Collection of Hack-Phreak Scene Programs/cleanhpvac.zip/cleanhpvac/PCBDXEXC.ZIP/MULTNODE.DOC

Text File | 1993-08-23 | 132KB | 2,698 lines

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                                                                Multiple Nodes









Overview

Preparing the Multiport Version of PCBoard

Multiple Nodes Using Multitasking Software

PCBoard And Local Area Networks

Possible IRQ Conflicts

Restricting Access To A Node

DOORWAY And Multiple Nodes

Answers to Common Multinode Questions

Overview


PCBoard is designed with multi-user access to a system in mind. Each user
that accesses the system must log in through a node. A node refers to a copy
of PCBoard that is running on a network, multitasker, or some other system
that has the ability to share resources through shared file access.  Users
may access the system remotely through a modem or locally through a network
or local node.

What Is Needed to Run More Than One Node?

There are two different ways to run multiple nodes with PCBoard: multitasking
and networking.  Each method has various advantages and disadvantages but
they all have one thing in common -- the ability to share files.

What is Multitasking

Multitasking is a method of running more than one program at a time on a
single machine.  When multitasking, you are not actually running all of the
programs at the same time as the CPU is not capable of doing so. Instead, the
multitasking software manages the resources of the CPU and switches very
quickly between each program.  Of course, since you are switching back and
forth between each task having a faster CPU will make each task run more
smoothly.

To really be effective in running multiple nodes. you will need to use an
80386 based machine or higher.  The internal capabilities of the 80386 and
higher class CPUs are designed better for multitasking than any of the other
processors (80286, 8086, 8088) and are therefore strongly recommended for
multitasking.

What is a Network?

A network allows several different computers to share resources (hard drives,
printers, etc.) with each other.  In order for a resource to be considered
sharable, it must be stored on a computer that is referred to as a server.
The workstations (other computers in the network) can use the resources
located on the server as if they are installed on the workstation computer.

The most popular network is called a Local Area Network (LAN). All
communications in a LAN is done between cabling which is hooked into each
machine.  Another network is also called a Wide Area Network (WAN). The
machines in these networks are so far apart that you could not use cabling to
connect them.  Instead, alternate methods such as dedicated phone lines are
used to send data across the network.

As an example of shared resources, if you had a 1.2 gigabyte drive on one
machine and you hooked up a LAN, the server is the computer with the large
hard drive and the workstation is the computer that will access that drive
via the network.  The server drive can then be accessed from the workstation
as if it were installed on the workstation itself.

Should I Use a Network or a Multitasker?

There are a few questions you need to ask yourself when you are considering
your multi-node setup.  These questions will help you get a better feel if
you should use a network, a multitasker, or a combination of both.

How many nodes do I plan to run?

If you are considering running more than 16 nodes on one machine, then you
should immediately rule out running them on one single machine. With the
multi-port (/M) version of PCBoard, you can take advantage of some of the 4,
8, or 16 port intelligent serial boards provided by Arnet and DigiBoard.  The
intelligent boards off-load some of the processing from the main CPU allowing
you to run more ports on a single machine. If you are not using an
intelligent serial board, you will need to use standard COM ports with 4
being the maximum you could use in a single machine.

A network gives you the ability to expand beyond the 4-16 node limit imposed
by running on a single machine.  For example, you can have a dedicated server
and, for example, 20 workstations on the network.  On each workstation, you
can run a multitasker and consequently 4-16 nodes on each workstation.
Conceivably, you can run 80-320 nodes in a 21 machine network if you used a
multitasker on all of the workstations with intelligent serial cards.  Of
course, you do not have to run multitaskers on each of your workstations.
Instead, you could run one copy of PCBoard on each workstation limiting
yourself to about 20 nodes on a 20 system network.

How important is performance?

When multitasking nodes on a machine you do pay a price -- performance
(because you are running multiple copies of PCBoard on one processor). If you
get one of the fastest machines money can buy, the constant switching between
tasks in a multitasker will seem much smoother.  If performance is extremely
important to you, invest in a network with one copy of PCBoard running on
each workstation.  A network would be pointless though from the performance
angle if you were to use slow machines like XTs as your workstations.  Using
XTs for your workstations would defeat the purpose.  Instead, you would be
better served by using 386 or higher machines as your workstations and
multitask on them.

How much money is in the budget?

Whether you choose networking, multitasking, or a combination of both your
primary expense is going to be the hardware that is required to run the
number of nodes that you desire to run. Some of the more expensive items to
consider in your setup would be the computers, network cards (if you choose
networking) or even the intelligent serial boards (for multitasking).  Of the
items listed, the computers are the likely to be the most expensive item.
Therefore, everything you can do to reduce the number of computers that you
will have to buy while still meeting your performance requirements will be to
your advantage.

As an example, if you need to run five nodes and performance is rather
important to you, setup a three machine peer-to-peer network with one server
and two workstations.  On each of the workstations multitask two nodes using
a 386 or 486 and on your server run a single node.  Running two nodes on a
workstation means less computers in your network and it also means lower
overall cost.

How much room is available for computer equipment?

Another valid concern about your multi-node setup is how much physical room
it is going to take.  This is especially true of a setup which uses a network
because there are multiple machines in the network.  If space is limited and
you are using a network, perhaps you will want to multitask on your
workstations to reduce the number of machines that are required on your
network.

Can I fit all of the storage space on one machine?

Another item you will need to plan for is how much file storage space will
you have online and will it all fit on one machine. For example, if you
wanted to put 8 gigabytes online, it may be very difficult to do so inside of
one machine.  In a situation like this, you would have to go to a network
setup with multiple servers to accommodate all of the storage space.

In summary, the following tables list the advantages and disadvantages of
multitasking, networking, and running a multitasker on the workstations of a
network:

Multitasking: Advantages

You can run more than one node on a single computer

Less hardware cost per node (hard drives, monitors, etc.)

Different nodes are a keyboard away

Multitasking: Disadvantages

System is harder to tune; lockups may occur

A  system which uses serial ports other than  COM1 or COM2 may find that not
all third party program that access  the COM ports will work with
non-standard or FOSSIL ports.

If a multitasking machine crashes or hangs, all nodes on the machine will be
hung.


Networking: Advantages

Each node uses a dedicated CPU.  This can dramatically increase performance.

You are not limited to the number of nodes you can run on one machine.

When one workstation crashes, the entire system is not down.

Networking: Disadvantages

Cost.  A LAN configuration requires both hardware and software. You must have
a network card and proper cabling in addition to the network software for
each machine on the network.

Networking - multitasking workstations: Advantages

More than one node can be run from one computer while still retaining all of
the advantages of a network.

More economical than running one node per workstation

Saves space because you do not use a computer for each node

Networking - multitasking workstations: Disadvantages

Requires that both your multitasking setup and network setup are well tuned
because you are running a multitasker on top of a network configuration

The remaining sections in this chapter will cover setting up multiple nodes
using either a multitasker or a network.  Please refer to the appropriate
section for the method you have chosen to implement your multiple node setup.

Preparing the Multiport Version of PCBoard

If you do not have the multiport (/M) version of PCBoard or you will not be
using a multiport card, you should skip this section and proceed to Multiple
Nodes Using Multitasking Software.

When you installed PCBoard, you were asked if you wanted to install the
multiport driver.  If you elected to install the multiport driver then you
must insure that it is properly configured before you begin setting up
multiple nodes.  In your \COMMDRV directory you will find a program named
DRVSETUP.EXE. This is the program which will create the setup file for the
multiport driver.  This setup file contains information about the serial
ports that you want to make available to PCBoard.

NOTE:  If you will be using a multiport card in conjunction with standard
serial ports, you will not need to define the standard ports with the
DRVSETUP program.  Have PCBoard use the Asynchronous COMM driver (PCBSetup |
Modem Information | Modem Setup) and enter the COM port you want to use.
This will avoid the extra overhead of defining the COM port to be used with
the multiport driver.

Loading the Multiport Driver Setup Program

As mention previously, you need to use DRVSETUP.EXE to configure the
multiport driver. This utility is in the \COMMDRV subdirectory on the same
drive that you installed PCBoard on. The syntax for DRVSETUP is as follows:

DRVSETUP config.dat

config.dat is the setup file that you want to create or edit. You may enter
any valid DOS filename.  For example:

DRVSETUP ARNET4P.DAT

If the filename that you specify does not exist, it will be created.  If it
does exist, it will be loaded into the editor where you may make any
necessary changes to the file.

Configuring the Multiport Driver

To properly configure the multiport driver, load DRVSETUP as described in the
previous section.  When you do, you will see a screen which resembles the
following:

Within the DRVSETUP editor, the following keyboard commands are
valid:

        ESC     Exit the DRVSETUP editor.  If you have made any changes to
                the config file, you will be asked if you wish to save the
                changes that have been made.

        PgUp    View next 16 entries.  Only a portion of the possible entries
                can be viewed on the screen at one time.  To view the
                previous 16 entries, use this keyboard command.

        PgDn    View previous 16 entries.  Only a portion of the possible
                entries can be viewed on the screen at one time.  To view the
                next 16 entries, use this keyboard command.

        F2      Pick card type.  When the Card Type field is highlighted, a
                list of card types that are supported by the multiport driver
                will be listed.  Pick the type that matches your serial card.

        ALT-R   Repeat currently highlighted line.  If you are creating
                entries that are very similar in definition, you can use this
                keyboard command to duplicate the currently highlighted
                entry. The new entry will be inserted just below the current
                line.

        ALT-I   Insert a new entry.  If you need to add a new entry between
                two existing entries, use this keyboard command.  A new blank
                entry will be inserted just below the current line that you
                can edit to suit your needs.

        ALT-D   Delete current entry.  This keyboard command will delete the
                currently highlighted entry.  There is no undo function to
                get the original line back.  If you make a mistake, exit
                without saving and attempt to make the changes again.

The following describes each of the fields that are displayed on the screen
of the DRVSETUP program:

Port Number

This field represents the port number that you will be defining. This is the
number that you will specify in PCBSetup | Modem Information | Modem Setup
for the Comm Port if you answered C to the Comm Driver to use question.  You
cannot edit the contents of this field.

Card Type

When this field is highlighted, you may press 2 to pick a list of supported
card types.  The following card types are available

        UART    If you will be using a standard serial port that has a 16550,
                16450, or 8250 UART (e.g., COM1, COM2), select this option.
                If you plan on running multiple nodes, you should be using
                serial ports that are equipped with 16550 UARTs to prevent
                data loss.  Each port that you define using this card type
                must have a unique base address and IRQ.

        HUB6    Choose this option if you have an Intel HUB6 non-itelligent
                serial card installed in your machine. This card can share
                one IRQ for all ports but it cannot share one base address
                for all of the ports.  Each port must have a unique base
                address.

        COM/XI  If you have a Digiboard (R) COM/XI serial card installed in
                your machine, select this option.

        ARNET   Choose this option if you have an Arnet (R) SmartPort or
                SmartPort Plus intelligent serial card installed in your
                system.

        AST     If you have an AST (R) non-intelligent serial card installed
                in your system, select this menu option.

        PC/XI   Choose this option if you have a Digiboard« PC/XI or PC/XE
                serial card installed in your system.

        PC-COM  If you have a Willies (WCSC) non-intelligent 4 or 8 port
                serial card installed in your system, select this menu
                option.

Sub-Port

In this field, enter the sub-port number you wish to use.  If the card type
that is defined requires that all ports have unique IRQs, you should enter 1
in this field.  If the card type will allow you to use one IRQ for all of the
ports, you will need to enter the appropriate sub-port number in this field.

How do you know what the sub-port number is?  The sub-port number is most
likely referred to as the port number on the card.  This should not be
confused with the port number field on the left side of the setup screen.
For example, if you are using an Arnet SmartPort 8, you will have 8 different
ports on the card.  Enter the appropriate port number on the card into the
sub-port number on the screen.  The following is an example setup for an
Arnet SmartPort 4 port card:

If you want to use a standard serial card in addition to an intelligent
serial card, you can with the multiport driver.  The following shows a
configuration where COM2 is defined in the first entry, and the rest of the
entries define the 4 ports on the Arnet card:

Notice the sub-port values remained the same for the ports referring to the
Arnet serial board. When sub-port 1 is specified, it is referring to port 1
on the Arnet card and so on.

Base Address

In this field, enter the base or i/o port address (in hexadecimal) which will
be used for the port you are defining. The value you enter should also match
the way you have configured your serial card.  If it does not, you will not
be able to communicate with the serial port.

When configuring your serial card, make sure it is configured to not conflict
with any other devices or cards in your system.  If it does, you will not be
able to communicate with the serial port.  Standard serial ports require that
each COM port use a unique base address to operate properly.  Refer to the
documentation for your serial card for additional information on configuring
the base addresses for your serial ports.

IRQ

In this field, enter the IRQ that will be used for the serial port you are
defining.  Like the base address, you should refer to how your serial card is
defined to get the value you should enter. Most of the multiport cards will
allow you to use one IRQ for all of the ports on the card. Standard serial
ports, however, require that each COM port use a unique IRQ to operate
properly.  Refer to the documentation for your serial card for more
information on this subject.

It is critical that the IRQ that you select for use with your serial card
does not conflict with any other devices in your system.  For example, you
cannot have two serial boards using the same IRQ nor can you have a network
card and a serial card sharing the same IRQ.  If you do, your system may
become prone to lockups or will not function as you think it should.

NOTE:  It is recommended that you do not use IRQ2 or IRQ9 for any of your
devices if at all possible.  These IRQs are known as the cascading interrupts
because they are used to communicate with IRQs above 8.  If you use IRQ2 or
IRQ9 and you have devices which use IRQs above 8, you can run into some
serious conflicts which may cause unpredictable operation of your computer.

Card Segment

Intelligent serial cards commonly use a 32 or 64 kilobyte segment in high
memory for transferring data to and from the serial card.  In this field,
enter the starting address value for the segment you have configured the
serial card to use.

When you have finished configuring DRVSETUP, configure your memory manager so
it does not use the 32 or 64 kilobyte segment your intelligent serial card
uses.  Refer to the documentation for your memory manager for additional
information on excluding memory.

FOSSIL

The value you enter in this field will determine whether or not the multiport
driver should provide a FOSSIL interface for the port you are defining.
Valid options for this field are:



        N       No FOSSIL interface will be provided for this port.  Select
                this option if PCBoard will be the only application
                communicating with the port. If you run doors or other third
                party applications which access the serial port, they will
                not be able to function properly with this setting.

        Y       The FOSSIL interface will be provided for this port.  Select
                this option if you use or will be using any third party
                applications which access the serial port.  You should check
                all third party applications to insure they will communicate
                with a FOSSIL interface before installing them on your
                system.

When you have finished configuring all the serial ports you want to define in
DRVSETUP, press ESC to exit the editor, and when prompted if you want to save
the changes, answer Y and press ENTER. Next, add the driver to your
AUTOEXEC.BAT and test to make sure you have configured everything properly.

Installing the Multiport Driver

Once you have used DRVSETUP to configure the ports, you need to install the
driver in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  The program you need to execute is called
COMMTSR.EXE.  The syntax for COMMTSR is as follows:


COMMTSR -i filename.dat


The filename.dat parameter is the filename you defined earlier using
DRVSETUP.  Most likely you will not have COMMTSR and the data file stored in
your root directory so you will need to add the drive and subdirectory where
these files can be found as shown in the following example:


C:\COMMDRV\COMMTSR -i C:\COMMDRV\MYSETUP.DAT


NOTE:  The -i parameter is case-sensitive and must be entered in lower-case.
Otherwise, the driver will not load and will report that an invalid option
was specified.

This line, which loads the multiport driver, should be entered towards the
top of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file because the driver must be loaded before your
multitasking software is loaded.  The driver itself uses quite a bit of
memory and may affect the configuration of your machine by leaving you less
conventional memory available than before you installed the driver.  You can
load the driver high, but it is not recommended.  If you must load the driver
into high memory using your memory manager, make sure the driver is the first
program run in your AUTOEXEC.BAT.

NOTE:  If any drivers are included with your serial card, do not install
them.  The driver provided with the multiport  version of PCBoard is the only
driver you will need to install.

Once you have made the necessary changes, reboot your system to make sure
your setup is correct and the multiport driver initializes properly.  If you
define four ports with DRVSETUP, the display you may see when the driver is
initialized will resemble the following:


(COMMTSR) COMM-DRV v14.0 Copr (C) 1989-1993 Willies' Computer Software Co.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Houston, Texas [phone]
COMMDV00.DRV installed(GENERIC     1.01). ADR=171B:0000 SIZE=1118
Port #0 Installed successfully
Port #1 Installed successfully
Port #2 Installed successfully
Port #3 Installed successfully
Attaching to INT14H Handler
COMMDRV Installed START=1461:0000 END=1863:0100 MPX=C0


Notice that all 4 ports were Installed successfully.  The multiport driver
refers to ports 0 through 3, which PCBoard translates to ports 1 through 4
(because port 0 in PCBoard refers to a local login).  If you receive any
errors when the ports are attempting to be installed, double check your
configuration, making sure all base addresses and IRQ settings are correct
and reboot your system.  If you still experience a problem, contact technical
support for additional assistance.

Configuring PCBoard to Use the Multiport Version

When installing PCBoard, you should have been asked if you wanted to install
the multiport driver.  If you answered Y to that question, the install
program properly configured PCBoard to operate with multiport driver.  If you
answered N to that question, you will need to change the following items in
your PCBoard Configuration:

In PCBSetup | Modem Information | Modem Setup you will need to answer C to
the Comm Driver to use question.

You will need to edit the PCBOARD line in your BOARD.BAT to read PCBOARDM
instead.

PCBoard should now be ready to function properly with your multiport card.
At this point, setup your first node and test to make sure that it is
operating properly.  Once you get one node setup, you may proceed to the next
section which will discuss the steps that are necessary to add the rest of
your nodes.

Multiple Nodes Using Multitasking Software

Getting Started

Whether you are using standard serial ports or intelligent serial boards,
multitasking enables you to run several nodes on a single computer.  This
type of setup may seem complicated at first, but after reading this
explanation the majority of your questions about setting up a multi-node
system should be answered.

Recommended Hardware:

80386 (or better) based computer with 1 megabyte of memory for each node.

One serial port for each modem you plan to use per machine.  If you are using
standard serial ports, use serial ports with NS16550AFN UARTs.  Each standard
serial port must use a unique base address and unique IRQ.  If you are using
any other type of serial board (such as an intelligent Arnet or DigiBoard
card), make sure it is supported by the multiport version of PCBoard before
purchasing.

Floppy drive (5 1/4" or 3 1/2")

Hard drive

Monitor and video card

Modem for each phone line


NOTE:  If you are going to be using OS/2 for your multitasker and you have
the multiport version of PCBoard, you cannot make use of the COMMTSR software
because it is a DOS device driver. This means that under OS/2 you are limited
to using standard COM ports that use unique base address and IRQ settings.

Necessary Software:

MS-DOS (V3.3 or higher)
Multitasking Software (e.g., DESQview or Windows)
PCBoard


Disk caching software

Modifying System Files

There are a few changes you will likely have to make to your AUTOEXEC.BAT and
CONFIG.SYS system files.  You should already have an AUTOEXEC.BAT and
CONFIG.SYS for your system.  This section details what you must have in these
files in order to properly run a multinode setup using multitasking software.
If you have other items in these files, do not worry as they may be necessary
for your particular system (hardware drivers, etc.)

CONFIG.SYS

At this point, make sure you have the following items in your CONFIG.SYS:


DEVICE=[memory manager] [optional parameters]
DEVICE=[disk cache program]
FILES=nn
BUFFERS=nn
STACKS=0,0
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS\ /E:512 /P
FCBS=n,n (This line is optional)


DEVICE=[memory manager]:  On this line load your memory manager (e.g., QEMM,
386MAX, HIMEM.SYS, etc.)  The  installation program for your memory manager
will place this line in your CONFIG.SYS. If not, please consult the
instructions for your memory manager for proper installation instructions.
Almost every memory manager has parameters you can use to customize what
memory will be used.  Unless you have a good reason to specify different
parameters, leave them as is.  If you do have to make changes, be sure to
consult your manual.

DEVICE=[disk cache program]:  A good disk cache will do wonders for your
system performance.  A disk cache is similar to a dynamic ram disk.  Instead
of reserving memory and storing files in memory, a disk cache stores the most
frequently accessed data in memory.  If a program requests a read from disk
and the data is in the disk cache, your machine will pull the data from the
cache rather than the hard disk.  If your system does not already have a disk
cache installed, check your DOS manual to see if one is included with your
package.

Some disk caches load in AUTOEXEC.BAT rather than CONFIG.SYS. Check the
manual for your disk cache to see if the disk cache needs to be loaded in
AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS.

You may be asking "Why not use a ram disk instead of a disk cache?"  If you
use a ram disk instead of a disk cache, you are more likely to lose data if
the power goes down.  Additionally, you may not really be putting the files
in the ram disk which will give the biggest performance boost to your system.
A ram disk does is advantageous if you use a program which creates numerous
temporary files.  The best bet is to use a disk cache instead of a ram disk.

FILES=nn:  On this line replace nn with 25 multiplied by the number of nodes
you plan to run.  For example, if you are planning on running 3 nodes on your
machine, set this value to 75 (25*3).

BUFFERS=nn:  For optimum performance, this value should be set to equal the
size of your hard disk clusters.  The easiest way to determine what your hard
disk cluster is to run CHKDSK.  You will see a line that says nnnn bytes in
each allocation unit The number at the beginning of that line is how big your
cluster size is for the drive you ran CHKDSK on.  To determine how many
kilobytes there are in each allocation unit, divide the number of bytes by
1024.  For example, if your hard disk cluster size is 2048 bytes, use
BUFFERS=4.  Since each buffer is 512 bytes, four buffers would equal 2048
bytes which is your desired setting.

All of the buffer recommendations assume you are using a disk cache.  If you
are not using a disk cache, increase the number of buffers to help make up
for the lack of a disk cache.  A setting of BUFFERS=20 or BUFFERS=30 might be
an appropriate setting for this situation.

STACKS=0,0:  If you do not already have a STACKS= line in your CONFIG.SYS
file, add this line to it.  This line is necessary when running multitasking
software.  By making this change you will also free up additional memory. On
some systems, using no interrupt stacks may cause lockups or other
unexplained problems.  If you are experiencing any strange problems or your
system becomes unstable, try setting your STACKS= statement to 9,128.

FCBS=n,n: FCBs were only used in older DOS programs.  If you are not running
old programs that use FCBs, you may be able to omit this line.  The first
parameter is the number of FCBs you want, and the second number is the number
to lock.  If you do not need FCBs, set this to 1,0 and free up even more
memory for your multitasker.

SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM:  Increases the available environment space to 512
bytes.  This should be plenty of room for the environment variables PCBoard
will create along with any other variables you or any other programs you run
may create.

If You Are Using OS/2

The changes outlined in this section are different for OS/2 because you will
change the settings for one window rather than the entire system.  For
additional information, see Setting Up Your Nodes Under A Specific
Multitasker.


AUTOEXEC.BAT

The path to locate your PCBoard executable and utilities must be in your
PATH= statement (e.g., PATH=C:\DOS;C:\PCB).

Make sure SHARE.EXE is being loaded inside your AUTOEXEC.BAT. Reports have
indicated that loading SHARE in high memory can slow system performance.  It
is up to you whether you load it in high memory or in conventional memory.
The actual difference in system performance is very small.

Add a line at the end of your AUTOEXEC.BAT that will load your multitasker.
Whatever multitasker you choose it should be able to automatically bring up
your nodes when you load your multitasker.  If your multitasker does not have
this ability, your system will not be able to load the nodes automatically if
your machine gets rebooted.  Examples on how to load your nodes automatically
are provided for DESQview, Microsoft Windows and OS/2 in Automatically
Loading Your Nodes at Bootup later in this section.

NOTE:  If you are using OS/2 as your multitasker, skip items 2
and 3 as they really do not apply to the OS/2 operating system.


An example AUTOEXEC.BAT might look like the following:


@ECHO OFF
C:\DOS\SHARE.EXE
PATH=C:\PCB;C:\DOS;C:\UTILITY
PROMPT=$P$G

If you are using DESQview, add the following lines to your
AUTOEXEC.BAT:


CD\DV
DV


If you are using Windows, add these two lines:


CD\WINDOWS
WIN


Now that you have modified AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS you are ready to
install additional PCBoard nodes.

Installing Additional Nodes

If you have not already installed PCBoard, refer to the Installation chapter
in this manual before proceeding.  Next, get all of your files created and
make sure that the single node is running properly.  It will make a multiple
node setup much easier.  For this section we will assume you installed
PCBoard in the C:\PCB\ subdirectory.

Creating the NODE Subdirectories

You need to create a separate subdirectory for each PCBoard node you plan to
run.  For node 1, create a subdirectory off of your C:\PCB\ subdirectory and
call it NODE1.  To do this, change to the C:\PCB\ subdirectory and type MD
NODE1.  Do this for each node you want to add (e.g., for node 3's
subdirectory you would type MD NODE3). From here on, these subdirectories
will be referred to as node subdirectories.

You should have a directory structure that resembles the following:


             C:\PCB
             ├────NODE1
             ├────NODE2
             ├────NODE3
             └────NODE4

Next, copy the following files from the C:\PCB subdirectory into each node
directory:


BOARD.BAT
PCBERR.OLD
PCBOARD.DAT
REMOTE.SYS

For example, you can copy BOARD.BAT from the C:\PCB directory to
your node 1 subdirectory by typing:


COPY C:\PCB\BOARD.BAT C:\PCB\NODE1

Repeat this step for each file and each node.  Once you have copied the above
list of files to each of the NODE subdirectories, delete the files listed
from the C:\PCB subdirectory.  If you do not delete these files, there is the
chance you could load a node using the wrong setup files.

Setting Up PCBoard

In your PCBoard setup you will have to modify a few items for proper
operation.  This section details some changes you will want to your
configuration using PCBSetup and also how you should modify the BOARD.BAT
files you copied to each node subdirectory.

PCBSetup

There are a few setup items which you may wish to change if you are running
under a multitasking environment.  Change to each node subdirectory and
execute PCBSETUP.EXE. Once PCBSetup is loaded, perform the following steps:

In PCBSetup | Node Configuration change the node number found on this screen
to reflect the number you want to assign to this node.  Remember, each node
must have a unique node number.  In addition, answer Y to the Running a
Network / Multitasker System question.

Whenever possible, specify a path to a file.  This is inclusive of batch
files and your setup of PCBoard in general. This can slightly enhance the
speed of your system and it can make it less complex.

In PCBSetup | File Locations | Configuration Files make sure PCBPROT.DAT
contains the path to locate the file.  For example: C:\PCB\PCBPROT.DAT.  In a
default PCBoard setup, PCBPROT.DAT is entered on the line.  Because no path
is specified, it will cause problems in your multiple node setup.  By
changing all nodes to read one PCBPROT.DAT file, you will find that adding,
changing, or deleting protocols will become a lot easier.

Like the entry for PCBPROT.DAT in File Locations | Configuration Files, make
sure the entry for your Color Definition File contains the full path and
filename.  The default configuration will assume the file will be found in
the default subdirectory. By changing all nodes to point to the same file,
your file directories will be colored on-the-fly.  If you finish setting up
all of your nodes and one or more of your nodes do not display your file
directories in color, you need to run PCBSetup from that node directory and
verify that a valid PCBFILER.DEF file.

Verify that all of the options and file locations in menu options A-H from
the PCBSetup Main Menu contain the proper values and settings that you desire
for each node.  Normally you will be concerned most with file locations, but
you may also want to change the way that a particular node operates as well.
You should not concern yourself with the conference configuration at this
time because all of that information is contained in the CNAMES file you
specify in PCBSetup | File Locations | System Files.

When you have completed steps 1 through 5, exit PCBSetup saving your changes
as you exit.

Modifying BOARD.BAT

The default BOARD.BAT in each node's directory resembles the following:


@echo off
c: cd\pcb
set DSZLOG=PCBDSZ.LOG
if exist REMOTE.BAT rename REMOTE.BAT REMOTE.SYS
if exist DOOR.BAT del DOOR.BAT
if exist ENDPCB del ENDPCB
PCBOARD
if exist REMOTE.BAT REMOTE
if exist DOOR.BAT DOOR
if exist EVENT.BAT EVENT
if exist ENDPCB goto end
board
:end

You will need to modify each node's BOARD.BAT file so that the batch file
changes to the subdirectory where the node resides. In addition, there are
several new lines that can be added to aid you in your multitasking
configuration.  For example, node 1's new batch file will look like the
following (the highlighted items will be explained in the following
sections):



@echo off
C:
cd\PCB\NODE1
C:\DV\DVANSI
set COMBASE=bbb
set COMIRQ=i
set PORT=p
set DSZLOG=PCBDSZ.LOG
if exist REMOTE.BAT rename REMOTE.BAT REMOTE.SYS
if exist DOOR.BAT del DOOR.BAT
if exist ENDPCB del ENDPCB
PCBOARD
if exist REMOTE.BAT REMOTE
if exist DOOR.BAT DOOR
if exist EVENT.BAT EVENT
if exist ENDPCB goto end
board
:end
exit

Notice the cd\PCB\NODE1 line towards the top of the BOARD.BAT file.  This
line is used to change the current subdirectory to the subdirectory you have
defined as the node subdirectory.  In node 1's case, this directory is
\PCB\NODE1.  As you are setting up the rest of the nodes, change this line in
the batch file so it points to the appropriate node subdirectory.  For
example, if you are setting up the batch file for node 2, change the line to
read cd\PCB\NODE2.

In the example, we mentioned there would be several new lines added to your
BOARD.BAT file.  The following describes each of the new lines in detail.

C:\DV\DVANSI:  This line is only necessary if you are using DESQview as your
multitasker. The DVANSI program is an ANSI driver which is more friendly to
DESQview.

set COMBASE:  This command sets an environment variable you can use in your
batch files to reference the base address for the COM port.  The value bbb is
the three digit hexadecimal base address for the COM port (e.g., 3f8, 2f8,
3e8, 2e8).  This variable will prove extremely useful when you start
installing external programs (doors, protocols, etc.) and if you use
non-standard COM ports.  If you are using the COMM-TSR driver that comes with
the multiport version of PCBoard or if you are using only COM1 and/or COM2 as
your serial ports, omit this line.

set COMIRQ:  This line creates an environment variable called COMIRQ which
will store the IRQ the node will use.  The value i is the IRQ number for the
COM port.  Like the COMBASE environment variable, this environment variable
will be indispensable when you start configuring third-party programs. If you
are using the COMM-TSR driver that comes with the multiport version of
PCBoard or if you are using only COM1 and/or COM2 as your serial ports, omit
this line.

set PORT:  This line will create a variable called PORT which will hold the
number of the COM port you are using for the node. The value p is the port
number you defined in PCBSetup | Modem Information | Modem Setup.  You can
use this variable from any batch file making it especially useful when
configuring third-party programs.  If you are using the multiport version of
PCBoard, this port refers to the FOSSIL port number, not the actual port
number on the serial board..

exit:  Adding this line will assure that when you exit to DOS through the
call-waiting screen the window on your multitasker will close.  If you wish
for it to stay open, you should make sure you do not add this line and also
make sure you setup your multitasker so it does not close the window upon
completion of the program.

Setting Up Your Nodes Under a Specific Multitasker

The instructions that follow detail the steps you need to take in order to
add nodes to DESQview, Windows 3.1, and OS/2.  This first section details how
to setup the PIF files for both DESQview and Windows 3.x.  This same section
also details how to setup the icon for your nodes under OS/2.  The next
section details how to automatically load your nodes each time you you run
your multitasker.  Each section also lists any special considerations you
should be aware of with each multitasker. The other information provided
throughout this section (except where appropriately titled) is independent of
the multitasker you are using.

Once you have followed the instructions detailed in the specific section for
the multitasker you are using, proceed to the section entitled Automatically
Loading Your Nodes at Bootup.

DESQview (R)

Before proceeding with a setup under DESQview you should first become
familiar with how to add programs in your DESQview environment if you are not
already familiar with that topic.

To configure your nodes to run under DESQview, load the setup program for
DESQview.  To do this, change to your DESQview directory and at the DOS
prompt type SETUP and press ENTER.  Next, select Performance.  You screen
should resemble the following:

                  ╔1══Advanced═Setup:═Performance══════════╗
                  ║                                        ║
                  ║  Task Processing Time (in Clock Ticks) ║
                  ║            Foreground:    2            ║
                  ║            Background:    2            ║
                  ║                                        ║
                  ║  Memory Usage (in K)                   ║
                  ║      Common Memory:      17            ║
                  ║      DOS Buffer for EMS:  4            ║
                  ║                                        ║
                  ║  Optimize communications?    (Y/N): N  ║
                  ║  Allow swapping of programs? (Y/N): N  ║
                  ║  Manage printer contention?  (Y/N): N  ║
                  ║                                        ║
                  ║           Next field     Tab           ║
                  ║           Backup menu    Esc           ║
                  ║           DONE           <-┘           ║
                  ║                                        ║
                  ╚════════════════════════════════════════╝

Foreground and Background Processing Time:  It is very important that you set
the foreground and background ticks to an equal value.  Otherwise, your
system will likely suffer a performance degradation which callers may
perceive as an intermittent, jerking display.  The exact value for these two
settings varies, depending on how many nodes you are running and the
processing speed of your computer.  Avoid setting these values to 1, which
may result in sluggish system performance.  You may experiment with this
value to see which works best on your machine, though using 2 or 3 seems to
be the best choice.

Two of the most important settings you will change are Optimize
Communications and Manage printer contention.  Set both of these to N to help
avoid possible system lockups.

Next, you need to add each of the nodes to your DESQview menu so you can
bring up a node with just a couple of keystrokes.  To add each node to the
DESQview menu, do the following:

Select Open Window from the DESQview main menu

Select Add Program

Select Other (Add program not found in list).  You will be asked
to specify a path to the program.  Supply a node directory for
each program you add.  For example, enter C:\PCB\NODE1,
C:\PCB\NODE2, etc.

Once you have typed in a path you will be taken to the Add a Program screen
where you will edit the PIF file for this program.  You will need to go
through this procedure for each node you plan to run.  The two following
screen captures will show you the recommended PIF settings for your first
node:


  ╔Add═a═Program═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
  ║                      Specify Program Information                       ║
  ║                                                                        ║
  ║ Program Name............: Node 1                                       ║
  ║                                                                        ║
  ║ Keys to Use on Open Menu: N1                   Memory Size (in K): 450 ║
  ║────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────║
  ║ Program...: C:\PCB\NODE1\BOARD.BAT                                     ║
  ║                                                                        ║
  ║ Parameters:                                                            ║
  ║                                                                        ║
  ║ Directory.: C:\PCB\NODE1                                               ║
  ║────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────║
  ║ Options:                                                               ║
  ║               Writes text directly to screen.......: [Y]               ║
  ║               Displays graphics information........: [N]               ║
  ║               Virtualize text/graphics (Y,N,T).....: [T]               ║
  ║               Uses serial ports (Y,N,1,2)..........: [Y]               ║
  ║               Requires floppy diskette.............: [N]               ║
  ║                                                                        ║
  ║  Press F1 for advanced options            Press <-┘ when you are DONE  ║
  ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

There are four fields you should pay special attention to in this setup
screen:

Program Name:  You can enter anything you wish here as it is the title that
will be displayed on your window.  You may want to enter something like NODE
1 or NODE 2.  It does not matter what name you wish to have displayed as your
window title.  Make sure whatever you enter is unique for each so you can
easily identify your windows when they are displayed on the screen or when
you switch to them.  If they all said Alphabet BBS, you will have a hard time
discerning which node is which on your screen.

Keys to Open:  In this field enter the two keys which will be used to open
the window from the DESQview menu.  See your manual for more information.
The keys you choose must be unique.  You may want to enter something like N1
or N2 to distinguish between your node numbers.

Program:  In this field, enter the name of the program you wish to run.  You
should always run BOARD.BAT when loading PCBoard and since each node has a
different BOARD.BAT, you must change what you enter for each of your nodes
(e.g., C:\PCB\NODE1\BOARD.BAT, C:\PCB\NODE2\BOARD.BAT, etc.).

Directory:  This field should point to the node subdirectory for each node.
For example, in node 2's PIF file, enter C:\PCB\NODE2 in this field.  For
node 3's PIF file, enter C:\PCB\NODE3.

When you are finished editing the first screen, press F1 for advanced
options.  You will be presented with another screen. When you are finished
filling in the values for this screen, your screen should resemble the screen
on the following page.


╔Add═a═Program════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║                 Specify Program Information Advanced Options                ║
║                                                                             ║
║ System Memory (in K).......:   0   Maximum Program Memory Size (in K)..:    ║
║                                                                             ║
║ Script Buffer Size.......:     0   Maximum Expanded Memory Size (in K):     ║
║                                                                             ║
║ Text Pages: 1  Graphics Pages: 0   Initial Mode:       Interrupts: 00 to FF ║
║─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────║
║ Window Position:                                                            ║
║    Maximum Height:  25       Starting Height:           Starting Row...:    ║
║    Maximum Width.:  80       Starting Width.:           Starting Column:    ║
║─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────║
║                                Shared Program                               ║
║ Pathname..:                                                                 ║
║ Data......:                                                                 ║
║─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────║
║ Close on exit (Y,N,blank)......: [N] Uses its own colors..............: [Y] ║
║ Allow Close Window command.....: [N] Runs in background (Y,N,blank)...: [Y] ║
║ Uses math coprocessor..........: [N] Keyboard conflict (0-F)..........: [0] ║
║ Share CPU when foreground......: [Y] Share EGA when foreground/zoomed.: [N] ║
║ Can be swapped out (Y,N,blank).: [N] Protection level (0-3)...........: [0] ║
║                                                                             ║
║  Press F1 for standard options                 Press <-┘ when you are DONE  ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

System Memory:  You should enter 0 in this field unless you are running a
program written specifically for DESQview.

Script Buffer:  Most likely, you will not be using DESQview scripts inside of
this window.  You can save additional memory by entering 0 in this field.

Close on Exit:  If you elected to add the exit line at the end of your
BOARD.BAT file, no matter what you select here, the window will always close
when you select DOS - Busy or DOS - Not Busy from the call waiting screen.
If you did not add the exit statement, enter Y in this field.  If you enter Y
in this field, the window will close when you select DOS - Busy or DOS - Not
Busy.  If you enter N instead, the window will stay open at a DOS prompt when
you exit PCBoard.

Uses own colors:  Entering Y in this field will allow PCBoard to set the
colors for the window rather than using DESQview's default colors.

Allow Close:  Entering N in this field will not allow you to select Close
Window command to be executed from the DESQview menu.  Instead, you must
properly exit the program or reboot the window to close the window.
Remember, it is always best to properly exit a program whenever possible.

Runs in background:  In this field, enter a Y on all dial-in nodes and an N
on any local maintenance nodes you may have. Setting any local nodes to not
be active in the background can save precious processor time in case you
accidentally leave your maintenance node running in the background.

Uses Math Coprocessor:  Enter an N in this field since PCBoard does not
utilize any math coprocessors.  You will save precious memory and may even
slightly improve performance.

Can be swapped:  In this field, enter an N for any PIFs you are setting up
for communications programs (such as PCBoard).  If you set this field to Y,
it may eventually cause a hard system lock.

Microsoft Windows (R) v3.1

In order to run multiple nodes under Windows you will need to create a PIF
file for each node.  It is assumed you have some knowledge on how to create a
PIF file under Windows.  If this area is new to you, it is suggested you
first read the section in your Windows manual detailing how to create a PIF
file before continuing with your configuration.

While you are in the Windows environment, load the PIF editor. This program
will be used to create the PIF files for each node. Create a new PIF file.
When you have finished filling in the required information on the first
screen of your PIF file, it should resemble the following:

         ┌─┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
         │─│                                                          │
         ├─┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
         │ File  Mode  Help                                           │
         ├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
         │ Program Filename:     C:\PCB\NODE1\BOARD.BAT               │
         │                                                            │
         │ Window Title:         NODE1                                │
         │                                                            │
         │ Optional Parameters:                                       │
         │                                                            │
         │ Start-up Directory:   C:\PCB\NODE1                         │
         │                                                            │
         │ Video Memory:     ■ Text   O Low Graphics   O High Graphics│
         │ Memory Requirements:  KB Require   450  KB Desired   640   │
         │                                                            │
         │ EMS Memory:           KB Required    0  KB Limit     400   │
         │ XMS Memory:           KB Required    0  KB Limit     400   │
         │                                                            │
         │ Display Usage:  ■ Full Screen    Execution:   ■ Background │
         │                 O Windowed                    O Exclusive  │
         │                                                            │
         │ ■ Close Window on Exit        Advanced                     │
         ├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
         │ Press F1 for help on Program Filename                      │
         └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Program Filename:  In this field, enter the name of the program you wish to
run.  You should always run BOARD.BAT when loading PCBoard.  If you do not,
your door programs, events, and remote drops to DOS will not run.  The batch
file you enter in this field will change for each node because you load a
different BOARD.BAT for each node.  For example, node 2's PIF file will
contain C:\PCB\NODE2\BOARD.BAT.

Window Title:  You may enter anything you wish here as it is the title
displayed on your window.  You may want to enter something like NODE 1 or
NODE 2.  It does not matter what name you wish to have displayed as your
window title.  Make sure the title you enter is unique for each node so you
can easily identify your windows when they are displayed on the screen or
when you switch to them.  If they all are titled Alphabet BBS, you will have
a hard time discerning which node is which on your screen.

Start-up Directory:  In this field, enter the node subdirectory. For example,
node 2's PIF file will contain C:\PCB\NODE2 in this field.  For node 3's PIF
file, enter C:\PCB\NODE3.

Display Usage-Full Screen:  Mark this setting so each node runs in
full-screen mode rather than in windowed mode.  When a non-Windows
application is running full-screen, the overhead of virtualizing the screen
in a graphical window is eliminated giving you better system performance.

Close Window on Exit:  If you elected to add the exit line at the end of your
BOARD.BAT file, no matter what you select here the window will always close
when you select DOS - Busy or DOS - Not Busy from the call waiting screen.
If you did not add the exit statement, entering Y in this field will cause
the window to close when you select DOS - Busy or DOS - Not Busy.  If you
enter N in this field, the window will remain at a DOS prompt when you quit
PCBoard.

You should now click the Advanced button to get to the second screen for your
PIF file.  When you have finished filling in the requested information, your
screen should resemble the following:

       ┌─┬───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
       │─│                     Advanced Options                          │
       ├─┴───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
       │┌ Multitasking Options ─────────────────────────────┐            │
       ││Background Priority:  100  Foreground Priority: 100│            │
       ││                  ■ Detect Idle Time               │            │
       │└───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘            │
       │┌ Memory Options ─────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
       ││    O EMS Memory Locked            O XMS Memory Locked       │  │
       ││    ■ Uses High Memory Area        O Lock Application Memory │  │
       │└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
       │┌ Display Options ────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
       ││Monitor Ports:     O Text   O Low Graphics  O High Graphics  │  │
       ││              ■ Emulate Text Mode    O Retain Video Memory   │  │
       │└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
       │┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
       ││■ Allow Fast Paste                O Allow Close When Active  │  │
       ││Reserve Shortcut Keys: O Alt+Tab   O Alt+Esc    O Ctrl+Esc   │  │
       ││                       O PrtSc     O Alt+PrtSc  O Alt+Space  │  │
       ││                       O Alt+Enter                           │  │
       ││Application Shortcut Key:  None                              │  │
       │└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
       ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
       │ Press F1 for help on Priority.                                  │
       └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Background Priority:  Make sure the value entered in this field is equal to
the value entered in the Foreground Priority field. If it does not, the nodes
running in the background will run slower than the node in the foreground.

Lock Application Memory:  You want to lock the application memory so the
window will not swap out of memory while your node is running.  If the window
swaps out of memory, the node will quit functioning.

Once you have the PIF files defined, add each node as an icon to Program
Manager.  Consult your Windows manual for further information on adding
programs to Program Manager.

OS/2 v2.x

To run multiple nodes under OS/2 you will want to create program objects for
each of your nodes and store them in a folder on the desktop for easy access.
It is assumed you have a good knowledge of how to work with objects in the
Workplace Shell environment.  If this area is new to you, it is suggested
that you first read the section in your manual detailing how to use the
Workplace Shell.

The first place to start is to create a folder on your desktop that will hold
the program objects for each of your nodes.  One way of doing this is to open
up your templates folder and drag a folder out to the desktop and change the
name of the folder in the settings for the object.  Next, you need to add a
program object to this folder.  As with the folder, you can drag a program
object from your templates folder to the new folder. When you do, the
following dialog box will appear on the screen:

     ┌─┬────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬─┬─┐
     ├─┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────┬┬┬┬┬──────┴─┴─┤
     │ │                                                 └┴┴┴┴───┐      │
     │ │                                                  Program│      │
     │ │                                                 ┌┬──────┴─┐    │
     │ │ Required                                        ││Session │    │
     │ │   Path and file name:                           │├┬───────┴───┐│
     │ │   ┌─────────────────────────┐ ┌────────┐        │││Association││
     │ │   │                         │ │  Find  │        ││├┬──────────┤│
     │ │   └─────────────────────────┘ └────────┘        ││││Window    ││
     │ │                                                 │││├┬─────────┤│
     │ │ Optional                                        │││││General  ││
     │ │   Parameters:                                   ││││├─────────┘│
     │ │   ┌────────────────────────────────────┐        │││││          │
     │ │   └────────────────────────────────────┘        │││││          │
     │ │   Working directory:                            │││││          │
     │ │   ┌────────────────────────────────────┐        │││││          │
     │ │   └────────────────────────────────────┘        │││││          │
     │ │ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐                           │││││          │
     │ │ │  Undo  │ │  Help  │                           │││││          │
     │ │ └────────┘ └────────┘                           │││││          │
     └─┴─────────────────────────────────────────────────┴┴┴┴┴──────────┘

You can skip this screen as you will fill it in later for each object you
create for your nodes.  The next thing you need to do is to change some of
the DOS settings for PCBoard.  To do this, click on the Session tab and then
click on the DOS settings box. When you do, you will see a dialogue box that
resembles the screen on the following page.

    ┌─┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
    ├─┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
    │ Setting:                        Value:                             │
    │ ┌───────────────────────────┐                                      │
    │ │COM_HOLD                   │   ■ On         O Off                 │
    │ │DOS_BACKGROUND_EXECUTION   │                                      │
    │ │DOS_BREAK                  │                                      │
    │ │DOS_DEVICE                 │                                      │
    │ │DOS_FCBS                   │                                      │
    │ │DOS_FCBS_KEEP              │                                      │
    │ │DOS_FILES                  │                                      │
    │ │DOS_HIGH                   │                                      │
    │ │DOS_LASTDRIVE              │                                      │
    │ │DOS_RMSIZE                 │  ┌Description──────────────────────┐ │
    │ │DOS_SHELL                  │  │                                 │ │
    │ │DOS_STARTUP_DRIVE          │  │Use this setting to keep open a  │ │
    │ │DOS_UMB                    │  │communications resource (for     │ │
    │ │DOS_VERSION                │  │example, COM1) until the DOS     │ │
    │ │DPMI_DOS_API               │  │session ends.                    │ │
    │ │DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT          │  │                                 │ │
    │ ├─┬─────────────────────────┤  │                                 │ │
    │ └─┴─────────────────────────┘  └─────────────────────────────────┘ │
    │                                                                    │
    │ ┌───────┐ ┌───────┐ ┌───────┐ ┌───────┐                            │
    │ │ Save  │ │Default│ │Cancel │ │ Help  │                            │
    │ └───────┘ └───────┘ └───────┘ └───────┘                            │
    └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

You need to change the following settings for this object to reflect the
values to the right of the equal sign:

COM_HOLD         = ON
COM_DIRECT       = OFF
DOS_BACKGROUND   = ON
DOS_BREAK        = OFF
DPMI_DOS_API     = DISABLED
EMS_MEMORY       = 512
IDLE_SECONDS     = 0
IDLE_SENSITIVITY = 75
XMS_MEMORY_LIMIT = 0

Click on the Save button to store the changes you have made to the DOS
settings.  Next, click on the General tab so you can change the name of the
object.  In the Title box, enter text that will be used to identify this
object.  For example, you ccan enter Node in this field.  To help make adding
new node program objects easier, you should also click on the Template check
box to make this object a template.  Your screen will resemble the following:

     ┌─┬────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬─┬─┐
     ├─┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────┬┬┬┬┬──────┴─┴─┤
     │ │       ┌────────────────────────┐                ├┴┴┴┴─────┐    │
     │ │ Title:│Node                    │                │Program  │    │
     │ │       │                        │                ├┬────────┤    │
     │ │       │                        │                ││Session │    │
     │ │       └────────────────────────┘                │├┬───────┴───┐│
     │ │                                                 │││Association││
     │ │ ┌─Current icon──┐ ┌───────────────┐             ││├┬──────────┤│
     │ │ │               │ │ Create another│             ││││Window    ││
     │ │ │  ╔═════╗      │ ├───────────────┤             └┴┴┴──────────┤│
     │ │ │  ║ DOS ║      │ │     Edit      │               General     ││
     │ │ │  ╚═════╝      │ ├───────────────┤             ┌┬┬┬┬─────────┘│
     │ │ │               │ │     Find      │             │││││          │
     │ │ └───────────────┘ └───────────────┘             │││││          │
     │ │                                                 │││││          │
     │ │  √  Template                                    │││││          │
     │ │                                                 │││││          │
     │ │ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐                │││││          │
     │ │ │  Undo  │ │Default │ │  Help  │                │││││          │
     │ │ └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘                │││││          │
     └─┴─────────────────────────────────────────────────┴┴┴┴┴──────────┘

Next, close the Settings notebook to return to the Workplace Shell.  Notice,
you now have a new object in your folder and that it is titled whatever you
entered previously.  Your folder may look like the following:

         ┌─┬─────────────────────────────────────────────┬─┬─┐
         ├─┴─────────────────────────────────────────────┴─┴─┤
         │ ┌──────┐                                          │
         │ │ ╔══╗ │                                          │
         │ │ ╚══╝ │                                          │
         │ └──────┘                                          │
         │   Node                                            │
         └───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Next, you need to simply copy objects for the rest of your nodes.  Highlight
your template and drag an object out of your template for each of your nodes
and place them in the folder you created.  Each time you drag a copy and let
go of the mouse button, you will be asked to supply the program that you wish
to run.  Once you have copied the objects, you need to change the following
information for each of the objects:

Path and file name:  Enter the BOARD.BAT that you need to run for this node.
For example, you may enter C:\PCB\NODE1\BOARD.BAT for node 1's object.

Working directory:  In this field, enter the node subdirectory for each node.
For example, you may enter C:\PCB\NODE1 for node 1's object.

Once you have finished these steps, the folder you created for your nodes may
resemble the following if you define four nodes:

         ┌─┬─────────────────────────────────────────────┬─┬─┐
         ├─┴─────────────────────────────────────────────┴─┼─┤
         │ ┌──────┐  ╔══════╗ ╔══════╗ ╔══════╗ ╔══════╗   ├─┤
         │ │ ╔══╗ │  ║ DOS  ║ ║ DOS  ║ ║ DOS  ║ ║ DOS  ║   │ │
         │ │ ╚══╝ │  ╚══════╝ ╚══════╝ ╚══════╝ ╚══════╝   │ │
         │ └──────┘                                        │ │
         │   Node     Node:1    Node:2   Node:3   Node:4   ├─┤
         └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┴─┘

At this point, you should be able to click on any of your node objects to
load the corresponding node on your system.  The next step is to
automatically configure OS/2 to load your nodes at startup.


Automatically Loading The Nodes at Bootup

Since, for the most part, your bulletin board will be unattended, you will
want your nodes to automatically load when you boot your machine.  This will
prevent events like power outages from bringing down your system until you
can manually bring up your bulletin board system.  This section gives you
detailed instructions for automatically bringing up your system under
DESQview, Windows, and OS/2.

DESQview

In order to have all of your nodes load up every time you start DESQview, you
will need to use a script.  The following key sequence will create a script
for starting up your nodes on one machine.

Initiate DESQview's script learning mode by pressing SHIFT-ALT.

Select Start Script.  When prompted for a key to define, hold down ALT while
typing 255 on the numeric keypad.  By assigning it to an obscure key you
lower the chances of accidentally activating the script.

Give your script a name.  Make sure it starts with an ! (exclamation point)
or it will not be executed when you start up DESQview.

Open all of your nodes manually from the DESQview Open Window menu.  When you
are finished, press SHIFT-ALT and select Finish script.

Close all of the nodes you opened by selecting DOS - Not Busy from the call
waiting screen.

Quit DESQview.  When quitting, you will be informed you have some scripts
that have not been saved and you are asked if you wish to save them.  Save
the scripts to a filename called DESQVIEW.DVS.



Microsoft Windows v3.1

To automatically load your nodes under Microsoft Windows, simply move the
icons for your nodes to the Startup folder in Program Manager.  When Windows
loads, it will automatically load all programs that are in your Startup
folder.

OS/2 v2.x

Select all of your node objects (but not the node template) and hold down the
CTRL key while dragging them to the Startup folder in your OS/2 System folder.
The program objects will be moved to that folder.  When OS/2 loads, it will
execute any programs in your Startup folder.

PCBoard And Local Area Networks

Getting Started

A local area network will enable you to expand your system to run more than
four nodes and also enable you to add even more storage space than you can
fit in one machine.  The next few sections detail how to configure your
network to work with PCBoard.  You may not need all of the information
provided, but reading it will help give you a better overview of how PCBoard
works in conjunction with networks.

Required Hardware

Enough computers to handle your desired nodes.  You can run one node per
machine or you can use a multitasker on a workstation to run up to four nodes
on a machine.

Network card for each machine

If you are running standard serial ports in each machine, they should have
16550 UARTs for each serial port (prevents COM overruns).

If you are using a multi-port card in conjunction with the multiport version
of PCBoard, make sure the card you are using is supported by COMM-TSR.EXE.

Required Software

PCBoard Bulletin Board Software

Networking software that compliments the network hardware you have installed.

Types of Networks Supported

PCBoard works with virtually all of the DOS based LAN products including
3COM, Banyan, LANtastic, and Novell NetWare.  PCBoard requires the network to
support DOS 3.1 and higher file/record locking procedures.  Almost any
NETBIOS compatible network will work since these networks typically support
the proper file/record locking procedures.

Testing Network Compatibility

If you are unsure whether your network software will meet PCBoard's
requirements, you will want to test your network for compatibility.  The next
few steps will show you a short test you can run to make sure PCBoard will
work correctly.

NOTE:  It is assumed that by now you have at least installed PCBoard. If you
have not yet installed PCBoard, refer to the Installation chapter of this
manual for further instructions. You must have an installed copy of PCBoard
before you test your network for compatibility. Additionally you must either
load SHARE.EXE that comes with DOS or check your network software to see if
it has the functionality of SHARE built in.

If you are unsure if your existing network will work with PCBoard, run
PCBDIAG.EXE which is in the directory where you installed PCBoard.  When you
run PCBDIAG you will see the this screen:

You will see the following three questions on your screen:


Print ALL configuration files
Perform the Analysis Section
Analyze USERS and INDEX files

These questions will determine how thorough of a diagnostics report you want
to run.  The analysis section of the report is the part that will contain the
information on whether your existing network will work with PCBoard or not.
Therefore, you will want to answer N to all of the questions except to
Perform Analysis Section which you will answer with a Y.

When you press PgDn, you will be asked for the printer specification.  Type
in the device name for your printer (e.g., LPT1).  If you wish to send the
report to disk instead, you may type in a filename such as DIAG.TXT.  After
you have printed or saved your report to disk look for the following section
towards the top of the report:

Test SHARE functions:

Open DENY ALL  / attempt to share file by second process failed-OKAY
Open DENY NONE / attempt to share file by second process succeeded - OKAY
Attempt to lock record #1 by first  process succeeded - OKAY
Attempt to lock record #1 by second process failed    - OKAY
Attempt to read record #1 by second process failed    - OKAY


These are the results you will see if your network is compatible with
PCBoard.  All tests should report OKAY.  If not, try loading the DOS SHARE
command and re-run the test.  If some of the tests still fail, you do not
have a compatible network.

Planning Your Network Setup and File Locations

What Type of Computers Should Be Used?

A common question most people ask if they are setting up a network for the
first time is "What type of computers should I get for the servers and the
workstations?"  There is no definite answer to this question.  In fact, the
answers you will get depend on how you want your system setup.

For example, you may have a network setup with one server using a 80486
processor and have one node per workstation with each workstation using a low
end 386 processor.  Of course the ideal situation is to have the absolute
fastest computers possible as both the servers and the workstations.  In most
cases, however, those type of machines would not be economically feasible so
you must decide which would be best for your setup.

When you are planning what type of machines to use for your network, keep the
following in mind:

Server  Your server needs to be powerful enough to support the number of
nodes in your network.  For a 2-3 node setup you can most likely get by with
a low end 80386.  As you add more nodes, however, you will want a more
powerful machine like an 80486. The faster machine will give the server the
capability to keep up with all of the workstation requests.

Workstations    This is where the majority of your processing will go on.
Since the programs will be running on these machines, do not hesitate to put
a reasonably fast computer on the network as one of your workstations.  Most
people are under the misconception that you need to have an extremely fast
server and put XTs on the network as your workstations.  Weigh your needs and
remember a fast workstation will make your system look like it is running
even faster.

One popular solution is to use a 80486 as your server and then use 80386 or
80486 computers as your workstations.  On each workstation multitask several
nodes to help keep the overall floor space used to a minimum.  This type of
setup does require you to properly setup your multitasker using the
instructions outlined earlier in this chapter.  In addition, you must also
setup the workstation properly as far as the network is concerned.  This will
include such items as assigning network drives and checking for IRQ
conflicts.

Where Should The PCBoard Files Be Stored?

Once you have your network set up and working correctly, setting up PCBoard
for multiple nodes is really not much more difficult than setting up a single
node.  This is due to the fact that PCBoard enables you to specify where just
about any file is located.  You need to insure the file is really where you
specify -- whether it is a network or local drive.

There are only a handful of files that must be located on a shared drive
(server drive).  You need to make sure the following files are all located on
a server drive because they are automatically updated as people call into the
system.


Name/Loc of Users File
Name/Loc of Users Info File
Name/Loc of Group CHAT File
Name/Loc of Caller Log
Name/Loc of USERNET.XXX File
Location of USERS File Index Files
Name/Loc of MSGS File (All conferences)
Name/Loc Upload DIR File, Location of Uploads (all conferences)


The locations for these files are specified in PCBSetup | File Locations |
System Files with the exception of those relating to conferences which can be
found in each conference's configuration screen.  If you store these files on
your workstations, you will have no way to update the other workstations when
a new user logs in or as the files listed below change.  There are more files
that are recommended you store on a server drive but are not required to be
stored on a server drive:

Name/Loc of Conference Data
Doors - Menu Listing, Path/Name List File (all conferences)
Bulletins - Menu Listing, Path/Name List File (all conferences)
Scripts - Menu Listing, Path/Name List File (all conferences)
Directories - Menu Listing, Path/Name List File (all conferences)

With the remaining files in your PCBoard configuration, you must decide if
you wish to put them on the server, the workstation, or put some on the
server and some on the workstations.

The following lists a few reasons you may wish to store a
majority of the files on a workstation:

Running on a slow network (e.g., 2 mpbs)

You wish to keep network traffic down

You have a large number of nodes on your network (e.g., 20+) and
your server cannot handle all of the nodes requests if the files
are stored on the server.


The following lists a few reasons you may wish to store a
majority of files on the server:


You do not wish to manually update all workstations every time a
file on the server is changed

Your workstations do not have hard-drives in them

You have a relatively small network and accessing all of the
files across the network will not degrade network performance.


When deciding where to store a file on your system it always helps to have a
strategy or a plan to help guide you.  One that works well for most systems
is to store a file on the server if it changes often.  Otherwise, store the
file on each workstation to help keep network traffic down.

If speed is your primary concern, you will end up putting most of your files
on the workstations.  This usually means more maintenance for you when
updating the files on the workstations because you can have a lot of
workstations to update.

If you desire the easiest setup instead of speed, store most of your files on
the server.  When a file is updated on the server, any nodes or workstations
that access that file will automatically see the change in the file because
they read from a shared location.

For now, use the above information to help you consider where files will be
stored on your network.  In the section titled Installing Your Other Nodes,
you will actually make the changes to your system configuration.

Configuring The Network Drives

If you want to save yourself a lot of confusion in your network setup, you
will want to configure your network setup so the server drives are the same
letters throughout the entire network. Setting up your network to use all of
the same drives allows you to specify the same drive throughout PCBSetup on
all of your nodes, and your third party utilities.

If you do not make it so that the server drives use the same letter on all
workstations, your setup and configuration will be more complex.  For
example, you may find it confusing and more complex if the drive with the
message bases is referred to as drive H on one workstation, and drive J on
another workstation. With the server drives using the same letters on all of
your workstations, you will make it easier to expand and maintain your
system.

To help illustrate how to configure your workstations and servers to refer to
the same drive letters for all drives, look at the following example 4
machine - 2 server system:


Machine 1 - Server (Network name: SERVER1)
System Drive     Network Resource Name

C:      DRIVE-C
D:     DRIVE-D
E:      DRIVE-E
F:     DRIVE-F
G:     DRIVE-G


Machine 2 - Server (Network name:  SERVER2)
System Drive     Network Resource Name

C:     DRIVE-C
D:     DRIVE-D


Machine 3 - Workstation
System Drive     Network Resource Name

C:     N/A (not a server)


Machine 4 - Workstation
System Drive     Network Resource Name

C:     N/A (not a server)


NOTE:  All of the examples in this section use Artisoft's LANtastic syntax.
If you are not using LANtastic then please consult the documentation for your
network to find out how your network refers to network resources.

You can see we have a little dilemma in this setup.  Not only do all of the
computers in this example have C: drives, but the two servers both have a
drive D as well. To further complicate matters, you will want to let every
computer have their own local drive C.  What you need to do to rectify this
conflict is to begin using all of the network drives at drive H.

You can begin by first assigning drive letters of your network drives on
SERVER1.  As was mentioned before, you can begin at drive letter H and work
your way down to drive Z.  You can do this because you do not have any local
drives that use the drive letter H.  The highest local drive letter is G and
that is on the first server.

To assign the drive letters on the various machines of the network, you will
use two different methods.  If the drive is a physical drive in the server,
use the SUBST command provided by DOS to assign the appropriate drive letter.
Otherwise, use the command your network provides for assigning drives.    The
examples shown in this section use  LANtastic format for the network
commands.  If you use a different network, consult your documentation for
further instructions.

Now that you understand why we used SUBST in some cases and the NET USE
command in others you should be ready to assign the drives for all four
nodes.  The following shows you the commands that should be added to
AUTOEXEC.BAT or your network startup batch file:


Machine 1 (SERVER1)

SUBST H: C:\
SUBST I: D:\
SUBST J: E:\
SUBST K: F:\
SUBST L: G:\
NET USE M: \\SERVER2\C-DRIVE
NET USE N: \\SERVER2\D-DRIVE


Machine 2 (SERVER2)

NET USE H: \\SERVER1\C-DRIVE
NET USE I: \\SERVER1\D-DRIVE
NET USE J: \\SERVER1\E-DRIVE
NET USE K: \\SERVER1\F-DRIVE
NET USE L: \\SERVER1\G-DRIVE
SUBST M: C:\
SUBST N: D:\


Machine 3 (Workstation)

NET USE H: \\SERVER1\C-DRIVE
NET USE I: \\SERVER1\D-DRIVE
NET USE J: \\SERVER1\E-DRIVE
NET USE K: \\SERVER1\F-DRIVE
NET USE L: \\SERVER1\G-DRIVE
NET USE M: \\SERVER2\C-DRIVE
NET USE N: \\SERVER2\D-DRIVE


Machine 4 (Workstation)

NET USE H: \\SERVER1\C-DRIVE
NET USE I: \\SERVER1\D-DRIVE
NET USE J: \\SERVER1\E-DRIVE
NET USE K: \\SERVER1\F-DRIVE
NET USE L: \\SERVER1\G-DRIVE
NET USE M: \\SERVER2\C-DRIVE
NET USE N: \\SERVER2\D-DRIVE


If you look at each node, you will see drive H refers to the same drive on
all four nodes.  Likewise, the rest of the drives (I-N) also reference the
same drives on all nodes.  This is the setup you want to achieve.  It does
not matter what drive letters you use, but it does matter that you use the
same drive letters across the entire network.

Modifying Your System Files

There are a few changes you will likely have to make to your AUTOEXEC.BAT and
CONFIG.SYS system files.  You should already have an AUTOEXEC.BAT and
CONFIG.SYS for your system.  This section details what you must have in these
files in order to properly run a multinode setup using multitasking software.
If you have other items in these files, do not worry as they may be necessary
for your particular system (hardware drivers, etc.)

CONFIG.SYS

In you CONFIG.SYS files, modify the number of file handles you define for
your system.  Your server should have the number of file handles equal to 25
times the number of nodes the server will manage plus 25 for itself.  In
other words, if you have a 7 nodes running on your network (including the
server), add FILES=175 to your CONFIG.SYS..

Your workstations need 25 file handles for each DOS process that is running.
Unless you are using a multitasker to run more than one node per workstation,
add FILES=25 to your CONFIG.SYS.  If you are running more than one node per
workstation, add 25 times the number of nodes you are running on the machine.
For example, if you are running 4 nodes, add FILES=100 to the workstation's
CONFIG.SYS.

DOS cannot provide more than 255 file handles in CONFIG.SYS.  If you need
more than 255 file handles consult your network documentation to see if a
method to override the CONFIG.SYS settings is provided.

Normally, DOS will allow you to address up to drive E without having to
modify your CONFIG.SYS.  In the examples used in this section, you will
notice we went past drive E.  For DOS to be able to access these drives, add
the LASTDRIVE=Z statement to your CONFIG.SYS file.  You do not have to
specify Z as your last drive letter, but for the small amount of memory it
consumes, you may end up saving time.

AUTOEXEC.BAT

For a multi-node setup, you must insure SHARE is either loaded or built-in to
your network.  By now you should have already completed the network
compatibility test described earlier. If you had to load SHARE.EXE for the
test and you have not added it to your AUTOEXEC.BAT, do that now.

Installing Dial-In Nodes

There are basically two types of nodes in a network setup -- dial-in and
local.  Dial-in nodes are those expecting calls to come from a modem or
serial port.

Once you have installed PCBoard on your server, there are numerous ways you
can go about adding nodes.  You can add one node per workstation on the
network or you can setup a multitasker on your workstations and run more than
one node on each workstation.

There are three primary steps you should follow when adding new
nodes to your network configuration.  They are:

Whichever method you choose each of your workstation machines should have a
hard drive and each of them should also have a \PCB subdirectory.  The
following files should be copied from the \PCB subdirectory on the server to
the \PCB subdirectory on the workstation.

   *.EXE
   *.COM
   *.BAT
   REMOTE.SYS
   PCBOARD.DAT
   PCBFILER.DEF
   PCBSM.HLP

In PCBSetup | Node Configuration and make sure you have answered Y to the
Running a Network / Multitasker System question and that you have defined the
proper node number on each node you have defined.

In menu options A-H from the PCBSetup Main Menu, insure you have properly
specified all drive and path references.  You should use the information
provided in Where Should The PCBoard Files Be Stored to determine where the
files pointed to in menu options A-H should be stored.

If you plan on setting up your dial-in nodes on a multitasking workstation,
reference the multitasking section earlier in this chapter.  About the only
difference between multitasking on a stand-alone machine and on a workstation
is that you must realize some of the files in your configuration will be read
from the server rather than from a local drive.  This means you simply change
the location of files like your users file and you will be up and running.

If you decide to multitask nodes on a workstation, there are a few
considerations you should be aware of:

You should reduce the amount of time that your workstation spends monitoring
the network.  This will make network transfers a little less snappy, but will
allocate more system time to your multi-tasker which means snappier displays
for your users. LANtastic uses the run_burst command line switch on the
AILANBIO program.  If you are using a different network consult your manual.

Most multitasking programs have provisions for networks such as network
buffers, etc.  Consult the manual for your multitasking manual to see exactly
what type of support for networks that it offers.

If you are using QEMM as your memory manager, increase the number of tasks.
To do this add tasks=nn (where nn is the number of tasks to allocate) to your
QEMM386.SYS line in CONFIG.SYS.  Set this value to 16 times the number of
nodes you plan to run.  In QEMM, a task is a data structure that is used to
handle interrupts out of protected mode.  If you are using a different memory
manager, consult your manual for further details.

If you have plenty of conventional memory, you can gain a small increase in
speed from your network if you load all of your network drivers in
conventional memory.  The overall performance gain will be very, very small
but for some even a very small gain is important.

Installing Local or In-House Nodes

There are basically two types of nodes in a network setup -- dial-in and
local.  A local login is where the user runs PCBoard directly and interacts
using the local keyboard.

PCBoard works equally well across a network as it does when accessed through
external connections.  When users login across the network, they are simply
running a copy of PCBoard which has its own setup (PCBOARD.DAT) file.
Because this method is used, PCBoard does not have to talk directly to the
network operating system (NETBIOS, IPX, etc.).

Protecting Files From Local Users

Some may question if allowing users to run PCBOARD across the network will
compromise security of the system by allowing users to access SysOp
functions.  When you use the /LOCALON command line parameter for PCBOARD.EXE,
it causes PCBoard to bypass the call waiting screen and go directly to the Do
you want graphics? prompt. In addition, the user may not shell out to
PCBFiler, PCBSetup, PCBSysMgr, or PCBMoni while logged in.

If you wish to protect your users from accessing some of the setup and
configuration utilities, you can make a separate subdirectory for those files
and move them to that subdirectory where they can be protected via network
security.  Be careful about what you do with network security, however, as
all of the PCBoard files must have full read, write, and delete network
rights to function properly.

Floating Local Node Numbers

Setting up local login nodes are, for the most part, easier than setting up
dial-in nodes because you can float the node number. When you float the node
number it allows PCBoard to pick a node that is not being used and assign the
local user this node number.  This method of assigning node numbers avoids
the need to assign everyone a unique node number and also makes your batch
files and general setup much easier.  If you float the node numbers of your
local users, you could easily have 1000 or more users vying for access to a
100 node system.  If PCBoard is unable to find a free node (all nodes are
busy), the user will receive an ALL NODES ARE BUSY message.

What makes the ability to float a node so useful is that you can have one
batch file and one setup file for all local nodes.  Not only that, but you
can start your local logins at any node number and automatically have them
float all the way until you run out of the concurrent logins you software
license allows. This means less maintenance for you in the long run and you
can protect your dial-in nodes (if you have any) from being used by local
logins.  Having one batch file for all of your logins, however, means you
will not be able to hard code drives and subdirectories in your batch files.

Every user must have a home directory to be used by PCBoard. You must
guarantee that this home directory is unique to each local user.  This
subdirectory could be on the server set aside for a particular user, or it
could be a subdirectory set aside on the local hard drive of every
workstation.  In this subdirectory PCBOARD.SYS and ENDPCB will be created for
each user.

PCBOARD.SYS is created for every user and contains information like the last
time they logged on, user name, city, etc.  ENDPCB is created by PCBoard when
exiting.  These are the only files that will remain in this unique
subdirectory.

Configuring Your System To Float Nodes

The first thing you will want to do to float nodes is to create a
subdirectory on the file server where you will store the files relating to
local logins.  You may want to call it LOCAL and create it under your PCB
subdirectory.  For example, if your server drive is F:, create an
F:\PCB\LOCAL\ subdirectory which will hold the local login files.  From now
on, this will be referred to as your local subdirectory.  Once you have
created the subdirectory, copy your BOARD.BAT and your PCBOARD.DAT from your
PCBoard installation subdirectory to your newly defined local subdirectory.

The first file you need to edit is the BOARD.BAT file in your local
subdirectory.  There are some lines in the batch file that are not necessary
for local logins and also some information you will need to add.  For this
example, the BOARD.BAT used is the exact same one that is created when you
install PCBoard.  If you have made changes to your BOARD.BAT, you will need
to compensate where necessary.

Your BOARD.BAT may resemble the following:

ECHO OFF
C:
CD \PCB
SET PCB=
SET DSZLOG=PCBDSZ.LOG
IF EXIST REMOTE.BAT RENAME REMOTE.BAT REMOTE.SYS
IF EXIST DOOR.BAT DEL DOOR.BAT
IF EXIST ENDPCB DEL ENDPCB
PCBOARD
IF EXIST REMOTE.BAT REMOTE
IF EXIST DOOR.BAT DOOR
IF EXIST EVENT.BAT EVENT
IF EXIST ENDPCB GOTO END
BOARD
:END


You can trim your BOARD.BAT so these lines remain:

ECHO OFF
SET PCB=
IF EXIST DOOR.BAT DEL DOOR.BAT
IF EXIST ENDPCB DEL ENDPCB
PCBOARD
IF EXIST DOOR.BAT DOOR

At this point you are probably wondering why the new BOARD.BAT is so small.
The next few paragraphs discuss the lines that were removed and why.

The first two lines that were removed are C:, and CD\PCB. These two lines
together change to a specific drive and directory. While this works great for
a dial in line, it will not work when floating nodes.  Remember, you cannot
hard code subdirectories or you are going to run into conflicts when floating
nodes.  If two users attempted to login simultaneously, they would attempt to
read the same PCBOARD.SYS file and cause other problems with board
operations.  By eliminating these two lines, you can help guarantee that the
user is in a unique directory before they load PCBoard.

The only time you may want to change to a specific drive and subdirectory
would be if the subdirectory is truly unique to each user on the network.  As
an example, you can use the local drive c available on many or all of your
network workstations. On each of the workstation's local drives, make a
subdirectory called PCBLOCAL and use the BOARD.BAT to change to that
subdirectory before loading PCBoard..

As another example, your users may have unique directories set aside on the
network server that only their account can access. You can set this up so
that this subdirectory is referred to as drive F (by assigning network
drives).  In this case, have BOARD.BAT change to the root subdirectory of the
F: drive and load PCBoard.

The next line to be removed is SET DSZLOG=PCBDSZ.LOG.  Normally, you will
want this environment variable defined for transferring files.  However,
PCBoard provides the capability for local file transfers so this line becomes
un-necessary.

IF EXIST REMOTE.BAT... and IF EXIST EVENT.BAT... can also be removed because
remote DOS sessions and events will not be a concern when you do a local
login.  There are also similar statements below PCBOARD in the BOARD.BAT
which start out the same way (IF EXIST) -- these lines should be removed.

BOARD was removed from your batch file because there is no reason you would
need to reload BOARD.BAT from within you local batch file.  This line is
still necessary in all of your dial-in nodes though.

When your final batch file is done, you will never make reference to the END
batch label so remove the :END from the batch file as well.  There is no
sense in leaving it in BOARD.BAT if you do not use it.

After you have removed these lines, you will have the new stream-lined
BOARD.BAT.  Next, you must add or change some lines to help accommodate local
logins.

PCBOARD should be changed to


 PCBOARD /FILE:<local subdirectory>\PCBOARD.DAT /LOCALON


The /FILE parameter tells PCBoard where it can find the PCBOARD.DAT file.
PCBoard normally looks in the current subdirectory.  Rather than copying a
the DAT file to each local subdirectory, why not tell PCBoard where it should
find the file?  When you step back and look at it, you will notice the only
thing that really changes for your local login users is the node number.
Therefore, it is to your advantage to access one PCBOARD.DAT for all of your
local logins.

The <local subdirectory> should be replaced with the drive and subdirectory
of the local subdirectory created previously.  If this subdirectory happens
to be H:\PCB\LOCAL\, your new PCBOARD line will be:


PCBOARD /FILE:H:\PCB\LOCAL\PCBOARD.DAT /LOCALON.


The /LOCALON parameter totally bypasses the call-waiting screen and places
the user at the Do you want graphics? prompt.  From this prompt, the user can
choose if they want to use graphics or not, type in their user name and
password and continue on.  When the /LOCALON switch is used, almost all of
the SysOp functions are disabled except the following:

        ALT-F   File Out.  This can be used to output the text PCBoard
                displays to a text file

        ALT-I   File In.  Used to import text from an ASCII file.  This
                keyboard command is very useful for importing prepared ASCII
                messages into the message editor.

        ALT-P   Printer.  PCBoard will echo text it displays on the screen to
                the printer port defined in PCBSetup | Node Configuraiton. In
                this example, PCBoard will look in H:\PCB\LOCAL\PCBOARD.DAT
                to find the printer port.

        ALT-T   Top of Form.  Sends a form feed to the printer you have
                defined in PCBSetup | Node Configuration.

        F5      Shell.  Allows the person at the computer to shell to DOS.
                You can disable this option in PCBSetup | Configuration
                Options | System Control by answering N to Allow Local SHELL
                to DOS.

If you wish, you can have your BOARD.BAT also stuff the keyboard so users
logging in locally will not have to answer the Do you want graphics prompt.
For more information on how to do this, refer to the /KEY command line
parameter in the PCBoard chapter of this manual.

If PCBOARD.EXE is not located in the current directory or in a directory that
is listed in your PATH= statement, you will receive a bad command or filename
message from DOS.  If you do, tell your batch file where to find your
executable file.  For example, if your PCBOARD.EXE file is located in Q:\PCB\
(which is not in your path), you can type Q:\PCB\PCBOARD.EXE to load the
PCBoard executable.  You will do the same thing to the BOARD.BAT file -- add
Q:\PCB\ in front of PCBOARD.

The final line in your batch file - IF EXIST ENDPCB GOTO END should be
changed to IF EXIST ENDPCB DEL ENDPCB.  PCBoard will create the ENDPCB when a
local user logs off the system.  There really is no sense in leaving the file
around if it is not going to be used.

You final BOARD.BAT will look like the following if your local subdirectory
is setup as H:\PCB\LOCAL\:

ECHO OFF
SET PCB=
IF EXIST DOOR.BAT DEL DOOR.BAT
IF EXIST ENDPCB DEL ENDPCB
PCBOARD /FILE:H:\PCB\LOCAL\PCBOARD.DAT /LOCALON
IF EXIST DOOR.BAT DOOR
IF EXIST ENDPCB DEL ENDPCB

One last thing that should be mentioned is that if all nodes are busy,
PCBoard will exit with a DOS errorlevel of 99.  Therefore, you can use an IF
ERRORLEVEL statement in your BOARD.BAT file to check for errorlevel 99.  If
you detect an errorlevel of 99, you know there has been an error and that you
should perform some other action instead.  For additional information on
testing errorlevels, refer to your DOS manual.

When you are floating nodes, PCBoard will begin filling up the nodes at the
node number specified in PCBSetup.  Since PCBSetup gets most of its
information from PCBOARD.DAT, the file has to be copied into your local
subdirectory so changes can be made to it.  An advantage of having this
separate DAT file for your local nodes is that you can disable certain
features which are not necessary for local logins.

Testing Your Configuration

Before you begin testing your floating nodes, insure that the node number in
the PCBOARD.DAT  you are using is set to the proper value.  To change the
node number, load PCBSetup from the local subdirectory.  After PCBSetup is
loaded, select Node Configuration from the menu.  The fifth item from the top
of the screen is Node Number on the Network.  In this field, enter the first
node number that will be used by your local login users. Once you have made
this change, exit PCBSetup and save the changes you have made.

At this point your floating node setup should be complete.  To test your
setup you can follow these steps:

Find two stations on the network that you can use for testing.

Change to the unique drive and directory on both workstations. This should be
a drive and directory nobody else on the network can/would use.

Run BOARD.BAT on each workstation.

The machine which ran BOARD.BAT first should come up as the node you
specified in the PCBOARD.DAT stored in your local subdirectory.  You can
verify this by completing the login and typing WHO at the command prompt.
The other machine should be listed as the next node.  In other words, if you
set your beginning node number to 4, the first machine should come up as node
4 and the second machine should come up as node 5.

If the first local node shows node 4 and the second shows node 5, everything
(as far as PCBoard is concerned) is working correctly.  If it did not, your
configuration is not correct. Double check your setup and make sure you
followed all of the previous instructions.

If two or more users try to login using the same directory PCBoard will go
directly to the command prompt rather than the familiar Do you want graphics?
prompt. In addition, PCBoard also thinks this new person is the same name and
node number as the other person.  In a sense the second person will be
invisible. However, with two or more people accessing the system like this,
you are likely to have file access errors and other unforeseen problems.  If
a user ever reports that they went immediately to the PCBoard command prompt
on their first login make sure they immediately logoff and check your
configuration to make sure two nodes do not and cannot conflict.

If your nodes do not return to the same directory after loading a third party
program they left from,  there is a chance they could stomp on someone else's
session or they could come up under a different node number without being
logged off from the previous node.  If this happens, the user will be told
that their name is already in use on another node when they attempt to login.
If this occurs, you will want to use the USERNET utility provided with your
package.

USERNET.EXE (USERNET) is a utility that allows you to manipulate the
USERNET.XXX file.  This file is used by PCBoard to store who is currently
online and what they are doing.  You will find instructions for USERNET in
the Utilities chapter of this manual.

Once PCBoard is working correctly, verify all third party programs to make
sure they are setup properly (if you have any installed).  It is strongly
recommended that you read the Multiple node section for Doors in the
Conference Setup chapter of this manual for additional information on running
doors in a multi-node environment.

In your setup you will find it useful if you know how PCBoard determines if a
node is busy or not.  PCBoard first scans the PCBOARD.DAT you pointed to with
the /FILE parameter to determine the beginning node number it can start
floating from.  Once PCBoard finds this number, it scans USERNET.XXX
beginning at that node number up to the number of nodes that your software
license allows.  If a free node is found, the user will be logged in.  If it
does not find a free node, PCBoard will print the all nodes are busy message.

If you would like to verify PCBoard's findings you can always log into the
system and issue the WHO command to see who is currently online.  This
command will list all people online, the node number they are using, and what
they are currently doing (Entering a Message, Trasferring a File, etc.).

Optimizing A Network Setup

Nothing helps a system out more than a good disk cache.  You should use a
disk cache both on your server and on your workstations.  If you do, you will
see a dramatic improvement in your hard disk performance.  The most recent
versions of both MS-DOS and DR-DOS come with disk caching programs.  Consult
your DOS manual for more information on how to install the disk cache.

In PCBSetup | Node Configuration there is a field labeled Node Chat
Frequency.  This field is used to determine how often a node scans
USERNET.XXX (to update who is online, etc.) and also how often each node is
checked for new lines of text when two users are in node chat.  If you find
that your system is really strained, increase the value of this field so that
the network is strained less often.  Do not make this value too large though,
as it may end up slowing down some of the functions of your bulletin board
system.

When you are determining how big to set your network buffers in your network,
consider a buffer size that is in multiples of 2k or 4k.  Because PCBoard
does so many different tasks and because the type of network and computers
you are using vary so much, there is no single buffer value you should use.
Use a trial and error method where you login, perform what you think is a
normal call, check your performance time and then change your network buffer
size and try the test again.

In your CONFIG.SYS, set your BUFFERS= statement to the cluster size (in
kilobytes) of the largest disk partition on each of your computers multiplied
by 2.  You multiply by 2 because each DOS buffer is 512 bytes.  For example,
if your largest partition uses a 4096 byte cluster size, you will divide 4096
by 1024 to get your cluster size in kilobytes and then multiple the resulting
value by 2.  In this example, you would set BUFFERS=8.

If you do not know your cluster size, use CHKDSK to see what value is to the
left of bytes in each allocation unit.  Of course if you are on a server
drive, you will probably receive a message which says Cannot CHKDSK a network
drive.  If that is the case, you can use a utility called PCBDISK.EXE which
is included with your package.  PCBDISK will report bytes per cluster in
parentheses at the beginning of its screen.

To help conserve a little bit of memory you can also add a statement in your
CONFIG.SYS which says FCBS=1,0.  DOS usually defaults to a higher number of
FCBs (File Control Blocks).  Very few programs use FCBs anymore so by setting
it to the minimum that DOS allows, 1 FCB, you can save some additional
conventional memory.

Special Considerations For Novell Networks

If you are running Novell NetWare as your network, you may want to modify the
way it searches for data files so it behaves more like DOS.  This change is
recommended at least on the PCBoard executables -- it may not be appropriate
for all of the files on your system.

Novell, unlike DOS, searches the path not only for executable files but for
data files as well.  This can cause problems for PCBoard.  Therefore, it is
recommended that you change to the subdirectory where PCBoard is installed
and type:


SMODE *.EXE 2

By doing this, you tell NetWare to not search the path for data files when
you run your executable programs.  In all actuality, you have made NetWare
behave more like DOS in regards to the search path.

Possible IRQ Conflicts

Whenever you are adding hardware to a system (whether it be more COM ports or
a network card ), you need to be concerned about IRQ line conflicts.  IRQ
lines are used to pass hardware interrupts which are used to notify the CPU
that the device has some input/output that needs to be taken care of.  If two
devices use the same IRQ line, you will run into some serious conflicts.
Multitasking and networking setups will have different common scenarios which
are described in the next two sections.

Multitasking

If you are running three or more standard COM ports in a single machine, it
is quite likely you have already experienced a COM port conflict.  Below is a
table which lists typical defaults for 4 COM ports:

 COM     Base Address      IRQ
1     03F8h     4
2     02F8h     3
3     03E8h     4
4     02E8h     3


Right away you should notice a problem.  COM1 and COM3 are set to share IRQ
4.  Likewise, COM2 and COM4 share the same IRQ. This will DEFINITELY not
work.  Therefore, you need to do find two different IRQs to use for COM3 and
COM4.  At this point, you are probably asking yourself "What IRQs can I use?"
IRQs 2 and 5 are usually available in a system and a wide variety of serial
port boards support IRQs 2-5.  Below is a table listing base addresses and
IRQs which might be used in a computer with four serial ports:

 COM     Base Address      IRQ
1     03F8h     4
2     02F8h     3
3     03E8h     5
4     02E8h     2


If you decide to use IRQ 2, you need to realize that it is special.  IRQ 2 is
used to cascade the interrupts from the upper IRQs (8-15).  Therefore, if you
have any devices using IRQs 8-15 make sure that by using IRQ 2 you will not
cause problems for other devices because their interrupts cannot be properly
cascaded through IRQ 2.  If you do run into a problem, try using IRQ 7
instead.  This IRQ is used for LPT1 but it is usually safe to use.

If you have two COM ports or a COM port and another device which conflict
with one another, you can get modem reset errors when you load PCBoard.  This
is because two or more devices are trying to get exclusive use of one IRQ.
Another thing that can happen is that the second device, which was contending
for the IRQ, will get it making the other device appear as if it has ceased
functioning.  The solution to these symptoms is to resolve the IRQ conflict.
Double check your configuration and make sure that no two devices conflict.

One of the reasons external modems are recommended instead of internal modems
is that internal modems rarely let you select a large range of IRQs for the
COM ports.  If you are using external modems and run into an IRQ conflict,
you can change the settings on the serial port card rather than a modem card.
If your serial port card does not allow you to select a wide range of IRQs,
you can buy a new serial port card that will.

Networking

Like COM ports, LAN cards must communicate with the computer through using an
IRQ.  Therefore, make sure the IRQ settings you use for your COM port(s) and
your network card do not conflict with one another.  If they do conflict, you
could experience lockups, excessive network time-outs, or while PCBoard is
running you may see constant Network Delay... messages.

Restricting Access To A Node

When you are dealing with multiple nodes, you may need to restrict the users
which can access a particular node.  This section discusses how you can
prevent users from logging into your system based on their security level or
their connect speed.

Throughout this section, we will be referring to a public node as a node
which any user can access.  Private nodes are any node which restricts
access.

By security level

If you are trying to restrict access to a node based on security level, it is
usually because you have public and private nodes with the private nodes
requiring a higher security level to access.

At this point, you probably have one single PWRD file (PCBSetup | File
Locations | Configuration Files) for all of your nodes. If you are going to
restrict access to nodes by security level, you will need to change this in
your configuration.  What you need is different PWRD files for the public and
private nodes.

One way of accomplishing this is to leave the location of your PWRD file on
the public nodes unchanged since it is functioning properly.  On the nodes
that you wish to have as private nodes, specify a different filename such as
PRIVPWRD or something similar.

To save yourself some additional time, copy your PWRD file to the PWRD file
name you have chosen for your private nodes.  For example, if you were at the
DOS prompt and in the same directory where the PWRD file is, type the
following:

COPY PWRD PRIVPWRD

Next, run PCBSetup on one of your private nodes and edit the PWRD file (File
Locations | Configuration Files).  You should see a screen which resembles
the following:

To lock out a particular security level, set the time limit to 0 minutes per
day.  When PCBoard sees the security level is allowed zero minutes per day,
it will display the CLOSED file and disconnect the caller from the system.

By Carrier Speed

If you look at the options available in PCBSetup | Modem Information |
Allowed Access Speeds, you will see you have several fields that control what
speeds will be allowed to login to this particular node.

As an example, let's assume we want the following:

Anyone can access this node at anytime if they connect at 2400 bps or higher.

Anyone who connects at a speed less than 2400 bps will not be allowed to
login to the system unless they call between 1 am and 8am.

To accomplish this, enter the following values:

Lowest Desired Baud     :   2400
Allow Lower Speeds      : Y
Begin Time              : 01:00
End Time                : 08:00

To cover all of the bases, PCBoard also gives you the ability to override the
connection speed checking for security levels equal to or greater than the
level that you specify in the following field:

Security Level Override :   0

If you enter a security level of 0, the override function will be disabled.
With the security level override disabled, everyone that logs into your
system must meet the connect speed requirements you specify.  If you enter a
security level override, users who have a security level equal to or greater
than the value you specify will be allowed to login regardless of the time
they call or the speed of

DOORWAY And Multiple Nodes

The shareware version of DOORWAY is included with your package so that you
can access DOS from remote via your REMOTE.SYS file. Each node should have a
REMOTE.SYS file in the node directory. If you look at this file, it should
resemble the following:

set box=no
doorway com1 /v:d^O /m:600 /g:on /o: /k:v0 /c:dos
set box=
c:
cd \pcb
board

If you are using a serial port other than COM1, you will need to change this
value to reflect the serial port that you are using. If you are using a
serial port other than COM1 or COM2, you will need to change the way that you
specify the serial port for DOORWAY.

When using standard serial ports (normal serial cards but using a
non-standard IRQ or base address), you need to tell DOORWAY what IRQ and base
address you are using for each node.  For example, if you have a node which
uses COM3 with a base address of 3E8h and an IRQ of 5, you will enter

doorway port:03e8:5 ... ... ... ...

instead of

doorway com3 ... ... ... ...


NOTE:  The 0 in front of the three digit hexadecimal base address is
necessary on the DOORWAY command line because it is the expected syntax.  If
it is not, an error message informing you that the syntax for the PORT
parameter is incorrect will be displayed.

If you are using the /M version of PCBoard, you should recall that third
party applications should be using the FOSSIL interface to communicate with
your card.  For this to work, you need to enable FOSSIL support for all of
your ports in DRVSETUP. Once you have insured you have setup your driver
properly, simply change your DOORWAY command line to point to the proper
port.  For example, if the node you are configuring the REMOTE.SYS for uses
port 2, enter the following:


doorway com2f


Notice that you enter the port number after the com and then add an f so
DOORWAY knows this is a FOSSIL port rather than a standard serial port.

For further information about DOORWAY, refer to the manual which accompanies
DOORWAY or to DOORWAY.ZIP in the directory where you installed PCBoard.


Answers to Common Multinode Questions

Q: When I make a change to one of the conferences (including the Main Board),
   the change shows up on all of the nodes.  Why?

A: The reason that this happens is that all of your nodes point to the same
   Conference Data file (PCBSetup | File Locations | System Files).  Since
   this file contains all of the conference information for your system and
   since you are using one file, you see the changes reflected on all nodes.



   The obvious solution would be to specify different Conference Data files
   for each node. This solution is not recommended though, because any time
   you make a change to any conference you will have to make that same change
   on each node.  For example, if you setup a new conference, you will have
   to set it up on each node and hope you have set it up exactly the same on
   all nodes. Specifying a different Conference Data file for each node
   increases your chances of making errors in your system configuration.  If
   you determine that you must have some nodes that do not share the same
   information as the rest, you can use what is referred to as relative
   addressing.

   Relative addressing depends on the current subdirectory to determine where
   it looks for files.  If you enter the filename (no drive or subdirectory
   locations) in a field, PCBoard will look for the file in the current or
   default directory.  Because each of your nodes use a different node
   subdirecotry, you can keep one copy of your Conference Data while still
   being able to have unique conference files for each node.

   Relative addressing looks like the following examples:

   DOORS.LST
   GEN\BLT
   \PCB\MAIN\SCRIPT.LST

   Because no directory information is specified you are telling the program
   to look in the current subdirectory for the filename DOORS.LST.  If your
   current subdirectory is C:\PCB\, the program is going to try and open
   C:\PCB\DOORS.LST. On another machine your current subdirectory may be
   D:\PCB\. If so, the program will look for D:\PCB\DOORS.LST instead.

   This example does have a directory included in the file specification but
   notice that there is no backslash (\) at the beginning.  This simply means
   to look for a subdirectory called GEN underneath the current subdirectory.
   For example, if your current subdirectory is C:\PCB\, the GEN\BLT will be
   added on to create C:\PCB\GEN\BLT.

   If all that is different is the drive letters that you use between
   machines, you may want to use the type of relative addressing shown in
   this example. Notice how this example starts with a backslash. This will
   cause the program to begin looking for that file from the root
   subdirectory on the current drive.

   Be careful when using relative addressing.  If you are not careful, you
   can create a message base or user file that is specific to one particular
   node.  For example if you have two nodes running and you are having
   problems with one node not being able to read the MSGS file you may be
   tempted to use relative addressing.  If you do, you will not get the file
   not found errors, but you will end up creating two separate files with
   each copy specific to a particular node.  This means that a message
   entered on one node will never show up on another node because each node
   is using  separate message base files.

   Absolute addressing, on the other hand, looks like the following:

   C:\PCB\GEN\DOORS.LST
   D:\PCB\GEN\BLT
   E:\PCB\MAIN\SCRIPTS\SCRIPT.LST
   F:\PCB\GEN\DIR.LST

   You will notice that each of these examples are quite similar. The reason
   that they are so similar is that absolute addressing requires that you
   start with the drive letter and give the complete path and filename.

   I am planning on running multiple nodes but I only want one phone number
   to access all of my nodes.  How can I do this?

   This is something you need to consult your local telephone company about.
   Your phone company should provide a service called hunt groups or
   ring-down groups.  You still get a phone number for each incoming line,
   but if the first number is busy it rings down to the second and so on.

   When I try to login to a second node, the first node's session is accessed
   instead of a new session.  What am I doing wrong?

   You are attempting to start PCBoard from the same directory that another
   node has started from.  Recall that PCBoard requires being loaded from a
   unique drive and subdirectory because it will write PCBOARD.SYS, DOOR.SYS,
   USERS.SYS, and ENDPCB to the directory you load PCBoard from.  If two
   nodes try to load from the same directory, they will conflict.

Q: Will PCBoard use a modem on another computer via a network?

A: No.  PCBoard talks directly to the COM port.  Therefore, this type of
   setup is not possible.


Q: Every once in a while I will see a message that says SHARING VIOLATION.
   What exactly is a sharing violation?

A: A sharing violation occurs when two programs attempt to access the same
   file when one of the programs has the file locked.  In normal multi-node
   operations, it is quite common for two or more programs to read/access a
   file at the same time.  Sometimes though, a program needs to update a file
   and while it writes to the file it will lock the file from all other
   programs. When a file is locked, it means that no other program can read
   from or write to the file.  These errors can be reported by the programs
   themselves or by DOS.  To resolve the conflict check and see what programs
   are accessing the same files and try to work around them trying to access
   the file at the same time.


Q: In my network startup batch file I tell it to redirect the local C: drive
   to the C: drive on the server.  Just after this line executes in my batch
   file, the batch file stops running.  Why?

A: This is one of the reasons why you should not redirect you local C: drive.
   Presumably you were redirecting your drives in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file
   which is loaded from your C: drive at bootup. When you reassigned your
   local C: to another drive while the batch file is running on C:, DOS can
   no longer find the same batch file it was executing and consequently
   stops.


Q: Whenever I open up a node's window, it loads the wrong node and sometimes
   gives a modem reset error.  Why does it do this?

A: This is most commonly caused by changing to the wrong node directory in
   your BOARD.BAT which means PCBoard might end up using the wrong serial
   port.  Make sure you change to the correct node directory before you
   execute PCBoard so the correct PCBOARD.DAT (setup) file is read.

   If your setup checks out okay, also make sure you have resolved all IRQ
   conflicts between the COM ports and all other devices in your computer.
   The most common conflict is to use IRQ for both COM1 and COM3.

Q: When a door runs it will display the opening screen okay but when a user
   types something it does not show up on the screen.

A: This problem occurs more often on a multitasking setup because you are
   more likely to be using non-standard COM ports.  The door programs you are
   running are not currently setup to use non standard COM ports.  In other
   words, the IRQ the door thinks you are using and the one you are actually
   using are different.  You should check the documentation for your door
   program to see if there is a way to specify the IRQ you are using for the
   COM port on your system.

I have often noticed that some programs that wish to run in the event require
that all nodes be down while one node runs the event.  How can I make sure
that all of the nodes are down?

The most common solution to this dilemma is to have the other nodes run a
program which will wait x minutes while the other node does its processing.
There is a third-party freeware utility available on Salt Air under the
filename of WAIT4.ZIP. If you have an event defined that uses PACKIT for the
batch file and has node 1 pack your message bases, your batch files may
resemble the following:


PACKIT.001

@ECHO OFF
PCBPACK /AREA:ALL /DAYS:90 /KEEP
BOARD


PACKIT

@ECHO OFF
WAIT4 360
BOARD

Using these example event batch files, node 1 will pack the message bases and
then re-load BOARD.BAT upon completion.  In the meantime, the rest of your
nodes will be on hold for 360 seconds (6 minutes).  After the 6 minute
countdown has completed, BOARD.BAT will be re-loaded.

Q: I am running multiple nodes using standard serial ports. Everyone seems to
   recommend 16550 UARTs for my COM ports.  What are they?  How do I find out
   what type of UART I have?  And why do I need them?

A: A UART is the chip on standard serial port boards which handles the input
   and output of the serial port.  What makes the 16550 UART important to
   multiple node setups is that it can buffer more data than other UARTs.
   The 16550 will buffer up to 16 bytes of data as opposed to the one byte
   most other UART chips handle.  In order to maintain error-free connections
   with high speed modems, multitaskers, or networks a 16550 is highly
   recommended.

   You can find out what type of UART you have by loading PCBoard (with the
   COM port you want to check specified in PCBSetup | Modem Information |
   Modem Setup) and logging in as the SysOp. Once you are in the BBS, press
   ALT-H four times.  You will notice that the status line will change each
   time and will look like the example below:

   Notice that on the bottom line towards the right hand side is the text
   16550A FIFO.  If you have a different type of UART (e.g., 8250A/16450) you
   may want to upgrade to the 16550.

   If you do not have 16550 UARTs on all of your serial ports, you may be
   able to replace your existing UARTs.  Check your serial board to see if
   the UARTs are socketed or not.  If they are socketed, you can contact your
   local electronics warehouse and ask for part number PC16550CN or
   NS16550AFN.  Once you have the new UART, you can simply remove the old one
   and replace it with a 16550.  If the UART(s) on your existing card are
   soldered in place or you do not feel comfortable in replacing them, it is
   advised that you contact a computer technician who will do it for you.


Q: I seem to see a message that always says out of environment space while my
   BBS is running.  What does that mean and how do I fix it?

A: When you receive an out of environment space message from DOS it means you
   did not have enough room in your environment to store an environment
   variable you attempted to create or modify. You can increase the size of
   your environment by using the SHELL= statement in CONFIG.SYS.  It is not
   recommended that you exceed 1000 bytes for your environment size because
   some programs have exhibited problems with environments of that size.  An
   environment between 512 and 768 bytes should be more than adequate for
   most systems.

   If you have Windows 3.1, you will need to modify your SYSTEM.INI to
   increase the size of the environment available in a DOS window.  Windows
   3.1 allows you to specify the size you want for your DOS windows via your
   SYSTEM.INI file.  In the NonWindowsApp section of your SYSTEM.INI should
   be a line that says CommandEnvSize=512.  This line tells Windows how much
   environment space to allow to each DOS window that is opened. You should
   note that the default value is 512 bytes which should be fine for nearly
   all systems.  If you need to change that value (or add the line to your
   SYSTEM.INI) please refer to your Windows documentation for further
   instructions.

Q: I seem to be experiencing sharing violations when PCBoard is loading or
   returning from DOOR applications.  What is causing this?

A: PCBoard is overlaid which means it stores some of the executable code on
   disk.  There is a chance that two or more nodes can conflict while
   loading.  To help prevent this, make your PCBOARD.EXE file read only. To
   make this file read only, use the ATTRIB command provided by DOS as in the
   example below:

      ATTRIB +R PCBOARD.EXE