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tm SFCB 1.3 █▌
SPITFIRE Call-Back Validation Utility ▐
The ORIGINAL call-back door for SF systems ▐
Copyright (C) MCMXCIII ▐
Richard Sleegers ▐
RainbowSoft Wares █▌
Released: April 19, 1993
Page 1
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ TABLE OF CONTENTS │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
TABLE OF CONTENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
IN THE BEGINNING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
INSTALLATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Automatic Installation Program (RSWINST.EXE) . . . . . . 3
Manual Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Running SFCB as a DOOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Running SFCB from the Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Running SFCB during initial login automatically . . . . 5
Configuring SFCB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
CONFIGURABLE OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
SUPPORT FILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
SFCB.INI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
SFCB.OK [PreValidated] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
SFCB.BAD [DoNotValidate] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
SFCB.XCH [LocalExchanges] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Log Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
SFCB.VAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
SFCB.NVL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
SFCB.LOG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Display Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
EXECUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
FUNCTION KEYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
WARNINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
DISCLAIMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
SHAREWARE INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
SUPPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
TRADEMARKS, COPYRIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
SFCB HALL OF FAME! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
FUTURE MODIFICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
MODIFICATION HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
OTHER RSW PRODUCTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Quick Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Page 2
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ INTRODUCTION │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
If you are like me, you find it a time-consuming task to
validate new users. In order to prevent abuse, you expect that
your users provide accurate and truthful information; a name and
phone number to start. This is a way to contact them in case of
a problem, or to help, or simply to verify that they are using
only one account. Now, doing this by voice may have a personal
touch, and you can still do this for legitimate first-time users.
But, it becomes a chore when the numbers turn out to be invalid
or incorrect and you are getting the run-around. SFCB is the
next best thing to putting a telephone operator at your disposal!
SFCB allows a user to validate him/herself by entering a
door or menu option. The program will call back, using the
number provided through the new user log-on. Upon successful
re-connection and data verification (name, password and
optionally, the birth-date or additional password), the user's
security level will be upgraded to that of your BBS's regular
user status (selectable by the sysop.)
Other features of the program will be explained in this
document, as well as some of the necessary Shareware information
and disclaimers. I chose to put them at the END of the document,
so you can worry about the guidelines once you have tried out
this program and found it useful. (Which no doubt, you will!)
Quickly, though, here are some of the important restrictions:
■ SFCB is distributed as Shareware, you may try it out for a
period of 28 days, after which time you must register it or
remove it from your system. (You may keep archival copies
of the program in its original distribution package)
■ There are no warranties or guarantees with SFCB. While
being tested error free on numerous systems, the variations
of hardware and software can have unpredictable results.
■ You may distribute SFCB, on the condition that you do not
alter the package, or any of the file contents, or receive
financial compensation for it, other than regular BBS fees.
■ For more information, please refer to the sections entitled
DISCLAIMER and SHAREWARE INFORMATION.
Now, let's explore the origin and features of SFCB!
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ IN THE BEGINNING │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
SPITFIRE was born under the direction of Mike Woltz, of
Buffalo Creek Software, to fill a unique position in the world of
Page 3
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
Bulletin Boards. Many users and potential sysops (myself
included) were drawn to the software for the same reason Mr.
Woltz wrote it; its simplicity and ease of use, packed with
features. Of course, we all have our own ideas for making it
better and enhancing it, and I hope you will appreciate mine.
This version of SFCB has includes features specific to
version 3.2 and 3.3 of Spitfire, but it is backwards compatible
with all versions between 2.8 and 3.1. It is my intention to
update the program for future versions at no or low cost to
registered users (for most, the long distance telephone calls to
obtain it via modem).
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ INSTALLATION │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
SFCB comes with an install program which will work for first
time installation as well as updates from previous versions.
(You will need about 700K free disk space and 400K free RAM
memory to run install automatically. Exit SPITFIRE completely
(press F10) and install from DOS; then your menus will also be
updated properly when installing for the first time.
Extract the SFCB compressed file (SFCBxx.ZIP) - where 'xx'
is the current version - to a temporary directory or your SFCB
directory and run the install program RSWINST.EXE from the new
directory. For example
PKUNZIP SFCB13.ZIP
RSWINST
Automatic Installation Program (RSWINST.EXE)
After running RSWINST, you will be shown any update notices
and asked what directory to which you wish to extract SFCB. All
of the necessary files needed will be installed, whether you are
upgrading or installing for the first time. If you are
upgrading, there are files which you may have already customized
(your display files) These files are optional and will not be
extracted unless you allow it.
If you are installing for the first time, RSWINST will run
an automatic install program which will examine your system and
attempt to install SFCB as a Door, Main Menu Extension or
Security Logon Batch file. Simply follow the prompts given, and
supply and paths which are not properly detected. If you have
already installed SFCB in SPITFIRE, you do not need to use
automatic installation. If SFCB is still not installed properly,
look at the Manual Installation section below, or the SPITFIRE
manual for more information.
Page 4
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
When finished, run the SFCBINST program to examine any
features you wish to change before trying out the door. At any
time you may press F1 and receive detailed help on current field
or topic. You may jump through the help system to explore other
options at that time. The more advanced features are explained
in this document. Use the TAB and SHIFT-TAB keys (or ENTER) to
change fields when you are finished editing them. Control-Enter
or ESC completes the current entry window and saves changes.
Manual Installation
To install SFCB manually, create a directory for SFCB, and
then move or uncompress all of the support files into this
directory. In this example I will use C:\SF\SFCB for the door
directory.
Running SFCB as a DOOR
Modify your SF.BAT file to include the necessary steps to
execute the call back program. In this example, SFCB is
installed as Door A.
SF.BAT:
:DOOR_A
CD C:\SF\SFCB
SFCB -D C:\SF\SFDOORS.DAT
CD C:\SF
GOTO LOOP
Notice you do not need to copy the SFDOORS.DAT (or
SFMAIN.DAT) file to the SFCB directory. In fact, doing so causes
confusion. The above will properly work on multi-node systems
automatically, as long as the node directories are set up
properly.
You will need a corresponding line in the door menu file:
SFDOOR.MNU:
Call-Back Verification,5
Running SFCB from the Main Menu
If you run SFCB as a main menu extension, a line similar to
the one following must be present in your menu file:
SFMAIN.MNU:
V,<V> New User Validation,,10,@
Page 5
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
You must then also modify your main menu batch file, similar to
what is shown below:
SFMAIN.BAT:
CD C:\SF\SFCB
SFCB -D C:\SF\SFMAIN.DAT
Running SFCB during initial login automatically
You may run SFCB from a batch file corresponding to a
security level. This will force SFCB to load for specific
security levels before the user is permitted to the main BBS. In
the following example, we will use 10 as the new user security
level, and use C:\SF\SFCB as the SFCB main directory.
SFSEC10.BAT:
CD C:\SF\SFCB
SFCB -D C:\SF\SFDOORS.DAT
If the automatic method does not work properly, and you
cannot get it installed manually, please refer to your SPITFIRE
manual for more details on installing door programs, or if you
are running SFCB as a menu extension.
Configuring SFCB
Once SFCB is set up in the batch and menu files, you must
configure SFCB with the SFCBINST.EXE program. SFCBINST is
completely menu driven and contains context sensitive help, so
you can probably leave the manual now and finish installation
without reading any further! However, once you have SFCB working
with SPITFIRE, you will want to investigate the advanced
features.
To start, you may wish to alter the starting and ending
security levels you wish accept for validation. Any number
falling in this range, inclusive, will be considered unvalidated
to SFCB. The ending security is the security level a validated
user becomes. Your Spitfire version must be correctly identified
as you upgrade so that SFCB knows what system you have.
The BBS area code and location are used to identify long
distance calls within the BBS' area code. The long distance
field is a true/false field which uses T for true and F for
false. Therefore, to enable long distance validation, enter a T
in the "Allow LD callback" field. When set to true, you may then
set the low disconnect baud rate. Any connections lower than
this baud rate will be disconnected after long distance
validation. A "-1" entry means disconnect all calls, "0" means
do not disconnect any long distance calls. Local calls will use
the validations times chart to determine when call-backs can be
made. Likewise, long distance calls will use the LD validation
Page 6
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
times. In this manner you can allow toll calls during off-peak
times.
When you select the time chart field (by pressing Enter),
you will be shown an edit screen. Press F1 for help on editing
the time chart. Basically, though, wherever an asterisk, "*" is
placed, call back attempts may be made. Each location
corresponds to a 30 minute time period, starting with midnight to
12:30 am (00:30) You may specify different call-back times for
each day of the week and for days designated as holidays in the
[Holidays] section of SFCB.INI. Using the delete key erases the
asterisk in the box. Use the arrow keys to move the box.
Pressing '*' enters an asterisk, and pressing spacebar toggles
the time period under the box. (* becomes blank, and vice versa)
Pressing Enter or ESC saves your changes and returns you to the
Configuration menu.
See the bottom line of the screen when editing fields for
specific information on that particular field. If you require a
more detailed explanation on some features and options, refer to
the Features and Configurable Options section below, or the
extensive on-line help in SFCBINST.EXE
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
If you wish, you may use the command line options to specify
where to find the door file, configuration file, or to override
the comm port or baud rate in special cases.
Here are the available command line parameters:
-D C:\SF\SFDOORS.DAT Where to find the door file.
-D C:\SF\SFMAIN.DAT Use a line similar to this when running
SFCB from the main menu extension feature.
Versions 2.7 of Spitfire and earlier will not
update the security level using SFMAIN.DAT.
-B 1200 Change the baud rate to 1200. SFCB automatically
uses the baud rate set by SPITFIRE (in the
SFDOORS.DAT file). If you lock your comm port or
your modem follows the connection rate, you do not
need to use this parameter. It is mainly used for
testing over null modem cables.
-P 1 Use Comm Port 1. (See above, SFDOORS.DAT contains
the port the user logged in at.)
@R Disable opening shareware screen - available to
registered users only.
-C [filename] Option used in previous versions of SFCB (1.1 and
older). Remove this option from existing batch
files. When updating from previous versions, this
file will be converted to the new format and will
no longer be used.
Page 7
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
-I [filename] Alternate file name for the SFCB.INI file. You
must specify the complete path of the file if it
is not in the current directory of SFCB.EXE
-G Enable DEBUG mode. When activated, you will be
shown additional information as the program is
run. (For example baud rate and port information)
-X Enable FOSSIL and DESQVIEW checking
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ CONFIGURABLE OPTIONS │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
Options are modified via the SFCBINST.EXE program. This
program should live in the same directory as your SFCB.EXE file.
The SFCB executable file is stored in compressed format with
PkLite or LzEXE and SFCBINST will not work with SFCB in
uncompressed format.
The options are pretty straight-forward. Should you need
more help on an option, move the cursor to the option you on
which you want help (with the cursor or with your mouse) and
press F1. A context sensitive help screen will display detailed
help on that option. A few special cases should be commented on,
and they follow:
Sysop Security This need not be the sysop security (normally 999)
Level but can be any level which you wish to have access
to the log files.
(LD) Validation The method for disabling call-backs to any 1/2
Times hour intervals is to place a '*' in the position
in the chart where you want to ALLOW call-backs.
(The chart starts and 12:00 midnight, so the first
'*' would correspond to the time period
00:00-00:29:59 or 12:00-12:29am) You may find
this helpful if you are allowing long distance
call-backs and you do not wish to have calls
during prime time (save those long distance bills
for calling other BBS'!)
Low Baud Rate This feature is used when a long distance call has
successfully completed. If you wish users to be
logged off immediately after entering his/her name
and password, place a '-1' (minus one) here. To
allow all callers to remain on-line (and run up
those LD bills?) place a '0' (zero) here. Any
other number will act as the cutoff point. If you
place 9600 here, than any caller below 9600 baud
will be disconnected, and those 9600 and higher
will be permitted to remain on-line, at your
expense.
Page 8
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
BBS Area Code This number is essential to determining whether a
call is long distance or not. Place the 3 digits
of your area code here. The location of your BBS
is used to ask the caller whether a number in the
same area code is still long distance. To make it
easier on the users, each time a new exchange code
is entered and validated, add it to the
[LocalExchange] section of SFCB.INI or to the
SFCB.XCH file. The user will then no longer be
prompted if they are long distance when their
number is located in the above mentioned places.
Force Birth When enabled (True) this option will only validate
Date the user if he/she also enters their correct birth
date along with name and password. Please note
that if you do not have the "Require New User
Birth Date" option in the Alt T (Toggles) menu of
SPITFIRE set to YES, than this option will not
work properly since there will not be an accurate
birth date setting for each user.
Allow Duplicate When disabled (False), SFCB will search the
SFUSERS.DAT file for a duplicate of the current
user's phone number. If you also enable the Allow
Number Change setting the new number entered will
be used in the scan for duplicate phone numbers.
To prevent a user from putting a phoney (no pun
intended :) number in SPITFIRE and using the real
number within SFCB, you should also enable the Top
Security function to force SFCB to search SFCB.VAL
(which contains all previously validated phone
numbers) and disallow duplicate phone numbers.
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ FEATURES │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
New to version 1.3 of SFCB is the SFCB.INI file. This file
can be used to consolidate most of the files used in previous
versions. The SFCB.INI file is a file with separate sections
containing options (which can be TRUE, FALSE, numerical or text)
Sections are keywords enclosed in square brackets. For example,
the [Security] section contains options pertaining to security
features. Most features are explained more in detail in the file
itself under each section, and some features correspond to those
in the configuration section of the install program. Use the
SFCBINST program to change any settings, and modify the SFCB.INI
file to change whole sections.
Here is the list of sections and their usage. Where
Page 9
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
applicable, the corresponding filename (which were used in SFCB
prior to 1.3) is shown as well.
[Messages]
Sysop configurable response prompts. Most SF codes are
supported here. These include: phone number, security,
name. See the SF manual for the code numbers and usage. ^M
is a special code which means end of line (carriage return)
[LogFile]
As with messages, the LogFile sections responses are
configurable. These are written to the SFCB.LOG file.
[Modem]
Initialization settings, timings for your modem.
[Node1]
There are certain options which can be node specific.
Replacing Node1 with whichever node you wish to set
differently (for example, [Node3]) you can override the
default system settings for the following options:
InitString, ForceBaud.
[PreValidated] Filename: SFCB.OK
This section will contain numbers you wish to validate
without a call-back. Please refer to the Support Files
section for details on the format of this file.
[DoNotValidate] Filename: SFCB.BAD
Put numbers (or wildcard masks) of numbers you want to block
for call-back validation. See the SFCB.BAD section below
for details on the format. Please refer to the Support
Files section for details on the format of this file.
[AllowDuplicate]
In this section, list phone numbers which may be validated
regardless of whether it is duplicate or in a wrong format.
[LocalExchanges] Filename: SFCB.XCH
This section which contains the exchanges used to determine
which calls are local calls. Please refer to the Support
Files section for details on the format of this file.
[Holidays]
List dates to determine as holidays for purposes of long
distance rates.
[Terminals] Filename: SFCB.TRM
This section contains the terminal-specific information.
Please refer to the Support Files section for details on the
format of this file.
[Errors]
When reporting known errors to the screen, this section is
used. This section need not be changed as the responses are
shown to the local display only.
All sections which use phone numbers may use wildcards. For
example, 519-555-* or 519-555-????, when used in the
[DoNotValidate] section will disallow all 555 phone numbers.
???-555-* will disable all 555 phone numbers worldwide. The '*'
is only valid in the last position.
Page 10
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
All response prompts will replace SF display codes with
their equivalents. All response prompts may also be replace by a
filename. For example, consider the following line in the
[Messages] section:
LDTimeLockout=@LDTIMLOK
SFCB will search the current directory and the display directory
for files named LDTIMLOK.BBS/CLR and will display the appropriate
file. LDTIMLOK.CLR will be displayed if the caller is using ANSI
color graphics.
Any line beginning with a semi-colon is ignored. A semi-
colon in the middle of the line will also disregard the remainder
of that line.
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ SUPPORT FILES │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
There are a few files that SFCB uses in the course of its
activities. Some contain phone numbers which are searched for
duplicate phone numbers or pre-verified users, and others are
created by SFCB. They are described below. All files are in DOS
text format and any commands are listed once per line. Please
see the example files included for more detail.
If a keyword is listed in square braces: [PreValidated] this
means that there is a section in SFCB.INI which may be used to
store the same information. Refer to the Features section for
more details on the SFCB.INI file. In quotes is the
corresponding option in the [Messages] section of the SFCB.INI
file which may be displayed. In upper case are default display
file names.
Data Files
SFCB.OK [PreValidated] "PreValidate"
Listing of numbers which do NOT need to be called. This is
useful for skipping long distance calls, and yet allowing
validation. Numbers are expected to be in the regular
Spitfire format: eg 519-455-4880. The number is followed by
an optional password. If both the phone number and
passwords match, the user will be validated to the optional
security level given, and not the default ending security
level. If not password is given, a match on number alone is
sufficient to upgrade access.
FORMAT:
###-###-####,Password,Security
EXAMPLE:
519-455-4880,My123Pass,50
SFCB.BAD [DoNotValidate] "BadNumber" NUMNOVAL.BBS/CLR
These numbers will NOT be called back either, but the
security level will not be raised to validated access. The
Page 11
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
appropriate message will be displayed; this message should
explain what the user should do at this point. You may
place additional information after the number, such as user
names.
FORMAT:
###-###-#### ;additional comment
EXAMPLE:
911* ; Do not allow attempts to 911 emergency number
SFCB.XCH [LocalExchanges]
This contains the local exchanges available from your area
code. If you have all of the available local exchanges
(from your phone book), you can then prevent the prompt for
long distance callers when the caller is in a local calling
range. (You can check the log file for any exchanges you
have missed, an exchange verified as local will appear
there.) If you have numbers outside your area code which
are local, list them with the area code in front.
FORMATS:
### (3-digit phone code)
###-### (3 digit area code, followed by prefix code)
EXAMPLES:
455
519-455
SFCB.TRM [Terminals]
This is the customizable terminal file. It contains the
menu list and the specific keywords to wait for upon
reconnection.
FORMAT: (for SFCB.TRM)
OptionName,O, ,GENERIC.DAT
OptionName is the text to be displayed in the menu. The 'O'
refers to the character used to select that option. The
string to search for follows, (important: use a space if
there is no special character sequence to wait for) whatever
is included in between the commas must be sent by the remote
program for SFCB to operate correctly. GENERIC.DAT refers
to any special information needed by the user to correctly
operate SFCB with his/her terminal program.
EXAMPLE:
Mirror,M,Mirror,MIRROR.DAT
FORMAT: (for [Terminals] section)
O Option
...
End
OHelp=help.dat
OString=text
List all of the terminals you will support with the
character used to select them followed by a space and then
the terminal name. Be sure not to use the same letter
twice. For each option, the letter, followed by "Help="
will refer to the data file to be displayed when that option
Page 12
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
is selected. The option, followed by "String=" will be used
to scan for that text (currently, only Mirror needs this
feature activated) The "Generic=" option will be used for
all options/terminals which do not have a corresponding
file/string associated with it.
Log Files
SFCB.VAL "DuplicateNumber","ScanValidated"
As a subset of SFCB.LOG this file contains only those users
and numbers that were validated. If the TopSecurity feature
is enable, this file will be scanned and if a matching
number is found, it will not be validated, unless it is also
found in the [AllowDuplicates] section.
SFCB.NVL "NoQualify","NoSuccess"
Likewise, this file contains the users and numbers that
failed validation.
SFCB.LOG
If Log File Activity is activated, this file will contain
information on the call-back process for each user,
including failed attempts, phone number changes (if
permitted) times, dates, etc. You may customize what is
stored to the log file by modifying the strings in the
[LogFile] section of SFCB.INI
SFCB.LST
Used to save information from the last caller who used SFCB
so he/she is not required to re-set the options and can try
again immediately. If another user uses SFCB in between,
this file will not be used. It may be safely removed at any
time.
SFCB.RCT
If Log Reconnect is activated, then any incoming data right
after connect is logged to this file, up until the time of
the Reconnect timeout value. This will allow you to detect
numbers which belong to other BBS' and should not be
validated.
SFCB.LD
If Log LD Calls is utilized, then any long distance calls
will be logged to this file. You may then compare this log
file with your phone bill to quickly determine which calls
were from the BBS for validation purposes.
Display Files
Display files in SFCB follow the Spitfire convention. Mono
files (without colouring) have .BBS extensions and coloured
(ANSI) files have .CLR extensions. Most of the standard SF codes
Page 13
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
are supported. They include: user name, security, phone number
and time left. You may also name your own display files in the
[Messages] section of the SFCB.INI file. Here are the default
files that can be customized for your copy of SFCB:
Screen Name Description
CBOPEN.BBS/CLR Opening display - inform user of program
purpose
SETTINGS.BBS/CLR * Current settings of call-back program
MAINMENU.BBS/CLR Displayed instead of the default main menu
TERMINAL.BBS/CLR Displayed instead of the default terminal
menu
CBHELP.BBS/CLR Printed when the user asks for help.
VERIFY.BBS/CLR Displayed when caller is found in SFCB.OK
(preverified)
TIMEDAY.BBS/CLR Cannot be validated at this time of day
(local and long distance callers)
NUMNOVAL.BBS/CLR Telephone number cannot be used for
validation (SFCB.BAD)
NODUPES.BBS/CLR Telephone number is a duplicate (found in
SFUSERS.DAT)
NOQUALFY.BBS/CLR Shown when a user is not qualified by reason
of: duplicates, time of day, long distance,
not enough time, wrong security level...
CBNOLD.BBS/CLR Shown if a user is a long distance caller,
and long distance validation is disabled.
CONNECT.BBS/CLR Displayed prior before returning to BBS
* In the absence of SETTINGS.BBS/CLR the valid times, and number
of attempts will be shown.
In most cases, if there is no file available, a default line will
be displayed from the [Messages] section of SFCB.INI
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SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ EXECUTION │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
In the event that there are problems with the successful
installation of the SFCB program, please refer to the comments
shown to you on the screen and in the log file (SFCB.LOG) You
will be informed if SFCB cannot find the door data file or if it
has not been installed properly. When all goes well, you will
see the initial log-on screen (CBOPEN.BBS), then the program
'plug', stating the current version and registration information;
the usual stuff.
The initial log-on screen should contain the necessary
information to introduce the purpose of the program to the user
and the process that it involves. (For example, use the
CBOPEN.BBS/CLR) ANSI.SYS does not have to be loaded to see ANSI
correctly on the BBS computer while within SFCB.
The main menu will look something like this:
Current settings:
3 call-back attempts will be made.
Long distance validation NOT enabled
( Time of day ) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3
************************************************ Local call back times
^
"*" denotes valid times to call-back, "^" denotes current time slot.
╒═════════════════════════[ SFCB Main Menu ]══════════════════════════╕
│ [P] Phone Number: 519-455-4880 [A] Ansi Toggle: Off │
│ [T] Terminal Program: Local [V] View Settings │
│ [C] Begin Call-Back Ready [H] Help │
│ [@] About SFCB │
│ [Q] Quit to BBS [G] Goodbye (Hang up) │
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
It is presently 6:00 p.m. on Mon., Apr. 5, 1993.
You have been on 2 minutes with 58 remaining.
Main Menu - [P A T V C H @ Q G]
The menu shows the user's phone number and terminal program
(which must be selected) When all is ready, option "C"
(call-back) is activated and the user can continue call-back. If
the terminal program is not selected, it will be prompted before
call-back can continue.
SFCB will attempt to determine whether the caller is long
distance from the BBS. Numbers that are not in the same area
code are assumed to be long distance and will not be validated
unless the sysop allows long distance validation. If a number is
within the BBS' area code, but not considered a local exchange
(by comparing it to the numbers in the SFCB.XCH file or
[LocalExchanges] section of SFCB.INI), SFCB will ask if the
user's number is long distance. If the number is not local and
Page 15
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
the user informs SFCB that it is, no validation will be made, nor
will a long distance charge be incurred. If the number is local
and not found in the data files as a local exchange, the log file
will show the number so you can then add it to your files as a
local number.
After checking security levels, phone numbers and call-back
time restraints, SFCB hangs up and attempts to call the user
back. If you cannot dial with touch-tone, make sure you set the
Tone available option to False instead of True for touch-tone
dialing. If you specify an InitString code in SFCB.INI, it will
be sent to the modem before the first call-back attempt. This
init string need only contain settings specific to the call back.
For most systems, this will only be something similar to:
ATS0=0S11=40 This will set a fast tone speed and turn off any
auto answering. If an incoming call is detected before the
subsequent dial attempt, SFCB will answer the call, send the
InProgress message in the [Messages] section and hang up. Also
of note, you should disable any TSR's which detect rings and
reboot your computer before you run SFCB. You may re-enable it
after SFCB is completed (for example, in the batch file.) After
the connection with the original caller is re-established, (and
CONNECT.BBS/CLR displayed) the user will be prompted for his or
her name and password. You may force the user to enter his/her
birth date as well, and/or a random code (which is displayed
prior to hangup). When all is entered correct (case is NOT
significant for the password entered) then the final file,
CBCLOSE.BBS/CLR will be displayed, explaining what the new
security level entails, or whatever else the user must do for
complete validation, etc., depending on your BBS setup.
You will be able to monitor at all times where the user is
currently at in the program. Also displayed on the top portion
of the screen is the user name, baud rate, security level and
time left. Press F1 or Home to display the available function
keys. At times, text such as [Password] will appear in the top
left of the screen which may aid you in testing and operating
SFCB.
Once a user is in the program, you may chat by pressing
ALT-C. Pressing ALT-C again will to exit the chat. Likewise,
you may shell to DOS if need be by pressing ALT-J (provided that
you have enough memory available). To exit back to SFCB after a
drop to DOS, type "EXIT".
SFCB will provide users with sysop level or greater an
additional menu, which can be used to display the log and
validation files. (SFCB.LOG, SFCB.VAL, SFCB.NVL) You will be
prompted for a password. Enter your own password, capitalizing
the first letter of each word.
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ FUNCTION KEYS │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
Page 16
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
Here is a list of keys available to the sysop while a caller
is on-line. (They cannot be used by the caller.) Press F1 or
HOME to display these keys while running the program.
Chat mode Alt C Press Alt C to end chat.
Drop to DOS Alt D, Alt J Local drop to dos only. Type
EXIT to return to SFCB
Change Security F2 Change the security level of the
user manually.
Zoom/Unzoom F5 Switch between full screen and
divided screen modes.
Subtract time F6 Subtract 5 minutes.
Add time F7 Adds 5 minutes to user's time.
Twit user Alt F2 No sysop can be without a user
terminate function. :) Twit will
hang up the modem line and
disconnect the caller, or end a
local mode test.
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ WARNINGS │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
Due to the nature of software and hardware, 100%
compatibility is a goal but hardly a reality. This program has
been tested on a number of different computer systems, but this
cannot guarantee that it will work with any specific (or your)
setup and software/hardware combination.
RainbowSoft Wares will be more than happy to provide
assistance and fix errors. Please let us know! If you have any
suggestions for improvement, or bug reports please feel free to
report them. (Refer to the locations noted at the beginning of
the document.)
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ DISCLAIMER │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
SFCB is distributed AS IS. Neither Richard Sleegers, nor
RainbowSoft Wares will be held responsible for direct or indirect
damage to your computer (or its peripherals) or to your sanity.
There are no warranties, expressed or implied, as to the
operation or functionality of this program.
The primary goal of shareware is to provide quality programs
at a low price to the purchaser. If the program does not work
for you, you are not obligated to use it! On the other hand, if
it saves you time, and you leave it installed on your system, you
should feel obligated to register it. Read on.
Page 17
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ SHAREWARE INFORMATION │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
SFCB is a Shareware program, distributed under the 'Try
Before You Buy' concept; this means that after you have tried the
program for a 'reasonable' length of time, (28 days) you must
either register the program, or remove it from your system.
Registering this program grants you a limited license to
use, for your personal use only on your BBS, all files and
documents contained in the original software package, distributed
by RainbowSoft Wares.
Please see the file, SFCB.REG, for more information on
registering this version of SFCB and what benefits arise from
registering.
You are granted a limited license to distribute SFCB, subject to
the following conditions:
1. You may not receive any financial compensation for direct
access to this program. One exception is noted, whereby you
may recover costs of medium (Disk(ette)s, or other
electronic medium) only, at a reasonable amount.
2. You may not alter any documents, programs, or files
distributed with SFCB.
3. You may not mass-distribute (on CD-Rom; bundled disks/tapes)
copies of SFCB without the written permission of Richard
Sleegers/RainbowSoft Wares. Distribution by electronic mail
systems (or Bulletin Board Systems) is permitted just in
case condition 1 is met.
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ SUPPORT │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
Registered or not, you may obtain help via postal mail or e-mail
(via modem) To send registrations and comments, use the
following address:
RainbowSoft Wares
C/O Richard Sleegers
R.R. #8 (1697 Hamilton Road)
London, Ontario, CANADA
N6A 4C3
To reach me via modem (Richard Sleegers) send e-mail to the sysop
at:
Rainbow BBS (519)455-4880
Sysop: Richard Sleegers
1200-14400 Baud (USRobotics V.32 bis/V.43bis)
Page 18
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
CircuitNet Node: 519002
If you have questions pertaining to SPITFIRE you may address
them to Mike Woltz at:
Spitfire Support BBS
Buffalo Creek - 515-225-8496
12/24/96/16800 Baud HST
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ TRADEMARKS, COPYRIGHTS │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
All SFCB executables and documentation are copyright (c)
1991-1993 by Richard Sleegers and RainbowSoft Wares.
SPITFIRE is a registered trademark of Buffalo Creek Software.
SPITFIRE is copyrighted 1986-1993 by Mike Woltz.
Turbo Pascal is a registered trademark of Borland International, Inc.
Turbo Pascal is copyrighted 1983-1993 by Borland International, Inc.
Portions of this program use source code provided by Mike Woltz and
Buffalo Creek Software to allow file sharing. BCSHARE may be downloaded from
the BCS Bulletin Board at 515-225-8496
Portions of this program are written with Object Professional and Async
Professional under license from TurboPower Software.
LzEXE is copyright 1989 Fabrice BELLARD.
PkLite (tm) is copyright 1993 PKWARE Inc.
DesqView is copyright/trademark of Quarterdeck Systems.
Any other products mentioned are trademarks and or copyright of their
respective owners.
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ SFCB HALL OF FAME! │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
This section is dedicated to all those who helped in the
production of SFCB.
Thanks to all of the new users of RAINBOW BBS who have put
up with me while I tried different (read unworkable) versions,
usually made for different BBS's; or just plain had to WAIT while
I worked on this program!
Thanks to Tim Ingram of the Radio Station BBS who helped
Page 19
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
Beta test the original version and provided valuable suggestions
and advice. A golden globe goes to Bill Arlofski of the Reverse
Polarity BBS for numerous suggestions prior to the release of
version 1.2, and for testing on high speed modems. Likewise,
Derek Motloch of The Computer Room (TCR) who provided bug reports
and suggestions, plus an HST modem to test the high-speed
routines as well. (Until I got my own high speed modem!) Thanks
to Jose Frias as well for helping me hammer out a problem with
his local phone system.
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ FUTURE MODIFICATIONS │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
SFCB is always changing, as suggestions are made and new
ideas put into place. This version reflects changes to long
distance validation, area codes, the addition of a number of
configurable display files, tightening the loophole with the
duplicate phone number scan and some minor bug fixes. I am open
to other suggestions which you may have to improve or enhance
SFCB. You can contact me by mail or through Rainbow BBS. See
the previous Support section for details.
Some features I am working on:
■ Inserting messages into the message area to welcome new users.
■ More advanced detection of local/toll/long distance calls.
■ Message queue and last message pointer configuration.
■ Overseas phone number support.
■ Caller ID support. (Hopefully using existing modems)
■ Safe mode - to prevent excessive re-tries spanning calls.
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ MODIFICATION HISTORY │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
For changes to this version and prior versions of SFCB,
please refer to the file SFCB.NEW.
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
Question: What happens if a BBS system is called through SFCB?
Answer: The user will NOT be validated. SFCB will never
receive the user's name or password. In your log file, you
will notice some strange responses to the prompt for the
user's name, and might be able to see what BBS system was
called. To prevent local Bulletin Boards from being called,
lock out the numbers via the SFCB.BAD file or
[DoNotValidate] section of SFCB.INI. If you choose to use
Page 20
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
the Log Reconnect option, then all incoming data is logged
to a SFCB.RCT file. This will allow you to examine which
numbers are actually other BBS systems.
Question: What exactly does SFCB modify?
Answer: SFCB will modify the SFDOORS.DAT file (or SFMAIN.DAT,
whichever file it finds) which is then re-read by SPITFIRE
on return from the door. If you are using a version of
Spitfire older than 3.0 or are using the subscription option
in SFCB 1.3, the SFUSERS.DAT file is modified. The
subscription option will not work as a menu extension or
from the SFSECxx.BAT file.
Question: What version of SPITFIRE does SFCB 1.3 work with?
Answer: SFCB is backwards compatible with version 2.8 and has
been revised to work with version 3.3 on multitasking
systems, with file sharing routines (Courtesy of BCS and
Mike Woltz through the use of BCShare)
Question: Why does SFCB ask for the user's name and password upon
re-connection?
Answer: The answer to this question is obvious. A user could
leave the number of another Bulletin Board and be validated
when it connects. Entering the name and password ensures
that it is the same person that initiated the call-back.
Question: Should I copy my SFDOORS.DAT file to the SFCB directory
before calling SFCB?
Answer: In a word, NO! Some software may suggest this, but
whether you are running a single node or multi node BBS, you
should use the -D option to point to the location of the
SFDOORS.DAT or SFMAIN.DAT file. Copying the file may be
useful if you wish to have a copy around to examine, since
Spitfire deletes it once it has been re-read and processed.
Question: How to I get support?
Answer: You can call Rainbow BBS or write by mail (see Support
section for details) If you wish to pre-validate your
account on Rainbow BBS, please include your number and
unique password to use on Rainbow BBS with the registration
form. (Use SFCBINST.EXE to print out your registration
form.)
Question: I am having timeout problems with the call-back. The
modem will dial out but will not send a CONNECT or NO
CARRIER signal to the modem, and then SFCB dials out again
but immediately sends out a NO CARRIER. This sometimes
happens more than once.
Answer: You should change the contents of your modem's S7
register (on Hayes compatible modems) This register
controls the modem's internal wait time for reconnection.
SFCB is set for a dial timeout of 60 seconds, so if your S7
Page 21
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
register is greater than 60 seconds, it will time out before
the modem. Change your register by using the ATS7=45
command (to set it to 45 seconds for example)
Alternatively, you can store it in your NRAM (if one is
available) If your modem does not have an NVRAM storage
area, place the S7=45 in your modem initialization string.
(In SPITFIRE, use the Alt-M command, option <I> at the ready
for user prompt. You may have to tweak this timeout with
the SFCBINST program until you have a working program. I
suggest register S7 set to between 30 and 45, and timeout at
60. NO CARRIER or BUSY will break the timeout, so it will
not necessarily wait 60 seconds between each dial attempt.
Question: My modem will not properly hang up before calling the
user back. What am I doing wrong?
Answer: One possible problem is the setting of your &D on your
modem. You must have an &D1 or &D2 setting (&D1 is
preferred, which tells the modem to follow carrier) or the
modem may not hang up properly. An &D3 setting is known to
totally baffle the call-back property. SFCB attempts to
hang up by resetting the DTR (data terminal ready) If this
cannot be done, the it must attempt to put the modem in
terminal mode by sending an escape code. An S2=1 setting is
crucial here (the SF standard) If you use a different S2
setting (escape code) place S2=1 in the InitString option
in the [Modem] section of SFCB.INI. If these are correct
and hanging up is still a problem, then SFCB might not be
able to work properly with your type of modem.
Question: I sometimes get strange error messages from the modem
when SFCB is trying to dial out.
Answer: This usually indicates a problem with your modem setup.
If SPITFIRE works fine when callers use your system, then
use the Initialization section in [Modem] or with the
SFCBINST program to modify the following modem parameters
(using the HAYES modem set)
E0 Echo modem commands is OFF
Q0 The modem is set to send responses
V1 The modem echoes Word reponses, not Digit responses.
S2=1 The escape character must be ASCII value 01 (Ctrl-A) if
you do not use DTR to reset the modem
&C1 Follow carrier detect of the remote carrier signal.
&D2 If you use DTR to disconnect callers, your modem should
reset when the Data Terminal Ready signal is turned off.
Question: When testing SFCB my modem responds NO CARRIER before I
can complete typing in ATA. Does my modem use a different
answer command?
Answer: Not likely. Some modems are strict about key presses
while detecting carrier (after the RING code comes in)
However, most modems in this category will work properly if
you press a key (ENTER for example), causing the NO CARRIER
Page 22
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
response, and then typing ATA. Since the calling computer
has not yet hung up the line, a connection is established.
However, to make it simpler for your average user, use the
[Terminals] section to tailor responses to individual
terminal programs. For example, Telix uses Alt-O, A to send
the auto-answer string. So you could tell your Telix users
to press that sequence after hang up and before being called
back. (They should also be told how to disable auto-answer,
if their phone line is also used for voice!)
Question: Version 1.2 used to work fine on my system and now 1.3
causes lockups or other problems.
Answer: SFCB now uses detection schemes to determine whether to
use Desqview or Fossil services. The default toggle is now
NOT to check, but you have have previously enable the
command line switch (-X), then remove that switch.
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ OTHER RSW PRODUCTS │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
(Available from Rainbow BBS and other fine Spitfire BBS')
SFBANGA Spitfire banking/gambling program. Allows users to
bank time for future usage. They can gamble away their
time as well. Banked time can gain interest at a sysop
definable rate.
SFMAINT Spitfire file area maintenance program. Creates
downloadable file listings, file area statistics,
supports multiple line descriptions. Supports adding,
deleting, modifying, moving files from the BBS file
areas. Other features include off-line files and GIF
descriptions.
SFQUEST Spitfire questionnaire series. Compatible with
Spitfire questionnaires, this program improves upon
them by adding multiple support questions, analysis of
answer files, DOS errorlevel support for use with menu
systems, and can call other programs and read their
errorlevel results, so other non communications
programs can be used to greater flexibility. Nested
IF/THEN statements are supported as well as being able
to call other questionnaires from within another.
FDS File Database System. Collate file listings from other
BBS' (Spitfire, Wildcat and PcBoard file listings
supported) Allow users to search on-line by file name
or description for a file on any BBS in the database.
Page 23
SFCB [Spitfire Call-Back] Documentation
▄──────────────────────────▄
│ Quick Index │
▀══──────────────────────══▀
ANSI 10, 12, 14
Caller ID 19
DESQVIEW 7, 18, 22
duplicate 8-10, 13, 19
FOSSIL 7, 22
INSTALL 3, 4, 8
long distance 3, 5, 7-15, 19
Rainbow BBS 17-20, 22
SFCB.BAD 9, 10, 13, 19
SFCB.INI 6-8, 10, 12-15, 19, 21
SFCB.LD 12
SFCB.LST 12
SFCB.NVL 12, 15
SFCB.OK 9, 10, 13
SFCB.RCT 12, 20
SFCB.TRM 9, 11
SFCB.VAL 8, 12, 15
SFCB.XCH 8, 9, 11, 14
SFCBINST 4-8, 20, 21
SFDOORS.DAT 4-6, 20
SFMAIN.DAT 4-6, 20
Shareware 2, 6, 16, 17
wildcards 9
[AllowDuplicate] 9
[DoNotValidate] 9, 10, 19
[Holidays] 6, 9
[LocalExchanges] 9, 11, 14
[LogFile] 9, 12
[Messages] 9, 10, 13, 15
[PreValidated] 9, 10
[Terminals] 9, 11, 22