HAM Radio 1/HamRadio.cdr/misc/goldtd/maildrop.doc

Text File | 1991-01-16 | 6KB | 175 lines

The AEA Maildrop will both forward and accept messages while the
computer is off.   This is one of the advantages of putting existing
ROM code to work. The AEA tnc has about 20k of message storage space,
and can be used as a personal maildrop, or set to handle 3rd party
(station A sends to B using C's ROM PBBS system).

The settings to do reverse forwarding are:

    MAIL ON             Leave it on all the time

    MYMAIL callsign-n   It helps to have a callsign SSID different
                        than MYCALL. This will allow you to leave the
                        maildrop on all the time. People can connect
                        to your "live" connect or to the maildrop.

    HOMEBBS callsign    Callsign (no SSID) of the BBS that will be
                        accessing your PBBS. I set mine to KB6GFT

    KILONFWD ON         Messages sent FROM you are killed on the
                        local TNC after the remote BBS retrieves them.

    3RDPARTY ON         Allow messages between two other stations.
                        This defaults to OFF, disallowing some other
                        station to use your maildrop as a small BBS.
                        Try setting it ON unless your maildrop runs
                        out of memory.  If it is on, encourage your
                        users to kill their messages after reading
                        them to make memory available for others.

The first three parameters, MYMAIL, MAIL ON, and HOMEBBS BBSCALL are
required, the last one is simply useful to delete messages that have
already been forwarded.

In your startup.tnc file, the CTEXT could say "Hi, be with you in a minute.."
and in the shutdown.tnc file, have the CTEXT say something like "I'm not
in now, lve msg in WA4EGT-1 maildrop."

Here at our local BBS, messages are scheduled for forwarding 4 times a
day, and it only takes about 15 seconds or less for the BBS to contact
and exchange brief info if no messages are either being sent or picked
up. It is a very nice system, and allows forwarding at "off peak hours"
to the many users in the area with this sort of TNC ROM software.

No computer needs to be left on. You will see a blinking LED on your
TNC if you have incoming messages.

Contact your local BBS operator to see if he/she will forward to your
personal BBS.

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Using the maildrop: An example

Use [ALT-F8] to access the maildrop.  It will only work of nobody
is connected to your station.

Here is how a message might look on your Maildrop:

Msg#    Size To     From   @ BBS  Date       Time   Title
  5 PN    34 N6WIK  WA4EGT        10-Jan-91  10:26  Testing

The two character field has the following meaning:

   1st letter:    P=Personal, B=Bulletin, or T=Traffic
   2nd letter:    Y=Read, N=Not read, or F=Forward

While in the maildrop you can EDIT a message as follows:

  E n > callsign      Edit msg number "n", set the TO field to "callsign"
  E n < callsign      Edit msg "n" setting FROM field to "callsign"

  E n [Y | N | F]
  E n F               Set the "Forward" flag on message "n"
  E n N

  E n B               Set message type to public bulletin
  E n P               Set message type to private

Here is an example session (I got the text from the "Previous Sessions"
screen after leaving the maildrop):

[PK-88] Maildrop: L)ist, R)ead, S)end, K)ill, B)ye

List mail       ( can use just L or LIST )

Msg#    Size To     From   @ BBS  Date       Time   Title
  5 PN    34 N6WIK  WA4EGT        10-Jan-91  10:26  Testing

( Note: This is message number 5, Private, Not Read, to N6WIK,
        from WA4EGT, no @BBS, date and time when entered )


Edit 5 f      (This sets the FORWARD flag)

[PK-88] Maildrop: L)ist, R)ead, S)end, K)ill, B)ye

              ( Note: After each edit command, you will only get the
                maildrop prompt. To see the results of the edit, use
                List. If there is a problem with the command, you will
                be notified as an error response)

List mail     ( To check of the Forward flag was set )

Msg#    Size To     From   @ BBS  Date       Time   Title
  5 PF    34 N6WIK  WA4EGT        10-Jan-91  10:26  Testing


Edit 5 n     (Turn off the FORWARD flag, set the NOT READ flag)

[PK-88] Maildrop: L)ist, R)ead, S)end, K)ill, B)ye

List mail

Msg#    Size To     From   @ BBS  Date       Time   Title
  5 PN    34 N6WIK  WA4EGT        10-Jan-91  10:26  Testing

[PK-88] Maildrop: L)ist, R)ead, S)end, K)ill, B)ye


Edit 5 y     (Turn on the MSG READ flag. Note lower case works too)

[PK-88] Maildrop: L)ist, R)ead, S)end, K)ill, B)ye

List mail

Msg#    Size To     From   @ BBS  Date       Time   Title
  5 PY    34 N6WIK  WA4EGT        10-Jan-91  10:26  Testing

[PK-88] Maildrop: L)ist, R)ead, S)end, K)ill, B)ye

     ( I've left off the Maildrop prompt on each of these )

Edit 5 n           ( Turn off MSG READ flag )
Edit 5 @ kb6gft    ( Set the @BBS to KB6GFT )
Edit 5 t           ( Set TYPE to TRAFFIC )

List mail          ( See if changes done above worked )

Msg#    Size To     From   @ BBS  Date       Time   Title
  5 TN    34 N6WIK  WA4EGT KB6GFT 10-Jan-91  10:26  Testing

                   ( Notice all changes "took" )

[PK-88] Maildrop: L)ist, R)ead, S)end, K)ill, B)ye

Edit 5 b          ( Make it a Bulletin )

[PK-88] Maildrop: L)ist, R)ead, S)end, K)ill, B)ye

List mail

Msg#    Size To     From   @ BBS  Date       Time   Title
  5 BN    34 N6WIK  WA4EGT KB6GFT 10-Jan-91  10:26  Testing

[PK-88] Maildrop: L)ist, R)ead, S)end, K)ill, B)ye

Edit 5 > wb6uut      ( Make it TO: Wb6uut )
Edit 5 < w1aw        ( From: W1AW )
Edit 5 @             ( @BBS: none or blank )

[PK-88] Maildrop: L)ist, R)ead, S)end, K)ill, B)ye

List mail            ( Check your changes )

Msg#    Size To     From   @ BBS  Date       Time   Title
  5 BN    34 WB6UUT W1AW          10-Jan-91  10:26  Testing

[PK-88] Maildrop: L)ist, R)ead, S)end, K)ill, B)ye

Bye                  ( Leave the maildrop )

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