PCBoard 15.1 Demo/PCBoard v15.1 DEMO - Clark Dev. Co (1994) - Disk 1 of 1.imd/PCBDOCS.EXE/SYSGUIDE.DOC

Text File | 1994-02-14 | 95.8 KB | 2,141 lines

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                                                                SysOp's Guide








File Transfers

Messages

Conferences

Events

System Security

Maintenance Tasks

New Users

User Subscriptions

Modem Discussions

Searching for Text

File Transfers

Uploading Files

When you upload files you are adding files to the bulletin board system. The
files are posted so other users may download the files.

How to Upload Files

In order to upload a file, you must specify the filename(s) you will be
uploading and a description for each file uploaded. Once all of the files and
descriptions have been entered, you may begin the file transfer.

As an example, we will upload a file called MNHIT110.ZIP.  Begin by entering
U at a conference command prompt to initiate an upload.  PCBoard will display
the following prompt:


(1) Enter the Filename to Upload (Enter)=none?


At this prompt, enter the filename which is MNHIT110.ZIP.  Now, you are asked
to enter a description for the filename that you just entered.  You need to
enter at least 5 characters for the filename.  You are told how many 45
character description lines you can enter.  We will enter the following:


Before beginning, enter a description of: MNHIT110.ZIP
Begin description with (/) to make upload `Private'.
Enter your text. (Enter) alone to end. (45 chars/line, 12 lines maximum)
? (MANHIT v1.10 -- Utility you can use to enhance)
? (your computer/system security.                )


On the next blank description line, press ENTER to finish entering the
description. You will now either be asked for another filename to transfer or
the transfer will begin.  It all depends on how you answered the Promote to
Batch Transfers question in PCBSetup | Configuration Options | File
Transfers.  If you are asked for another filename, you may enter another
filename to transfer or press ENTER to begin the transfer.

The transfer should now begin.  There is a different method for uploading
from remote or locally.  The following describes each.

        Remote  You need to transfer a file using your communications
                program. With most communication programs you can do this by
                pressing PgUp.    You are usually prompted for the protocol
                you wish to use for the transfer.  Make sure you select the
                same one as you did on the bulletin board system.  Once you
                select the protocol, you are asked for the filename(s) you
                wish to transfer.  Enter the location to find the files you
                want to upload on your disk and press ENTER.  At this point
                you will  see the files being transferred.

        Local   Local uploads are a little different because PCBoard is in
                control.  To perform a local upload, you need to make sure
                you have selected an internal protocol to PCBoard.  At the
                point where you would press u from remote to begin the
                transfer you will see the following prompt at the top of your
                screen:

                    Local Upload Path or Filename? (                         )

                In this field, enter the filename(s) you want to upload.  For
                example, if you want to upload a single file called
                MNHIT110.ZIP that is located in D:\TEMP\, enter
                D:\TEMP\MNHIT110.ZIP at this prompt.  If you want to upload
                every file in D:\TEMP\, enter D:\TEMP\*.*.

If your file transfer is aborted, it may occur for any of the following
reasons:

  You were using an internal protocol, and one or more of the files you were
  transferring duplicated filenames already on the system.  The non-duplicate
  files (if any) will still be transferred, but you will receive the transfer
  aborted message to let you know one or more of your files were aborted.

  You took too long to begin the transfer.  The internal protocols in PCBoard
  give you approximately 60 seconds to begin the transfer.  Most external
  protocols have a built in time-out value as well.

  If you are prompted for any descriptions after the transfer has taken
  place, you have done an unannounced upload.  This is where you send files
  you did not inform PCBoard you would be sending. Because PCBoard requires
  each filename to have a description, it will ask you for a description if
  it cannot find one.

  Before PCBoard asks for a description, however, it will check the file to
  see if it has a FILE_ID.DIZ in it.  If so, the file will be immediately
  tested without prompting for a description. PCBoard is able to determine if
  a ZIP, ARJ, LZH, PAK, or ARC file has a FILE_ID.DIZ file.  If it does, the
  description file will be used to describe the file.  If PCBoard is unable
  to find a description in the file, it will ask for a description of the
  file.

All files that are successfully transferred will be tested via PCBTEST.BAT if
you have enabled the testing of uploads on your system.

Testing Uploaded Files

If you have configured your system to test all uploaded files, all
successfully uploaded files will be tested (one at a time) using PCBTEST.BAT.
Even if carrier is lost during the transfer, PCBoard will test all files that
were successfully transferred. For more information about testing files using
PCBTEST.BAT, see the Batch Files chapter of this manual.

Disabling Uploads

There are two methods you can use to disable uploads on your system.  You can
set the security level required to execute the U command in PCBSetup |
Security Levels | User Commands very high so no one can upload.  This would
effectively disable uploads across the entire system.

If you are looking to disable uploads on a conference by conference basis,
you may do that as well.  To disable uploads for a particular conference,
clear out the field which contains the location of where uploads will be
stored.  The field you need to clear depends on how you answered the Make All
Uploads Private question.  If you answered with a Y, clear out the location
of private uploads.  The following is a sample display:


             Sort   Name/Loc Upload DIR File       Location of Uploads
Public  Upld: 0   : C:\PCB\MAIN\UPLOAD            : C:\PCB\MAIN\UPLOAD
Private Upld: 0   : C:\PCB\MAIN\PRIVATE           :


If you answered with an N instead (making all uploads in the conference
public), clear out the Location of Uploads for the public upload directory
instead.

Determining Duplicates

PCBoard uses a semi-intelligent method to determine if the file that is about
to be uploaded is a duplicate of a file already on the system.  A list of the
filename extensions used by the most popular file compression programs is
stored in memory.  If it appears that the file is simply compressed with a
different program, the file will be rejected as a duplicate.

For example, if you have a file called SPECIAL.ARJ on your system and an
attempt is made to upload SPECIAL.ZIP, the file will be rejected as a
duplicate.  However, a file such as SPECIAL.TXT could be uploaded, because
the TXT extension is not used by any compression programs.  Therefore, this
file most likely has contents that are different from SPECIAL.ARJ.

NOTE:  The file extensions that are recognized as being used by compression
programs are:  ZIP, ARJ, LZH, LHA, ARC, PAK, ZOO, DWC, and EXE.

PCBoard checks the filename being uploaded against entries in DLPATH.LST to
determine what files exist on the system.  If the file already exists, a
message stating that the upload is a duplicate of a file already on the
system is displayed.  If you have a security level equal to or greater than
the value specified by the Level Needed to Overwrite Files on Uploads
(PCBSetup | Security Levels | Sysop Commands), you are given the option to
remove the file from disk or to continue with the upload.

You may also want to use what is called an ALLPATH.LST (All-Files DLPATH.LST
in PCBSetup | File Locations | Configuration Files).  In this file you can
list all of the paths you want PCBoard to check when uploading a file.  This
way you could include download paths from multiple conferences so users do
not upload files that may be located in another conference.  Since the
ALLPATH.LST file is never checked for downloads, you do not compromise the
security of your system. If you leave this field blank, PCBoard resorts to
using only the DLPATH.LST method for duplicate checking.

 Downloading Files

When you download files, you are transferring a file which exists on the
bulletin board to your machine.

How to Download Files

In order to download a file, you must enter the filename(s) you want to
download.  To help find the filenames you want to download, use the L, N, Z,
and F user commands.  All of these commands will list files.  To actually
download the file(s), use the D command to download a single file or the DB
command to download more than one file.  If you have answered Y to the
Promote to Batch Transfers question, the D command will behave like the DB
command.

You will see the following prompt:

(1) Enter the filename to Download (Enter)=none?


At this prompt enter the filename you wish to download.  You may stack
multiple filenames at this prompt by separating each filename by either a
space or a semi-colon.  For example, enter BLADAR10.ZIP to download a file
called BLADAR10.ZIP.

If the file is found on disk, you will be shown the filename, how many bytes
are in the file, and an estimate of how long it will take to transfer at your
current speed.  You will then be asked for another filename.  If you are
finished entering the files you want to download, simply press ENTER.

After the filenames have been entered, you will be ready to begin the
transfer.  As with uploads, PCBoard treats remote and local transfers
differently.  The following describes each method:


        Remote  You need to transfer a file using your communications
                program. With most communications program you can do this by
                pressing PgDn.    You are usually prompted for the protocol
                you wish to use for the transfer.  Make sure you select the
                same one as you did on the bulletin board system.  Once you
                select the protocol, you are asked for the location where you
                wish to place the files you are about to download.  Enter any
                valid subdirectory or filename in this box as necessary for
                your communications program.   At this point you will see the
                files being transferred.

                NOTE:  Some communications programs support what is called
                auto-downloading.  This is where the transfer automatically
                begins as soon as the communications program recognizes the
                protocol.  This is most common with protocols like Zmodem.

        Local   Local downloads are a little different because PCBoard is in
                control.  To perform a local download, you need to make sure
                you have selected an internal protocol to PCBoard.  At the
                point where you would usually press d from remote to begin
                the transfer you will see the following prompt at the top of
                your screen:


                  Local Download Path? (                                   )


                In this field, enter the drive and subdirectory where you
                want to store the file(s) you are about to download.  For
                example, if you want the files to be stored in D:\TEMP\,
                enter D:\TEMP at this prompt.


If your file transfer is aborted, it may mean you took too long to start it.
Internal protocols allow you about 90 seconds before they will abort.  Local
downloads will abort if you do not type anything in the box within 30
seconds.

If your download is aborted, PCBoard will remember the filenames you typed in
and they will remain as flagged files.  Therefore, if you attempt to do a
download again, you will be asked if you wish to download flagged files.

Flagging Files For Download

You can mark or flag files for download while you are viewing the file
listings.  When you are viewing file listings, you will notice that the More?
prompt has a (F)lag option.  When you select this option, you will be asked
what filename you would like to flag for download.  If the filename you enter
is found, you will be shown the filename, file size, and approximate minutes
to download.  You can continue looking at the file listings without having to
begin your transfer immediately.

When you are ready to begin your transfer, simply use the D or DB commands.
You will be asked if you wish to download the files that are flagged for
download.

Disabling Downloads

Disabling downloads is a very simple process.  To disable downloads across
the entire system, you would set the security level in PCBSetup | Security
Levels | User Commands for the D command very high.

To disable downloads in a particular conference is very easy. Simply make
sure that the DLPATH.LST field in the conference configuration is blank.  If
it is blank, PCBoard will inform the user that downloads are currently
disabled.  Below is an example from a conference configuration screen:


Directories : C:\PCB\MAIN\DIRMNU           : C:\PCB\MAIN\DIR.LST
Download Paths (listing only)              :


Making files FREE for download

A FREE file is considered a file which does not count towards the user's
bytes or files downloaded.  In other words, if the user has 280k of bytes
available for the day and a free file is downloaded,  280k of bytes will
still be available for downloading.

To make a file free, you need to use the FSEC file which can be edited via
PCBSetup | File Locations | Configuration Files.  A file is considered FREE
if the password required for the download is FREE.  A couple of examples will
help illustrate the point best.  For example, all files in the G:\FORALL\
subdirectory will be considered FREE files.  The entry you would make in the
FSEC file looks like the following:


          Drive \ Path              File Name    Sec     Password
-------------------------------- -------------- ----- --------------
 G:\FORALL\                       *.*            0     FREE


Because almost all bulletin boards store files on the system as compressed
files, you may want to make the utility necessary to uncompress the files a
FREE download.  For example, the decompression utility may be called
ARJ300.EXE.  If so, you may want to make the following entry in the FSEC
file:


          Drive \ Path              File Name    Sec     Password
-------------------------------- -------------- ----- --------------

                                  ARJ*.EXE       0     FREE


Notice how the Drive/Path field is left blank.  This means that anytime a
user downloads a file which begins with ARJ and has an extension of EXE it
will be a FREE file.

Batch Versus Single File Transfers

As you know, you must use a file transfer protocol to transfer any files over
the modem.  As it turns out, some protocols can handle sending multiple files
in a single transfer while others may be only capable of sending one file at
a time.

If a protocol can send more than one file in a single transfer, it is known
as a batch protocol.  On the other hand, if the protocol is capable of
sending only one file at a time, it is sometimes termed a single file
protocol.

If you flag or attempt to download more than one file for a single transfer,
PCBoard will only allow you to transfer the files using the batch protocols
that are available on the system.  If your default protocol is set to a
single file protocol, you will be prompted for the batch protocol you wish to
use for the transfer.

Aborted Transfers

An aborted file is any file which was not fully transferred. The following
details some reasons why files may be aborted:

excessive errors:  Almost every protocol has some error-checking routines
built in to assure the proper transfer of information. If an error in the
transmission is detected the data packet will usually be re-sent.  Most
protocols also have a built in error limit.  For example, if 10 successive
errors occur, the protocol may decide to abort the transfer.

line noise:  No transmission over phone lines is immune from line noise.
From time-to-time you may experience line noise. If you do not have an
error-corrected connection, this may cause transmissions errors and if bad
enough, could cause the transfer to be aborted.  If you do have an
error-corrected connection, it is quite unlikely that the transfer will be
aborted (because modems are doing the error correcting automatically).
However, if the line noise is extremely bad, your modem may decide to
automatically drop carrier.

dropped bytes:  With the influx of high-speed modems into the market it has
become more important than ever to have serial port hardware that is adequate
enough to handle the speed of the modem.  If you plan on using a modem which
uses a port speed of 19200 or higher, you should plan on either using an
intelligent serial card supported by the /M version of PCBoard or at the very
least make sure all of your serial ports have NS16550AFN UARTs installed.

flow control:  It is very important that you use the right flow control.
There are two types of flow control--software and hardware.  The former is
commonly referred to as XON/XOFF flow control and the latter is referred to
as CTS/RTS flow control. It is important that your modem and your software be
configured to use CTS/RTS flow control exclusively.  Protocols such as
Ymodem/G assume that flow control is operating properly.  If flow control is
not working properly, you can lose an excessive amount of characters, etc.


NOTE:  If the connection is set to be disconnected once the file transfer has
completed and the file transfer aborts, PCBoard will wait 45 seconds instead
of the normal 10 seconds.

Messages

Messages are a vital part of just about any bulletin board system.  Messages
are used to leave messages to the SysOp or to other users.  Messages are the
most common way of communicating with other users on the system.

Reading A Message

Because reading messages is one of the most commonly used functions when on a
bulletin board system, PCBoard has numerous commands and subcommands dealing
with reading messages.  You can use the subcommands to view only those
messages that interest you.  For example, if you only want to see messages
from JIM SMITH, use the FROM subcommand.

Reading new messages

Bulletin board systems are basically information banks.  Because so much
information is stored on a bulletin board system, you most likely want to
view only new information that is placed online.  Viewing any new messages on
the system is very easy to do.  From the conference command prompt you can
type in the following:


R S A


This will Read mail Since the last time you were on in All conferences you
have selected for scanning.  If the bulletin board brings in a lot of mail
each day, you may want to read only  messages that are addressed to you.  If
so, you can type in the following command instead:


R Y S A


The only change is the addition of the Y to tell PCBoard to only read
messages that are addressed to You.  There are numerous other subcommands you
can use with the R command.  For a detailed list, see the R user command in
the PCBoard Commands chapter of this manual.user command section.

Downloading an attached file

If you are reading a message which has an attached file, you will notice that
you have the ability to flag the attached file for download.  At the End of
Message Command prompt, you simply type in FLAG -- the file will then be
flagged for download. When you are done reading messages, you can use either
the D or DB command to download the file.

Entering A Message

One of the most popular methods of communicating on a bulletin board system
is via the message system.  In order to communicate with another user or
group of users on the system via a message, you need to enter a message.
This section briefly talks about how to enter a message on the system.  For
more details about entering a message, you should refer to the E user command
in the User Command section of this manual.

To begin entering a message, you need to use the E user command. This means
you will type in E followed by pressing ENTER.


Addressing a Message

Once you press E and then ENTER you will see the following prompt:


To (Enter)='ALL'? (                        )


This prompt asks to whom the message should be addressed to. Press ENTER to
address the message to ALL, enter any valid user name on the system, or you
can user some of the special addressees that are discussed in the Entering a
Message section of the PCBoard Commands chapter (e.g., @USER@, @LIST@, etc.).

The Subject Of The Message

Just as you would enter a subject on a memorandum or other correspondence,
you are asked to enter a subject of the message you will be entering.  You
are given up to 53 characters to describe the content of your message.  The
subject of the message is displayed when the message is read, when using the
Q user command, etc.  If you do not enter a subject for the message, the
message you are entering will be aborted.

Assigning Message Security

Unless the current conference is defined to make all messages private, you
will be asked what type of message security to use for the message you are
about to enter.  You may choose to make the message public so other users on
the system may read it or you may make the message private so only certain
persons can read the message.  The most popular security options are N for a
public message and R for a message which can be read only by the receiver of
the message.

Requesting A Return Receipt

If you are entering a RECEIVER ONLY message, you may be asked if you wish to
request a return-receipt.  If you request a return receipt, a message will be
sent to you when the recipient reads your message.

Echoing a Message

If you are leaving a message in a conference which has been configured to
allow echo-mail, you may be asked if you wish to echo the message.  If you
choose to not echo the message, your message will remain on the local system
only.

Routing A Message

You can configure a conference to request routing information if a message
will be echoed and it is a private message.  The routing information that is
entered allows the message to take a direct route to the recipient rather
than being broadcast over the entire mail network.  The routing information
that is entered depends on the software you are using for echoing mail as
each can require different types of routing information. Check with the
echoing software to see if message routing is allowed, and if so, the format
that must be used.

Choosing a Message Editor

PCBoard gives you the option to ask if you wish to use the full-screen editor
each time you enter a message.  If you have enabled this feature, you will be
asked this question before being allowed to enter your message.  Of course,
if you find you always use the full-screen editor or the line-editor, you may
want to go use the W user command to change the Use Full Screen Editor?
prompt to reflect the appropriate default response.

The Message Editor

Once you have answered the questions about the message you want to enter, you
will be placed in the message editor.  In the editor, you simply type in your
message as you want it to read. To perform various functions inside of the
editor such as deleting lines, saving the message, etc. you need to access
the editor commands.  To access these commands in the full-screen editor, you
can press ESC.  In the line-editor, you can access these commands by pressing
ENTER on a blank line.  There are far too many commands to discuss in this
section of the manual, however they are discussed in detail in the section of
the manual which discusses the E user command.  Once you have entered the
text you want for your message, you are ready to save your message.

Saving the Message

To save a message, simply access the editor command prompt by pressing either
ESC or ENTER on a blank line depending on which editor you are using.  Then
press S and R.  Your message is now saved to the message base on the bulletin
board system.

Attaching A File To A Message

Sometimes you need to distribute a file to a select group of users.  What you
can do is attach the file to a message.  That way, only users which can read
the message with the attached file can flag the file for download.  To attach
the file, select SA from the editor command prompt instead of S to save the
message.

You will be asked for the filename you wish to upload or attach. You may
attach only one file to each message.  If you need to attach more than one
file, use a compression program which compresses the files and combines them
into a single file.

After you have entered the filename to attach, upload the file just as you
would any other file to the system.  If the transfer is successful, you will
be notified that the message was saved. On the other hand, if the transfer is
aborted, or if your file was tested and failed testing, you will be returned
to the editor command prompt.

Editing A Message

Not everyone is perfect the first time around.  Sooner or later, you may need
to edit a message you have saved.  You may need to edit the actual text in
the message body, or perhaps just change who the message is addressed to.
The following sections describe how to edit the header and body of a message.

Header information

If you entered a message to the wrong name, or you would like to change the
subject of a message that you left, you may do so by typing E at the End of
Message Command prompt.  If you do not have SysOp security, you will only be
able to edit the header information of messages which you have left.  You may
edit who the message is to, the subject of the message, the message
security/protection, and the reference number of the message. If you have
SysOp security, you will also be able to change who the message is from, and
if it has been read or not.

Body of message

You can use the EDIT command at the End of Message Command prompt to edit the
body of the current message.  You may edit the message if it was left by you
or if you have SysOp security.

When you edit the message you are put back into the message editor.  Make the
changes you want to make and then re-save the message.  The changes that you
make will be saved to the message.


NOTE:  If you make numerous changes, PCBoard may have to delete the original
message and create a new message at the end of the message base.  Therefore,
if you see Message Killed when you save your message, you will know PCBoard
had to kill the original message and create a new message at the end of the
message base.

Searching

PCBoard provides extensive search capabilities.  This section describes some
very simple searches you can use to help you find messages.

For Text

If you want to display any messages which contain particular text, use the TS
subcommand.  For example, if you enter the following:


R;TS


You can perform a text search on any message.  PCBoard will ask you for the
text you want to search for.  After you enter the text, you will be asked
what message number you want to begin the search at.

You can stack all of this onto one line.  For example:


R;TS;EDITOR;1+


This command will perform a text search, looking for any message in the
current conference which contains the word EDITOR.

If you wish, you may also span the search across all conferences you have
selected for scanning by using the following command:


R;TS;EDITOR;1+;A


Notice that only the A was added to the command.  This tells PCBoard to
search all conferences you have selected for reading. If you wish to search
all conferences you can join, use ALL instead.

NOTE:  Text searches within PCBoard are not case-sensitive. Therefore, you do
not have to worry about matching the case of the text you will be searching
for.

For User

Sometimes you may only wish to read messages which are to or from a
particular user.  There is a USER subcommand you can use to read messages to
or from a user.  The following is an example:


R;USER


PCBoard will ask you for the user you wish to search for.  You may also stack
the user name on the command line as shown in the following example:


R;USER;JIM BROWN


The previous example will search for any messages in the current message base
which are to or from JIM BROWN.

For User & Text

If you need to perform an even more specific search, you can combine the USER
and TS commands.  This will enable you to search for any message that is to
or from a particular user and contains the text that you specify.  The
following is an example:


R;TS;USER


PCBoard will prompt you for the text you want to search for and the user you
want to restrict the search to.  As in the previous examples, you may stack
the information on the command line:


R;TS;EDITOR;USER;JIM BROWN


In this example, it is important to place the text you want to search for
after the TS and the user you want to search for after USER.  Otherwise,
PCBoard will not be able to properly discern the difference between the
search text and the user. Look at the following example:


R;TS;USER;EDITOR;JIM BROWN


If you type in the previous example, PCBoard will think the user name was
EDITOR;JIM BROWN and consequently prompt you for the text to search for.

Capturing  A Single Message

The ability to capture a message to a printer or file can be important
because it gives you a method to copy a message to a format which you can
then share or use in another manner.  You can capture messages to a file, or
to the printer (if you are on locally).

To The Printer

If you are on locally, you can capture text that is displayed by PCBoard to
the printer using ALT-P.  Therefore, to capture a particular message, do the
following:


Read the message you want to capture.

At the End of Message Command prompt, press ALT-P to turn on the
printer.

Now type / and press ENTER.  This will re-display the message.
Since you have printer capturing turned on, you will be
capturing the message.

Press ALT-P to turn off printer capturing and you are done.

To A Text File


You can easily capture a message to a file using the following
steps:


Read the message you want to capture.

At the End of Message Command prompt, enter C to capture and
download the message.

Download this file like any other file on the system and you
will have a hard-copy of the message in text file format in the
location where you download the file.


Capturing  Multiple Messages

The ability to capture messages to a printer or file can be important because
it gives you a method to copy messages to a format which you can share or use
in another manner.  You can capture messages to a file, or to the printer (if
you are on locally).

To The Printer

If you are on locally, you can capture text displayed by PCBoard to the
printer using ALT-P.  Therefore, to capture several messages, do the
following:


Press ALT-P to turn on printer capturing.

Read the messages you want to capture.

When done reading the messages, press ALT-P to turn off printer
capturing.


To A File

The easiest way to capture messages to a file is to use the C subcommand of
the R user command.  Simply tack the C on to the end of your read command and
those messages will be sent to a file instead of being displayed on the
screen.  Example:


R;S;A;C


would read new messages in all conferences that you have selected and capture
them to a file.  Once the messages have been captured to the file, you will
be directed to download the capture file to your system.  Of course, once you
download it, you have an ASCII text capture of those messages.

To a QWK Packet

One of the most popular ways to read messages off-line is via an off-line
mail reader which can handle QWK packets.  PCBoard can capture messages into
a QWK packet you can use with an off-line mail reader.  If you want all of
the new messages on the system, use the QWK command from the conference
command prompt.  If you want to capture a certain range of messages, or
perhaps only messages that contain certain text, use the QWK subcommand that
is available with the R user command.

To captures messages to a packet, simply tack on QWK to the end of your read
command.  For example, if you want the new messages in the current conference
instead of all conferences you have selected, enter the following command:


R;S;QWK


Taking this idea one step further, you can capture all messages that contain
the word INERTIA in the current message base.  To do this, enter the
following:


R;TS;INERTIA;1+;QWK


Conferences

Conferences provide you a way to separate information on your bulletin board
system.  Each conference can have different message bases, file areas,
bulletins, scripts, etc.

Creating

Because the conference configuration screens are so extensive, it can take a
while to create a conference.  PCBoard does try to help you out with your
conference configuration when you decide to create a new conference.

To create a conference, you need to first load PCBSetup, and select
Conferences from the Main Menu.  You will see a list of conferences on your
system.  To create a conference,  press ENTER on a blank conference number.
You will be informed that you are setting up a new conference.  You are then
asked if you want PCBSetup to provide the defaults for this conference.  If
you did not see this screen, but heard a beep instead, it means you need to
increase the Number of Highest Conference Desired in PCBSetup | Configuration
Options | Messages.

If you choose not to have PCBSetup provide the defaults, you will be placed
in the conference screen for the conference you are creating.  All of the
fields will be blank and you will need to fill in the fields as described in
the Conference Setup chapter of this manual.

If you choose to let PCBSetup enter the defaults, you will be asked some
additional information:

Conference Name:  You may enter up to 13 characters to describe the new
conference.  You may use both upper and lower case letters.

Number of conference to clone (leave blank to skip):  Sometimes your
conferences may be very similar in configuration with only a field or two in
the configuration screen being different.  If you enter a number in this
field, PCBoard will copy the conference settings for a conference and use
them for your new conference.  Before the conference is cloned, you are asked
for the Default Conference Location.  This is where your MSGS, INTRO, and
NEWS files will be stored for this conference.  These are the only files that
will change from the conference that you are cloning.  The rest of the file
locations and the settings will be copied from the conference you enter in
this field.

For systems that have a lot of NetMail conferences, cloning conferences can
save a lot of time because the MSGS file location is about the only thing
that is different between each NetMail conference.

Enter the Conference # on which to base the defaults:  If you decide not to
clone a conference, you will be asked what conference you wish to base your
defaults on for the new conference.  Once you enter the conference to base
your defaults on, you will be asked for the Default Conference Location.
This is the location where  all of your conference specific information will
be stored (message base, etc.)

PCBSetup will now proceed to ask you about various file locations in the
conference configuration screen to see how you want them to be configured.
You will first be asked about your Upload definitions.  These will specify
information about your public and private upload directories.  The following
options are available at this prompt:

        1       Copy the default upload paths and DIR file specifications.
                The sort method, name/location of the upload DIR file, and
                the location of uploads will be copied from the conference
                you are basing the defaults on.  In other words, the
                following fields will be copied:


             Sort   Name/Loc Upload DIR File       Location of Uploads
Public  Upld: 0   :                              :
Private Upld: 0   :                              :


        2       Create new upload paths and DIR files for this conference.
                PCBSetup will create defaults for your private and public
                upload directories based on what you entered for your Default
                Conference Location.  For example, if you entered C:\CONF\1\
                for your default conference location, your description files
                will be stored in C:\CONF\1\, your private uploads will be
                stored in C:\CONF\1\PRIVUPLD\, and your public uploads will
                be stored in C:\CONF\1\UPLOAD\.

        3       Leave the upload path and DIR file specifications blank.  If
                you select this option, your private and public uploads
                locations will be left blank.  You would want to select this
                option if you did not want to accept uploads in this new
                conference.

Next, you will be asked about the following file locations:


DOORS Files:  The locations of your door menu and door configuration files.
These are commonly referred to as DOORS and DOORS.LST.

BULLETINS Files:  The locations of your bulletin menu and bulletin
configuration files.  These are commonly referred to as BLT and BLT.LST.

SCRIPTS File:  The locations of your script menu and script configuration
files.  These are commonly referred to as SCRIPT and SCRIPT.LST.

DIR File:  The locations of your file directory menu and file directory
configuration files.  These are commonly referred to as DIR and DIR.LST.

Download Paths File:  The location of your download path list file.  This
file is sometimes referred to as DLPATH.LST.

For each of these locations, you will be given the following options:


        1       Use the default conference definitions directly.  If you make
                any changes it will affect all conferences sharing the same
                defenitions.  If you select this option, PCBSetup will store
                the same file locations you used in the conference you are
                basing the new conference on.  Because the new conference and
                the conference you based the defaults on will share the same
                file, any changes you make in one conference will also be
                reflected in the other conference.

        2       Copy the default conference definitions into a
                conference-specific file which you may then add to or delete
                from without affecting any other conference.  PCBSetup will
                use new files based on your Default Conference Location, but
                will copy the data from the files in your base conference.
                This way, you can have conference specific files that you may
                change freely without affecting the conference you used to
                base your defaults on.

        3       Start out with an empty conference-specific file which may be
                modified without affecting any other conference.  PCBSetup
                will create new files based on your Default Conference
                Location. These files will be empty so you may customize/edit
                them to suit your needs.

Once you have answered these questions, you will be returned to the
conference configuration screen where you may fine-tune or edit any of the
fields.

Registering Users In A Conference

There are several methods for registering users in a particular conference.
Some methods will only register one user at a time. Other methods will
register an entire group of users.

Registering A Group Of Users In A Conference

You can register a group of users in a conference at the same time.  To
accomplish this, load System Manager.  Next, select Users File Maintenance,
followed by Insert Group Conference. You will see the following fields on
your screen:


First number of conferences to be inserted in registrations  :    0
Last  number of conferences to be inserted in registrations  :    0


Adjust conferences user is normally allowed to join          : Y
Adjust conferences user can join with expired subscription   : Y
Adjust the user selected conferences for scanning            : Y
Adjust conferences where user becomes a sysop when joining   : N
Reset user's last message read to zero in these conferences  : N

Adjust users with a security level greater than or equal to  : 0

                                  and less than or equal to  : 110


Begin by specifying the beginning conference number followed by the ending
conference number to register the users in.  If you want to register the
users in one conference, specify the same number for the first and last
conference number.

Next, you need to determine the conference flags that will be set in the user
record.  The following lists the flag that will be set in the user record
based on how you answer the questions in the second section:


        R       Adjust conferences user is normally allowed to join.  If you
                put a Y in this field, the R flag will be put in the
                conference flag section of the user record.  This flag
                controls if the user is able to join a particular conference
                or not.

        X       Adjust conferences user can join with expired subscription.
                If you put a Y in this field, an X will be placed in the
                conference flag section of the user record.  When the X flag
                is set, the user can join the conference if their
                subscription has expired.

        S       Adjust the user selected conferences for scanning.  If you
                put a Y in this field, an S will be placed in the conference
                flag section of the user record.  This means that conference
                has been selected for scanning/reading.

        C       Adjust conferences where user becomes a sysop when joining.
                Putting a Y in this field will put the C flag in the
                conference flag section of the users file.  When users who
                have this flag join the conference, they will automatically
                be upgraded to the security level specified by the Sysop
                Level field in PCBSetup | Security Levels | Sysop Commands.

Finally, you need to specify the security levels that the conference flags
will be altered for.  In the first field, enter the lowest security level you
want the flags to be altered for. In the last field, enter the highest
security level you want the flags altered for.  All security levels between
the low and high security levels will also have their flags altered.

Registering A Single User Via System Manager

If you need to register just one or two users in a particular conference, the
easiest way to do it is via System Manager. Select Users File Maintenance,
then Edit Users File.  You should see your record on this screen.  Now press
A-F and type in the name of the user that you want to register in the
conference. Once their record is on the screen, press 2 twice to go into
conference view.  You will see the conferences you have configured on the
system with a Flags column next to each conference.

To move between the fields on the screen use the TAB key.  When you are in
the Flags field, you can enter any of the flags that were described
previously (R, X, S, and C).  To save the new information, press ESC and tell
System Manager that you want to save the changes made to the user record.

Registering A Single User While Online

If you have SysOp security level and you have sufficient security level to
access the 7 command, you can edit almost any user record on the system.  See
the SysOp Commands section in the PCBoard Commands chapter of this manual for
more information on the 7 command.  First, locate the user record that you
want to edit, then select C to change the current user record.  As you step
through the various items, you will see one which says Select Conferences.
You may then select the conference number(s) to register the user in.  Once
you have selected the conference(s) you will be asked which conference flags
you would like to set for the user.  Simply enter the flags, and press ENTER.

Restricting Access To A Conference

There are five methods you can use to keep a particular user out of a
conference.  They are as follows:


User does not have the R conference flag set in their user
record for a private conference.

User does not have sufficient security required to join a public
conference or does not have the R conference flag set.

User does not know the password for the conference if defined in
the conference configuration screen and if the conference is a
private conference.

You have set the L conference flag in the user record to lock
the user out of the conference in question.

The subscription for the user has expired and the X conference
flag is not set for the conference you are restricting them from.


Deleting

PCBSetup does not provide a method for deleting a conference. However, you
can have PCBSetup re-ask you the initial questions for the conference so that
you can re-configure it.  To do this, clear out the name of the conference in
the configuration screen by positioning your cursor in the name field and
pressing CTRL-END. Next, press ESC to get back to the conference listing.
Select the conference number that you just cleared the name out of. PCBSetup
will now think that you are configuring a new conference and you can proceed
to answer the questions.

NOTE:  You can temporarily disable a conference by clearing out the
conference name or the location of the MSGS file.  If a user attempts to join
a conference when either of these fields are blank, they will be told the
conference is an invalid conference.

Sharing Information Between Conferences

A conference has a few fields which give the location for configuration
fields.  If you have more than one conference which needs to share the
information the easiest way to do it is to specify the same filenames in both
conference configuration screens.

For example, let's say that you have one conference which has
the following information stored for your BLT and BLT.LST file:


Bulletins   : C:\PCB\GEN\BLTMENU           : C:\PCB\GEN\BLT.LST


If you want another conference to have the same bulletins available, enter
the same filenames on the second conference. Because both conferences point
to the same configuration files, the information stored in those files will
be shared between the two conferences.  When you edit one of the
configuration files, any changes you make will be written to the
configuration files. Any conferences that use these configuration files will
see the changes because they all read from the same files.

You can use this method to share data for any fields in the conference
configuration screens which point to files.

Creating Conference Menu

In order for your users to know what conferences are available on your system
(if any), you need to edit the Name/Loc of Conference Join Menu in PCBSetup |
File Locations | Display Files.  This is file is commonly referred to as
CNFN.

This file is a text file which you may edit with the editors you have defined
in System Manager by pressing F2 or F3.  You may make the menu look anyway
you wish.  As a bare minimum, you should include the conference name and/or
number and a description of each conference.  The following is  a sample:

 #       Name                          Description
---  -------------  --------------------------------------------
 1   PARANOID       Discussions include paranoia and fears.


The user can join a conference either by typing in the number or the name.
Therefore you do not necessarily have to include the conference number and
name.  You could instead, list the conference number or conference name.

You can create this text file using just about any text editor. Better yet,
if you have defined your text editor or graphics editor in PCBSM, you can
simply press 2 or 3 (depending on which file you want to edit).  Otherwise
you will have to manually edit the files while at the DOS prompt.

Events

An event is simply a batch file that gets executed during a specific time of
the day.  In this event batch file you can do some of the following things:


Pack your users and/or message bases

If you are part of a mail network, you will most likely transfer
mail packets

Some third party products you use on your bulletin board may
need to run utilities to update databases, etc.

Create a list of files on your system using PCBFiler and the
/LIST parameter.

Backup your system


The previous examples are but only a few of the things you can do in your
event.  Since events execute batch files, you are more or less limited by
your imagination as far as what you want to run in your event.

Adding An Event

To define the events on your system, you need to go to PCBSetup | Event
Setup.  Next, you need to make sure that you have answered Y to the Is a
Timed Event Active question.

Finally, if you cursor down to the EVENT.DAT line and press F2 you will a
screen that resembles the following:


The number to the left of each line is the event number that is being
defined.  The rest of the fields on the screen are as follows:

Act           You may enter either a Y or an N in this field.  A Y signifies
              that the event is active and should be executed as configured.
              If you enter an N then the event will be considered inactive
              and will not be run as defined.

Mod           The mode of the event.  You may enter either an E or an S in
              this field.  If you enter an E, the event is a "rigid" or
              non-sliding event.  If you enter an S as the event type, the
              event is referred to as a sliding event.

              If an event is an expedited or non-sliding event, PCBoard will
              make its best attempt to execute the event at the time you
              specify as the beginning time even if it means cutting users
              time short.

Batch File    In this field, specify the batch file you wish to execute for
              the event you are defining.  Note that you are only given 8
              characters for the batch filename.  The reason for this is that
              by default this batch file will be run on all nodes. However,
              you can make node specific batch files by making the node
              number the filename extension.  For example, if you entered a
              batch file of DAILY and you want node 5 to execute a different
              batch file, create a DAILY.005 file in the same directory where
              the DAILY file is located.

Begin Time    In this field, enter the earliest time that you want your event
              to run.  The time you enter in this field must be in 24 hour
              format and there must be a colon between the hour and minutes.

End Time      The end time is the latest possible time you wish for the event
              to run.  If the event has not run by the time you enter, the
              event will be skipped.

Days          You may also control which days the event you are defining is
              run on.  In this field all seven days of the week are listed
              beginning with Sunday and ending with Saturday.  Simply enter
              either a Y or N which signifies whether you want to run the
              event on the day listed or not.

Date          This field enables you to specify the dates PCBoard will run
              the event.  For example, if you want the event to run on the
              first day of every month, enter a date of 00-01-00.  Entering a
              00 signifies a wildcard.  Using the previous example, this
              means it would run for any month, and any year, but only when
              the day of the month is equal to 01.  Another example would be
              to set the date to 07-04-00.  This means the event would run
              every July 4th, no matter what the year is.

Last Date     Contains the date the event was last run on the node number
              specified in PCBSetup | Node Configuration.  Not all events run
              system- wide - therefore, this field only contains the last
              date ran for the node you are currently editing.

As an example, let's say you want to have an event that runs at 3:00am every
morning and packs your message bases.  The first step would be to edit your
EVENT.DAT file in PCBSetup | Event Setup.

First, place Y in the Act column, because this is an active event and you do
want it to run.  Next, place an S in the Mod column because you would like
for this event to run at 3:00am but you would not mind waiting for a caller
to logoff before running the event.

Next, you need to enter a batch filename.  For lack of a better name you can
enter PACKMSGS as the batch filename.  Now you must enter the earliest time
that you wish for the event to run.  As outlined earlier, you want this event
to begin at 3:00am so you would enter 03:00 in this column.  If the latest
that you want the event to run is 08:00am, you would need to enter 08:00 in
the End Time column.

Finally, you need to specify the date and days that the event will run.  If
you leave the Date column blank or filled with 00-00-00 it will run for every
day of the week that you specify in the Days columns.  Because the event will
pack the message bases, you probably want it to run every day of the week so
put a Y in every day of the Days column.  Once you have done this you will
have an entry which looks like the following:

              Batch     Begin  End                        Last
    Act  Mod  File      Time   Time   SMTWTFS   Date      Date
    ---  ---  --------  -----  -----  --------  --------  -------
1)   Y    S   PACKMSGS  03:00  08:00  YYYYYYY   00-00-00  00-00-00

Next, you need to create the actual batch file that will execute
your event.  In actuality, this is very easy to do.  Simply highlight the
batch file field you want to edit and press F2. Your default text editor
defined in System Manager | Define Text & Graphics Editors will be used to
edit the batch file.


For example, your batch file might look like this:


PCBPACK /AREA:ALL /MAXMSGS:1024 /PURGE
BOARD


This batch file simply runs PCBPack on all message bases.  Once the message
bases have been packed, BOARD.BAT is reloaded which will make the system once
again available for callers.

By default this event will run on every node of the system. Obviously this
would not be a good idea to have every node packing the message base at the
same time.  What you should do is rename your batch file to make it a node
specific event batch file.  For example, to make this batch file run on node
3 only, rename the batch file from PACKMSGS to PACKMSGS.003.  Adding the .003
to the end of the filename, tells PCBoard it is a node specific file and only
node 3 should run the event.

Multiple Nodes

Frequently you will need more than one node to participate in an event.
Whether you want each node to perform a particular task, or if you need all
nodes to be down, it is important to understand how to control your events.

Node Specific Events

Most likely you do not want all of your nodes to run the event batch file.
You may have one node that does all of the work while the others wait or do
other tasks.  In the EVENT.DAT file, specify the base event batch filename.
This is the batch file that will be executed for all nodes unless there is a
node specific event batch file.

To create a node specific event batch file, create a file with the batch
filename and an extension of the node number.  For example, if your event
batch file is called MAINT1 and if you want to make a batch file that only
node 6 will execute, create a batch file called MAINT1.006.

When event time rolls around, all of the nodes except node 6 will run the
event using the MAINT1 file.  Of course, node 6 will use the MAINT1.006 file.

If you wanted only node 6 to run the event and the other nodes to not even
both going down for the event, create the MAINT1.006 file and then delete the
MAIN1 file.  Since the other nodes would not have a batch file to execute,
they will not execute the event.

Making Sure All Nodes Are Down

To perform global changes to the system such as sorting the user file, or
doing a total backup of your system, you will need all of your nodes to be
down.  Perhaps the easiest way to accomplish this is to have your nodes
simply run a program as they begin the event that will count for a certain
amount of minutes or seconds while the event is running.  When the nodes are
down counting, they can then reload the board.

As an example, let's assume that you are operating a three node system.  You
want node 1 to sort the users file.  In order to do this, nodes 2, and 3 must
not be operating.  Quite simply, you create a node specific event file for
node 1.  If your event batch file is called USRSORT then you would create an
event file called USRSORT.001.  This batch file might look like the
following:

@ECHO OFF
PCBSM /SORT;SECURITY;PRIREVERSE
BOARD

In your testing, you have found out that it takes about 4 minutes to complete
the sorting process.  Therefore, you need to make sure that the other nodes
stay down for a bare minimum of 4 minutes.  Just to be safe, you could even
keep them down for 10 minutes or so because the time it takes to sort the
file will increase as the number of users on your system increases.

You should be able to find several utilities will count for seconds or
minutes on the PCBoard Support BBS.  For example, if you found one called
Count which counts for the number of seconds specified, make your USRSORT
batch file look like the following:

@ECHO OFF
COUNT 480
BOARD

Quite simply, this would make nodes 2 and 3 (because a USRSORT.002 or
USRSORT.003 file was not found) count for 480 seconds and then reload the
bulletin board.  This should give more than ample time for the sort process
to be completed.

There are several other methods you can use to make sure all events are down
and stay down.  Most of these have been addressed by third party authors and
are available on the PCBoard Support BBS by using the Z user command and
searching for EVENT.

System Security

An integral part in operating a bulletin board system is the security of the
system.  You need to be able to control what actions or commands a user can
execute based on their security level.  In fact, you should use security
levels to determine what a user can do while online.

Protecting SysOp Related Commands

If you allow unauthorized users to access SysOp related commands they could
do a great deal of damage to your system.  That is why it is so important
that you properly protect these commands with a security enabling only
authorized users access to the SysOp commands.

Some commands can be more dangerous than others if put in the wrong hands.
Therefore, PCBoard enables you to specify the security level required to
execute each SysOp related function. A command like the 11 which displays
information about the callers currently online would not be as dangerous as
the 9 command which enables you to drop to DOS from remote.  Careful planning
of your SysOp security levels and making sure you trust the users whom you
give access to is the best way to prevent unauthorized users from accessing
sensitive commands.

There are two sections in PCBSetup that you will use to determine the
security levels that protect SysOp commands and functions.  These sections
are found by selecting Security Levels from the Main Menu of PCBSetup.  From
there you can choose to define security levels for SysOp Functions or SysOp
Commands

Defining Which User Is The Main SysOp

The user in record #1 of the USERS file is considered to be the Main SysOp.
This record has certain privileges that are not associated with any other
record.  For example, when you select Sysop - Busy or Sysop - Not Busy from
the call-waiting screen the user in record #1 is logged into the system.

In addition, the user in record #1 is the only user that can join a
conference even if they are not registered in the conference or do not have
sufficient security to join the conference.

Protecting SysOp Accounts

There are no back-doors which users can log into PCBoard and gain SysOp
access.  The only way a user may log in using a SysOp account is to know the
name of the account to log in under and the password for that account.
Therefore, it is very important for you to change your password frequently to
prevent an unauthorized user from hacking your account.

To prevent users from knowing the name of the user in record #1 of the USERS
file, you can answer N to the User Real Name question in PCBSetup | Sysop
Information.  If you do this, you will simply be known as SYSOP on the BBS.
Any messages that you enter on the system will be from SYSOP and when a user
displays who is online you will be listed as SYSOP.

You could then have a different name in record #1 of the USERS file which
means that a user attempting to hack your account would need to know two
items of information -- your user name and your password.  To prevent a
breech in security, PCBoard will not allow a user to login with a user name
of SYSOP.

Protecting Files For Download

PCBoard provides a method to protect any filename that is available for
download by security level, password or both. This protection is done via the
FSEC file which can be edited from PCBSetup | File Locations | Configuration
Files.  If you have sensitive files online, you should use the FSEC file to
protect those files.  As an example, if you want to protect the filename
SENS0001.ARJ so only users with a security level greater than 100 and those
that know the password can download it, make an entry like the following in
your FSEC file:

          Drive \ Path              File Name    Sec     Password
-------------------------------- -------------- ----- --------------
                                  SENS0001.ARJ   100   ENTER_THISPW


The FSEC file is discussed in more depth in the PCBSetup chapter of this
manual.

Protecting Files From Being Uploaded

PCBoard also provides a method to protect files from being uploaded to the
system.  Uploading files does not usually present a problem to system
security however PCBoard still provides the capability.  This protection is
done via the UPSEC file which can be edited from PCBSetup | File Locations |
Configuration Files.

A good example would be if you were just informed that a file called
VIRALM33.LZH contained a virus and was being distributed around your area.
To protect this file from being uploaded, you could make the following entry
in your UPSEC file:

          Drive \ Path              File Name    Sec     Password
-------------------------------- -------------- ----- --------------
                                  VIRALM33.LZH   255


With this entry a user must have a security level of 255 or higher in order
to upload the VIRALM33.LZH file to your system. Since it is quite likely that
not many users have a security level of 255 on your system, it would be safe
to assume that the file could not be uploaded to your system.  The UPSEC file
is discussed in greater detail in the PCBSetup chapter of this manual.

Maintenance Tasks

Once you have more or less finished your system configuration, the majority
of your time will be spent maintaining your system. You will need to answer
questions and comments left to the SysOp, pack your message base and user
files, back-up your system in case of data loss, etc.   The following section
describes various examples of maintaining your system.

File Maintenance

If your bulletin board system encourages file transfers, you will most likely
have a lot of uploads to your system.  You may want to use PCBFiler on a
regular basis to move the files in the upload directories to one of the file
directories you have defined.  By regularly moving the new files out of the
upload directories, it will be easier for your users to find the files they
are looking for.

Log Maintenance

PCBoard uses two system log files to record activity on the system.

The caller log files record items of interest that occur while a user was
logged into the system.  The time the user logged in and logged out is
recorded.  In addition, events such as joining a conference, transferring a
file, and entering a message are also recorded.  If a user tries to access a
command that is not available to them, it is also recorded in the log file to
help keep you informed of possible breeches in security.

The DOWNLOAD.TXT file stores information about every transfer (both uploads
and downloads) on the system.  Each line in this file stores the name of the
file, the user who transferred the file, transfer speed, size of the file,
and number of errors.

If you do not delete or archive these log files frequently you may find that
your drive space is being eaten up unnecessarily. On a daily, weekly, or even
monthly basis, you may want to delete or archive these log files in one of
your events.

Packing files

Both your USERS file and your message bases should be packed on a regular
basis to help ensure data integrity and also to physically remove any
unwanted entries or those which have been marked for deletion.

Users File

You can pack in interactive mode by loading System Manager and selecting
Users File Maintenance.  However, most SysOps elect to pack the users file
during a daily event instead.  System Manager provides command line
parameters that you can specify to pack the USERS file.  For example, to
simply pack the file and ensure data integrity you may issue the following
command:

PCBSM /PACK

You may choose to pack-out or delete any user which has not called the system
within the last 90 days. In this case, you would issue the following command:

PCBSM /PACK;DAYS:90

For more information on the command line parameters for System
Manager see the Command Line Parameters section in the System
Manager chapter of this manual.

Message Bases

If you have a lot of conferences on your system, you probably also have a lot
of active message bases.  In that case, it becomes essential that you pack
the message bases down on a regular basis to prevent your message bases from
taking too much space.  Like the USERS file, most SysOps elect to pack the
message bases in the events.  You must use a program called PCBPack to pack
your message bases -- this program is included with your purchase of PCBoard.

To help keep the size of your message bases down, you can choose to pack all
of your message bases so that no message base contains more than 500
messages.  This is very easy to accomplish by entering the following:

PCBPACK /AREA:ALL /MAXMSGS:500

You may choose to pack only messages older than 45 days by entering the
following command:

PCBPACK /AREA:ALL /DAYS:45

PCBPack has several other options available as well.  See the Utilities
chapter of this manual for additional details.

Backing Up

Most bulletin board systems will contain several megabytes or gigabytes of
data.  Therefore, it always wise to have some sort of backup system in place
so you can regularly back up your system in case of data loss, hardware
failure, etc.

While you do not have to back up your system every day, it certainly would be
a good idea to do a backup every other day, or perhaps once a week.  Sooner
or later, you will probably experience some sort of data loss where you need
to access a backup to restore files.

New Users

Whenever users who have not established an account on your system logsinto
your system, they will become a new users to your system.  When the user
enters a name not in the current user file, PCBoard will ask to confirm if
their name is correct. If the name is correct, the user will be logged in as
a new user.  First of all, the NEWUSER will be displayed (as defined in
PCBSetup | File Locations | Display Files).  This file usually contains an
introduction to your system.

Once that information is displayed, the user is asked if they wish to
register.  If they choose to register, they will be asked to fill out some
additional questions in order to become a registered user on the system.

Asking Questions

PCBoard begins by asking for the following information:


Password
City/State
Business/Data Phone
Home/Voice Phone
Brand of CPU
Clear Screen Between Messages
Default Protocol for File Transfers

The answers to these questions are stored in the user file record.  The
answer to the Brand of CPU question is stored in the Comment #1 field.

All of the above questions are records in the PCBTEXT and may be configured
to ask any question you wish.  However, the location of where the answers are
written cannot be changed.  If you want to disable some of the questions,
blank out the appropriate record in your PCBTEXT file using MKPCBTXT.

Defining Security Level

There are two security levels whch come into play for new users to your
system.  The security level of the new user depends on if they choose to
register or not.  If you look at PCBSetup | Security Levels | User Levels you
will see the following fields:

Level Given to Users Who Agree  to Register :
Level Given to Users Who Refuse to Register :

You can specify the security level that users get when they agree or refuse
to register.  When a user agrees to register, a new record in the user file
is created.  However, when they refuse to register, no user record is
created.

By default the security level given to users who refuse to register is 0.
This means that if the user refuses to register they will be immediately
logged off of the system.  You may want to change this value to another
security if you wish to enable new users to look around the system without
creating an account on your system.

Defining Expiration Date

If you have enabled subscription mode on your system, PCBoard will assign new
users the value you have entered for the Default Subscription Length in
PCBSetup | Subscription.  If you have not enabled subscription mode, your new
users will have an expirate date of 00-00-00 which means their accounts will
never expire.

The Default Subscription Length is in days and you can enter any value up to
9999 in that field although something like 365 may be more reasonable.

Disallowing

If you do not wish to allow new users to your system, there are two ways you
can accomplish this setup:

In PCBSetup | Configuration Options | System Control set the Run System as a
Closed Board to Y.  If you do not have a NEWASK questionnaire defined, when
the user attempts to log in as a new user they will be shown the CLOSED file
which explains that your system is a closed system.

If you do have a NEWASK questionnaire defined, the user will be allowed to
continue and fill out the NEWASK questionnaire.  However, no user account is
created.  You would want to use this type of system if you want to screen
your new users and manually add them to the user file after they answer some
questions.

Modify the security level entry that you assign to new users who agree to
register.  Set the time limit for that security level to 0.  Any new user
that attempts to call the system will be displayed the CLOSED file and
promptly logged off.  This will occur even if you do have a NEWASK
questionnaire defined.

User Subscriptions

You may desire your users to have access to your system for a specified
amount of time after which their security level will be dropped.  The users
can then follow further instructions to gain access again.  This is called
subscription mode.

You can assign a date in the user record after which the user will become
expired.  When the user is expired, their security level is dropped to their
expired security level.  By dropping their security level, you can perhaps
reduce the commands or functions they can access when they logon the system.

Enabling Subscription Mode

Enabling subscription mode is very easy.  Load PCBSetup, and select
Subscription from the Main Menu.  The first option on the screen asks if you
wish to enable subscription mode.

If you enable subscription mode, PCBoard will pay attention to the expiration
date and will also assign the default expiration length to all new users who
call into the system.

Setting Expiration Date

When you enable subscription mode, new users will be assigned the default
expiration length.  However, you may have existing users on the system who
logged in before you enabled subscription mode.  This is one reason you may
need to manually set the expiration dates.  Another reason you may need to
manually set expiration date is when your users expire and follow the
instructions you provide them to renew their subscription

Manually Entering Expiration Date

If you need to manually edit the expiration date of a user so it is a
non-expiring account, load System Manager, select Users File Maintenance,
then Edit Users File.  You will now see record number one on your screen.
Next, locate the user name you need to update by pressing ALT-F.  Cursor down
to the expiration date field and type in the date the user will expire.  If
you enter 00-00-00, the user will be set to never expire.

Group Security Levels

Sometimes you may need to modify the expiration date of an entire group of
users.  Within System Manager there is a function which allows you to change
the expiration date of users based on their security level.

To access this function you need to load System Manager, select Users File
Maintenance and then select Adjust Expiration Dates. Your screen should
resemble the following:

If you want to adjust everyone with a security level between 20 and 30 to an
expiration date of 05-05-94,  modify the following fields:

Base Security Level Criteria on NORMAL or EXPIRED Level (N/E) :  N
Adjust Expiration Date if level is Greater than or equal to   : 20
Adjust Expiration Date if level is Less than or equal to      : 30

New Expiration Date (01/01/80 is ignored) : 05-05-94

Current Date in record plus XXXX days     :    0


Once you press PgDn, all users with a security level between 20 and 30 will
be assigned an expiration date of 05-05-93.

Setting Expired Security Level

If the expiration date in the user record is equal to or prior to the current
date, the user is considered expired and will be given the expired security
level as shown in the user record by the following field:

Expired Sec :

When a new-user logs into the system, they will be given the default expired
security level as defined in PCBSetup | Subscriptions.  If you would like to
assign a different expired security level to a user, you will need to
manually edit the expired security field in the user record.

Warning Users Who Are About To Expire

Another option you can configure within PCBSetup | Subscription is the number
of days prior to expiring that users will be warned.  For example, if you set
this value to 30 and a user is due to expire on 03-31-94 a notification of
expiration will be displayed from 03-01-94 all of the way up until the
expiration date.

PCBoard provides a file called WARNING which may be edited in PCBSetup | File
Locations | Display Files.  This is a display file which you can customize to
suit your own tastes.  As described in the Customizing Your BBS chapter of
this manual, you can make security, language, and graphic specific versions
of this file because it is a normal display file.

Notification Of Expiration

If a user has expired, PCBoard will display the EXPIRED file. This file
location can be found in PCBSetup | File Locations | Display Files.  Like the
WARNING file, you can make security, graphic, and language specific versions
of this file.

Modem Discussions

Most likely, the majority of your logins will be via modem connection.
Therefore, it is to your advantage to have a general knowledge of how serial
ports work.  This section is dedicated to lightly cover some of the more
advanced serial port topics to help answer many common questions.

Serial Port Hardware

PCBoard supports a wide variety of serial port software.  Not only does it
work with standard RS-232 serial port hardware but also with many intelligent
and non-intelligent serial boards. Of course, to use the intelligent or
non-intelligent serial boards, you will need to be using the /M version of
PCBoard so it can properly access the serial port hardware.

Standard RS-232

This type of serial board is the one that is installed in most computers when
you originally buy them.  Until the advent of the /M version of PCBoard,
these were the only type of serial ports you could use with PCBoard.

Non-intelligent Serial Board

This type of serial board is quite similar to the standard boards except all
of the serial ports share the same IRQ.  With standard serial ports each has
to have a unique IRQ.  To use these serial ports with PCBoard you need to use
the /M version.

Intelligent Serial Board

Perhaps the most proficient and consequently most expensive serial port
hardware that you can buy is an intelligent serial board.  These boards
usually have at least 4 ports on a single card, but could easily have 16
ports as well.  To help off-load some of the CPU processing, the board
includes its own processor.  The Arnet SmartPort Plus and the DigiBoard
COM/xI boards are examples of intelligent serial boards that are supported by
the /M version of PCBoard.

The Importance Of Flow Control

Serial communications is a two-way street.  You send data and you also
receive data.  Therefore, it becomes important to have some sort of control
in regards to the flow of data.  This is where flow control comes into play.

What Is Flow Control?

Flow Control simply controls the sending or receiving of data. If one end of
the connection can no longer send or receive data, the proper signal should
be sent to signify that no more data should be received or sent.  There are
two types of flow control -- software and hardware.

Software Versus Hardware Flow Control

Software flow control is commonly referred to as XON/XOFF flow control.  With
software flow control, control characters are sent to signify that data
transfer should stop.  For example, sending a CTRL-S will stop the flow of
data and CTRL-Q will restart the flow.  The problem with software flow
control is that it is very easy for these characters to accidentally be
transmitted due to line noise or to be embedded inside of a perfectly valid
binary file.

Hardware flow control, on the other hand, is handled by the RS-232 (serial
port) specification.  The cable between your modem and your serial port has
several wires inside of it.  Two of these wires are labeled CTS and RTS.
These wires can either be "up" or "down" (referring to their electrical
state).  The state of these wires, determines how the flow of data is
controlled.

Why Hardware Flow Control Should Be Used

Both your hardware and your software should be configured to use hardware
flow control.  In fact, hardware flow control is a necessity when you lock in
your port rate or transfer using Ymodem/G.  If you are not using flow control
or it is not working properly, it is quite possible for you to experience
data loss.

UARTs

What is a UART

The UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) is a chip on most
serial boards and is used to input and output data from the serial device.

NOTE:  Intelligent serial boards do not have UART chips. Instead, the
multiport driver will communicate directly with the CPU on the serial board.

Types of UARTs

There are three basic types of UART chips with each chip being identified by
a unique number.  One of the first UARTs was the 8250 UART.  It was replaced
with the 8250A which fixed some bugs with the original 8250 UART.  Both the
8250 and 8250A are capable of handling one byte at a time.

Around the time when the original PC AT was introduced, the 16450 UART was
also introduced.  This chip was better designed for the faster architecture
of the AT.  Each type is determined by their part number.  Although it
handled the speed of the AT fine, the 16450 still handled data one byte at a
time.

In the late 1980's, the 16550 UART was introduced.  This chip, while
compatible with the 16450, also included the ability to handle more than one
byte at a time via its 16 byte buffer. This buffer helps prevent data loss
because more than one byte can be handled at a time.  Some bugs were
discovered in the original design and subsequent versions of the chip were
released.  If you have a 16550 UART, make sure that it is either the 16550A
or 16550AFN model to ensure proper operation.

Determining What UART(s) You Have

Most good system diagnostic utilities will have some way or reporting the
type of UART you have for each port.  If you do not have any diagnostic
utilities, PCBoard will report the UART that it finds in your system via the
status line.  You need to first load PCBoard, then select Sysop - Not Busy.
At this point, you can press ALT-H four times and you will see your status
line change to something like the following sample:

Towards the bottom right-hand side of the status line you see the UART model
(next to the ErrCorr field.  You will then know what model UART PCBoard has
been able to determine that you have.  Typically you will see either
8250A/16450 or 16550A.

Locking Opening Baud Rate

High-speed modems (9600 bps or higher) are very popular on bulletin board
services.  Additionally, most of the modems being sold now have built in
error-correction and data-compression. To get the highest transfer rate out
of your connections, you must lock your port speed.  While your modem may be
only able to connect at 14400 bps, you can lock your port rate at 19200,
38400, or even 57600 bps.  As a matter of fact, PCBoard will automatically
lock the port for you at any speed above 9600 bps.

Advantages

By locking your port rate, you can give data to the modem faster rather than
having the modem wait on the computer to send more data.  This usually
translates to higher transfer rates and is most noticeable when you are
sending uncompressed data over the modem (such as a text file).

In reality, PCBModem should configure your modem to operate properly under
PCBoard.  Therefore, you really do not need to worry about setting up either
PCBoard or your modem to work with a locked port rate, as PCBModem will do
that for you if your modem supports it.

Troubleshooting

The most common problem with locked port rates is that you have only
configured either the modem or the software (but not both) to use a locked
port rate.   What happens in this case is that users will get a line of
characters on their screen which looks like garbage.  In fact, the user will
not be able to type anything either.  If you see this type of problem, double
check and make sure both your modem and your software are configured to use
locked port rates.

Line Noise

Line noise will always be around as long as modems are in use. Modems convert
computer data into audio signals.  Anytime there is interference with the
audio signals it will generate line noise because the signals have been
modified by interference.

Non-Error Correcting Modems

If your modem is not an error-correcting modem, line-noise will be displayed
on your screen.  This happens because your modem does not know the
interference is line noise.  Quite simply, the modem is translating the audio
signals that it received back into computer data.  If something interferes
with these signals, you will see the interference as line noise when the
modem translates the audio signals back into data.

Error Correcting Modems

Error correcting modems packet the information they send out so when the
receiving modems receive the packets, they can check to insure the data is
the same as it was sent out.  If the data is not the same, the packet will be
resent until it is properly transmitted.  Of course, this means there will be
a delay on the receiving end until the packet is received properly.  The
length of this delay could be un-noticeable or it could be quite noticable
depending on how many times the packet must be resent.

Nearly always when you see jerky screens, pauses, or your file transfer rates
are noticeable slower it can be attributed to line noise.  About the only
thing that you could do in this case is to hang up and call back hoping to
get a clearer line.

Searching for Text

Throughout this manual you have seen references to searching for text and the
fact that PCBoard supports Boolean operands.  This section discusses how you
enter the text to search for when you are at the Enter the Text to Scan for
(Enter)=none prompt.

To begin with, you will be shown how to do some simple searches. From there,
you will be shown how to do some more complex searches that involve Boolean
operands.

Simple Searches

Single Word

The simplest search you can perform is the single word search. You enter the
word to search for and PCBoard will search the criteria you have specified
for that word.  For example, if you are using the Z command, the file
directories will be searched. If you are using the TS command, the message
base will be searched.

For example, you may wish to search all messages in the current conference
for the word monitor.  If so, type the following at a conference command
prompt:

TS ENTER

Enter the Text to Scan for (Enter)=none? monitor R
Msg # to Begin Search from (1052-3904)? 1 R


At this point, the search begins for the word monitor.  PCBoard will display
any message that has the word monitor in it.  While searching, PCBoard does
not pay attention to the case of the word so it can be either upper or lower
case and it will still be found.

Phrase

Taking the single word approach one step further, you can search for a phrase
that consists of one or more words.  If you find that searching for monitor
finds to many matches and consequently was not being effective, you may
decide to search for something more specific like vga monitor instead.  This
may help reduce the number of matches and help find the messages you are
after.  This time, type the following at the conference command prompt:


TS <ENTER>


Enter the Text to Scan for (Enter)=none? VGA monitor <ENTER>
Msg # to Begin Search from (1052-3904)? 1 <ENTER>


At this point the search will begin again.  However, this time, only messages
which have the word VGA immediately followed by the word monitor will be
displayed.  When the message is displayed to you, PCBoard will highlight the
match (f your graphics mode allows)so you can see where the match occurs.

Complex (Boolean) Searches

Boolean operands allow you to perform more complex searches than you would be
able to perform searching for a word or phrase. With Boolean operators you
can tell PCBoard to display a match only if it meets certain conditions you
specify.

An expression is made up of an operator which acts on one or more operands.
With text searches, your operators are the Boolean operators.  The operands
are the word or phrases you are searching for.  Do not over-burden yourself
trying to remember the difference between operands and operators as you will
find that the examples in this section will help you better understand the
concept of Boolean text searching.  The following discusses each of the
Boolean operators.

& - The And Operator

The Boolean AND operator enables you to search in disjointed mode.  In other
words, both operands must exist in the target (message, file description,
etc.) but they do not have to be in consecutive order.  To help illustrate
this, let's say you attempt to search for text editors that may exist on the
system.

Because you have no idea what the filename is, you decide to use the Z user
command to search for text in the file directories. When prompted for the
text to search for, you enter text editor because that is what you are
looking for.  From there you begin the search which may list a fewprograms
that may interest you.

The problem with this type of search is that you may have missed some files
because you told PCBoard to find anything that had the text editor phrase in
the description.  What you may discover later when viewing file directories
is the following file description:


TXED100.ZIP    168046  12-28-93  TexEdit v1.00 -- Utility you can use to
                               | edit any text file.  Supports VGA text
                               | mode.  Includes mouse support.


Obviously, this looks like a file that you would be interested in.  Why did
this description not show in your previous search? Quite simply, nowhere in
the description is the phrase text editor contained.  Obviously your previous
search is not catching all of the files you want to find.

This is not only where the Boolean AND operator becomes useful but also where
it makes sense.  If you had to sum up what you were looking for, you may say
any file that can edit text.  The italicized words are the key.  You want to
find any description which has both the word text and the word edit somewhere
in the description.  You do not know if the description will say something
like "A utility to edit text" or if it will say "a wonderful text editor".
Therefore, enter the following expression to search for:

TEXT & EDIT

The & in the search string represents the Boolean AND operator. If your
translate the & into the actual word and it makes even more sense.  This
search would mean that you are searching for text and edit to be in the same
description.  It does not matter in what order, just simply that they occur
in the description to become a match.

You can have as many Boolean operands as you wish in your search string.  For
example, you can enter the following search:

DISK & FORMAT & FLOPPY

This would search for the words DISK, FORMAT, and FLOPPY must all occur in
order for a record to match.

| - The Or Operator

Like the Boolean AND operator, this operator enables you to search in
disjointed mode.  With this operator only one of the words or phrases need to
be in the target (message, file description, etc.) to be considered a match.

As an example, you may wish to search the message bases using the TS user
command for any message which talks about hard drives.  You remember that
some people call them hard drives and others may call them hard disks.  In a
case like this, use the OR operator to find any message that matches either
phrase. Type the following Enter the Text to Scan for (Enter)=none prompt:

HARD DISK | HARD DRIVE

Any message that contains either the phrase hard disk or the phrase hard
drive will be displayed to you.

! - The Not Operator

Sometimes you may not want to display all matching records. Instead, you may
want to search all records which do not match the text you enter to search
for.  This is precisely the user of the Boolean NOT operator.

For example, you may want to search a directory that contains a bunch of GIF
graphic images.  All of the descriptions in this directory contain the
resolution of the file.  You decide that you do not wish to see the
description of any pictures which are 320x200.  If this is the case, type the
following at the Enter the Text to Scan for prompt:


! 320x200


Any description which contains the phrase 320x200 will not be displayed to
you because of the Boolean NOT operator ( ! ). Continuing on with the GIF
examples, let's assume you want to see all pictures on the system that have a
resolution of 1024x768 but you do not want to see any files that have swim in
the description.  If so, enter the following:

1024x768 &! SWIM

If you read that out in English it says 1024x768 and not SWIM. This would
display all file descriptions that have a 1024x768 in the description
(denoting the resolution of the picture) and that do not have the word SWIM
anywhere in the description.

Using Parentheses To Group

Remember in mathematics how you used parentheses not only make your problems
clearer and easier to understand but more importantly to control the order of
operations to suit your needs?  With Boolean operators you can do the exact
same thing. If you take the example that illustrates using the AND Boolean
operator one step further you can easily see how parentheses help group
things together.

If you recall, you were using the AND operator to search for any description
which contains both the words TEXT and EDIT.  What happens if someone chooses
to use the word ASCII instead of TEXT when they enter their description?  To
help you find this description, you can use parentheses to group items
together. This may result in the following search string.


EDIT & (TEXT | ASCII)


This will tell PCBoard to find any description that contains the word edit,
and either the word text or the word ASCII.  If you don not use the
parentheses, PCBoard will evaluate from the left to the right.  This means
that it would only display files that contained both the words EDIT and TEXT
or the word ASCII.

While it appears to be a very subtle difference, parentheses can make or
break your search.  Remember the easiest way to do Boolean searching is to
read out the search in English.  If you look at the previous example which
uses parentheses you could read it as follows:


EDIT and either Text or ASCII.


Including The Boolean Characters In Your Search

If you need to include any of the following characters in your search, use
quote marks to prevent them from being interpreted by PCBoard's searching
routine:


&
|
!
(
)
[space]


Obviously, these characters all have special meanings when involved in a
search so you need some way of specifying them. For example, you may want to
search for the phrase SMITH & JONES.  If you type that phrase in as-is, the
search will turn up anything with the word SMITH and the word JONES.  What
you would do in this case is to simply surround then entire search phrase
with quote marks as illustrated in the following:


"SMITH & JONES"