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1993-10-11
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PCBATI6 Version 1.0
Automatic Line Noise Monitor for PCBoard and U.S. Robotics Modems
Copyright (c) 1993 by Clark Development Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved
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DESCRIPTION
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PCBATI6 is a program which, in conjunction with U.S. Robotics HST Modems, can
monitor line noise, keep a history of line noise problems, and even inform
your callers when they experience line noise.
PCBATI6 is compatible with PCBoard v14.5a and v15.0. It is placed in your
$$LOGOFF.BAT file so that it is run after every caller logs off. When run, it
issues an ATI6 command to your U.S. Robotics HST modem. The ATI6 command asks
the modem to report session statistics for the most recent connection. These
statistics hold the clues as to what kind of line noise a caller experienced
while online.
By running PCBATI6 you can AUTOMATICALLY inform your users when they experience
excessive line noise. This helps them to understand why their file transfers
were slower than expected, or why the keyboard response time was sluggish.
What many people seem to have forgotten is that, in spite of the advent of MNP
and v.42 modems, line noise STILL EXISTS today! These fancy modems do not
magically make line noise disappear. Rather, these error correcting modems do
exactly as their name implies: they CORRECT errors that occur due to line
noise. Line noise still exists even though the caller no longer sees it, as
garbage while typing, or as errors in file transfers. Instead, the caller sees
line noise as a "slow down" in file transfer speeds or as "sluggishness" when
typing at the keyboard.
Even sysops, the ones that are more likely to understand these new modems,
often jump to the erroneous conclusion that when a transfer is slower than
expected that it must be the fault of: a) the software, b) the network, c)
the multitasker, or d) the modem. What seldom crosses their minds is that the
true cause of the slowdown is probably nothing more than what people have
experienced ever since modems first came into existence: line noise.
PCBATI6 is here to help educate callers. To let them know when they have
experienced excessive line noise. To show them how it has been determined that
line noise was, in fact, experienced. And to let them know what they can do to
improve the situation.
After a caller is disconnected, PCBATI6 will be run. It will issue the ATI6
command and then ANALYZE the results to determine if excessive line noise was
experienced. If it was, then the program will automatically generate a message
for the caller, optionally placing it in the same conference the caller was in
at the end of the call, with a customized message that indicates what was
experienced and what the caller can do to improve his connections.
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NO SUPPORT
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By popular demand, PCBATI6 is being released.
We use this program on our own BBS, the Salt Air BBS (Home of PCBoard) and it
works great. It works on all models of PCBoard, from /2 to /1000 and even
supports the MultiPort (/M) version.
HOWEVER, as desireable as it may be for this program to be "supported" or
even "enhanced", it won't be. This program is not a part of PCBoard, it's not
a part of CDC's official offerings. It costs you nothing to obtain or use it.
If it works for you, great. If it doesn't, no loss, you got what you paid for.
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NOTES
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1) This program works ONLY with USR HST modems. That includes both the regular
HST as well as the HST Dual Standard. The reason for this restriction is
that the only modems that have the ATI6 command, that we are aware of, are
the HST line of modems.
2) This program is compatible with v15.0's IDX files as well as the old NDX
format.
3) The message written can be placed in a fixed location by specifying which
conference you want the messages sent to (see /CONF:###). Or, by using
/CONF:SYS the message will be left in the same conference the caller was in
when he logged off or lost carrier. If your callers are likely to rejoin
the conference they left and look for mail there, then the /CONF:SYS may be
preferable.
4) The messages that PCBATI6 creates are receiver-only and non-echoed. So if
the caller was in an echoed conference and /CONF:SYS is used, the messages
will not be exported.
5) If a v15.0 system is used, PCBATI6 will automatically put a packout date on
the message that is 3 days from the date on which the message was posted.
Some callers read mail offline and do not kill their messages after
receiving them. The automatic packout date will prevent the messages from
cluttering up your message base.
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INSTALLATION
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To install PCBATI6 all you need to do is copy the following files into your
PCBoard directory:
PCBATI6.EXE
PCBATI6.TXT
If you don't already have a $$LOGOFF.BAT file you can also copy the sample
file, called SAMPLE.BAT, over to $$LOGOFF.BAT in your PCBoard directory.
The sample looks like this (the PCBATI6 command is all on one line)
@echo off
ati6 /file:pcbati6.cap /conf:sys /text:pcbati6.txt
If all you want to do is capture ATI6 reports, and NOT create messages for your
users, you can do so by leaving off the /CONF and /TEXT parameters.
Typing PCBATI6 without parameters will remind you of the parameters. Here they
are for your review:
usage: PCBATI6 (command line parameters)
parameters: /FILE:filename - name of file to track ATI6 history
optional: /TEXT:filename - name of text file to base message on
/CONF:# or SYS - conference number to post messages
/CONF:SYS reads pcboard.sys to get the
conference the caller was in at logoff
examples: PCBATI6 /FILE:C:\\PCB\\MODEM.TXT
The above just captures ATI6 reports to a file so that you can
review the results.
PCBATI6 /FILE:ATI6.CAP /CONF:SYS /TEXT:PCBATI6.TXT
The above captures ATI6 reports and also writes the caller a
message, in the conference from which he logged off, using the
PCBATI6.TXT file as the source of the text for the message.
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CUSTOMIZATION
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The PCBATI6.TXT file is a text file which can be translated or modified with a
few small guidelines:
1) The first two lines define the name to be used in the FROM and SUBJECT
fields (respectively) of the message to be written to the caller.
The first line is taken verbatim and used as the FROM field. There is a
limit of 25 characters on that line.
The second line has a "%d" in it. As long as the "%d" is not removed, the
NODE NUMBER will be put in its place. If you are not running multiple
nodes or don't wish to have the node number recorded in the message you
can remove the entire "(NODE %d)" portion of the subject.
2) There are 7 more sections in the file: TOPTEXT, RESENT, RETRAINS,
MODEMERRORS, FINALSPEED, DISCONNECT, and FINALTEXT.
Each section begins with ** and the name of the section. For example, the
first line in the file is **TOPTEXT.
The last line of each section is just ** (or the end of the file). The
ORDER of the file is VERY IMPORTANT. Do not change the order of the
sections.
3) The content of each section can be rewritten, translated, modified in
anyway you see fit with just one exception:
The "%ld" and "%s" parameters in each section MUST REMAIN in the same
order and in the same section in which they are found.
PCBATI6 will translate the %ld and %s parameters into numbers and text.
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WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT LINE NOISE
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Unfortunately, the only course of action *may* be to simply hang up and try
your call again - hoping for a cleaner connection the next time around.
The phone company can route your call MANY different ways - even when calling
across town but more so when calling long distance.
Some things you can do are:
1) Use only high quality modems with v.32 and v.32bis modulation with mnp or
v.42 error correction.
2) Call your local phone company and have them inspect your phone lines.
3) Try a different long distance carrier.
If you are calling long distance then switching to a different long distance
carrier can often result in cleaner phone lines. In our experience, and in
the experience of several of our customers, the most reliable long distance
carrier has been AT&T. (though in some areas even AT&T may not be the best
carrier to use)
EVEN IF AT&T is not your default long distance carrier you can TRY THEM OUT
as an experiment to see if AT&T can give you a better connection. All you
have to do is dial 10288 in front of the number you want to dial.
For example, to reach the Salt Air BBS via AT&T dial: 10288,1-801-261-8976.
If AT&T *is* your long distance carrier then trying a *different* carrier
may still be the solution! Here are a few more common codes:
10022 - MCI
10033 - SPRINT
10700 - Tel-America
10759 - Telenet
There are many more. Contact your local phone company for other long
distance carrier "equal access" codes.
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ANALYSIS
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So just what DOES the analysis entail? The following are the current rules
used by PCBATI6 to determine whether or not a message should be generated. If
one or more of the following is true the a message is written to the caller:
- 1000 or more blocks were sent AND 25% or more blocks had to be RE-sent
- Retrains Requested or Granted is greater than 20
- The number of Blers, Link Naks or Link Timeouts, individually, is
greater than 150
Note that values less than those looked for in the above can STILL indicate
that line noise was experienced but that it simply was not sufficient to
warrant a message being generated. If a caller asks why the transfers were
slow but did not receive an automated message, you can look up in the capture
file to get a copy of the ATI6 report.
The number of blocks RE-sent is a very clear indication of line noise. Any
amount of time spent RE-sending a block of data that has already been sent has
a direct impact on the throughput and is only necessary if the receiving modem
was unable to receive the block properly the first time around.
Retrains requested and granted is another very clear indication of line noise.
The modems attempt to shift to a lower (or higher) bps rate as line conditions
change in search of a speed which can be more effecient. In other words, it is
possible for a 4800 bps connection to be FASTER than a 9600 bps connection if
it means that fewer errors will occur!
Modem errors such as Blers, Link Naks and Link Timeouts also generally reflect
line noise and are often seen in combination with the above items. However,
they can also be the result of INCOMPATIBLE MODEMS talking to each other. It
is highly recommended that the highest quality modems be used. In the world of
modems you really do "get what you pay for".
The final speed of the connection is also reported if it is SLOWER than the
original connection speed. Obviously if retrains have caused the connection
speed to drop from 14400 bps down to 7200 bps the caller should *expect* to see
slower file transfers. PCBATI6 will let the caller know that this occured even
though his very own modem likely will not!
The disconnect reason is provided so that the caller can see why the connection
was dropped. Many, for some reason, tend to believe that the SOFTWARE HUNG UP
on them when, in fact, it was the modem that decided to hang up due to the
excessive line noise.
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REVISION HISTORY
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Version 1.1
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Forgot to include /M compatibility in the 1.0 release. Fixed.
Version 1.0
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This version was actually preceeded by a program called ATI6 which we privately
distributed to those who asked for it. ATI6's only function was to capture
ATI6 reports and log them to disk.
PCBATI6 v1.0 is the first public release of the program and the first release
to analyze the content of the ATI6 report and generate a message for the user
if excessive line noise was experienced.