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1997-02-01
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This manual covers versions from PT-1.04 to PT-109M.
PACKTALK - PBBS uses SOFTWARE FLOW CONTROL.
A three wire hookup is all that is necessary. If you find you are having
speed related problems slow your computer down. This software is designed to
run on a 286 XT, AT.
If you MUST run the computer at a faster speed make sure that you
open the com ports to at least 9600 baud. Also, PACKTALK should not print
more than 1 line per second to the TNC when doing an UP or DOWNLOAD otherwise
you will loose data. This can be controlled by the settings of the parameters
in line 1 and 23 of the PBBS.CNF file. Set in increments of 5 until you get
the proper speed. Set for a little slower than 1 line per second to be safe.
IF YOU HAVE PT-109J OR HIGHER, PARAMETERS 1 & 23 DO NOT APPLY!!!
PACKTALK is written in COMPILED BASIC and needs BRUN45.EXE run time
module in order for it to work. Do not use any file compression programs
on any of the files associated with this software. PACKTALK IS NOT GUARANTEED
TO WORK WITH ANY DOS ABOVE 3.3 OR WITH ANY TNC OTHER THAN A KANTRONICS!
If you make the GATEWAY available to your users keep this in mind. When
a user accesses the Gateway, the USERS callsign is the one that will be used
on the Gateway, NOT the call of the PBBS.
The first thing to do after acquiring PACKTALK is to make a directory
called PACKTALK and copy ALL files into the PACKTALK directory.
**** The EXE files ****
=============
PACKTALK EXE [ the terminal program ( see note below ) ]
PBBS EXE [ the BBS program ]
GATEWAY EXE [ the gateway routine when user enters a <G> ]
REVFWD EXE [ used to manually poll a PBBS for mail ]
BRUN45 EXE [ the run time module ]
EDITOR EXE [ an extremely good text editor ]
MFWD EXE [ mail forwarding routine ]
MFWDAUX EXE [ mail forwarding routine for alternate connects ]
MAKFILE EXE [ to auto make dir/files out of messages ]
PAKMSGS EXE [ packs up the messages for compressed forwarding ]
UNPAKMSG EXE [ unpacks the compressed message file ]
INVERT EXE [ invert the MESSAGE.DAT file for making 'Mail for:' ]
DS EXE [ sorts the files in all the directories ]
The last page will contain a list off ALL the files that come with the
PACKTALK - PBBS package. (PT-109K.EXE & PT-109KS.EXE).
Page 2
You will have to make any directories for the PBBS. These are the
DIRECTORIES that are displayed when a user sends a <W> to the BBS.
At this point you can make the necessary directories needed to RUN the
pgm. Create these directories from the ROOT of your hard drive:
MSG
BBS
BBS\LOG
BBS\HOME <If your using PT-109J and above PT will create these>
BBS\NAME <directories the first time you run it>.
BBS\DATABASE
BBS\MFWD
BBS\STATS
BBS\MFR
ANY additional directories needed for USER downloads will be made as sub-
directories of the BBS directory, ie.:
BBS\PGMS
BBS\BASIC <these you must create yourself>.
BBS\MODS
* ALL directories must have in them an ASCII representation of the directory
except for the MSG directory. You can create these ASCII directories in 2
ways, 1 by running the pgm. SORTBBS or by going into each and every dir.
and typing DIR>DIR. DS.COM is used to sort the directories and should be
used before creating the ASCII directories manually by typing from the
ROOT dir. DS N/S. If you use SORTBBS.EXE this step is not necessary.
If someone is on the PBBS and they send a W or a W directoryname and
the pgm. sends back a prompt, no such directory exists and you know that it
does it is probably because you did not create the ASCII representation file
for that directory. When a file is uploaded to a directory PACKTALK will sort
the directory and then create a NEW ASCII directory for that directory, so
once you set it up properly you no longer need to maintain it. To find out
what the PBBS can do access it your self and download the BBS-CMDS.DOC file
which you should have put in the BBS directory also you should have HELP.BBS
and SHELP.BBS in the BBS directory.
>>>>>> THE ABOVE FOR PT-103 AND LOWER ONLY!
You may operate this PBBS as a CLOSED system. This means that only
stations that are in your MFWD.BBS file will be able to connect. This is
a parameter that you set in the PBBS.CNF file. The options you have are
OPEN or CLOSED.
The following is an EXAMPLE of what the PBBS.CNF file consists of
with explanations. EDIT the real file before attempting to run PT using
EDITOR.EXE included in this package.
Page 3 Example of the PBBS.CNF file.
0 <not used, but do not leave blank>.
9600,N,8,1 <9600 baud for PT-104 and higher, 2400 baud for lower>.
N3DFD <your call, no SSID's>.
N3DFD-4 <the call that will be assigned to the TNC, SSID ok>.
*** CONNECTED
*** DISCONNECTED
JUNK.TXT <default file name for downloads, may include path>.
TNC=2 <if you are utilizing more than COM1, if not then TNC=1>.
SOUND=Y <or 'SOUND=N'>.
CONOK OFF <setting for TERMINAL mode, PBBS will always be CONOK ON>.
BEACON E 240 <for tnc 1>.
BEACON E 120 <for tnc 2>.
BT PACKTALK, Version 1.09K by N3DFD. <this will be changed as you get mail>.
CT Accessing PBBS, please wait.. <for PBBS mode, changed when in TERMINAL>.
U PBBS < unproto >
TXD 75 <you can use this setting for any parameter you want>.
K <K for Kantronics, O for other. Sends RESET or RESTART to TNC>.
20 45 <times within any given hour to forward mail, up to 3 entries>.
F3 to Exit..<line 25 prompt for PBBS ready mode, no longer than 20 chrs>.
[PBBS back on line]. <sent over the air when returning to PBBS ready mode>
TIMER/S <the command to run your timer pgm. ,to set the computers clock>.
*** eof
Z <this will allow compressed BINARY forwarding with another PT-109K-BBS>.
Please enter your HOME PBBS, (where you get mail). ie., (NH N3DFD).
361 <time out for PBBS in seconds>.
Phila., Pa. <keep short as possible as this is used in your R: header>.
19124. <your zip code>.
- (B,CB,D,F,FS,G,H,HA,I,J,JH,K,L,N,NH,R,S,T,U,V,W,WH,X,?,)>
[You have mail, use <RM> to read it and <KM> to kill it].
thanks for connecting, ya'll come back now, hea! < signoff text >
===> [Timeout] <=== <prompt sent when PBBS times out>.
Please stand by... <prompt for Talk mode, PBBS>.
18 19 20 21 22 23 <download prohibit hours for files over 25k>.
N3DFD N3FOA WB3EUF <list of remote SYSOPS>.
144.990 <COM1 freq.>.
29.2500 <COM2 freq.>.
15 <amount of things a user can do on the pbbs before kick off>.
Y <limit MAIL FOR Btext to CALL signs only>.
No - already have that BID.
No - don't want it.
You are being denied access to this PBBS at this time! <jerk text>.
NOCALL PK232 <jerk list>. (lids)
PA.USA.NA <your "H" address for the R: headers>.
OPEN <OPEN or CLOSED BBS, if CLOSED then BBS connects only>.
*** eof
### DISCONNECTED
FAIL < prompts that you get back >
RETRY < from the various nodes. >
LINK MADE
> CONNECTED < you may edit them if needed. >
CONNECTED
Y <if N then all messages will be forwarded without the R: headers>.
Page 4
**** REMOTE SYSOP ****
============
REMOTE SYSOP: You can place up to 5 callsigns in the PBBS.CNF file
and these will have remote sysop privileges. PT-109K and higher can require
a REMOTE SYSOP to enter a password before given privileges. This will be
explained later in this documentation.
By a call being in the PBBS.CNF file as a remote sysop the first thing
this allows is that when that particular person when connected to your PBBS
will be able to see private messages, he will be able to kill ANY message,
He will also be able to over write existing files in your directories, kill
files in any directory, create new ASCII directories in any directory
on any drive, he can up and download files to and from ANY directory on ANY
drive, so be careful who you give privileges to. He can also shut your system
completely down. By creating an ASCII directory in the ROOT directory, then
downloading that ASCII directory he will have a full map of your disk layout.
Can you see the possibility? To find what the remote commands send a X and
you will get the menu listed below:
Summary of SYSOP commands for the PBBS
[LF] ------- Used to see what mail is left to be forwarded.
[STATS] ---- Used to download the daily STATS file, who con. and did what.
[DEL STATS] Used to kill the STATS file.
[DD xxxxx] - Use to delete a 'user' DIR, ie., <DD AMSAT>.
[*] -------- Used to see how many messages on the PBBS.
[XD] ------- Used to download files, ie., <XD C:\BBS\MFWD\BID.NUM>.
[XU] ------- Used to upload a file, ie., <XU C:\BBS\MFWD\REJECT.BBS>.
[XX] ------- Used to toggle expert mode (SYSOP ONLY).
[SHELL] ---- Used to shell a pgm, ie., <SHELL SORTBBS>.
[DIR] ------ Used to create an ASCII dir. ie., <DIR C:\WORK>.
[DEL] ------ Used to delete a file, ie., <DEL C:\WORK\M.AA>.
[KF xx-xx]-- Used to kill messages, ie., <KF 30-70>.
[KS] ------- Used to kill messages, ie., <KS AMSAT>.
[K ALL ----- Used to kill ALL messages, ie; <K ALL>.
[PURGE] ---- Used to PURGE the PBBS, ie., <PURGE>.
[PS xxxxx] - Used to reset tnc parameter, ie., <PS TXDELAY 50)
[CREATE] --- Used to create a .BAT file that will be executed as soon as
you complete it. Type CREATE and then follow the prompts.
[*** SHUTDOWN ] -- Used to shutdown the PBBS. Not recoverable by SYSOP.
***** C A U T I O N *****
=============
The SHELL command may be used remotely but be careful with it.
if you SHELL a .BAT file or a pgm. that at any time requires keyboard
input your stuck. Presumably you won't be there to press any keys.
Example of the SHELL command usage: SHELL DO.BAT When the task is
completed you will get the prompt back, Completed!
Page 5
*** FORWARDING ***
==========
PACKTALK can forward BULLETINS to as many BBS's you want to, just
enter callsigns in the MFWD.BBS file. It can forward messages addressed to
a specific call sign as long as they are entered in the MFWD.BBS file. You
can enter any amount of calls you wish to forward to.
The first thing you will need to do to set up the BBS for auto-forwarding
is to create a file in the directory you are running PACKTALK from and name
it MFWD.BBS. This file will contain the call signs of the stations you
will forward to, the PRIMARY BBS is POSITION SENSITIVE and has to be the last
entry in the file, this is normally the PBBS that FORWARDS TO YOU. If you get
a message and it can not go in any other PBBS's slot then it will always go
to the last PBBS in the MFWD.BBS file. It can forward either on COM1 or COM2
ports. Forwarding on COM2 is determined by the PORT2.BBS file.
Following is an example of what the MFWD.BBS file will look like:
KA2EZN ALLBBS ALLUSA ALLUS AMSAT N3FVG NO2V NJNET
WA3TSW ALLBBS MDCBBS EPA SEPA PHILA
N3FOA ALLBBS ALLUSA PANET N3FVG N3INY AMSAT ARRL .CA .OR
N3ACL ALLBBS ALLUSA MDCBBS ATLDIV
123456789 <not part of the file>.
NOTICE: all the text following the callsign begins at location 8 on the
line. THIS IS VITAL for the file to work as PACKTALK at times reads only the
first 6 characters to compare it to other strings.
The text following the callsigns are the distribution designators,
(the @BBS field) and there can be as many on the line as you need. The line
can be up to 32k long, (an unbroken line, meaning no CR/LF except at the
end of the line). In the first example, if a message came in for N3FVG, it
would be forwarded to KA2EZN, etc... This file is kept in the \PACKTALK
directory with another file you create called FWD.TIM. In this file, on a
single line you place the hours your BBS will be allowed to forward. For
example, here is what the FWD.TIM file might look like;
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13
During the hours that are in this file, your BBS will forward mail.
If you desire to forward 24 hours a day then put an * anywhere on the line.
If you don't create this file PACKTALK will create it automatically and
place a single * in the file and nothing else. This file works in conjunction
with entry #18 you made in the PBBS.CNF file.
Page 6
Now you must create the CONNECT files and they will be put in the
\BBS\MFR directory. The name of the file will be the callsign of the BBS
you are forwarding to and the extension .CON. Here is an example of a few:
N3ACL.CON, WA3TSW.CON, N3FOA.CON. What you place in these files is the
connect request you would normally type to connect to a station, ie;
C N3FOA, You may place as many connect requests as you need, for example,
if you wanted to connect to WA3TSW via a node you would on the first line
place the connect request to the node and on the second line the connect
request to WA3TSW. Following is an example of what the file would look like:
C WA3YUE-1
C WA3TSW
That's all there is to it, just remember you MUST have a correspon-
ding .CON file for every BBS you list in the MFWD.BBS file.
>>>>>> See end of .DOC file for info on AUX connect paths (PT-109K) <<<<<<<
The MFWD.BBS and FWD.TIM files can be edited from the program. As
messages come in they are put into files corresponding to the callsigns you
have listed in your MFWD.BBS file. For example if a bulletin comes in to
ALL @ ALLBBS, its corresponding number will be put into a file with the
callsign of a BBS you forward to and the extension .MFD. ie; N3CAL.MFD
The .MFD files are created as messages come in and will have only
1 number on each line. These files also can be edited from the terminal mode
if necessary with the ALT-F function.
WARNING! There must NEVER be a blank line in any file pertaining to this
PBBS and also there must never be a blank line as the LAST line in any
file. PT-104 will read all lines in a file and if any are blank this will
leave a string variable in the software blank and that will cause problems.
Also kept in the \BBS\MFR directory is a file named in numerals,
representing the day and an extension .MSG. This is a permanent record of
the messages that are forwarded and to what BBS. This file can also be
accessed by the ALT-F function. Any messages that are not forwarded due to
not having a bid number are listed in a file named NO-BID.MSG and can be
viewed by the ALT-F function. This file is not automatically reduced so it
can grow quite large over a period of time.
ALL private messages are backed up in the \BBS\MFWD directory and
are periodically archived into a ARCHIVED file with the first name being
the month and the extension .MSG. This way there can only be 12 files at
any given time.
If for one reason or another you need to abort the MF routine, just
hit the ENTER key. [not a good practice, only do this if necessary].
Page 7
PACKTALK will handle "H" addresses. Addresses are kept in a file named
ADDRS.BBS. This file is kept in the \BBS\MFWD directory. PACKTALK will now
keep this file updated. Here is a sample of an entry: WA3ABC.PA.USA.NA.
PACKTALK also supports BID's and MID's.
You can have your BBS reject any type of message you wish by entering
the type of message in a file named \BBS\MFWD\REJECT.MSG. For example if you
wanted to reject messages addressed to @AMSAT you would enter AMSAT into the
REJECT.MSG file. You can also have PACKTALK reject messages from a particular
call by entering the persons call sign in the file also. Each entry on a
separate line.
If you wish to have PACKTALK hold the mail instead of forwarding it
automatically you can do this by entering the terminal mode and press ALT-M
and you will be prompted if you want to hold the mail. If you enter Y to the
prompt it will put the mail on hold.
The BID numbers (BULLETIN IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS) for bulletins are
kept in the \BBS\MFWD directory in a file named BID.NUM. Packtalk keeps the
last 4k of BIDS in it at all times, there is no need to do anything to this
file.
PACKTALK keeps all of the R: headers in each message although
the user will not see them. What this does is when a message is read the
program uses the R: headers to show the user the PATH that the message took
to get to your BBS. Here is an example of what it may look like:
PATH: N3FOA!N3DFD!WA3TSW!WB3JOE!
FORWARDING TO TNC MAILBOXES: You no longer need to do anything about that,
just put the persons callsign in the MFWD.BBS file, make up a .CON file for
it in the \BBS\MFR directory and that's all there is to it. PT-104 will
know if it's a tnc's mailbox or a regular PBBS. If you want to forward
more than just personal messages to him then place the categories on the
same line as his call sign, ie; AMSAT, ALLBBS, ARRL, etc...
WARNING: If you forward BULLETINS to these new TNC mailboxes there is the
chance that the TNC mailbox will forward them back to you, WITHOUT BID
NUMBERS. If it's an older mailbox this won't happen.
If PACKTALK doesn't find a BID number for a BULLETIN that it is attempting
to forward, it will NOT forward that BULLETIN.
MORE ON 'H' ADDRESSING FURTHER ON IN THIS MANUAL.
Page 8
*** PACKTALK UTILITIES ***
==================
RENUM.EXE ----- Used to renumber messages.
BUBBS.EXE -- Used to backup the entire PBBS on to another
hard drive ONLY! (mirror backup).
SORTBBS.EXE -- Used to sort all the directories associated
with the PBBS and create a new ASCII directory
in each directory.
CHANGE.EXE -- Used to automatically alter the TO and AT
fields in the MESSAGE.DAT file and delete old
messages set by the LIMIT.MSG file.
SERVER1.EXE -- Used to remove duplicate and bad 'H' addresses
from the ADDRESS.BBS and ADDRS.BBS files that
are kept in the \BBS\MFWD directory. This pgm.
can be run automatically by inserting the com-
mand in the OPTION.BAT file which is run once
a day at 7pm.
ALL the above support pgms. for PACKTALK must be available to MS-DOS by
the PATH command. It's probably a good idea to keep all these pgms. in
the \PACKTALK directory.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**** RENUM.EXE ****
===========
A word about RENUM.EXE. This is a separate program that you
must run from DOS. What this pgm does is RENUMBERS your messages
that are in the PBBS. BTRENUM MUST be in the PACKTALK directory .
After you do a renumber you can move RENUM.EXE to any place you like to
store it until the next time you need it. The highest message number allowed
is 99999.
All the messages and the MESSAGE.DAT file are kept in a directory
named \MSG, off the ROOT directory of the hard drive that you installed the
program on. Also kept in this directory is the MESSAGE.CNT file that keeps
track of the message numbers.
NOTE: CHANGE.EXE and SERVER1.EXE are part of the PACKTALK.EXE file for
versions 1.05 and above.
Page 9
The following files are to be kept in the same directory you are running
PACKTALK from.
PORT2 .BBS [ BBS's that you forward to on port 2, see note below ]
GATEWAY .HLP [ text sent to user going into the Gateway ]
DBASE .INF [ see note below ]
TNCPARMS.SET [ parms to set up TNC, ALT-L ]
LOGO .TXT [ displayed upon boot up of program ]
INFO .TXT [ the info about your system, "I" command ]
SIGNON .TXT [ text sent to the user accessing the BBS ]
MFWD .BBS [ this file controls the mail forwarding ]
PBBS .CNF [ this is how the BBS is setup to run ]
BTRENUM .EXE [ renumbers messages, optional ]
PORT2.BBS note: ENTER 1 PBBS per line only, no SSID's, Example follows:
WB3EUF
N3DFD
KA2EZN
===> NOTE: See page 27 for documentation on PT-109-E and using SUB ports.
LIMIT.MSG note: the default file will be as follows:
SYSOP
NONE
NONE
NO KILL
250
This can be set up for anything in the TO field and you may have it delete the
message after it has been copied into the BBS\DATABASE directory. It can be
very handy if you want to take a poll. When you send a bulletin you would
have replies sent to POLL @ N3DFD and setup the LIMIT.MSG file as follows:
POLL
whatever other TO field you want here.
whatever other TO field you want here.
KILL
250
Any message addressed to POLL will be copied into the BBS\DATABASE directory
then message will be killed and be removed from the MESSAGE.DAT file.
The number 250 in the LIMIT.MSG file determines the number of messages
CHANGE.EXE will allow on the PBBS. When that number is reached CHANGE will
KILL the oldest messages up to that number. If you wish to PROTECT any msg.
from being killed place a * after the DATE in the MESSAGES.DAT file for that
message. You may edit this number to be any number up to 505.
Page 10
The following files are to be kept in the \BBS\MFWD directory.
ADDRS BBS [PACKTALK now compiles this file]
ADDRESS BBS [for mail addressing and the CALL BOOK feature].
CHANGE TO [ optional ]
CHANGE AT [ optional ]
REJECT MSG [ optional ]
The following should be kept in the \BBS directory:
SHELP.BBS
HELP.BBS
BBS-CMDS.DOC
This is the directory the user sees when he sends a W to the BBS.
==============================================================================
**** TERMINAL MODE ****
=============
There is one menu that may be brought up by
entering ALT-H in the terminal mode only.
Here is a list of the keys and their function:
ALT-Z [ copy a message into a directory to use as a file ]
ALT-F [ clean MFWD.BBS file, DELETES ALL MESSAGE NUMBERS ]
ALT-M [ to put mail on or off HOLD / to force mail forwarding ]
ALT-N [ reverse polling to BBS for mail forward ]
ALT-C [ to clear screen ]
ALT-E [ to activate CHANGE.EXE ]
ALT-R [ access DR.COM to read messages in the \MSG dir. ]
ALT-J [ calls up EDITOR.EXE to edit the MFWD.BBS file ]
ALT-P [ toggles dual screen when running dual ports only ]
ALT-L [ upload parms to TNC ]
ALT-X [ view/kill STATS files ]
ALT-B [ message thief ]
HOME [ toggle between COM ports ]
PgUp [ to upload a file ]
PgDn [ to download a file to disk ]
Page 11
At the bottom of the screen in the terminal mode there is a
list showing the function of the F keys. Listed below is a run down on
what they do.
F-1 < to set path and file name for download >
F-2 < shells to DOS, type EXIT to return to program >
F-3 < toggle between the TERMINAL and PBBS READY MODE >
F-4 < to access your BBS >
F-5 < calls up DR.COM to read files >
F-6 < filter the headers, on the bottom of the screen shows the HEADERS >
F-7 < calls up EDITOR.EXE, you name the path and file >
F-8 < shows who connected to the BBS, STACK and DATA space left >
F-9 < does a hard disconnect and restores screen >
F-10 < calls up EDITOR.EXE to edit the MESSAGE.FWD file >
F-8 note:
the program will delete the WHO.CON
file after date change and somebody connects to the PBBS.
=============================================================================
At this point it might be a good idea to bring up the editor and
edit the SIGNON.TXT file. (no more than three lines, each line followed by a
carriage return except the last line). and then create or edit the INFO.TXT
file. This is the file that is read when an I is sent to the BBS.
Page 12
***** Final Comments ****
==============
Don't forget, you will need BRUN45.EXE for the program to run.
You may keep it in the PACKTALK directory or any directory covered by
your PATH command.
Anyway, that's about it, so hope you can get the thing up and running
with out too much difficulty. There are a few here in this area who have
been running PACKTALK for some time now so just about all the bugs are out of
the software. This software runs perfectly with any TNC.
PACKTALK.EXE uses SOFTWARE FLOW CONTROL, so set your TNC parms accordingly.
If you have any problems you might try running SORTBBS.EXE before
running PACKTALK and after you create all the directories and subdirectories you
need.
ALWAYS use the RUN.BAT file to load and run PACKTALK as the RUN.BAT
file sets a few DOS conditions.
==============================================================================
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
==============================================================================
Any support pgms. for PACKTALK you do not have may be obtained from
the N3DFD PBBS on 144.990/29.2500 Mhz. in Philadelphia or from:
The Software Exchange Xpo (S.E.X)
912 E. Ramona Ave.
Phila. Pa. 19124.
de N3DFD (Joe).
=============================================================================
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
=============================================================================
NOTICE: Whatever TNC is used, the following MUST be observed:
The TNC must NOT send added LINE FEEDS to the computer. Carriage return &
line feed must be appended to each outgoing packet. ALL time and date
stamping must be turned OFF. DO NOT SET UP YOUR TNC FOR "BLOCK TRANSMISSION
OF PACKETS". Streamswitch must be set for $00. These are all parameters set
by your tnc but all tnc's don't use the same name for the particular parm.
in question, that's why this explanation!
Page 13
TNC parameter settings for the AEA tnc's for running PACKTALK.
COMMAND MNEMONIC DEFAULT FUNCTION
_______ ________ ____________________ ________________________________
8BITCONV 8B ON Strip bit 7 in CONVERSE
ABAUD AB 110 baud ASCII baud rate
ACRDISP ACRD 256 OR 0 Screen width
ACRPACK ACRP ON Add <CR> to packet
ACRRTTY ACRR 71 Auto <CR> column in RTTY
ALFDISP ALFD OFF Send LF after <CR> to terminal
ALFPACK ALFP ON Send LF after <CR>, packet
AWLEN AW 8 Data bits per word, to terminal
AX25L2V2 A ON Operate as AX.25 Version 1.0
AXDELAY AXD 0 (zero) Repeater key-up delay (X ms)
AXHANG AXH 0 (zero) Repeater hang time (X10 ms)
BKONDEL BK OFF Send BS SP BS for DELETE char.
CANLINE CAN $18 <CTRL-X> LINE DELETE character
CANPAC CANP $19 <CTRL-Y> PACKET DELETE character
CASEDISP CAS 0 Display case; as is/lower/upper
CBELL CB OFF Enable "Connect" bell
CCITT CC ON Select CCITT ITA#2 or US Baudot
CFROM CF Empty Connect request/accept list
CHCALL CHC OFF Show call sign after channel ID
CHDOUBLE CHD OFF Show CHSWITCH character twice
CHECK CH 30 Idle link timeout (X10 seconds)
CHSWITCH CHS $00 Channel-select (Link) character
CMDTIME CM 1 Transparent Mode escape timer
CMSG CMS ON Send CTEXT message to caller
COMMAND COM $03 <CTRL-C> Character escape to COMMAND Mode
CONMODE CONM CONVERSE Mode to enter when link starts
CONPERM CONP OFF Never disconnect this link
CONSTAMP CONS OFF Mark connections with time/date
CPACTIME CP OFF Use packet timeout in Converse
DAYSTAMP DAYS OFF Include DATE in time-stamp
DAYTIME DA None Set/read PK-232 internal clock
DCDCONN DC OFF RS-232 Pin 8 follows "CON" LED
DELETE DEL OFF Use BS ($08), not DEL ($7F)
DFROM DF Empty Digipeat call sign list
DWAIT DW 16 Delay for digi repeat (X10 ms)
ECHO E OFF Echo typed keyboard characters
ESCAPE ES OFF Send ESC character $1B as $24
FLOW F ON Stop echo to screen while typing
FRACK FR 4 Time (X1 sec) to wait for ACK
FULLDUP FU OFF Full-Duplex terminal operation
HEADERLN HE ON Insert <CR> after headers
HID HI OFF Send ID UI packet every 9.5 mins
HOST HOST OFF Host/terminal interface
HPOLL HPOLL OFF Host poll, packet mode
ILFPACK IL OFF Ignore linefeeds in packet xmit
Page 14
MAXFRAME MAX 7 Maximum un-ACK'd frames allowed
MBX MB none Monitor channel without headers
MCON MC 0 (zero) Monitor while connected (0-6)
MDIGI MD OFF Monitor digipeated frames
MFILTER MFI $80 Filter received characters
MFROM MF Empty Monitor MFROM call signs
MONITOR M 4 Monitor mode level select (0-6)
MRPT MR ON Show digipeaters in headers
MSTAMP MS OFF Time-stamp monitored frames
MTO MT Empty Monitor MTO call signs
MYALIAS MYA none Alternate MYCALL
MYALTCAL MYALT Empty Alternate AMTOR SELCAL
MYCALL MY PK232; enter yours Your call sign for packet adrs
NEWMODE NE ON Return to Command mode at DISC
NOMODE NO OFF Never switch modes
NUCR NU OFF Nulls to terminal after <CR>
NULF NUL OFF Nulls to terminal after <LF>
NULLS NULL 0 (zero) Number of nulls for NUCR & NULF
PACLEN PACL 0 # of user-typed bytes in packet
PACTIME PACT AFTER 10 Packet transmit timer (X100 ms)
PARITY PAR 0 Parity, none/odd/none/even
PASS PAS $16 <CTRL-V> Pass input editing character
PASSALL PASSA OFF Ignore CRC in HDLC ("Junk Mode")
RAWHDLC RAW NO Raw HDLC Mode
RECEIVE REC $04 <CTRL-D> Receive-mode character in text
REDISPLA RED $12 <CTRL-R> Re-display current input buffer
RELINK REL OFF Reconnect after retrying out
RESET RESET Immediate Command RESET bbRAM to factory defaults
RESPTIME RES 10 Minimum delay before sending ACK
RESTART RESTART Immediate Command Same as power-on/off reset
RETRY RE 10 Maximum number of frame repeats
RXREV RXR OFF Reverse received data sense
SENDPAC SE $0D <CTRL-M> Character that "sends" a packet
SQUELCH SQ OFF Select receiver squelch polarity
START STA $11 <CTRL-Q> Resume sending data to terminal
STOP STO $13 <CTRL-S> Stop sending data to terminal
TBAUD TB 9600 baud Set terminal data rate
TIME TI $14 <CTRL-T> Insert "send time" in text
TRFLOW TRF OFF Terminal flow ctrl - Transparent
TRIES TRI 0 (zero) Show or force retry count
TXDELAY TXD 75 PTT key-to-data delay (X ms)
TXFLOW TXF ON PK232 flow control - Transparent
UNPROTO U CQ Path/address to send UI frames
USERS US 1 # of multi-connections allowed
USOS USO ON RTTY "unshift on space"
VHF V ON Packet - wide or narrow shift
XFLOW XF ON Software flow control
XMIT X Immediate Command Start transmission - key PTT
XMITOK XMITO ON PTT line can be keyed
XOFF XO $13 <CTRL-S> Stop sending data to terminal
XON XON $11 <CTRL-Q> Resume sending data to terminal
Page 15
TNC-PARMS for the KANTRONICS TNC's.
8BITCONV ON
ABAUD 9600
ALIAS OFF
AUTOLF ON
AXDELAY 0
AXHANG 0
BBSMSGS ON
BKONDEL OFF
CANLINE $18
CANPAC $19
CCITT OFF
CHECK 24
CMDTIME 1
CMSG ON
COMMAND $03
CONLIST OFF
CONMODE CONVERS
CONOK OFF
CPACTIME OFF
CR ON
CSTAMP OFF
DAYUSA ON
DBLDISC OFF
DELETE $08
DIGIPEAT OFF
DWAIT 1
ECHO OFF
ESCAPE OFF
EXCARDET OFF
FLOW ON
FILTER ON
FRACK 5
FULLDUP OFF
HEADERLN ON
HID OFF
KISSMODE OFF
KNTIMER 3
LCOK ON
LCSTREAM ON
LFADD OFF
Page 16
MALL ON
MAXFRAME 7
MAXUSERS 1
MCON OFF
MCOM ON
MODEMENA OFF
MRESP ON
MRPT ON
MSTAMP OFF
NDMON OFF
NEWMODE ON
NOMODE OFF
NUCR 0
NULF 0
PACLEN 0
PACTIME AFTER 1
PARITY 4
PASS $16
PASSALL OFF
PERSIST 255
PID OFF
REDISPLA $12
RELINK OFF
RESPTIME 1
RETRY 10
RNRTIME 0
SCREENL 0
SENDPAC $0D
SLOTTIME 1
START $11
STATSHRT OFF
STOP $13
STREAMSW $00
STREAMCA OFF
STREAMDB OFF
STREAMEV OFF
SUPLIST BOTH
SWDETENA OFF
TRFLOW OFF
TRIES 0
TXDELAY 75
TXFLOW ON
USERS 1
XFLOW ON
XMITOK ON
XOFF $13
XON $11
Page 17 Latest improvements:
*** CHANGE..EXE, Version 1.0.4. ***
CHANGE will now provide FULL maintenance of your PBBS and is part
of the PACKTALK.EXE file for versions 104 and higher. (no longer seperate).
To change the TO or AT fields you need to create 2 files for the
\BBS\MFWD dir. CHANGE.TO and CHANGE.AT. Here is a sample CHANGE.TO file:
old new <----> (not part of the file).
SAT -AMSAT
4SALE -SALE
WANT -WANTED
NOTE: The first 6 characters MUST be used even if the entry is not
6 characters long. The - will ALWAYS be the 7th character. This applies to
both files.
On every day then ends with the number 1 or 5 CHANGE will repair and
remove dupes from the ADDRESS files in the \BBS\MFWD directory and every so
often will ARCHIVE the backed up messages that are stored there.
If you look at your LIMIT.MSG file, which CHANGE reads every time it
is activated, you will see a new entry. The last entry will be a number.
The default is 250. This number represents the number of messages CHANGE
will allow in the \MSG directory. If, for example, you have the number set
to 50, and you have 100 messages on your BBS, CHANGE will delete the first
50 messages on the BBs, leaving you with 50 messages. The highest number of
messages permitted in the \MSG directory is about 508. This is dictated by
MS-DOS which will not allow more than 512 files in a directory (hard disk),
for floppy disk the max number is 112.
CHANGE will not affect any messages that have not been forwarded or
any messages with your call sign in the TO, AT or FROM field.
IF YOU MANUALLY RUN CHANGE AND THE MESSAGE COUNT DOES NOT EXCEED THE LIMIT
YOU HAVE PLACED IN THE LIMIT.MSG FILE BY 3, CHANGE WILL NOT DO ANYTHING.
You may PROTECT any message from being killed by CHANGE by entering
a * after the date in the MESSAGE.DAT file for the message you want to
protect. ANY message with your call in it will not be killed by CHANGE.
With these new additions to CHANGE you do not have to do any
maintenance to your PBBS at all except when your last message number gets
to 99999. Then you must renumber your messages with the RENUM.EXE pgm.
This new version of CHANGE.EXE still does what the older version
does and also takes care of the ADDRS.BBS and ADDRESS.BBS files such as
removing bad addresses and removing dupes, etc.
Page 18 Latest improvements:
Here are some of the new features for PACKTALK-104.
From the PBBS if you enter a * you can get a count of the messages
on the PBBS.
All bulletins when read by a user will now be tagged at the end of
the message. The tag will tell the user how to address any replies to the
bulletin. If a bulletin does not contain a callsign in the BID number assigned
to it the message will not be tagged, however the PATH: line is still given
and a user can glean from that how to address a reply. Messages addressed to
ARRL or from ARRL for example do not contain a call sign in the BID number
so these types of messages will not be tagged. There is no need for a user
to manually address a message with a 'H' address, however if it should
become necessary he can do so and the 'H' address will be placed in the
ADDRS.BBS file for future use.
In the PBBS ready mode if there is no activity after 30 seconds the
screen will clear. You can get the screen back by pressing F3 or if any com
port activity takes place the screen will come back. This is only active
when you are in the PBBS READY mode.
The screen buffer has been enhanced and you can save the screen
buffer to disk by pressing the END key from the TERMINAL mode. If your in
the PBBS ready mode and you press the END key the screen buffer will be
displayed but not saved to disk. The screen buffer is maintained even when
someone connects to your PBBS. The SCREEN buffer is maintained at about
20k at all times and is kept in the \PACKTALK directory.
The STATS feature keeps a record of who connects and what commands
they issue to the PBBS. The STATS file is renewed at midnight when the date
changes. From the TERMINAL mode, if you press ALT-X, you can view the STATS
file. The STATS file can also be download remotely by sending the command
STATS to the PBBS.
Page 19 Latest improvements:
If you have any problems, refer to the PACKTALK.DOC file, if you
can't resolve it then let me know... N3DFD @ N3DFD.#PHILA.PA.USA.NA
You no longer have to update any ASCII directories for your user
directories when you add new files in them for download. When ever a user
uses the W command, PT-104 creates a new ASCII directory before the dir-
ectory is accessed, however it does not SORT the directory automatically so
it's still a good idea to run the SORTBBS program every now and then.
For 'H' routing of mail edit the STATES.ABB file in the \BBS\MFWD
directory. Place 1 state abbreviation per line. ie;
CA
NY
OH
NJ
Then in the MFWD.BBS file you make the entries you need, ie; .CA,
.NY, .NJ, etc...
HOLDING A MESSAGE: If you desire to hold certain messages from being
forwarded edit the MESSAGE.HLD file. On a SINGLE LINE only, you can place
a callsign, the TO or AT field string. When PT-104 tries to forward this
message, instead of forwarding it, it will put the message number in a file
named HOLDING.MSG. If at a later date you want to forward the message just
kill the MESSAGE.HLD file and place the message number in the file of the
BBS you want to forward it to. (\BBS\MFR directory). If you have messages
that have been put on hold you will see an * preceding the MAIL NOT ON
HOLD prompt at the bottom of the screen when you are in the PBBS READY mode.
PURGING THE BBS...
If you ever desire to start your PBBS 'new' again, go into the BBS
and use the K command to kill all the messages. You do this by typing:
K 0-x , x being 1 number higher than the number of the last message on the
board. Then send a B to leave the BBS. You will then see a prompt come up
on the screen that says, Purged BBS. This action will set everything pretty
much back to the way it was the first time you ran the BBS. This action will
not effect any user directories or the ADDRESS files. You can also use the
PURGE command.
The new CALLBOOK feature for the PBBS. PACKTALK compiles a list of
'H' addresses for any user or PBBS that it gleans from the R: headers sent
with every message that is forwarded through the BBS. PACKTALK will correctly
address a message even if the user doesn't. A user can look up anybody's 'H'
address by using the CB command and following the prompts. These addresses
are kept in the ADDRES.BBS and ADDRESS.BBS files in the \BBS\MFWD directory.
Page 20
=============================================================================
Transferring BINARY files
=============================================================================
BINARY files can only be transferred between PACKTALK, BACKTALK and
the new LAP-TOP terminal software! (released in NOVEMBER of 1991).
When the receiving station sees that the file extension name ends in
.EXE, .COM or .ARC, it knows this will be a BINARY transfer and will act
accordingly. The same is true for the sending station.
Software FLOW control is used in these transfers, just as with an
ASCII transfer so the reliability of the BINARY transfer should be as good
as an ASCII transfer.
Doing a BINARY transfer using PACKTALK or BACKTALK is as easy as
doing an ASCII transfer but the files will be much shorter since the files
do not have to be converted to ASCII before transfer.
Unlike previous versions of PACKTALK, version 1.0.4 runs in the
TRANSPARENT mode, (BBS only). The terminal section of the program still
runs from the cmd: mode as does the MAILFORWARDING routines.
The only difference between version 1.0.3 and 1.0.4 is that 1.0.4
can do BINARY transfers.
Critical TNC parameters for version 1.0.4 are as follows:
PARITY 4 (for Kantronics, 0 for others) = no parity.
CMDT 1
PACTIME E 30
TRFLOW OFF all other FLOW parameters must be set to ON.
PACKTALK, version 1.0.4 should open Com ports with NO PARITY. This
is determined by the setting in the PBBS.CNF file.
If TNC's PARITY or the Com ports PARITY are set to anything other
than NONE then a BINARY transfer will not be possible.
All commands on the PBBS generally consist of a letter a space
and then the qualifier and then a Carriage Return or on some computers the
Return key. eg. N Joe<C/R) will place your name into the system as Joe.
For most of the commands if you send just the letter without any qualifier,
you will get an explanation back on the use of the command. Sending the
letter D plus <C/R> for example you will get back from the PBBS;
Use: D directoryname\filename.ext
Page 21
Summary of COMMANDS on BBS:
[B] ---------- to LOG off from BBS. (DISCONNECT). Sending the letter B plus
a carriage return will disconnect you from the PBBS.
[CB] --------- this BBS keeps a running log of 'H' addresses of anyone
who's bulletin or message passes through it. If you want to
send a message to someone and you don't know what BBS they
get their mail on, this feature may help. It will give you
the BBS's call plus the 'H' address for it. The file that
holds this information is allowed to grow to a half a million
bytes before it is reduced.
[? or H] ----- to get HELP, these instructions. Sending the ? or the letter
H will get you the Summary of commands list. (short version).
[HA] --------- to get instructions on how to address mail to be forwarded.
[F] ---------- to FIND any file on the PBBS. Send an F to the BBS and then at
the prompt you get back you can enter the first name of the
file you are looking for, eg., MORSE, MORS, MOR, CODE, COD,
etc. The shorter the string you enter the less selective the
search will be. If you entered MORSE you would get back a
listing of all the files on the BBS that has the string MORSE
in it and what directory it is in.
[L] ---------- to LIST LAST 20 messages on BBS. Sending just the letter L
will list only the last 20 messages on the PBBS. To list more
than that you can use LL #, L>, L<, LB or L ALL.
[LB] --------- to LIST only msgs. addressed to ALL. Sending LB to the PBBS
will get you a list of all the messages addressed to ALL only.
[L ALL] ------ to LIST ALL the msgs. on the BBS. Sending L ALL will get you
a list of every message on the PBBS except those that were
sent as private mail with the SP command.
[L>] --------- to FIND mail addressed to you. L> your callsign. Use this to
find a particular message or group of messages, for example,
if you saw in the BEACON that there was mail on the PBBS for
N3XYZ OR SALE, you can list only mail addressed to them by
the L> command. eg. L> SALE will get you a list of all the
mail addressed to SALE and nothing else.
[L<] --------- to FIND mail addressed from you. L< your callsign.
This command is just the opposite of the L> command, this one
will find and list mail from someone rather than to someone.
if for example you wish to see how many messages are on the
PBBS from you, you would send L< yourcallsign.
Page 22
[LC xxxxxx] -- to LIST messages by category, eg., < LC DX, LC ARRL >, etc,
This command will search the TO and @BBS fields and also
the SUBJECT field for the STRING you enter for search.
[LM] --------- to LIST msgs. addressed to you. If you have mail on the BBS,
when you first connect to the system, you will be notified
you do. It is only at this time you can use the following:
LM, RM, KM. These commands eliminate the need for you to deal
with message numbers at this point.
[LL #] ------- to LIST # of messages. This command will list the number of
messages you desire, eg. LL 7 will list the last 7 msgs.
[LT] --------- to LIST messages for TODAY only.
[I] ---------- to read INFOrmation file about this station. Sending a letter
I to the system will download to you the Information file con-
taining all the pertinent information about the PBBS system
and radio station.
[N] ---------- to put your NAME into the system. <N yourname>. This command
puts your name in the system permanently so that the system
may address you by name.
[NH] --------- to Enter your HOME PBBS into the system. This puts your home
PBBS in the system files so the sysop will know where to notify
you in the event you have mail here or he can forward it if
need be.
[R] ---------- to READ a message, <R messagenumber>, <R 5>. You may also
stack this command, for example if you wanted to read more
than 1 message you could send: <R 2 234 236 305>. This syntax
would result in the BBS sending you message 2, 234, 236 and
305 with just the one command.
[RM] --------- to READ your message(s). This applies only if you have mail on
the system. RM will read ALL your messages.
[S] ---------- to SEND a msg to someone. <S callsign>, <S N3XYZ>.
[SP] --------- to SEND PRIVATE MAIL. Use this command to send mail to
someone that you want to be private. It will be only able to
read by the sender or the person it is addressed to.
[S ALL] ------ to SEND a message or bulletin addressed to ALL. <S ALL>.
[S xxx @ xxx] to SEND a message or bulletin to another PBBS or USER at
another PBBS. eg., <SB ALL @ ALLBBS>, <S N3ABC @ W3XYZ>.
Page 23
[JH] --------- to SHOW LOG.(Who has connected to BBS).
[J] ---------- to show what stations the TNC has heard.
[G] ---------- to access the Gateway if it is available.
[KM] --------- to KILL your message(s). Kills ALL mail addressed to you.
[W] ---------- to see WHAT directories/files are on the PBBS. Files of info-
rmation and computer software are stored on the disk in SUB-
DIRectories. When you send the command W to the system, what
you get back is a list of what's in the various directories.
You may see files there and also SUB-DIRectories. A file will
have a name like, BBS-CMDS.DOC followed by its size in bytes.
If you see a name like BASIC <DIR>. then you know that BASIC
is a SUB-DIRectory and in it are probably computer pgms written
in BASIC. If you wanted to download any files that might be
there, you must first be able to see what's there and you may
do this by sending the command W BASIC and this will show you
what's in the BASIC DIRectory. then if you wish you may down
load any file you see there by sending the following command:
D BASIC\MINITERM.BAS, if indeed that is the file or pgm you
wanted.
[WH] --------- to find some ones Name, Home PBBS and when they last logged
into the PBBS. <WH callsign>.
[D] ---------- to DOWNLOAD a file. (D dir\filename.ext).(CTRL-Z to ABORT).
After starting a download you may Abort it at any time by the
sending of the CTRL-Z character. Upon the PBBS receiving the
CTRL-Z the pbbs will immediately stop sending data to the TNC.
However there may be up to 3k of data still left in the TNC
that will be sent to you so you won't see an immediate cease
of incoming data, but be assured it will stop as soon as the
TNC has purged itself. It's rather like trying to stop a woman
from completing a tirade in mid stream, it'll never happen
unless your prepared to shoot her. BINARY downloads can ONLY
be done if you are using BACKTALK-100 or PACKTALK, version
1.0.4 and the filename extension ends in .EXE, .COM or .ARC.
[V] ---------- to show what VERSION of software and author.
Page 24
[U] ---------- to UPLOAD a file. (U dir\filename.ext). You can upload ASCII
or BINARY files to this system. Just do the same as you would
for a download except you replace the D with a U, for example,
if you wanted to upload a pgm to the BASIC directory and the
programs name was MINITERM.BAS then you would type the fol-
lowing: U BASIC\MINITERM.BAS. BINARY uploads can ONLY be
done if you are using BACKTALK-100 or PACKTALK, ver. 1.0.4.
and as long as the filename extension ends in .EXE, .COM or
.ARC.
[T] ---------- to TALK to SYSOP. Sending a T to the PBBS sets in motion a
series of events that take place in the shack where the PBBS is
located. The PBBS pgm moves to an area in its pgm that will
allow whatever the sysop types on the keyboard to be sent to
the TNC for transmission and whatever comes in from you to be
read by him and having no effect on the PBBS. When you sent
that T it made the computer BEEP rather loudly to catch the
attention of the sleeping sysop, so if he comes back to you a
little disoriented don't be too concerned. If he does not reply
you will be put back to the PBBS in about 15 seconds.
[X] ---------- to 'toggle' expert mode. If expert mode is on then user will
not get signon text or command prompt.
[CTRL-Z] ----- This control character is used for closing files and also to
ABORT any download, this also includes messages you are
reading. Actually sending anything to the PBBS will cause an
ABORT.
=============================================================================
Page 25 *** MESSAGE THIEF ***
=============================================================================
MT.EXE is the newest feature to be added to PACKTALK PBBS, version 1.0.6.
This program gives the PACKTALK PBBS software the ability to capture
messages being forwarded to another PBBS without PACKTALK having to be
connected to anybody. MT.EXE will capture ONLY bulletins and private messages
addressed to SYSOP.
MT.EXE utilizes the REJECT.MSG and BID.NUM files that were created for
PACKTALK so it can reject certain types of messages and also check for
duplicate messages.
There are 2 modes you can run this software in and what mode you run it
in is determined by the way you have the MT.CNF file set up. In mode 1, it
will be possible only to capture messages that do not have any missing
FRAMES. Mode 2 will allow capture of messages with missing frames, this is
not a recommended mode.
Messages that are captured with missing frames CAN NOT and MUST NOT be
forwarded back into the PACKET SYSTEM! Messages that are captured in mode 1
may be forwarded only if you have not changed the BID.NUM and the AT field.
The AT field CAN be changed to something else, determined by the MT.CNF
file.
Capturing messages in MODE 1 DOES NOT INSURE THAT THE MESSAGE WILL BE
AN EXACT COPY OF THE ORIGINAL MESSAGE so it is a good idea to check these
messages before forwarding them back into the SYSTEM. MT.EXE does a good
job of keeping the integrity of the messages captured but there can be
errors. Remember you are not connected to the station forwarding messages
so there is the chance your messages will not be error free although great
measures have been taken to prevent contamination of the message you are
'stealing' off the air.
MT.EXE can be set up to run automatically or manually, determined by the
MT.CNF file.
Following is a sample of the MT.CNF file:
ON
BUCKET
N3DFD
WB3EUF
Y
03
06
└Q└
Page 26 Latest improvements:
The following is an explanation of each entry made in the MT.CNF file:
ON <ON or OFF, this entry will determine whether MT.EXE will run manually
or automatically when running with PACKTALK-PBBS. ON = AUTO>.
BUCKET <BUCKET can be any 6 character name or if you do not want to change
the AT filed, enter a * instead of a name>.
N3DFD <YOUR callsign>.
WB3EUF <call sign of the PBBS you want to forward captured messages to. If
you do not want to forward any messages then enter a * in place of
the callsign>.
Y <Y or N entry determines whether you will capture messages with or with
out missing frames. (data). Y = mode 1, N = mode 2>.
03 <hour to force an exit from MT.EXE. IF you do not wish to force an exit
at any given hour enter a * in place of the hour>.
6 <outstanding packets allowed before abort, Max = 10 but 6 recommended>.
└Q└ <the escape sequence to exit the HOST mode, Kantronics>. (192Q192).
<the escape sequence to exit the HOST mode, Non Kantronics>. (ctrl C).
>>>>> EDIT this file to suit your TNC if needed <<<<<<
When running MT.EXE in the automatic mode with PACKTALK, PACKTALK will
no longer transmit the BACK ON LINE prompt over the air.
The main improvement to PT-109-E is that it will handle the SUB ports
of the Kantronics KAM and KPC-4. This is accomplished by streamswitching.
The STREAMSW parameter is set to $7E(~) for port 1 and $7C(|) for port 2.
and the stream will be 'A'. This means ~A for port 1 and |A for port 2.
To have PT forward to a station on the sub port of your TNC you must
enter the callsign of the PBBS in the SUBPORT.TNC file. That's all there
is to it. Put as many calls as you need separated by a space all on 1 line
only. The line can be as long as necessary.
A callsign placed in the PORT2.BBS file will make PACKTALK access COM2
and a callsign in the SUBPORT.TNC file will access the sub-port of the KAM
or KPC-4.
NOTICE: When using the KPC-4 the TNC SUBPORTS may be reversed. You will
know this if when you try to forward mail and PT tries to access the wrong
SUBPORT. If this is the case add the stations callsign you are trying to
forward mail to, to the SUBPORT.TNC file or delete the call from the file,
which ever works.
Page 27 Latest improvements:
PACKTALK, version 109-H and higher will now allow operation on any com
port from 1 to 4. This is accomplished by editing the COMPORT.SET file.
The default settings for this file are as follows:
COM1:
COM2:
1
2
The file as is will access com1 and com2 if you have the PBBS.CNF
file set for 2 port operation or if set for 1 port operation it will
access only comport 1.
The following set up will access comports 2 and 3.
COM2:
COM3:
2
3
If you wanted to access only comport 2, you would have to change the
line in the PBBS.CNF file to read 'TNC=1' instead of 'TNC=2'. This tells
PACKTALK that you only wish the 1 comport. You can only access 2 comports.
Any ports from 1 to 4.
POLLING TNC MAILBOXES:
PACKTALK will not POLL TNC mailboxes automatically unless the PBBS
has mail for that particular mailbox. It will POLL the TNC mailbox when it
has delivered the mail. If you wish to have PACKTALK POLL a TNC mailbox,
you may do so by utilizing the OPTION.BAT file to have PT-109 POLL a TNC
mailbox once every 24 hours. Do the following:
(1) In the \PACKTALK directory create the following files:
MAIL.
callsign.MFD <callsign = the call of the TNC mailbox, no SSID>.
In the MAIL. file place the word YES (in CAPS).
In the callsign.MFD file place the number 0
(2) Place these lines in the OPTION.BAT file:
COPY MAIL. \BBS\MFR
COPY \BBS\MFR\callsign.MFD+callsign.MFD \BBS\MFR\callsign.MFD
NOTE: If you are forwarding this TNC mailbox any bulletins the above steps
will not be necessary as PT-109 will POLL it every time it sends it
bulletins...
Page 28 Latest improvements:
There is a new SERVER program named MAKEFILE.EXE available for ALL
versions of PACKTALK-BBS. This program will be run from the OPTION.BAT file
which is accessed by PACKTALK once every 24 hours. What this program will
do is create FILES from your messages and install them in a new user dir-
ectory. When MAKEFILE is run it looks at the MESSAGE.DAT file and searches
for a 'string' that you named when you ran the program. For example, if you
wanted to make files out of all for SALE messages you would invoke the
server in the following fashion:
MAKEFILE SALE <search only the TO field>.
MAKEFILE will now search each line in the MESSAGE.DAT file and if
it finds a match it will create a new user directory named SALE and then
copy all the messages to that directory that it finds a match for. There
will NEVER be more than 50 messages allowed in these new directories at
any time. If there are more than 50 messages in the SALE directory, for
example, MAKEFILE will delete all the files in there before putting new
ones in there. This way you are assured of always having up to date files
in the directory. The search MAKEFILE makes includes the TO, AT and SUBJ
fields of each message if you format the command in this manner:
MAKEFILE 1 SALE <search TO, AT and SUBJECT fields>.
MAKEFILE.EXE can, like I said, be run from the OPTION.BAT file. To
do this just insert the filename + string on a line in the .BAT file. ie.,
MAKEFILE AMSAT <searches the TO field only for AMSAT>.
MAKEFILE 1 AMSAT <searches the TO, AT and SUBJECT fields for AMSAT>.
You can run this program any time you want to by shelling to DOS and
type the proper command or you can run it from the PBBS by typing at the
command prompt: SHELL MAKEFILE xxxxxx. xxxxxx being the 'string' you wish
to search for.
REMEMBER, the new directory created will always be the same name as
the 'string' you search for. The files it creates will have the same name as
the 'string' also with the extension of what ever the original message number
is. ie., SALE.345.
You can now, for PT-109J and above only, delete user directories from
the PBBS. If for example you wanted to delete the new SALE directory you would
simply access the PBBS and at the command prompt type: DD SALE.
Page 29 Latest improvements:
PT-109K is capable of BINARY COMPRESSED MAIL FORWARDING to another
station running the same software.
If you have more than 10 messages to go to another PT-109K PBBS then
PT will pack up all the messages into 1 file and then compress this file
using ARC.COM. ARC.COM and UNARC.COM are part of the PKXARC program. I have
split the 2 files and named them ARC and UNARC for convenience. The BINARY
file created by ARC.COM will then be forwarded to the receiving station.
When the file is successfully uploaded, upon the disconnect the receiving
station will then UNPAK the file using UNARC.COM and put the messages
on the PBBS.
The BINARY COMPRESSED FORWARDING ROUTINE is activated by the initial
hand shaking of the 2 PBBS's involved. In the PACKTALK.CNF file the 23rd
parameter setting must be the letter 'Z' on both programs involved. If either
program has a setting other than the letter Z then a compressed forward can
not take place. This Z shows up in the prompts sent to each other when first
connected. This is what the prompt will look like: [PT-109K-HZM$]
If you do not want to allow compressed forwarding then change the letter Z
in the PACKTALK.CNF file to the number 0. The 0 will not show up in the
prompt sent to the other PBBS.
If you are running the PBBS at a remote site, there are some commands
you can issue to it without connecting. For illustration lets say your PBBS
call sign is N3DFD-4. Here are the commands you can send by going UNPROTO
and typing the following:
###RUN###N3DFD <will re-run the software>.
###CHANGE###N3DFD <will force CHANGE to be activated>.
###MF###N3DFD <will force a mailforward if your FWD.TIM file permits>.
###READY###N3DFD <will put PT in the READY mode if it was left in the
TERMINAL mode>.
To RE-BOOT the computer you will have to connect to the PBBS and then
issue the command: SHELL REBOOT and then disconnect.
By using the CREATE command you can do almost anything remotely. Just
be careful that you don't run any .BAT or EXECUTABLE files that require a
keyboard input. If you do this you will have to go to the site and press
whatever key the program is requesting.
Page 30 Latest improvements:
The following are some personal notes:
I run PT here in Philly at a 'remote site' and I have installed new
versions of the program from time to time, re-booted the computer, killed
files, move them around, run other programs, upload 'packed' files and
'unpacked' them all from my home. All you need, to do these things suc-
cessfully, is to understand MS-DOS commands and know what to expect when
using various ones. This can be very beneficial to a SYSOP who needs to
run his PBBS at a remote site if you are careful not to do anything that
will make the computer stay in DOS. The CREATE command lets you create a
.BAT file that will be executed as soon as you finish making it, so you
can be very creative. Between the CREATE command and the SHELL command
there is almost nothing you can't do on the computer at the remote site.
PT will maintain itself completely without your interference however
should you desire to interfere or change something in a file use the
CREATE or SHELL command to accomplish your task. If you need to edit a
file, just download the file using the XD command, edit it and then send
it back using the XU command. All the SYSOP commands are contained in a
file in the \BBS directory, named SHELP.BBS. This file can be accessed by
sending an X to the PBBS.
============================================================================
For PT-109M and above:
You can now set up AUX. connect paths to PBBS's you forward to. This
is done by creating files that are just like the 'callsign.CON' files you
created for mailforwarding. The file you now create will be 'callsign.AUX'.
In these files you can put auxilliary connect paths. The format is the same
as for the .CON files. If you try to connect and retry out, PT-109K will
attempt another connection using the AUX file for the connect prompts.
You can now place an '* ' in place of or with the message DISTROS
in the MFWD.BBS file. For example if you wanted to forward every DISTRO
to a station instead of putting all the DISTROS on his line you need only
place an asterick (*). The '* ' will superceed all the DISTROS you have on
a line in the MFWD.BBS file.
A new 'user' command has been added, the 'REP ' command. A user can
use this command to reply to a message. Usage: <REP xxxxxx>, where xxxxxx is
the callsign of the station he wishes to reply to. The HELP.BBS and BBS-CMDS
.DOC file have been updated to reflect this new addition.
Page 31
There are (3) 'server' type programs that PT will try to RUN every
time someone disconnects from the PBBS. They will have the names of:
SERVER1.EXE
SERVER2.EXE
SERVER3.EXE
These programs can be written in any language and what they can do
will be determined by whoever writes them. If the SERVER program(s) are not
present there is no problem, no error takes place.
The most common type of SERVER program you may want to write is a
REQUEST FILE type SERVER. If you undertake this project there are a few
things to remember and the files involved in this type of SERVER would
include the following:
\MSG\MESSAGE.DAT <add message headers and other info here>.
\MSG\MESSAGE.FWD <add message headers and other info here>.
\BBS\MFWD\BID.NUM <add BID.NUM of messsage to be forwarded>.
\BBS\MFR\callsign.MFR <you add any message numbers here of messages that
have to be forwarded>.
Also make sure you KILL the REQUEST messsage after you process it so
that the SERVER won't act on it again. Create a BID number for the out
going message, look at the BID.NUM file for format. The first number in
the BID must be the current message number of the message to be forwarded,
ie., 345_REQFIL <REQFIL could be anything including your callsign>.
You can write these SERVERS to do anything you want or need. Feel
free to correspond with me if you need any guidence.
All SERVER programs must be placed in the \PACKTALK directory or PT
will not be able to find them.
A new command can be added to the PBBS command line that will run a
server named SERVER4.EXE. You can write this program or maybe use a program
that already exists. Just rename it SERVER4 and when the user sends the
letter 'M ' to the PBBS, PT will run this program. This command replaces
the 'HA ' command. If you use this command edit the command line in the
PBBS.CNF file to reflect the new command. At any rate you will have to
delete the HA command from the command line in the PBBS.CNF file since in
version 109M and above this command is no longer valid. The HELP.BBS and
BBS-CMDS.DOC files have been changed to reflect this new command option.
For ANY of the SERVER programs that you may use or write that are
going to use the COMport, make sure that you re-open the right COMport to
9600 baud with NO PARITY and 8 stopbits. If you write any SERVER programs
in BASIC, you can pass parameters to the SERVER program from PT by using
the $COMMAND function, ie., you might want to pass the MYC$ parameter, which
would be the callsign assigned to the PBBS. There is a new file included
with the PT-109M.EXE file named PBBS-CNF.STR. This file contains the string
vaiable names used by the PBBS.EXE module and their string representation.
Name Length Date Time Storage SF Size now CRC
============ ======== ======== ====== ======== ==== ======== ====
ARC COM 17456 12/15/86 Distill 28% 12646 5F76
BBS-CMDS DOC 10822 1/24/92 9:17p Distill 63% 4055 1861
BRUN45 EXE 77440 9/28/88 1:43a Distill 28% 56281 DFD7
CAPSLOCK COM 11 11/09/89 8:06p -- 0% 11 B3AD
CONFIG SYS 106 2/03/92 2:51a Crushed 15% 91 9B56
DR COM 3456 7/10/87 4:51p Distill 9% 3169 3FBF
DS COM 6292 1/21/85 3:00p Distill 27% 4607 0A7D
E BAT 15 5/31/90 6:51p -- 0% 15 56ED
E88SETUP DEF 39 7/01/90 2:44a Crushed 21% 31 335A
GATEWAY HLP 285 9/02/90 8:46p Crushed 27% 209 0AB7
HADDRES INF 2698 4/21/91 4:31p Distill 46% 1479 8E68
HELP BBS 2267 2/15/92 12:13a Distill 52% 1090 042E
INFO TXT 2834 10/08/91 2:33a Distill 50% 1434 46AE
LFADD EXE 32206 8/10/90 7:22p Distill 3% 31361 D72A
LIST COM 7144 1/01/80 12:54a Distill 18% 5890 DC3D
LOGO TXT 1259 1/09/92 8:23p Crushed 79% 272 207A
OPTION BAT 34 6/22/91 4:23p Crushed 6% 32 9076
PACKTALK DOC 67724 2/22/92 5:45p Distill 62% 25896 4E7F
PBBS CNF 871 2/03/92 12:48a Crushed 20% 697 3A8C
README NOW 159 8/19/90 3:02a Crushed 23% 124 E6E9
REBOOT COM 19 10/02/90 6:56p -- 0% 19 33ED
RN COM 4272 8/11/87 3:32p Distill 9% 3921 D6B3
RUN BAT 80 9/22/91 6:20p Crushed 7% 75 0AE3
SHELP BBS 1265 2/15/92 1:00a Crushed 40% 768 E307
SIGNON TXT 228 1/22/92 9:54p Crushed 8% 212 26CA
TNCPARMS SET 1390 10/19/91 8:58p Crushed 42% 819 EB90
UNARC COM 11482 12/15/86 Distill 24% 8789 C4B9
============ ======== ======== ====== ======== ==== ======== ====
EDITOR EXE 13430 10/04/86 3:03a Distill 36% 8602 34C7
GATEWAY EXE 13406 2/01/92 9:06p Distill 44% 7619 AD5A
INSTALL EXE 5072 10/20/91 2:24p Distill 22% 3984 7470
INVERT EXE 4366 2/19/92 11:05p Distill 19% 3548 1F67
MAKEFILE EXE 6756 2/01/92 2:28a Distill 30% 4767 BB93
MFWD EXE 74596 2/20/92 7:41p Distill 54% 34620 3976
MFWDAUX EXE 74458 2/20/92 7:43p Distill 54% 34558 51B5
PACKTALK EXE 198412 2/23/92 2:12p Distill 59% 83093 AAA7
PAKMSGS EXE 9118 2/20/92 7:44p Distill 34% 6019 4A0C
PBBS EXE 158652 2/20/92 5:55p Distill 56% 70090 BBCE
RENUM EXE 6746 7/08/91 9:10p Distill 28% 4896 B296
REVFWD EXE 51540 2/04/92 6:22p Distill 54% 23925 0E6E
UNPAKMSG EXE 13494 2/17/92 8:04a Distill 42% 7842 E6A1
VOPT EXE 27089 4/15/87 8:00a Distill 44% 15310 09D2