The World of Computer Software/The World of Computer Software.iso/nosvw137.zip/!!README.2ND

Text File | 1991-09-18 | 13KB | 360 lines

============                                                [137]
!!README.2ND
============

Before doing anything further, read the file "!!README.1ST" and
follow the NOSView installation instructions.


==========================
WELCOME TO NOSVIEW FOR DOS
==========================
by Ian Wade, G3NRW @ GB7BIL

"NOSview for DOS" is an on-line documentation package for the
KA9Q Network Operating System (NOS).  Here you will find what is
probably the only complete reference work describing all of the
commands to be found in the major NOS releases.

Over the years, many documents have appeared on the networks
describing various features of NOS, but much of that material was
incomplete.  Some of it was inaccurate, and, because it was
written and edited by many hands, sometimes very misleading and
inconsistent.

My small contribution to the genre is NOSview.  In NOSview I have
attempted to pull together all the available documentation and
massage it into a consistent whole.  The final product is over
270 pages long, around 20 percent of which is new material.

All of the NOS commands are described in detail, with actual
examples showing the exact way that you enter them into the
system.  There are also many examples of display outputs showing
the results of executing the commands.

But this is only half the story.  The real power of NOSview comes
into its own when it is used with a file-viewing TSR program such
as "Clockwork View" from Clockwork Software.  With Clockwork View
(which is public domain and supplied with NOSview), you can hot-
key to a menu to list the files in a particular directory, pick
the file of interest and presto! the file is displayed on the
screen.  You can then scroll up and down the file to read it at
leisure.

To take full advantage of Clockwork View, NOSview is provided not
as one huge monolithic document, but consists of over 90 separate
description files, one for each NOS command.  Thus when you are
using NOS and want to find out about a particular command, all
you do is hot-key to Clockwork View and read the command
description file, without breaking out of NOS.

It is this on-line feature of NOSview which makes it an
exceptionally useful tool, and because NOSview consists of many
small files it will be much easier to maintain and much less
wasteful of trees.  What's more, you can use Clockwork View to
examine any file in the system (ASCII or binary); indeed, it
makes the NOS 'more' and 'tail' commands redundant.

Yet another feature of NOSview is that it contains a separate set
of NOS template files (such as AUTOEXEC.NOS, FTPUSERS and so
forth) which you can use on your system.  The files are
accompanied by full descriptions of their formats, together with
warnings about "gotchas" which can cause a lot of frustration if
you are unaware of them.

All you have to do is edit these templates to match your system
(in most cases by just modifying callsigns and directory paths),
and you have a ready-made environment to try out NOS.


----------------
Acknowledgements
----------------
NOSview is based on the work of many people, and in the list
below I hope I have included all of those who have written NOS
documentation in the past.

However, if you recognise some of your work but have not been
acknowledged here, please don't be offended.  It's simply that I
did not know you had written it, and if you care to drop me a
line I'll be glad to add your name to the credits in the next
release.

In strict surname order, the work of the following people is
acknowledged:

Phil Karn, KA9Q   |  Who said the alphabet doesn't begin with K ?
                  |  Oh, well.  If you insist ...
                  |  .... here are the rest .....

Hayden Bate, G8AMD
Dave Brooke, G6GZH
Mike Chace, G6DHU
Tom Clark, W3IWI
Mike Dent, G6PHF
D R Evans, G4AMJ/NQ0I
Gary Ford, N6GF
Dan Frank, W9NK
Bdale Garbee, N3EUA
Fred Goldstein, K1IO
Gerard van der Grinten, PA0GRI
Allen Gwinn, NK5CKP
Charles Hedricks
Kelvin Hill, G1EMM
Gareth Howell, G6KVK
Anders Klemets, SM0RGV
Wally Linstruth, WA6JPR
Peter Meiring, G0BSX
Bill Simpson
Mike Stockett, WA7DYX
Dave Trulli, NN2Z
Ian Wade, G3NRW
Stanley Wilson, AK0B


-----------
Conventions
-----------
To obtain overall consistency throughout NOSview, a number of
conventions have been adopted.


Callsigns
---------
All radio callsigns in the examples are (intended to be)
fictitious.

Calls in the NS9xxx series are for NOS stations, and in the
AX9xxx series for vanilla AX.25 stations.

NET/ROM aliases start with a # (e.g. "#BOB"), and real NET/ROM
stations (as distinct from NOS stations running NET/ROM) have
NR9xxx callsigns.

Also, to distinguish between IP hostnames and AX.25 callsigns,
the hostnames are shown in lower case (e.g. "ns9abc"), whereas
AX.25 callsigns are in upper case (e.g. "NS9ABC-5").  Hopefully
this will remove much of the confusion which exists in other
documentation.

(And should you actually hold a callsign mentioned in NOSview,
feel proud that your call will now be known around the world!).


Parameter Names
---------------
Because the NOS packages contain software modules originating
from several different sources, the documentation which describes
them inevitably contains a number of inconsistencies.  For
example, the words "label" and "interface" apparently describe
different objects, whereas in actuality they are the same thing.
On the other hand, the word "address" can have different
meanings, depending on the command.

In NOSview, the names of these parameters have been rationalised
to produce a consistent command set.  The parameters which often
cause confusion are to do with names, addresses and interfaces.
These are now defined as follows:

  <callsign>      an AX.25 MYCALL callsign     (e.g.  "NS9AAA-5")

  <hostname>      a host name in DOMAIN.TXT
                         (e.g.  "ns9aaa"  or  "ns9aaa.ampr.org.")

  <ipaddress>     an Internet address         (e.g. "44.128.5.2")

  <host>          <hostname>  or  <ipaddress>

  <username>      a user at a computer               (e.g. "ian")

  <interface>     a device interface name           (e.g. "tnc0")

  <ioaddress>     a device I/O base address       (e.g.  "0x3f8")

  <vector>        an IRQ level                         (e.g. "4")

The word "hostid" is not used at all, to avoid confusion with the
Unix command of the same name.


Interface Names
---------------
You can choose any name for a device interface.  In NOSview, the
following names are used:

  "tnc0"    for a TNC KISS interface.
              (this replaces the names "ax0" and "pk0" found in
               other documents).

  "sl0"     for a SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) interface.

  "en0"     for an Ethernet interface.

  "pp0"     for a PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) interface.



Directory Paths
---------------
You can install NOS in any directory on any disk drive.  NOSview
suggests the use of the DOS 'SUBST' command to define the root of
the NOS system, and all NOS directory and file path names are
then shown relative to that root.

NOSview documentation suggests drive N: as the NOS root, and thus
refers to NOS directories and files in the following manner:

     N:\SPOOL\MAIL
     N:\FTPUSERS

and so forth.

Note that NOS commands use the FORWARD slash (/) to separate
directory levels.  Only those commands which are directly
interpreted by DOS use the backslash (\).


------------------
Technical vs Legal
------------------
NOSview describes what is technically possible within NOS.  Some
of its features, however, may not be covered by the terms of your
licence (for example, third-party message handling).  It is
clearly your responsibility to operate within the law of your
country.


-------------------
Release Information
-------------------
Full details of the current release of NOSview are included in
the file "!RELEASE.nnn", where "nnn" is the release number.


----------------------
Mechanical Information
----------------------
There must be at least 1001 word processors in the world, and it
seems that each separate piece of NOS documentation was produced
on a different one!  And it wasn't yours!

This is a real pain when it comes to producing hard copy.  You
have to strip out funny control characters, remove blank headers
and footers, remove the form feeds (because American and European
page sizes are different), remove the hard-coded page numbers and
remove the wide left margins.

To make life easier, NOSview is provided in plain ASCII format.
Every line is terminated with CRLF.  Words are separated with
spaces.  There are no tabs, form feeds or other invisible control
characters.  There are no headers, footers or page numbers.
Maximum line length is 65 characters, giving plenty of side
margin space when printed in Courier 12pt.

As a result, you can import NOSview files into any word processor
and edit them as you will.  Or, if you prefer, you can even print
them direct (without a word processor), using the plain DOS
"PRINT" command.


------------------
How to get NOSview
------------------
By now, NOSview should be available on the major telephone
bulletin boards throughout the world.  Look for a file with a
name of the form "NOSVWnnn.ZIP", where "nnn" is the release
number; e.g. "NOSVW137.ZIP".

Alternatively, I will be pleased to send you a copy if you do the
following:

1.  Take a new or nearly-new 5.25" 1.2MB diskette and format it
under MS-DOS or PC-DOS.  I cannot handle any other sizes or
operating systems.  Do not select a diskette which is permanently
write-protected (yes, I really have received floppies like this!)

2.  Put the diskette into a well-protected mailer, together with
a self-addressed return label.  Also enclose a note saying that
you want NOSview (you'd be amazed at the number of people who
just send a disk without saying what they want!).

3.  If you live in the United Kingdom, also enclose enough UK
postage stamps for the return of your disk.

4.  If you live outside the United Kingdom, enclose enough
International Reply Coupons (IRCs) for the return postage.  You
will need to weigh the diskette and its packaging, and ask at
your post office for sufficient IRCs to cover return by air mail
from the UK.  Do not enclose any non-UK postage stamps.

5.  There is no charge for NOSview, so do NOT enclose any checks/
cheques, cash, money/postal orders, bank drafts or any other form
of financial instrument (exceptions might be made for gold
bullion ...).

6.  Mail your diskette to:

       Mr Ian Wade, G3NRW
       7 Daubeney Close
       Harlington
       DUNSTABLE
       Bedfordshire
       LU5 6NF
       United Kingdom


If you follow these simple rules exactly, I will do my part and
return your diskette as quickly as I can; certainly within a few
days of receipt.

(If you do NOT follow these simple instructions, only one thing
is guaranteed: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WILL HAPPEN!  You will receive
no acknowledgement, and you will never see your diskette again.
I'm sorry if this seems harsh, but I get many requests for help,
and I just don't have the time for people who can't or won't
read).

NOSview is provided on an "as is" basis, and is believed to
contain working, virus-free software.  However, no responsibility
can be taken for any erroneous operation or malfunction that may
occur as a result of using it.


---------
What Next
---------
You will understand that it has taken several weeks of spare time
activity to put NOSview together, and there are undoubtedly still
some rough edges and room for improvement.

This is where you come in.  If you spot anything which is unclear
or wrong, or which could be done better, please drop me a line.
I would very much welcome your feedback (complimentary or
otherwise), and please don't assume that someone else has
reported the glaring error that just hit you between the eyes!

[I would particularly like to hear from the gurus who wrote the
original code.  Although I have whiled away many happy hours
reading the results of your labours, it's always possible that I
missed the point occasionally, so any inputs from you will be
doubly welcome].

The next release of NOSview is scheduled for the end of 1991, and
will incorporate the fixes and suggestions which you are going to
tell me about.  Thereafter, NOSview will probably appear at three
or four month intervals, or whenever a major new version of NOS
is released.

As a final comment, NOSview is, of course, a reference document
intended primarily for people who have already got NOS up and
running.  Beginners will probably find it heavy going, but may be
interested to know that my new book on NOS for beginners
("NOSintro") will be published towards the end of 1991.  Details
will be made available in all the usual places when it is ready
to ship.

73 and good luck with NOS.

Ian Wade, G3NRW @ GB7BIL
September 1991