SERVICE tells D'Bridge to run BinkD as a service-process on Windows XP and newer. That means that BinkD will run in the background, with no window. D'Bridge will automatically shutdown and restart BinkD when a configuration change has occured. Note that the process is left installed and running even when D'Bridge has been shutdown. If you want to automatically shutdown BinkD when you shutdown D'Bridge, create a dummy file called DBRIDGE.BSS (short for BinkD Service Shutdown) in your DB directory. Note that when BinkD is installed as a service-process, it will be started whenever Windows starts. D'Bridge will assume that the process is always running. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.21 BINKD 143 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LINUX PATH Linux installation path: /home/johndoe/.dosbox/DOS/DB/ If you are running D'Bridge on Linux under DOSEMU, DOSBOX or some other emulated DOS system, you would specify the installation path here. The BinkD configuration will be written correctly with the paths mapped out and "translated" to reflect this home directory. D'Bridge only comes with BinkD for Windows and OS/2. On Linux computers you would typically install or compile the appropriate version of BinkD that applies for the "platform" you are running, for example by using apt-get install binkd or some other command. Next, you would then start BinkD with the DBRIDGE.BNK file as the configuration file parameter (-C). Some users create a script for this or use systemctl to add as a service: For example: /usr/sbin/binkd -C /home/johndoe/.dosbox/DOS/DB/DBRIDGE.BNK The "Run as a service" question elsewhere in this screen is not applicable for Linux when you are running D'Bridge in this type of setup. It is assumed that BinkD is always running in the background. Remember that on Linux, files are case-sensitive and that in Config- Directory Paths, the INBOUND and QUEUE directories should just be literally set to just INBOUND and QUEUE since any DOS drive specification (ie. C:) would likely cause an error. INBOUND is valid... C:\DB\INBOUND is not. Also remember that port 24554, or whatever you specified, will need to added to iptables or ufw or whichever firewall you may be using on Linux. INCOMING PORT BinkD incoming port: 24554 This question is where you specify the Internet TCP port that BINKD shall be using for incoming connections. BINKD does not support UPNP (Universal Plug & Play). If you are behind a router or firewall you must configure any "port-forwarding" settings accordingly. The default setting is TCP port 24554 and should not be changed. On Windows XP or newer, a Firewall warning-screen may appear when BinkD is ran for the first time. Answer "ALLOW EXECUTION" when prompted. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.21 BINKD 144 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUTGOING PORT BinkD outgoing port: 24554 This question is where you specify the Internet TCP port that BINKD shall be using for outgoing connections. BINKD does not support UPNP (Universal Plug & Play). If you are behind a router or firewall you must configure any "port-forwarding" settings accordingly. The default setting is TCP port 24554 and should not be changed. On Windows XP or newer, a Firewall warning-screen may appear when BinkD is ran for the first time. Answer "ALLOW EXECUTION" when prompted. SIMULTANEOUS INBOUND CONNECTIONS Simultaneous inbound sessions: 8 The maximum incoming sessions allows you to define a limit to how many simultaneous connections the BINKD system should handle at once. The default should not be changed unless you really have a need to "cap" the amount of incoming sessions. SIMULTANEOUS OUTBOUND CONNECTIONS Simultaneous outgoing sessions: 8 The maximum outgoing sessions allows you to define a limit to how many simultaneous connections the BINKD system should handle at once. The default should not be changed unless you really have a need to "cap" the amount of outgoing sessions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.21 BINKD 145 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BINKD SESSIONS Systems: 1:229/426 fidonet bbs.darkrealms.ca U The next questions control who you exchange mail with using BinkD, if you have chosen not to use INA/IBN resolving. This serves as a "master override" for all BinkD transactions. If you are using a modem with D'Bridge, these settings will override any existing settings for a system. The mailer will function in a "hybrid" setup, meaning it is technically possible for a system to exhange mail either using a modem or the Internet. BinkD sessions:
[PORT] [U] ie. 1:123/500 fidonet the-estar.com 1:129/305 fidonet ttb.slyip.com 24554 U ADDRESS - Defines the Fido address of the remote BINKD system, in the format of Zone, Net, Node and Point. DOMAIN - Specify the Fidonet "5D" domain (NOT the Internet domain) of the system. This is usually up to 8 characters, such as "fidonet" or "metronet". The domain is usually defined by your Zone or Network Co-ordinator for BinkD usage. This should never be an Internet domain; if the remote system is using an Internet domain the connections will fail (please notify the other system). IP - The Internet address of the remote system. If the system does not have one, you don't know, or just "calls" here to pickup their waiting mail, answer PICKUPONLY. The remote system will be solely responsible for "polling" you to pick up their mail. PORT - Connects with the remote BINKD system on a specified port. This is an optional parameter. By default, BinkD uses TCP port 24554. U - If this is specified, D'Bridge will sends uncompressed mail to this system. Any XMAIL queued-up will be uncompressed before the remote system receives it. * REMEMBER * CTL-N inserts lines, CTL-Y deletes lines in a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 3.21 BINKD 146 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISABLE FILE REQUESTS Disable file-requests: No If you are using an external SRIF processor or you wish to have the BinkD system ignore received file-requests, answer YES. Any commands to handle received file-requests must be specified in the next question, "Additional Options". Otherwise answer NO, and D'Bridge will handle file-requests automatically. BINKD OPTIONS Additional options: domain starnet alias-for star.net This question allows advanced control over the BinkD system by overriding how your D'Bridge system interfaces with BinkD. Under most circumstances this should be left blank. NOTE: Technical support may not be provided if you are specifying options which may conflict with how D'Bridge interacts with BinkD. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 147 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS The D'Bridge mailer has a LOG window which displays the current status, an ACTIVITY window showing the progress of any operation, and the QUEUE showing items being processed or transferred. When items are unpacked or scanned, the window will change to show the messages. At the bottom of the screen is a STATUS BAR indicating new NETmail or Echomail received. If a modem is installed, the modem COM port, current baud rate and each of the status-registers are shown; black is off, grey is on. The modem COM port is black when the modem is off-line and grey when on-line or "ready". When D'Bridge is idle, you have full control over its functions. The following single-key commands are available when the word "IDLE" appears in the upper-left corner of the screen: Call Makes the next outbound call immediately, if any Retry Retries the last outbound call, if any Next Advances the pointer to the next outbound call Prev Returns the pointer to the previous outbound call Hold Places the queue entry selected on hold status QuickDial No pauses between calls (also activated by DBRIDGE.AQD) ESC Displays the main menu F1 Activates the Help system ALT-C Call a system from the nodelist in terminal mode ALT-D Call a system from your directory in terminal mode ALT-E Read/Edit EMAIL messages ALT-F Request file(s) ALT-H History display ALT-I Information display ALT-K KatGuard, locks the keyboard (electronic keyboard cover) ALT-L View system log file, search entries, highlight keywords ALT-N New link (Areafix/FileFix must be properly setup) ALT-P Poll a node ALT-Q Rebuild outbound queue ALT-R Request link (Areafix/FileFix must be properly setup) ALT-S Toggles the display of the schedule window ALT-T Transmit file(s) ALT-V View/Modify queue ALT-X Exit D'Bridge (Quit) ALT-Y Push to DOS shell (small) ALT-Z Drop to DOS shell (large) The ARROW KEYS can also be used to scroll through the QUEUE if there are more entries than what can be shown in that window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 148 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLD ALL MAIL Selecting the HOLD ALL MAIL menu option will immediately place all outbound mail on HOLD. The hold will come off at midnight, when a new event starts or by using the VIEW/MODIFY QUEUE command, ALT-V. This command only holds mail until midnight at the latest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 149 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VIEW MODIFY QUEUE Selecting the VIEW MODIFY QUEUE option (or pressing ALT-V from IDLE mode) allows you direct access to the outbound mail queue allowing you to view, erase or change priorities of queue entries. The top line of the queue should be highlighted. To view or change a queue item, first move the highlight bar to the desired entry using the UP and DOWN arrows. Next select one of the following commands by pressing the first letter of the option (I for Immediate, etc.) QUEUE: Next, Previous, Immediate, Send, Hold, Reset, Force, View, Kill NEXT The NEXT option advances to the next outbound call. PREVIOUS The PREVIOUS option returns to the previous outbound call. IMMEDIATE The IMMEDIATE option will change the priority of an entire queue entry to immediate until the next NETmail scan. If the queue entry is FORCED or is a unlisted system, this option is not valid and the computer will sound the "foghorn". SEND The SEND option will change the priority of an entire queue entry to crash priority. This change only lasts until the next NETmail scan. If the queue entry is FORCED or unlisted, the computer will sound the "foghorn". HOLD The HOLD option causes an entire queue entry to be held and not transmitted unless the receiving system poll for it. This option is not valid if there is a FORCED PRIORITY for the system. RESET When you RESET LIMITS for a queue entry, both the number of TRIES and CONNECTS is reset to zero, allowing the queue entry to be transmitted during this event even if the retries limit has been exceeded. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 150 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FORCE When you FORCE a priority for a certain system, that system will be forced to that priority "until further notice". The only way to override the FORCE is to remove it by specifying "NONE" here. When you press "F" for FORCE, a menu is displayed: FORCED MODE: Immediate, Crash, Hold or None Choose which priority to force this system to; if you don't want to do this, just press ESC and no change will be made. Select the priority or "N" to remove the "force". When a node is forced, it is designated by an exclamation point "!" next to the address. VIEW Viewing a queue entry lets you "look inside" a queue entry and see which messages and files are queued to send. Some general information about a system is displayed on the left; on the right is a detail window which may be scrolled up and down by using the UP, DOWN, PGUP and PGDN keys. Press ESC to exit view mode. KILL KILL is a very dangerous option because it allows you to erase any or all outbound mail and requests with one extra keystroke. Pressing "K" will display a window asking what you would like to KILL. If you don't want to KILL any part of the entry, press ESC to cancel. Otherwise, choose from the menu which lets you erase everything or just one "part" of the queued entry. You'll have to try it to really understand - just be careful. When you are finished VIEWING and MODIFYING the queue, just press ESC to exit this screen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 151 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REBUILD QUEUE The REBUILD QUEUE option causes D'Bridge to erase all the packets currently in the QUEUE window and re-scan for outbound mail. This is the same thing that happens when D'Bridge begins a mail event. This is handy for recreating packets if you had previously aborted the scan when D'Bridge first came up or you entered some messages in the editor (although there IS an option to automatically re-scan NETmail after leaving the editor). REBUILD QUEUE will normally create packets for all outbound mail regardless of whether it is CRASH priority or not; typically, all crash- mail will be sent, and all other mail will be on hold. This can easily be changed by using the VIEW/MODIFY QUEUE command, ALT-V. POLL A NODE The POLL A NODE option causes D'Bridge to call the specified system to pick up mail which may be on "hold" there. D'Bridge will simply ask you "Poll whom?" and you enter either the address of the system to call or the operator's name. If you enter a name, it will display a list of all systems with the Operator name you specify (if you enter "JOE," it will display all the "JOEs" in your nodelist and allow you to select the one you wish. If you don't know the address, five function keys (F1-F5) will aid you in your search. Once you have determined the system to call and pressed ENTER, D'Bridge will add a POLL entry to the queue with the specified priority. If you use IMMEDIATE or CRASH priority, the POLL will happen right away. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 152 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRANSMIT FILES The TRANSMIT FILE(S) option gives you a simple and quick way to send files to another system. Any file which can be copied using the DOS "COPY" command can be sent with D'Bridge. Similar to the POLL A NODE command, the TRANSMIT FILE(S) option asks you for the destination address. Here, you may enter the address of the system or part of the operator's name. Once you've entered the address, D'Bridge will ask you for a list of files to transmit. You may enter as many files as you wish, one per line. Make sure you've included the DOS subdirectory if they aren't in the current directory. If D'Bridge can't find a file, the cursor will simply be stuck on the line until you press ESC (to cancel the entire request), press the UP arrow or enter a valid (exis- ting) DOS filename. When you're satisfied you've entered the list cor- rectly, press ENTER. You may also use the DOS "wildcard" characters "*" and "?" to specify a group of files to send. To use a priority other than the default, enter in the window: C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT Immediate C:\DATA\BIGFILE.ZIP Hold ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 153 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FILE REQUEST The FILE REQUEST option allows you to request that a remote system sends you file(s), depending on the capabilities of the remote system. To use the FILE-REQUEST option, simply enter the address of the system you wish to call (just like MANUAL POLL and TRANSMIT FILE(S)) and enter a list of files you wish to receive. If you're not sure of the exact filenames, you may use the DOS "wild- card" characters "*" and "?." After you have entered the entire list of files to request, press ENTER and D'Bridge will add the request to the outbound mail queue. To use a priority other than the default or file-request passwords, use: [,] FILE1,SECRET Immediate FILE2 Crash Note that HOLD is not a valid priority for file-requests. Requests only work when you connect to the remote system. INFORMATION DISPLAY The INFORMATION DISPLAY screens provide summary information about D'Bridge. Execution times and traffic-volume information are collected and available for display in three different forms: SUMMARY This provides traffic and data volumes for the year, month, week, yesterday and today. TIME USAGE History of execution times is displayed on this screen. ACTIVITY GRAPH This shows a graphical representation of the operation of D'Bridge. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 154 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- READ / EDIT EMAIL The READ/EDIT EMAIL option causes D'Bridge to load the selected EMAIL editor. The screen will clear and the editor will be loaded, ready for you to read and respond to EMAIL messages. DB EDIT may also be run directly from the dos prompt; it is used to enter and read the EMAIL messages D'Bridge sends and receives. D'Bridge utilizes the Fidonet standard message format used by so many other EMAIL systems, bulletin boards and utilities. This will allow you to use a great variety of external programs such as "robot" mailers, form-letter generators and editors. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 155 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HISTORY DISPLAY When you select the HISTORY DISPLAY option, ALT-H, you will receive a menu of available history screens. There are four screens on the menu: OUTBOUND HISTORY The outbound history screen simply displays a log of all outbound mail calls within the last "n" days (specified on the BASIC CONFIGURATION screen). This display always starts at the end by showing you the most recent call. The UP, DOWN, PGUP and PGDN keys scroll the screen, ESC exits. This display lists the date, time, destination, bytes sent/received, elapsed time and actual cost of the connection. INBOUND HISTORY The inbound history screen simply displays a log of all incoming mail calls within the last "n" days. This display lists the date, time, origin, bytes sent/received, elapsed time. Since this is inbound mail, there is no cost involved. RECEIVED ECHOMAIL HISTORY The received ECHOmail history screen displays a log of all ECHOmail messages received within the last "n" days. This display lists the date, time, destination, bytes sent/received, elapsed time and actual cost of the connection. AREAFIX LOG The AREAFIX log screen displays a log of all automatic additions to your "forward-to" list in the area manager. These may be in the form of AREAFIX requests or may be entered manually by using the NEW ECHOMAIL LINK, ALT-N option. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 156 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VIEW SYSTEM LOG The VIEW SYSTEM LOG command allows you to scroll through the system log file and search it for keywords. Besides the standard cursor control keys, the following keys are active here: +/- The PLUS and MINUS keys change the date of the display (pressing the minus key three times displays the log from 3 days ago.) Morning Displays log entries starting at midnight. Afternoon Displays log entries starting at noon. Evening Displays log entries starting at 6:00 PM. Search Enters "search mode" Highlight Allows entry of highlight keywords and colors. USING SEARCH MODE Search mode has two ways to look for log entries: KEYWORD SEARCH Searches for any match in a list of keywords. TEXT SEARCH Searches for the first occurrence of a substring. The Next and Previous commands actually invoke the search. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 157 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REQUEST LINK AREAFIX and FILEFIX are subsystems within D'Bridge enabling you to remotely request new ECHOmail or TIC links from a HOST or FEED system. This system, originally designed by Greg Dawson, eliminates the need for manual intervention on the part of the HOST system operator. Now that handling hundreds of conferences on a single system is a reality, this automated system of forwarding maintenance is required. The REQUEST LINK, ALT-R command allows you to request a remote system, either STARTs or STOPs forwarding of either ECHOmail or TIC conferences. To use this feature, you must pre-arrange a PASSWORD with the operator of your feed. First, enter the address of the system to request conferences from. If you have not established a password for the specified system, D'Bridge will ask you to assign one at this time. AREAFIX and FILEFIX will not function without a security password (for good reason!). Passwords may also be entered on the PACKET/MAIL CONTROL and FILEECHO/TIC SETUP screens. Next, enter a list of CONFERENCE TAGS desired, one per line; press ENTER on a blank line when finished. If you wish to remove a conference rather than adding it, simply put a minus sign "-" before the tag. If you wish to receive a list of available conferences from your link, answer YES to "Area listing?". If you want the host system to rescan the message base in an AREAFIX request (sending you all the old messages), answer YES to "Get old messages?". Finally, choose the priority you wish to use for transmitting the request. This priority has no connection to the one with which you will receive the conference - that's up to the other system's operator. When the request is received by the remote system, it will add or remove your system from its "forward-to" list as you have specified; it will send you a confirmation message which will explain the changes made and errors or violations you have made. This message may be sent automatical- ly, or you may have to poll later to receive it; this depends on how your link has his system configured. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 158 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW LINK The NEW LINK, ALT-N command allows you to add systems to the FORWARD- TO list in your area manager. This command queues up the same type of entry as an inbound AREAFIX or FILEFIX request with the exception of the security check. When a system is added or removed from an area, an audit trail is created in the AREAFIX/FILEFIX LOG and a confirmation message is created and sent to the receiving system. First, enter the address of the system to send the conference(s) to. You do not have to have a password just to enter a manual request. Next, enter a list of CONFERENCES to add or remove, one per line; press ENTER on a blank line when finished. If you wish to remove a conference rather than adding one, simply put a minus sign "-" before the tag. If this is an AREAFIX request, and you wish to have D'Bridge rescan the entire ECHOmail area and send all the mail currently stored, answer YES to "Rescan?". If you wish to send a list of areas available, answer YES to "Send area list?". Choose the priority you wish to use to transmit the request. This priority has no connection to the one with which you will receive the conference; that's up to the other system's operator. Finally, if you want the request to be processed immediately, answer YES to "Process now?". If the request is not processed immediately, you may enter several requests and subsequently run the PROCESS option on the UTILITIES menu. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 159 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TERMINAL EMULATOR The D'Bridge terminal mode is designed to let you communicate with online services such as a bulletin board system (BBS), CompuServe and other such electronic information systems. Terminal mode acts like a glass Teletype, having an 24x80 display plus a status line giving information such as current baud rate, parity, etc. It is not the intention of D'Bridge to provide many terminal features such as you might find in other communication programs; D'Bridge is an EMAIL system and only provides this terminal mode as a simple means for you to tie- in with other systems through a direct connection. Terminal mode transmits all printable and control characters without translation to your modem. The ALT keys are used to control the various functions in terminal mode. Pressing ALT-X exits the terminal and returns to mailer mode. Once in the terminal mode, you will notice that pressing ALT-H displays a help screen. These are the commands currently supported: /-TERMINAL MODE COMMANDS----------------\ | | | ALT-C Dial system(s) from nodelist | | ALT-D Dial system(s) from directory | | ALT-P Set terminal parameters | | ALT-L Capture log ON/OFF | | ALT-T Terminate connection | | ALT-W Wipe (clear) screen | | ALT-X Exit terminal mode | | ALT-Y PUSH to DOS | | ALT-Z DROP to DOS | | PgUp Upload file(s) | | Pgdn Download file(s) | | | \---------------------------------------/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 160 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALT-C / Call system from nodelist D'Bridge can dial any systems in your nodelist that are not "unlisted nodes". Pressing ALT-C will display the following window: /-CALL SYSTEM(S) FROM NODELIST--------------------------------------------\ | | | F1-List nodes in NET 1:110 | | F2-Change ZONE:NET | | F3-List all NETS | | F4-List NETS in ZONE 1 | | Dial which node(s)? F5-Scan user names | | | | _____________________________________________________________________ | | | \-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Simply enter a list of addresses you wish to call, separated by spaces. D'Bridge will auto-dial the entire list until a connection is made. The function keys F3-F7 are available to assist you in locating the proper addresses. When a connection has been made, D'Bridge will "beep" and return to terminal mode with the remote system online at the proper baud rate. F3 Scans the entire nodelist by username (first names). F4 Pressing the F3 key displays all the NODES and POINTS in the currently selected NET. Pressing ENTER while using this display selects a system; pressing ESC cancels. F5 Gives a listing of all NETs in the entire nodelist and allows you to select a new NET. F6 Lists all ZONEs in the nodelist F7 Allows you to change the currently selected NET by entering the ZONE:NET desired. After you change NETs, you can use the F1 key to list the systems in the new NET. ENTER Starts the cycle-dialing window; D'Bridge will continue dialing until connected or interrupted by the operator. ESC Cancels dialing mode ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 161 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALT-D / Dialing directory D'Bridge terminal mode has a built-in dialing directory enabling you to program the phone numbers for up to 100 systems you call frequently. Pressing ALT-D will display the following window: /-DIALING DIRECTORY---------------------------------------------------------\ | Entry Name Phone number Baud/Parms | | ----- ---- ------------ ---------- | | 1 D'Bridge Support/Cincinn 1-513-821-1387 9600 8N1 | | 2 D'Bridge Support/West 1-503-292-7233 9600 8N1 | | 3 D'Bridge Support/West 1-503-292-7237 9600 8N1 | | 4 D'Bridge Support/East 1-215-879-3310 9600 8N1 | | 5 D'Bridge Support/Canada 1-416-823-4521 9600 8N1 | | 6 D'Bridge Support/Europe 31-85-459034 2400 8N1 | | 7 D'Bridge Support/Italy 39-766-540-899 2400 8N1 | | 8 D'Bridge Support/Austral 61-3-848-3331 9600 8N1 | | 9 D'Bridge Support/Austral 61-3-563-2496 9600 8N1 | | 10 | | 11 | | 12 | | | | Edit entry, Delete entry, UP, DOWN, PGUP, PGDN, #, ENTER-Dial, ESC-Cancel | | | | Command? | \---------------------------------------------------------------------------/ You may easily enter or change numbers in this list by using the EDIT ENTRY command. Move the highlight bar to the entry you wish to add or edit then press "E". It will display the following window: /-EDIT DIRECTORY ENTRY---------------------\ | | | Entry number: 1 | | Name: D'Bridge Support/Cincinn | | Phone number: 1-513-821-1387 | | Baud rate: 9600 | | Parity: NONE | | Data bits: 8 | | Stop bits: 1 | | Save entry? | | | \------------------------------------------/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 162 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Enter the NAME, PHONE NUMBER, BAUD RATE, PARITY, DATA BITS and STOP BITS desired, then answer YES for "Save entry?". Pressing ESC will abort the change. After you have answered YES, the window will disappear and the entry will be permanently added to your personal dialing directory. To dial a number, simply type the ENTRY NUMBERS desired, separated by spaces, then press ENTER. You can also move the highlight bar to the desired line and press ENTER. Either will do the same thing. If you wish to use the D'Bridge scripting language, simply enter the phone number with the following format: "SCRIPT.FIL"aaa-nnn-nnnn Where SCRIPT.FIL is the name of your script file, aaa is the AREA CODE you are calling and nnn-nnnn is the PHONE NUMBER. ALT-H / Terminate connection Pressing ALT-H will terminate the current call immediately by dropping the DTR signal to the modem for 1.2 seconds. ALT-P / Set terminal parameters The ALT-P command will allow you to set the default settings for terminal mode. Pressing ALT-P displays the following window: /-SET TERMINAL PARAMETERS--\ | | | Comm port: COM1 | | Baud rate: 2400 | | Parity: NONE | | Data bits: 8 | | Stop bits: 1 | | Duplex: FULL | | Emulation: ANSI | | Capture ANSI: YES | | AutoDownload: YES | | | \--SPACE-Change, ESC-Exit--/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 163 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By using the UP and DOWN arrow keys to select an option and pressing the SPACE bar to change, you can configure the terminal to any setting you wish. This setting will be recalled when terminal mode is entered, but the communications settings can also be changed by ALT-C and ALT-D. COMM PORT The COMM PORT specifies which serial interface channel you wish to use. This could allow you to select between modems or even direct links to other PC's. COM1 through COM7 are allowable values. BAUD RATE This allows you to select the speed or BAUD RATE of the serial link with your modem. Allowable values are 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200 and 38400, but may not exceed the value specified in the COMMUNICATIONS/MODEM SETUP screen. If you have LOCKED your modem at its top speed, this baud rate setting has no effect. PARITY The PARITY setting allows you to communicate with systems that require parity-error checking. Valid settings are NONE, EVEN, ODD, MARK and SPACE, but most newer networks are using "NONE." DATA BITS This setting is included for compatibility with old-style 7-bit systems. Allowable values are 7 and 8, but be warned file-transfers will not function properly with a 7-bit link. STOP BITS Almost all baud rates use 1 stop bit, but "weird" configurations might require a value of 2 (highly unlikely!). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 164 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DUPLEX Some older systems require your own system to provide the "echo" of the characters typed. This is called HALF DUPLEX. Newer systems all echo back the characters you type, eliminating the need for a HALF DUPLEX setting. Use FULL DUPLEX for systems such as CompuServe, The Source and BBS networks. EMULATION D'Bridge terminal program has only one emulation, ANSI. You may either select ANSI or NONE. The ANSI emulation does not require the use of an ANSI.SYS driver; it includes full color support plus ANSI-MUSIC! CAPTURE ANSI If you have the capture log enabled, D'Bridge has the option to either save or strip the ANSI codes from the file. If you want to SAVE the ANSI codes in the capture file, answer YES here. AUTODOWNLOAD D'Bridge terminal mode has the capability to detect when the remote system has initiated a ZMODEM send request. If you answer YES to this question, when such a request is detected, D'Bridge automatically starts a ZMODEM receive session saving you the trouble. ALT-L / Capture log ON/OFF The ALT-L key "toggles" the capture log ON or OFF. If you wish every- thing displayed on the screen to be captured to a text file, press ALT-L to turn on the capture log. It will ask you for a DOS filename to store the information in; it defaults to CAPTURE.LOG, but you may change it to any directory or filename you wish. Pressing ALT-L a second time or exiting terminal mode will close the text file. If a capture file already exists, D'Bridge will add on to the end of it, preserving its previous contents. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 165 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALT-W / Wipe (clear) screen Pressing ALT-W simply clears the current screen, moving the cursor to the upper-right corner. ALT-X / Exit terminal mode Pressing ALT-X will take you out of the terminal mode and back to D'Bridge. Your modem will be re-initialized and should be ready to receive incoming mail almost immediately. ALT-Y / PUSH to DOS Pressing ALT-Y will allow you access to DOS commands while you are still connected to a remote system. To get back into D'Bridge, type EXIT. This is handy for doing directory listings, etc. while you're connected to an online service. ALT-Z / DROP to DOS Pressing ALT-Z will also allow you access to DOS commands. The only difference is that with ALT-Z, D'Bridge is totally swapped out of memory to EMS or disk so you have as much free memory as possible. PgUp / Upload The PgUp key allows you to transmit a list of files to the host computer. The way to do this is typically to tell the remote computer you are ready to send some files, then press the PgUp button, select the desired protocol, XMODEM, Telink or ZMODEM, then enter a list of files to send. Note: With XMODEM, you can only send one file at a time - XMODEM is not a "batch" protocol. PgDn / Download The PgDn key allows you to receive files from the host computer. This is normally done by first telling the remote system which files to send then pressing the PgDn key. You then tell D'Bridge which protocol you want to use, XMODEM, Telink or ZMODEM and specify which directory to put the files in. With XMODEM you must specify the actual filename because it is not a batch protocol. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 166 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BUILD NODELIST DATABASE This forces D'Bridge to recompile the nodelist database index. This is normally an automatic process happening at midnight, but you can force it to happen by selecting this option. Note that if you create a "dummy" file called DBRIDGE.RNC in your D'Bridge directory, D'Bridge will "restart" itself after compiling. PROCESS MAIL This enables you to manually start inbound mail processing and scanning for outbound ECHOmail and AREAFIX requests. This shouldn't be necessary unless you have mail processing set to "Manual" in the PACKET/MAIL CONTROL screen. FILEBASE SEARCH This option (CTL-F) allows you to search through the D'Bridge FileBase for a partial match on a specified filespec. The FileBase is a combined listing of files available for request on other systems. This enables you to easily locate files and request them with the ease of point-and-shoot operation. After you specify a search key to start (like "DB" for filenames starting with DB), a list of partial matches will be displayed. You can highlight the file you want to request by using the arrow keys; request it by pressing "R", then the priority: Immediate, Crash, or Normal. If you need to make a passworded request, set the current password with the "P" option. Since the FileBase is not zone-aware, you may select another zone with the "Z" option. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 4.00 SYSTEM IDLE COMMANDS 167 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXPORT CONFIGURATION With this option, D'Bridge will produce an "exported configuration" file. Normally called DBRIDGE.CFG, the output is a standard text file designed to transfer the entire D'Bridge parameter configuration to another system or for upgrading to a newer version. Every night at midnight, D'Bridge automatically exports its configuration to a file called SAVE-XXX.YYY where XXX is the day-of-week and YYY is the line-number (usually 1). These are zipped into DBCONFIG.ZIP. LEAVE DBRIDGE This option, CTL-C or ALT-X will exit to DOS and completely unload the D'Bridge software. DOS SHELL ALT-Z will "drop" to DOS. D'Bridge swaps its memory either to EMS or disk, depending on free memory available. ALT+Y drops to DOS without swapping D'Bridge out of memory. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.00 EMAIL MESSAGE EDITOR 168 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.00 EMAIL MESSAGE EDITOR The EMAIL message editor is activated by selecting the READ/ENTER EMAIL option from the main menu or by pressing ALT-E. The editor may also be accessed directly from the DOS prompt by typing: C> DB EDIT Assuming the DB EDIT command was found, you quickly get a display similar to the following: F1-Enter, F2-Reply, F3-Edit, F4-List, F5-Kill, F6-Areas, ESC-Menu D'Bridge 1.30/001002 /-READ/EDIT EMAIL-------------------------------------------------------------\ |Msg # 250 | |Date: 11 Jun 92 18:10:34 | |From: Chris Irwin | | To: Tom Ordelman on 201:200/0 D'Bridge Support/Europe | |Subj: Greetings from freezing Cincinnati! | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| |Hello Tom, | | | |I was just writing to let you know that I've been sitting out in the snow | |finishing the D'Bridge documentation. I think that you will find that it | |is well-written and quite clear. It's Thursday, so I'll be out playing poker | |this evening... Give me a call when you get a chance tomorrow! | | | |Regards, | |Chris, 201:201/0 | | | | | | | | | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Area: D'Bridge network mail Msgs: 273 Highest: 298 Last read: 276 This is the "READ" mode of D'Bridge. Using this screen, you can enter, read and reply to messages along with a variety of utility functions. Each function will be described in detail in the next few sections. Remember that a quick way to get out of the editor is to press CONTROL-C. This is a perfectly acceptable way to get out, it's just like using the QUIT menu option. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.00 EMAIL MESSAGE EDITOR 169 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RIGHT and LEFT arrows - NEXT and PREVIOUS MESSAGE Pressing the RIGHT arrow key will display the next message in the current area; pressing the LEFT arrow will display the previous one. F1 or E - ENTER A MESSAGE As soon as you press the F1 key or the letter "E" D'Bridge will go into "EDIT" mode, clearing the screen and starting with a blank message. F2, R, Q or > - REPLY TO A MESSAGE Replying to a message is the same as entering a new one; the difference is that the "TO" name and address is taken automatically from the message currently on the screen. The editor will move the "FROM" infor- mation to the "TO" field. This is handy to keep from making a mistake typing the name or network address. There are four keys that create a reply message: F2 Asks for QUOTED or NORMAL reply. R Creates a NORMAL reply. Q Creates a QUOTED reply. > Same as Q. If you select a NORMAL reply, the screen will clear and just the "TO" and "FROM" information will be displayed. If you specify a QUOTED re- ply, the entire message you are replying to will be QUOTED, so that you may remind who you are communicating with and exactly what it is you are replying to. QUOTED text has each line starting with a ">" character indicating that the text came from the other person. For example, if a message reads: What time can I call you about the pricing information? Your QUOTED reply might look like: CI> What time can I call you about the pricing information? Give me a call around 4:00, if I'm not in, please leave the information with my secretary. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.00 EMAIL MESSAGE EDITOR 170 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUOTED replies are quite valuable for reminding the receiver exactly what you're talking about. In fact, if the receiver of the above message wanted to reply to you, the reply might look like: CI> What time can I call you about the pricing information? TO> Give me a call around 4:00, if I'm not in, please leave the TO> information with my secretary. I can't - I'm flying to Paris today. I'll call you when I get back. F3 or O - EDIT AN OLD MESSAGE Sometimes, you will enter a message, then realize you wish to make a change before sending it. The F3 or "O" option does just that. It allows you to edit the currently displayed message. If the message displayed is not from you, you will be asked "You didn't enter this message, edit anyway?". Generally, it's not "nice" to edit other people's mail, but D'Bridge allows you to do this anyway. F4 or L - LIST MESSAGES Pressing F4 or "L" will put the editor into "LIST" mode. While in "LIST" mode, the display changes to show you all the message headers. This is handy when you want to scan for a particular message quickly. Until you press the ESC key, the editor will remain in LIST mode and the function keys have a different meaning. While in this mode, you may view message headers and select a group of messages to KILL or PRINT. LIST: Include, Exclude, All, None, Page, Display, Group, ESC-Exit D'Bridge 1.50/001002 /-READ/EDIT EMAIL-------------------------------------------------------------\ |/-LIST MESSAGES--------------------------------------------------------------\ ||Msg # Date From To Subject | || 292 20 Apr Chris Irwin Tom Ordelman 201:200/0 D'Bridge Suppor| || 293 20 Apr Chris Irwin Joaquim Homri 135/20 Re: ZMODEM | || 294 20 Apr ARCmail Sysop 107/246 FF239209.MO1 | || 295 20 Apr ARCmail Sysop 108/871 F98429E1.MO1 | || 296 20 Apr ML-UPD 1.5 11/109 Megalist Admi 000B0071.MLA | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.00 EMAIL MESSAGE EDITOR 171 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first line will be highlighted with a light bar. Using the UP, DOWN, PGUP and PGDN keys, you can move the light bar to the desired message. When you press the ESC key, the specified message will be displayed and DBEDIT will return to READ mode. While the LIST window is on the screen, the following commands are enabled: I - INCLUDE When you press the I key, a star ( * ) will appear next to the message number on the highlighted line. This means this message is "included" for processing by group commands. E - EXCLUDE Pressing the E key will remove a star "*" from the highlighted line. This is used to un-include (de-select) the current message from processing by the group commands. A - ALL If you press A, all of the messages will be included for processing by group commands and they will all have a star "*" next to them. This is handy to use in conjunction with "E" (EXCLUDE) when you want to process most of the messages with group commands. N - NONE Pressing N will remove all the stars "*" from the LIST MESSAGES window. None of the messages will be selected for group commands. P - PAGE Pressing P will select all messages on the currently displayed page. D - DISPLAY Pressing D will toggle the LIST display between showing the TO, FROM and SUBJECT and showing the entire SUBJECT line. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.00 EMAIL MESSAGE EDITOR 172 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- G - GROUP Pressing G will display another list of options called GROUP COM- MANDS. With these commands, you can PRINT or KILL all of the selected messages automatically. This can be a very "dangerous" command, so make sure you know exactly what you're doing if you use it. The following GROUP COMMANDS are allowed: P - PRINT (group command) The P group command will PRINT all messages that have stars "*" next to them and were previously included while in the "LIST" mode. Obviously this option will work only if you have a printer connected; press the ESC key to cancel the PRINT operation. K - KILL (group command) The Kill group command will KILL all messages that were included and have a star "*" next to them. Make sure you have double- checked which messages were included because once they are KILLED, they are permanently gone. (Perhaps Professor Norton could get them back... ). F5 or K - KILL A MESSAGE Pressing F5 or "K" allows you to permanently KILL (erase) a message from your disk. It will ask you "ARE YOU SURE?" just in case you pressed it accidentally; use this option with caution! F6 or A - CHANGE MESSAGE AREAS The editor allows you to have any number of local and ECHOmail areas. Pressing F6 or "A" will display a list of all the areas you have de- fined in your configuration. Select the desired area by moving the light bar up and down, then pressing ENTER when the desired area is highlighted. You may also enter the AREA NUMBER and press ENTER. Both ways accomplish the same thing. If you are running a basic EMAIL system, you probably will not have any use for this option. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.00 EMAIL MESSAGE EDITOR 173 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ESC - EDITOR MENU All of the other editor features are accessible by using the EDITOR MENU. Pressing ESC will display the menu and allow you to select any of the following options: - Area information - Display statistics - Forward message - Copy/move message - Print message - Write message to file - Username AKAs/Alias addresses - Search headers/text - PUSH/DROP to DOS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.01 USING EDIT MODE 174 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.01 USING EDIT MODE After you have selected either the ENTER, REPLY or EDIT command, the editor will be in "EDIT" mode. When you are using this mode, all of the keys have different meanings than they do in READ mode. The top line of the screen lists all the valid commands. The cursor will first appear on the "TO" field. Here, you enter the name of the person to whom the message is addressed. If you have selected the USERNAME INDEX option (in the nodelist configuration), the editor scans for a username simply by entering part of the name. For example, if you enter "CHRIS", DBEDIT will display all of the users who have a first name of Chris, Christine, Christy or Christo- pher and allow you to select the desired person. This search is based on FIRST NAME, so entering a last name won't work. If you wish to send the same message/files to different destinations, press the F8 key while on the "TO" field. This will display a window which allows you to enter any number of destinations, one per line in the following form:
[,] ie. 1:110/68 Chris Irwin Valid priorities are: H - Hold N - Normal C - Crash I - Immediate If you routinely send information to the same list of systems, you will want to take advantage of the "distribution list" feature. Instead of an address and a username, you can specify the names of any number of distribution lists to include. A distribution list is simply a text file containing the same information as above: address and username. After you have entered or selected the name of the person you are writing the message to, the editor will say "on" and expect you to enter the address of the user. If you selected the username from the D'Bridge database, the address should already be there and you simply press ENTER. If you are entering this message to someone not in the database or have specified NO in the CREATE USERNAME INDEX field in the nodelist setup, you will need to enter the address. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.01 USING EDIT MODE 175 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The editor provides 5 function keys to help you to find an address: F3 - List nodes Pressing F3 will display a list of all the systems in the currently selected ZONE:NET. Moving the light bar, highlight the desired system and press ENTER. If you can't find the address in this NET, press the ESC key. F4 - Change net The F4 key allows you to change the currently selected ZONE and NET numbers. Enter the ZONE and NET numbers desired separated by a colon ( : ) character. If you specify just one number, it is assumed to be the NET; the ZONE remains the same. After changing the ZONE and NET you may use the F3 key again to scan for individual systems. F5 - List nets Pressing F5 will give you a list of all ZONE and NET numbers in your nodelist and allow you to choose one as the currently selected NET. Similar to the F6 function, move the light bar to the desired line and press the ENTER key. F6 - List zones This function is identical to F5 above except it lists the ZONES that are compiled into the nodelist. F7 - Set ZONE:NET Allows you to directly set the ZONE and NET defaults. After you have selected the destination address, the cursor will move to the SUBJECT line. If you want to send a file along with this message or if you wish to request one, you must enter the filename(s) as the sub- ject. If you are SENDING files, you must specify the actual filename including drive and directory. If you are requesting a file, just specify the filenames you wish to receive. Obviously, if you are neither SENDING nor REQUESTING files, the SUBJECT line is simply a field which briefly states the purpose of the message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.01 USING EDIT MODE 176 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While the cursor is on the SUBJECT field, the following function keys are in effect: F3 - Send file Pressing F3 sets the FILE-ATTACH attribute for the message. This means all the files listed in the SUBJECT line (labeled ENCL) will be sent with the message. F4 - File request Pressing the F4 key sets the FILE-REQUEST attribute for the message. This means that when the message is sent, D'Bridge will request that the remote system sends you all the listed files. F5 - Update request The F5 key sets the UPDATE-REQUEST attribute for the message. UPDATE- REQUESTS are the same as FILE-REQUESTS in D'Bridge. F6 - Cancel Pressing F6 cancels a FILE-ATTACH, FILE-REQUEST or UPDATE-REQUEST and makes the SUBJECT line be just informational. When the cursor is BELOW the line separating the heading from the message text, the editor acts just like most word-processing systems. You may simply type in your message, using the BACKSPACE and ARROW keys to edit. You may notice that when you press the ENTER key, a "HARD RETURN SYMBOL" is generated. Normally, you should not press the ENTER key unless you wish to start a new paragraph or are entering a list of some kind which should not be "rejustified" on the receiving system. Because D'Bridge can communicate with other EMAIL systems and bulletin boards, the messages might not look exactly the same on the receiving system as they look on your screen when you enter them. For example, some EMAIL editors only allow the display of 66-column text. If you were to use HARD RETURNS (by pressing ENTER on each line), your message would be very hard to read on the other EMAIL system. Get in the habit of only pressing the ENTER key when you want to start a new paragraph. While in the "EDIT" mode, the following function keys are in effect: F1 or ESC-Q-A - ABORT If you have accidentally gone into "EDIT" mode or wish to cancel your edit session and completely "throw away" the message you are entering, use the ABORT option. The editor will ask "ARE YOU SURE?", just to make sure you didn't press F1 accidentally. ABORTING your editor will return you to "READ" mode. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.01 USING EDIT MODE 177 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F2 or ESC-Q-S - SAVE MESSAGE Pressing F2 will immediately save the current message to disk. Unless otherwise specified, it will be sent during the next scheduled mail event. If you press F2 by accident, you can always use the EDIT OLD option to continue or change it. SAVING your message will return you to "READ" mode. F3 or CONTROL-N - INSERT LINE The INSERT LINE option will add a blank line BEFORE the line where the cursor is located. F4 or CONTROL-Y - DELETE LINE The DELETE LINE option does just that; it erases the line that the cursor is on. F5/F6 - MARK This is an "advanced" feature; The F5 key marks the beginning of a block of text; the F6 key marks the end. "Marked" text is designated by reverse video for the selected block. This is used in conjunction with the BLOCK commands described later; they allow you to COPY, MOVE, DELETE or WRITE the selected block of text to a file. F10 - FLAGS D'Bridge allows you to set up to 15 different "FLAGS" on an EMAIL message. Pressing F10 displays a menu of all the flags; only the ones that are "bright" are allowed. Depending on certain criteria, such as FAX addressing, etc, certain options are not always available. The currently defined flags are as follows: Private This message is intended for the addressee only. If the receiving system is a BBS, only the Sysop should be able to read the message. Hold HOLD priority should be used for this message. Please note that unless you specify XMAIL for this message, the message will be sent if there is any other outbound traffic for the destination system; if you enter a CRASH message to the same system, both messages will be sent unless you XMAIL it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.01 USING EDIT MODE 178 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crash CRASH priority means the message should be sent right-away, even during the UNEVENT. Only messages with CRASH or IMMEDIATE priority will be sent during the UNEVENT. CRASH messages might cost more due to making a long-distance phone call during the day rather than during a late-night scheduled event. CRASH priority messages never get routed, but go directly to their destination. Immediate An IMMEDIATE priority message means the message will be sent right away and have priority over other out- bound traffic that has no IMMEDIATE priority. This is handy for getting an important message out when there's a lot of other outbound traffic in the queue. XMail If you specify an EMAIL message to be XMAIL, this means the D'Bridge mail scanner will pack the message in an outbound XMAIL archive using the specified archive program: ZIP, LHA, ARJ, PAK, ARC or ZOO. If you use this method, all priorities: IMMEDIATE, CRASH, NORMAL and HOLD are treated separately; HOLD mail will never be sent unless the other system calls to pick it up or the operator specifically overrides it in the VIEW/MODIFY QUEUE, ALT-V mode. Kill/Sent If a message has the KILL/SENT flag, it will be erased from your NETmail area as soon as it has been successfully transmitted. This is good for messages that have been sent to multiple destinations. Archive/Sent The ARCHIVE/SENT flag causes a message to be written to the specified OUTBOUND MAIL ARCHIVE specified on the PACKET/MAIL CONTROL screen. After the message text has been stored in this file, the message is erased from the system. Direct If a message is flagged as DIRECT, the normal routing specified in the ADVANCED ROUTING screen of the event setup is ignored; the message is sent directly to its final destination. Route/HUB If you want a message to be HOST- or HUB-ROUTED, specify this flag. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.01 USING EDIT MODE 179 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can change the flags either by moving the highlight bar with the UP and DOWN arrows and pressing ENTER, or by pressing the first letter of the desired flag. Press ESC when you are finished setting message flags. ESC - MENU The rest of the "EDIT" mode commands are activated from the menu. Pressing the ESC key will display the menu. BLOCK: READ The BLOCK READ option allows you to read in text from a standard text file. It will ask for the name of a text file and whether you want to use HARD of SOFT returns. If the text is in the form of paragraphs, use the SOFT option; if you are reading in columns of numbers or some sort of text you don't want to be reformatted, specify HARD. BLOCK: WRITE Assuming you have already used the F5 and F6 keys to highlight a block of text, the BLOCK WRITE option allows you to write it to a standard text file. BLOCK: COPY The BLOCK COPY option will move the text highlighted with the F5 and F6 keys to the position where the cursor is currently located. This option will not work if the cursor is within the highlighted region. BLOCK: MOVE The BLOCK MOVE option is the same as the BLOCK COPY command except the text is actually moved rather than copied to the current cursor position. BLOCK: DELETE The BLOCK DELETE command will erase all text you highlighted with the F5 and F6 keys. QUIT: SAVE The SAVE option is the same as the F2 key. It saves the current message and returns to "READ" mode. QUIT: ABORT The ABORT option allows you to "throw away" the current edit session. This is the same as the F1 key. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.01 USING EDIT MODE 180 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUIT: DROP TO DOS The DROP TO DOS command allows you access to DOS while you are editing a message. This method frees all available memory by swapping the editor to EMS or disk. When you are finished using DOS commands or programs, type "EXIT" to return to your edit. QUIT: PUSH TO DOS The PUSH TO DOS command allows you access to DOS while you are editing a message. When you are finished using DOS commands or programs, simply type "EXIT" to return to the editor. To summarize, we have included the following table of keys and their effect in various "edit" modes: Mode/field Key(s) Effect ------------------------------------------------------------------- "TO" F3 List users starting with the one entered F8 Multiple destinations/Distribution list(s) "ADDRESS" F3 List all NODEs in the currently selected NET F4 Select a new ZONE and NET F5 List all NETs in the nodelist F6 List all NETs in the selected ZONE F7 List FAX entries "SUBJECT" F3 Send file(s) F4 File-request F5 Update-request F6 Cancel send/request EDITOR UP Moves the cursor up one line DOWN Moves the cursor down one line LEFT Moves the cursor left one character RIGHT Moves the cursor right one character DELETE Deletes the character under the cursor INSERT Toggles "insert mode" ON/OFF HOME Moves cursor to the start of line/page/message END Moves cursor to the end of line/page/message TAB Moves cursor to the next tab position BACKSPACE Moves cursor left one character and erases previous character if at the end of a line or "insert mode" is ON. F1 Aborts the current edit, returns to READ mode F2 Saves the message, returns to READ mode ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.02 USING READ MODE 181 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.02 USING READ MODE "Read" mode allows the user to read EMAIL messages in any of the defined message areas. There are several keys that are used to control "read" mode with a single keystroke: UP and DOWN arrows The UP and DOWN arrow keys move the currently displayed message UP and DOWN on your screen allowing you to read more text than will fit on the screen. PGUP and PGDN The PGUP and PGDN keys work like the UP and DOWN arrows except they advance the text one page at a time. HOME and END The HOME key displays the first page of a message; the END key displays the last page. LEFT and RIGHT arrows The RIGHT arrow displays the NEXT message; the LEFT arrow displays the previous message. + and - keys The PLUS and MINUS keys allow you to read by "thread". If a message says "Reply to #nnn", you can read the original message (the one replied to) by pressing the MINUS (-) key. Pressing PLUS (+) displays the next message in the "thread". This is most useful for "local" areas and does not usually work in your Network mail area. Number keys (0-9) You can advance to the desired message simply by entering the message number and pressing ENTER. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.02 USING READ MODE 182 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge allows for virtually any number of message areas to be defined in the area manager. While in READ mode, you may select between the different message areas by using the F6 or "A" command. This command displays the following screen which allows you to select a new message area: F1-Enter, F2-Reply, F3-Edit, F4-List, F5-Kill, F6-Areas, ESC-Menu D'Bridge 1.50/001002 /-READ/EDIT EMAIL-------------------------------------------------------------\ |Msg # 251 | |Date: 07/-AREA CHANGE-----------------------------------------------------\ | |From: Ch| 0 NETMAIL Network mail area | | | To: To| 2 COMPLAIN Complaint Department | | |Subj: Gr| 4 DB_ALPHA D'Bridge ALPHA conference | | |--------| 6 FTSC Technical standards committee |--| |Hello To| 7 NETDEV Network developer's conference | | | | 10 SYSOP18 Region 18 Sysop conference | | |I was ju| 11 ZMODEM ZMODEM conference | | |finishin| 12 ECHOECHO ECHOmail working group | | |is well-| 19 SYSOP110 NET 110 Sysop conference | | |I won't | 21 DBRIDGE D'Bridge ECHO | | | | 22 QUICKBBS QuickBBS ECHO | | |Regards,| 24 TBBS TBBS ECHO | | |Chris, 2| 9999 BADECHO Bad ECHOmail area | | | | | | | | | | | \-----------------------------------------------------------------/ | | | | | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Change areas either by highlighting the desired area using the UP and DOWN arrows and pressing ENTER or by entering the TAG or NUMBER of the message area you desire. Pressing ESC will leave you in the same area you were in before. Once DBEDIT is displaying another message area, it should be displaying the same message as was there the last time you exited from that area. This is a feature of the so-called LAST READ POINTER, which is maintained for each user in the editor separately. D'Bridge stores the LAST READ POINTERS on your disk so that they are the same the next time you read your mail. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.02 USING READ MODE 183 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To summarize, we have included the following table of keys and their effect in various "read" modes: Mode Key(s) Effect -------------------------------------------------------------------- READ F1, E Enter a new message F2 Enter a reply to a message (see REPLY mode) R Enter a normal reply Q, > Enter a quoted reply F3, O Edit an old message F4, L Change to LIST mode F5, K Kill (erase) the current message F6, A Change message areas ESC Displays the main menu (advanced functions) LEFT arrow Displays the previous message RIGHT arrow Displays the next message 0..9 Selects message number ENTER Selects message or advances to the next one UP arrow Scrolls the message up one line DOWN arrow Scrolls the message down one line PgUp Scrolls the message up one screen PgDn Scrolls the message down one screen HOME Displays the beginning of the message END Moves to the end of the message CTL-C Leave editor REPLY F1 Enter a quoted reply F2 Enter a normal reply ESC Cancel reply LIST UP arrow Moves the highlight bar up one line DOWN arrow Moves the highlight bar down one line PgUp Scrolls the screen back one page PgDn Scrolls the screen forward one page ENTER Select current message, return to READ mode I Includes the highlighted message E Excludes the highlighted message A Includes all messages N Includes no messages (excludes all) P Includes all messages on the current page G Enters GROUP mode ESC Exits LIST mode, displaying the same message GROUP P Print all included messages K Kills (erases) all included messages ESC Exits GROUP mode, returns to LIST mode ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.03 ADVANCED FEATURES 184 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.03 ADVANCED FEATURES There are several other features available from DBEDIT; they include forwarding, copying, moving or printing messages, searching text and selecting alternate addresses or "AKA" usernames. To activate the EDITOR MENU, press ESC while in "READ" mode; the following menu will be displayed: Editor menu: UTILITIES SEARCH QUIT D'Bridge /--------------------\ 1.50/001002 /-READ/EDIT EM| Area information |------------------------------------------\ |Msg # 252 Wri| Forward message | | |Date: 11 Jun | Copy message | | |From: Chris I| Move message | | | To: Tom Ord| Print message |Bridge Support/Europe | |Subj: Greetin| Write msg to file | | |-------------| New username |------------------------------------------| |Hello Tom, | Use alias address | | | \--------------------/ | |I was just writing to let you know that I've been sitting out in the snow | |finishing the D'Bridge documentation. I think that you will find that it | |is well-written and quite clear. It's Thursday, so I'll be playing poker | |tonight... Give me a call when you get a chance tomorrow! | | | |Regards, | |Chris, 1:110/68 | | | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Following are descriptions of all the options available from the main editor menu: UTILITIES: AREA INFORMATION The AREA INFORMATION screen functions identically to the AREA CHANGE function described in the previous section. The difference is that AREA INFORMATION displays the number of messages, last read, low and high message numbers in each area. D'Bridge displays the areas that have new, unread mail in the selected BRIGHT color. Areas which have new mail have the HIGHEST message different than the LAST READ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.03 ADVANCED FEATURES 185 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information screen looks like this: /-AREA INFORMATION------------------------------------------------------------\ |# Name Description Low High LR Msgs| |0 NETMAIL Network mail area 16 1477 1471 190| |2 COMPLAIN Complaint Department 1 1458 1458 17| |4 DB_ALPHA D'Bridge ALPHA conference 279 1479 1479 268| |6 FTSC Technical standards committee 1 295 261 295| |7 NETDEV Network developer's conferenc 1 107 107 95| |10 SYSOP18 Region 18 Sysop conference 1 479 479 402| |11 ZMODEM ZMODEM conference 1 29 29 29| |12 ECHOECHO ECHOmail working group 1 3 3 3| |19 SYSOP135 NET 135 Sysop conference 1 178 175 15| |21 DBRIDGE D'Bridge ECHO 4 1332 1332 125| |22 QUICKBBS QuickBBS ECHO 130 1450 1450 199| |24 TBBS TBBS ECHO 621 1182 1080 102| |9999 BADECHO Bad ECHOmail area 1 1 1 1| | | | | | | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ UTILITIES: FORWARD MESSAGE The FORWARD MESSAGE option allows you to re-route or send a copy of the current message to another system. You simply enter the TO, ADDRESS and specify the priority and whether to keep a the original copy of the message. UTILITIES: COPY/MOVE MESSAGE The COPY and MOVE MESSAGE commands can only be used when you have specified alternate message areas. It will copy or move the current message from one area to another. UTILITIES: PRINT MESSAGE Assuming you have a printer connected to your "PRN" port, DBEDIT will print the current message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 5.03 ADVANCED FEATURES 186 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UTILITIES: WRITE MSG TO FILE The WRITE MSG TO FILE option allows you to export a message to a standard text file. This might be used to transfer data from D'Bridge to a word processor or spreadsheet. UTILITIES: NEW USERNAME If you have defined more than one USER NAME in the SETUP EDITOR PARAM- ETERS menu, you can select from any of these to be the current user. This is the same screen you receive when you first start the editor with more than one user defined. UTILITIES: ALIAS ADDRESSES For systems who have defined multiple ALIAS ADDRESSES on the BASIC CONFIGURATION menu, this function allows you to enter messages addressed from one of your aliases. SEARCH: HEADERS or TEXT The SEARCH HEADERS or TEXT options allow you to search through your messages for specific keywords. Simply enter the word to search for and D'Bridge will find and highlight all occurrences. QUIT: EXIT Terminates DBEDIT and returns to D'Bridge. QUIT: DROP/PUSH TO DOS PUSH TO DOS allows you to enter DOS commands and run other programs while DBEDIT is still in memory. Type "EXIT" to return to DBEDIT. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 6.00 UNDERSTANDING THE QUEUE 187 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.00 UNDERSTANDING THE QUEUE Everything D'Bridge does is based on the entries in the outbound queue window. Once you understand what the "queue" is and how it is organized, you will have a good overview of the program's structure. The "QUEUE" The outbound queue is a database containing entries for each of the systems that currently have "outbound" mail. When D'Bridge first starts, the outbound queue is created by scanning the NETmail area (either in Fido or QuickBBS format), then scanning the disk-based queue for polls, file-requests, etc. This database is then sorted by address and finally displayed in the bottom-left window. The queue can best be understood by disabling the SCHEDULE window so the entire QUEUE window will be displayed. (Press ALT-S to toggle the schedule window on and off). /-QUEUE----------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Destination Try/Con/Bad/Online Priorities/Pkt types Status | |*110/68.1 0 0 0 00:00 C N X M Hold/Unlisted | | 105/3 0 0 0 00:00 H X Hold | | 108/0 0 0 0 00:00 N F M Decision at 17:00| | 135/3 30 0 0 00:00 C X Try limit | | 135/142 1 1 0 00:32 Sent successfully| | 143/18 1 0 0 00:00 H X Hold | | 167/999 0 0 0 00:00 C M Hold/Unlisted | | 2:243/40 0 0 0 00:00 H X Hold | |*8:77/7 0 0 0 00:00 N T M Hold/Unlisted | \----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ To understand the queue, you simply need to have a good understanding of the individual fields: DESTINATION The destination is simply the Fidonet or FAX address of the system to contact. The destination is not always the "ultimate" destination due to possible routing, but is the system to be called. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 6.00 UNDERSTANDING THE QUEUE 188 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRY The try field simply shows how many times D'Bridge has tried to call the destination system during the current event. If there is a plus sign ( + ) behind the number, it has been manually reset this event by the operator. CON This field shows the number of actual connections (carrier detects) made as the result of outbound calls to the specified system. Inbound connections do not count in the CON field. Again, if there is a plus sign ( + ) after the number, it has been manually reset this event. BAD This field shows the number of failures encountered during outbound sessions this event. In general, a failure means it was a wasted phone call for one reason or another (generally, the reason or error is listed in the log file). Again, the plus sign after the number is an indication that it has been manually reset (using the ALT-V com- mand). ONLINE The online field keeps track of total connect time as a summation of all outbound connects. This field is not reset until the end of the current event. PRIORITIES The priorities field shows which priorities of mail are contained within the queue entry. This field may contain any or all of the following: I Immediate (Highest priority mail) C Crash (High priority mail) N Normal (Normal, budget priority mail) H Hold (Mail held for pickup) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 6.00 UNDERSTANDING THE QUEUE 189 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PACKET TYPES The packet type field contains what types of mail packets are contained within the queue entry. The field may contain any or all of the follow- ing: R Outbound AREAFIX request (ALT-R) T Transmit file(s) (ALT-T) F File-request(s) (ALT-F) P Poll (ALT-P) X XMAIL (Editor/BBS/ECHOmail) M NETmail (Editor/BBS) STATUS The STATUS field is most-likely the most important one to understand. If you are having trouble understanding why a mail packet is not being sent, the STATUS indication should be able to tell you exactly what is wrong. Please read and understand what the following status indications mean: Hold The mail can't be sent because "HOLD" is the only priority specified for the mail. (You told it to do this when you entered a message or set-up an ECHOmail area). Hold/Unlisted This indication means it is impossible to call this system because it is either not in your nodelist or it is listed as "unpublished". The destination system must call in for its mail or you need to get a nodelist containing its phone number. Max cost hold The cost of the message you want to send (as indicated in the editor) exceeds the maximum allowed during the current event. Temporary hold This means the operator has used the VIEW/MODIFY QUEUE mode to set the entry's status to "hold". To send the message, select ALT-V again and specify "SEND". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 6.00 UNDERSTANDING THE QUEUE 190 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Forced hold This means the operator has specified a forced priority of hold at some time in the past. This may be changed by using the ALT-V command to remove the "forced" status. Priority hold This means the given mail event does not allow the specified priority of mail to be transmitted. (This is related to the PRIORITIES field in the advanced routing of the schedule). Not a CM system In this event, you have specified that only those systems with a "CM" (continuous mail) flag may be called. (Again, this is a function of the advanced routing screen of the scheduler). CM not allowed In this event you have told D'Bridge not to call any "CM" systems. Decision at 17:00 This means that because of the cost-control data, no outbound call may be placed to this address until at least 17:00. At 17:00, a decision will be made as to whether it may be called or not. This is the mechanism which allows D'Bridge to call-out only at the most economical times for normal priority mail. If you want the mail to be sent now, you should use a higher priority or change the cost- control data in the ACCOUNTING/TRANSLATION screen. Try limit This means D'Bridge has exceeded the maximum number of times allowed to try calling the remote system. Typically, you are not charged for non-connects, but you might want a limit on how many tries (gotta give up sometime... ). Session limit You have reached the maximum number of sessions allowed within the given event. In the case of long-distance systems, this has most- likely saved you a wasted phone call, making too many ECHOmail calls in the same event... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 6.00 UNDERSTANDING THE QUEUE 191 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Failure limit This means you have reached the maximum failures (bad sessions) allowed for the event. Maybe something is wrong with the remote system? Picked up This means all mail has been successfully picked up by the remote system. This saves D'Bridge the trouble and expense of making the call itself. Sent successfully This means you called the other system, sent the mail and all went well. All mail is confirmed as delivered to the "destination" sys- tem; remember that routed mail is now in the hands of another operator and is not 100% guaranteed to arrive. ---------- The dashes (-----) mean that the packet is ready to be sent, now. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 6.01 CREATING A PRIVATE NODELIST 192 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.01 CREATING A PRIVATE NODELIST Without a nodelist, D'Bridge can not make outbound EMAIL calls. Your nodelist tells D'Bridge which systems it can communicate with and contains information such as name, phone number and baud rate. Nodelists are text files that can be created by any standard text editor. It lists ZONES, NETS and NODES, one per line, using the "St. Louis format", the same style used by Fidonet, Alternet and many other public EMAIL networks. You may specify any number of St. Louis or private nodelists in D'Bridge. Here's a sample NODELIST for a bogus private network: ,HOST,1720,Main_System,Cincinnati_OH,Rancy_Neagan,1-513-777-0007,9600,CM ,1,New_York_Office,Bronx_NY,Quan_Dale,1-202-555-9343,2400,CM ,4,Western_Division,Los_Angeles,Clinn_Billton,1-714-555-5286,2400,CM ,6,XYZ_Canada,Quebec,Lawrence_DeLaMouche,1-418-555-2811,2400,CM ,15,European_Office,The_Hague_NL,Luud_Rubbers,31-70-452121,9600,CM ,20,Moscow_Bureau,Moscow_USSR,Joris_Beltsin,!Unlisted,2400,CM This example defined a HOST system and 5 nodes in NET 1720. Unless a ZONE directive is specified, NET 1720 will be in whatever zone you are in. Notice the format of the text file; no spaces are allowed. All underscore characters "_" will be translated to spaces when the information is displayed. Each field is separated by commas. The following format is used for the "St. Louis format" nodelist: KEYWORD,NUMBER,NAME,CITY,OPERATOR,PHONE,BAUD,FLAGS KEYWORD The KEYWORD directive may be blank or contain any of the following values: ZONE The ZONE keyword marks the start of a new ZONE and NET (both with the same number). It also defines the NODE that is the ZONE coordinator. POINT Specifies that this entry is a POINT of the previously specified NODE. HOST The HOST keyword defines the start of a new NET number and defines its HOST (a HOST has a NODE number of zero). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 6.01 CREATING A PRIVATE NODELIST 193 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REGION The REGION keyword is identical to HOST with the exception that no mail will be automatically routed through the "HOST" node. This is mainly used when the NET covers more than one geographic area. HUB The HUB keyword defines the start of a routing group. A HUB acts as the HOST to receive in- coming mail for all nodes listed after it. PVT Defines that the listed node is private and does not have a listed phone number. If a system's phone number is not listed, this keyword MUST be used. DOWN Defines that the listed node is down and should not be added to the database. NUMBER This specifies the NODE number of the listed node UNLESS the KEYWORD is ZONE, HOST or REGION; in these cases, the NUMBER defines the ZONE and/or NET, depending. NAME Defines the name of the system. D'Bridge truncates NAMES to 25 characters. Underscores "_" will be translated to spaces for display. CITY Specifies the city where the system is located. Again, underscores "_" translate to spaces. OPERATOR Defines the name of the primary system operator. Under- scores "_" translate to spaces. PHONE List the ENTIRE phone number including the COUNTRY CODE, AREA CODE and PHONE NUMBER separated with dashes. "-" For example: 1-305-232-9365 or 38-52-592831 BAUD Specify the MAXIMUM BAUD RATE for the system. May be either 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600 or 19200. FLAGS A free-form field that may contain additional information about the system. Include the characters "CM" if you wish to designate a system as CONTINUOUS MAIL (24-hours) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 6.02 DUTIES OF A NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR 194 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.02 DUTIES OF A NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR Every network must have an "administrator" or anarchy would certainly prevail! This chapter briefly outlines which duties the administrator of any private network should perform. Remember, these are just guidelines. 1) The NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR is generally responsible for daily operation of the network. This means any problems are reported directly to the administrator. Obviously, a very large network would sub-divide the support into several regional administrators who would try to field all problems if they could. 2) The NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR is responsible for the maintenance of the nodelist. Any systems added, changed or deleted must have these changes reflected in the nodelist and the new nodelist updates must be sent to all systems in the network. 3) The general structure and routing used in the network must be either designed or approved by the NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR. He must be kept informed of all aspects of the network so that he can "keep a handle on it..." 4) The NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR will assign NET and NODE numbers unless that responsibility is divided into different regions and handled by the regional administrators. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 7.00 DBUTIL / UTILITY PROGRAM 195 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.00 DBUTIL / UTILITY PROGRAM D'Bridge comes with a utility program called DBUTIL; it allows you to automate routine file-transfers and maintenance. DBUTIL is located in your D'Bridge directory. If D'Bridge is running, it should be taken off-line or shut down before running any DBUTIL tasks. Any BBS or third-party utilities should also be taken off-line. The following parameters are used when running DBUTIL. If no parameters are specified, then the most frequently-used commands are displayed. SEND The DBUTIL SEND command adds TRANSMIT-FILE entries to the disk-based queue. Files will be sent directly to the destination system with no routing. The syntax for the SEND command is: C:\DB> DBUTIL [priority] SEND
... ie. C:\DB> DBUTIL CRASH SEND 18/68.5 HOMEWORK.TXT C:\DB> DBUTIL HOLD SEND 18/20 DB-140*.ZIP DBNET.Z56 REQUEST The DBUTIL REQUEST command adds FILE-REQUEST entries to the disk-based queue. The file-request will be sent immediately or during the next applicable mail event, depending on the priority you specify. Following is the syntax for REQUEST: C:\DB> DBUTIL [priority] REQUEST
... ie. C:\DB> DBUTIL CRASH REQUEST 2:280/280 FILES ABOUT C:\DB> DBUTIL REQUEST 135/14 GOODGAME.ZIP MONOPOLY.ZIP POLL The DBUTIL POLL commands adds a POLL entry to the disk-based queue. Depending on the priority, the system will be called either immediately or during the next applicable mail event. When you POLL a system, D'Bridge will call to see if you have any mail waiting. The syntax for POLL is: C:\DB> DBUTIL [priority] POLL
ie. C:\DB> DBUTIL IMMEDIATE POLL 1:105/3 PURGE The DBUTIL PURGE command will purge the specified message areas or all of them if you don't list any AREA NAMES. The purge will scan each message area and purge (and archive) the messages based on the criteria specified in the LOCAL/ECHOMAIL AREAS screen and CONFIG-PACKET/MAIL CONTROL. The syntax for the PURGE command is: C:\DB> DBUTIL PURGE [areaname] [areaname] ... [areaname] ie. C:\DB> DBUTIL PURGE Purges all of the Echomail areas. C:\DB> DBUTIL PURGE POLITICS SCIENCE ART Purges only the POLITICS, SCIENCE and ART areas. Note that if a message area DOES NOT have any purging criteria, it will NOT be purged. SORT AREAS If you wish to reorganize the areas in your LOCAL/ECHOMAIL AREAS screen, you may use the SORT AREAS command. This will sort and renumber your areas by SORT GROUP and TAG. Before using this command, make sure you specify SORT GROUPS for all the areas and group them together in a logical manner. The syntax is: C:\DB> DBUTIL SORT AREAS Be warned that if you have a large number of Echomail areas, it may take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes, depending on the speed of your computer. CHANGE The CHANGE command tells DBUTIL to make mass-changes to your Echomail setup, based on the option you select: CHANGE [option] [newvalue] Options: ALERTFLAG [value] - The "Alert" status flag. 0-9, A-Z. GROUPACCESS [value] - The group access character. 0-9, A-Z. GROUPSORT [value] - The group sort character, usually 0-9. AREASECURITY [value] - The security level. 0 to 5000. PURGE [value] - Purge except OR purge after days. If you are purging in days, specify a negative value, ie. 7 days should be "-7" PRESERVE [value] - Messages to preserve. AKA [value] - Network address. The following addition criteria can be set: JUNK [value] - Change junk filter ON or OFF. ISOLATE [value] - Change Isolate Processing ON or OFF. SUSPEND [value] - Change Suspend status ON or OFF. FORCED [value] - Change Forced status ON or OFF. PERMANENT [value] - Change Permanent status ON or OFF. Examples: C:\DB> DBUTIL CHANGE ALERTFLAG A ALERTFLAG B Changes all areas with alert flag "A" to alert flag "B" C:\DB> DBUTIL CHANGE GROUPACCESS A GROUPACCESS Z Changes all areas in group "A" to group "Z" C:\DB> DBUTIL CHANGE PURGE -14 PRESERVE 50 Changes all areas with a 14 day purge value to also have a preserve value of 50. C:\DB> DBUTIL CHANGE SECURITY 50 JUNK ON Changes all areas matching security level 50 to have the Junk Filter enabled. DELETE Deletes areas from your Echomail database based on your criteria. Use with caution. DELETE [option] Options: ALERTFLAG [value] - The "Alert" status flag. 0-9, A-Z. GROUPACCESS [value] - The group access character. 0-9, A-Z. GROUPSORT [value] - The group sort character, usually 0-9. AREASECURITY [value] - The security level. 0 to 5000. PURGE [value] - Purge except OR purge after days. If you are purging in days, specify a negative value, ie. 7 days should be "-7" PRESERVE [value] - Messages to preserve. AKA [value] - Network address. Examples: C:\DB> DBUTIL DELETE ALERTFLAG A Deletes all Echomail areas that have alert flag "A" C:\DB> DBUTIL DELETE AREASECURITY 5000 Deletes all Echomail areas that have a group security of 5000. DESCFILE The DESCFILE command tells DBUTIL to change all the descriptions of the Echomail database to match those found in a text file. The text file should be in ".NA" format, meaning the area tag, at least one space, and then the description. ie. C:\DB> DBUTIL DESCFILE C:\DBRIDGE\FIDONET.NA MOVE MOVE will take any address you specify, and "move" the Queue entry to a directory of your choice. The MOVE command should be used after any queue-manipulating commands such as POLL and SEND. MOVE [address] [directory] ie. C:\DB> DBUTIL MOVE 1:229/426.1 F:\LAN\SOMEONE C:\DB> DBUTIL MOVE 1:229/2000 C:\ROBERT C:\DB> DBUTIL MOVE 2:2/0 C:\WARD GENBINK GENBINK will generate a ".FLO" file. This command is for advanced users only and should not be used under normal circumstances. SHOWDEADECHOES [days] will produce a log of any Echomail areas that have not had any traffic in them in the specified number of days. This is saved in a plain ASCII text file called DEADECHO.LOG containing just the Echomail tags, a space, and their description if available. That text file can be used as part of any "robot" reporting process or anything else you can think of. REMOVEDEADECHOES [days] will actually remove the dead echo, ie. DBUTIL REMOVEDEADECHOES 90. The dead echoes are logged to a different file called NUKEECHO.LOG as per the above command. The above two commands use the "Last Accessed Date" to keep track of the last time mail was received in an Echomail area. The command RESETLASTACCESSEDDATE, will reset all of your Echomail "last accessed" dates to todays date. NUKEFROMFILE C:\DB\NUKEAREA.TXT will delete any areas specified in the given file. The file would contain the list of areas you wish to have the DBUTIL program delete, one line at a time. AREAFIX AREAFIXLIST AREAFIXOVERRIDE AREAFIXLISTOVERRIDE AREAFIXRESCAN AREAFIXRESCANLIST AREAFIXRESCANOVERRIDE AREAFIXRESCANLISTOVERRIDE FILEFIX FILEFIXLIST FILEFIXOVERRIDE FILEFIXLISTOVERRIDE These various commands allow you to "fake" such requests from the DOS prompt as if that system was sending you a request normally. D'Bridge will process these requests the next time it has to toss mail; note that due to the way D'Bridge tosses mail, only one Areafix or Filefix request can be pending at a time, per system. That means that if you run this command for a system and there is already an existing Areafix/Filefix request waiting to be processed for that Sysop, this command will fail. When no areas are specified, a notification of the currently subscribed areas is generated. Now AREAFIXRESCAN is exactly the same as AREAFIX, except that an Areafix request to add an area is given the "rescan" flag. Your system must specifically support the rescanning of messages - If you are manipulating your messages via a BBS or 3rd-party software, it may not be possible to process a rescan-request for systems with DBUTIL AREAFIXRESCAN. Areafix/Filefix requests generated from DBUTIL will be given NORMAL priority with NO "override" authority (as in, not the same as pressing ALT+N from the mailer). This means, a request is "faked" along with permissions. This was designed to specifically aid in troubleshooting or testing Areafix/Filefix requests. Requests will follow the security levels you specifically define in CONFIG - AREAS, CONFIG - PACKET/MAIL CONTROL and CONFIG - FILEECHO SETUP. Here are some examples (assuming my system address, 1:229/426) C:\DB> DBUTIL AREAFIX 1:229/427 This will send a notification list from my system, 1:229/426, to a downlink of mine, 1:229/427, containing all of the currently connected Echomail areas. C:\DB> DBUTIL FILEFIX 1:229/427 This will send a notification list from 1:229/426 to 1:229/427 of the currently connected EchoFILE/TIC areas. C:\DB> DBUTIL AREAFIX 1:229/427 DBRIDGE FN_SYSOP -STATS Fakes an Areafix request from 1:229/427 to 1:229/426, requesting the DBRIDGE and FN_SYSOP echoes, but dropping STATS. C:\DB> DBUTIL AREAFIXRESCAN 1:229/427 -FIDONEWS CHAT Fakes an Areafix request from 1:229/427 to 1:229/426, requesting the CHAT echo with a message rescan, and dropping FIDONEWS. ERASE QUICKBASE CONFIRM This command will completely erase and "reset" the QuickBBS/GoldBase databases. Only use this command if it is absolutely necessary. EXPORT AREAS.BBS This will export an AREAS.BBS file. Use EXPORTZP if you need to export this file to show Zones and Points. EXPORT AREAS.JTT This will export a file containing "Just the tags" (Echomail conference names) EXPORT AREAS.JTD This will export a file containing the Echomail tags (conference names), a space, then the Fido *.MSG directories. Passthru or non *.MSG areas will be ignored. EXPORT AREAS.JTA This will export a file containing the Echomail tags (conference names), a space, and the ASCII last-accessed date. EXPORT AREAS.JFD This will export a file containing the Fido *.MSG directories only. Passthru or non *.MSG areas will be ignored. EXPORT AREAS.JAD This will export a file containing the Echomail area names and their descriptions. POST [Area] [From] [To] [Subject] [File with body] [MsgID Y/N] This command will write the contents of a text-file to an Echomail area of your choice. The Echomail area must not be a Passthru area. Any spaces in From, To or Subject must be replaced with underscore characters, ie. Test_Subject_Line to become Test Subject Line. If you do not want a MSGID kludge, specify "N" as the last parameter. ie. DBUTIL POST 229426HS Nick_Andre All Hourly_Stats ECHOMAIL.LOG If you want the messages posted to scan-out right away, you should run DBUTIL COMMIT afterwards. This will tell D'Bridge to only scan the areas that had the POST command executed. Alternatively you may create the dummy file DBRIDGE.RSE to force a complete outbound-scan or in the mailer use ESC-Utilities-Process Mail. NETMAIL [FromAddr] [ToAddr] [From] [To] [Subject] [File with body] This will send a NETmail message much like the DBUTIL POST command. DBUTIL NETMAIL "commits" right away and the Queue will be rescanned when this command is used. ie. DBUTIL NETMAIL 1:229/426 2:292/854 Nick_Andre Ward_Dossche A_Funny_Joke FUNNY.TXT Note that FromAddr and ToAddr can be *any* valid Fidonet address, not just ones defined on your system. This may be useful for testing in-transit message routing or "tracker" software. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 7.01 MESSAGE STORAGE 196 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.01 MESSAGE STORAGE D'Bridge currently supports two methods for storing EMAIL messages on your hard drive: /----------+------------------------------------------------------------\ | FIDO/MSG | Messages will be stored in Fido *.MSG format. Choose for | | | compatibility with most 3rd-party editors and utilities. | | | Messages will be stored in individual files. | | | | | QUICKBBS | Messages will be stored in QuickBBS/Hudson or GoldBase | | | databases; a series of index, header and message files. | | | Recommended only if you are running BBS software that | | | will specifically use those databases. | \----------+------------------------------------------------------------/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 7.02 USING THE SCRIPTING LANGUAGE 197 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.02 USING THE SCRIPTING LANGUAGE D'Bridge includes a powerful scripting language allowing it to use alternate carriers such as packet-switched networks rather than normal telephone connections. This can be used with any carrier such as Tele- net's PC-Pursuit or your private Satellite uplink service. Any data carrier capable of 8-bit, no parity, full duplex communication may be used with D'Bridge. The reason for using an alternate carrier is usu- ally to save money on your phone bill. The scripting language connects two D'Bridge systems through any form of data link that is compatible. In the U.S.A., the most common example for using scripts is PC-Pursuit, so I'll use that as an example. Script files are text-files created by any standard text editor and contain keywords telling D'Bridge exactly what to do. It is important to have a good understanding of the carrier you intend to use before designing your script file; this is necessary for a good understanding of all the terms used here - it's not that simple. To use a script file, you will need to have a PHONE NUMBER TRANSLATION or OVERRIDE for each area code or system you intend to use. With PC- Pursuit, this currently requires 40 translation strings, one for each city served. I intend to use an indexed database in a future release to eliminate this necessity, but that's later. For now, use a trans- lation in the following format: cc-aaa- "script.fil"xxxxx- Where "cc" is the COUNTRY CODE, "aaa" is the AREA CODE, and "xxxxx" is the translated AREA CODE (or in the case of PC-Pursuit, the city des- ignator). As an example, use the following PHONE NUMBER TRANSLATION to reach the Miami, Florida area: 1-305- "PCP.SCR"FLMIA- This will translate ALL 305 area codes to use the script file. Needless to say, not all of area code 305 is PC-Pursuitable, so if you need to contact other cities in our area code, you will need to specify previous translation or override strings (the upcoming index file will eliminate the need for these translations altogether). Assuming you now have 305 translated to use the PCP.SCR script file, you now must create this file and put it in your defined SCRIPT PATH (SCRIPT PATH is defined on the DIRECTORY PATHS setup screen). With D'Bridge, it is possible to use one script file for ALL the "pursuitable" cities, though you will need one for each baud rate desired. Following is a detailed description of the scripting language keywords and their meaning (see the next chapter for a specific example and explanation using PC-Pursuit): ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 7.02 USING THE SCRIPTING LANGUAGE 198 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Syntax: ABORT Example: ABORT 6:00 18:00 The ABORT keyword causes the script to abort immediately if the time is between the and specified. This is handy for making sure no script calls are made outside predefined hours. Syntax: AREACODE The AREACODE keyword causes D'Bridge to transmit the AREA CODE field of the phone number. This is separated from the PHONE NUMBER by a dash "-" and is sent with no carriage return or other characters. For PC-Pursuit, this is usually substituted with the city code (such as FLMIA). Syntax: BAUD Example: BAUD 1200 The BAUD keyword changes the current baud rate to the specified value. By default, it will be the baud rate of the destination system. Syntax: CARRIER When the CARRIER keyword is encountered, the script file is aborted unless a carrier is detected at this point. This is handy for ensuring you have a carrier when you think you should. Syntax: COMM Example: COMM 7E1 The COMM keyword configures the communication port for the setting specified. In this example, it is set for 7 data bits, even parity and 1 stop bit. The following are supported: 1 - 1 stop bit N - No parity 2 - 2 stop bits E - Even parity 7 - 7 data bits O - Odd parity 8 - 8 data bits ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D'Bridge 4 7.02 USING THE SCRIPTING LANGUAGE 199 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Syntax: CONNECT The CONNECT keyword sets the CONNECT count for the given packet is increased by one. This is used in conjunction with the maximum connects limit defined for the current mail event. Syntax: DIAL Example: DIAL 555-2939 The DIAL keyword causes D'Bridge to dial the specified and wait for a CONNECT, BUSY or NO CARRIER field just like when dialing normally. If a non-connect message is received, the script is aborted. Syntax: DIRECT Example: DIRECT 6:00 18:00 The DIRECT keyword will cause D'Bridge to abort the script file and dial direct (using your phone company) between the times specified. This is useful for switching between script and telephone company use depending on the time of day. Syntax: DOS Example: DOS ibm_uucp 2400 The DOS keyword is seldom used, but it enables you to execute any DOS command from within a script file. In this example, the program "IBM_UUCP" is executed with a parameter of 2400. Syntax: GOTO