home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Ham Radio 2000
/
Ham Radio 2000.iso
/
ham2000
/
bbs
/
redist27
/
redist.usr
< prev
Wrap
Text File
|
1994-03-13
|
7KB
|
137 lines
REDIST - Message Re-distribution Server
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~
As a sysop I've often been asked "I know how to send a bulletin to everyone at
a BBS, but how do I send a bulletin to everyone in xxxxxx". xxxxxx might be a
large city in Europe, a state in America or the whole of Australia. Sometimes
it's to trace relatives in the area, other times to find out details for a
forthcoming holiday in that part of the world. Whatever the reason people
often want to address bulletins to different regions.
This question must obviously be on the minds of many users. How often do you
see messages to 'ALL @ EU' or even worse, 'ALL @ WW' where someone is trying
to attract the attention of users in just a small area of Europe or the world?
Whenever I am asked I normally recommend that my users send a message to a BBS
sysop in the relevant area asking if they will re-distribute the message as a
bulletin using a local bulletin grouping. This has been tried and sometimes
it works. I guess that most sysops will help if possible, but it does add yet
another job to the already busy sysop's life.
Some people say that it's possible to send bulletins to countries using the
relevant hierarchical address, but apart from leaving a 'snail trail' of
unwanted bulletins behind at each BBS that forwards the bulletin it also
worries me because I don't know for certain that all countries forward based
on the hierarchical address for the country. In the UK we DO forward based on
our country address (GBR), but I've seen people using '@ USA.NA' and I think
I've heard that in America the correct address is 'ALLUS' or 'USABBS'.
The REDIST server for the F6FBB BBS software now solves that problem. It
allows users to address a personal message to a server at a remote BBS which
will translate it into a bulletin to be forwarded using one of a number of
local areas defined by the remote BBS sysop. The sender can choose the
approximate size of area for the bulletin by sending the message to the
correct server.
I have recently heard that a REDIST compatible server is to be released for use
with the W0RLI BBS software. Unfortunately I am not able to build a list of
W0RLI-type BBSs that support the server, so I can't guarantee where you can use
it.
Instructions for use
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The REDIST server is addressed using four different names, depending on the
size of the area that you want the bulletin to cover. The four server names
are LOCBBS, LOCAL, REGION and NATION. If you want to send a bulletin only to
the remote BBS, then you would use the LOCBBS server. To send a bulletin to
the few BBSs surrounding the remote BBS, then you would send a message to the
LOCAL server. Similarly to address messages to a larger area around the BBS
you would use the REGION server and for the entire country that the BBS is in
you would use the NATION server.
All four servers are used in the same way. In the following example, just
replace the 'LOCAL' with 'LOCBBS', 'REGION' or 'NATION' to use the other
servers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SP LOCAL @ BBScall <----or SP LOCBBS, SP REGION or SP NATION
Test Message <----Subject - put anything here
This is the text of a test message to the LOCAL server at
BBScall.
/EX or CTRL-Z
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NB. It is essential that your message is sent to the server using 'SP' and
not 'SB'. If you use SB the server will NOT process your message.
When your message arrives at the BBS running the server it will be processed
and re-distributed as a bulletin to 'ALL @ xxxxxx' where 'xxxxxx' is the
translation the sysop of the remote BBS has chosen for LOCBBS, LOCAL, REGION
or NATION, depending on which server you used.
When the server has distributed your message a reply will be sent to you
confirming that the distribution has been completed successfully. Remember
that this reply may take a few days to get back to you if the remote BBS is in
another country.
The server adds information to the copied bulletin that will allow anyone
reading your redistributed bulletin to use the 'SR' command to send a reply
to you.
Special facilities
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you want to address your message to something other than 'ALL', then you
must add the relevant 'TO' field, preceded by the '#' character and
followed by a space, at the start of the subject line. For example:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SP REGION @ BBScall <----or SP LOCBBS, SP LOCAL or SP NATION
#50MHZ Test Message <----Subject
This is the text of a test message to the REGION server at
BBScall.
/EX or CTRL-Z
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The above message would distribute a bulletin as 'SB 50MHZ @ xxxxxx' where
'xxxxxx' is whatever region is defined by the sysop @ BBScall.
NB. You don't need to use the above format in the subject line. If you omit
the information then your message will still be distributed to 'ALL @ xxxxxx'.
The remote sysop may choose not to use 'ALL'. If not, your bulletin will be
sent out with some locally relevant TO field.
NB. It is essential that you precede any change to the 'TO' field in the
subject line with the '#' character and put a space between the end of the
replacement TO field and the remainder of the subject line. Replacement TO
fields can be up to 6 characters.
List of BBSs supporting REDIST
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hopefully you should find a copy of the file REDIST.BBS on the BBS where you
read this file. The REDIST.BBS file lists all the BBSs known to have installed
the REDIST server. If you can't find a copy of the file on your local BBS then
ask your sysop if it's hidden away somewhere that you haven't looked. If there
isn't a local copy, please send a message to me (Chris, G6FCI @ GB7FCI) and
I'll arrange for a copy to be sent to your BBS. I'm looking at ways of
updating this file periodically, but until that is finalised you will have to
use the BBSs listed in the most recent file at your BBS.
(C) Copyright 1993 & 1994 Chris McMahon, G6FCI @ GB7FCI.#16.GBR.EU.
This software can be freely distributed for use by radio amateurs for
non-commercial purposes. This documentation may be included in articles or
books produced for amateur radio purposes as long as the author is
acknowledged.