Black Box 4/BlackBox.cdr/os2/ptktexe.arj/BTP240.DOC

Text File | 1991-07-20 | 5.7 KB | 140 lines

07/17/91:
Corrected the Write Timeout bug to eliminate hangs.

12/30/90:
Corrected OUT_EMPTY and OUT_FULL changes that didn't get into 2.4 right.

12/19/90:
Updated RECVSYNC.C to test BBSbanner for NULL, rather than strlen > 0.

12/17/90:
Recompiled with MSC 6.0A, no /Gs switch but /Oxaz and /J this time.  Running
much better.

12/05/90:
Increased the JANUS receiver timeout minimum from 10 seconds to 30.
Saw a deadlock between two systems at 2400 due to large buffers on
one side, the other side was timing out and gagging.  At 2400, the
current timeout is less than 18 seconds, and with an HST and Gerry's
com driver, that isn't enough time to wait for a control block.

11/30/90:
Fixed the Terminal PgUp/PgDn unsupported protocol Segment Violation.

11/18/90:
Fixed all the Spawn problems causing Segment Violations.

11/07/90:
Put in more time_release calls during the unattended idle loop.

11/06/90:
Put a couple of DosSleep calls in at the beginning of the session stuff.
Should keep the first 20-25 seconds after CONNECT from pegging the meter.

11/03/90:
Fixed the SPAWN stuff to always pass the CONNECT rate to the SPAWNBBS.CMD
file, not the locked port rate.

Including the latest IBM Development COM01.SYS for 1.2 and SETCOM40.ZIP.
If you have a 16550AN UART, use MODE COMx:baud,N,8,1,TO=ON,BUFFER=AUTO for
both the National Semi and Western Digital UARTs.  The only really nasty
problems I've seen with this COM01.SYS came with BUFFER=ON.


See the WHATSNEW.240 file for the changes.  Rather than new manuals, 2.40
has delta docs.

I've been asked to provide a bit more information to new BTP users, so that
they can benefit from the B S & T of the rest of us.  Here goes:

1.  If you've been running Bink under DOS, expect to have to make RADICAL
    changes to your MODEM strings.  This is the biggest single problem area.
    Uncomment SLOWMODEM, put in lots of "tickies", then slowly cut them back
    until things break.

2.  Second problem area:  you are no longer running a program under a separate
    FOSSIL -- both the FOSSIL and VFOSSIL functions are incorporated in BTP.
    If you want to lock the comm port-MODEM interface, and still get the right
    CONNECT rate passed to the BBS, set the BAUD statement to your locked
    rate, and uncomment LockBaud with the highest CONNECT rate at which the
    port should remain locked.  This means that to lock the port at all rates
    you must specify LockBaud 1 at a minimum.  Merely having LockBaud will
    result in the locked rate getting passed to the BBS on every call.

3.  Okay, the COM01.SYS driver in 1.2 and the initial one in 1.3 is AFU.  I've
    got an open APAR on this, and I've tried to get COM01NEW.SYS to everyone
    with a 16550A.  If you use BUFFER=AUTO, *NOT* BUFFER=ON, this one should
    stay alive AND give you minimum use of the 16550A features.  It isn't
    obvious, but BTP expects you to have set the MODE options on the comm
    port before you invoke it.  All it does is set DTR, BAUD rate, XON, Parity,
    Data/Stop bits -- it does NOT mess with IDSR/ODSR/OCTS/RTS.  I use this
    line on my BBS:

 MODE COM2:9600,N,8,1,TO=ON,XON=OFF,IDSR=OFF,ODSR=OFF,OCTS=ON,RTS=HS,BUFFER=AUTO

    and BINKLEY.CFG contains Baud 19200 and LockBaud 1 -- comm port 2 has a
    16550A and an external 9600/HST.

4.  It is more critical with BTP than with DOS that if you run Janus, you use
    very small transmit and receive buffers.  Both of my Point systems and my
    BBS are running TBuf=256 and RBuf=1024.

5.  Environment strings.  I like 'em because they're easy to program and very
    easy to check and change.  The OS/2 version of BinkleyTerm uses up to six
    of them.

 a. TBuf and RBuf specify the maximum size of the FOSSIL Transmit and Receive
    Buffers, respectively.  Use "Set RBuf=xxxx" and "Set TBuf=yyyy" in your
    batch file before invoking BTP.

    The defaults are (no laughing now):

    Set RBuf=8192
    Set TBuf=8192


 b. There are three internal priority classes used by BTP.  Regular is for when
    BTP is NOT talking to the MODEM nor in a connected session, but waiting for
    a keyboard action or timed event to occur.  MODEM priority is when BTP is
    talking to the MODEM or is in a non-Janus connected session.  JANUS priority
    is just what it says, a separate priority class for Janus sessions.  Early
    testing disclosed that Janus may require a priority boost to operate and
    recover cleanly from errors.  The priorities for OS/2 1.1 through 1.3 are:

    Use priority 2 for background stuff, best for Regular priority.
    Use priority 4 for foreground stuff, matches the boost that PM gives its
    foreground focus process.
    Use priority 3 for time critical stuff, like Janus.

    The defaults are:

    Set RegularPriority=2
    Set MODEMPriority=4
    Set JANUSPriority=3       (Change this one to 4 if possible)


 c. And then there's SnoopPipe.  If you like, you can install PMSnoop from the
    Maximus OS/2 version, along with its COMM.DLL and SNSERVER.DLL and BigBro.
    I strongly recommend doing so, and installing SETCOM40.SYS and BOOT.SYS in
    CONFIG.SYS as well.  Until the COM01.SYS driver is fixed once and for all,
    all these measures seem necessary to succeed at running a reliable system.

    Anyway, you can specify Snooppipe in BINKLEY.CFG or in a SnoopPipe string.
    The string, when defined, overrides BINKLEY.CFG.  I use this on all my
    Point systems:

    Set SnoopPipe=\pipe\point

    and this on my BBS:

    Set SnoopPipe=\pipe\bbs


    And there you have the six environment strings you can use:  two buffers,
    three priorities, and a named pipe's name.



        Bill Andrus, 1:109/301.10