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Text File | 1993-03-07 | 20.9 KB | 504 lines

VBBS / Fido Gateway Version 5.60.09 =================================== Copyright Neil J Marshall 1st March 1993 TransAtlanticBBS (+44-689-890937) 1 @ 440 VirtualNET Neil J Marshall @ 2:440/211 Fido Contents ======== Introduction Initial Configuration Of VFIDO To Give E-Mail Functionality Configuration Of VFIDO To Add Conference Functionality Configuration Of VFIDO To Add Interface To FrontDoor Creation Of A Fido Network List For Use By VBBS Summary Of VFIDO Command Syntax Technical Information Development History Introduction ============ This program is designed to create an interface between the VBBS software written by Roland De Graaf and any Fido-compatible network. FidoNET itself is the largest hobbyist network in the world, with over 14,000 BBS as members, and there are literally thousands of smaller Fido-compatible networks worldwide. This version of the interface program allows the exchange of private mail and public message areas between VBBS and Fido. It no longer requires the use of FrontDoor to handle the calls to and from other Fido BBS, although you can continue to use FrontDoor if you so desire. Initial Configuration Of VFIDO To Give E-Mail Functionality =========================================================== Place the VFIDO.EXE program in your VBBS directory. Run VCONFIG.EXE, and select Network Configuration for the Fido (type 4) network you are configuring. 1. Fido Address: 2:440/211 Your Fido network primary address in Zone:Net/Node.Point format) 2. NetMail Directory: C:\VBBS\NETMAIL Where Fido netmail will be stored - must be the same for all your Fido networks 3. OutBound Directory: C:\VBBS\OUTBOUND Where Fido EchoMail will be stored - must be the same for all your Fido networks 4. Archiver: PAK Compression method for outgoing EchoMail - PAK, LHA, ZIP, ARJ 5. UnArchiver: PAK Compression method for incoming EchoMail - PAK, LHA, ZIP, ARJ 6. FIDO Front-End: Standalone Standalone or FrontDoor are only valid options at this stage 7. Nodelist Name: NODELIST The name of the nodelist for the network 8. Zones: 1-7 The range of Zones that belong to that network (ie the Domain) D. Dial List 1. System Address: 2:440/59 Fido address of node to call 2. Phone Number: 0689-824890 Full phone number to dial 3. Poll Priority: Hold Hold means never call, Priority is call as soon as mail is waiting, once a day is the final option 4. Preferred Session Type: EMSI (FSC-0056) w/Zmodem (DSZ) EMSI or TSYNCH handshaking selection 5. Session Password: FRED The password to use in the EMSI session with the other BBS, which may be blank R. Routing 1: 2:440/59 2:440/59 Fido address of server and routing mask including wildcards. The routing logic works top to bottom through this list so you can't add anything meaningful after the last line with the *:*/* on it. 2: 1:1/1 1:*/* 3: 2:440/6 *:*/* A)dd Lines E)dit Lines D)elete Empty Lines Q)uit: A. AKAs 1: 2:440/59.3 Alternative address for the board - must be same Zone 2: 2:440/0 A)dd Lines E)dit Lines D)elete Empty Lines Q)uit: Once this configuration is completed, go to the main VBBS directory and run: VFIDO /C NETWORKID=# You must rerun this every time you change the above configuration information. You will also need set up a file containing phone prefix aliases called VFIDO.FON in your DATA subdirectory. This is used to ensure that the phone numbers listed in the nodelist are converted to a format that can be dialed from your BBS. This is used for removing your country code for national calls and area code for local calls. VFIDO needs the correct phone numbers listed so it can call any BBS in the nodelist when Crash Mail, File Attaches or File Requests are sent. An example of this file for the USA would be: 011- The prefix for dialing international phone numbers 1-616-399- 399- Sets up the toll free codes for your area code 1-616- 1- Makes all other calls in your area code long distance 1- 1- Ensures all US phone numbers are not made international This example would convert a phone number listed as 1-616-399-4818 to 399-4818, or convert 1-616-772-0482 to 1-772-0482, or 44-689-890937 to 011-44-689-90937 and for Europe: 010- The prefix for international calls 44-689- Strip the country and area code for local calls 44- 0- Add a 0 prefix for national calls As an example, the above would convert an international phone number listed in the nodelist as 1-616-399-4818 to 010-1-616-399-4818, or a national number in the nodelist as 44-689-890937 to 0-689-890937. Place the unarchived nodelist into the C:\VBBS\NETMAIL directory and run: VFIDO /A NETWORKID=# You will need to rerun this every time you receive a new NODELIST or you change the VFIDO.FON. Sending E-Mail Using VFIDO ========================== To send an E-Mail message from VBBS to any Fido-type network, invoke the E-Mail routine as normal. The User Network Address field should be completed in the format User Name@Fido Address, so to send E-Mail to me use Neil J Marshall@2:440/211. If you want to send Crash Mail, that is where the E-Mail is sent directly to the addressee's BBS, ignoring the routing logic, then add a " +c" after the addressee's name, so to send Crash Mail to me use Neil J Marshall +c@2:440/211. In Fido-type networks it is policy that messages with files attached must go directly to the addressee's BBS and ignore the routing logic, so if you attach a file to a message it will be held on your board awaiting a call from the addressee's BBS unless you send it Crash Mail or the addressee is one of the BBSs in your dialing list that you call. File Requests Using VFIDO ========================= If you want to send a File Request to another Fido-type BBS invoke the e-mail routine as normal. The User Network Address field should be completed in the format Sysop +f@Fido Address, where the " +f" is the switch to indicate this is a File Request. The Filename requested is put in the Title field of the message. All File Requests are sent direct to the addressee's BBS and ignore routing. If the addressee's BBS is not one that you have set up in your dialing list, then you must also use the +c switch to make the File Request a Crash E-Mail. To request the latest version of VFIDO from me, you would invoke the E-Mail function and address it to Sysop +f +c@2:440/211, then make the Title of the message VFIDO. VFIDO also supports incoming File Requests. When a File Request is received, VFIDO searches each of the File Areas that you have set up in VCONFIG and sends the file back if it is found. VFIDO also supports "Magic Names" for File Requests - this is where a pseudonym is associated with an actual file for ease of access by calling systems. Magic Names should be set up in the file VFIDO.MAG in your DATA directory. The format of this file is one entry per line, giving the "Magic Name" followed by the full path and filename of the file to associate with the Magic Name, for example VBBS C:\VBBS\FILES\SYSOP\VBBS560.ZIP FILES C:\VBBS\MASTLIST.TXT VFIDO C:\VBBS\FILES\SYSOP\VFIDO560.ZIP might be some of the most common ones. If you want a "standard letter" sent in response to each file request, create this letter in a file called FILEREQ.TXT in your TEXT path. Generally a Fido Sysop should use this to list the Magic Names applicable to their BBS. Configuration Of VFIDO To Add Conference Functionality ====================================================== If you want to access public message areas in Fido, you will need to know the AREA name that uniquely identifies each Fido conference. Supposing for example you wished to set up VBBS to participate in a Fido conference whose AREA name was HARPOON: Run VCONFIG.EXE and select Database Configuration, Message Bases, the relevant Group and Database. Then select Networks Configuration, A for add, select the network, and on the line for the Network Conference Identifier, put the AREA name of the Echomail conference in the network, then a space, then the Fido address of the EchoMail server from whom you receive the conference. If you are acting as a local hub, also add, separated by a space, the Fido addresses of the nodes to whom you directly circulate the conference. You are currently limited to 80 characters in VCONFIG although you can manually edit the file to create longer subscription lists. The line will look like this: Network Conference Identifier: HARPOON 2:440/59 1:2/3 1:3/4 ^ ^ ^ * * * * * These are the addresses * * of BBS whom you pass the * * conference on to when * * you are a local hub * * * This is the Fido address of the * EchoMail server from whom you * collect the conference * This is the AREA name of the Fido conference After you have set up all your conferences, you must run VCONFIG, Database Configuration, Compile Network Configuration - and you will have to rerun this every time you change the network configuration of a database. With these simple steps taken, every message posted on that conference will be echoed to Fido, and every message from Fido on that conference will be fed into VBBS. Using AreaFix To Request Conferences ==================================== You can add or remove your BBS to the subscription list for conferences on other Fido BBS using AreaFix. All you have to do is to send a NetMail to AreaFix at the BBS address with your AreaFix password as the title (the AreaFix password is agreed in advance by yourself and the other Sysop) and a content that lists, line by line, the Area name of a conference, preceded by a - for remove. For example, a message whose content read: VFIDO_SUPPORT -GAMES_DISCUSSION would add your BBS to the VFIDO_SUPPORT conference and remove it from the GAMES_DISCUSSION conference. VFIDO supports incoming AreaFix requests as well. However, there is no facility for implementing an AreaFix password, so the title of the NetMail can be anything. Summary Of VFIDO Command Syntax =============================== VFIDO {channel number} {option} NETWORKID=# # is the network identifier as specified in the NET.0 file for the network you are connecting to. {channel number} is only necessary with /DIAL, /HOST and /POLL options. {option} is one of: /A Build network list from nodelist /C Compile initial Fido information /DIAL Make a call to another Fido address, specifying the address right after the switch like /DIAL2:440/211 /HOST Answer an incoming Fido call /POLL Call all systems for whom Crash Mail is pending /U Scan VBBS mail and toss to Fido /T Scan Fido mail and toss to VBBS Technical Information ===================== VFIDO creates FTS-0001 packets for NetMail with FSC-0039 extensions for Zone and Point 4D addressing, FTS-0004 ARCmail packets for EchoMail, and FTS-0006 WaZOO-format File Requests. Connections can be using FTS-0001 (TSynch) using XMODEM or FSC-0056 (EMSI) using ZModem. Outgoing Crash Mail to addresses not listed in the dialing list is only supported using EMSI. Release Notes ============= 5.60.09 Modified EchoMail archive packet naming for points 5.60.09 Corrected bug in incoming file request handler 5.60.08 NetMail no longer carries a tear and origin line 5.60.08 Outgoing file requests and crash mail can only be sent by the Sysop account 5.60.08 Modified EMSI checksum routine to ensure 4 digit checksums 5.60.08 Removed reliance on DOS DIR command 5.60.08 Added support for LocalNET slots configured as Fido type 5.60.08 Modified file request code to support CD ROM drives and to ignore wildcard file requests 5.60.08 Improved analysis of results of a call to ensure sent packets are deleted even if the receive fails 5.60.07 Modified incoming mail user name recognition to cope with names with the first character missing 5.60.07 Overhauled the FTS-0001 packet exchange section to get better results with Binkley connects 5.60.06 Modified packet creation routine to make the packet show the address in the correct network as the origin 5.60.06 Corrected a bug caused by the switch to 60 byte null packets in 5.60.05 which caused outgoing mail to be ignored or two bytes out of phase 5.60.05 Modified the /c and /f email switches to +c and +f because of conflict with MultiMail function 5.60.05 Modified null packet length to the correct 60 bytes 5.60.05 Modified EchoMail processing to detect NetMail containg AREA: in the text as NetMail instead of EchoMail 5.60.05 Introduced a quick return to Waiting For Call where call was unsuccessful 5.60.05 Modified incoming and outgoing call routines to improve success rate with VFIDO, FrontDoor and Binkley connects 5.60.05 VFIDO now remembers the telephone numbers of Crash Mailed systems so the nodelist does not need to be searched again if further Crash Mail is sent or redials are needed 5.60.05 Modified routine that processes EMSI caller's address information to handle 5D addressing and spurious .0 point addresses 5.60.04 Modified telephone answering routine to handle incoming Binkley 2.56 calls using EMSI or FTS-0001 5.60.04 Modified incoming file request processor to take account of comments and directory names 5.60.04 Improved the incoming EMSI handshake performance 5.60.04 Modified the EMSI handshake routine to detect carrier dropped right at the start of the handshake 5.60.04 Modified the routine to detect nodelists in VFIDO /A so that it runs a bit faster 5.60.03 Corrected bug in Crash Mail introduced in 5.60.02 5.60.03 Incoming EchoMail is now forced to appear from the same network as it is addressed to, preventing reflection 5.60.03 Added even more code to remove junk in incoming MSGID, REPLY and Origin fields 5.60.02 Corrected bug in receive EMSI handshaking that was causing an infinite loop 5.60.02 Corrected a bug causing a crash if you sent crash mail to the same address more than once then made a connect 5.60.02 Modified incoming mail processor to add a /c to crash mail to allow the reply to be sent as crash mail automatically 5.60.02 Changed MSGID, REPLY and * Origin routines to detect where Zone is 0 and default the network to FidoNET 5.60.02 Completely rewrote inbound EchoMail processor to allow for situations when the from and to addresses are in completely different networks 5.60.02 Corrected origin network processing for mail whose origin line indicates an invalid Zone 5.60.02 Corrected incoming File Request processing routine 5.60.02 Suppressed sending of null packets during EMSI session 5.60.02 Enabled routing to #:#/0 addresses 5.60.02 Corrected routine that takes modem off hook during tossing to use correct COM: port and only activate if VCONFIG is set to Idle Modem 5.60.02 Checks VCONFIG file request flag to see if file areas are FREQ'able or not 5.60.02 Added code to recover from invalid addresses in the REPLY field from other Fido mailers 5.60.02 Added some strategically placed pauses to allow screen to be read to assist debugging 5.60.02 Spacebar now aborts the whole redial sequence for a node 5.60.02 Checks for null packets received during a TSynch session to prevent attempting to apck mail for 0:0/0 5.60.01 Modified the /POLL routine to only poll within the specified NETWORKID 5.60.01 Added display of EchoMail From Address during tossing to assist correct configuration of EchoMail processor. 5.60.01 Corrected TSYNCH handshake to cope with empty incoming packets 5.60.01 Corrected the AreaFix message format to follow the Fido standard for add requests 5.60.01 Modified the initial handshake after CONNECT to support mailers that generate a single Escape character 5.60.01 Added code to mask out REPLY lines reading 0:0/0 5.60.01 Added code to mask out invalid MSGID lines from Xenolink 5.60.01 Added support for Session Passwords 5.60.01 Updated processing of Origin information in EchoMail to handle invalid formats of the Origin without crashing 5.60.01 Corrected incoming EchoMail processing logic to handle mail from multiple networks simultaneously 5.60.01 Takes phone off hook during mail tossing 5.60.01 Modified call to DSZ to handle duplicate incoming file names 5.60.01 Added abort by spacebar in dialouts 5.60.01 Added pause between redials 5.60.01 Corrected processing of nodelists with sub-100 extensions 5.60.01 Added Carrier Detect functions to detect loss of connection in incoming and outgoing calls 5.60.00 Added incoming AreaFix functionality 5.60.00 Added incoming & outgoing Crash Mail functionality 5.60.00 Added incoming & outgoing File Attach functionality 5.60.00 Added incoming & outgoing File Request functionality 5.60.00 Integrated the FrontDoor telephone handling functionality 5.60.00 Introduced support for Domains 5.60.00 Upgraded routing to give unlimited routing flexibility 5.60.00 Introduced support for Aliases 5.60.00 Introduced support for simultaneous multiple Fido-type networks 5.60.00 Reintroduced the PATH statement in EchoMail 5.60.00 Introduced support for unarchived EchoMail 5.60.00 Improved the detection of origin information on incoming EchoMail 5.60.00 Added processing to correct Private EchoMail and Public Netmail 5.60.00 Added support for To: field in EchoMail 5.60.00 Upgraded to support VBBS 5.60 5.52.04 Corrected the problem that was preventing messages from Fido being gated out to VirtualNET clients and servers 5.52.04 Improved the detail provided on-screen as messages are being processed (to give you something to read as the program chugs slowly along!) 5.52.04 Cured the problem of VFIDO "reflecting" EchoMail back to the original sender thereby causing duplicates 5.52.04 Corrected the display of the From address for incoming EchoMail so that it no longer always shows the Server's address 5.52.04 Removes the AREA and SEEN-BY lines from incoming EchoMail before posting it to VBBS 5.52.04 Introduced an automatic word-wrap on incoming messages to cater for those annoying Fido mailers that fail to word-wrap their messages as they are entered 5.52.03 Corrected another bug in the usa of LHA for archiving 5.52.02 Corrected a bug that was making the VBBS mail tosser skip messages 5.52.01 Corrected the use of LHA as an archiving and unarchiving protocol since it was making VFIDO crash 5.52.00 Completely rewrote echomail handling for multiple clients (the last version was my first attempt and was not too good!) 5.52.00 Added recognition of soft carriage returns in message text 5.52.00 Corrected SEEN-BY line on echomail to show NET/NODE only 5.52.00 Forced e-mail to use real name 5.52.00 Corrected FLAGS for file-attached archived message packets 5.52.00 Corrected expected name of NODELIST files 5.52.00 Added a VFIDO.LOG file that records file access attempts to help debug obscure file problems 5.51.00 Added support for VBBS 5.51 5.50.06 Added support for multiple servers and multiple EchoMail clients (this was a MAJOR job, let me tell you!) 5.50.06 Corrected bug causing crashes if subdirectories under NETMAIL 5.50.06 Fixed crash caused by blank lines in NET.0 5.50.06 Fixed crash caused by archived NODELIST in VFIDO /A 5.50.05 Fixed ARCmail file attach message bug 5.50.05 Fixed INTL addressing bug 5.50.04 Fixed horrendous bug in the 5.50.03 EchoMail processor 5.50.03 Rewrite of mail processor to handle large messages 5.50.02 Fido mail addressed to SysOp is routed to #1 account 5.50.02 Origin line now has only 1 leading space 5.50.02 SEEN-BY and PATH now in correct order on Conference mail 5.50.01 Failure to toss Fido Conference mail to VBBS message areas 2.2 Fixed bug in showing Fido node in VBBS 2.1 Fixed bug in Fido echomail to VBBS conversion 2.0 First Public Release 1.5 Beta 1.4 Beta 1.3 Beta 1.2 Beta 1.1 Beta 1.0 Beta