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1996-01-14
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SF-ROM DOOR
Version 2.20
Released Jan 14, 1996
Copyright 1992-1996 by Michael Robinson
Internet: TheMikeRob@aol.com
The Soft Parade BBS
Shelton, Connecticut, USA
1:141/485 203-924-5603
1:141/486 203-922-1794
Fast Online registration using Visa/Mastercard
SF-ROM is a file download door designed for Spitfire 3.x BBS.
It supports a plain UART, FOSSIL driver, or DigiBoard. X/Y/Zmodem
internal protocols. Files may be located on CD-ROM disk or magnetic
disk. Now supports Spitfire 3.00 to 3.51.
Features include: up to 228 disks, up to 700 file areas per disk,
maintains it's own user/download database, requests from offline
disks, disk volume name detection, automatic menu creation,
create/download file lists, full multi-node and network support,
batch downloads from within the door, file tagging, fast text search
single or all disks, ZIP and text file viewer, insertion of BBS ads
into ZIP files, multi-disk changer support, automatic request
manager/editor program, user manager/editor program, configurable
user limits, chat mode, local drop to DOS, and DESQview aware. Can
be run in local copy-to-hardrive mode in the BBS or from the DOS
command line.
A plain ASCII text file list is used for each file area. These lists
are often supplied on the CD-ROM disk and can be used with little or
no modification. Special compiled file lists are NOT required. SF-ROM
automatically supports multi-line file descriptions and it works
especially well with Night Owl and Spitfire format multi-line lists.
Optional formatting commands can be used to change the display
position on each line of the filename, size, date, and description.
Configurable display color too.
SF-ROM is unique among CD-ROM doors because it maintains it's own
separate DATABASE to record caller download information and limit the
number of files/bytes downloaded and requested. It also records
files/bytes downloaded in SFFILE.DAT (or equivalent) which is read
back by Spitfire and recorded in the main Spitfire database.
SF-ROM can also serve as a very configurable menu extension. From the
same main menu a caller can choose from a selection of CD-ROM disks,
magnetic disk file areas, and external doors. These may be used in
any combination. When an external door is chosen, SF-ROM exits with
an ErrorLevel which is then used in a batch file to pass control to
the selected external door.
There is special support designed in for multiple nodes and/or
multiple CD-ROM drives such as the Pioneer DRM series disk changers.
SF-ROM acts as a traffic cop to control access, avoid collisions,
and prevent "thrashing" that can sometimes occur when multiple
users try to access the same drive.
Considerable time and energy was spent working around the speed
limitations of today's CD-ROM drives. Actual CD-ROM drive hardware
access time has been minimized by:
1. Maintaining the file lists on the magnetic drive. This is
optional. If the CD-ROM itself contains file lists, these can be
be accessed directly by the door in order to save hard drive
space. The same file lists may be shared by all nodes.
2. Copying the file to a holding directory on the hard drive and
downloading it from there. This is also optional. You can
configure the door to download directly from the CD-ROM drive.
3. Careful design of the door logic. The CD-ROM drive hardware is
accessed as rapidly as possible and only when absolutely required.
4. When files are copied from multiple disks, each disk is only
accessed once even if the caller did not select the files in
order by disk.
FEATURES LIST:
■ Up to 228 disks. Up to 700 file areas per disk.
■ Direct support for plain UART, FOSSIL, or DigiBoard.
■ Batch downloads from within door using internal protocols:
Xmodem, Ymodem or Zmodem. Zmodem includes crash recovery of
aborted downloads and transmits total batch download statistics
to the file receiver.
■ File tagging while listing and while searching.
■ Fast text search of a file area, a whole disk, or all disks.
■ Online ZIP file and text file viewer.
■ Maintains it's own user/download database file that limits daily
downloads and requests on ANY BBS type. (registered version)
Configurable limits based on security level, files, bytes, ratios.
Includes EZ-User - Database Manager/Editor program.
■ Requests from offline disks. (registered version)
Includes EZ-Request - Automatic Request Manager/Editor program.
This program prompts the sysop to insert a disk into the drive, and
then copies all pending requests for that disk before prompting for
the next disk. Caller receives a message when entering the door if
requested files are ready for download. If successfully downloaded,
the files are deleted when the caller exits the door. If the caller
does not download the files, they are held for a configurable
number of days and then deleted.
■ Disk Detection. Reads volume name of the disk in the drive and sets
disk online status. Once configured, you can simply swap disks and
make NO changes to any config files. SF-ROM will do the rest. It
will read the volume name, set the correct status for each disk,
and display the status in the menu display.
■ AutoMenu. Constructs the main disk selection menu of all disks
on-the-fly. SF-ROM will create and display the main menu which
indicates which disks are online, request, or offline. Or you can
create your own custom ANSI/ASCII menu screens MAIN.CLR & MAIN.BBS.
■ Automatic file list creation and download. Can construct,
optionally ZIP, and send a list of all files on a disk. It
constructs this list on-the-fly by reading the configuration files.
Fully automatic. Built-in ZIP function, does not require PKZIP.
■ Inserts BBS advertisements into ZIP files. (registered version)
Uses optional batch file execution before and/or after download.
■ Special support for multi-disk changers such as Pioneer and NEC.
Prevents changer "collisions" on multi-node systems.
■ File sharing and locking for multinode and network operation. All
file lists, menus, data files and logs may be shared.
■ Communication port speeds to 115,200 bps with hardware or software
flow control. Automatically reads the communication port hardware
(UART) to determine port speed, data bits, stop bits and parity.
Port number to use is read from SFFILE.DAT. IRQ number and IO base
address to use is read from SFNODE.DAT. Port number, IRQ number,
and IO base address can also be set manually to handle non-standard
ports. Handles any UART, including the 16550AFN.
■ The door will recognize caller connect speeds from 0 to 230,400
bits per second. It will use the value passed by Spitfire in
SFFILE.DAT line 5 to calculate the estimated download times. Note
that sometimes this value is incorrect. Some modems connect at
12000, 14400, 16800, 19200, 21600, 24000, 26400, 28800, but "lie"
and tell Spitfire that the connect is 9600 or some other value.
The door automatically factors in a speed increase due to error
correction.
■ DESQview aware. Releases time slices (clock tics) to tasks
running in other windows when SF-ROM is idle.
■ ANSI color or plain ASCII text modes. Initial mode is the same as
passed by Spitfire. Caller can toggle ANSI on/off from within the
door. Door contains its own ANSI driver and can show ANSI graphics
on the local screen even if DOS ANSI.SYS is not loaded.
■ Sysops can design their own (optional) custom screens. Door will
display WELCOME.CLR or WELCOME.BBS before it runs. (registered
version) Place these in the same directory as SFROM.EXE. If ANSI is
on then the .CLR file will be shown, otherwise the .BBS file will
be shown.
■ Chat Mode
■ Local drop to DOS
■ Carrier detection. Resets the BBS if caller drops carrier.
■ Inactivity timeout configurable from 1 to 10 minutes.
■ Detailed caller info status lines can be located on the top or
bottom of the local screen.
■ Detailed status screen displayed during download.
■ Custom display screens.
■ Optional logoff after transfer.
■ Optional time penalty for dropped carrier.
■ Logging of all caller activities to any file. (registered version)
■ Sysop local keyboard controls same as Spitfire.
SF-ROM is shareware with a $30 registration. See the end of this file
or REGISTER.DOC for registration form and information.
----- SETUP INSTRUCTIONS ------------------------------------------------
Here is the quick version of the setup instructions:
1. Unzip this archive into one subdirectory.
2. Edit the included SFROM.MAS master configuration file.
3. Create a separate directory for each CD-ROM disk.
4. Copy SFROM.CFG to each directory. Edit each SFROM.CFG.
5. Copy the file lists to each directory. Edit lists if required.
6. Copy DISK.CLR and DISK.BBS to each directory. Edit as required.
7. Run the program in local mode: SFROM LOCAL
Run the program online: SFROM C:\SF\SFFILE.DAT C:\CDROM\SFROM.MAS
Take a quick look at SFROM.MAS, SFROM.CFG, DISK.BBS, and you will get
the general idea. Try executing the command SFROM LOCAL to get a
quick look at the general appearance of the door.
Here is a more detailed description of each step:
1. Unzip this archive into one subdirectory. This will be the SF-ROM
home directory, which is named C:\CDROM in the following example,
but any subdirectory name may be used. You only need one copy of
SFROM.EXE and it must be kept here.
2. Modify the included SFROM.MAS file to meet your needs.
See CONFIGURATION COMMANDS below for description of each option.
This is the master file that sets the configuration and location
for all of the disks. It "points" to all of the separate SFROM.CFG
files used by each disk. Any line in SFROM.MAS that does not begin
with a letter is ignored. The lines that begin with semicolons,
for example, are used for comments and ignored by the program.
Keep this file in the SF-ROM home directory.
3. Create a separate subdirectory for each of your CD-ROM disks.
The general arrangement should look something like this:
┌───────────┐
│ SFROM.EXE │ SF-ROM home directory
│ SFROM.MAS │
└─────┬─────┘
│
┌─────────────────┼─────────────────┬────── - - - etc.
┌──────┴───────┐ ┌──────┴───────┐ ┌──────┴───────┐
│ SFROM.CFG │ │ SFROM.CFG │ │ SFROM.CFG │
│ DISK.BBS/CLR │ │ DISK.BBS/CLR │ │ DISK.BBS/CLR │
│ FILE LISTS │ │ FILE LISTS │ │ FILE LISTS │
└──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘
subdirectory subdirectory subdirectory
for disk 1 for disk 2 for disk 3
4. Copy SFROM.CFG to each of the disk subdirectories. This is the
configuration file for that disk and must be modified to suit that
disk. SFROM.CFG must contain the disk name and all the paths to
the files and lists for that disk. This is all that MUST be
included, any of the other commands are optional, but they will be
applied if they are there.
SFROM.CFG should also contain the TagChar command for that disk.
The TagChar command determines which lines of a file list are
assigned a tag letter and colorized when the list is displayed in
the door. You can assign any TagChar you like, but it should
be a character that repeats in the same location on every line
that contains a file. The default TagChar is a dash at position
26 which is the first dash in the file date in many lists. You
can also set TagChar ALL which will assign a tag letter to every
line in the file list.
5. Prepare an ASCII text file list for each subdirectory on each
CD-ROM disk. These are often included on the CD-ROM and can
usually be used with little or no modification. Keep the lists in
the subdirectory for that disk or on the CD-ROM. The first line of
each file entry in the list should be in the following format:
....+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7....+...
SFROM22.ZIP 220,000 01-14-96 SF-ROM v2.20, CD-ROM Door by Mike Robinson
<---Name---><--Size--><-Date----><-------------Description------------------->
This is the standard default single line format. The location and
display color of each field can be changed by using the FileName,
FileSize, FileDate, and FileDesc commands as described below in
the Configuration Commands section.
If Spitfire style multi-line descriptions with "smiley face"
(ASCII 02) character are used, the line may be up to 255
characters long and all on one line. The "smiley face" marks the
separation between lines. Spitfire multi-line format will be
automatically recognized by SF-ROM if there is at least one
"smiley face" on the line. Spitfire v3.5 extended file
descriptions with a smiley face in column 1 are also recognized.
For other multi-line formats, (such as Night Owl) the description
lines may lie on multiple lines between column 34 and 78 as shown:
....+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7....+...
<---Name---><--Size--><-Date----><-------------Description------------------->
SFROM22.ZIP 220,000 01-14-96 SF-ROM v2.20, CD-ROM Door by Mike Robinson
| UART, FOSSIL, DIGIBOARD. Now includes
| Internal Protocols. Keeps Own Database,
| Enforces Limits, MultiDisk, MultiNode
| File Tagging, Text Search, Offline
| Requests, ZIP & Text Viewer.
<-------------Description------------------->
The character "|" is not required, although it is often included
in Night Owl type lists. SF-ROM can be configured to not show this
character by using the DelChar configuration command.
Descriptive headers may be used at the top of each file list or at
any point within the list. Any line which does not contain the tag
character at the proper location is assumed to be a description
line and is displayed without modification. See TAGCHAR in
Configuration Commands section below.
6. Copy DISK.BBS and DISK.CLR to each of the disk subdirectories.
This is the display menu showing the file areas available on the
disk and must be modified to suit the disk. Try to keep these to
under 22 displayed lines or the top may scroll off the screen.
7. Run the program online via a batch file such as SFFILE.BAT.
The batch file should contain these commands:
CD C:\CDROM
SFROM C:\SF\SFFILE.DAT C:\CDROM\SFROM.MAS
Spitfire creates one of the following files when a door or menu
extension is executed. Any one of these may be used in place of
SFFILE.DAT in the above example:
SFFILE.DAT File menu extension
SFMAIN.DAT Main menu extension
SFMESS.DAT Message menu extension
SFSYSOP.DAT Sysop menu extension
SFDOORS.DAT Door menu
SF-ROM runs multi-disk mode if config file extension is .MAS.
(Single-disk mode is selected by using extension .CFG)
----- MULTI-NODE OPERATION ----------------------------------------------
If the configuration of each node is the same, then you can use
the same SFROM.MAS for all nodes. To do this, all paths to all
files and directories must be the same on every node. The node
number to use is read from SFFILE.DAT. Non-standard port IRQ
number and IO address are read from the Spitfire SFNODE.DAT file
so you are not required to enter these in SFROM.MAS. SF-ROM will
automatically use the same values as the Spitfire node.
If the file paths to all the files and lists are the same for all
nodes, then they can all share the same SFROM.CFG for each disk.
Setup on a network will be easier if you put all the file lists on
one drive and this drive is remapped to the same drive letter on
all nodes. It is also helpful for all CD-ROM drives to be remapped
such that each drive is known by the same drive letter on all
nodes.
For multi-node operation, it is important that you use the HomeDir
and RequestDir commands and that all nodes share the same HomeDir
and RequestDir. The database files SFROM.DAT (caller download
records) and SFROM.REQ (request records) are kept in the HomeDir.
The requested files are kept in the RequestDir. So if a caller
places a request on one node, but calls back to download the
request on another node, SF-ROM will still be able to look up the
caller records in the HomeDir and retrieve the files from the
RequestDir. And the caller's download records will be properly
maintained no matter which node he calls.
If required, you can make separate partial configuration files for
each node (optional). On node 1, for example, create a file in the
current directory called NODE1.CFG. You must use this file name
for node 1. In this file put only the commands for this node that
are different from the commands in the SFROM.MAS master
configuration file. Typical use of the NODE?.CFG file would be to
specify non-standard port parameters using the commands ForceIrq
and ForceBase. But you can specify any command that you want
applied to that node only. This should allow you to use the same
SFROM.MAS for all nodes. For nodes other than 1, change the 1 in
NODE1.CFG to the node number of the node.
You can also run a different SFROM.MAS for each node (optional).
You can name the files SFROM1.MAS, SFROM2.MAS, SFROM3.MAS, etc.
The extension must be .MAS, but any file name may be used. The
.MAS extension tells SF-ROM to run in multi-disk mode. If you run
in single-disk mode, then you can use a different SFROM.CFG for
each node and name then SFROM1.CFG, SFROM2.CFG, SFROM3.CFG, etc.
If you use a different SFROM.MAS for each node, then the batch
file that runs SF-ROM must specify the SFROM.MAS for that node:
SFROM C:\SF\SFFILE.DAT C:\CDROM\SFROM1.MAS
and on node 2 it would be:
SFROM C:\SF\SFFILE.DAT C:\CDROM\SFROM2.MAS
----- LOCAL MODE --------------------------------------------------------
SF-ROM may be run in local mode if you log onto the BBS locally.
It may also be run in local mode from the DOS command line:
CD C:\CDROM
SFROM LOCAL
Local mode allows you to browse the lists, tag files, and copy the
files (and descriptions) to the hard drive.
----- SETUP for SINGLE-DISK MODE ----------------------------------------
Single disk mode is the same as multi-disk mode described above
except the SFROM.MAS file is not used. Therefore, all configuration
commands must be placed in SFROM.CFG. Run the program online in
single-disk mode via a batch file such as SFFILE.BAT which should
contain these commands:
CD C:\CDROM
SFROM C:\SF\SFFILE.DAT C:\CDROM\SFROM.CFG
The extension of .CFG (instead of .MAS) tells SF-ROM to run in
single- disk mode.
When running local mode, if SFROM.MAS is found in the current
directory, then multi-disk mode is selected. If SFROM.CFG is found,
then single-disk mode is run.
----- CONFIGURATION COMMANDS --------------------------------------------
The DISKS command must be used in SFROM.MAS.
The AREAS command must be used in SFROM.CFG.
All other configuration commands are optional.
Configuration commands are used in SFROM.MAS and SFROM.CFG. The
program reads each line of these files, and if the line begins with a
configuration command, then the configuration is modified as directed
by the command. If a line begins with anything other than a letter,
it is ignored. The explanatory comments are on lines beginning with a
semicolon and are therefore ignored. Each command must be all the way
up against the left margin of the file with the first command
character in column 1. The commands are NOT case sensitive, but they
must be spelled correctly. The commands may be placed in any order
within the file.
Most of the configuration commands can be set in either (or both)
the master SFROM.MAS or the disk specific SFROM.CFG. The values in
SFROM.MAS prevail when the program is at the first menu. The values
in SFROM.CFG prevail whenever that disk is loaded or read. If no
value is specified in SFROM.CFG then the value in SFROM.MAS will
always be used. Some of the commands are only read once when the
program starts and are so indicated below.
The AREAS commands in SFROM.CFG should look something like this:
AREAS
E:\001A C:\CDROM\NIGHT18\DIR1
E:\002A C:\CDROM\NIGHT18\DIR2
E:\003A C:\CDROM\NIGHT18\DIR3
E:\004A C:\CDROM\NIGHT18\DIR4
E:\005A C:\CDROM\NIGHT18\DIR5
E:\006A C:\CDROM\NIGHT18\DIR6
E:\007A C:\CDROM\NIGHT18\DIR7
E:\008A C:\CDROM\NIGHT18\DIR8
AREAS
The AREAS configuration command is MANDATORY for all modes.
It is only used in SFROM.CFG. It is used to signify both the
beginning and end of a list of file areas. The example above shows
8 file areas, but you can have as many as 700 file areas per disk.
There must be one file area per line. The first line is file area
number 1 and the rest follow in order until you reach the end.
The list MUST BEGIN and END with the keyword "AREAS".
Each line has two entries separated by at least one blank space. The
first is the path to the file area on the CD-ROM. The second is the
full path and filename of the associated file list. So the basic
format of the AREAS section is:
AREAS
(DIRECTORY 1) (FILE LIST 1)
(DIRECTORY 2) (FILE LIST 2)
(DIRECTORY 3) (FILE LIST 3)
AREAS
Each CD-ROM directory is paired with a matching list of files in that
directory. The file lists can have any valid DOS file name. The file
lists can be located on a normal magnetic hard disk or on the CD-ROM
(if they exist on the CD-ROM). The door will run much faster if you
locate the file lists on the normal magnetic hard disk. Note that you
can also use this door to access normal file areas on your hard
drive. You can mix normal file areas with CD-ROM areas in the same
door. The file areas do not have to reside on the same drive letter
or same physical drive. If you have a network, you can access file
areas on a different machine. You could even put ALL of your BBS file
areas in one or more of these doors. For example, you could put adult
files in one door and restrict access to adults only. Or you could
have special file doors reserved for privileged, contributing or
subscribing callers.
The example above is a portion of the sample SFROM.CFG supplied in
this package. It is for the Night Owl 18 CD-ROM disk first published
in 1995. The file lists are resident on the CD-ROM and can be easily
copied to a hard drive.
The DISKS commands in SFROM.MAS should look something like this:
DISKS
1 ON >0 0 C:\CDROM\DISK1\SFROM.CFG "Night Owl 18"
2 OFF >0 0 C:\CDROM\DISK2\SFROM.CFG "Arsenal Files 3"
3 OFF >0 0 C:\CDROM\DISK3\SFROM.CFG "So Much Shareware 5"
4 OFF >0 0 C:\CDROM\DISK4\SFROM.CFG "Cream of the Crop 10"
5 OFF >0 0 C:\CDROM\DISK5\SFROM.CFG "Pier 7"
6 OFF >0 0 C:\CDROM\DISK6\SFROM.CFG "Simtel MS DOS"
DISKS
The DISKS configuration command is MANDATORY for multi-disk mode.
It is only used in SFROM.MAS and is for multi-disk mode only.
It is used to signify both the beginning and end of a list of disks.
Each line in the DISKS section "points" to a SFROM.CFG file for a disk.
The example above shows 6 disks, but you can have as many as 228.
There must be one disk per line.
The list MUST BEGIN and END with the keyword "DISKS".
COLUMN 1 is the string of characters that the caller types to select
the disk. Any string of up to 30 typeable characters may be used.
No blanks or untypeable characters. Must be one continuous string.
Do not use the single characters C, E, Q, R, S, or U since these
are used to select options on the main menu. But you may use words
of 2 or more characters that begin with these letters. The
simplest method may be to use a number to indicate each disk as
done in the example above. If you set AutoMenu ON, then the disks
will automatically be assigned selection numbers based on their
order and whatever is placed in this column will be ignored.
COLUMN 2 shows the disk or door status.
ON means online. Downloads allowed. No requests.
OFF means offline. Browse only. No downloads or requests allowed.
REQ means requests allowed. No downloads. Registered version only.
CLO means closed. Noone can enter this disk.
AUTO-REQ means online if disk in drive, otherwise set to REQ
AUTO-OFF means online if disk in drive, otherwise set to OFF
AUTO-CLO means online if disk in drive, otherwise set to CLO
If you use any AUTO command for a disk, then you MUST use the
Volume command in the SFROM.CFG for that disk. See below.
COLUMN 3 shows the security level required to enter the disk.
For example if it is set to:
>5 (only security levels greater than 5 may enter)
<20 (only security levels less than 20 may enter)
=30 (only security level equal to 30 may enter)
There must be no spaces between the symbol and the level
number.
COLUMN 4 is the type. Set this to 0 for a CD-ROM disk. Set it any
value between 10 and 255 and SF-ROM will terminate with this
ErrorLevel when this door is selected by the caller. This allows
SF-ROM to be used like an external menu program. In this case, you
need to catch and respond to these ErrorLevels in the batch file
that runs SF-ROM. CD-ROM disks and external doors may be combined
freely in the same menu. A normal SF-ROM exit where no door or disk
is selected is ErrorLevel 0. Internal errors in SF-ROM exit with
ErrorLevel 1. Do not set ErrorLevels 1 to 9 as these are reserved
for future use.
COLUMN 5 is the full path and file name of the SFROM.CFG used
for each CD-ROM disk. Create a separate subdirectory for each
disk. Place all the files for that particular disk in the same
subdirectory along with the SFROM.CFG for that disk. Column 5
is blank if this line indicates an external door.
COLUMN 6 is the disk name. Optional. Must be between double quotes
as shown. If this column is not used, then the disk name will
be read from SFROM.CFG. Column 6 is blank if this line
indicates an external door.
Explanation of Disk Detection and the AUTO commands:
Optional. Use of any of the AUTO commands for a disk activates the
disk detect for that particular disk. SF-ROM will read the volume
name of the disk in the drive and set the disk online if the volume
name matches the disk volume name in SFROM.CFG. If there is no match,
then the disk will be set to the fallback status of Request, Offline,
or Closed. The comparison is not case sensitive, but it must be an
exact match.
The use of this feature is NOT recommended if you run a multi-disk
changer such as a Pioneer DRM-60X because it will cause each disk to
swap in and out every time SF-ROM starts. Disk detect is off by
default.
To enable Disk Sensing for a disk, you must do TWO things. You must
use an AUTO command for that disk in the DISKS section of SFROM.MAS,
and you must place a Volume command in the SFROM.CFG for that disk.
If a disk is set AUTO, but the volume command does not appear in the
SFROM.CFG, then the disk volume name will not be read and the disk
will be set to the fallback status. The auto detect status of each
disk is independent.
Disk detection is independent of AutoMenu. You can use either, both,
or neither. If you do use disk detection, then AutoMenu is highly
recommended so that the menu will always match.
The full list of status commands is:
ON ( always online )
REQ ( always requestable )
OFF ( always offline )
CLO ( always closed )
AUTO-REQ ( online if volume name match, otherwise requestable )
AUTO-OFF ( online if volume name match, otherwise offline )
AUTO-CLOSED ( online if volume name match, otherwise closed )
If you have specified a BusyFlag for that disk, then SF-ROM will look
for the BusyFlag before trying to access the disk. If the BusyFlag is
found, SF-ROM will wait until the flag is erased by the other node.
And it will create a new BusyFlag for the time it takes to read the
volume name. The related commands of FlagDelay and DelOldFlag are
also read and used if you use a BusyFlag.
AUTOMENU ON
AUTOMENU OFF
Optional. Choose one. For multi-disk mode only. AutoMenu is OFF by
default. When AutoMenu is ON then SF-ROM will automatically construct
the main disk selection menu of all disks on-the-fly. This menu will
indicate which disks are online, request, or offline. If you set
AutoMenu OFF, then SF-ROM will display the menu files MAIN.CLR or
MAIN.BBS. If neither of these files are not found, then SF-ROM will
automatically switch back to AUTOMENU ON. See the
AuotMenuTitle/AutoMenuColor commands below for information on
customizing the AutoMenu display text and colors.
VOLUME NOPV11_194
Optional. For use in SFROM.CFG only. Defines the volume name of the
disk used for purposes of disk detection. This command is only
required on those disks defined as AUTO in the DISKS section of
SFROM.MAS. The volume name for Night Owl 11 is shown. Use the correct
volume name for your disk. You can get the volume name by using the
DOS VOL command. DOS limits the volume name to 11 characters. Before
making the comparison, SF-ROM automatically strips any spaces and
periods from both the volume name specified and the volume name read
from the disk.
Disk scanning is NOT recommended on multi-disk changers because it
will cause each disk to swap in and out every time SF-ROM starts.
The simple form of the Volume command is shown above, but there are
additional options. If you have more than one CD-ROM drive, then you
may want to use the /SCAN option:
VOLUME NOPV11_194 /SCAN EF
This means SF-ROM will look for the volume name NOPV11_194 on both
drives E and F. You can scan up to 26 drive letters from A to Z. The
drives are always scanned in order from A to Z. It will stop scanning
drives when it reaches the first matching volume name. Once a drive
letter has been assigned to a disk, that drive letter will not be
scanned again. If you do not use the /SCAN command, then it will only
scan the drive letter indicated in the first entry in the left column
in the AREAS section of SFROM.CFG. The drive letter specified in the
AREAS section will also be scanned in addition to any drives
specified using the /SCAN command. If you use the optional CDDRIVE
command, this drive letter will also be scanned. If the same drive
letter is specified more than once, it will only be scanned once.
If the CD-ROM disk does not have a volume label, you may want to
use the option to scan for a specific marker file like this:
VOLUME E:\GAMES\DOOM2.ZIP
The backslash character "\" must be used. It indicates that SF-ROM is
to scan for a specific file and NOT scan for a volume label. If no
backslash character is used, SF-ROM will assume that it is a volume
label. Choose a path and file name unique to that particular disk.
Here is another form of this command:
VOLUME E:\GAMES\DOOM2.ZIP /SCAN EF
In this case, SF-ROM will look for file E:\GAMES\DOOM2.ZIP and if it
is not there, it will then look for file F:\GAMES\DOOM2.ZIP. The
scanning operation is exactly the same except that a specific file
name is used instead of a volume label. All of the previously defined
scanning rules apply.
The backslash "\" indicates a specific file name.
The forward slash "/SCAN" indicates multiple disk scanning.
Please do not confuse forward slash and backslash.
If you have problems with disk scanning, see command DebugVol.
Setting this command ON will cause SF-ROM to log all scanning
operations and results to file ERROR.LOG.
HOLDDIR C:\CDROM\HOLD
Mandatory. This is the holding directory where the files are copied
to if CopyToMag is ON. The program also writes the batch download
file list here in all cases. This list is named EXT1.LST where the 1
indicates the node number. The program takes care of its own
housekeeping and deletes the copied files after the download. Just
the copied files are deleted. Any other files that exist in this
directory will NOT be deleted. In local mode, the files are also
copied here and the descriptions are added to a FILES.BBS in this
subdirectory. If no FILES.BBS exists, one is created. Default is the
directory specified by HomeDir. If no HoldDir is specified and no
HomeDir is specified, then the default is the current directory.
HOMEDIR C:\CDROM
Optional. This is the SF-ROM home directory. In registered versions,
this is where the request data file SFROM.REQ and the caller database
SFROM.DAT is created and kept. On multi-node systems, these files can
(and should) be shared by all nodes if the same HomeDir is specified
for all nodes. Default is the current directory.
REQUESTDIR C:\CDROM\REQUEST
Registered versions only.
Mandatory if file requests from offline disks are allowed.
This is the holding directory where the requested files are held
after they are copied to the hard drive. The program takes care of
its own housekeeping and deletes the requested files after the caller
successfully downloads the files AND exits the door. So if the caller
fails the download, but SF-ROM thinks the download was a success, the
files will remain in place until the caller exits SF-ROM. If SF-ROM
thinks the download failed, the files will not be deleted. Just the
downloaded files are deleted. Any other files that exist in this
directory will NOT be deleted. If more than one caller has requested
the same file, the file will not be deleted until all callers have
downloaded the file.
Default is the directory specified by HoldDir. If no RequestDir is
specified and no HoldDir is specified, then the default is the
current directory.
PROTOCOL EXTERNAL
Optional. Registered version only.
This command turns off the internal protocols and causes the program
to use external X/Y/Zmodem protocols supplied by the shareware DSZ
program by Chuck Forsberg of Omen Tech. A copy of DSZ.COM or DSZ.EXE
must be in the current directory or on your DOS path. I recommend
the use of the internal protocols which is the default, or you can
set them explicitly with the command PROTOCOL INTERNAL.
DRIVER UART
DRIVER FOSSIL
DRIVER DIGIBOARD
Optional. Choose ONE. Default is Driver UART.
SF-ROM can use one of 3 different communications drivers:
UART ........ Use the built-in SF-ROM UART comm driver. This is the
standard driver that was used in all previous versions
of SF-ROM. Most people will use this driver.
Port speeds up to 115,200 bps are supported.
FOSSIL ...... Use external Fossil driver. Maximum speed 38400 bps.
SF-ROM has been tested with BNU 1.70 and X00 1.53.
The Fossil must be properly configured and loaded in
memory. I do not recommend the use of this command if
you run your Fossil faster than 38400. If you run your
port at 57600 or 115200 then you should use Driver UART
if possible.
DIGIBOARD ... Use external DigiBoard comm driver such as XIDOS5.SYS.
SF-ROM works with any of the following DigiBoards:
COM/Xi, PC/Xi, PC/Xe. The DigiBoard XIDOS5.SYS device
driver or equivalent must be properly configured and
loaded in memory. The DigiBoard channel used is the Com
number minus 1. So for Com2, SF-ROM will use channel 1.
For Com1, it will use channel 0.
Port speeds up to 115,200 bps are supported.
DISKNAME Night Owl 18
Optional. This command is only used in SFROM.CFG and has no effect in
SFROM.MAS. This name is used in the local status bar display on the
top of the screen and in the door log entries.
Default is no name.
COPYTOMAG ON
COPYTOMAG OFF
Optional. Choose one. If CopyToMag ON then files will be copied to
the magnetic hard drive just before downloading. These files will
then be erased once the download is completed. If CopyToMag OFF then
the files will be downloaded directly from the CD-ROM drive.
CopyToMag ON is recommended for multi-disk changers.
Default is CopyToMag ON.
FILEVIEW ON
FILEVIEW OFF
Optional. Choose one.
Turns the file viewer ON or OFF.
Some multi-node systems may want to turn FileView OFF since the
CD-ROM drive must be read to view a file and this can create a lot of
traffic. If the BusyFlag option is used (see below), then a busy flag
is created when a file is viewed and all of the other BusyFlag
control parameters apply. The busy flag is erased as soon as the
caller returns from viewing the file. Note that this can tie up the
drive for the entire time a caller is viewing the file. If busy flags
are not used, then multiple nodes can simultaneously access the drive
for both viewing and download purposes. If FileView is OFF, then the
View option does not appear on the caller menu prompts.
The file viewer will show the internal contents of a ZIP file if
the file has an extension of .ZIP. Otherwise, the viewer looks at the
file and if it seems to be a text file (no unprintable characters)
then the viewer display the text file. The viewer cannot display text
files within ZIP files. If the viewer gets fooled and a .ZIP
is not really a ZIP, or a text file is not really a text file, then
the caller may see a bunch of harmless garbage characters.
Default is FileView ON.
SHARE ON
SHARE OFF
Optional. Choose one. Turns file sharing and locking ON or OFF.
If you have more than 1 node, or you want to fill requests while a
caller is online, then set Share ON. In order for file sharing and
locking to work, you must use DOS 3.1 or higher, and DOS SHARE.EXE
must be loaded in your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT. If file sharing is
not required, then set Share OFF. This program will run noticeably
faster with Share OFF.
Default is Share OFF.
TIMEOUT 180
Optional. This is the caller inactivity timeout delay in SECONDS.
If no keystrokes are received for this length of time, the door will
exit and return the caller to the BBS. Timeout only applies when the
door is run from the BBS. There will be no timeout when run from the
DOS command line.
Values from 60 to 600 seconds are allowed.
Default is 180 seconds (3 minutes).
DELAYSECS 10
Optional. This the pause time in seconds for the "Strike any Key To
Continue" message that appears in many places in the door. The door
will wait for a keystroke for this number of seconds. If no keystroke
is received within this time, then the door will proceed to the next
screen. If some of the display screens pass by too quickly to read,
then try increasing this number.
Values from 1 to 3600 seconds are allowed.
Default is 10 seconds.
DEBUG ON
DEBUG OFF
Optional. Choose one. Most program error conditions are logged to
ERROR.LOG if Debug is turned on. The program may load a bit faster if
you turn this off. If you have problems, leave Debug ON.
Default is Debug ON.
DEBUGVOL ON
DEBUGVOL OFF
Optional. Choose one. Setting this command ON will cause SF-ROM to
log all volume label scanning operations and results to file
ERROR.LOG. If you have disk scanning problems, set this command ON.
Default is DebugVol OFF.
DROPPENALTY 300
Optional. Number of SECONDS to penalize the caller if carrier is
dropped when in the door. This time will be subtracted from the
callers time allowed during the next call that day. If the caller
does not call back until the next day, then this penalty will have no
effect.
Values from 0 to 7200 seconds (0 to 120 minutes) are allowed.
Default is 300 seconds (5 minutes).
ALLOWLOGOFF ON
ALLOWLOGOFF OFF
Optional. If AllowLogOff ON then the caller will be offered the
option to select unattended automatic logoff after each download.
Default is AllowLogOff ON.
LINESPERPAGE 21
Optional. Determines the number of lines shown for each screen page
when the caller is scrolling through the file lists, viewing a menu
screen, or viewing a file. A typical IBM PC clone screen has 25
lines. But since 2 lines are used at the top for the information bar,
and 2 lines are used at the bottom for the command prompts, only 21
lines remain for use by the rest of the display.
Values from 5 to 22 lines per page are allowed.
Default is 21 lines per page.
LINESPERFILE 5
Optional. Determines the maximum number of lines shown for each file
when the caller is scrolling through the file lists, or doing a text
search. Only applies to files with a multi-line description. Values
from 1 to (the number of lines per page - 2) are allowed.
Default is 5 lines per file.
You can use this command in SFROM.MAS and/or SFROM.CFG. I recommend
that you set it once in SFROM.MAS as an initial value, and then let
the caller make any desired changes in the utility menu. If you set a
value in SFROM.CFG then it will force it to this value every time the
caller enters that disk.
TAGCHAR 26 -
Optional. This determines the line position and character used to
determine which lines in a file list contain a valid file for tagging
and display purposes.
If you want a tag character to appear on every line in the file list
then use this command:
TagChar ALL
This is a good choice for lists which do not contain a feasible tag
character, such as those lists with only a file name and description.
Do not use this option for lists that have headers or contain any
lines which are not files.
If you set a specific tag character, then lines which
contain this exact character at this exact position are colorized and
assigned a tag letter. Lines which do NOT contain this character at
this position are assumed to be header lines or extended description
lines. Default is a dash at position 26 as shown below:
....+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7....+...
SFROM22.ZIP 220,000 01-14-96 SF-ROM v2.20, CD-ROM Door by Mike Robinson
^
character at position (column) 26 is a dash
Examples of common file formats:
TagChar 26 - (tag lines with a dash at position 26) (DEFAULT)
(Typically used in Spitfire & Night Owl type lists)
TagChar 28 - (tag lines with a dash at position 28)
TagChar 26 / (tag lines with a forward slash at position 26)
TagChar 28 / (tag lines with a forward slash at position 28)
TagChar 18 , (tag lines with a comma at position 18 )
Only one character and position may be designated as the TagChar. If
multiple TagChar are specified in SFROM.CFG then the last TagChar
specified is used. For file tagging to work properly, the file name
must be listed first on each line of the file list (column position
1 to 12). SF-ROM is smart enough to recognize the file name even if
it is "fractured" and not continuous like in these examples:
....+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7....+...
FILE1 .ZIP 344,101 01-31-94 A good game
FILE1. ZIP 344,101 01-31-94 A good game
FILE1 ZIP 344,101 01-31-94 A good game
The last example is typical of file lists that are created based on
the DOS DIR command.
DELCHAR 32 |
This sets a line position and a single character that will stripped out
from every line of a file list. "Night Owl" or "PCBoard" style
multi-line file lists often have a | character at position 32. Use of
this command causes the specified character to be replaced by a blank
in the file list display. The file list itself is not modified. In the
example shown, on all lines where character | is found in position 32,
it will be replaced by a blank space.
Only one character and position may be designated as the DelChar. If
multiple DelChar are specified then only the last DelChar specified is
used. Any character and any position from 1 to 78 may be used. The
position is determined by the actual position on the line in the file
before any display modifications are made by the FileName, FileSize,
FileDate, FileDesc commands.
The default is a | at position 32 as shown below:
....+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7....+...
SFROM22.ZIP 220,000 01-14-96 SF-ROM v2.20, CD-ROM Door by Mike Robinson
| UART, FOSSIL, DIGIBOARD. Now includes
| Internal Protocols. Keeps Own Database,
| Enforces Limits, MultiDisk, MultiNode
| File Tagging, Text Search, Offline
| Requests, ZIP & Text Viewer.
^
character at position (column) 32 is a |
MULTICHAR 02
Optional. Applies only to Spitfire style multi-line formats where the
character that marks the beginning of each new line is usually a
"smiley face" (ASCII 02) character. This command allows you to
specify the use of a different line marker character instead of the
default ASCII 02. If a number from 1 to 255 is specified, then the
ASCII equivalent character will be used. If a non-numerical character
is specified, then this exact character will be used.
STATLINE TOP 1 14
Optional. Default values are shown.
TOP means the status line will appear on the top of the screen.
The 1 is the background color code (blue). The 14 is the foreground
color code (yellow). You can use the command BOTTOM in place of TOP
and the line will appear on the bottom of the screen.
Background colors from 0 to 7 are allowed.
Foreground colors from 0 to 15 are allowed.
The color codes are:
Black.......... 0 DarkGray....... 8
Blue........... 1 LightBlue...... 9
Green.......... 2 LightGreen.... 10
Cyan........... 3 LightCyan..... 11
Red............ 4 LightRed...... 12
Magenta........ 5 LightMagenta.. 13
Brown.......... 6 Yellow........ 14
LightGray...... 7 White......... 15
FILENAME 1 12 15
FILESIZE 13 10 14
FILEDATE 23 11 10
FILEDESC 34 45 11
Optional. Default values are shown.
These 4 configuration commands control how the file lists are
displayed. For example:
FILENAME 1 12 15
This means that the file name starts at line column position 1
and is 12 characters long. The 15 is the display color code.
The default values are shown above and in this sample line:
....+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7....+...
SFROM22.ZIP 220,000 01-14-96 SF-ROM v2.20, CD-ROM Door by Mike Robinson
<---Name---><--Size--><-Date----><-------------Description------------------->
The total number of characters displayed by all 4 zones should not
exceed 78 or the line display may wrap onto the next line.
Colors codes from 9 to 15 are allowed.
The color codes are:
LightBlue...... 9
LightGreen.... 10
LightCyan..... 11
LightRed...... 12
LightMagenta.. 13
Yellow........ 14
White......... 15
HEADLINE 1 78 11
Optional. Default values are shown.
This command works just like the four above, except it applies to the
optional header section at the top of a file list. It means that 78
characters will be displayed, starting at character number 1 and the
display color will be 11 (Light Cyan).
Colors codes from 9 to 15 are allowed.
AUTOMENUCOLOR TOP 12 15
AUTOMENUCOLOR ONLINE 15 14 11 15
AUTOMENUCOLOR REQUEST 7 14 3 7
AUTOMENUCOLOR OFFLINE 7 14 7 7
Optional. Default values are shown.
These 4 configuration commands control the colors used in the
AutoMenu disk selection display screen.
AutoMenuColor TOP defines the colors of the title line at the top of
the menu. AutoMenuColor ONLINE defines the colors of disks that are
online. AutoMenuColor REQUEST defines the colors of disks that are
requestable. And so on. The colors are in order as they appear
onscreen. So if you use this command
AutoMenuColor ONLINE 15 14 11 15
then an online disk will be displayed like this:
< 1> ONLINE- Night Owl 18
The brackets will be color 15.
The 1 will be color 14
The ONLINE- will be color 11
The Night Owl 18 will be color 15.
AutoMenuColor TOP has only 2 colors. The first is the color of the
leading/trailing asterisk. The second is the color of the text.
The color codes are the same as used in the list displays:
Black.......... 0 DarkGray....... 8
Blue........... 1 LightBlue...... 9
Green.......... 2 LightGreen.... 10
Cyan........... 3 LightCyan..... 11
Red............ 4 LightRed...... 12
Magenta........ 5 LightMagenta.. 13
Brown.......... 6 Yellow........ 14
LightGray...... 7 White......... 15
AUTOMENUTITLE The title at top of AutoMenu goes here
Optional. Registered versions only. Defines the text at the top of
the AutoMenu screen. In unregistered versions, the default top line
cannot be changed and looks like this:
* SF-ROM - The Spitfire CD-ROM Door *
In the registered version, the default top line looks like this:
* "Your BBS Name" - Files On CD-ROM *
It replaces the "Your BBS Name" with your actual BBS name which
it reads from the registration key file.
Use the optional AutoMenuTitle command to define your own title.
SF-ROM automatically puts an asterisk before and after the text you
specify with this command.
NODOWNLOAD 10 15 20
Optional. This sets no download status for listed security levels.
You may also use the word ALL in place of the listed levels and then
all security levels will not be allowed to download. In the example
shown above security levels 10, 15 and 20 are not allowed to
download. Up to 20 levels can be set on one NoDownLoad line. Use as
many lines as your require, each line beginning with NoDownLoad. If
this command is set in SFROM.MAS, then it applies to all disks. If
set in SFROM.CFG then it applies to just one disk. The value in
SFROM.CFG prevails. Default is downloads allowed.
NOREQUEST 10 15 20
Optional. Registered versions only.
This sets no request status for listed security levels.
You may also use the word ALL in place of the listed levels and then
all security levels will not be allowed to request files. In the
example shown above security levels 10, 15 and 20 are not allowed to
request files. Up to 20 levels can be set on one NoRequest line. Use
as many lines as your require, each line beginning with NoRequest. If
running multi-disk and this command is set in SFROM.MAS, then it
applies to all disks. If set in SFROM.CFG then it applies to just one
disk. The value in SFROM.CFG prevails. Default is requests allowed.
CHECKSIZE ON
CHECKSIZE OFF
Optional. Choose one. If ON, then the CD-ROM drive will be read
during file tagging to determine if the file is actually there and
it's size/date. If OFF, then the CD-ROM will not be read during file
tagging, and the file size and date will be read from the file list.
This will speed up the tagging operation and reduce the load on the
CD-ROM drive on multi-node and networked systems. OFF should work
well if your file lists have accurate file sizes and are in a format
where the size is listed in columns 9 to 21 (default) or in the
position specified by the FileSize command. Note that if the file
size in the list is wrong, a caller could exceed his daily byte or
time limit. If set OFF and a file size cannot be read from the list,
then a default size of 50 kilobytes is used. If this command is used
in SFROM.MAS, then it applies to all disks. If used in SFROM.CFG, it
applies to just one disk. Default is CheckSize ON.
GRAPHICS ON
GRAPHICS OFF
Optional. SF-ROM will automatically read the graphics mode from
SFFILE.DAT (or equivalent) line 10. This command overrides the value
passed in SFFILE.DAT.
Graphics ON forces SF-ROM to start in ANSI graphics (Color) mode.
Graphics OFF forces SF-ROM to start in ASCII graphics (B & W) mode.
DLTIMER 30
Optional. This command only applies to external protocols. It is used
in determining whether a download was successful. The default is 30.
If a download takes more than 30 percent of the estimated download
time, then it is assumed to be successful. Allowable range is from 1
to 255. Note that there is no decimal point or percent sign on the
command line. Just the number 30 alone means 30 percent. Please
consider that setting this too low will result in callers being
"charged" for failed downloads. Setting it too high may allow some
callers to download without being "charged". Default is 30.
LISTDRIVE K
Optional. Typically, this will only be used on a network where disk
drive letters are reassigned. This command applies to both SFROM.MAS
and SFROM.CFG. In SFROM.MAS it changes the drive letter of the path
to each SFROM.CFG in the DISKS section. In SFROM.CFG it changes the
drive letter of each file list in the AREAS section (right column).
It does NOT alter the drive letter of the CD-ROM drive in the AREAS
section. No matter what drive letter was actually specified, it is
changed to the drive letter following the ListDrive command.
Example:
I run a 2 node BBS using an Artisoft LANtastic network. Node 1 is
drive C. My SFROM.MAS file, all of my SFROM.CFG files, and all of my
file lists are on node 1 drive C. In SFROM.MAS all of the paths in
the DISKS section begin with the drive letter C. In each SFROM.CFG
the path to each file list in the AREAS section begins with the drive
letter C. When logged onto node 2, node 1 drive C is remapped to K.
So I copied the exact same SFROM.MAS file from node 1 to node 2 and
added just one line to it: ListDrive K. So both nodes share the same
set of SFROM.CFG files and file lists. But each node has it's own
SFROM.MAS file. The only difference between the 2 SFROM.MAS files is
that node 2 contains the ListDrive K command. On my BBS, each of my
CD-ROM drives uses the same drive letter on all nodes of my network.
So CD-ROM drive N is CD-ROM drive N on all nodes. See CDDRIVE command
if you need to remap CD-ROM drive letters.
If the ListDrive command is used in SFROM.MAS then it will apply to
SFROM.MAS and also to ALL of the SFROM.CFG files. If it is used in a
SFROM.CFG file then it applies to just that one SFROM.CFG file. In
general, I recommend that you only use this command in SFROM.MAS.
CDDRIVE F
Optional. Typically, this will only be used on a network where disk
drive letters are reassigned. This command applies to SFROM.CFG only.
It changes the drive letter of each CD-ROM drive directory in the
AREAS section (left column). No matter what CD-ROM drive letter was
actually specified, it is changed to the drive letter following the
CDDrive command.
Do NOT use this command in SFROM.MAS since it is would then apply
to ALL of your CD-ROM disks and it is very unlikely that they all
have the same drive letter.
BUSYFLAG C:\CDROM\HOLD\DRIVE1.BSY
Optional. This command is NOT required on most systems.
It is designed for use with CD-ROM multi-disk changers (such as the
Pioneer DRM series) where the same changer is used on 2 or more BBS
nodes. If you do not have a multi-disk changer, then you probably
do not need this command. If you run a single node BBS, then you
probably do not need this command.
This command prevents collisions where more than one caller tries to
access the CD-ROM drive at the same time. Most single-disk CD-ROM
drives are fast enough to handle this without the use of a busyflag.
A semaphore marker file system of collision protection is set by this
command. SF-ROM checks for the existence of this busy flag file
before each CD-ROM read. If the file is there, then it waits until
the other node erases the file. SF-ROM creates this file whenever it
begins to read from the CD-ROM drive and erases this file when the
read is complete. The same busy flag name must be set for each disk
that uses the same drive.
Default is no busy flag used.
FLAGDELAY 30
Optional. For use with the BusyFlag command.
Sets the maximum time in seconds that the door will wait for a busy
CD-ROM drive. In the example above, the door will wait for up to 30
seconds before halting the attempted disk read operation and sending
a message of "please try again later."
Allowable range is 0 to 300 seconds.
Default is 30 seconds.
DELOLDFLAG 30
Optional. For use with the BusyFlag command.
When SF-ROM encounters a busyflag, it checks it's age. If it is older
than DELOLDFLAG in minutes, then the flag is deleted. Only the flag
declared by the BusyFlag command in the same configuration file is
deleted. This is a cleanup feature in case old flags are orphaned by
a power failure or other system problem. The default is 30 minutes
which means the door will delete any flag older than 30 minutes. The
system clocks on a network must be synchronized in order for this
command to work properly. It is recommended that you set this value
to at least the maximum system time difference between any 2 network
nodes. Remember that PC system clocks tend to drift out of
synchronization over time.
The allowable range is 5 to 720 minutes.
Default is 30 minutes.
XDISK RUNXDISK.BAT
Optional. Registered versions only. This batch file is run BEFORE the
files are copied to the hard drive. It is intended for use with XDISK
program that can be used to swap disks in some Pioneer CD-ROM
multi-disk changers. It is likely that this command will only be
required if you use more than one Pioneer drive and have run out of
DOS drive letters. But you can use it for any purpose you choose. See
the BeforeBat command for a batch file that runs after the files are
copied to the hard drive. If you use a BusyFlag then it will be
created just prior to executing this batch file.
The following DOS variable parameters are passed for use by the
batch file:
%1 The disk number. The first disk in the DISKS section of SFROM.MAS
is disk number 1. The remaining disk numbers are assigned in
increasing order to the disks following disk 1.
%2 The directory on the hard drive where the files are copied to.
There is no tailing backslash. Example: %1 = C:\CDROM\HOLD
%3 The callers connect speed. Example: %2 = 14400
%4 The port number. Example %3 = 2
If you are using a non-standard port where you have changed the
IRQ number or IO base address, then %3 will be the base address
followed by a comma followed by the IRQ number. This is the same
as used by DSZmodem for non-standard ports.
Example: %3 = 3e8,4 if you are using address 3e8 and IRQ 4.
%5 The full path and file name of the list of files being
downloaded. This is the holding directory followed by EXT1.LST
where the 1 represents the node number as passed on line 4 of
SFFILE.DAT. If your holding directory is C:\CDROM\HOLD and you are
using node 1 then %4 = C:\CDROM\HOLD\EXT1.LST. This same file
name is passed to DSZmodem to tell it which files to download
when the caller is using Y or Zmodem. If the caller is using
Xmodem, then this list is not created.
A typical batch file might look like this:
XDISK f: %1
This runs the XDISK program and assigns the disk number passed in %1
to DOS drive letter F. If you use this command in SFROM.MAS then it
will apply to all disks. If you use it in SFROM.CFG then it just
applies to one disk.
DATABASE INTERNAL
DATABASE DOORDROPFILE
DATABASE COMBINED
Optional. Registered versions only. Choose one.
Spitfire BBS should use the default of DoorDropFile.
The other options are offered should someone want to run SF-ROM on
another type of BBS.
Registered versions of SF-ROM keep a separate database of files/bytes
requested and downloaded in the door in the SFROM.DAT file. This is
fully automatic and cannot be changed. This command determines how
this information is used to limit the number of files/bytes
downloaded per day:
INTERNAL ....... Only the data in SFROM.DAT is used. So only the
files downloaded in SF-ROM count against the
caller's limits.
DOORDROPFILE ... The number of files/bytes downloaded today is read
from SFFILE.DAT (or equivalent). The number
files/bytes requested today is read from SFROM.DAT
since SFFILE.DAT does not track requests.
COMBINED ....... The number of files/bytes downloaded today read from
SFFILE.DAT is added to the number of files/bytes
downloaded today read from SFROM.DAT. The number of
files/bytes requested today is still read from
SFROM.DAT only since SFFILE.DAT does not track
requests. Don't use this option with Spitfire.
The default is DATABASE DOORDROPFILE which work very well with
Spitfire BBS. For other BBS types, the best choice is probably
DATABASE INTERNAL. The reason for this is that most BBS types do not
read back SFFILE.DAT. So even though SF-ROM updates the number of
files/bytes downloaded in SFFILE.DAT, this information is not saved
by the BBS. The caller can re-enter the door several times and
download several times his daily limit. The solution is to set
DATABASE INTERNAL so the downloads today information is read from
SFROM.DAT and the proper limits will be enforced. The DATABASE
COMBINED command should be used if you want the number of files/bytes
downloaded today to be calculated as the SUM of the values in
SFFILE.DAT and SFROM.DAT. In this case, if the caller was allowed 10
downloads per day in SF-ROM, but had already downloaded 6 files in
the BBS, then the caller would only be allowed 4 more files in
SF-ROM. If your BBS does not pass the correct number of files/bytes
downloaded in SFFILE.DAT then you should use DATABASE INTERNAL if you
want to accurately track and limit daily downloads.
KEEPUSERDAYS 90
Optional. Registered versions only.
This is the number of days a user's information is retained in the
internal database file SFROM.DAT. If the user does not call again
after this number of days, the user info is not erased, but the
record space will be made available for use by another caller. When a
new caller exits SF-ROM, the first available record which is either
old or flagged for delete will be overwritten. If no records are older
than KeepUserDays or flagged for delete, then a new record is added
to the end of the file. This maintenance of the database is automatic
and occurs every time a caller enters SF-ROM. The size of SFROM.DAT
will never decrease, but will stabilize at some value where the daily
number of new callers roughly equals the number of callers who have
not called back within KeepUserDays.
Default is 90 days.
KEEPREQDAYS 30
Optional. Registered versions only.
This is the number of days a file request is retained in the request
database file SFROM.REQ. If the caller does not download the file
within KeepReqDays then the file will be deleted and the request
record will be marked DONE. This maintenance is automatic and occurs
every time a caller exits SF-ROM. The next time a file is requested,
the first available record marked DONE will be used to record the
request. If no records are marked DONE, then a new record will be
added to the end of the file. The size of SFROM.REQ will never
decrease, but will stabilize at some value where the daily number of
new requests roughly equals the number of DONE requests.
Default is 30 days.
LIMIT 10 12 2000
Optional. Registered versions only.
SF-ROM automatically reads the callers allowable limit of download
files/bytes from DAILYLMT.DAT. Some may wish to override these limits
and specify special limits for inside SF-ROM only.
The 10 is the callers security level.
The 12 is the number files allowed per day.
The 2000 is the number of kilobytes per day.
So callers with a security level of 10 would be allowed
12 files totaling up to 2 meg per day.
You may also use the word ALL in place of a security level and then
the download limit will apply to ALL callers.
You can use one line like this for each security level you wish to
limit. So if you had security levels of say 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 then
your SFROM.MAS might look like this:
LIMIT ALL 12 2000 ( everyone gets 12 files, 2000K )
LIMIT 30 14 3000 ( level 30 gets 14 files, 3000K )
LIMIT 40 16 4000 ( level 40 gets 16 files, 4000K )
LIMIT 50 18 5000 ( level 50 gets 18 files, 5000K )
Each limit is tested in the order that they appear in SFROM.CFG. The
last limit read that applies to a particular caller will be used. So
if you use the ALL command, it should be the first limit specified.
In the example above, levels 30, 40, 50 would get the limit defined
for their specific level, while all other levels would get the limit
defined for ALL.
Allowable values are
0 to 2000000000 (2 billion) files per day
0 to 2000000 (2 million) kilobytes per day.
You can also set no limits for all callers using this command:
LIMIT OFF
REQLIMIT 10 12 1000
Optional. Registered versions only.
Works just like the LIMIT command except it limits requests.
In the example above, callers with a security level of 10 would
be allowed to request up to 12 files per day totaling up to
1000 kilobytes (1 megabyte) per day.
You may also use the word ALL in place of the security level and then
the request limit would apply to ALL callers.
Default request limits are the same as the download limits
unless request limits are specified using this command.
Allowable values are
0 to 2000000000 (2 billion) files per day.
0 to 2000000 (2 million) kilobytes per day.
You can also set no request limits for all callers using this command:
REQLIMIT OFF
FILERATIO 10 50
Optional. Registered versions only. Sets FILE ratio limits. In the
example above, the 10 is the callers security level, and the 50 is
the ratio to enforce. You may use one of these commands on a separate
line to set a separate ratio for each security level. Or, you may use
the word ALL in place of a security level and then the ratio will
apply to ALL callers. If the caller's download to upload ratio
exceeds this amount, the caller will not be allowed any more
downloads in SF-ROM. This ratio is computed after each successful
download by dividing the total number of downloaded files by the
total number of uploaded files. For computational purposes, 1 upload
is used if the caller has 0 uploads. SF-ROM does not alter the
callers security level, so if a caller exceeds his ratio in SF-ROM,
he may still be able to download in Spitfire. Spitfire does not
recalculate ratios or adjust security levels until after the caller's
next download in Spitfire.
Allowable ratio values are from 1 to 2000000000 (2 billion).
Default is no ratio limits.
BYTERATIO 10 50
Optional. Registered versions only. Sets BYTE ratio limits.
Works just like the FileRatio except that the ratio is computed based
on the number of downloaded to uploaded bytes. The FileRatio and
ByteRatio values are independently enforced and can be set to
different ratios if desired.
Allowable ratio values are from 1 to 2000000000 (2 billion).
Default is no ratio limits.
TOTALDOWN ON
TOTALDOWN OFF
Optional. Registered versions only.
Updates the Spitfire global record of how many downloads today. It
does this by updating SFSYSTEM.DAT. This is the number of downloads
today value seen by callers during logon. If the Spitfire file format
for SFSYSTEM.DAT changes in the future, then TotalDown should be set
OFF. SF-ROM is known to be compatible with Spitfire 3.3 to 3.51 in
this regard. TotalDown is forced OFF in the unregistered version.
The default is TotalDown OFF.
LOGNAME C:\SF\CALLERS.TMP
Optional. Registered versions only. Gives the name of the caller
activity log file. If no logname is specified, the SF-ROM reads the
Spitfire home directory from SFFILE.DAT (or equivalent) line 9 and
appends the filename CALLERS.TMP. So if no LogName is specified, then
SF-ROM will automatically use the correct Spitfire CALLERS.TMP log
appropriate to that node.
LOG ON
LOG OFF
Optional. Registered versions only. Choose one.
Turns caller activity log ON or OFF.
In unregistered versions the log is forced OFF.
In registered versions the default is Log ON.
In local mode from the DOS command line the log is always forced OFF.
STYLE 1
STYLE 2
STYLE 3
Optional. Registered versions only.
Choose one of the style commands shown above. Determines the style of
the download line in the caller activity log. Some third party
utility programs read the callers log and count or log downloads.
These programs require certain download log entry styles which are
similar to those created by a normal Spitfire download.
Three styles are now offered. More will be added if requested. Only
one style may be used in each configuration file. If multiple styles
are specified, then the last one specified is used.
For Style 1 a typical log entry looks like this:
1800LIST.TXT 2,276 Listing Of 1-800 BBS Systems
This is the default style and is the same as all previous
versions of SF-Rom.
For Style 2 a typical log entry looks like this:
Downloaded E:\MODEM\800LIST.TXT
Note that this is the path to the file on the CD-ROM.
For Style 3 a typical log entry looks like this:
Downloaded C:\SF\CDROM1\800LIST.TXT
Note that this is the file name appended to the path
to the file list that contains the file.
LOGLEADER ' '
Optional. Registered versions only.
This string of characters between the apostrophes '' is placed in
front of each caller activity log entry. The default is 8 spaces as
shown above and is designed to match the normal Spitfire caller log.
INDENTLOG 2
Optional. Registered versions only.
This is the number of characters each line of the caller activity log
will be shifted to the right beyond the amount specified by
LogLeader. The line with the caller name (optional, see below)
is NOT shifted.
The default is 2 as shown above.
LOGUSERNAME OFF
LOGUSERNAME ON
Optional. Registered versions only.
If ON, then SF-ROM writes the caller's name to the caller log.
Some may wish to turn this ON if the BBS software does not write the
callers name to the same log.
Default is OFF.
BEFOREBAT COMMENT.BAT
Optional. Registered versions only. This batch file is run after the
files are copied to the hard drive, but BEFORE the download. I use it
to insert a BBS advertisement into each ZIP file, but you can use it
for anything you like. See supplied sample file COMMENT.BAT. In the
example above, COMMENT.BAT is in the current directory, but a full
path and file name may also be specified. Send me any good working
batch file you write and I will make it available to other SF-ROM
users.
The following DOS variable parameters are passed for use by the
batch file:
%1 The directory on the hard drive where the files are copied to.
There is no tailing backslash. Example: %1 = C:\CDROM\HOLD
%2 The callers connect speed. Example: %2 = 14400
%3 The port number. Example %3 = 2
If you are using a non-standard port where you have changed the
IRQ number or IO base address, then %3 will be the base address
followed by a comma followed by the IRQ number. This is the same
as used by DSZmodem for non-standard ports.
Example: %3 = 3e8,4 if you are using address 3e8 and IRQ 4.
%4 The full path and file name of the list of files being
downloaded. This is the holding directory followed by EXT1.LST
where the 1 represents the node number as passed on line 4 of
SFFILE.DAT. If your holding directory is C:\CDROM\HOLD and you are
using node 1 then %4 = C:\CDROM\HOLD\EXT1.LST. This same file
name is passed to DSZmodem to tell it which files to download
when the caller is using Y or Zmodem. If the caller is using
Xmodem, then this list is not created.
Note that if you use a separate holding directory for each node, then
only the files being downloaded by the caller will be in this
directory. So the batch file can do something to each of the files in
this directory. Here is an example, which is the same as in the
supplied example file COMMENT.BAT:
ZIPCOM COMMENT.TXT %1\*.ZIP
This puts the BBS advertisement in file COMMENT.TXT into every ZIP
file in the holding directory specified by %1. It uses the included
free ZipCom program by Mike Robinson to insert the comment.
See ZIPCOM.DOC for more info on this program.
AFTERBAT YOURFILE.BAT
Optional. Registered versions only. This batch file is run just AFTER
a download. It is run before the files are erased from the hard
drive. You may use this for any purpose. Perhaps some kind of logging
function or a bulletin maker could be executed here. In the example
above, YOURFILE.BAT is in the current directory, but a full path and
file name may also be specified. Send me any good working batch file
you write and I will make it available to other SF-ROM users. The
same set of DOS variable parameters passed to BeforeBat (see above)
is also passed to AfterBat.
DIRECTVIDEO ON
DIRECTVIDEO OFF
Optional. Choose one. With DirectVideo ON, all local screen writes
will done directly to video memory instead of through the BIOS.
Default is DirectVideo ON which seems to work fine on most systems.
CHECKSNOW ON
CHECKSNOW OFF
Optional. Choose one. CheckSnow ON enables "snow checking" when using
DirectVideo ON. It has no effect if DirectVideo OFF. Some older CGA
monitors may requires this. It should not be a problem on most
monochrome, EGA or VGA video systems. Some systems may run a bit
faster with CheckSnow OFF.
Default is CheckSnow OFF.
BIOSSCROLL ON
BIOSSCROLL OFF
Optional. Choose one. If BiosScroll OFF, then a special scrolling
routine is used that suppresses snow and flicker on systems with any
kind of color graphics. However, BiosScroll ON is a bit faster.
Default is BiosScroll ON.
MAXBUFF 64000
Optional. Determines the maximum file copy buffer size in bytes. Most
systems work well with the default value of 64000 bytes. This is the
maximum buffer size. The actual buffer is created just before copying
a file and is sized to fit within the DOS conventional (low) memory
available at that moment. Some networks, CD-ROM drives, and CD-ROM
software drivers may give better performance if you reduce the
MaxBuff. If you are experiencing a problem when the door copies large
files, then try reducing the MaxBuff to 32000 or 16000 bytes. The
smaller buffer may be a better match with the other CD-ROM related
buffers used in your system.
Values from 500 to 65500 bytes are allowed.
Default is 64000 bytes.
MAXQ 20
Optional. Determines the maximum number of files that can be entered
at one time in the queue used for downloading, requesting, or copying
files.
Values from 1 to 20 files are allowed.
Default is 20 files.
LOCKPORT 19200
Optional. Do not use this command unless you are sure you need it.
SF-ROM will automatically read the hardware to determine the port
speed to use. Use of this command overrides the automatic speed
detection and forces the port to open at the speed indicated.
SF-ROM will attempt to restore the port to it's original speed and
state just before SF-ROM halts and returns control to the BBS.
Valid port speeds are: 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400,
57600, 115200.
HANDSHAKE ha cts
Optional. This command only applies to external protocols. Sets DSZ
external protocol to use CTS hardware handshaking flow control. Note
that the command ha cts must be all lowercase since DSZ is case
sensitive on virtually all commands.
HARDFLOW ON
Optional. Do not use this command unless you are sure you need it.
Set HardFlow OFF to turn OFF hardware flow control (RTS/CTS) in
SF-ROM itself. In general, you should leave HardFlow ON. Most modern
modems support hardware flow control. If your com port is running
faster than your modem link connect rate, then you must use some
sort of flow control. Hardware flow control is almost always the
best choice, especially for port speeds of 9600 bps or more.
Default is HardFlow ON.
SOFTFLOW OFF
Optional. Do not use this command unless you are sure you need it.
Set SoftFlow ON to turn on software flow control (XON/XOFF) in SF-ROM
itself. In general, Hardware flow control (RTS/CTS) is much better,
and most modern modems support it. Software flow control will
probably not work very well on a high speed modem. If you use
software flow control, please send me a note. I am curious if anyone
uses it. It is possible to turn on both hardware and software flow
control, but this is not recommended. Default is SoftFlow OFF.
FORCECOMPORT 2
Optional. Do not use this command unless you are sure you need it.
Com port selection is fully automatic based on the value passed by
SFFILE.DAT. So SF-ROM uses the same com port used by the Spitfire
node. Use of this command overrides this value and forces use of the
specified com port.
Allowable for this command is 1 to 8.
Use in SFROM.MAS if running multi-disk mode.
Use in SFROM.CFG if running single-disk mode.
If specified in both, only the value in SFROM.MAS is used.
FORCEBASE $02F8
Optional. Do not use this command unless you are sure you need it.
The I/O port base address selection is fully automatic based on the
value in the Spitfire SFNODE.DAT file. So SF-ROM uses the same I/O
address as that configured for the Spitfire node. Use of this command
overrides this value and forces use of the specified I/O port base
address. The $ indicates that the address is specified as a
hexadecimal number.
Allowable for this command is any value from $0000 to $FFFF.
Please note that no checking is done on this value and it
is entirely possible to specify a non-existent base address.
Use in SFROM.MAS if running multi-disk mode.
Use in SFROM.CFG if running single-disk mode.
If specified in both, only the value in SFROM.MAS is used.
FORCEIRQ 3
Optional. Do not use this command unless you are sure you need it.
The IRQ number selection is fully automatic based on the value in the
Spitfire SFNODE.DAT file. So SF-ROM uses the same IRQ number as that
configured for the Spitfire node. Use of this command overrides this
value and forces use of the specified IRQ number.
Allowable for this command is any value from 0 to 15.
Use in SFROM.MAS if running multi-disk mode.
Use in SFROM.CFG if running single-disk mode.
If specified in both, only the value in SFROM.MAS is used.
----- DISPLAY FILES -----------------------------------------------------
In multi-disk mode, you can optionally set AutoMenu OFF and then the
following display files may be used to show the list of available
disks:
ANSI ASCII
----------- -----------
MAINxxx.CLR MAINxxx.BBS
MAINxxx.BBS MAIN.BBS
MAIN.CLR
MAIN.BBS
The "xxx" shown above represents a security level. For example,
MAIN10.CLR is the ANSI menu for security level 10. SF-ROM searches
for the display files in the order indicated above. If specific
display files are not found for the caller's security level, then the
general MAIN.CLR/BBS files are shown.
In both single-disk mode and multi-disk mode, the following display
files may be used to show the list of available file areas on a
specific disk:
ANSI ASCII
----------- -----------
DISKxxx.CLR DISKxxx.BBS
DISKxxx.BBS DISK.BBS
DISK.CLR
DISK.BBS
The "xxx" shown above represents a security level. For example,
DISK150.BBS is the ASCII menu for security level 150. SF-ROM
searches for the display files in the order indicated above.
If specific display files are not found for the caller's
security level, then the general DISK.CLR/BBS files are shown.
- MULTI-PAGE MENUS -
You can also create a multi-page MAIN.CLR/BBS and/or DISK.CLR/BBS. In
this case, put all the pages in one file. The door will pause at the
end of each page and allow the caller to select a command or scroll
to the next page. The number of lines shown is set by the
LinesPerPage command.
A good method for creating multi-page ANSI menus is to create each
page separately in an ANSI editor such as TheDraw. Then use the DOS
COPY command to join the screens like this:
COPY PAGE1.CLR+PAGE2.CLR+PAGE3.CLR ALLPAGES.CLR
- CUSTOM WELCOME and GOODBYE SCREENS -
Optional. Place these screens in the SF-ROM home directory.
If they exist, they will be displayed to the caller.
If registered, WELCOME.CLR or WELCOME.BBS will be displayed prior to
entering SF-ROM. GOODBYE.CLR or GOODBYE.BBS will be displayed after a
download if the caller selects log off after transfer.
The .CLR file will be shown if the caller is in ANSI graphics mode.
The .BBS file will be shown if the caller is in ASCII graphics mode.
----- LOCAL KEYBOARD CONTROLS -------------------------------------------
ALT C --- Chat Mode On/Off
ALT D --- Drop To DOS (local sysop only)
ALT J --- Drop To DOS (local sysop only)
F6 ------ Take Five Minutes From Caller
F7 ------ Give Five Minutes To Caller
F10 ----- Exit The Door
ALT F1 -- Exit The Door
ALT F2 -- Exit The Door
ALT K --- Kill. Throw the caller off the BBS *NOW*
----- STATUS SCREENS ----------------------------------------------------
The status information shown on the local monitor varies according
to the mode and comm driver in use:
For DOS Local Mode:
DOS Local Mode Sunday January 14, 1996 12:00pm
SF-ROM 2.20 For Any BBS - Uart, Fossil, or DigiBoard. Mem Available: 258K
For Local Mode in the BBS:
Michael Robinson Shelton CT 203-922-1794 3/10 Sec:10 60 Min
SF-ROM 2.20 Node:1 258K
Online Mode - DigiBoard:
Michael Robinson Shelton CT 203-922-1794 3/10 Sec:10 60 Min
SF-ROM 2.20 DIGIBOARD Com2 Node:1 14400E 258K
Online Mode - Fossil:
Michael Robinson Shelton CT 203-922-1794 3/10 Sec:10 60 Min
SF-ROM 2.20 FOSSIL Com2 Node:1 14400E 258K
Online Mode - Uart:
Michael Robinson Shelton CT 203-922-1794 3/10 Sec:10 60 Min
SF-ROM 2.20 16550A UART COM2 Node:1 38400/14400E IRQ:3 IO:02F8 258K
Online Mode - when in a particular disk
Michael Robinson Shelton CT 203-922-1794 3/10 Sec:10 60 Min
Night Owl 18 - Online COM2 Node:1 38400/14400E 258K
Michael Robinson --- Caller name.
Shelton CT --------- Caller address.
203-922-1794 ------- Caller phone number.
3/10 --------------- The caller has downloaded 3 files.
The caller is allowed to download up to 10 files.
Sec:10 ------------- Caller security level number is 10.
60 Min ------------- The number of minutes caller has left in door.
SF-ROM 2.20 -------- Program name and version number.
16550A ------------- UART type detected.
UART --------------- UART comm driver in use.
FOSSIL ------------- FOSSIL comm driver in use.
DIGIBOARD ---------- DigiBoard comm driver in use.
COM2 --------------- The Com port number.
Node:1 ------------- The BBS node number.
38400/14400E ------- Port speed / Caller connect speed.
Caller connect speed has E if error correction.
IRQ:3 -------------- Interrupt number.
IO:02F8 ------------ IO port base address as a hexadecimal number.
258K --------------- Current memory available after loading SF-ROM.
Night Owl 18 - The current CD-ROM disk name.
Online ------- The current CD-ROM disk status is Online.
OffLine ------ The current CD-ROM disk status is OffLine.
Request ------ The current CD-ROM disk status is Requests Allowed.
The UART type, port speed, IRQ, and IO address are not displayed
when using the Fossil or DigiBoard comm drivers.
Here is a typical set of status information that is displayed on the
top of the local monitor during a download:
Download Today.........3 Download KByte Today.......350 BBS Logon: 8:15 pm
Download Limit........10 Download KByte Limit......2000 Enter Door: 8:21 pm
Download Total........27 Download KByte Total..... 4512 Begin DL: 8:33 pm
Upload Total.........5 Upload KByte Total......1050 Time Left: 33 min
----- TROUBLESHOOTING AND GETTING HELP ----------------------------------
First, check the included SF-HELP.TXT file. Many common problems
and solutions are discussed there.
SF-ROM writes error conditions to file ERROR.LOG in the current
directory. Check this file. If it says that SF-ROM cannot find or
read a certain file, check your SFROM.MAS, SFROM.CFG, and batch files
to locate where this file is specified. Change the path to the file
or relocate the file. Make sure you set Debug ON (the default) so
that errors are written to ERROR.LOG. If you are having problems with
disk volume label sensing, set DebugVol ON.
If you use a Fossil or DigiBoard driver, make sure it is properly
loaded in memory and activated before running SF-ROM. Check the
local monitor status line to see if the comm driver used by SF-ROM
is the driver you set in SFROM.MAS.
SF-ROM should work OK with multiport IO cards that use a shared IRQ.
For an intelligent DigiBoard (or compatible) set Driver DigiBoard.
All other multiport IO cards should use Driver Uart.
The most common problem is a failure to open the com port. If you see
SF-ROM appear on the local screen, but see nothing on the remote end,
then you are using the wrong port, the wrong SF-ROM comm Driver, the
selected comm driver is not loaded in memory, or you have a
non-standard port. See the included file SF-HELP.TXT for more
information on solving this problem.
If you have checked the files above and are still experiencing
problems, then please pack the following files into one ZIP file and
upload it to my BBS:
1. A text file describing the problem.
2. Any ERROR.LOG files created by SF-ROM.
3. SFROM.MAS and SFROM.CFG
4. The batch file that runs SF-ROM.
5. SFFILE.DAT or equivalent
Sending the problem description as a text file will save you online
time and phone charges. It also helps me to have the problem
description and related files all in one neat package.
I will post a reply message on my BBS for you within 24 hours.
FidoNet nodes may netmail the same information, and I will reply via
direct netmail. I fully support both registered and unregistered
versions. This program runs well on hundreds of systems, and I will
work with you to get it working on your BBS. I recently opened node 2
(203-922-1794 FidoNet 1:141/486) which is dedicated exclusively to
handling support for my shareware. Traffic on this node is very
light, and it is almost always ready and waiting for callers.
------- REGISTRATION ------------------------------------------------------
This program is SHAREWARE. It represents hundreds of hours of effort.
I have been adding features and improving it for almost 4 years now.
All upgrades have been free. The registration fee is only $30 which
I believe to be a fair price for a program of this caliber.
Registration is also sort of an investment in the future of SF-ROM.
If people continue to register, I will continue to issue free
improvements and upgrades.
You may use this program for a free 30 day trial period. After that,
you must register it or stop using it. You may give away free copies
of this entire unmodified package, but you may not sell it. I retain
all rights to this program.
As an incentive to encourage registration, the following features are
ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE REGISTERED VERSION:
■ The *** UNREGISTERED *** message on the first screen is replaced
by your name and your BBS Name.
■ Requests from offline disks feature is activated.
■ Internal download/request database is activated.
Allows SF-ROM to accurately track and limit downloads on ANY BBS.
In the unregistered version, only the caller's daily time limit is
enforced. In the unregistered version, downloads are not recorded
and file/byte per day limits are not enforced.
■ Batch files are called before and after a download to allow
insertion of BBS advertisements into ZIP files or any other
function you can execute from a batch file.
■ External protocols (optional) using DSZ are activated. Only the
internal protocols are available in the unregistered version.
■ WELCOME.CLR or WELCOME.BBS file will be displayed (optional).
■ Full logging of all caller activities. You can log activities to
your BBS log, or to a separate SF-ROM log.
In the unregistered version, only error conditions are logged.
No caller activity log is created in the unregistered version.
HOW TO REGISTER:
Please fill out and mail the registration form in file REGISTER.DOC.
The form is also included below in this file.
Or call my BBS for fast online registration using your credit card.
I accept Visa, Mastercard, Carte Blanche, Diners' Club.
Call The Soft Parade BBS at: 203-922-1794 or 203-924-5603
You can also register on CompuServe using GO SWREG and selecting
registration of program number 6581. The charge will be added to your
CompuServe bill.
I fully support both registered and unregistered versions. Node 2
(203-922-1794 FidoNet 1:141/486) is dedicated exclusively to
handling support for my shareware. Traffic on this node is very
light, and it is almost always ready and waiting for callers.
You can also reach me on the Internet, CompuServe, or America Online.
CompuServe ....... 102363.2051
America Online ... TheMikeRob
Internet ......... TheMikeRob@aol.com
Registered Sysops are entitled to free program support, and free
access to all files and features on my BBS. Support is available from
me on my BBS, in FidoNet (Wildcat, PCBoard, or Spitfire echos), via
direct FidoNet crash netmail, Internet, CompuServe, or America
Online.
When you register, you will receive a customized personal
registration key file and instruction file. The key file activates
the registered features in the shareware version, so there will be no
need to download any specially compiled versions of the executable
program itself. All upgrades have been free to all registered users
and I intend to continue this policy.
Please be sure to specify your name and your BBS name exactly as you
would like them to appear on the first door screen.
---------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------
---------- SF-ROM 2.20 Door REGISTRATION FORM -----------
Your Name: ______________________________________________
BBS Name: ______________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________
BBS Phone Number or FidoNet address: ____________________
Please answer the following if you want to charge your registration:
Credit Card Type: _____________________
Name as it appears on the card: _______________________________
Credit Card Number: ___________________________________________
Expiration Date: _______ Signature: __________________________
Please choose ONE of the following registration options:
___ $30 (Thirty Dollars)
Call Mike Robinson's BBS and download your registration file.
I will establish an account for you in advance if you give the
following logon information:
Password to use on Mike Robinson's BBS: _____________________
BirthDate to use on Mike Robinson's BBS: _____________________
___ $35 (Thirty Five Dollars) - First Class Mail anywhere in the world.
I will mail your registration to you. Specify floppy disk type.
3.5 inch HD will be used if not otherwise specified.
___ $35 (Thirty Five Dollars) USA and CANADA ONLY.
I will call your BBS and upload your registration to you or
I will NetMail your registration to your FidoNet address.
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Send this form and payment in US DOLLARS to:
MICHAEL ROBINSON
PO BOX 831
SHELTON, CT. 06484-4386
Or call either BBS node for fast online registration using
your credit card.
I accept Visa, Mastercard, Diners' Club, Carte Blanche, personal
check, bank check, or money orders. Checks must be from a bank or
financial institution with a cashing address within the USA listed on
the front of the check. Most major banks in other countries can issue
such an international money order or international bank check.
Legal Stuff:
Use this program at your own risk. No guarantees of any sort.
Modification of executable files is prohibited.
File sharing and locking implemented via BCSHARE Beta Version 0.7
Copyright (C) 1990 - 1994 by Mike Woltz, Buffalo Creek Software.
DSZ program Copyright by Omen Technology Inc.
Please register your shareware. Authors need your support.
SF-ROM Revision History
Version 1.00 --- May 31, 1992 - Initial Public Release
Version 1.10 --- Sep 05, 1992 - Added batch downloads & file tagging.
Version 1.15 --- Oct 10, 1992 - Various bug fixes and test versions.
Version 1.20 --- Mar 7, 1993 - Multiple disk support. Enhancements.
Version 1.20R--- Nov 8, 1993 - 34 line SFFILE.DAT.
Version 1.30 --- Jan 31, 1994 - Offline requests, database, ZIP files.
Version 1.30h--- Apr 2, 1994 - Various bug fixes and test versions.
Version 1.30i--- Oct 8, 1994 - Multi-tagging, Spitfire 3.5.
Version 2.00 --- Nov 27, 1994 - Internal protocols, Fossil, DigiBoard.
Version 2.10 --- May 31, 1995 - AutoMenu, Disk Detect, List Maker.
Version 2.20 --- Jan 14, 1996 - Spitfire 3.51. Disk detect enhance.
Each of these was a FREE upgrade to all registered users.
*******************************************************************
OTHER PROGRAMS BY MIKE ROBINSON:
* Multi-Call Callback Verify Door for any BBS *
Multi-CALL is a callback verify door for any DOS BBS that creates
DOOR.SYS, DORINFOx.DEF, SFDOORS.DAT. It supports a plain UART, FOSSIL
driver, or DigiBoard. It drops carrier and then calls the user back.
It can then increase the caller security level and/or increase the
time online. DIRECT SUPPORT (read and write) for the following BBS
types: Wildcat 3.x & 4.x, PCBoard, Spitfire, RemoteAccess, ProBoard,
Maximus 2.x & 3.x, TAG, TriBBS All screens/messages/prompts can be
customized for any language. Flexible phone number format for use in
any country. Allow or disallow long-distance calls. Limit access by
phone number, calls per day, time of day, and security level.
Optional hangup after callback. Special support for Wildcat and
Maximus word style security level names such as LIMITED, SYSOP, etc.
Writes to 4 different log files: BBS log, MultiCall log, log of calls
today, and log of all good callbacks. Optional "fake mode" for
instant verify without callback. Optional dial number translations
for special situations. Fast online registration is only $25.
* Multi-Menu Door for any BBS *
MultiMenu is a menu extension door for any BBS that creates a
DOOR.SYS, DORINFOx.DEF, or SFDOORS.DAT door drop file. It uses either
a plain UART, FOSSIL driver, or DigiBoard Driver. It will work on
multi-port IO cards that utilize a shared IRQ. Up to 254 doors,
access control by security/age/baud/password, automatic display
generation, custom display screens, Ansi/Ascii graphics, optional
status line, port speed up to 115,200 bps, DESQview aware,
multi-node and network support, file sharing and locking, chat mode,
local drop to Dos, carrier detect, inactivity timeout, activity log.
Very easy to setup. Can run in local mode in the BBS or from the DOS
command line. MultiMenu exits with an ErrorLevel which is then used
in a batch file to pass control to the selected external door or
other program. Fast online registration is only $20.00.
* EZ-ROM CD-ROM Door for ANY BBS using DOOR.SYS or DORINFOx.DEF *
EZ-ROM is based on the same base source code as SF-ROM. It is
designed for use on any BBS that can create the standard door drop
file DOOR.SYS or the DORINFOx.DEF door drop file. The configuration,
file format, and appearance is exactly the same as SF-ROM. Whenever
new features are added, they appear simultaneously in new releases of
both SF-ROM and EZ-ROM. The revision numbering scheme is the same so,
for example, SF-ROM 2.20 is the equivalent of EZ-ROM 2.20. So if you
run Spitfire BBS, get SF-ROM. All other BBS types should use EZ-ROM.
Includes special support for PCBoard, Wildcat 3.x & 4.x, ProBoard,
RemoteAccess, Maximus 2.x & 3.x, TAG, and TriBBS 10.x. Updates the
BBS user database with the number of files/bytes downloaded.
Fast online registration is only $30.00.
*******************************************************************
The latest versions of all my programs can be downloaded from either
node of my BBS or any of the following locations:
America Online .... Computing, TeleCom Forum, BBS Doors library
CompuServe ........ GO PCBBS, BBS Doors
Internet .......... users.aol.com ( directory TheMikeRob/pub )
Internet .......... ftp.coast.net ( directory Simtel/msdos/bbsdoor )
Both Internet sites allow anonymous ftp file transfer.
The Simtel site is "mirrored" at dozens of sites around the world.
The file names are sfromxxx.zip, ezromxxx.zip, mcallxxx.zip,
mmenuxxx.zip. The "xxx" symbolizes the version number.
You can also REGISTER on CompuServe using GO SWREG number 6581.
The Soft Parade BBS - Shelton Connecticut USA
Home of the EZ-ROM, SF-ROM, Multi-CALL and Multi-MENU Doors.
Node 1 203-924-5603 FidoNet 1:141/485 General Public Access
Node 2 203-922-1794 FidoNet 1:141/486 Shareware Support Only
File Request SFROM, EZROM, MCALL, MMENU for latest versions.
File Request SFROM.NEW, EZROM.NEW, MCALL.NEW, MMENU.NEW text file.
Internet ......... TheMikeRob@aol.com
America Online ... TheMikeRob
CompuServe........ 102363.2051
*******************************************************************
PKZIP archive security notice for this archive should read:
Authentic files Verified! # FEZ251
MICHAEL N. ROBINSON