Stars of Shareware: DFÜ und Kommunikation

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Stars of Shareware: DFÜ und Kommunikation / SOS-DFUE.ISO / programm / dos / mailbox / mbbstd / qwkstart.asc < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1993-09-17 | 104.7 KB | 2,688 lines

The Major BBS Professional Bulletin Board System Quick Start Booklet Galacticomm, Inc. Offices: (305) 583-5990 4101 SW 47th Avenue Sales: (800) 328-1128 Suite 101 Tech Support: (305) 321-2404 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33314 BBS: (305) 583-7808 U.S.A. Fax: (305) 583-7846 Copyright (c) 1993 Galacticomm, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this document, The Major BBS, or the Test Drive of The Major BBS may be reproduced or stored in any medium without prior written authorization from Galacticomm, Inc., except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review for a newspaper or magazine. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. This document and any related software are sold "as is". Galacticomm, Inc. makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents of this document, or to the software described, and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Liability for the information in this document, and for the software described herein, shall be limited to the purchase price of the document or software. The Major BBS is a registered trademark of Galacticomm, Inc. Galacticomm, the Galacticomm logo, Advaned LAN Option, BBSDRAW, CNF, Dial-Out, Entertainment Collection, Fax/Online, GalactiBoard, GalactiBox, Locks and Keys, Major Gateway/Internet, Menu Tree, 976-BBS, RIPscip Add-on Option, Search and Retrieve, Shopping Mall, The Major Database, User Six-Pack, and X.25 Software Option are trademarks of Galacticomm, Inc. RIPscrip is a trademark of TeleGrafix Communications, Inc. All other products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. ii ════════════════ C O N T E N T S ════════════════ Chapter 1 GET YOUR BBS UP AND RUNNING ............................. 1 What Do I Do First? ..................................... 2 Install The Major BBS Software .......................... 2 Which Model BBS Fits You? ............................... 4 The Major BBS Introductory Menu ......................... 4 Give Your BBS a Name .................................... 5 "GO!" -- Bring Your BBS Online .......................... 6 The Sysop Console: A Summary ............................ 6 A Room with Many Views .................................. 8 Commands at the Sysop Console ........................... 9 Local Login as Sysop ................................... 10 Change Your Sysop Password ............................. 11 Things You Can Do Online ............................... 12 Remote Sysop Control ................................... 13 Shutting Down .......................................... 14 Chapter 2 INTRODUCTION TO SECURITY AND MENUS ..................... 15 Things You Can Restrict ................................ 16 As Simple as Locks and Keys (tm) ....................... 16 How Do Users Get Keys? ................................. 17 Every User Has Class ................................... 17 Switching a User's Class ............................... 18 Modifying and Creating Classes ......................... 19 Security and Accounting Options ........................ 20 Your "Menu Tree" ....................................... 20 What's on the Menu? .................................... 21 Editing Menu Pages ..................................... 22 Editing Module Pages ................................... 23 Editing File Pages ..................................... 24 Adding New Pages ....................................... 25 Deleting Pages ......................................... 26 Editing How Your Menu Looks ............................ 26 Editing Other Text in Your BBS ......................... 27 iii Chapter 3 DOING THINGS WITH YOUR BBS ............................. 28 Signing Up New Users ................................... 28 Electronic Mail ........................................ 29 Attachments and Transferring Files ..................... 30 Forums (Public Message Areas) .......................... 30 A Quick Tour of Forum Commands ......................... 31 Creating New Forums .................................... 32 The File Library ....................................... 33 Things You Can Do in the Library ....................... 33 Creating New Libs ...................................... 35 Teleconferencing ....................................... 36 Registry of Users ...................................... 36 Polls and Questionnaires ............................... 37 A Little Bit about Doors ............................... 37 Other Things to Reference .............................. 38 Chapter 4 COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ........................... 39 My modem doesn't seem to work. What do I do? .......... 39 Should I backup my BBS? When and how? ................. 39 What is "Auto-Cleanup"? ................................ 40 Can I use a CD-ROM with The Major BBS? ................. 40 How do I check uploads for viruses? .................... 41 Can I run my BBS under Windows? ........................ 41 Can I connect to the Internet with The Major BBS? ...... 41 How do I use add-ons with my BBS? ...................... 41 Where can I get free sample add-ons for my BBS? ........ 42 Can I use RIPscrip graphics with my BBS? ............... 42 If I have the Test Drive, should I buy The Major BBS ... 42 iv ┌───────┐ ┌─────────────┤ 1 ├─────────────┐ │ └───────┘ │ │ Get Your BBS Up And Running │ │ │ └───────────────────────────────────┘ Hello, and thank you for choosing The Major BBS! The BBS is a wonderful tool for allowing people to communicate with each other at their convenience. Whether you intend to use it to build contacts, share ideas, distribute computer files, conduct market surveys, publish documents, support customers, or create a profitable info-tainment service, you will find it friendly, flexible, and powerful. This Quick Start Booklet will get you on-the-air fast. It will also explain some of the basic concepts of security and menus, and tell you ways you can tailor the BBS to your needs. Throughout this booklet, we will occasionally refer to pages in The Major BBS System Operations Manual. If you want a more in-depth discussion of a particular topic, you will find it there. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ You do not have the System Operations Manual │ Test │ yet, as we only provide it when you purchase │ Drive │ the full package. However, this booklet will │ Users │ tell you everything you need to give the BBS │ │ a good "test drive." │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────┘ MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: You must have an IBM-AT/386/486 class computer with MS-DOS 3.3 or higher, a minimum of 2MB of memory, and a hard disk drive with at least 30MB of free space remaining. Now, let's get started... 1 What Do I Do First? First, you should hook up your modem(s) to your computer. If you already have an internal or external modem installed, skip to the next step. Otherwise, make sure you have a Hayes-compatible internal or external modem. You can use modems with speeds of up to 38.4K bps, including those that have data compression and error correction features. Internal modems get installed in a slot in your PC. External modems get connected by a serial cable to an available serial port on your PC. The Major BBS works equally well with both types of modems, and the software setup procedure is the same. See your modem's manual for details about physical installation. NOTE: Make sure that you don't configure two devices on the same COM port. For example, if you already have a mouse connected to a COM1 serial port, configure your internal modem for COM2, COM3, or COM4 instead. Tips & Tricks ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ You will need a separate phone line for │ │ each modem you want to connect to your │ │ BBS. Make sure the "line" jack on each │ │ modem is connected to an active jack on │ │ the wall. │ │ │ │ Also, to support more than two users │ │ simultaneously, you will need additional │ │ User Six-Pack licenses from Galacticomm. │ └──────────────────────────────────────────┘ If you are going to use multi-user hardware to connect lots of modems to your BBS, please consult the installation manual for that hardware. This applies to GalactiBoards, GalactiBoxes, and other multi-port serial cards. Install The Major BBS Software BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Modify your CONFIG.SYS file to have a line that reads: FILES=127 This will allow the BBS to open many files at the same time. NOTE: You will also want to remove any memory managers or TSR programs in your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files. They might conflict with The Major BBS's own memory management. We also recommend that you do not use hard drive caching software for disk "writes." Be sure to reboot your computer after you make these changes. This next step is the easiest! Just take DISK 1, put it in your floppy drive and from the DOS prompt on your hard drive type: A:INSTALL Or, if you're installing from B:, type: B:INSTALL The installation process will ask you which drive and directory you want the BBS located. It will recommend \BBSV6 on your current drive. Just hit <Enter> to continue. Along the way, you will be prompted to insert the other floppy disk(s). Next, you will be asked for your activation code, which is located inside the front cover of your System Operations Manual. ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ The default directory for the Test Drive │ Test │ Drive is \MBBSTD. │ Drive │ │ Users │ You will not be asked for an activation │ │ code. │ └──────────────────────────────────────────┘ After that, BBSetup will run to automatically detect the communications hardware on your computer. You can interactively choose which devices your BBS will use. (Make sure your external modems are turned on for this.) Finally, you will be asked to choose one of the five Model BBSes that we have preconfigured for you. 3 Which Model BBS Fits You? To get your bulletin board operational fast, we've prepared five model BBSes for you to choose from: PUBLIC MODEL Anyone can call and get access immediately CUSTOMER-SERVICE MODEL Support your customers and get their feedback SIGN-UP MODEL New callers can sign up, you approve them later PRIVATE MODEL You specify exactly who can log on FOR-PROFIT MODEL Users pay for using your service Each of these is like a model home, fully furnished and ready for you to move in. You aren't constraining your system at all when you choose one of these. (In fact, you can change to another model later, and reasonable things will happen.) So for now, pick the one that you think most closely matches your needs. A little bit further on, we'll explain how you can modify it to your exact requirements, if you need to. o For more detailed information about these models, see pages 66-74 in the System Operations Manual. The Major BBS Introductory Menu Now your installation should be complete, and you will be at the BBS Introductory Menu. This is the "offline" part of your BBS. From here you can choose to configure your BBS, run a number of reports and utilities, bring your BBS "online," or return to DOS. Your BBS won't answer incoming calls until you go online. For now, select "0" to end the program and return to DOS. Whenever you want to run The Major BBS, just type "BBS" from the DOS prompt in your BBS directory. This will bring you back to the Introductory Menu. Go ahead and type it now. 4 Give Your BBS a Name Configuring the way your BBS looks and works is very easy. We'll take a quick tour of the Configuration Options now by giving your BBS a name. From the Introductory Menu, select "4" for Configuration Options. The first option will ask you if you want to default to "expert mode" when you use the configuration utility. DEFINED: Expert mode in the configuration utility means that each option will only be shown with a one-line description. The advantage of this is that you can see a lot of options in your configuration window. When you are not in "expert mode," each option will also have an explanatory paragraph or two above it. You can hit <F1> in the utility to toggle "expert mode" on and off. For now, just hit the <down arrow> key once to move to the next option. This will be your "BBS Name." Hit <F2> to clear the option and type in the name you want your BBS to be called. You can now hit the <down arrow> to browse through more configuration options. The next few let you enter your company name and address for use throughout your BBS. Once you've made these first couple of changes, hit <F10> to save and exit. Now it's truly your BBS. o For more detailed information on Configuration Options, see pages 103-131 in the System Operations Manual. 5 "GO!" -- Bring Your BBS Online All right, you're ready to go on-the-air. Select "5" for GO! and bring your BBS online. Tips & Tricks ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │ If you want to bring the BBS online │ │ from a batch file, maybe even your │ │ AUTOEXEC.BAT at boot time, you can │ │ use the command: │ │ │ │ BBS GO │ │ │ │ This will bypass the Introductory │ │ Menu and bring your BBS on the air │ │ right away. │ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ The BBS will crank away for 10 seconds or so as it initializes and then you will be up and running. On your console, you will see the Sysop "Summary" screen, giving you an overview of system activity. We'll take a closer look at what everything means on that screen next. DEFINED: The System Operator of a BBS (you!) is referre to as the Sysop (pronounced: s-is-op, where the "i" is short). We will use that name throughout this document, and it is the User-ID you will be known as on your BBS. The Sysop Console: A Summary The Sysop console is one of the most impressive aspects of The Major BBS. It gives you a lot of control in monitoring what is happening on your system. From here you can log into the BBS (just as if you had dialed in over a modem), examine usage statistics, edit user accounts, "peek over the shoulder" of a user, and much more. When you bring the BBS online (GO! from the Introductory Menu) the Sysop console will be set on the Summary screen. This is the most complex screen because it offers short-hand versions of many things. Here's a brief explanation of what is displayed: 6 User Matrix: Audit Trail Summary: This box shows the This box shows the nine status of all channels most recent audit trail on the BBS. entries. | | \|/ \|/ ╔═ Users ════════════╦═ Audit Trail ═══════════════════════════════════╗═══════╗ ║ ┌0123456789ABCDEF┐ ║ 11:39 06/01/92 USER LOGON AT 2400bps ║Account║ ║0│?#.■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ║ 11:40 06/01/92 NEW USER SIGNUP ║═══════╝ ║1│*?■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ║ 11:41 06/01/92 E-MAIL ATTACHMENT DOWNLOAD ║ Audit ║ ║2│...■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ║ 11:42 06/01/92 NEW USER SIGNUP ║═══════╝ ║3│*?.■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ║ 11:55 06/01/92 USER LOGON VIA LAN (IPXD) ║Emulate║ ║4│*T.■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ║ 12:18 06/01/92 LIBRARY FILE DOWNLOAD ║═══════╝ ║5│.■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ║ 12:25 06/01/92 USER LOGON AT 2400bps ║ Stats ║ ║6│#..■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ║ 12:33 06/01/92 FORUM ATTACHMENT UPLOAD ║═══════╝ ║7│!..■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ║ 12:34 06/01/92 USER LOGON AT 2400bps ║Monitor║ ║8│...■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ╠═ System Usage ═════════╦═ System Variables ═════╩═══════╗ ║9│..?■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ║100 ║ 12:35 06/01/92 Summary║ ║A│-..■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ║ 80 ▄▄▄ ║ System Loading: 16% ╔═══════╝ ║B│-..■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ║ 60 ▄██▄▄ ▄▄█▄████ ║ HD Room Avail: 47 Mb ║ Users ║ ║C│.T■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ║ 40 ▄▄▄████████████████ ║ Memory Avail: 2338 Kb ║═══════╝ ║D│..■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ║ 20████████████████████ ║ Active Accnts: 1684 ║ About ║ ║E│!..■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ║ 0████████████████████ ║ Tot Dnloads: 5692 ║═══════╝ ║F│?..■■■■■■■■■■■■■│ ║ 45 00 15 30 ║ Tot Uploads: 43787 ║ TAB ╠═╧════════════════╧═╩════════════════════════╩════════════════════════╩═══════╗ ║ Detail info on User-ID: Donald P. Brinker ║ ║ Post 18000 FREE credits to User-ID: Christine Stryker ║ ║ Display current system loading in position 1 ║ ╠═══════╤═══════╤═══════╤═══════╦══════╤═══════╤═══════╤═══════╦═══════╤═══════╣ ║ help │ send │display│ post ║detail│set msg│ login │ ║ │ kill ║ ╚═ F1 ══╧═ F2 ══╧═ F3 ══╧═ F4 ══╩═ F5 ═╧══ F6 ═╧═ F7 ══╧═ F8 ══╩═ F9 ══╧═ F10 ═╝ /|\ /|\ | | System Usage Graph: Real-Time Statistics: This graph shows what This box displays stats percentage of the BBS was for memory available, number in use for the preceding of open E-mail messages, etc., 60 minutes. as well as time and date. You can hit the <F1> key to see context-sensitive help about the Summary screen. Help also includes a legend of what the short-hand characters in the User Matrix box represent. There are other function-key commands displayed at the bottom of the screen that let you do things like look up accounts and disconnect channels. We'll get to those in a little bit. 7 A Room with Many Views There are seven other "screens" on the console. You can use the <Tab> key to flip down through them, or the <Shift-Tab> key to flip upwards. You can also get directly to any of the eight screens with a single <Alt-letter> keystroke. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Key Screen Description │ ├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ALT-A User Account Detail Displays information about the last │ │ user account you looked up with the │ │ "detail" command. │ ├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ALT-D Audit Trail Detail Displays an audit trail of events that │ │ happened on your BBS, such as logons, │ │ logoffs, menu selections, and more. │ ├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ALT-E Emulate a User's This lets you "peek over the shoulder" │ │ Channel of a user by showing on your screen │ │ exactly what the user sees on his. │ ├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ALT-T Statistics and You can use the arrow keys to flip │ │ Graphs through a number of graphs for │ │ lines-in-use, demographics, user class │ │ statistics, etc. │ ├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ALT-M Monitor Input Activity This shows you all input coming from │ │ all channels on your BBS, a line at a │ │ time. │ ├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ALT-S Summary This is the Summary screen we described│ │ in the last section. │ ├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ALT-U Online User Zooms in on the User Matrix, shows you │ │ Information the name of who is on each channel, as │ │ well as more detailed status messages. │ ├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ALT-B About The Major BBS Includes some information that is │ │ particularly helpful if you need to │ │ contact Galacticomm technical support. │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ 8 o For more detailed information about the Sysop console screens, see pages 146-171 of the System Operations Manual. Commands at the Sysop Console At the bottom of each screen are several function key commands (sometimes called "softkeys" because they have different commands under different circumstances). There is also a small "command window" right above these commands, where you will type additional information for some commands. (For example: when you hit <F5> to show detailed information about a user account, you will be prompted to type the User-ID you want to look up.) Unless you are in the middle of doing something already, the Sysop commands displayed will be: <F1> help get context-sensitive help for current screen <F2> send send a message to users currently online <F3> display choose real-time statistics for Summary screen (there is also a screen saver option from here) <F4> post post credits to a user's account <F5> detail look up/edit details about a user's account <F6> set msg set a brief login announcement message <F7> login log in to the BBS from the console <F8> <reserved for future use> <F9> <reserved for future use> <F10> kill delete accounts, reset channels, shut down BBS When you choose a command, you may be given additional choices. (For example: when you hit <F2> to send a message, do you want to send it to just one specific channel or everyone on the BBS?) These choices will appear in the function key boxes at the bottom of the screen. To back out of a command, just hit the <backspace> key. 9 DEFINED: Everyone who uses your system has a User-ID. This User-ID is used to identify each user's account. A User-ID can be (and usually is) the person's real name, or an alias if you allow it. DEFINED: Credits are units of time (usually where 1 credit = 1 second), often used on For-Profit Model BBSes. A user buys a certain number of credits, which he can use up in online time, transfer to other users, or use to cover surcharges for mass mailings, fax-mail services, multi-player games, or other services. For most other BBS models you won't use credits, so the "post" command will not apply. o For more detailed information about the Sysop console commands, see pages 172-181 of the System Operations Manual. Local Login as Sysop Now, let's log in to your BBS for the first time! Just hit the <F7> command for "login". Your screen will clear and show you exactly what you would see if you called in with a modem. The very first thing you will see is a short "Auto-sensing ANSI..." message. (This is a feature of The Major BBS that detects if the caller's computer can understand color changes and cursor movements.) Next, you will see the "welcome banner," which will have the name of your BBS as you typed it in the Configuration Options. A little later in this booklet, we will see how you can completely customize this message to your own "look." The next prompt you see will ask you for your User-ID or "new". We've already created a special operator account for you, so go ahead and type "Sysop". When it asks you for the password, type "Sysop" again. (We will see how to change that password in the next section.) Yea! You are officially logged into your BBS. You will have new E-mail waiting (we left you a brief message congratulating you on your BBS). Go ahead and read it now (press "Y" and <Enter>). 10 After you finish reading your mail, you will be asked for your date of birth. (The BBS defaults to asking users this question for demographics. You can disable it offline in Configuration Options.) It only asks this question once. Now you will arrive at the TOP menu. We'll explore each of the options on this menu. But before we go any further, let's take a very important security step... Change Your Sysop Password THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! You should change your Sysop password immediately, so that no one else will be able to log in with your account. To do this, select the "Account Display/Edit" service from the TOP menu. Then choose "Display or edit account information." This will put you in a full-screen account editor. You can use the up and down arrow keys to move between the fields, as well as the <Enter> key. Go down to the Password field and type in a new password. It should be memorable, but something not easily guessed by anyone else. (For example, you would not want to use your real name as a password.) Move down to the Exit field and choose SAVE (just press <Enter>). Your new password is now in effect, and you will need to use it the next time you log in to your BBS. Hit X and <Enter> to go back to the TOP menu. NOTE: Do not tell anyone your Sysop password or write it down on paper. The Major BBS has airtight security, but if your Sysop password falls into the wrong hands, that person will have full access to your system. You will also want to change your password regularly, say once a month, just to make sure. o For more detailed information about the Account Display/Edit service, see pages 331-337 of the System Operations Manual. 11 Things You Can Do Online Now that you're back at the TOP menu, why not take a look around? Go into the Teleconference, the Information Center, the Forums, and so forth, just to get a feel for how the BBS works and what it can do. Teleconference real-time chat with other callers online Information Center info files about you and your BBS Forums public message areas for different topics Electronic Mail send/receive private messages and files Library of Files organized file upload and download areas Account Display/Edit edit your account (such as your password) Polls & Questionnaires great for marketing surveys, opinion polls Registry of Users sort of a "yellow pages" of your users Exit System (Logoff) disconnect from the BBS If you get stuck, you can press "?" and <Enter> to get detailed help at most prompts in the BBS. Remember too, you can use "X" to back out of what you are doing until you return to the TOP menu. Chapter 12 of the System Operations Manual (pages 236-337) is dedicated to explaining all the online services of The Major BBS. Tips & Tricks ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ When you are logged in locally, you can hit │ │ <Esc> at any time to jump back to the Sysop │ │ console screens. This is handy if you want │ │ to quickly look up a user account or check │ │ something in the audit trail. │ │ │ │ Just hit <F7> ("login") again to return to │ │ where you left off in your online session │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ 12 Remote Sysop Control There is one additional service on the TOP menu that only you as the Sysop will see: System Management. This will lead you to a menu that offers a lot of the same commands available on the Sysop console. You can use this menu to control your BBS when you call in with a modem from a remote site. You can also do some special things from here, such as create new "classes" of users and designate Co-Sysops. But we'll talk more about that in the next chapter. DEFINED: A Co-Sysop is a co-system operator. With The Major BBS you can delegate certain responsibilities and access privileges to other users. o For more detailed information about the Remote Sysop Menu, see pages 182-190 of the System Operations Manual. Shutting Down Okay, now that you've had a look around, let's bring the BBS down so we can explore more of the offline features in the next chapter. First, log off from your local session by going back to the TOP menu and selecting "X" to "Exit the System." This will prompt you to confirm your choice, and after you enter "Y" your local session will end. (If you had called in using a modem you would be disconnected at this time.) Hit <Esc> to return to the Sysop console. And now choose "kill", "system", and "now" and hit <Enter> or <F9>. (If you had other people on your BBS, you might want to give them a few minutes to finish up and log off instead of selecting "now".) The BBS will crank away for about 10 seconds and then bring you back to the Introductory Menu. 13 Tips & Tricks ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ When you shut down your BBS, you can have it either │ │ busy-out the phone line(s) or leave them to ring │ │ until you bring the BBS back online. This is │ │ configurabale in the Configuration Options from the │ │ Introductory Menu. │ │ │ │ Usually it's best to busy-out the line(s) so people │ │ trying to call your BBS don't think it's down. But, │ │ if you need to use your modem on that computer for │ │ another program, you will want to change this to │ │ "no answer". │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Congratulations! You've done a great job so far. In the next chapter we'll take a look at how you can tailor your BBS's menus and security. 14 ┌───────┐ ┌─────────────┤ 2 ├─────────────┐ │ └───────┘ │ │ Introduction to │ │ Security and Menus │ │ │ └───────────────────────────────────┘ This chapter will introduce you to the security and accounting features of The Major BBS. We will also take a look at how you can customize your menus and control exactly what your users will see when they call your BBS. Security and accounting are bundled together, since they both deal with managing your users. Security is primarily concerned with what you will allow your users to do. Accounting is more focused on keeping track of who can do those things, for what price, and for how long. We will also take a look at some of the other "offline" options that let you tailor your BBS to your specific needs. DEFINED: You will often see the terms offline and online used in reference to doing things with your BBS. Offline refers to things you can do when the BBS is not up and running. The Introductory Menu, for example, is entirely offline. The menu editing, configuration, and report facilities are therefore offline. Online means only things you can do when the BBS is up and running and you are logged in as the Sysop. It doesn't matter if you logged in at the Sysop console, or if you called in remotely with a modem. Most of the security and accounting control is done online. 15 Things You Can Restrict You have a lot of flexibility in deciding what users can and cannot do. Some of the things you can restrict include: o whether or not a user can log in on "reserved" lines o which menu options a user will see on his TOP menu o which Forums a user has access to, and whether he has permission to read, write, download a file, or upload a file in each Forum o which File Library areas a user can access o whether a user can participate in the teleconference, only watch, or not be allowed in at all And that's just to name a few. We'll show you specifically how to do these things in a short while. But first, let's try to get a clear picture of a few security concepts. As Simple as Locks and Keys (tm) The Major BBS uses a method of "Locks and Keys" to decide who can do what. This works like you'd expect it to: if you put a lock on a feature, a user must have the appropriate key to use that feature. Really, a lock is just a name up to 15 characters long. When you are configuring features on your BBS, you will be asked if you want to place locks on them. To do so, just enter the name of the lock you want to use. Each of the five BBS models is supplied with a bunch of default lock names. You can use these names or create your own. Some default lock names provided with The Major BBS: DEMO for prospects just taking a look NORMAL to use regular services on the BBS MODERATE to moderate a Forum or Teleconference MASS_MAILING to send an E-mail message to everyone SUPER for staff and privileged users SYSOP for things only the Sysop should see 16 A key has the same name as the lock it opens. For example, if a user has the MODERATE key, he can use any feature that has a MODERATE lock on it. Tips & Tricks ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ To create a new lock, just make up a new name │ │ when you are asked which lock you want to use. │ │ That's all there is to it. │ │ │ │ We recommend that you don't make too many lock │ │ names, only because you'd have a huge number of │ │ keys to keep track of. You can use the same │ │ lock name for many different features; one key │ │ will then access them all. │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ How Do Users Get Keys? There are two ways users can get keys. You can give a specific key to a specific user. You can do this from the online System Management menu (remember: online means the BBS is up and running and you are logged in as Sysop). Select the "ACCOUNT" option and then choose to "EDIT" a user's keys. The preferred way, however, is for users to get keys by being a part of a "class" of users. o For more detailed information about Locks and Keys, see pages 74-77 in the System Operations Manual. Every User Has Class Every user belongs to a "class." A class contains a bunch of security and accounting information that applies to everyone in that class. It specifies how long those users can stay online and which keys they possess, among other things. Each of the five model BBSes comes with a set of default user classes. For example, the Customer-Service Model BBS has the following classes: 17 PROSPECT for new sign-ups, allowed only 30 minutes per call, and only given the DEMO key CUSTOMER for validated customers, allowed unlimited time per call, and given the DEMO and NORMAL keys STAFF for company personnel, allowed unlimited time per call, and given the DEMO, NORMAL, MODERATE, MASS_MAILING, and SUPER keys SYSOP for the System Operator, who can basically do whatever he wants. o For more detailed information about the default classes provided with each model BBS, see pages 66-74 in the System Operations Manual. This is the preferred way of giving keys to users because placing someone in a class gives him the same "keyring" as his peers. Also, it's easier for you to keep track of a few classes instead of a lot of individual keys. DEFINED: The keys associated with a class are sometimes referred to as the class keyring. (Imagine a ring of keys that each member of that class automatically owns.) Each user can also have individual keys granted to him, in addition to his class keyring. Switching a User's Class When the BBS is up and running, you can switch a user's class right at the Sysop console. Just do a "detail" look-up of the User-ID, then use the arrow keys to move down to the class field. Type the name of the new class you want to place him in and hit <Enter> to update his record. You can also switch a user's class online from the System Management menu. Select the "ACCOUNT" option and then choose "SWITCH". Note that users can be automatically switched to another class based on how their current class is set up. For example, in the For-Profit Model BBS, a user in the PAYING class will return to the DEMO class when he runs out of credits. 18 Tips & Tricks ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ You can switch everyone in one class to another │ │ with the BBSSWTCL program in the Basic Utilities │ │ list (option #7 on the Introductory Menu). │ │ │ │ You can also change the underlying "model" of │ │ your BBS with BBSSETCL, also available in Basic │ │ Utilities. │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Modifying and Creating Classes It's very easy to alter the default classes or create new classes of your own. From the online System Management menu select "ACCOUNT" and choose the "CLASS" option. You will be asked which class you want to alter. If you type in a class name that doesn't exist, the BBS will ask you if you want to create it. When creating a new class, you will be asked a series of questions: o how much time per call can users in this class spend online? o how much time per day can users in this class spend online? o are users in this class exempt from credit charges? o after how many days should an inactive account in this class be automatically purged? o when do users in this class switch to another class? after so many days? when they run out of credits? o are users in this class allowed to go into "debt," to be billed for time at the end of the month? o which keys are included on the class keyring? When you are modifying an existing class, you have the option of just adding to or removing keys from the class keyring. You can also delete the class entirely. CAUTION: If you delete a class, all user accounts in that class will also be deleted! You may want to first switch all users in that class to another class with the BBSSWTCL utility (used offline). 19 o For more detailed information about modifying and creating user classes, see pages 78-87 in the System Operations Manual. There is an excellent diagram of this process on pages 79-80. Tips & Tricks ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ To see how many users are in a class, go to the Stats│ │ screen on the Sysop console (<Alt-T>) and select │ │ "Class Stats" with the arrow keys. │ │ │ │ You can also get this information online by choosing │ │ CLSSTATS from the System Management menu. │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Security and Accounting Options Now that you know about Locks and Keys, you can tweak many of the security features of The Major BBS to your exact taste. A good place to start is the Security and Accounting option on the Introductory Menu (option #3). You will notice that this uses the same facility as the Configuration Options, so you should feel comfortable scrolling around. o For more detailed information about the offline Security and Accounting options, see pages 90-99 in the System Operations Manual. o For more detailed information about the offline editing facility (known as CNF), see pages 103-107 in the System Operations Manual. Your "Menu Tree" Let's take a look at your BBS's menu configuration. Select "Design Menu Tree" from the offline Introductory Menu (option #2). Your screen will show a diagram that looks like a sideways family tree or a company's organizational chart. This structure is known as your BBS's "Menu Tree." It consists of a bunch of names connected by lines to each other in a hierarchical way that represents the services on your BBS. 20 At the upper left corner you will notice the word "TOP", which should ring a bell. It is the TOP menu you were at when you were online. You can see that it branches out to other names such as TELE, INFO, FORUMS, and EMAIL. These names are the leaves in your tree, so to speak, known also as "pages." Each page refers to either a menu or a service on your BBS. You can rearrange these pages however you like, change what they do, and add new ones. We'll see how to do that in just a bit. o For more detailed information about the Menu Tree, see pages 37-56 in the System Operations Manual. What's on the Menu? The Menu Tree is a collection of pages. Each page is either a menu, a service (known as a "module"), or a text file to be displayed. They are color-coded in the tree diagram to help distinguish them at a glance. DEFINED: A menu page displays a menu to the user with choices that lead to either other menu pages, module pages, or file pages. Menu pages appear in white or yellow in the Menu Tree. Examples: TOP and INFO are both menu pages. DEFINED: A module page invokes a service in the BBS, such as Electronic Mail or the Library of Files. Module pages appear in green in the Menu Tree. Examples: EMAIL and LIBRARY are both module pages. DEFINED: A file page displays a text file to the user. File pages appear in purple in the Menu Tree. Examples: ABOUTUS and YOURBBS are both file pages. 21 Tips & Tricks ┌────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Once a user enters a module page, the │ │ module may display other menus of its │ │ own. These menus cannot be changed in │ │ the Menu Tree. You can override these │ │ menus with your own by using command │ │ strings (more on this later). │ └────────────────────────────────────────┘ Editing Menu Pages Let's take a closer look at these pages. You can use the arrow keys to move among them, and you will see your current page highlighted in reverse video. Make sure you are at the TOP page and hit <F2> ("edit"). The Edit Menu window will pop up. This is how a menu page looks. At the top half of the window you will see a bunch of statements that apply to the entire menu. Here you can decide if users can jump ("/GO") to this page, and choose how the menu will look on the users' screens. (For now just display the default menu.) Tips & Tricks ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ There is an online global command that can be used │ │ to jump to any page in the BBS's Menu Tree. You or │ │ your users can just type "/GO <pagename>" from any- │ │ where on the BBS. │ │ │ │ You can restrict users from doing this if you wish. │ │ wish. If you do let people "go" to pages, you will │ │ want to choose page names that make sense. (For │ │ example: "/GO EMAIL" to jump to the Electronic Mail │ │ module page.) │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ In the bottom half of the Edit Menu window is the list of menu select options on that menu. Each menu can have up to 25 options on it. The select character and a short description are shown for each option. Unused option slots are shown with dots. NOTE: Use the <Enter> key to move to the next option, instead of the <down arrow> key, or you may accidentally change an option. 22 Tips & Tricks ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ To edit the properties of a menu option, hit <Alt-E> while │ │ you are at that option (either │ the select character or │ │ the short description is in reverse video.) │ │ │ │ Here you can chage the select character and the short │ │ description. You can also specify a "key required" for a │ │ user to access the option (and if he doesn't have the key │ │ you can optionally dim or hide that option from him). The │ │ last field is the name of the "destination "page" the user │ │ will be taken to when he selects this option. │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Hit <Esc> from the Edit Menu window to return to the Menu Tree. Editing Module Pages Now move over to a module page (say FORUMS, for example). Remember: module pages invoke the actual services of the BBS. Hit <F2> to edit it, and the Edit Module window will pop up. You have the same option of allowing users to "go" directly to a module page as you do with menu pages. If you want to, you can restrict this by requiring the user to have a certain key. Tips & Tricks ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ There are two ways a user can get to a page: either │ │ by selecting it as an option from a menu, or by │ │ jumping directly to it with a "/GO" command. │ │ │ │ If you are going to restrict access to a page, you │ │ must require a key in two places. The first place │ │ is at the select option from the parent menu that │ │ leads to the page (use <Alt-E> to edit the option). │ │ The second is at the "/GO" command on the page │ │ itself. You will probably want to require the same │ │ key in both places. │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ The most important property of a module page is the service it will invoke. When you reach the "Module Name" field, a pop-up box will appear to let you choose which one you want to use. (You can add more modules to your BBS with add-on options.) 23 After you select a module, you can optionally pass it a command string. You can just leave this field blank by hitting <Enter>. When you're done, you can return to the Menu Tree. DEFINED: A command string is a set of instructions that tell a module to automatically do something. For example, you could pass a command string of "RT." to a module page that invokes Electronic Mail. This would go directly to Reading mail To you, starting with new (.) messages. o For a list of command strings, see pages 43-46 in the System Operations Manual. Editing File Pages Last, but not least, let's take a look at a file page. Use the <up arrow> and <right arrow> keys to move to the ABOUTUS page off of the INFO menu. Hit <F2> to edit it, and the Edit File window will open. Again, you have the option of restricting users from directly jumping to this page with a "/GO" command. Since all a file page really does is display a text file to the user, the only other thing you need to specify is the name of the file. You can specify the entire DOS path to the file if you like. Otherwise, the file is assumed to reside in the main BBS directory, typically \BBSV6. Tips & Tricks ┌────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ To create or modify text files for use │ │ with file pages, you must use n editor │ │ or word processor that can save files │ │ in plain ASCII format. │ └────────────────────────────────────────┘ 24 Tips & Tricks ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ The Major BBS is supplied with a bunch of sample │ │ files for your Information Center: │ │ │ │ GALAIC.TXT tell users about your company │ │ GALGIC.TXT some help on using global commands │ │ GALHIC.TXT info about starting your own BBS │ │ GALSIC.TXT boast about your BBS's configuration │ │ BBSUSER.DOC help with the services on your BBS │ │ │ │ You will probably want to edit these files to talk │ │ about your company your configuration. Or, you │ │ might want to delete these pages and add your own. │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Adding New Pages To add a new page: 1. First, go to the menu page you want to branch from in your Menu Tree diagram and press <F2> to edit it. 2. Move down to an unused slot in the list of select options and hit <Alt-E>. 3. Fill in the select character, short description, and security restrictions (if any) for the option and make up a name for the new "destination page." 4. Return to the Menu Tree diagram, move over to the new page name, and press <F2> to edit it. 5. A new page defaults to being a menu page. If you want to make it a module or file page, hit the <up arrow> key and use the <spacebar> to change it. 6. Enter the information specific for your new page (see the previous sections for details). That's all there is to it! 25 Deleting Pages To remove a page, just go to it in your Menu Tree diagram and hit <F6> to delete it. You will be asked to confirm your decision. If you delete a menu page that has pages branching off of it, those pages will be "orphaned." Orphaned pages appear on the far left of the Menu Tree diagram, and aren't connected to the TOP menu. You can either delete orphaned pages or use them elsewhere in your tree. DEFINED: An orphaned page is a page that is not connected to a menu and can only be reached via a "/GO" command. Tips & Tricks ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ You can connect orphaned pages to other menus. │ │ To do so, follow the same procedure for adding │ │ a new page. However when you are asked for │ │ "destination page," type the name of the │ │ orphaned page. │ │ │ │ You can use this trick to move or copy pages │ │ throughout your Menu Tree. │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Editing How Your Menu Looks You don't have to create your own menu screens. The default menus are easy for users to navigate, and when you modify your Menu Tree, the menu displayed to your users will automatically be updated. However, you can make your own screens if you want to. To do this, answer "Yes" to the question "Edit the way this menu looks?" when you are editing a menu page. This will put you in the BBSDRAW utility, where you can draw your menu the way you want it to appear. Make sure that you show the same select characters that you used in your menu page option list. You can hit <Alt-H> for help. When you're finished, hit <Alt-X> to save and exit. You can create separate menu displays for ASCII users, ANSI users, and users that support the extended IBM character set. See page 41 of the System Operations Manual for details about these different flavors. 26 Tips & Tricks ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ If you already have existing ANSI screens, │ │ possibly drawn with a separate program like │ │ TheDraw, you can import them. Just hit │ │ <Alt-L> in BBSDRAW to load in the contents │ │ of any ANSI/ASCII file in the BBS directory. │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘ o For more detailed information about BBSDRAW and editing the way menus look, see pages 57-64 in the System Operations Manual. Editing Other Text in Your BBS Now that you are familiar with the way menus work, we'll take a look at one more way you can customize your BBS offline. From the Introductory Menu, choose to Edit Text Blocks (option #6). There are over a thousand editable text blocks in The Major BBS that you can customize. Just use the up and down arrow keys to scroll through the list and hit <F2> to edit any of the ones you want to change. Tips & Tricks ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ The most common text block to be changed is │ │ the HELLO message that is displayed when a │ │ user first connects to your BBS. │ │ │ │ In the CNF configuration editor, you can hit │ │ <F8> to search for a string among the names, │ │ descriptions, help messages, and body of │ │ text of the options. │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘ o For more detailed information about editing text blocks, see pages 132-135 in the System Operations Manual. 27 ┌───────┐ ┌─────────────┤ 3 ├─────────────┐ │ └───────┘ │ │ Doing Things With Your BBS │ │ │ └───────────────────────────────────┘ There are so many different things you can do with The Major BBS that it's impossible to squeeze them all into an introductory booklet. In this chapter we'll just take a brief look at some of the more important things you'll want to do, such as configure additional Forums and File Library areas. We'll also point you in the right direction to find more specialized information in the System Operations Manual. Let's start by taking a closer look at the services available on your BBS... Signing Up New Users When a new user calls your BBS, he will have the option of signing-up as "new", unless you are running a Private Model BBS. If you want to create accounts for people before they call, it's easy to do. CREATE A NEW From the Sysop console, hit <F7> to log in. Type "new" ACCOUNT: at the prompt for your User-ID. You will be sked for the name, address, and other information for the account. At the end you will be prompted to choose a User-ID and password, and then you're done! You can change the account's class with the "detail" command on the Sysop console. o For detailed information about changing the sign-up questions users are asked, see pages 233-235 in the System Operations Manual. 28 Electronic Mail Electronic mail allows you and your users to exchange private messages with each other. You can do many of the same things you can do with real mail: request a return receipt, make carbon copies, and forward it to someone else. You can quote from a message when you reply to it. You can also attach a computer file directly to the message (called a "file attachment"). WRITE ELECTRONIC When you are online, choose the Electronic Mail MAIL: service from your TOP menu. Select "W" to write a message and type the recipient's User-ID. Enter the topic, then write your message in the Full Screen Editor. Press <Ctrl-G> to save the message when you are done. You will then be asked if you want to attach a file, request a return receipt, or send carbon copies to other User-IDs. READ ELECTRONIC To read mail in your mailbox at any time, go to MAIL: the Electronic Mail service and select "R" to read messages. You can choose to read messages to you or from you. You can start with the first message, the last, or just messages you haven't read yet. After you read a message, you will have the option of replying to it, erasing it, forwarding it, downloading the attached file (if there is one), or moving on. For exchanging mail with a group of people on a regular basis, you may want to create a "distribution list" (see reference below). o For more detailed information about using the Electronic Mail service, see pages 283-296 in the System Operations Manual. o For more detailed information about messaging on The Major BBS, see pages 247-250 in the System Operations Manual. o For more detailed information about using the Full Screen Editor, see pages 296-304 in the System Operations Manual. 29 o For more detailed information about setting up distribution lists, see pages 202-205 in the System Operations Manual. o For more detailed information about exchanging mail with other applications via MHS, see pages 136-139 in the System Operations Manual. Attachments and Transferring Files When you attach a file, you "upload" it to the BBS. When you grab an attached file from a message, you "download" it. To upload or download a file, you will have to choose from a list of file transfer protocols. If you are calling in with a terminal program, you must use a protocol that is supported by that program. We recommend using the ZMODEM protocol, and most terminal programs support it. Tips & Tricks ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ When you are logged in locally at the Sysop │ │ console, you cannot use file transfer │ │ protocols. However, as Sysop, you have the │ │ option of copying a file instead. Select │ │ "F" for file import/export. │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ o For more detailed information about transferring files, see pages 250-257 in the System Operations Manual. o For more detailed information about file importing/exporting, see pages 200-202 in the System Operations Manual. Forums (Public Message Areas) Forums can be used for many types of applications. The most common use is to host an ongoing conference on a particular topic. Users who have access to the conference can read messages from other people and contribute their own thoughts. Privileged users can attach files to their messages. This is a wonderful tool for project brainstorming, 30 interactive customer feedback, community discussions, political debate, and so forth. You can use a Forum as a public "bulletin board" (the old-fashioned cork kind). People can post questions, classified ads, job opportunities, notices about upcoming events, and so forth. A reply to a message can be either posted on the "bulletin board," or sent to the advertiser in private electronic mail. You can also make a Forum read-only. This means only you as the Sysop (or assistants you assign as "Forum-Ops") can write messages. Other people can read messages and do keyword searches for particular information. This is ideal for distributing the same information to many people. (For example, you might have a "Tips" Forum on your BBS that gives callers answers to common questions about your product.) DEFINED: A Forum-Op is someone you delegate to manage a Forum for you. He can change the properties of the Forum and decide who has access to it. If you don't assign a Forum-Op, you (as Sysop) are it by default. A Quick Tour of Forum Commands The Major BBS comes with one pre-configured Forum: /Hello. When you select the Forums service from the TOP menu, you will be in the /Hello Forum. There is only one message in there to start off with, the "Forum Header", but let's take a look around... READ FORUM You can read messages by selecting "R". When you MESSAGES: do, you will be asked whether you want to: S ... scan through messages one at a time L ... list messages non-stop K ... keyword-search for specific messages If you select "S" to scan, you can start with either new messages you haven't read yet, or with the first or last message in the Forum. WRITE FORUM Just select "W" to write a message. This is very MESSAGES: similar to writing an electronic message, except you can address the message to "** ALL **" users in the Forum. 31 SELECT A NEW After you create new Forums (discussed in the next FORUM: section), you can switch between them by selecting "S" from the main Forum menu. Commands such as the Quickscan, Filescan, and Teleconference are not needed for basic Forum use. For that reason, we will not discuss them here, but you can find a full description of them in the System Operations Manual. DEFINED: The Forum Header is always the first message in a Forum. It is written when the Forum is created and contains a description of the Forum's purpose and other Forum-management information. o For more detailed information about using the Forums, see pages 264-283 in the System Operations Manual. Creating New Forums As the Sysop, you will see a few additional commands on the Forum menu to "Configure users" and to go to the "Operations menu." We'll take a quick look at a couple of the things you will want to do with these commands. CREATE A NEW Select "O" for the Operations menu and choose "C" FORUM: to create a Forum. Enter the name of the Forum; it can be up to 9 characters long and must begin with a "/" (forward slash). You will then be guided through creating the Forum Header message. When you finish, your new Forum will be created! After you create a Forum, you will want to decide which users have access to it. There are seven access levels available, and you can grant them to individuals or a group of users who hold a certain key. Forum Access Levels ------------------- Zero user cannot see or use this Forum Read user can only read messages in this Forum Download same as Read, but user can also download files Write same as Download, but user can also write messages Upload same as Write, but user can also upload files 32 Co-Op same as Upload, but uploads are instantly approved Forum-Op can approve files, maintain messages, change access CONFIGURING To grant access to a Forum, select "C" to USERS: configure users from the main Forum menu. You can then choose to grant global access to users who have a certain key and different access to users who don't. Or you can enter a User-ID whom you want to give a specific access level. For online help here, just hit "?". o For more detailed information about Forum management, see pages 190-200 and page 413 in the System Operations Manual. The File Library The File Library lets you offer files for your users to download. You can put as many files as you want into your Library, and you can organize them into different areas called "LIBs." Each LIB refers to a subdirectory on your hard drive. Each file can have a short description, a long description, and several keywords associated with it. Users can search through a large number of files very quickly by using keywords. You can also allow users to upload files to your Library. You can restrict this to only certain LIBs, if you wish. When you installed The Major BBS, it automatically created a LIB called MAIN. You can create more LIBs, as we'll see in an upcoming section, but you must keep the MAIN LIB. Things You Can Do in the Library Let's take a look at some of the basic things you can do in the File Library... FILE DIRECTORY: Select "F" from the Library menu to see a list of all files available to you. It includes file size and a short description of each. 33 DOWNLOAD A FILE: From the Library menu, select "D" to download. You can either type in the name of the file, if you know it, or specify a keyword. (If you specify a keyword, the BBS will let you choose from a list of files that match your request.) After you have selected the file to download, you will be asked to choose a file transfer protocol (as described earlier in this chapter). UPLOAD A FILE: From the Library menu, select "U" to upload. You will then be asked to name the file and give it a short description (up to 40 characters). You can then choose the transfer protocol and initiate the upload from your term program. (Note: at the Sysop console you can only use the "F" protocol.) After the transfer is complete, you will be asked to specify a long description and keywords for the file. When other users upload files, you can hold them for "approval" before they are available for download. Or, you can let users have their files automatically approved, if they have a certain key. SELECT A NEW LIB: After you create new LIBs (described in the next section), you can switch between them by selecting "S" from the Library menu. Tips & Tricks ┌────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ If you do a keyword search, a download │ │ request, or a file listing from the │ │ MAIN LIB, it applies to all files in │ │ the entire Library. If you do it from │ │ another LIB, it will only refer to │ │ files located in that LIB. │ └────────────────────────────────────────┘ o For more detailed information about using the File Library, see pages 307-328 in the System Operations Manual. 34 Creating New Libs As Sysop, there are additional commands you can use in the File Library. You can get a complete list of them when you are online by typing "?" at the Library menu prompt. The first command you will probably want to use is: CREATE A NEW LIB: From the Library menu, type "CREATE". You will then be asked to name your new LIB (up to 8 characters). Next, you will be placed in the LIB editor, where you can set the LIB description, security restrictions, download surcharges, and so forth. You can also specify which subdirectory the LIB will look in for its files. This "alternate path prefix" can refer to a drive on your network or even a CD-ROM drive. When you are finished, just go to the bottom of the screen, select "SAVE", and your LIB will be created! You can then use the "LOGIN" command to log in a DOS file as a Library file (give it a file description and keywords). Tips & Tricks ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ When creating a LIB, you will be asked if you want to │ │ make it a "DOS-ONLY LIB." If you answer yes, then any │ │ files in that LIB's subdirectory will be available for │ │ download, without having to be logged in. However, │ │ they will not have file descriptions or keywords │ │ associated with them. │ │ │ │ There is an offline utility called GALLU that allows │ │ you to quickly log in files. It is available from │ │ Basic Utilities on the Introductory Menu. │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ NOTE: When deleting files in your Library, be sure to use the "DELETE" command from the File Library or GALLU. This will make sure all keywords and file descriptions are removed as well. 35 o For more detailed information about Library management, see pages 205-226 in the System Operations Manual. o For more detailed information about the offline file management utility, see pages 346-362 in the System Operations Manual. Teleconferencing Teleconferencing allows multiple users to talk to each other in real-time. This service tends to be more popular on BBSes that support four or more simultaneous users. Users can whisper, engage in one-on-one private chats, switch to other "teleconference channels," moderate topic-based discussions, and page other users on the system. For a complete list of teleconference commands, just hit "?" in the teleconference. Tips & Tricks ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ From the Sysop console, if you are emulating a │ │ user (you can do this from the <Alt-U> Online │ │ User Information screen), you can bring him into │ │ into "Sysop Chat mode". Just hit <Shift-F2>, │ │ and the user will be interrupted into a special │ │ one-on-one chat with you. Hit <Shift-F2> again │ │ to end Sysop Chat mode. │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ o For more detailed information about using Teleconferencing, see pages 258-263 in the System Operations Manual. Registry of Users This service lets your users advertise a bit about themselves for other users to see. It can be used as a company directory, a talent database, or a match-making reference. Each user has the option of participating, but he isn't required to. 36 The Major BBS comes with a default Registry template suited for a professional reference exchange. You can change this offline, if you wish. o For more detailed information about using the Registry of Users, see pages 328-330 in the System Operations Manual. o For more detailed information about changing the Registry of Users, see pages 227-228 in the System Operations Manual. Polls and Questionnaires The Polls and Questionnaires service can be used for surveys, votes, opinion polls, customer feedback, and rudimentary order entry. You can prepare up to 10 custom questionnaires with up to 20 questions in each. Your users can participate in these polls at their convenience. The preparation of your questionnaires and reporting of the results are done offline. o For more detailed information about using Polls and Questionnaires, see pages 330-331 in the System Operations Manual. o For more detailed information about configuring and reporting Polls and Questionnaires, see pages 229-233 in the System Operations Manual. A Little Bit about Doors Doors allow your users to execute DOS programs on adjacent computers connected to your BBS by serial cables. This is a very powerful service, as it allows your BBS to provide almost any application online. However, since it is a bit involved to set up, we will not discuss it here in the Quick Start Booklet. o For more detailed information about setting up and running Doors, see pages 390-399 in the System Operations Manual. 37 ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ Test │ You cannot use "door" programs with │ Drive │ the Test Drive. Full door support │ Users │ is provided when you purchase the │ │ full package. │ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ Other Things to Reference... By now you should have a clear understanding of all the basic services of your BBS. We'll give you a few pointers to other topics in the System Operations Manual that you might want to know: Changing your hardware setup .................... pg. 17-36 LAN access ...................................... pg. 28-32 Configuring MHS support ......................... pg. 136-139 Timed Events and Auto-Cleanup ................... pg. 144-146 Global commands on your BBS ..................... pg. 235, 239 "File tagging" .................................. pg. 255, 326 Getting a report of your users .................. pg. 338-345 Generating mailing labels for your users ........ pg. 340 Other offline utilities ......................... pg. 363-365 Multilingual capabilities ....................... pg. 385-390 Running your BBS under Windows .................. pg. 400-406 Other Version 6.1 Enhancements .................. pg. 405-418 If you have any questions that aren't answered by this booklet or the System Operations Manual, you can contact our technical support department: o by modem at (305) 583-7808 on the Galacticomm Demo System o by fax at (305) 583-7846 o through CompuServe by sending a message to INTERNET:support@gcomm.com o through the Internet by sending a message to support@gcomm.com o by voice telephone at (305) 321-2404, Monday through Friday, 8:30 A.M. through 6:00 P.M. Eastern Time. Thanks again for choosing The Major BBS, and good luck with your BBS! 38 ┌───────┐ ┌─────────────┤ 4 ├─────────────┐ │ └───────┘ │ │ Common Questions │ │ and Answers │ │ │ └───────────────────────────────────┘ Q. My modem doesn't seem to work. What do I do? A. Here's a brief checklist of things you should try... 1. If it's an external modem, make sure that the power is on and the modem is firmly connected with a working serial cable. 2. Run BBSetup again (type "BBSETUP" at the DOS prompt in your BBS directory). 3. Make sure that the modem works with a regular terminal program, such as Procomm, Telix, or Crosstalk. 4. Check the Hardware Setup for the modem (available from the Introductory Menu). Make sure that the I/O base address for the modem is set correctly: COM1 = 3F8 COM3 = 3E8 COM2 = 2F8 COM4 = 2E8 5. Make sure that two devices (other modems, mice, serial cards) are not configured for the same I/O base address or COM port. 6. Try changing the modem's initialization string (refer to your modem's manual and pages 22-23 in the System Operations Manual). Q. Should I backup my BBS? When and how? A. Yes, you should backup your BBS at least once a month, and preferably once each week. For critical applications, you may even want to backup every day. 39 You should backup all files in your BBS directory (usually \BBSV6). This will cover all your BBS's data files and configuration setup. You can optionally backup files from the subdirectories of your BBS, such as files in your File Library. You can do this manually, when the BBS is offline. Or, you can create a batch file called BBSCLEAN.BAT in your BBS directory. This batch file will be executed each night when the BBS does its "Auto-Cleanup." You can put commands to backup your BBS here. Q. What is "Auto-Cleanup"? A. In the middle of the night, your BBS will go into a "housekeeping" mode to delete old messages, calculate statistics, and perform user accounting tasks. While the BBS is in this mode, it will not accept incoming phone calls. You can configure what hour of the day you want the BBS to perform its cleanup by changing the MCUHR option in the Configuration Options (it defaults to 3 A.M.). At this time, the BBS will also run the DOS batch file BBSCLEAN.BAT, if it exists. You can create this file and run your own programs at this time. Auto-Cleanup usually takes about 10-15 minutes on a small BBS, and up to 30 minutes or more on larger systems. Q. Can I use a CD-ROM with The Major BBS? A. Yes. As long as the CD-ROM has its files laid out in subdirectories, you can use it directly with the File Library. To log in a whole bunch of files automatically, refer to pages 246-362 in the System Operations Manual. If the CD-ROM comes with a FILES.BBS file, you can use a program to convert it for import into the File Library. Several of these programs are available on the Galacticomm Demo System, which can be reached with your modem at (305) 583-7808. If you want to run something like an online encyclopedia CD-ROM, you will probably need to run it through a "door" (see pages 390-399 in the System Operations Manual). 40 Q. How do I check uploads for viruses? A. First, you can rest assured that no one can infect your BBS computer with a virus just by uploading a file. The only way you can "catch a virus" is if you execute an uploaded file before you check it. You can check a file out by downloading it and running a virus-scan program on it. You can also assign LIB-Ops (similar to Forum-Ops) to do this for you in the particular LIBs. You can also put virus-scanning software in your BBSCLEAN.BAT file. At Auto-Cleanup, it can scan your LIB subdirectories which contain new uploads. Q. Can I run my BBS under Windows? A. Yes. However, even Windows 3.1 does not provide good support for high-speed communications. We do not recommend using Windows for more than one or two lines at 2400 or 9600 baud. For information about setting up your BBS under Windows, refer to pages 400-406 in the System Operations Manual. Q. Can I connect to the Internet with The Major BBS? A. Yes. If your organization is already hooked up to the Internet and runs Novell's MHS on your network, you may be able to communicate with the Internet just by configuring your BBS's MHS support (pages 136-139 in the System Operations Manual). Alternatively, you can purchase the Major Gateway/Internet Add-on Option for The Major BBS. For more information, see your local software dealer or call Galacticomm at 1-800-328-1128 (or 305-583-5990 outside the U.S. and Canada). Q. How do I use add-ons with my BBS? A. Most add-ons only require "A:INSTALL" to plug into your BBS. You can purchase add-ons developed by Galacticomm or third-party developers. These add-ons include databases, online shopping, fax-mail, and more. For a list of available add-ons, call us at 1-800-328-1128 (or 305-583-5990 outside the U.S. and Canada). 41 ┌────────────────────────────────────────┐ Test │ You must purchase a copy of The Major │ Drive │ BBS before you will be able to install │ Users │ and use add-on options. │ └────────────────────────────────────────┘ Q. Where can I get free sample add-ons for my BBS? A. The Galacticomm Demo System is our own BBS that we run for customer support. You can find technical support answers on there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Also, in our Library of Files, we have many free add-ons and utilities for your BBS. To take a look around, give it a call with your modem at (305) 583-7808. Q. Can I use RIPscrip graphics with my BBS? A. Yes! Our multi-lingual/multi-protocol capability was designed with RIPscrip in mind. Refer to pages 385-390 in the System Operations Manual for details. For an out-of-the-box graphical user interface, you can pick up our RIPscrip Add-on Option for The Major BBS. It also includes a special version of RIPaint (the GUI designer tool) that works directly with our Text Block Editor and Menu Draw program. Q. If I just have the Test Drive, should I buy The Major BBS? A. Yes. We want your business and we think you will agree that The Major BBS is the most powerful and professional bulletin board system available. We even back it with a 30-day, no-questions-asked money-back guarantee. To pick up a copy, visit your local software dealer, or call us at 1-800-328-1128 (or 305-583-5990 outside the U.S. and Canada). 42 ═════════ I N D E X ═════════ /GO command, 22, 23, 24, 26 Doors, 37, 40 Account information, 11 DOS, 4, 40 Accounting, 15, 19, 20 Edit Text Blocks, 27 ANSI, 10, 26, 27 HELLO text block, 27 Auto-Cleanup, 38, 40 Electronic mail, 24, 29 AUTOEXEC.BAT, 3, 6 file attachment, 29 BBSDRAW, 26, 27 Locks and Keys, 16 BBS GO, 6 reading, 29 BBS Name, 5 writing, 29 BBSetup, 3, 39 Expert mode, 5 BBS Models, 4, 19 File Customer-Service, 4, 17 attachment, 29, 30 For-Profit Model, 4, 10, 18 download, 30 Private Model, 4, 28 transfer, 30, 34 Public Model, 4 upload, 30 Sign-Up Model, 4 File Library, 33 CD-ROM, 35, 40 approve files, 34 Classes, user 17 CD-ROM, 35, 40 account, 19 creating new Libs, 35 class keyring, 18, 19 deleting Libs, 35 creating, 19 DOS-only Libs, 35 credit charges, 19 download, 33, 34 keys, 19 GALLU offline utility, 35 keyring, 19 file directory, 33 modifying, 19 MAIN Lib, 33, 34 removing keys, 19 selecting new Libs, 34 statistics, 8 upload, 33, 34 switching, 18, 19 Forums, 30, 31 time per call, 19 /Hello, 31 time per day, 19 access levels, 32 CONFIG.SYS, 2, 3 configuring users, 33 Configuration Options, 5, 11, 14, 40 creating, 32 Co-Sysop, 13 Forum-Ops, 31 Credits, 10 header, 32 Distribution list, 29, 30 reading, 31 Quickscan, 32 43 Forums (continued) Security (continued) selecting, 32 Locks and Keys, 16 uploading files, 33 Shutting Down, 13 writing, 31 Sysop console, 13 GO!, 6 Introductory Menu, 13 Installation, 3 Configuration Options, 14 Locks and Keys, 16, 20 busy-out, 14 class keyring, 18 Sysop, 6, 10, 32 creating a new lock, 17 Sysop console, 6, 9, 12, 13, 20 default lock names, 16 commands, 9, 32 Electronic Mail, 16 copying files, 30 giving users keys, 17 emulating users, 36 Sysop, 16 login, 9, 10, 12 System Management, 17 summary screen, 6, 7, 8, 9 Offline, 4, 15, 38 shutting down, 13 Online, 4, 6, 15 signing up new users, 28 bringing BBS online, 6 switching user class, 18 Menu Tree, 20, 21, 22, 25 Sysop chat mode, 36 adding new pages, 25 uploading files, 34 copying pages, 26 User-ID look-up, 9 deleting pages, 26 System Management, 13, 17, 20 editing look, 26 creating user class, 19 file page, 21, 24 giving users keys, 17 menu page, 21, 22, 26 modifying user class, 19 module page, 21, 23, 24 switching user class, 18 moving pages, 26 Test Drive Users, 1, 3, 38, 42 orphaned pages, 26 Technical support, 38 security, 25 TOP menu, 11, 12, 21 Menus, 15, 23 Account Display/Edit, 12 Introductory Menu, 4, 6, 13, Electronic Mail, 12 20,27 Exit System (Logoff), 12 see also "Top Menu" Forums, 12 MHS, 30, 38 Information Center, 12, 25 Modem(s), 2 Library of Files, 12 Multi-port serial card, 2 Polls & Questionnaires, 12, 37 Password, 11 Registry of Users, 12, 36, 37 Remote Sysop Menu, 13 Teleconference, 12, 36 see "System Management" User account, 10 Requirements, 1 User-ID, 10 Security, 11, 15, 20 User Six-Pack, 2 restrictions, 16 ZMODEM protocol, 30 44