Appendix C - Pointing with MacWoof and Tabby by Maria L. Langer
Pointing with Tabby*
by Maria L. Langer
(revised 1/24/92)
Introduction
This document explains how a Tabby SysOp can configure Tabby to support points. It assumes that the reader understands the following:
1) What a point is.
2) What a Private Net Number is and how to obtain one.
3) How to use Tabby and its utility programs.
This text is not BBS specific. To my knowledge, it will work with any BBS setup, as long as Tabby is used as the mailer. The methods used in this text have been tested and proven effective with both MacWoof and Copernicus points receiving mail from Tabby v2.2. This text may require updating for the release of Tabby 3.0 sometime later in 1992. For more specific Tabby information, consult the Tabby documentation.
Now let's get to the point....
There are two ways to set up Tabby for distributing mail to points. I'll refer to them in this document as the Node method and the PointMail method.
Points as Nodes
The most straightforward way to set up a Tabby system to exchange mail with points is to set up each point as a separate node. Tabby prepares a separate mail package for each point, just like it does with regular nodes. You configure Tabby to hold mail until the point calls.
There are two drawbacks to this method.
1) Tabby makes a copy of each message for each point to receive it. Thus, if five points each receive a certain conference, each message in that conference is copied five times to disk. If that conference happens to get 300 messages a day (like COOKING, WRITING, and others do), you will have several large packages sitting on your hard disk waiting for points to call. If your points don't call regularly, those packages can become huge.
2) Tabby only allows nine nodes to participate in each conference. If one node is the feed, that leaves eight slots for each conference. Thus, you can never have more than eight points feeding off any one conference. [Note: This has incorrectly been translated to mean that you can only support eight points with the Node method. This is untrue. You can only support eight points per conference.]
Obviously, if disk space is limited and you have a large number of points, you would probably want to try the PointMail method discussed below. If neither is a problem, read on.
To set up Tabby to support points under the Node method, follow these steps. In the examples, we'll use a Private Net Number of 12345.
Open Tabby Maint. Within Tabby Maint, do the following:
• Select the Mail Forwarding option and turn Mail Forwarding on.
• Select the Point Network Number option. Enter the Private Net Number in the box. In our example, this would be 12345.
• Select the Routing option. Add each point to the list of nodes with a routing type of HOLD. Use the format Private Net Number/Point number. Thus, if you wanted to add point number 1, you'd enter 12345/1.
• Select the Echomail Areas option. For each point, enter the point number in a node box for the conferences desired. For example, if point 1 wanted to receive WRITING, you'd click on the entry for WRITING in the scrolling window and type 12345/1 in one of the empty node boxes. (If there are no empty node boxes, you must use the PointMail method discussed below.) Remember to click the Change button after each entry. Do not click the Add button!
That's it. Tabby should begin creating a mail package for each point you specified in Tabby Maint. When a point calls, it will automatically get its package and process it offline.
Tabby PointMail
Tabby's PointMail feature is similar to the GroupMail system used by MS-DOS mailers. The PointMail method was not always fully compatible with early beta versions of MacWoof (v1.0b5 or earlier). In response to the needs of Tabby SysOps and their points, MacWoof is now fully compatible with this alternative method of supporting points with Tabby.
The PointMail method lacks the two drawbacks of the Node method discussed above. You can support any number of points for any number of conferences. In addition, since the PointMail method does not make a copy of each message for each point, limited disk space is no problem.
To set up Tabby to support points under the PointMail method, follow these steps. In the examples, we'll use a Private Net Number of 12345.
Open Tabby Maint. Within Tabby Maint, do the following:
• Select the Mail Forwarding option and turn Mail Forwarding on.
• Select the Point Network Number option. Enter the Private Net Number in the box. In our example, this would be 12345.
• Select the Routing option. Add each point to the list of nodes with a routing type of HOLD. Use the format Private Net Number/Point number. Thus, if you wanted to add point number 1, you'd enter 12345/1.
• Select the Echomail Areas option. For each conference that will be passed on to a point, enter a special node number in the format 0/Message Category Number. For example, if WRITING, category 20, were echoed to one or more points, you'd click on the entry for WRITING in the scrolling window and type 0/20 in one of the empty node boxes. Remember to click the Change button after each entry. Do not click the Add button!
• Select the PointMail Groups option. This dialog box is very similar to the EchoMail Areas dialog box and it works much the same way. For each conference to be shared with points, enter the Category Number and the Conference Name. The Conference name goes in the box labeled Group Name. Then enter the point number for each point that gets the conference. For example, if point 1 was supposed to get WRITING, you'd enter 20 as the Category, WRITING as the Group Name and a 1 in the first point box. Do not add a node number in the point box. Remember to click Add when creating entries for the first time and Change when changing entries. If you have more than 8 points receiving a conference, create a second entry for that conference listing the additional points.
That's it. Each time the ArcMail Compress program runs, it creates a compressed message file for each conference that is sent to points. It then writes the name of the file to a sendfileN/N.bbs file for each point. For example, point 1 would have a file called sendfile12345/1.bbs that lists all the compressed message files it should get. When point 1 calls, Tabby sends every message file listed in it.
An important thing to keep in mind here is that the Point Mail method automatcally deletes mail packages over 3 days old. If your points call less often, you'll have to tweak this number. Create a text file called PointDays in the Tabby folder. Enter a number of days you want as the maximum number to hold message files and press return. Then save the file. The number of days entered can range from 1 to 999.
Some other things to consider....
Second Sight will not automatically forward private messages to a point unless the message is addressed to the point number. To get around this, you might want to use Pete Johnson's excellent Tabby-compatible utility Fast Forward. With FF, you list the names of people with points and their private messages are automatically sent to their point. Pete also has a Tabby compatible utility called AreaTrix. AreaTrix works like the AreaFix programs used by DOS systems. You assign a password to each point and let the point turn access to conferences on or off. Security measures are included to prevent points from gaining access to restricted conferences. For more information about these programs, contact Pete directly P.O. Box 65074, Los Angeles, CA 90065.
Maria is a freelance writer and computer consultant. She writes mainly about Macintosh computers and teaches Macintosh applications. Recent assignments include four chapters for 1992 John Dvorak book Dvorak's Inside Track to the Mac. Maria's own book, A Complete Guide to Macintosh Shareware, will be published by Brady Publishing, a subsidiary of Simon and Schuster, in July 1992.
Maria runs the Electronic Pen BBS in Harrington Park, NJ. Her BBS features a variety of echomail conferences as well as local message areas and file sections. It can be reached at 201/767-6337. It supports points using any point mailer package.
