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Text File | 1993-01-10 | 32.2 KB | 777 lines

Kmail Version 2.94 Copyright 1990 by Ken Krueger Twin Peaks BBS (303)-651-0225 - Hayes Ultra 144 Specifications: --------------- Produces QWK compatible mail packets. Supports up to 3000 conferences. Reads CNAMES.@@@ to obtain conference information. Reads TPA to obtain User information. Updates USER file via USERS.SYS interface. Resets "Mail Waiting" flags after a successful packet download. Sets message 'has-been-read" flag after successful download. Sets message-has-replies flag when appropriate. Fully network compitable. Opens all files in share mode. Locks message base during updating. Message packets compatible with RNET. Extended conference packets require RNET v1.07 or later. Message packets tested with EZ-RDR v1.33 and SLMR v2.0. Produces pre-scanned mail packets to save online time. Limited file send services for Network hubs. Sets the 'Have Mail Waiting' flags during message import. BiModem protocol support including bi-directional mode. HS/Link protocol support including bi-directional mode. Supports FOSSIL interface. Evaluation ---------- This evaluation version of Kmail is provided so that you and your users may may decide if this program meets your needs. Kmail is 100% fully functional for the "sysop" in local mode. The callers are limited to 10 messages per conference and to 50 total messages per packet. In addition, you may call Twin Peaks and obtain a one time 60-day full function demo-key to help complete your evaluation. No fuss no muss, first time callers can obtain the demo-key. 60 Day Demo Key --------------- To obtain the 60 day demo key, just call Twin Peaks. Join conf #19 open door 9 and follow the instructions. In order for the Demo-Key to work, the name you use to register on Twin Peaks MUST exactly match the name in record #1 of your USERS file. ---- Requirements ------------ Dos 3.1 or greater. PCBoard 14.5 or 14.5a DSZ version 05/25/89 or later. PKZIP v1.10 or higher. PK361 If you wish to support the ARC format. (optional) PUMA If you wish to make it available. (optional) BiModem If you wish to support it. (optional) HS/Link If you wish to support it. (optional) Communications Ports -------------------- Channel I/O Port Interrupt COM1 $3F8 4 COM2 $2F8 3 COM3 $3E8 4 COM4 $2E8 3 COM5 undefined COM6 undefined COM7 $2E8 5 COM8 $3E8 5 Support for non-standard COM port configurations is provided by using DOS Set statements as shown below: SET COMBASE=nnnn ;port base I/O address. SET COMIRQ=n ;port IRQ setting NOTE: nnnn above is expressed as a decimal number! Installation for Single Node ---------------------------- (Refer to NETWORK.DOC file for Multi-Node Installation) 1. Create a KMAIL sub-directory to hold the Kmail distribution files. Place all files in the archive into this directory. 2. Create a work sub-directory such as C:\KWORK for Kmail to use. ***CAUTION*** ***CAUTION*** All files are erased in this directory during the mail packet creation process. DO NOT use an existing directory that has good stuff in it! Multi-node systems must have a unique work area for each node. 3. Customize the KMAIL.CFG file. Ample comments are in the sample. This is where you really customize the overall operation. Parms 1-4 are passed along to the mail readers for their use. While not critical, you should keep to the general outline in the sample and customize them for your system. ==> PARM 5: This one is important! This parm specifies the name of the QWK mail packet that Kmail will create. While the name can be anything, it would be best to have a name that is associated with your BBS system name. (Do not specify a .extension here). The rest of the parms are optional. Among them are options to control the number of messages based on connect speed, and protocol transfer options. The default values are in the sample. DSZ is used as the main protocol and is activated via a call to a BAT file which you may define in the KMAIL.CFG file. This allows you to totally customize the DSZ parms to suit your system. I just let it default to the standard PCBxx.BAT files that I have setup for PCBoard. Be sure to include the BAT files location in your DOS path! Kmail passes parms %1-%5 to the BAT files just the same as PCBoard. When a caller requests ╔════════════════════════════════════════╗ an external protocol, ║ External Protocol Parameters ║ PCBoard passes several ╠═════════╦══════════════════════════════╣ parameters to the ║Parameter║ n9scription ║ protocol batch file. ╠═════════╬══════════════════════════════╣ These parameters are ║ %1 ║COM Port Number. ║ listed to the right. ╟─────────╫──────────────────────────────╢ ║ %2 ║PC to Modem Speed (DTE rate) ║ ╟─────────╫──────────────────────────────╢ ║ %3 ║Filename to transfer. ║ ╟─────────╫──────────────────────────────╢ * ║ %4 ║Connect Speed shown by PCBoard║ ╟─────────╫──────────────────────────────╢ ║ %5 ║Carrier Speed. ║ ╟─────────╫──────────────────────────────╢ ║ %6 ║Upload Dir Path for BiModem ║ ║ ║and HS/Link type protocols. ║ ╚═════════╩══════════════════════════════╝ * The %4 field is not easily determined within Kmail, therefore upon exit to the protocol BAT files, Kmail adjusts the %4 field to the same value as %5. I have found the following works well with my Hayes 9600 v.42. PCBSZ.BAT dsz ha bo est 0 %5 pB4096 sz -m %3 PCBRZ.BAT dsz ha slow est 0 %5 pB4096 z pr1 rz -m -p %3 4. Customize the KMAIL.CNF if necessary. This is a 2 or 3 line file. The 1st line defines the interface routine that Kmail should use, and the 2nd line defines the location of a work directory. The 3rd line is optional and is needed only if you plan to pre-scan mail packets for your callers. Line #1 should specify either INTERRUPT or FOSSIL. INTERRUPT - Use this for standard COMx communication. FOSSIL - Use this for connunication with FOSSIL drivers. Line #2 is the path\name of a scratch work directory. If the sub-directory does not exist, it will be created. The name may be anything. I use the name KWORK on my system. Line #3 is optional. If the pre-zip function (explained later) is used, this line points to the holding sub-directory. It may be any name, but I recommend something like KHOLD. Multi-node systems MUST share the same KHOLD sub-directory in order for pre-zip packets to be located from any node. Sample KMAIL.CNF INTERRUPT Line 1 C:\KWORK Line 2 <-- Must be unique for each node! D:\KHOLD Line 3 <-- This is where pre-scanned mail packets are stored. A common directory shared by ALL nodes. ******************************************************************** ** Warning ** Warning ** Warning ** Warning ** Warning ** ******************************************************************** * * * ALL FILES ARE ERASED IN THE KWORK DIRECTORY DURING PROCESSING. * * MAKE SURE THE AREA YOU SPECIFY IS A SCRATCH AREA! * * * ******************************************************************** ** Warning ** Warning ** Warning ** Warning ** Warning ** ******************************************************************** 5. Create the BAT file to run the Kmail door. Kmail requires two parameters when it is called. The 1st parameter specifies the name of the CONFIG file. The 2nd parameter specifies the the drive and path to your PCBoard main directory where the PCBOARD.DAT file is located. Echo off SET KMAIL= CD\Kmail KMAIL KMAIL.CNF C:\PCB C: CD\PCB Board 6. Add an entry in your DOORS.LST files for Kmail. Indicate that a USERS.SYS *SHOULD* be created and that a DOOR.SYS should not be created when Kmail is executed. 7. Using PCBSM, select "User Info File Maintenance" and create a KMAIL Third Party Application entry with the following info. Version : 30 Static Size : 18 Dynamic Size : 1 Keyword : KMAIL <---- Watch this one! See notes below. NOTE: The keyword parameter above must match the name of the BAT file that is used to open the Kmail door. So, if the name of your BAT file is something else, change the keyword parameter accordingly. NOTE: If you will be using the PreZip function, then the Keyword *must* be KMAIL. (PreZip is explained later). 8. Kmail will use the DOS Environment variable "COMSPEC=" to locate COMMAND.COM in order to execute the archive and communications programs. The location of the archive and communication programs must also be included in your DOS path. 9. Network Qnet Status: If your system will be acting as a HUB for other systems, then you will need to create a QNET.DAT file to control the Qnet status of the downline systems. The QNET.DAT file is a plain ordinary text file which contains the names of the downline sysops whom you wish to grant Qnet status. One name per line starting in column 1 and EXACTLY 1 space between the first and last name. Mixed case is ok. The QNET.DAT file should be placed in the Kmail sub-directory. Qnet status permits a user to upload mail on behalf of another person. Without Qnet status, a user is limited to uploading only their own personal mail. (* ----------------------------------------------------------- *) (* The sequence of names should NEVER be changed and new names *) (* must only be added to the end of the file. If you need to *) (* remove a person from the list, then just XXX their name out *) (* leaving the XXX's as a placeholder. *) (* ----------------------------------------------------------- *) NOTE: I apologize for the shoddyness of this procedure. I am working on a PCBsm type utility to handle this function. It is high on the priority list and expect to have something around the middle of 1991. The letter 'Q' is displayed on the conference selection screen beside each conference to indicate Qnet status. If you have one or more conferences that you do not want echoed to downline systems, setting the conference echo-flag to NO will disable Qnet status for that conference. Messages can still be downloaded for offline reading via a RDR, but cannot be merged into the system message base. 10. PRE-ZIP'ed mail packets. This function allows you to scan and zip a mail packet for a user so that it is ready for download when the user calls in. This is an especially usefull function for LD callers. You will need to create a sub-directory to serve as a holding area for the pre-zipped packets. The location of the holding directory is specified in the Kmail.cnf file as shown in step (5) above. Multi-node systems may share the same holding area. A PREZIP.DAT file must be created in the Kmail sub-directory which lists each sysop's name and assigns a unique sequence number to each name. The sequence numbers are used to match up a pre-zip packet with the proper caller and are not associated with any other function in Kmail. Pre-zip packets will be stored in the KHOLD directory until downloaded by the caller. The users "MSG Pointers" are also stored in the KHOLD directory and are posted to the users record upon successful downloading of the pre-zip packet. Note: The following format must be *STRICTLY* adheared to. The name begins in column #1 and must not exceed 25 characters. A comma MUST separate the name and it's following sequence number. All names must have a three digit sequence number following the name, leading zeros REQUIRED! Mixed case is allowed in the name. No two users should have the same number! Sample: PREZIP.DAT George Washington,026 John Smith,015 Bob Jones,009 I would suggest a SET Kmail= in your door bat file to insure that PREZIP is never active for an online caller. Prezip processing is activated via a Kmail=PREZIP DOS environment variable. The following is suggested in your event.sys file. Basically, the process is to make a call to PCB145 to build a USERS.SYS followed by a call to Kmail to create the packet. Important! The use of : and ; at the appropriate places in the PCB145 command line is critical!!! Ex: PCB145 /USERSYS;JOHN;SMITH;PWRD:12345;TPA:KMAIL ^^^^^ Carefull, this parm must match the bat file name. | ____________________________________________________| EVENT.SYS ... ... Set Kmail=PREZIP <===== (note CAPS) cd\pcb PCB145 /USERSYS;JOHN;SMITH;PWRD:12345;TPA:KMAIL cd\Kmail Kmail KMAIL.CNF C:\PCB LOCAL cd\pcb PCB145 /USERSYS;JOE;DOAKS;PWRD:FOOBAR;TPA:KMAIL cd\Kmail Kmail KMAIL.CNF C:\PCB LOCAL If Exist USERS.SYS Del USERS.SYS Set Kmail= <===== Important!! I suggest you also ... include this line in your Kmail ... door BAT file(s). event continues..... 11. The installation of Kmail is now complete and you are ready to begin initial testing as soon as everything is backed up!!! 12. Insure that the locations of DSZ and PKZxxx programs are defined in your DOS path. Kmail will be unable to locate them if they are not in the Dos path! **** NOTE WELL **** NOTE WELL **** NOTE WELL **** NOTE WELL **** **** NOTE WELL **** NOTE WELL **** NOTE WELL **** NOTE WELL **** **** NOTE WELL **** NOTE WELL **** NOTE WELL **** NOTE WELL **** Obviously a mail door must update the USERS file to store message pointers. Please make sure your USERS file is backed up before running Kmail. There has been one report of trashed message pointers. I was unable to track down the cause of the problem and it has not re-occured. Do not fall into the trap of making an automatic backup each night during your event if you are simply overlaying the previous nights backup. If a problem did occur and you did not catch it for several days, you wouldn't have a valid backup copy. I suggest that you keep a minimum of seven grandfather copies of your USERS file and each one of them should be unique. Conferences ----------- Kmail obtains all conference related information from the CNAMES.@@@ file including such items as MSG base location, required security to join, and bulletins path/location. If a user does not have the required security level to join a conference, the conference will be listed as <closed> on the Kmail conference selection menu. If you need to delete a conference for any reason, just insure that the conference name is blanked out using PCBsetup and Kmail will not attempt to process it. It will show up as *Empty* on the selection menu. Remember to do a global delete of the registered and scan flags! Private (R/O) Messages ---------------------- Kmail will validate the caller security level and compare it against the appropriate values specified in PCBsetup to determine if access to to private messages including comments to sysop are allowed. Conference Sysop status is also checked. As with PCBoard, you may give global access to private messages by assigning a high enough security, or on a conference by conference basis by assigning conference-sysop status. Qnet_Private=No/Yes (Default=No) ------------------- If you wish to allow Network-Sysop's the ability to download private mail without having to alter security levels, you can do this be putting the parameter Qnet_Private=Yes in the Kmail.CFG file. However, R/O msgs that do not have the "Echo" flag set, will not be sent. In addition, the same rule applies to the conference "Echo-flag" status. In other words, for a R/O message to qualify using the Qnet_Private= option, both the conference Echo flag AND the individual msg Echo flag must be set on. Comments to Sysop are not included with this option. Ignore_Echo=No/Yes (Default=No) ------------------ This option only has meaning if you will be operating as a network hub with downline nodes receiving mail from you. When you enable a caller for network-status, that status only applies to conferences defined as "echo" conferences in pcbsetup. Besides "main", you may have one or more local conferences on your system. If you wish to allow downline nodes to echo your local conferences including main, then set this option to Yes. Mail_Waiting=Yes/No (Default=Yes) Use this option to control whether Kmail will set the "Mail Waiting" indicator during message importing. With this option enabled, callers will be notified of waiting mail in the various conferences when they logon. This option will slowdown the upload process depending on how large of a users file you have. This option causes Kmail to update your USERS and USERS.INF files, KEEP GOOD BACKUP'S of these files!!! Zip_Opt=xxx (Internal Default - Zip_Opt=-a) ----------- If for some reason you need/want Kmail to use unique Zip parameters, you may specify them using this option. UnZip_Opt=xxx (Internal Default - UnZip_Opt=-e) ------------- If for some reason you need/want Kmail to use unique UnZip parameters, you may specify them using this option. Qwk_Dir=path (Default=None) Rep_Dir=path (Default=None) ------------ If you plan to use Kmail in local mode to capture mail to use with an offline RDR, use these parameters to specify the locations where Kmail should place the QWK packet and where to retrieve the REP file. These options are only for the convenience of the Sysop when operating in local mode. A DOS copy command is issued to copy the .QWK and .REP files to/from these directories. Scan_Upld_Only=Yes/No (Default=Yes) --------------------- This option controls whether just the upload directory or ALL directories are scanned when the caller selects the new file scan. If you keep new files in the upload directories for several days/weeks then setting this option to YES would be the best choice. However, if you move new files out of the upload area rather quickly or perhaps have the "make all uploads private" switch enabled in PCB, then you will need to specify NO for this option to prevent callers from missing new files. The scanning of new files is limited to the conference in which the door was opened. Private upload directories are NEVER scanned. Tag= ---- KMail will append a tag line to messages uploaded via the KMail door. You may customize the tag information to refelect your bbs info by using a TAG= parm in the CFG file. Example: Tag=Home of Super BBS The tag information may be up to 60 characters long. Disable_Tag=Yes/No (Default=No) ------------------ This option may be used to completely disable the adding of TAG lines to uploaded messages should the need arrise to do so. This option is ignored in non-registered versions. Force_Tag=Yes/No (Default=No) ---------------- The tag information is normally appended only on messages uploaded into an Echo conference. Set this option to Yes if you wish to have tag lines appended to messages in non-echo conferences (including Main). Disable_Goodbye=Yes/No (Default=No) ---------------------- In the event that you have special processing requirements and prefer that callers not logoff directly from KMail, this option is provided to disable the (G) command. When enabled, this option will cause KMail to translate all forms of the (G) command into a Quit command. Upon return to PCBoard a PCBSTUFF.KBD file will be created which contains a (BYE) command to log the caller off. Only systems that are configured to Drop to Dos after each caller would need this option enabled. Disable=nn (Default=15) ---------- Use this option to disable KMail downloads 'nn' minutes before your scheduled system event. This is used to prevent a user from starting a large download and running past the event start time. Values from 0-60 are accepted here. HS/Link and BiModem ------------------- HS/Link and BiModem are fully supported in bi-directional mode. Obtain the bulletin from Salt Air for details on installing BiModem. HS/Link is easily installed with the documentation that comes with it. The standard PCBxx batch files you setup for these protocols should work just fine with Kmail. KMail Help ---------- Insure that the file "KMHELP" is placed in the \KMAIL directory. This file provides the online help function while in the door. The help file can be modified, if nessary, to suit unique environments, but I suggest that you don't alter it too much. Multi-Lingual Text Files ------------------------ There is currently limited support for Multi-Lingual files although the main menu is not currently included. The following files are supported. Just customize the files as necessary and add the proper language extension. The files must reside in the KMail directory along with the English versions. Please note that the English versions do not have an extension. NEWUSER (Displayed to first time users) KMHELP (The online help information) PNTMSG (Displayed when user uploads their .PNT file to reset their message pointers) SCRIPT0 File ------------ KMail checks the location specified in PCBSetup for the SCRIPT0 file. If a SCRIPT0 file is found it is sent in the mail packet. The various rdr's will display the SCRIPT0 file at the end of the rdr session. NEWUSER File ------------ Included in the archive is a file called NEWUSER, which is a replica of the opening display presented to a first time user. If this new user screen is satisfactory, you need do nothing. However, should you desire to create your own customized message, just edit the sample NEWUSER file and place it in the Kmail directory and Kmail will display it rather than the hard coded text within the program. KMAIL.KEY --------- This information applies to registered users of KMail that are running multi-node systems. If the BBS name (as specified in PSCsetup) has different text for each node, you will need a KEY file for each node. KMail will first check to see if a KMAIL.KEY exists, and will use that if one exists. If a KMAIL.KEY is not found, then the node # is appended to the name and another attempt is made to process the KEY file. In other words, Node 1 would look for KMAIL1.KEY and Node 2 would look for KMAIL2.KEY and so on. This approach will allow you to have all of the KEY files in a single directory if you choose to do so. Of course, you still could have a KMAIL.KEY in a unique directory for each node too. NOTE: If at any time it appears that your KMAIL.KEY is not functioning properly, enter the character "&" at the main Kmail menu screen and the data from the key will be displayed on the terminal to assist in the diagnosis of the problem. SYSFILE.DAT ----------- This data file is used to control the sending of data files to network sysops. To activate this option, create a SYSFILE.DAT file in the KMail directory and specify the complete Drive:\Path\Name.ext of the files you wish to be automatically included within the QWK packet. The file dates are checked and only those with dates more recent than the last file transmitted are sent. You may list up to 24 files, one FileName per line starting in column one. The files will be zipped into SYSFILE.ZIP and included in the QWK packet as appropriate. Extended Services ----------------- You can create up to 8 catagories of file services numbered (0-7) that a user may subscribe to. Files within the selected service will be included in the QWK mail packet. To implement this function you need to create a SERVICES.LST file in the KMail subdirectory. The SERVICES.LST file contains a description of each available service. For each service create a matching SERVICEx.DAT file where x coorsponds to the service number. The SERVICEx.DAT file(s) contains the full drive:\path\name of each file contained in the service catagory, samples are shown below. The SERVICES.LST file is also used as the menu screen when the caller is selecting their desired services. SERVICES.LST ------------ Network News <== SERVICE0 BBS Help/Tips <== SERVICE1 Conference Listing <== SERVICE2 SERVICE0.DAT SERVICE1.DAT ------------ ------------ C:\FILES\NET.DOC E:\SOMEDIR\BBS.HLP C:\FILES\NETSTAT.TXT D:\PCB\HELP\TIPS.TXT G:\STUFF\MODEM.DOC The above is intended to show the amount of flexibility you have in creating the various services. You probably will want to be somewhat more organized than the example. Getting Started --------------- Finally it's time to run Kmail. Just login to the BBS in the normal way and open Kmail door. As a first time user, you will be asked to answer some configuration questions as will each user when they try Kmail the first time. A special feature in Kmail will detect when the "sysop" is in local mode and will issue a prompt asking where to place the resulting QWK mail packet. You should respond with the drive and path, but WITHOUT the trailing back-slash after the name. Use of the NOTE: Use of the Loc_Dir option described above prevents having to type this information each time you use the door. c:\temp \ All of these are valid ways to specify the d:\rdr >-- location of where to place the QWK packet a: / when running in local mode. Later on when you are ready to upload any replies created with one of the offline readers, Kmail will ask where to obtain the REP file. Use the same format as above to specify the location. Errors ------ Any errors detected by kmail including those from 3rd party programs such as PKZip and DSZ are logged into a file called $door.err in the Kmail sub-directory. In addition, many of the errors are also written to the caller log file. Error information is also displayed to the callers. Notes and Misc Info ------------------- Kmail sends a bbsid.PNT file in each mail packet. The PNT file contains the last-read message pointer for each conference that the user has selected. In the event of a problem, a user may upload the PNT file to restore the message pointers. Just extract the KMAIL.PNT file from the QWK packet and upload it to Kmail using the 'P' menu option. The user may select/un-select conferences and reset message pointers by using the appropriate options in EZ-RDR. Review the documentation associated with EZ-RDR for additional information. When resetting message pointers, Kmail will accept an absolute message # or a negative number such as -25 which means set the message pointer equal to 25 messages from the end of the message base. Not yet documented on the menu screen is the ability to stack commands for the download process. The command 'D Y' will download the mail packet and return you to the menu screen, while 'D G' will download and log you off. A 10 second timer is provided to allow you to change your mind. By using stacked commands, the user can avoid the question "Do you wish to receive this packet?" Recent changes to PCBoard allow for passing command line parms to door programs. Kmail now takes advantage of this feature. Assuming Kmail was installed as door #3, the following commands would be valid. Open 3 d (open the door & start download scan) Open 3 d y (open the door, scan mail, yes to download) Open 3 d g (open the door, scan mail, download & goodbye) Kmail d y (open the door, scan mail, yes to download) Kmail d y g (open the door, scan mail, download, goodbye). The following SET commands may be used to adjust the operation of Kmail as appropriate. SET PRODEBUG=ON Enables total session logging to the file DEBUG.OUT. Use this to record door activity for later review. SET OVCRT=ON This environment enables a special CRT update mode that works best with TaskView or OmniView systems. SET CAPFILE=filename This setting controls the name of the file generated by the ALT-F (file out) and SET PRODEBUG=ON functions. The default file name of DEBUGxx.OUT is changed to the specified name. SET COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM This environment variable specifies the location and name of your current COMMAND.COM and is required if the location of COMMAND.COM is not in the current DOS Path. SET PATH=C:\DOS;C:\UTIL;C:\... The PATH environment variable is used to locate many of the programs called up by KMail. Please insure that your archive utilities and protocol driver programs are present in a directory listed in your PATH environment. In The Works ------------ Utility to handle Qnet status and view/change user options. Acknowledgements ---------------- Special thanks to Bill Walsh, whose system I crashed many times during early beta testing, and to Jeff Freeman whose eagle eye caught many potential problems, and to Ken Flower for testing >256 conferences. And thanks to the many others who played a part in the beta testing development of Kmail. Registration ------------ Please see the file REGISTER.TXT for registration information. After receipt of your registration, you will need to call my BBS and obtain a customized KEY file, which will enable any and all features not available in the evaluation copy of Kmail. Currently, the only limitation is the number of messages allowed per mail packet. After obtaining your customized KMAIL.KEY file, just place it in your KMAIL sub-directory to activate all features. Ken Krueger Twin Peak's BBS 303-651-0225 - Hayes Ultra 9600 96 v.32 / v.42bis