Acorn User 1/AU_CD1.iso/internet/starterpak/Docs/FAQs/AcornFAQ

Text File | 1995-02-03 | 48KB | 1,143 lines

FAQ: Using Acorns for Internet Access
=====================================

Issue 6, 1st February 1995

This FAQ brings together information and hints on using Acorn computers
(Archimedes, Risc PC etc) on the Internet.  It is posted monthly to
comp.sys.announce, comp.sys.acorn and demon.ip.support.archimedes, and
is archived on ftp.demon.co.uk in directory /pub/archimedes as
FAQ-Using-Acorns-For-Internet-Access.txt.  It may be retrieved
automagically via email by sending a message to [e-mail]
with the "Subject:" field set to "GETTEXT AIFAQ" (the body of the
message is ignored).

It is maintained by Kevin Quinn - please send any comments, suggestions,
corrections etc. to [e-mail].  There are several things
I would particularly like further information on for inclusion in the
FAQ; I have added a paragraph at the bottom of the FAQ listing these.

Copyright 1994,1995 Kevin Quinn.  Freely distributable in unmodified form.


#include <std/disclaimer.h>

I take no responsibility for the accuracy or otherwise of information
contained in this FAQ.  It is provided "as is" without express or implied
warranty.  All information contained in this FAQ is subject to change
without notice.



============================================================================


Introduction and FAQ structure

This FAQ contains quite a lot of information.  As a result I have
instigated a glossary at the end of the FAQ to explain various points
in an ordered fashion.  Many of these points come up in the main body
of the FAQ, and this avoids repeating detailed explanations.  If you
find anything in the FAQ that is unclear or confusing, please drop me
a line (send email to [e-mail]) and I will attempt to
clarify things.

Throughout the FAQ I refer to "Acorn machines" which, unless otherwise
stated, includes the Archimedes range, the A30x0, A4000, A5000 and
Risc PC.  Similarly when I mention "Arc" (for example "Arc software")
I mean all machines.

The main body of the FAQ is separated into the following sections:

         1) What do I need to connect to the Internet?
         2) Who can supply direct IP access?
         3) Who can supply indirect access?
         4) What software do I need for direct access services?
         5) What software do I need for indirect access?
         6) What newsreaders are there for the Acorn range?
         7) Can I use WWW, Gopher etc. on my Acorn?
         8) Serial ports, serial modules, transfer rates and other mysteries.
         9) Use of TCP/IP over packet radio.
        10) Other software utilities

To make it easy to get to the start of a section, you can search for the
number with the bracket, for example to get to the section on suppliers
of indirect access, you would search for "3)" (without the brackets, of
course!).  To this end all other lists use letters or roman numerals.
Sections are also separated by lines of "-".

There are several appendices at the end of the FAQ, collating information
that is distributed through the FAQ into single points of reference.

         Appendix A: List of Software including where to find it
         Appendix B: Contact Addresses mentioned elsewhere in this FAQ
         Appendix C: Glossary of terms
         Appendix D: Things I'd like to know :-)


============================================================================


1) What do I need to connect to the Internet?

   First, you need a service provider.  These come essentially in two
   flavours; those providing direct IP access, and those providing access
   to a machine they have on the Internet.  Second, you need the relevant
   software.  The software you need depends on the type of service
   provider.

   To elaborate, service providers like Demon Internet Services provide
   dial-up access to low-level Internet.  This means that your machine is
   actually a machine on the Internet, albeit intermittently.  To
   use this kind of service you need to run complex software on your
   machine (known as TCP/IP software).  You cannot use simple comms
   software (Arcterm, Hearsay etc) to use this kind of service.  You can
   use any facilities of the Internet for which you have the relevant
   software.

   Services like CIX (Compulink Information eXchange) provide a facility
   whereby their machine runs the TCP/IP software, and you get an account
   on their machine.  Essentially this means that your machine is used
   as a terminal onto their machine.  For this kind of service, you use
   normal comms software (Arcterm, Hearsay etc).  You can only run the
   facilities that are available on the service provider's machine.

   Increasingly, bulletin boards are providing "gateways" to the Internet,
   usually for EMail and Network News (also known as Usenet).  This is a
   much more limited form of Internet access, but is much cheaper for
   the user.

   If you only have email access to the Internet, for example you might
   have email at work but no more, perhaps behind a "firewall", it is
   surprising how much you can do with simple email, including Gopher
   and believe it or not, WWW!  There is an excellent document available
   by sending mail to [e-mail] with the subject field left
   blank and the following in the body:

       send lis-iis e-access-inet.txt

   and you will receive the document by return-of-email :-)  Also available
   via anonymous ftp from mailbase.ac.uk in /pub/lists/lis-iis/files.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


2) Who can supply direct IP access?

   At the moment there appears to be an explosion in the number of service
   providers for the individual user.  The BBC service is currently
   suffering from "contractual difficulties" with the Arc software,
   however it is up and running for other platforms, and will be supporting
   Acorn machines.

   However, here are a few services that are available now.  I have limited
   this list to those providers who have subscribers using Acorn machines,
   and the list is in alphabetic order to avoid favouritism :)  Several
   phrases I use may be unfamiliar - take a look at the glossary at the
   end of this FAQ.

   a) Demon Internet Services (UK)

      A UK-wide provider, cheap and effective.  Mail [e-mail] for
      information.  Or download ftp.demon.co.uk:/pub/doc/Demon.txt.  Points
      of presence in many areas, supplying local-call access to a large
      number of subscribers.  Tel: [phone]
      Support available in the newsgroup demon.ip.support.archimedes.
      Fixed IP address service.

   b) The Internet Account (AUS)

      Internet Provider in Sydney, Australia.  Email to [e-mail]
      for information.  Provides SLIP, PPP and CLI accounts for the same
      rates. Called 'The Internet Account'.  [e-mail] handles
      the Acorn-related side of things.. !TCPIP, Slipdial work with this
      service.
      Information can be obtained from http://www.geko.com.au/,
                                       ftp://ftp.geko.com.au/pub/
      Tel : [phone], Fax [phone],
      PO BOX 473, Crows Nest, NSE 2065, Australia.

   c) Pavilion Internet (UK)

      A Brighton-based supplier.  Email [e-mail] for more info.
      Dynamic IP address service.

   d) Stichting Hack-Tic Network (NL)

      Supplies service to the Netherlands.  Email to [e-mail]
      for further information.  Supplies both UUCP-style and direct
      SLIP/PPP access to the Internet.

   e) Stichting Knoware (NL)

      Supplies service to the Netherlands.  Email to [e-mail] for
      information.  !TCPIP works with this service, as does !ReadNews.
      Michiel Koolen ([e-mail]) runs their Arc support,
      and provides a starter-pack preconfigured for Knoware.

   f) Zynet (UK)

      This service is provided by a sister-company to Minerva Software,
      who have been in the Acorn arena for many years now, and are well
      placed to talk Acorn-speak to Acorn users :-), so I'm going to say
      a bit more about Zynet than I have about the others.

      Email [e-mail], or telephone [phone] (fax 421762).
      Fixed IP address service.  Rates are 12UKP+VAT pcm for 15 hours pcm
      or 18UKP +VAT for unlimited time (discounts available for quarterly
      and yearly payment).  They also provide a specially designed schools
      service.

      Zynet can provide customers with a collection of PD/Shareware
      software which is tailored for Zynet, and pre-configured for easy
      setup.


   There are a couple of lists available that are more comprehensive; a list
   of UK providers can be found via ftp from ftp.demon.co.uk as
   /pub/archives/uk-internet-list/inetuk.lng.  There is an international
   list distributed from <[e-mail]> - send email with
   "Send PDIAL" as the text body to get the latest version.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------


3) Who can supply indirect access?

   There are many of these.  They can usually be used with normal comms
   software, eg. Arcterm, Hearsay etc.

   a) CIX - Compulink Information eXchange

      A London-based conferencing system, also providing email, ftp, telnet,
      irc, gopher, www etc.  Email: [e-mail],
      Tel: [phone] (voice), 081 390 1244/1255 (modem).
      Join conferences "archimedes" or "bbc" to find other Acorn users.

      CIX are soon to launch a direct SLIP/PPP connection as well.

   b) Compuserve

      A large international conferencing system (albeit with a heavy US
      bias).  Currently provides an EMail interface and access to the Usenet
      News (GO INTERNET).  More comprehensive internet access is planned,
      including FTP and TELNET.  Forum UKCOMP topic Acorn/Z88 is the place
      to find other Acorn users.
      Tel: London [phone], Birmingham [phone],
           Reading [phone] or 569 025, Bristol [phone]

   c) Many bulletin boards provide EMail and limited newsgroup access.
      The following is a list of the more popular ones - all are 24hour
      boards and support most modem speeds:

         Arcade BBS (0181 654 2212)
         Rich in Paradise BBS [phone]
         The Digital Databank [phone])
         The World Of Cryton (01749 670030)

      These also hold lists of other Acorn-relevant bulletin boards.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------


4) What software do I need for direct access services?

   There are several options.  Under RISC OS, there is !TCPIP, also known as
   KA9Q (the call-sign of the radio ham who first wrote it for the PC), and
   Acorn's TCP/IP Suite, although you need a suitable driver for dial-up use
   (Gnome Software market a SLIP driver).  Most software that makes use of
   the serial port will need !SerialDev, the serial device drivers.  These
   are written by Hugo Fiennes ([e-mail]) and are available
   from most sources of Acorn software.

   Under RISCiX, everything you need should already be there.  You should
   find that most UNIX sofware compiles without too much trouble (see
   below).  Running X-Windows (and hence using graphical WWW clients
   like X-Mosaic) is possible, if a little slow.


4.1) Issues relating to !TCPIP - the port of KA9Q

   Some of these are somewhat oriented towards use with Demon's dial-up
   service; however most if not all points are relevant to all dial-up
   SLIP services.

   a) Where can I find it?

   A "Starter-pack" has been assembled by Dr. Alan Hassey
   ([e-mail]), of a selection of various pieces PD
   software that provides an easy way to set yourself up for Demon
   Internet.  Available via ftp from ftp.demon.co.uk in directory
   /pub/archimedes/acorn-starter-pak.  Instructions for download and
   de-archiving the software are given when you "cd" to that directory.
   This sets up enough to use EMail, Usenet News and the basic Internet
   protocols (FTP, TELNET etc).  This is by far the easiest way to set up
   initially.  You can always try different newsreaders etc. later on.

   Latest versions of the software can be found via ftp from ftp.demon.co.uk
   in /pub/archimedes.  Other popular sites that carry copies include Hensa
   (micros.hensa.ac.uk), Stuttgart (ftp.uni-stuttgart.de).  Can also be
   found on Compuserve (GO UKCOMP), and bulletin boards (eg. Arcade, The
   Digital Databank).

   Make sure you have all of the following:

      !TCPIP
      !SlipDial or !CallDemon
      !TCPIPUser
      !SerialDev
      A newsreader (see below)

   It is probably best to put all the above in one directory - some of them
   assume that the Filer has "seen" some of the others.

   b) Who develops/developed it?

   Currently maintained by Anthony Frost ([e-mail], G8UDV)
   and Adam Goodfellow (email to [e-mail] for
   TCPIP-related stuff).
   Original software for DOS by Phil Karn (KA9Q), first ported to the
   Archimedes by Jonathan Naylor (G4KLX).

   c) Does it work on the Risc PC?

   As of version 2.01, it works well.

   d) News is taking ages - how can I speed it up?

   This often happens if you don't connect for a week - the retrieval of
   messages over a day or two old seems to take forever.  The solution is
   to edit the "DemLast" file to a more recent date.  The problem will
   probably vary in severity depending on the speed of (and load on) your
   local news server.  The DemLast file is found inside ...!TCPIP.nntp
   on versions of !TCPIP up to 2.00f, from 2.01 onwards it is found
   in !TCPIPUser.NNTP.  On configurations other than Demon, the file
   may be called something else, but it will be <something>Last.

   e) !TCPIP (KA9Q) crashes with "Bad Memory Access".

   Several possible causes,
   i)   long lines in the "DemGroup" file - split into two or more lines.
   ii)  Forgetting to surroung numeric addresses with square brackets -
        use "[127.0.0.1]" not "127.0.0.1".  From version 2.01 this is not
        a problem - both forms of address are accepted.
   iii) "DemHist" file over ~20K.  Quick solution is to delete the file,
        the problem will then go away (until DemHist grows too big again!)
        DemHist should be "trimmed" regularly, by deleting some lines
        from the beginning of the file (it doesn't matter how many, as
        long as you delete whole lines and the resulting file is
        a fair bit under 20K).
        The best way to do this is to use the likes of !SlipDial, which
        can automatically trim the file each time you connect.
        This should also not be a problem from version 2.01 onwards,
        although it is still a good idea to trim the DemHist file regularly
        for speed.
        Note that when configured for systems other than Demon the
        "DemHist" file might be called <somethingelse>Hist.

   f) !TCPIP (KA9Q) can't find a site.

   If the machine that "resolve" uses to resolve hostnames is down, then
   the site will not be found.  Unfortunately, this information is "cached",
   i.e. the resolver remembers that the site is unavailable and next time
   you can't get to it even if the resolve server is back up.  Type
   "resolve purge" to clear the cache, and try again.

   Resolve as implemented in !TCPIP currently can only resolve one hostname
   at a time - if a second request is made before the first is completed then
   the site comes back as unknown.  This has the same effect on the resolve
   cache as above; solution is to type "resolve purge" in the same way.

   g) How do I configure !TCPIP (KA9Q) for setups other than Demon?

   Knoware works with a similar setup to Demon's - contact Michiel Koolen
   for details ([e-mail]).

   The main differences on other systems are the connection sequence (for
   which a suitable !SlipDial script is required) and the host names of
   the relevant mail and news servers.  Some of the smaller providers
   use dynamic IP addresses (i.e. you're IP address is different every
   time you log on) which is where !SlipDial comes into its own.  Look
   at the script "default" for an example of how to cope with this.

   h) I keep getting "resolve timeout" errors when first connecting - what
   is wrong?

   Nothing is wrong.  With Demon's system, it takes time to set up the
   routing tables at their end so that packets get sent down your serial
   line.  Until these tables are set up nothing can find it's way to
   you, including the response to resolver requests.  The timeout message
   just indicates that a fresh request is being sent as a response has
   not been received.

   To stop the messages, you can add all the hosts mentioned in the
   AutoExec file to the resolve.hosts file - to do this you will need
   to know the IP addresses of the relevant hosts.  For example, my
   resolve.hosts file looks like:

        {ip_addr} {host} local
        158.152.1.193    ns.demon.co.uk
        158.152.1.72     post.demon.co.uk
        158.152.1.76     ntp.demon.co.uk
        158.152.1.83     betanews.demon.co.uk
        158.152.1.44     ftp.demon.co.uk

   However, doing this means that if the IP address changes (some of
   these sites are aliases for other sites and the alias may change
   from time to time) then the resolve.hosts file will need to be
   updated to reflect the changes.  If you can live with the messages,
   you can just have the first line in your resolve.hosts file and
   you won't have to worry about changing IP addresses.

   i) When I try using !TCPIP, it doesn't seem to get the modem to
   dial up.  What am I doing wrong?

   This is a common mistake, often made by people used to the DIS software
   provided by Demon for PC users.  DIS incorporates a "dialler", whereas
   the current version of !TCPIP does not.  A "dialler" of some sort is
   required to make the initial connection and log on - !TCPIP assumes that
   it can start talking SLIP to the serial port as soon as it is launched.

   There are several ways to dial the modem; you can use the likes of
   !ArcTerm7, !Hearsay etc. or you can use a special dialler application.
   There are two "diallers" on ftp.demon.co.uk, !CallDemon and !SlipDial.
   !CallDemon is a simple dialler, and !SlipDial provides a scripting
   language and can do clever things, like dial alternate numbers and
   re-configure !TCPIP for dynamic IP situations on-the-fly etc.

   j) The last email I send doesn't get deleted properly, and gets sent
   out every time I connect.

   This is due to the faulty SMTP implementation on some email gateways.
   In English, this means that although !TCPIP is working correctly,
   sometimes the machine that email goes to has duff software on it.
   Here are a few ways to combat the problem:

   i)   After sending your E-mail delete the last message manually.
        (hmm..)

   ii)  Write a widget to do it for you, and run that after succesful
        mailing.

        For example, put the following two lines in an "Obey" file (i.e.
        create a normal textfile and use the filer menu to set the type to
        obey) - strip off the leading spaces (if you want!):


        Wipe <Mail$Dir>.spool.mqueue.text.* ~CF~R~V
        Wipe <Mail$Dir>.spool.mqueue.work.* ~CF~R~V


   iii) Put a message in <TCPIP$Dir>.MailDir.spool.mqueue.text (phew)
        and a message header in <TCPIP$Dir>.MailDir.spool.mqueue.work
        with name '9999' (or any other high number) and send it do a
        null E-mail address.  The message will always remain in the
        queue, but it is sent to the great electronic garbage can.
        Ask your service provider if they have such a thing (often
        something like "dev/null@<site>).


4.2) Issues relating to the TCP/IP suite (Acorn)

   Contains a good VT220 emulation, and a basic TCP/IP stack.  Does not
   provide SMTP (email) or NNTP (network news) at the moment.  The suite
   provides a Berkeley socket look-alike interface, which should enable
   software to be ported without too much difficulty, however I am unaware
   of any such available software.

   A SLIP driver (IP-SLIP) is available fromn Gnome Computers, Cambridge,
   which is needed for dial-up connections.  Gnome can also supply a
   DOMAIN module which provides domain-name lookup.

   Acorn are working on major additions to the suite to include support
   for more protocols, in particular they are working on a Web browser.
   Current ETA for the Web Browser is very roughly the middle of 1995.


4.3) Issues relating to RiscIX and the TCP/IP stack.

   As said above, this is not a problem for those who know UNIX.
   Some things worth noting, however.  Get the kernel kit from Acorn or
   Granada MicroCare, and build a kernel with PPP support built-in, then
   compile PPPD.  Use ifconfig etc. to configure the routeing.  This is too
   complex a process to describe in detail here, and you should only do this
   sort of thing if you know what you are doing anyway!  There is also a
   "BIND" patch, which reduces dependency on the local hosts databases.
   The BIND patch is available via anonymous FTP from ftp.acorn.co.uk
   in directory /pub/riscix/named.

   Granada MicroCare are on Harrogate [phone].

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


5) What software do I need for indirect access?

   All that is needed here is normal comms software, like !Arcterm 7 from
   The Serial Port and !Hearsay from Beebug.  Both are perfectly competent;
   both have many satisfied users.  There is a little public domain
   software, !ZAnsi includes ZModem file transfer which is the most
   efficient commonly used transfer protocol in the BBS world.

   As with indirect access, message reading and composing can usually be
   done on-line; however this can get expensive as you end up spending a lot
   of money on your 'phone bill.  To alleviate this problem, OLRs (Off-Line
   Readers) are available.  !ReaderS from Anthony Frost supports several
   BBS formats, including those used by most Acorn-related bulletin boards.
   For CompuServe, a package is available from Richard Proctor called
   !Arctic.  See below for further information.

   Arcterm 7 and Hearsay both provide scripting facilities which allow
   automation of sessions.  Scripts are available for several bulletin
   boards, and also for CIX.

   If you are or would like to be an Arc bulletin board operator,
   the Archiboard software package from Supreme Software Systems Ltd
   supports transfer of news and email to/from the Internet via a
   Demon Internet account.  This software now supports mailing lists.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


6) What newsreaders are there for the Acorn range?

   There are no commercial newsreaders available (yet).  However there
   are several PD and Shareware/Careware newsreaders around.  A few months
   ago there were only two real contenders here (!ReadNews and !ReaderS),
   but all of a sudden we are spoilt for choice!  I could say something
   about public transport and buses here...

   In an attempt at not appearing biased, I have listed them in alphabetic
   order.  I hope that any comments I have made are fair - people get very
   touchy about their favourite newsreader, source of many a flame war!.


   a) !Arctic

      This is dedicated to CompuServe, currently supports conference
      messaging, mail, and file transfers amongst other things.  Available
      from the UKCOMP forum (Acorn/Z88 topic) and from good bulletin boards.
      It is shareware, registration currently costs 10 UKP.  It automates
      reading, posting, file upload and downloads amongst other things.  For
      further information contact Richard Proctor on Compuserve (user ID
      100031.604) or as [e-mail] on the Internet.

      Current hints:

        None really.  Make sure you have the latest version (well over 2.4
        now) as Compuserve have recently upgraded their system.  Note that
        it only works with Compuserve at the moment.


   b) !EasyMail

      This news/email reader also handles message downloads from BBS
      systems running ArcBBS (including Arcade, The Digital Databank,
      Rich In Paradise and The World of Cryton).  Written by Marc L.Veary,
      [e-mail].


   c) !News

      This is available via ftp from ftp.demon.co.uk in /pub/archimedes.
      Still haven't had time to try it out yet...
      Written by Timothy Kimber ([e-mail] term time,
         [e-mail] other times)


   d) !News-o-saurus

      This is a single-tasking newsreader (i.e. doesn't use any nice
      windows!) and needs a large amount of RAM (2Mb+), as it is written
      in Perl.
      However, it doesn't crash, and handles threads very well.  Similar
      in style to "rn" et. al. on UNIX systems.
      In my opinion it has the best threading capability of the available
      newsreaders that I've seen.
      Currently only available direct from the author.
      Written by Martin Portman ([e-mail]).
      "Freeware".

      Current hints:

        None really.  Does what it does without much difficulty.  If it fails
        to run, this is invariably due to lack of memory.  Increase the
        wimpslot (edit the !Run file) and try again.


   e) !ReaderS

      This is a general-purpose reader that caters for Bulletin Boards
      as well as interfacing with !TCPIP.  It provides good navigation
      of threads, but doesn't follow this through when posting messages.
      Also a little unstable for Internet access at the time of writing.
      Easy to set up.  Good option if you already use it for BBS use.
      Written by Anthony Frost ([e-mail]).
      "Careware".

      Current hints:

        a) !ReaderS locks up when I try to start it

           The !MailDir application MUST have been seen by the filer
           before !ReaderS is used for News and Email.  !MailDir is the
           repository for incoming and outgoing mail with !TCPIP (KA9Q).
           As of version 2.01 of !TCPIP, a new application !TCPIPUser
           replaces !MailDir, and in this case !TCPIPUser must be seen
           by the filer.

        b) When !ReaderS crashes, just try again.  The only reliable way to
           get !ReaderS working when it repeatedly crashes is to delete the
           message database (unfortunately).  Delete the file "DemMail" from
           the !ReadBack application.  Reliability seems to vary quite
           considerably - some people find it crashes all the time when
           used for Usenet News access while others find it is relatively
           stable.

        c) !ReaderS doesn't work on my nice new Risc PC

           Yes it does :-)  Load the !Run file inside the !ReaderS
           application into an editor (!Edit is fine).  Change the
           line that sets the WimpSlot to

               Wimpslot -min 300K -max 300K

           and it'll work again.


   f) !ReadNews

      A competent newsreader.  Many facilities; easy to add your own.
      Unfortunately suffers from a limit of 77 article per newsgroup,
      and doesn't provide any neat threading facilities.  A little daunting
      to set up initially as it was written to interface with !RUCP, not
      !TCPIP.  Read the help files supplied with (at least) the versions
      on ftp.demon.co.uk for step-by-step instructions.
      New version (0.31) imminent, which will solve the 77-arcticle limit,
      the spurious CTRL-A that appears between postings and the signature,
      and it should also simplify the setting up procedure.
      Written by Julian Wright ([e-mail])
      "Freeware".

      Current hints:

        i)   To solve the CTRL-A problem (see above), select
             Options->Signature->Script from the main menu.

        ii)  Article limit.  No real reliable solution here (that I know of)
             You can try using the likes of !Memphis to support more than
             77 files in the News subdirectory structure, but this is slow
             and unreliable.

        iii) Having trouble setting up?

           a) You need to set up !RUCP - however only bits of it are
              relevant.  The files you need are !Boot, !Run, Passwd,
              SystemRC, Systems, the directory trees UserHome and uucp.
              In the "Systems" file, the actual details are ignored by
              !ReadNews, the important thing is to write one line for
              "news" and one for "post" on a Demon setup, so that !ReadNews
              knows about the NNTP server and mail server respectively.
              In the "SystemRC" file, set "MailServ=post", leave the rest
              alone.  In the "!Boot" file, set RUCP$NodeName to your node
              name (the first word in your hostname, for example my hostname
              is banana.demon.co.uk, so my node name is banana).  Set
              RUCP$Domain to the domain name (in my case demon.co.uk) and
              RUCP$User to your normal username.  That should complete
              the setting up required for !Rucp.

           b) With the latest version of !Incorp, the debatcher that goes
              with !ReadNews no longer needs the filters needed for previous
              versions.  However to work properly with !TCPIP (KA9Q)  you
              need to ensure that the mail separator is ^A - to do this
              change the "Config" file in !TCPIP so that it reads:

                  smtp separator ^A

              Although "smtp separator rnews" would be quicker, it fails
              because !TCPIP (KA9Q) adds an extra line between mail messages
              for some reason.  Future versions of either !TCPIP or !Incorp
              may cure this, which would speed up debatching considerably.
              The default setup of !TCPIP (KA9Q) comes configured with
              "smtp separator from", which causes the machine to crash
              needing a CTRL-Break when used with !Incorp.

           c) !ReadNews itself is simple, just copy it along with !Incorp
              into your internet directory.


   g) !TTFN and !NewsBase

      Together these form an excellent pair.  TTFN is a news/email reader,
      NewsBase is a news database thingy.  TTFN looks somewhat like
      !ReadNews, but is far superior (IMHO).  A lot of effort appears to
      have been made to make them easy to configure, automatically picking
      information up from !TCPIP (KA9Q).
      Currently !NewsBase supports !TCPIP (KA9Q), Taylor UUCP and !UUCP.
      !TTFN supports whatever !NewsBase supports...
      Latest versions available from ftp.demon.co.uk in the Archimedes
      section.
      TTFN written by Robert Orwin ([e-mail])
      Newsbase written by Graham Allan ([e-mail])

      Current hints:

        None, really.  Note that threading is by article title only.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------


7) Can I use WWW, Gopher etc. on my Acorn?

   There is a Gopher client, written by Anthony Frost, available for
   ftp from ftp.demon.co.uk which interfaces with !TCPIP (KA9Q) v2.01.
   The gopher client allows access to Veronica, which is a search utility
   linked to gopher.


   There are two Web clients available in the public domain.
   ArcWeb, written by Stewart Brodie is available from ftp.demon.co.uk
   /pub/archimedes/www.  Currently lacking "Forms", but this is on the
   way.
   Webster, written by Andrew Pullan ([e-mail])
   is also available from ftp.demon.co.uk, in /pub/archimedes/developers.
   Other products are on their way - Doggysoft are hoping that !Termite
   will support WWW etc. fairly soon.


   There are also public access clients available via TELNET which
   provide access to the facilities without the need for local
   client software.  There is a trade off in speed and often
   functionality, but it's better than nothing.  For most of these
   types of facility you need a telnet client capable of supporting
   VT100 terminal emulation (or above).  !TCPIP (KA9Q) supports this, as
   does Acorn's TCP/IP suite, which includes a VT220 emulator.

   Here is a list of a few sites for various TELNET facilities:

   a) WWW (World Wide Web)
      The following public-access Lynx clients are available (Lynx is a text
      based WWW browser; no pictures and sound but it's better than nothing):
          telnet www.tecc.co.uk 9001        (The "9001" is very important)
          telnet www.info.cern.ch
          telnet panda.uiowa.edu

   b) Gopher
      The following public-access gopher clients are available via telnet:
          telnet gopher.brad.ac.uk
          telnet panda.uiowa.edu

      You can also access gopher through the World Wide Web.  In other
      words you can get at it via public-access Lynx clients (see (a)
      above).  Press "g" to perform a "goto", then type in:

          gopher://<whereever>


   c) IRC
      telnet to irc.demon.co.uk, for a public access IRC client.  Be
      prepared to be on-line for a long time...


   As far as indirect access is concerned, the above public access
   clients are of course still available to those services supplying
   telnet access.  CIX supplies its own facilties for the above,
   again running text-only versions for VT100-capable terminals.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


8) Serial ports, serial modules, transfer rates and other mysteries.

   a) Serial ports and SerialDev.

   The various different models of Acorn Archimedes et. seq. computers have
   different capabilities with respect to their in-built serial ports.  The
   older machines often have difficulty above 9600bps.  There are two
   modules available via ftp from ftp.acorn.co.uk in /pub/riscos/patches
   which alleviate problems (Risc OS 3.11 does not need these as they are
   already on ROM).  This should enable reliable communication at 9600bps
   and possibly at 19.2Kbps
   The other solution is to purchase one of the serial port cards available.
   These give high-speed capability, and recoup their cost rapidly.  Go for
   one that can support 115200bps - this may seem excessive but the V34
   standard has now been ratified which gives a modem-modem speed
   of 28800bps; with V42bis compression this can theoretically come though
   to the computer at up to 4x28800=115200bps.

   In order to assist software to communicate with the various serial port
   systems, Hugo Fiennes developed the "Serial Block Drivers", which are
   needed for most comms software.  They are available as an application
   called !SerialDev from most sources.

   Acorn have issued a detailed application note that includes lots of
   useful information on serial ports, AppNote234.  Available from Acorn's
   FTP site (ftp.acorn.co.uk), a copy can also be found on ftp.demon.co.uk
   and various bulletin boards.

   b) Serial modules - SerialDev, SerialUtil, SerialBuff, SerPatch

   There various "features" of the multitude of serial port implementations
   on the various machines in the Acorn range.  As far as I know, the
   implementation in the Risc PC works well.  On older machines some of the
   modules may be necessary to drive the internal serial port reliably.

   SerialDev is required on older machines (A3000, A3x0, A4x0) if
   reliable communication is required with Risc OS 3.10.

   SerialBuff provides an extended serial buffer for the internal port,
   which reduces character loss.  Should be RMLoaded before the serial
   port is used.

   SerialUtil is a patch to enable older Risc OS 2 software to run with
   Risc OS 3.1.  Probably not needed with recent software.

   SerPatch is an application which patches the module SerialDeviceDriver
   to improve interrupt handling.  Load the patched module on boot-up if
   you have problems after loading SerialDev.


   c) Transfer rates.

   With a 14.4Kbps V32bis modem, you should be able to get up to 1400 bytes
   per second when transferring binary files (i.e. files that are compressed)
   with FTP, and up to 2500 bytes per second and above when transferring
   text files.  Note however that transfer rates also depend on the speed of
   the route between your service provider and the machine at the other end.
   Often this can reduce flow considerably.
   In this case, find out if your service provider supplies a "BatchFTP"
   service, where you can send mail to one of their machines which will then
   transfer the required file to their own machine, from which you can
   download the file at full speed later on.  Both Demon and CIX supply this
   service at no extra charge.

   d) UUencoding, Tar, Zip etc.

   When a binary file is sent over the Network News system, it has to be
   coded in ASCII as the news system does not generally support 8-bit
   transfer.  In this case the most common form of encoding is called
   "UUEncoding".  The results are distinguishable by long files of gibberish
   where the first letter of each line is "M".  To decode these files, you
   need "UUDecode", a version of which is available from all the usual
   places.

   If a file is very long, it is often split into several parts.  To decode
   these files, they need to be recombined before decoding.  Often, due to
   the way the news system operates, the parts can become jumbled.  They
   should be labelled "part 2 of 3" etc to enable reliable recombination.
   There are several utilities which can do this for you automatically; for
   example !UUExplode, which is available from the usual sources.  This
   enables you to double-click on a file of type UUEncode (7FE) and watch it
   explode into the decoded files automatically.  Some newsreaders will
   cope with this, automatically glueing multi-part uuencoded files together
   for easy decode (the only available one that does at the moment is
   !ReadNews).

   Once you have the decoded file, it will often be an archive of some sort,
   probably compressed.  Most software repositories which deal with
   Arc software use "!Spark" from David Pilling to archive and compress the
   software.  !SparkPlug is available in the public domain to decompress
   such archives.  The other utility commonly used is !ArcFS, as used by
   the various Acorn magazines for their cover discs.  This is read-only;
   !ArcFSR/W is the read/write version, and is available commercially from
   most outlets.

   In the PC world, the most common utility is "PKZIP", these files can be
   noted by their ".zip" suffix.  !SparkFS supports the PKZIP format.  And
   of course you could use PKZIP itself with a PC Emulator if you have one.

   In the UNIX world, a combination of "tar" and "compress" are used,
   versions of which are available for the Acorn machines.  "tar" takes a
   set of files and combines them into one file, and "compress" compresses
   files.  Usually such "tarchives" are noticeable by the ".tar.Z" suffix.
   Sometimes "GNUZip" is used instead of "compress", in which case the
   suffix is ".tar.gz".  A port of GNUZip is also available from the usual
   sources.

   SparkFS from David Pilling also handles uuencoded and ".tar.Z" stuff.
   However it doesn't cope with multi-part uuencoded postings if they
   arrive out of order.  As far as ".tar" and ".Z" are concerned it is
   complete.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


9) Use of TCP/IP over packet radio.

   !TCPIP (KA9Q) is well suited to running TCP/IP over packet radio; after
   all that is what it was written for in the first place.  However there
   are strict (global) regulations regarding what can and cannot be
   transmitted over the amateur bands.  This technically outlaws copying
   stuff to and from the Internet without taking care to vet all material.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------


10) Other Software Utilities

   This section discusses briefly other utilities that are relevant to
   using the Internet.

   a) !MailList

   This utility provides mailing list and mail server functions alongside
   !NewsBase (see section 6g above).  A mailing list is an automatic
   facility that takes incoming email to a user account, and copies that
   email to all subscribers to the mailing list.  A mail server is a
   facility for retrieving files via email.

   To obtain a copy send email to [e-mail] with the
   subject field set to "SEND MailList".

   b) !MailBot

   This is a general purpose automatic email "robot".  It relies on
   <Mail$Dir>, which is part of the !TCPIP/KA9Q distribution.  It can
   be used to process incoming mail to an account automatically.

   It can be obtained via FTP from ftp.demon.co.uk in directory
   /pub/archimedes, or from HENSA.  For full information, send
   a blank email to [e-mail].

============================================================================


Appendix A: List of Software including where to find it


  Archiboard
    From Supreme Software Systems Limited.

  Arcterm7
    Most Acorn retailers, or direct from The Serial Port.

  Arctic
    Compuserve (UKFORM Acorn/Z88), Arcade, The Digital Databank.

  ArcWeb
    FTP from ftp.demon.co.uk /pub/archimedes/www

  CallDemon
    FTP from ftp.demon.co.uk /pub/archimedes

  Gopher
    FTP from ftp.demon.co.uk /pub/archimedes

  Hearsay
    Most Acorn retailers, or direct from Beebug

  Newsbase and TTFN
    FTP from ftp.demon.co.uk /pub/archimedes

  News-o-saurus
    FTP from ftp.demon.co.uk /pub/archimedes (soon!)

  ReaderS
    Direct from Anthony Frost ([e-mail])

  ReadNews, Incorp, RUCP and filters
    FTP from ftp.demon.co.uk /pub/archimedes

  RiscIX related software
    Granada Microcare

  SerialDev
    FTP from ftp.demon.co.uk /pub/archimedes

  SlipDial
    FTP from ftp.demon.co.uk /pub/archimedes

  Spark, SparkFS, Sparkplug
    Sparkplug can be found in most public places.  Spark and SparkFS are
    available direct from David Pilling, email [e-mail]

  TCPIP (KA9Q)
    FTP from ftp.demon.co.uk /pub/archimedes

  TCP/IP Suite
    Most Acorn retailers.  SLIP driver and DOMAIN module available from
    Gnome Computers.

  Unix utilities, tar, compress, gzip etc.
    Try Hensa (micros.hensa.ac.uk) or the Acorn-related bulletin boards,
    e.g. Arcade and The Digital Databank.  David Pilling has ported many
    unix utilities, email [e-mail].

  Webster
    FTP from ftp.demon.co.uk /pub/archimedes/developers

  Zansi
    Available on good Acorn-related BBS systems

============================================================================


Appendix B: Contact Addresses mentioned elsewhere in this FAQ

  Anthony Frost:
    Email [e-mail]

  Adam Goodfellow:
    Email [e-mail] for !TCPIP (KA9Q) related stuff,
    otherwise email [e-mail] for

  Arcade BBS:
    Tel: Modem London [phone], [phone] most speeds.

  Beebug:
    Tel: St. Albans [phone]

  CIX (Compulink Information eXchange):
    Tel: London [phone] or email [e-mail]
         Modem [phone]/1244 most speeds (on-line registration
         is available).

  CompuServe:
    Tel: London [phone], Birmingham [phone],
         Reading [phone] or 569 025, Bristol [phone]

  David Pilling:
    Email [e-mail]

  Demon Internet Services:
    Email: [e-mail]
    Tel: London [phone]
    Web: http://www.demon.co.uk/
    FTP: ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/


  The Digital Databank BBS:
    Tel: (Modem) Welwyn Garden [phone] most speeds

  Gnome Computers:
    Tel: Huntingdon [phone]

  Graham Allan:
    Email
    [e-mail].

  Granada Microcare:
    Tel: Harrogate [phone]

  Hugo Fiennes:
    Email: [e-mail] (see also The Serial Port)

  The Internet Account (AUS)
    Email: [e-mail]
    Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]
    Web: http://www.geko.com.au/
    FTP: ftp://ftp.geko.com.uk/pub/

  Julian Wright:
    Email [e-mail]

  Rich in Paradise BBS:
    Tel: (Modem) Hemel Hempstead [phone] most speeds

  Risc Developments:
    Have gone into receivership.  Direct any queries to Beebug (see above)

  Robert Orwin:
    Email [e-mail] for !TTFN related stuff, otherwise
    email [e-mail].

  Stichting Hack-Tic Netwerk/XS4ALL (NL)
    Email [e-mail]

  Stichting Knoware (NL)
    Email [e-mail]

  Supreme Software Systems Ltd
    Tel: [phone] (voice) and [phone] (data/BBS)

  The Serial Port:
    Tel: Wells [phone]
         The World Of Cryton BBS - (Modem) Wells [phone] most speeds

  Zynet:
    Email: [e-mail]
    Tel: [phone], fax [phone]
    Web: http://www.zynet.co.uk/
    FTP: ftp://ftp.zynet.co.uk/

============================================================================


Appendix C: Glossary

This is a new section.  If you spot any term or phrase used in the FAQ
which would benefit from elaboration here in the glossary, please let
me know.


Dynamic IP Services
    Services whereby your Internet address is assigned when you dial in,
    so that the address changes each time you connect.

Fixed IP Services
    Services whereby your Internet address is permanently assigned.
    Enables incoming FTP, TELNET etc.

Protocol
    A standardised method of communication understood by both ends of
    a connection.  For the Internet, these include TCP, UDP, IP, ICMP,
    IGMP, SLIP, PPP, NNTP, FTP, TELNET etc. etc.

Resolving
    This is the term given to the process of converting a numeric Internet
    address (e.g. 123.132.1.2) to a host name (e.g. fred.co.uk) and vice
    versa.

TCP/IP (stack).
    Generic term used to describe the "protocols" used across the Internet.
    The TCP/IP stack is a collection of the various protocols that use
    each other in a stack-like formation, for example FTP uses TCP which
    uses IP which uses SLIP.

URLs
    "Uniform Resource Locators" appear all the way through the FAQ.
    They are generally of the form: <protocol>://<site>/<directory>,
    for example ftp://ftp.src.doc.ic.ac.uk/pub/systems/ means access
    using the FTP protocol, to site "src.doc.ic.ac.uk" in directory
    "/pub/systems".  URLs are used by Web browsers to locate resources.



============================================================================



Appendix D: Things I'd like to know :-)

If you have further information on the following that I could include in
this FAQ, please drop me an email.  If you have further information that
you think could be relevant that isn't on the list please send it anyway!

Information on configuring and using KA9Q (and any other TCP/IP software
for that matter) with IP suppliers other than Demon, especially the Pipex
resellers who use dynamic IP address allocation (DynaSLIP etc).

Information on software that is available and of use on the Internet,
commercial or otherwise.

Acorn-related bulletin boards with Internet gateways.

Anything about the relative merits of the various newsreaders - I don't
have time to use them all in anger.  Especially !EasyMail and !News.


============================================================================

Credits:

Many people have contributed to this FAQ, however to list everybody
would double the size of the FAQ!  Contributions are much appreciated,
without them the FAQ would be a fraction of the size it is now, so
please keep them flowing in.

Comments, suggestions etc. to [e-mail] (Kevin F. Quinn).