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───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄▄ █ ▄█ █ █▄▄█ █ █ █▄▄▄ █▄█ ▄█▄ █ █▄ █▄▄█ ▄▄▄█ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ █ █ █ █ █▄ █ █ █▄▄█ █ █ █ █▄▄█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ▄█▄ █ █▄█ █ █▄▄█ █ █▄ █ █ █ █ █ █ ▄█▄ █▄▄█ █ █▄█ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄ █ █ █ █ █ █ █▄▄█ ▄█▄▄█ █▄▄█ █▄▄█ █ █▄ ┌───────────────────────────────────────┐ ▓███│ V E R S I O N 2 . 2 0 │▓███ │ │ ▓███│ Release Date 30 August 1993 │▓███ └───────────────────────────────────────┘ (C)opyright 1992, 1993 Cairo Research Labs, All Rights Reserved ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ┌───────────────────────┐ ▄│ Table of Contents │ █└───────────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ 1. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What's New in This Release?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Words From the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Licensing and Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Demo Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Benefits of Registering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ordering VID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. GETTING STARTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. OPERATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VID Menu Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sysop Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Command Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Multinode/Multiuser Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. MISCELLANEOUS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What's Next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Special Thanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Support and Distribution Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cairo Research Labs Distribution Network . . . . . . . . . Upgrades and Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ■ INTRODUCTION ■ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The mere mention of the word virus instills a feeling of despair in the minds of most computer users. Since the dawn of the personal computer in the early 1980's, several thousand computer viruses have been isolated by anti-viral researchers around the world. With an additional estimated 60 new viruses a month being released into public circulation, the threat has evolved into something that users and managers alike can no longer avoid. VID is an online virus reference door for use with most major BBS systems. It provides timely and accurate information on over 2,000 computer viruses, with more and more added on a regular basis. ┌─────────────┐ ▄│ Features │ █└─────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ VID's features include: * Complete support for both ANSI and ASCII users. * Multinode/Multiuser Compatible! * DESQview and MS-Windows aware! * Currently entails over 2000 computer viruses! * Complete query abilities for database searching. * Support for a variety of BBS dropfiles (including the new RA 2.0!) * Much more! ┌────────────────────────────────┐ ▄│ What's New in This Release? │ █└────────────────────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ o Added nearly 500 new viruses, and updated several others, bringing the total up to 2,104 entries in the virus database. o Added a feature to allow searching across the virus descriptions for text strings. o Added the sysop paging feature with split screen chat mode. o Added a "View Relationship Tree" feature ┌──────────────────────────┐ ▄│ Word From The Author │ █└──────────────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ I have been authoring BBS utility doors for quite a while, and never have I seen the response that VID has generated! I personally would like to thank all of the registered users of VID, and especially those who stuck it out during those early-morning bug-fix releases. Thanks a bunch. ** NOTES for v2.20! ** Quite a bit has gone into the VID project since its conception, with much more planned! Previous releases of VID could be registered for the low price of only $10 (ten) dollars. However, in order to make VID accessible to more sysops, we will be providing online credit card registrations in the next few weeks. Therefore, the price of the VID package has been increased to $15 (fifteen) dollars, to cover the expenses of the credit card service; a steal all the same! We hope that this does not inconvenience anyone. With the 2.x releases, you are looking at a complete re-write from the original VID door. The original VID was designed to provide a quick online virus reference for BBS users, but has quickly evolved into quite a bit more! Thanks to a tremendous response from Sysops around the world, VID has provided BBS users with quick, accurate viral assessments while online on their favorite BBS system. Most of the changes in the 2.x series pertain to the online user inter- face, as well as the internal virus database format. The interface has been completely revamped, and is much more intuitive than the interfaces presented in previous releases. Additionally, VID has now been given the capability to run in two separate modes: VIDLite and VID+. When running in VID+ mode, extended information on each virus is provided (if known). This requires the presence of the VID+ module (available separately). This module doesn't require registration or additional payment, but rather it provides a super effective method of conserving disk space, for those of you who are running low (The VID+ module is a bit over 1.5MB in size!). The latest VID+ module is always available via FREQ or call to our support BBS. Simply unarchive it and drop it in the VID directory to enable the extended information retrieval. Due to the large number of changes since the previous base VID database engine, the previous "VDB" data file format will no longer be supported. If you have already registered VID, your previous VID registration key should function just fine. If you were one of the lucky individuals who were issued what we call a "Series-1" key, contact us for a new one. The majority of the virus information contained within the VID database was obtained from several resources: - Patricia Hoffman's VSUM - Hypertext Virus Reference System - PCV Virus Reference Database - The Cairo Research Virus Library - The CARO Virus Reference List - Frisk Skullason's F-Prot Virus Reference - Miscellaneous contributors and researchers In fact, about 90% of the information contained in VID was obtained from Patricia Hoffman's VSUM. For those of you who are not familiar with the VSUM product, it can provide a plethora of information, much more detailed than can be provided in VID at this time. I highly recommend it to any PC user who wants a great DOS-based virus reference. It should be available on your favorite BBS. If you experience any problems with the VID system, or have any questions, please contact us! We can be reached in the fidonet DOORWARE, VIRUS, and VIRUS_INFO echos, as well as via netmail to 1:3613/12. We are also now active in DoorNet (75:7706/0 or 75:7706/1). You may also call our support BBS at (706) 596-8126, USR 14.4. We also moderate our own support echo entitled SPHINX. This echo is not currently on any backbone, although Fidonet and DoorNet are a possibility in the future. If you are unable to find a feed near you, feel free to contact us for further assistance. ┌────────────────────────────────┐ ▄│ Licensing and Distribution │ █└────────────────────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ This documentation, programs, and other files distributed in this software package (the "Software") are the copyrighted property of Scott Burkett and Cairo Research Labs. All rights are reserved. For use by corporations, institutions or goverment agencies, or for-profit purposes, contact the Author for licensing information. U.S. GOVERNMENT INFORMATION The use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government of the Software is subject to the restricted rights applicable to commercial software that are specified in the subdivision (b.3.ii) of the 'Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software' clause, document DFARS 52.227-7013. DISTRIBUTION/USAGE VID can be freely distributed, provided that the original archive is not changed in any way (other than changing the archive type) and no amount of money is required. In no circumstance at all can VID be modified without written consent from the authors. It is prohibited too to include this program, whole or in part, in other software. It is expressly forbidden to distribute a registered key to unregistered users. VID can be used in commercial organizations only after regular registration. This license is considered accepted if the program is used. Its violation will involve the withdrawal of the registration key and the rights to use the program. WARRANTY DISCLAIMER The Author cannot and does not warrant that any functions contained in the Software will meet your requirements, or that its operations will be error free. The entire risk as to the Software performance or quality, or both, is solely with the user and not the Author. You assume responsibility for the selection of the program to achieve your intended results, and for the installation, use, and results obtained from the Software. The Author makes no warranty, either implied or expressed, including with- out limitation any warranty with respect to this Software documented here, its quality, performance, or fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall the Author be liable to you for damages, whether direct or indirect, incidental, special, or consequential arising out the use of or any defect in the Software, even if the Author has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party. All other warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, are expressly excluded. LIMITATION OF REMEDIES The information contained in the documentation for the Software is subject to change without notice. The Author's entire liability, and your exclusive remedy shall be: (1) the replacement of an original Software diskette not meeting the above Limited Warranty and which is returned to the Author along with proof of purchase, or (2), if the Author is unable to deliver a replacement diskette which is free of defects, you may terminate the License Agreement by returning this Software and the corresponding license fee will be returned. By using the Software, you acknowledge (1) to have read and understood all parts of this document and (2) to have agreed with and accepted all of its provisions without any reservation. ┌─────────────────────────────┐ ▄│ The Demo Version of VID │ █└─────────────────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ This shareware demonstration version of VID is as fully functional as its registered counterpart. The only difference is the unregistered evaluation message at the top of the main menu. Upon registration, this will be replaced by your name or your organization's name, showing your support for the VID project. ┌──────────────────────────────┐ ▄│ Benefits of Registration │ █└──────────────────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ You will also be entitled to free upgrades to newer versions of VID, as they become available. In addition to the great many features and the quality that this version of VID has to offer, we are currently working on several additions and enhancements for future versions. ┌─────────────────────┐ ▄│ Ordering VID │ █└─────────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Below are detailed instructions for registering VID. These instructions are not intended to seem confusing or complicated; they are simply meant to answer almost any question that you might have about registering. If you have any questions or uncertainties about your registration, please feel free to contact us. For information on how to contact us, please see the section on "Upgrades and Information". To order VID, simply follow these three steps: 1.) Fill out the registration form. Information on filling out the form is located in the next section. 2.) Enclose the appropriate payment ($15), Fifteen American Dollars, payable in the form of cash, check or money order. Make all checks or money orders payable to: SCOTT BURKETT 3.) Send the above two items to: Cairo Research Labs 1113 29th Street Columbus, GA 31904 4.) We will not send registration keys via standard mail! (snail mail). In order to keep the price of the VID system at an affordable level, everyone has to make certain concessions. If we receive a request for us to mail registration keys to you via regular land mail, we will try to deliver your key to you either via netmail, or in a message on our support BBS. FILLING OUT THE REGISTRATION FORM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NO PRINTER? Alternatively, if you do not have a printer, simply send a hand-drawn version of the order form. If you do not wish to mail a registration form in, you may opt to upload it to our support BBS at (706) 596-8126 (USR 14.4). We will not present you with a registration key, however, until proper payment has been rendered. If you have any special instructions for us, or anything that you would like to say when you register, feel free to write this down on the back of the registration form, or on a separate piece of paper. When filling out the VID registration form, be sure to indicate how you would prefer to receive your VID registration key. You will have the choice of receiving your registration key by one of three means: A call to our BBS, FidoNet CrashMail, or by a call to your BBS. If you have a FidoNet Email address, FidoNet CrashMail is still by far the quickest way to receive your order. Once you have decided which means you would prefer to receive your order by, please read the detailed instructions on your order method below. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RECEIVING In order to receive your VID registration key by a BY CALL message and/or upload to your BBS, fill out the order form and TO BBS mail it along with your payment as described below. Be sure to include the phone number, baud rate, and our login and password for the BBS to which you would like us to call. We will cover any long distance costs. If, for some reason, we are unable to connect to your BBS (not because it busy, but, for example, if your BBS is no longer online), we will place your key in a message on our support BBS. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RECEIVING In order to receive your VID registration key via ORDER BY FidoNet CrashMail, simply fill out the order form and mail it FIDONET along with your payment as described below. Be sure to CRASHMAIL include the FidoNet node address to which you wish to have your order sent. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ■ GETTING STARTED ■ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── VID is a snap to get up and running (as you will see). ┌────────────────────────┐ ▄│ System Requirements │ █└────────────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ VID was designed for use with IBM compatible personal computer systems, with 640K minimum RAM. It will run under most popular BBS packages, to include Maximus, SuperBBS, QuickBBS, GAP, PCBoard, WildCat!, WWIV, and all versions of RemoteAccess (including the new 2.0!). VID also requires the use of a fossil driver, such as Ray Gwinn's X00, or David Nugent's BNU. These programs can be found on most BBS systems, since they are necessary in running most BBS packages to begin with. ┌─────────────────┐ ▄│ Installation │ █└─────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ First things first: Create a directory to hold the VID system. We recommend using something like C:\VID. Next, copy the VID220.EXE file into the directory and type "VID220" at the DOS prompt. The archive is self-extracting and will come apart without much effort. ** Note: Your source for obtaining the VID archive may have changed the format of the archive to one suitable for use on their system (i.e. ZIP, LZH, ARJ, etc). Next thing on the list is to set the VID environment variable to the path of the VID files. Place a SET command in your autoexec.bat file: example: SET VID=C:\VID The directory specified by the VID environment variable is utilized by VID to find it's files (registration key, data files, etc). This environment variable does not neccesarily need to be set for VID to function, as long as you change to the VID directory before actually running the program. Be sure to keep a backup copy of your VID system on floppy disk, in case the inevitable happens. Due to the level of detail contained in the VID database, the database files are rather large. Ergo: Having a backup copy will save you from having to download it again from a long distance BBS. We will discuss the command line parameters that VID expects in a moment, but first, let's take a look at what VID offers: ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ■ OPERATION ■ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ┌──────────────────────┐ ▄│ VID Menu Options │ █└──────────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Once the user has entered the VID system, the virus database is initialized. Once this has occurred succesfully, the user will then be placed at the VID main menu. ** Note that periodically, VID will perform a "VID Integrity Check", which quickly examines the datafiles to ensure that they have not been altered. This check only happens periodically, and only takes a second or two. VID always keeps track of the "current" virus. When in browse mode, the majority of options available are specifically applied to the current virus. However, we have made additions to the main menu, to allow a few of these options in more of a "global" scope. ** NOTE ** The virus names in VID are now "color-coded" for recognition purposes. If the virus is an "original" piece, it's name will appear in WHITE, whereas variants will appear in MAGENTA. This feature (of course) is only available to ANSI users, and not ASCII/TTY users. From the main menu: [L]ist Viruses ---------------- By pressing "N", the user will be presented with the entire database of virus names, one per line, one screen at a time. At the end of each screen of names, the user will have the option of continuing the listing process, or quitting back to the main menu. he will have the option of beginning the list from either the top of the database, or the current virus record. The virus names are color-coded, as described above. Search by [V]ariants -------------------- By pressing "V", the user will be asked for a virus name (full or partial). If VID cannot locate a virus by that name, he will try and find the closest match (by name). After the virus has been located, VID will perform a search across the database, to attempt to locate any variants of this virus. VID color codes apply to this search, and in fact, add a bit of flavor to it. For instance: If the user entered "1226" as the virus name, VID would reply with something like: Searcing for variants for: 1226 ─────────────────────────────── #0039 - 1226 #0040 - 1226-B #0041 - 1226-B Dropper #0042 - 1226-D #0043 - 1226-M ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ │ │ │ └──────────── Virus Name └── Record Number The first entry above (record #0039, 1226) would appear in WHITE, since it is the "base" virus for this small group, or family. The remainder of the virus names would appear in MAGENTA (actually, light magenta), to indicate that these particular entries are "variants" of the virus which appeared in WHITE (in this case, the original 1226 virus). Search by Be[H]avior ------------------ By pressing "H", the user can perform a behavior query across the database. This is very similar to the behavioral searching in previous versions of VID, with the exception of a few new fields. VID will prompt the user with 13 different questions, i.e. Does the virus infect .COM files?, etc. The user has three (3) possible responses to each question: Y - yes N - No I - Ignore this question If a question is "ignored" then the field is not used in the search. By combining the above three possible question answers, powerful searches can be performed across the database. The following questions are asked by VID when performing a behavior query: 1) Does the virus infect .COM files? 2) Does the virus infect .EXE files? 3) Does the virus infect .SYS files? 4) Does the virus infect Boot Sectors? 5) Does the virus infect Floppy Boot Sectors? 6) Does the virus go memory resident? 7) Is the virus parasitic (non-overwriting)? 8) Is the virus a spawning or "companion" virus? 9) Does the virus manipulate DOS FAT tables? 10) Does the virus infect partition tables? 11) Does the virus infect directory entries (i.e. DIR-2 virus) 12) Does the virus display "stealth" characteristics? After all questions have been answered, VID will then perform the query, and display the results. Search by [O]rigin ------------------ By pressing "O", the user can perform a search based on the origin of computer viruses. i.e. Bulgaria, United States, California, etc. If the full name is not known, partial answers are allowed. Note that the search is not linear! As long as the string the user enters appears anywhere in the origin of the virus (not necessarily the first x amount of letters), then the score will score a hit. The database record number, virus name, and complete virus origin will be displayed for each virus which scores a hit in the query. Search by [N]ame ---------------- By pressing "N", the user can perform a search based on the namne of the computer virus. i.e. Dark Avenger, Jerusalem, etc. If the full name is not known, partial answers are allowed. VID will then place the user in "browse" mode, and placed at the record that best matches the search name. [J]ump to Record # ------------------ This option allows the user to jump to a specific record number in the database. VID will use the record number as the "current" virus. This is a quick way of jumping to a specific virus record, if you know the record number. [B]rowse Database ----------------- This option will place the user into "browse" mode, and will place him in the database at the current record. From the browse system, the user can do several things: [+] - Next Record [-] - Previous Record [F] - First Record [L] - Last Record [V] - Variant Search (same as main menu) [C] - Comments (Additional/Extended Information) [D] - Detection (Shows all known AV products which detect this virus) [Q] - Quit to main menu ** Note that the [C]omments option will present some basic information about the virus when running in VIDLite mode. If VID detects the presence of the VID+ module, then additional detailed information will be presented to the user, if it is available. Search for [T]ext ----------------- This option will allow you to search for a text string across the virus database. Simply enter the text string to search for when prompted, and all viruses which contain the entered text in the extended comments will be listed. ** NOTE ** - This feature only works with the VID+ module, as it contains the extended descriptions of each virus. [R]elationships --------------- This option will present a submenu of virus "families". To view the relationship tree for a particular family, simply enter the corresponding menu selection key, and the relationship tree will be shown. [U]user Documentation --------------------- This option will display a file called USER.DOC to the user. A sample USER.DOC is included with the VID archive. You may modify this file to your liking. [P]age the sysop ---------------- This option will allow the user to enter a reason to chat, and will proceed to page you via several beeps to the PC speaker. To break in and chat, simply press, CTRL-C. This will place you into chat mode. If the caller is using ANSI or AVATAR graphics mode, a full screen chat system will be used. If the caller is an ASCII/TTY caller, the old line chat mode is used. To exit chat mode, simply press ESC twice. [Q]uit VID ---------- Quits VID and returns control to the BBS. ┌────────────────┐ ▄│ Sysop Keys │ █└────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ There are several options available to the Sysop while the user is in the VID Door. Keep in mind that not all of these keys may be useful under certain BBS systems. [UP]/[DOWN] - Use the arrow keys to increase or decrease the amount of time which the user has left in the door. [Alt]-[C] - Allows the sysop to break into chat with the user at any time. [Alt]-[C] again, or [ESC] will end chat mode. (Notice that the Want-Chat indicator will also be turned off, if it was flashing. If you are running under Apex, RemoteAccess or QuickBBS, paging from within the door will even cause the Want-Chat indicator to stay lit when the user returns to the BBS) [Alt]-[J] - Allows the sysop to shell to DOS, if enough memory is available. Simply type EXIT to return to the door again. [Alt]-[H] - Hang up on the user. Plain and simple! [Alt]-[L] - This key locks the user out of the BBS. It first hangs up on the user, and then sets their security level to 0, to prevent them from ever logging on again. This feature may require use of the EXITINFO.BBS file, depending on what system VID is running under. [Alt]-[K] - The "User Keyboard-Off" key allows the sysop to temporarily prevent the user from typing anything on their keyboard. This has no effect on the local keyboard, but causes VID to ignore any keystrokes from remote. [Alt]-[N] - The "Sysop Next" key, this function reserves the system for use by the sysop after the user logs off, if VID is running under an Apex or RA 1.00 or later system. [Alt]-[D] - "Drop to BBS" key. This function allows the sysop to exit VID and return the user to the BBS, without hanging up. [F1]..[F10] - The Function keys [F1] thru [F10] allows the sysop access to various types of information on the status line, or to turn the status line off. Note that some of the information displayed will depend on the type of BBS you are running, and may or may not be available. These keys are as follows: [F1] - Display basic user information (default) [F2] - Display phone numbers and important dates [F3] - Display security flags and up/download info [F4] - Display system information and current time [F5] - Display message info and user's settings [F6] - Display chat reason and sysop's comment [F9] - Display help information for sysop [F10] - Turn off the status line ┌──────────────────┐ ▄│ Command Line │ █└──────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ VID accepts the following parameters: -p(BBS Dropfile Path) -v(ideo Mode) 0 = BIOS Screen Writes 1 = Direct Screen Writes (or DESQView buffering) To run VID in local mode, a sample "local-mode" DORINFO1.DEF file has been included in the distribution archive. ** Video Mode Notes ** All modem output is accomplished through the fossil driver. If the video mode is set to 1, then the local screen display is accomplished using direct writes, either to video memory, or to the DesqView screen buffer, if DesqView is running. If the video mode is set to 0, then BIOS function calls are used for video output. While using direct video writes results in much greater screen updates speeds, it will also cause difficulties for people running in sultitaskers, such as DesqView. ** Dropfile Notes ** It appears that the BBS world simply cannot agree on a standard dropfile format. For a while, it appeared as if the DORINFOx.DEF, or perhaps the DOOR.SYS format would prevail. However, with the release of RemoteAccess v2.0+, that myth has apparently been shattered, as the RA author decided to introduce yet another dropfile format. We will continue to add and support all of the popular dropfile formats, regardless of how hairy it gets... :-) When VID is started, it will look for the dropfile in the path specified by the "-p" switch above. If the dropfile path is not passed on the command line via "-p", VID will proceed to look in the current directory. VID now automatically detects any of the following dropfiles: DORINFOx.DEF (Standard DORINFOx.DEF Drop file (Default)) EXITINFO.BBS (RA v.01 - v.04) EXITINFO.BBS (Extended (RA v1.0+)) EXITINFO.BBS (RemoteAccess 2.0+ style) CHAIN.TXT (WWIV) SFDOORS.DAT (SpitFire BBS) CALLINFO.BBS (WildCat!) DOOR.SYS (GAP/PC-Board) DOOR.SYS (Doorway version) QBBS 2.75+ EXITINFO.BBS DOOR.SYS (WildCAT! style) The dropfile path should point to the location of the door information file (such as the DORINFOx.DEF, EXITINFO.BBS, CHAIN.TXT, DOOR.SYS, etc.) from which VID will obtain information about the BBS and the caller online. Note, however, that this should only contain the path to this file, and not the name of the file itself. For example, if your dropfile resides in C:\BBS, you should specify -pC:\BBS and not -pC:\BBS\DOOR.SYS ┌───────────────────────────────┐ ▄│ Multinode/Multiuser Operation │ █└───────────────────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ VID is quite capable of running on multinode systems, and in fact, does it quite adeptly. In order to faciliate multi-node systems, VID makes use of an environment variable called TASK. This variable is used by several other packages as well. Simply set the variable before calling VID: REM SAMPLE VID BATCH FILE FOR NODE 1 REM ******************************** REM Set the TASK variable REM ******************************** SET TASK=1 CD\MAX\VID VID.EXE -pC:\MAX REM ******************************** REM Remove the TASK variable REM ******************************** SET TASK= This variable is used by VID, for instance, in determing which DORINFOx.DEF file to read. Some dropfile formats (DOOR.SYS, for example) have the node number in the dropfile itself, so the TASK environment variable is not needed. Ensure that you have DOS SHARE.EXE is available to each task or node! If you are running under DESQView or Windows, this can be loaded once and made available to all tasks. SHARE.EXE can also be loaded high on most systems. Whenever more than one node attempts to access the same record, the mesage: "... Network Delay ..." will briefly appear on the both the user's screen, and the local console. After the node who owns the record releases it, the other nodes will continue as normal. These delays do not last but for a brief second, as VID does not hold records as locked any longer than it has to. Although special attention has been paid to ensuring that VID is 100% network compatible, we are but human! If you happen to experience problems running VID on a multinode machine, please contact us if you are unable to resolve the problem. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ■ MISCELLANEOUS ■ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ┌───────────────────┐ ▄│ What's Next?! │ █└───────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ We *DO* listen to our users! Have an idea? Send it on! ┌────────────────────┐ ▄│ Special Thanks │ █└────────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ We would like to take time to offer our appreciation to the Cairo Research Lab Beta Team and support sites. Thanks guys! Thanks are also in order for Frans "Must I use Windows?" Veldman, Sara Gordon, Paul Ferguson, Diane, Bob "McNugget" Kruger, Brian Pirie, Chris Koziol, Chris Duke/Duke Graphics, Jon Johnson, and countless others whose efforts and caveats seem to go unnoticed at times. ┌────────────────────────────────────┐ ▄│ Support and Distribution Sites │ █└────────────────────────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ The latest versions of VID, VIDPLUS, and other related utilities can be found at the following sites. These sites also handle user registrations for their respective geographic areas: Albert Louw My Private Secretary Maassluis NL (Netherlands) VirNet RC 31 (Holland) 011-31-1899-19989 9:31/0 (VirNet) 2:2800/512 & 2:2800/513 (Fidonet) Mikael Winterkvist Computer Security Center Skelleftea (Sweden) 011-46-910-52214 2:205/422 (Fidonet) Esko Laakso Finnish Virus Research Center (Finland) 2:220/710 (Fidonet) If your region/country does not appear on this list, please contact us for more information on becoming an authorized VID support/registration site. ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ ▄│ Cairo Research Labs Distribution Network │ █└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Information on becoming a member of the Cairo Research Labs Distribution Network WHAT IS CAIRO RESEARCH LABS ALL ABOUT? Inexpensive shareware. That's it! Let's face it, sysops have enough problems to deal with without facing stiff registration fees for using shareware products. WHAT TITLES ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE? Here is a brief listing of our currently supported product line: BFE1410P.ZIP BFE v1.41.0p - World's premier BBS carousel/hub system! RP_260.LZH RegPRO v2.60 - World's Premier Questionnaire Door! TBM_250.LZH Turbo Bulletin Manager v2.50 - Works with most major BBS types. VID201B.ZIP VID v2.01b - Virus Information Door - For most BBS's VP0793.ZIP VID+ Enhancement Module - as of July 1993 - VID201 Required! WHAT IN THE HECK IS THIS "DISTRIBUTION NETWORK" YOU MENTIONED? Essentially, the Cairo Research Labs Distribution Network is a list of "official" distribution sites that will be distributed with future versions of all of our products, and anyone is welcome to participate. The idea behind the "CRL distribution network" is simply to make it easier for you, the sysop, to obtain updates. While the newest version of our products are always available from Under the Nile, and often from any system carrying the DoorNet filebone, most sysops would find it useful to know of a system closer to them where the newest releases are always available. Although I would like to be able to send the newest versions of our products to all support sites, the cost of doing so unfortunately makes this a bit of an impossibility. However, it is likely that you would pick up the newest version of our products when they are available anyway, so this shouldn't really pose a problem. So, if you are interested in becoming an official Cairo Research Labs distribution site, simply fill in the form below, and send it to me, either electronically or by conventional mail at one of the addresses listed at the end of this file. CAIRO RESEARCH LABS DISTRIBUTION SITE APPLICATION FORM ------------------------------------------------------ YOUR NAME : ________________________________________ (ie. Scott Burkett) LOCATION : ________________________________________ (ie. Columbus, GA, USA) DATA NUMBER(S) : ________________________________________ (ie. (706) 596-8126) NETWORK ADDRESSES: ________________________________________ (ie. 1:3613/12 in FidoNet) MODEM TYPE: ________________________________________ (ie. 9600, V32bis, v42bis, HST) OTHER INFORMATION: ________________________________________ ________________________________________ (ie. Hours of BBS operation, file request hours, guest login and password, etc.) I CAN BE INFORMED OF NEW RELEASES BY: ____ | | - ***ROUTED*** FIDONET NETMAIL |____| ____ | | - SPHINX SUPPORT CONFERENCE |____| ____ | | - INTERNET EMAIL |____| ____ | | - OTHER: ________________________________ |____| FidoNet NetMail: 1:3613/12 InterNet EMail: Scott.Burkett@f12.n3613.z1.fidonet.org Under the Nile: +1 706 596 8126 Conventional mail: 1113 29th Street Columbus, GA USA 31904 ┌──────────────────────────────┐ ▄│ Upgrades and Information │ █└──────────────────────────────┘ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ For the latest version of VID, or for tech support by BBS, call: Under The Nile BBS (706) 596-8126 14.4 USR 1:3613/12@fidonet 75:7706/0 or 75:7706/1@DoorNet FREQ: VID - This will get you the VID engine, documentation, Lite-level database, and any release notes. VIDPLUS - This will get you the VID+ modules. You must have the VID engine (above) for this to be functional! This expands to around 1.6MB or so. The VID system is updated regularly. Release notices for both the VID engine and the datafiles are posted in the VIRUS, VIRUS_INFO, and DOORWARE echos, as well as in the D_FILES echo in DoorNet. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ■ END OF VID 2.20 DOCUMENTATION ■ ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────