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Monster Media 1994 #1
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BBS_UTIL
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PORTH102.ZIP
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PORTHOLE.DOC
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1994-02-27
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┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌───────┐ ┌─┐ ┌─┐ ┌──────┐ ┌─┐ ┌──────┐
└──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └───────┘ └─┘ └─┘ └──────┘ └─┘ └──────┘
┌──────┐ ┌─┐ ┌─┐ ┌──────┐ ┌─┐ ┌──────┐ ┌─┐ ┌─┐ ┌─┐ ┌────┐
│ ┌────┘ │ │ │ │ │ ┌─┐ ┌┘ │ │ │ ┌──┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ┌──┘
│ │ │ └──┘ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └──┘ │ │ └────┐ │ └────┐
└─┘ └──────┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘ └─┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘
Copyright Rob Wall 1994 (c)1994
All Rights Reserved
[This sofware is in BETA mode]
NOTE: if you are upgrading from 1.00.1b to 1.00.2b you may skip this
documentation (after the liscense agreement) <grin> and read the WHATZ.NEW
documentation explaing any changes...
License Agreement
By using, executing or installing PortHole and or all other software
contained on this original distribution disk or original archive, you
agree to all the terms listed below. Failure to comply with all or any
of these terms is considered a breach of this agreement and terminates
any existing license made with the author including this agreement.
PortHole refers to the executable programs, documentation and
report files created by the executable programs contained on PortHole
Software distribution diskettes or within PortHole Software distribution
archives released by Rob Wall.
PortHole is the copyrighted material of Rob Wall. It may only be used
in accordance with the conditions set out in this license agreement.
The author Rob Wall is in no way obligated to provide future versions
of, or support for, PortHole or any PortHole product distributed.
No part of PortHole, PortHole Utilities, any other file or program
contained on the original PortHole distribution disk or within the
original PortHole archive including this publication may be reproduced,
transmitted, transcribed, stored in any retrieval system or device, or
translated into any other language or computer language in whole or in
part, in any form or by any means, whether it be electronic, mechanical,
magnetic, optical, radio wave, manual or otherwise, without prior written
consent of the author Rob Wall.
The author has granted you permission to make ONE copy of the PortHole
distribution disk for back-up. You are allowed only to execute the
files contained on the back-up disk once for integrity evaluation. In
the event of an error or problem arising where the back-up copy of
PortHole is needed to restore the original copy, you must delete/destroy
all PortHole information except the back-up disk and then re-install the
software. This back-up disk then becomes the primary PortHole disk and
you may once again make a single back-up (as above).
Rob Wall, disclaims all warranties as to this software, whether
expressed or implied, including without limitation any implied
warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose,
functionality, data integrity or protection.
To use PortHole in a commercial, educational, governmental agency or
on more than one computer or Local Area Network (LAN), it is necessary to
negotiate a SITE LICENSE with the author Rob Wall.
Site, Group and Special license agreements are available, and are dealt
with on a case by case basis.
The author Rob Wall reserves the right to terminate a site license or
license agreement without notice to the license holder. Failure to
destroy or return all copies of PortHole and PortHole utilities within
SEVEN business days from notification of a license termination may
result in legal action being taken depending upon provincial, state and
country laws.
NOTE THAT THE SITE LICENSE INCLUDES ONE COPY OF THE SOFTWARE ONLY.
The site license allows the bearer to copy it for the number of machines
or (LAN) networks licensed.
Distributing, repackaging, or reselling of PortHole and PortHole
utilities to third parties is not allowed and in violation of your
agreement to use PortHole.
Software vendor's, packagers or any agency that wishes to distribute,
sell, package or include PortHole with another package must first obtain
a written agreement from the author Rob Wall.
Decompilation of PortHole is forbidden and a direct violation of this
agreement. You may not modify or otherwise reverse-engineer PortHole.
PortHole may not be used in any unlawful or illegal manner.
This COPY of PortHole is UN-REGESTERED. Your license TERMINATES 30 days
after installing PortHole for the first time. Please help us bring you
software at reasonable prices and register PortHole.
Registration
────────────
To use PortHole in a commercial enviroment or private enviroment past 30
day's you must register. See the REGISTER.DOC for rates and information.
What is PortHole?
─────────────────
PortHole is a RING smart TSR that watches your COM ports 1-4 for a
specified amount of RING's before CARRIER DETECT. If the command line
specified limit is reached before a carrier is detected then the machine is
reset via cold-boot <--Count's memory...
Yes it's true... although you don't see the full potential of PortHole,
PortHole is using full Asynch control over the 4 basic port addresses
0x3f8, 0x2f8, 0x3e8 & 0x2e8 (Com1 - Com4). PortHole has anti-locking
routines to minimize and reboot if it detects and error in your current
session.
If your a SysOp like myself then you won't want to be without PortHole.
Porthole's applications exceed much further then those K-9 programs that
claim to watch the modem but only function with one line... PortHole is
MODEM smart... If there is no port installed it will simply move on to
watch the ports available.
Imagine how much better you can sleep at night knowing that if your board
or HOST goes down PortHole is on the job and will reset the system for you.
PortHole never sleeps and is always on the JOB...
No SysOp or HOST want's to lose customers/users because of a small
malfunction. By the time you read this there are already 100's who are
running PortHole and who can accomidate a new user/customer who may have
tried your number but did'nt get an answer.
Even if you feel confident that you system is stable (No System is
stable... Murphy's law #1) then PortHole can offer that concrete security
to back you up...
How do I RUN PortHole?
──────────────────────
Version 1.00.1a accepts only three command line option and that's ammount
of RINGS before a carrier is detected to reboot the system , -REBOOT.
Assuming that -REBOOT is obvious I'll leave that option alone. Infact It
will most likly not be available in future versions. It was added on
request by one of out Beta sites who wanted a means of rebooting
(Cold-Boot) on an ERRORLEVEL from an event batch file. Instead of leaving
it an undocumented option I'm leaving it active in this version to see if
anyone else finds it usfull.
I would suggest using a command line option of 6-10 ie. PORTHOLE 8 [enter].
PortHole will not allow an option lower then 2. Remember that if your
modem is set to answer on the second ring and a user calls, allows one
ring then hang's up. PortHole will count that as one ring in the BAD-RING
buffer for that line or port. If the bad ring buffer count reaches the
number you have entered in the command line then the system is rebooted.
It should be obvious that your BBS or COMMICATIONS PACKAGE should be called
from your AUTOECEC.BAT in case PortHole detect's an ERROR and reboot's the
system. The third option is for monochrome users. -MONO will allow the
detection window to appear on a monochrome machine.
NOTE: Toggle PortHole's ON/OFF switch you must use the SCROLL LOCK. When
the scroll lock is on PortHole will be active and when it is off the boxed
window will be cleared from the upper right hand corner and PortHole will
no longer monitor the ports. You may disable and enable PortHole as often
as you wish.
If PortHole finds the modem streaming without carrier detect otherwise know
as RUNNING AWAY, it will lower DTR for one second and then restore it.
Thus attempting to free and reset it.
Once PortHole is resident a small box will appear in the upper right hand
corner of the screen which looks somthing like this...
[1-WL 2-WL 3-NA 4-NA]
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
└─┼──┴─┼──┴─┼──┴─┼────── Indicates Com1 to Com4
│ │ │ │
└────┴────┴────┴────── Current device resault.
The current device resault will be one of the below
WL - Watching line.... (The Port is being watched)
NA - Not Available.... (No port active or device time out)
RR - Ring Register.... (The line is ringing)
RA - Run Away......... (The port is streaming but there is no carrier)
LD - Lower DTR........ (PortHole has lowered DTR for 1 second due to above)
Other Information
─────────────────
PortHole should function fine on any IBM based system running, MSDOS, Os2,
CoreScanII PlexII, DESQview, MS Windows, Unix (Unix version Only), Double
Dos and Dr Dos and a few others.
PortHole functions fine on network bassed systems and has been tested on
ARCNet, EITHERNet, CBIS, NOVELL and a few others. PortHole also supports
the OS Network VIRTUAL MODEM PORT class (See your network manual).
PortHole Requires about 11k of ram and can be loaded HIGH for memory
optomization. Smaller versions are available as a custom application.
PortHole bypasses the bios and is compatible with most if not all IBM or
CLONE machines. PortHole has been tested on the following machines. IBM
XT, AT, 80286, 80386sx, 80386dx, 80486 and 80486dx2 class.
PortHole functions fine under Desqview and should be loaded prior to
calling Desqview. Although if memory does not permit you may call PortHole
from an OS session.
WARNING: On some machine a software Cold-Boot is not possible. I strongly
suggest you try PH102 -REBOOT to test the REBOOT option on your machine.
How To Contact Us
─────────────────
Call the Support BBS (We never go down) <smile> at (905) 770-1391 14.4HST.
or call us voice (905) 770-0387. or write to
PortWatch H.Q.
10117a Yonge Street Suite #1
Richmond Hill, Ontario CANADA
L4T 1C7
Don't forget to ask about our other products including CoreScanII to be
released in the spring of '94.
If there is anything you would like to see added to one of our existing
products or if you would like a new product developed feel free to drop us
a line or note and we'll respond...
Thank you for using PortWatch. Have a nice day.
Rob Wall
System Programmer.