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sysop20.ref
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1987-09-20
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SYSOP20.REF: FINDER / FINDHW V. 2.0 Sysop Information and Reference
1. These instructions are abbreviated, so be sure to READ the FINDER
documentation files and the paper on FINDER in the 6th ARRL Computer Networking
Conference Proceedings first for general background information. When we are
referring to the FINDER system in either the emergency responder (ER) mode or
the health and welfare (patient/victim tracking) mode (HW mode), we usually use
the word "FINDER". If we need to distinguish between the two, "FINDER" will be
used for the ER case, and "FINDHW" will be used for the HW case.
2. You need an IBM PC or compatible with one serial port and with at least two
drives, one of which should be a hard disk or hard card, if possible. FINDER
has been tested on a PC, XT, AT and a PC Convertible using DOS 3.2.
(The program also appears to run fairly well on the PCjr.)
3. You also need a TNC with WA8DED firmware (EPROM). FINDER has been
tested on several TNC-1's with WA8DED firmware Version 1.1 modified for
8 simultaneous connects and on several TNC-2's with WA8DED firmware
Version 2.0 with four simultaneous connects. We noted that the channel
polling loop runs about 3 times faster on the TNC-1. If your usage is
totally non-commercial, you can get the WA8DED public domain firmware
yourself from many sources; see your local packet hacker. IF ALL ELSE
FAILS, you can get it from us by sending two 27C64 EPROMS (for the
TNC-1) or one 27C256 EPROM (for the TNC-2) to Dave Palmer, N6KL, or
W. E. Moerner, WN6I. Take a few minutes to learn the DED user mode command
syntax - it is different from the TAPR syntax, but easy to learn.
5. The FINDER / FINDHW program is in the public domain and is available
for non-commercial, non-profit use from WN6I or N6KL by sending a blank,
formatted 5 1/4" (360 kB) or 3 1/2" (720 kB) floppy with SASE for return
to you. The cost to you is the cost of the diskette and return postage.
We have included a configuration file facility so that you can tailor
many parameters to your system. If you want small changes in the code,
we will try to accommodate you.
6. FINDER file usage:
FINDERER.DAT the database itself - all records
PHONEER.NDX index file for phonenum searches
ORIGINER.NDX index file for origin searches
FINDERER.JRN journal file - a normal ASCII file containing
a listing of all valid current information
packets. May be edited or printed or used as
input to the REBUILDE program to recover a
damaged or erased database.
FINDERER.BAK backup of the database
PHONEER.BAK phonenum index file backup
ORIGINER.BAK origin index file backup
7. FINDHW file usage:
FINDERHW.DAT the database itself - all records
PHONEHW.NDX index file for phonenum searches
LNAMEHW.NDX index file for last name searches
CLOCHW.NDX index file for cloc searches
FINDERHW.JRN journal file - a normal ASCII file containing
a listing of all valid current information
packets. May be edited or printed or used as
input to the REBUILDH program to recover a
damaged or erased database.
FINDERHW.BAK backup of the database
PHONEHW.BAK phonenum index file backup
LNAMEHW.BAK lastname index file backup
CLOCHW.BAK cloc index file backup
8. Before starting FINDER, be sure your hardware is set up correctly. Test
the TNC and WA8DED firmware by using your own terminal emulator first.
9. Edit the configuration file FINDER.CFG to reflect your system
configuration. The configuration file is self-documenting for the most part.
Multiple comment lines starting with a semi-colon are allowed at the beginning
of the file. Thereafter, each line begins in column 1 with the desired value
of the parameter. Follow each parameter with at least one space and a
semicolon. Comments may follow the semicolon. Here is a description of each
parameter:
a. Choose prompted or automatic mode. This is described below in
number 11.
b. Maximum number of connections. Specify 8, unless you want to
restrict the number of simultaneous connects to a smaller number.
The program will determine the maximum number your firmware will
support and will adjust accordingly.
c. Backup drive and path. This is the drive:path for the automatic
backup of the database files. Must end with a "\".
d. Journaling drive and path. This is the drive:path for the
automatic journaling of valid database transactions. Must end
with a "\".
e. Backup interval. Number of new entries before the entire database
is written to the backup file. 0 means no backup.
f. Journaling interval. Number of new entries to the database before
the journal file is updated. Max=25.
g. TNC serial port. May be 1 (for COM1), 2 (for COM2), or 0 if you
are using a non-standard serial port. If you specify 0, FINDER
will not initialize the serial port and you must have initialized
it separately to N, 8, 1, and whatever baud rate you like.
h. Serial port address. FINDER allows you to use any serial port you
like. Specify here the base address of the UART chip. COM1 is
usually $3F8 and COM2 is usually $2F8. Interrupts are not used,
thus the interrrupt level need not be specified.
i. Serial port baud rate. We suggest 4800 or 9600 baud.
j. Serial port retry count. Try 10. If you regularly get
TNC timeout messages, adjust this value higher.
k. Enable/disable interrupts during serial port I/O. We strongly
suggest enable, unless your computer has difficulty keeping up with
the baud rate.
l. Area code abbreviation checking (yes/no). Yes means a table of
valid 1-digit abbreviations for specific area codes follows. No
means any 3-digit number will be allowed for the area code.
m. Area code table. Copy the example in the supplied .cfg file.
End the table with 3 zeros for the area code and one zero for
the abbreviation.
n. TNC commands to be issued during startup of FINDER. The first
line begins with a single slash. Change the callsign to your own.
All the other parameters have been determined to be reasonably
optimal for efficient FINDER database operation. You may include
other commands or delete commands from this list if you wish.
End the TNC command list with a slash.
10. To start FINDER, note that there are two FINDxx.BAT files on the diskette.
FINDER.BAT starts FINDER (Emergency Responder mode), and FINDHW.BAT starts
FINDHW (Health and Welfare mode). If you have selected automatic startup, be
sure the drives have disks in them and that the TNC is on. Start the execution
by typing either "FINDER" or "FINDHW".
11. The startup sequence is self-explanatory. If you have selected automatic
startup, no prompting will be done and after processing the .cfg file and
opening the database files, the program will automatically enter host mode and
begin polling the available channels for data. If you have selected prompted
startup, you will be prompted to put a diskette in the drive you have selected
for the backup/journaling function. If previous database files are found, they
are opened. If none are found, new database files are created. Note that
after each exercise, you should rename the database files to start with a fresh
(empty) database. Then you are prompted to turn on the TNC. When TNC-computer
synchronization is established, the run-time status screen is displayed and
several TNC parameters are set. FINDER is running!
12. The sysop keyboard can enter current information input and search requests
like any connected channel, but don't try to type too fast. See the file
PACKET20.REF for a summary of the standard packet operator procedures.
13. The sysop can also send commands directly to the TNC by typing <ESC> and
the command as usual. Some commands (such as "d" for disconnect) can reference
a specific channel: to set the channel for these commands, first type
"<ESC>sn<CR>", where n is the channel number. The currently selected channel
is marked with a triangular arrow on the sysop screen. For example, to force a
disconnect on channel 3, type "<ESC>s3 <CR> <ESC>d <CR>".
14. The sysop can send messages to connected channels in several ways:
(a) by typing "<ESC>nmessage<CR>" where n is the channel number, (b) by using
the "tell" command described in PACKET20.REF, and (c) by simply typing a line
beginning with a letter that is not recognizable as any other command. In the
last case, the message is sent to the currently selected channel. Note that
the sysop can send a QST to all connected channels by typing "tell all msg"<CR>
or "tell * msg"<CR>, where "msg" is the text to be sent.
15. Special SYSOP-only commands:
s<CR> lists a summary of the database, i. e., the
number of records (people) at each orig or
cloc
l all<CR> lists all entries in the database in record
numerical order
l nnnn<CR> list record number nnnn
d nnnn<CR> delete record number nnnn (careful!)
16. Special PF keys:
F1 Immediate database backup: closes all files, copies
current database files to the .BAK versions, and
flushes the last few valid current information
packets into the .JRN file
F2 Mode selector for the currently selected channel.
Pressing the key cycles through three modes: mode 0 -
all packet operator functions enabled; mode 1 - "tell"
and "users" only enabled; and mode 2 - chat mode only,
which looks like normal terminal operation. The
current mode for each channel is indicated on the sysop
screen. Mode 0 has no character next to the channel
number, mode 1 has a small square, and mode 2 has an
"x" next to the channel number. Upon startup, all
channels are set to mode 0. Mode 2 is useful to
prevent a "jammer" from tampering with the database, or
for normal terminal-mode connection to another station
or BBS. Mode 1 is useful for a round-table discussion
only, without access to the database.
<CTRL>F3 Shut down the program gracefully. If the program is
subsequently restarted from DOS, it will pick up where
it left off.
F5 Suspend program execution. The TNC transmit is
disabled, and polling stops. Use this if you have
to change radios for some reason.
F6 Redraw the sysop screen.
F7 Send a full ASCII report of the database to file
FINDER.RPT on a:.
F8 Send a full ascii report of the database to file
FINDER.RPT on b:.
F10 Toggle printer. All lines printed in the main part of
the sysop screen will be echoed on the printer. NOTE:
this slows down the polling loop dramatically.
17. To terminate execution, use the sequence <CTRL><F3>. <CTRL><BREAK> may be
used to exit only during a tncrecover. <CTRL><F3> is best, because the program
then properly closes all files.
18. If you have TNC errors, under certain conditions the program will execute
a TNC reset and/or a TNC recovery procedure. When this occurs, the first thing
that happens is a backup. The program should recover by itself. Be patient.
As a last resort, you can try turning off the TNC and then turn it on again.
Note that you will then lose all packets in the receive and transmit queues,
however. If you are really paranoid and you are using an IBM PC, you can
connect the cassette motor relay to the reset circuit on your TNC. The TNC
reset procedure will close the relay if it appears that the TNC fails to
respond.
19. Good luck!
20. If good luck is insufficient, or if you have comments or suggestions,
contact either of us at
W. E. Moerner, WN6I, 1003 Belder Drive, San Jose, CA 95120 408-997-3195
(WN6I @ NV6Z, MOERNER@IBM.COM (csnet))
Dave Palmer, N6KL, 382 Union Ave. #C, Campbell, CA, 95008 408-559-1669
(N6KL @ NV6Z, N6KL@IBM.COM (csnet) or 73357,3157 (Compuserve))
END SYSOP20.REF