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INSTALLATION/CONFIGURATION DOCUMENTATION By William Daystrom Copyright (c) 1989 White Star Software (Revised 1991 for WWIV ver 4.20) Installation/Configuration CONTENTS INITIAL SETUP........................................................ 1 Definitions of Common Terms....................................... 1 Installing WWIV................................................... 3 PRIMARY CONFIGURATION................................................ 5 Using INIT........................................................ 5 System Info................................................. 5 More System Info............................................ 7 Paths....................................................... 9 Com Port Info............................................... 10 Select Modem Type .......................................... 10 External Programs........................................... 11 External Protocols.......................................... 13 External Editors............................................ 13 SecLev Data Change.......................................... 14 Auto-Validation Data Change................................. 15 General Text Files................................................ 15 Menus............................................................. 16 EXECUTING THE BBS.................................................... 18 Startup........................................................... 18 Creating the Sysop Account........................................ 19 Installation/Configuration SECTION ONE - INITIAL SETUP Hardware Requirements In order to run WWIV v4, you will need the following system hardware: An IBM PC/XT/AT, PS/2, or compatible PC/MS-DOS v3.0 or later 512k (640k recommended) A modem, preferably Hayes compatible A 10 meg (or larger) hard disk Definitions of Common Terms Before getting too involved with creating your bulletin board, there are some terms which will show up from time to time that you need to be aware. SL: SL stands for Security Level, and is the main determinant of what a caller can and can not do. The most obvious effect of different SL's is time allowed on the system. For higher SL's, more time is allowed on the system, and the caller is able to send more mail, and post more messages. Higher SL's also generally give more anonymous privileges. Any of these privileges can be changed in the INIT program, described later. The default settings are as follows: 70+ = can post anonymously on any message base 80+ = can send anonymous email 90+ = can read names of anonymous posts 95+ = can read names of anonymous email 99+ = can delete and validate messages 100+ = can access any co-sysop functions 255 = can access any sysop function An SL of 100 will allow a caller to perform just about all of the functions necessary to the day-to-day running of the BBS, except validating new callers. SL's of 100 should be given out VERY sparingly, as anyone with an SL of 100 could do enormous damage to the BBS if they wanted to. A SL of 255 has a few things different from other SL's. First off, a caller with an SL of 255 needs to enter the system password in order to log on remotely. This means that any caller with an SL of 255 needs to know the system password. With an SL of 255 and the system password, a user can do ANYTHING with the BBS, with the exception of running the INIT program remotely. The caller could also drop to DOS, and do anything to any files on your computer, INCLUDING DELETION OF FILES ON YOUR DISK. For this reason, you should give SL's of 255 to other people only where ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. The SL also helps determine which subs a caller has access to. Generally, a higher SL allows a caller access to more sub-boards. Also, the SL helps determine access to on-line programs, and gfile sections. - 1 - Installation/Configuration DSL: The DSL is like the SL, only in a more limited sense. The DSL stands for "Download Security Level," and the only place the DSL matters at all is in the file section. The only effect of the DSL is to help determine which directories that caller has access to. Also, a DSL of at least 100 allows the caller to perform co-sysop functions in the transfer section, but NOT in the main BBS. AR: AR stands for access required, and helps determine (along with the SL) which sub-boards a caller can access. It also helps determine access to on-line programs and gfile sections. Each caller can have from zero to 16 AR's set. Each AR is given a letter, from A to P. Each sub-board can also have ONE AR set. In addition to other requirements, for a caller to have access to a sub-board with an AR set, the caller must also have the same AR set. For example, you could have a sub-board for sysops with an AR of A. Then, whenever you have another sysop log on, you could give that person an AR of A, and he would then have access to the sysop sub. DAR: Just like AR, only for the file section, and directory access. Continuing above example, you could give a sysop file directory a DAR of A. You could then give the calling sysop a DAR of A, and he would then have access to the sysop file directory, whereby all other callers would not. Sub: A Sub (or sub-board or message base) refers to an area where messages can be posted by callers about a certain topic. WFC: WFC stands for "Waiting For a Caller," and signifies the mode where the screen is blank, and the BBS is ready to accept calls. Sysop: The sysop is the primary operator of the bulletin board. The security level of the sysop is almost-always 255, and the sysop has access to every area of the bulletin board. Co-Sysop: The co-sysop is an assistant to the sysop. The security level of the co-sysop is usually anywhere from 100 to 255, and the co-sysop has access to most if not all areas of the bulletin board. The co-sysop's job usually consists of handling routine maintenance of the bulletin board. Limited Co-Sysop: This person is an assistant co-sysop of one or more message bases. The limited co-sysop usually has a security level of 99, and can delete and/or validate messages in message bases specifically assigned to be controlled by that limited co-sysop. The limited co-sysop does not have the ability to handle routine maintenance. Sysopsub: If a caller is a limited co-sysop, you can specify a sysopsub, which restricts that caller's limited co-sysop status to only one sub-board. The sysop sub should be the actual sub-board number (as given in BOARDEDIT) for that sub. When a caller is a limited co-sysop of a sub, he/she has all of the co-sysop message base commands available to normal co-sysops FOR THAT SUB ONLY. To deactivate a sysopsub, set the caller's sysopsub to 255. - 2 - Installation/Configuration Exemptions: This allows the sysop to exempt a caller from something. There is currently only one exemption available to you. An exemption of 1 will exempt a caller from any upload/download ratio requirement you may have. To deactivate the exemption, set it to zero. Restrictions: This allows the sysop to restrict the caller from doing certain things on the BBS. For example, you can restrict the caller from being able to post. You can force the caller's uploads to go to your sysop directory only, and you can restrict the caller from using WWIVnet (if you are a part of the network). See the section on UEDIT for complete details of all restrictions. Installing WWIV In order to run WWIV v4, you will NEED the following files: BBS.EXE INIT.EXE HELP.MSG MENUS.MSG MODEMS.MDM The first step in installing WWIV is to create a directory for it on your hard disk. You should install WWIV in a sub-directory made explicitly for WWIV, and should NOT be installed in the root-directory of any drive. For example, if you have a hard disk as drive C:, you should type the following: C: CD \ MD WWIV CD WWIV This will make a directory called WWIV, and make that your current directory. You will then need to copy the WWIV v4 files listed earlier into that directory. The initialization/configuration program features an automatic port/modem/ modem type detection function. During initial setup, the initialization/ configuration program checks COM ports 1-4 (staring with 1) to see if a modem is present. As soon as it detects the presence of a modem, the program will determine the type and maximum speed of that modem. The program stops checking COM ports as soon as it detects a modem. If you have modems connected to COM 1 and COM 2, the program will stop checking ports after if finds the modem in COM 1, and will create various BBS modem data files for that modem. So, prior to running the initialization/configuration program for the first time, have your modem turned on and connected to the COM port you will be running the BBS on. Nothing bad will happen if you don't to this, but doing so will enable you to take advantage of the port/modem auto-detect feature of the initialization/configuration program. Additionally, the presence of a buffered UART chip for the modem COM port is also checked. - 3 - Installation/Configuration The next step is to run the initialization/configuration program. To do this, simply type "INIT" at the DOS prompt. It is possible that when you run INIT, you will receive the message "Abnormal program termination" or "Program code corrupted." If you do receive this message, simply try running INIT again. If you still have problems, try rebooting your computer and running it again. If you are still having problems running INIT, either you have a bad copy of WWIV, and need to get another copy, or there is something in your system setup that WWIV doesn't like. Once you run INIT (for the first time), you will be told that CONFIG.DAT wasn't found, and you will be asked if you wish to perform the initial installation. You should answer Y. INIT will then proceed to install the necessary files and directories for WWIV to run. You should note that all directories will be made as sub-directories of whatever your current directory is, so be SURE that your current directory is the one you want to use as your main WWIV directory, when you first run INIT. After a bit of disk I/O, the screen will display which COM port (if any) a modem was detected; the speed and and type of modem; and which modem config file will be created and used. If no modem is found, a 'generic' 2400 baud Hayes compatible modem set-up will be created. Next, you will be told that your system password has defaulted to SYSOP. The system password is a password that should only be known by the primary system operator. The system password should be entered whenever you see the "SY:" prompt. You will need to enter the system password whenever you run INIT, or run more sensitive sysop functions from the BBS. After you are told what the system password is, you will be given the "SY:" prompt, and you will need to enter the system password, SYSOP. After correctly entering the system password, you will be in the WWIV v4 initialization/configuration program. You will have a list of 10 options. These options will be described in order. If you don't fully understand some of the options, just leave them as they are, and their use will probably become clear after playing with the system a bit, or reading the WWIV sysop manual. - 4 - Installation/Configuration SECTION TWO - PRIMARY CONFIGURATION Using INIT Once INIT is run, and after you have correctly entered the system password, you will be presented with a menu listing ten options. This section will describe each of them, giving examples of how to use and modify your configuration. 1. System info (name, passwords, newuser info, etc) This section will allow you to change general system information. The things you can change are: System password The system password defaults to SYSOP, but you should be sure to change it to something else, hopefully something that other people will have a difficult time guessing. Selecting your own personalized system password helps prevent other people from gaining unauthorized access to your BBS. System name This should be set to the name of your BBS, but if it isn't set correctly, nothing bad will happen. System phone This should be set to the phone number of your BBS. This isn't critical information UNLESS your board is a member of WWIVnet. WWIV Reg Num If you have registered your BBS, you will have a registration number. This is where you enter that number. Newuser PW This is the password people will have to enter in order to log on as new users. If there is no newuser password, anyone may log on as a new user. This should only be used if you wish to operate a "private" system. Newuser restrict This sets the restrictions that all new users are given. This should probably be left as-is until you fully understand what the restrictions are used for. See "Restrictions" on page 2 for more details. Newuser SL This sets the security level that all new users are given. The default is 10. This should also be left alone until you understand what the different security levels do, and even then, most sysops will probably want to leave this set to 10. Newuser DSL This sets the download security level that all new users are given. - 5 - Installation/Configuration Newuser gold WWIV keeps track of an amount of "gold" for use in on-line games, if needed. This sets the default amount new users are given. The regular distribution version of WWIV does not use gold for anything. If you have registered your BBS and obtained the source code, modifications are available which can allow you to use gold, for example, to regulate downloads or game use by requiring that the caller "earn" a certain amount of gold by posting. Sysop name At a few points in the BBS, the system will need to print out the name of the system operator. This is where you can set what that name will be. Sysop low time The sysop low time and sysop high time set the time limits that the sysop is available to be chatted with. If, for example, you don't want people to be able to request a chat between 11pm and 7am, then your chat hours would be 7am to 11pm. The low time (when chat hours begin) would then be 7am, and the high time (when chat hours end) would be 11pm. You enter the time in the standard 24-hour format, where 7am is 07:00 and 11pm is 23:00. Normally, the scroll lock key determines when the sysop is available for chat. If sysop hours are defined, the system ignores the status of scroll lock during the hours the sysop is supposed to be unavailable. In other words, if you followed the above example and chose available hours to be from 7am to 11pm, callers will not be able to request chats with you from 11pm to 7am, regardless of the scroll lock setting. During the sysop hours (7am to 11pm), scroll lock IS monitored, and will determine whether or not the sysop is available for chat. If the scroll lock is on, callers will be told you are available, and if they request a chat, a chat alarm will be sounded (unless you have turned the beep off. See "Beep for chat" on page 6 for details. Up/Download ratio Many sysops want to have up/download ratio requirements. This allows you to set them. A caller's ratio is defined to be the number of k (1024 bytes) of files uploaded divided by the number of k of files downloaded. So, if you want a caller to be able to download 5k for every 1k uploaded, the required ratio would then be 1/5=0.2, so you would set the ratio required to be 0.200. This way, when a caller has violated the ratio (downloaded over five times what he/she uploaded), the caller would not be allowed to download again until the caller uploaded enough data to clear the ratio. Post/Call ratio Similar to the Up/Download ratio, this restricts users from downloading if they do not meet the minimum ratio established. Max waiting Each caller may have a number of pieces of mail waiting. This allows you to set the maximum number of pieces of mail a caller can have waiting. NOTE: The sysop (sl=255) can have 5 times this number of mail waiting. So, if, for normal callers, 20 is the maximum, then 100 would be the maximum for the sysop. - 6 - Installation/Configuration Max users The BBS requires you set the maximum number of users that can be on the system. This defaults to 500, but you may increase or decrease it. The absolute maximum is 32,767, but 2,000 is probably about the limit for performance reasons (ie, the system slows down the more users you have). Caller number If you have converted to WWIV v4 from another BBS (possibly an earlier version of WWIV), you may set the current caller number with this option. 2. More system info (net, status, etc) System number If your system is a member of WWIVnet, this is where your node number is entered. Net low time You can specify hours during which your BBS will only accept WWIVnet connections. Anyone else calling at that time will be asked to call back later and be disconnected. The net low time is the time from which your BBS will stop accepting regular calls. The time is entered in 24-hour format, just like the sysop hours (ie, 4pm = 16:00). Net high time This parameter, used in conjunction with the net low time, specifies the time at which regular calls will be accepted again. Closed system If you don't want to allow new callers on at all, set this option to "Y," and no new callers may log on remotely. Local system It is possible that you may want to run the BBS on a computer that you don't have continual access to. Setting no local to "Y" will: a) disable all function keys, b) disable the top of screen data, and c) disable sysop functions while the BBS is waiting for a caller. Beep for chat Normally, the BBS will make a horrid beeping noise in an attempt to attract your attention when a caller requests a chat. If you would prefer not to be such annoyed, simply set this to "N," and the BBS will no longer beep at you for chat requests. Phone off hook When the sysop wants to check up on his system locally, remote callers can not log on. If you would prefer people calling while you are on to get a busy signal (instead of ringing), set this to "Y," and the BBS will pick up the phone while you log on locally, or read feedback, or use any other WFC command that is likely to take some time. Two color chat Normally, in chat mode, all text will be the same color. If you would prefer text typed locally and remotely to be two different colors (if the caller supports ANSI graphics), set this option to "Y." - 7 - Installation/Configuration Two way chat Under normal conditions, two way chat mode will be used when the caller has ANSI and is calling at 1200 bps or higher. This option allows you to disable two-way chat capability. Chat is discussed in detail in the SysOp Guide. Allow aliases If you would prefer to disallow the use of aliases on your BBS, set this option to "N." Close transfers This option will allow you to close the transfer section of your BBS. All UL to sysop This option forces all uploads to be placed in your sysop directory. Directories are discussed in detail in the SysOp Guide. Sysoplog to printer If you would like the sysoplog to be printed out to the printer as events occur, then set this option to "Y." Please note that you must have a printer connected and ready on LPT1: in order for this to work. Use list utility If you have a text file viewing utility, you may use it to view your sysop logs from WFC. The utility must be named "LIST" and be placed in the DOS path (or main BBS directory). If the list utility is not used, sysop logs are always printed to screen as if TYPE were used. Free format phone This option allows "non-standard" telephone numbers to be entered. "Standard" format being what is used in the United States and Canada, which is ###-###-####. Other countries may have a different format that may have more or fewer numbers. This allows systems to operate in other countries as well as allowing callers from other countries to call BBS's in the United states and Canada. When this option is set to "Y", users are not prompted for their last 4 digits when logging on. Notify user of DL If this is set to "Y", when a user logs onto the BBS, a short message is displayed advising who downloaded any files they uploaded. This option only checks user numbers, so it is possible a user may be notified of an download that was uploaded by the person who previously had that same user number. - 8 - Installation/Configuration 3. Paths (messages, gfiles, data, etc) If you have more than one hard disk, you may wish to split up the BBS files among your hard disks, in order to better use the space. Using this option, you may change the directories that the BBS looks to for certain things. Please note that changing any of the options here will only change where the BBS looks for the data; IT WILL NOT ACTUALLY MOVE ANY FILES OR DIRECTORIES. Messages dir : stores e-mail and posts Gfiles dir : stores BBS text files Data dir : stores BBS data files (NO text files in here) Dloads dir : used to set the default directory for new file sections Temp dir : used to temporarily store files for the BBS Batch dir : used to temporarily store files that are batch uploaded (defaults to Temp dir--should have adequate disk space for files being batch uploaded; at least 2 megs recommended) You may freely change the dloads dir, temp dir and batch dir to whatever you want without hurting anything. HOWEVER, the temp/batch directories MUST exist. If you can, have the temporary directory exist as a ramdisk. If the temp dir is a sub-dir of a ramdisk, MAKE SURE that the directory is created BEFORE the BBS is run. In other words, run the BBS in a batch file that first creates the temp directory. Please note also that any files found in the temporary directory when the BBS is run will be DELETED. If you point the temporary directory to your root directory, or the BBS directory, ALL THE FILES IN THAT DIRECTORY WILL BE ERASED. Therefore, have the temporary directory be one that doesn't contain any files you care about. After batch uploads are completed, the BBS will automaticaly move the files into the appropriate drive and directory. The others (messages, gfiles, data), however, will have files in them that the BBS needs to find in the appropriate directories. Use the following guidelines for selecting and naming new directories (if you wish to use any): 1. Never use the root directory of any drive to store BBS files; the root directory can only hold a fixed number of files, while any sub-directories may hold an unlimited number of files in them. 2. Always have a backslash on the end of the path/directory name. 3. The directory may be specified relative to the main BBS directory, or as a full pathname. In other words, "msgs\" is recognized as a sub-directory of the main BBS dir. In most instances, however, you won't need to change the default directories. If you choose to have directories located on another drive, remember to include the drive letter in the pathname. If you change the messages, gfiles, or data directory, you must then: 1. Go to DOS and create the new directory. 2. Move all the files from the old to the new directory. - 9 - Installation/Configuration 3. You should then probably erase the old files and old directory, to ensure you aren't confused by multiple copies later on. If you have any gfile sections (described later), you will have sub-directories of the gfiles directory, ie, "gfiles\section1\". You will then need to create sub-directories, of the new directory, with THE SAME NAME, and copy all files from the old sub-directory to the new one. 4. Com port info (port, IRQ, base address, etc) Com Port This sets the com port number that your modem is connected to. If this is set to zero, the result is that the BBS will not use a modem at all (same as /m parameter, page 18). Initially, the com port is identified and set with the auto-detect features of the INIT program. Interrupt This allows you to manually change the interrupt used by the BBS. You will probably not need to modify this. Base address This sets the com base address used by the BBS, and is dependent upon the com port number. It is set automatically when you change the com port option, and you will not need to change this, unless necessary. Slow UART The INIT program automatically detects the presence of the 16550 buffered UART chip for the com port listed. "Y" indicates INIT has detected a 'slower' UART chip and the "Unbuffered UART on COMx" message will be displayed. 5. Select modem type This option allows the manual selection of the modem type to be used by the BBS. Using up/dowm arrow keys, scroll to the modem type that most closely describes your modem; press enter, and a new MODEM.DAT file will be compiled and placed in the DATA directory. It is this file that contains all modem information the BBS needs. MODEM.DAT is a data type file that cannot be altered or changed. The source for the MODEM.DAT file is a configurable text file called MODEMS.MDM. MODEMS.MDM is one of the files that now comes with WWIV. When you run INIT for the first time, this file is moved to the DATA directory. It is very unlikely that you ever need to change the data stored in MODEM.DAT, but if it ever became necessary (changing a result code or such), the place to do so is in MODEMS.MDM, then re-select that modem type and a new MODEM.DAT file will be compiled. - 10 - Installation/Configuration 6. External programs (zip, terminal, etc) Terminal program This should be set to the name of a batch file to run a terminal program. If, for example, you want to run Qmodem, and your Qmodem files are in the directory c:\qmodem, you should then set the terminal program option to QMODEM. Then, in your main BBS directory, you should create a file to run Qmodem, such as: copy con qmodem.bat c: cd \qmodem qmodem ^Z You don't need to worry about changing back to the BBS directory when done, the BBS will do that for you. One side note: Due to the size of Qmodem, and the size of the BBS, you probably can't actually use Qmodem unless you "shrink" the BBS out of memory during the time you are using the comm program. Also, you don't necessarily have to run a terminal program with this option. It simply allows you to run an external program from WFC. You could, for example, run a file management utility from the BBS by running it instead of a terminal program. The only limitation in that instance is, again, the memory remaining. BeginDay Event This is a batch file or program that the BBS will automatically run after the first caller logs on after midnight, every night. You can write a batch file, for example, to run the maintenance program of an on-line game. Or, you can write a batch file to backup some BBS files. Logon Event This is just like the BeginDay Event, except that it is run every time a caller logs on. This option may be used to run a program that gives the caller a "quote for the day" or other similar utility. Newuser Event This is also like the BeginDay Event. This time, though, it is executed immediately after a new user has saved the validation letter. Upload Event This is similar to the BeginDay Event, and will execute after a user uploads file(s). This is a good opportunity to "virus scan" uploads, change the archiving method or even change/add zip comments, just to name a few possibilities. External Event Again, this is not too different from the above-listed events. This one, however, can be set to run at any pre-defined time. See the next section for details. - 11 - Installation/Configuration Time for Event This is how you can set the time that the External Event will run. Time is calculated in minutes AFTER midnight. For example, if you want a maintenance program to run at 2am every morning, you would set Time for Event at 120 (120 minutes after midnight). Any caller that logs on before the external event is set to run will have his/her time on-line shortened so that the caller will be off the BBS before the event runs. Archive Extension This option is listed four times, as are the other extension-related settings. This is because WWIV can support up to four different archiving programs. In the transfer system, you or a caller may view the files within an archive, extract individual files from archives, and add those extracted files to a new archive. Archive Extension is simply the filename extension of the archive program you want to support. For example, ZIP, ARC, PAK, and LZH are all popular archive extensions. NOTE: The first archive listed is the most important in one respect: it is the only archive that will be used when the Add to archive option is selected. For example, if a caller extracts a file from within a LZH archive, and then wants to add the file to a temporary archive to download later, ZIP would be used to create the new archive if ZIP were listed first in INIT. Select which archive you want to use for this role, and enter its extension first in order. List Archive This is the archive command used to see a listing of the files within an archive. Some sample commands are: (for ZIP): PKUNZIP -V %1 (for PAK): PAK V %1 (for LZH): LHARC V %1 The %1 is a parameter which the BBS uses to pass the filename of the archive to be viewed. Extract Archive This is the archive command used to extract a file from within an archive. Some sample commands are: (for ZIP): PKUNZIP %1 %2 (for PAK): PAK E %1 %2 (for LZH): LHARC E %1 %2 Again, %1 is replaced by the BBS with the filename of the archive to be worked on, and %2 in this instance is replaced by the path of the temporary directory (discussed earlier). Add to Archive This is the archive command used to add a file to the temporary archive. As stated earlier, only the first "Add to Archive" entry is important; you may leave the other three blank. Some sample commands are: (for ZIP): PKZIP -A %1 %2 (for PAK): PAK A %1 %2 (for LZH): LHARC A %1 %2 - 12 - Installation/Configuration In this case, the BBS replaces %1 with the filename of the temporary archive to be created, and %2 is replaced by the path and filename of the file(s) to be added to that temporary archive. 7. External protocols (other than X,Ymodem) Using this option, you will be able to insert, delete, and modify external protocols for the BBS to use. Following are some examples of commands to use for various external protocols: Name: Zmodem Receive filename: dsz port %2 speed %1 rz %3 Send filename : dsz port %2 speed %1 sz %3 OK return code: 0 Name: Super8k Receive filename: superk p%2 s%1 tS dR F%3 Send filename : superk p%2 s%1 tS dS F%3 OK return code: 0 Name: SEAlink Receive filename: clink /p%2 /b%1 r %3 Send filename : clink /p%2 /b%1 t %3 OK return code: 0 The return code is only checked for sending files. Also, if you leave either the send or receive command line blank, that protocol will be disabled for the function omitted. In other words, if you didn't specify a command for sending with Zmodem, callers would only be able to use Zmodem when uploading to you. 8. External editors (full screen) Full screen editors allow you and your callers (with ANSI) to write email and posts using an editor that is not restricted to the line-by-line approach used by WWIV's built-in text editor. Some editors allow the use of function and arrow keys to move the cursor about the screen, in much the same manner as a regular word processor. Full screen editors tend to be awkward for callers to use, however, as while the sysop might use the arrow keys to move the cursor, the caller must almost always use control-key combinations to achieve the same thing -- not very easy. Still, there are some great advantages to using a full screen editor, especially from the sysop's point of view, and so provision is made in WWIV for their use. The full screen editor must do all I/O through DOS calls. The most well-known full screen editor, and perhaps the best in terms of usage by the sysop, is FSED, written by Sagredo. The command lines to use FSED could be: remote: fsed +dosansi.cfg +wordstar.cfg -w%2 -h%3 -l%4 %1 local: fsed +console.cfg %1 - 13 - Installation/Configuration You can experiment with the commands provided in the FSED documentation to find a combination that you like best, but the above is probably the best for general use - especially from the sysop's perspective. 9. Seclev data change For each security level (0-255), there is a set of data that determine what a caller with this SL may do. This option will allow you to change that data. Using {,},[,], you can scan through until you find an SL you want to change. Then, hit enter to edit the data. You can then alter: Security level Changing this changes to that security level. The other data on the screen is appropriately changed. Any data changed for the previous SL is saved Time per day This gives the time, in minutes, that a caller with that SL is able to be logged on the system per day, regardless of the number of calls. Time per logon This gives the time, in minutes, that a caller with that SL is able to be logged on to the system per call. Normally, the time per day is 2.5 times the time per logon. Normally, the time allowed on is limited by the time per logon, but after the second call that day, the time per day may cut down the total amount of time on. Of course, the time allowed on may be affected by uploads, chat time, and extra time allowed by the sysop. Messages read This sets the number of messages that can be read (per call) by a caller with that SL. Emails per day This sets the maximum number of pieces of mail that a caller with that SL can send, per day. NOTE: Email excludes feedback. A caller is allowed to send up to 5 pieces of feedback per day. Posts per day This sets the maximum number of posts a caller with that SL can post per day. Post anony If set, this means that a caller can post a message anonymously on any message base. Email anony If set, this means that a caller can send anonymous e-mail. Read anony posts If set, a caller with this SL can read the names on anonymous posts. - 14 - Installation/Configuration Read anony email If set, a caller with this SL can read the names on anonymous e-mail. Limited co-sysop If set, a caller with this SL can validate and delete messages from any caller. Normally, callers can only delete messages they themselves have written. Co-sysop If set, a caller with this SL has access to all co-sysop functions. 10. Auto-Validation data change The sysop can set the Alt-F keys (Alt-F1 through Alt-F10) to set certain data for a caller. This function allows you to change that data. You may set the SL, DSL, AR, DAR, and restrictions. Then, when a caller is on-line, you may press any ALT-function key combination to immediately change that caller's security levels, AR, and restrictions. This may be useful for validating a caller - you can, for example, just hit Alt-F1, and if you have that configured to give the caller standard access, the caller will immediately receive said access. It all happens very quickly, and there is no immediate indication on the caller's side that anything has happened, save perhaps a dramatic increase in the time-left display. Be careful, though. If you are logged-on locally, and hit an Alt-key combination, your stats will be altered as well. This would do no permanent damage, but it will cause an annoyance as you have to go to the indignity of validating yourself again. General Text Files The GFILES directory contains a number of text files which the BBS will use to accomplish various tasks. You can change any of them to suit your desires. For files with a MSG extension, you can use any text editor you want as long as the editor saves the files in standard ASCII format. For files with a B&W or ANS extension, you need to use an ANSI editing program. A note about MSG, B&W, and ANS files: ANS files are printed when the caller has color ANSI selected in his/her defaults. B&W files are printed when the caller has ANSI, but no color. MSG files are printed to callers without ANSI. MSG files are the default. In other words, if the caller is capable of seeing a ANS file, but it doesn't exist, the BBS will look for a B&W file. It that doesn't exist either, it will print the MSG file. So, you don't necessarily have to create ANS or B&W files. If you don't have one or the other, the BBS will use MSG. WELCOME.MSG [ANS] This text file is printed out right after a caller connects, but before he logs on. You will probably want to change this so that it tells the name of your system, and perhaps gives a logo for your system. If you have a WELCOME.ANS file, the caller will be asked upon connection if he/she supports ANSI graphics. If the answer is yes, the ANS file is printed. Otherwise, the MSG file is. B&W is not used. - 15 - Installation/Configuration LOGON.MSG [ANS, B&W] This file is printed out after a caller logs on, but before he gets to the main menu. This usually describes recent news that may affect the system. SYSTEM.MSG [ANS, B&W] This file describes your system. It should probably tell what type of system you run, what it's purpose is, what hardware it is run on, and any other information you think necessary. This is the first text file printed out to new callers. It is also printed when the caller hits 'I' for system info. NEWUSER.MSG This is the second text file printed out to new callers, and is printed out before they enter any information. It should describe what you expect from new callers. FEEDBACK.MSG This text file is printed out after a new caller has entered his information, but before he sends validation feedback to the sysop. This should tell the caller what you expect to be told in the validation letter. LOGOFF.MSG [ANS, B&W] This file is printed out just before a caller is logged off. HELP.MSG This is a large file which holds the context-sensitive help information which is printed when the caller hits control-O. You probably will not need to change anything in it. TRASHCAN.TXT This is a text file listing names (aliases) which you do not want your callers to be able to use. Usually, this file will contain a list of profane words, one per line, so that you won't have anyone using certain names on your board that you don't like. Menus MENUS.MSG This is a file which contains the menus WWIV may display at various times. If a MENUSANS.MSG file does not exist (and it should), callers will see the menus in this file. MENUS40.MSG This file contains a list of menus shown to 40-column callers only. You don't really need to have this file. - 16 - Installation/Configuration MENUSANS.MSG This file contains menus displayed to callers who have ANSI selected. It may have true ANSI or WWIVansi codes. What does this mean? WWIV does not use true ANSI codes to display color to you or your callers. It uses what is called WWIVansi, which is a different system of encoding colors in text. When WWIV displays a file written with WWIVansi, it interprets the color codes and translates them to standard ANSI format. WWIV will still display standard ANSI files correctly, of course. WWIVansi is just a system you can use which doesn't force you to use ANSI editors or strange escape codes. At any rate, MENUSANS.MSG may have either format of ANSI in its menus. MENU[0...14].MSG [ANS] Each menu has a number attached to it by WWIV. You can see these numbers listed at the beginning of each menu in the MENUS.MSG file. The BBS will first look for a file named MENU*.MSG [ANS], where * is a number from 0 through 14. If the caller has ANSI, the BBS will print the ANS version of the MENU file if it exists. Following are the numbers for the menus: 0 - Main Menu 1 - Message Base Commands 2 - Editor Commands 3 - File Transfer Menu 4 - Mail Menu 5 - Sysop and CoSysop Menu 6 - UEDIT Menu 7 - WFC Menu 8 - Sysop File Transfer Menu 9 - Batch Transfer Menu 10 - User Restriction Menu 11 - Sysop Editor Menu 12 - Multimail Menu 13 - Message Base Commands for Cosysops and Sysops 14 - Archiving Commands Menu Rather than editing menus within the MENUS.MSG or MENUSANS.MSG files, you can simply create the menu you want to change, name it with the format described earlier, and the BBS will print that menu instead of the one listed in one of the large menu files. For example, if you want to change what your main menu looks like, you can create a file with an ANSI editor (for color) or a text editor (for plain ASCII), name it MENU0.ANS (or MENU0.MSG), and place it in your GFILES directory. The BBS will print that menu when required. - 17 - Installation/Configuration SECTION THREE - EXECUTING THE BBS Startup Now your system should be initialized, and you are ready to go about configuring it. To begin configuring your system, you first need to run the BBS. There are several command-line switches you may select when running the BBS. At the DOS prompt, the command format is: C> BBS [/Brate] [/Srate] [/Nlevel] [A/level] [/O] [/H] [/M] /B - someone already logged on at rate (specify 300, 1200, 2400, etc) /R - com port baud rate to use (if locked at 38400, etc) /N - normal exit level /A - abnormal exit level /O - quit WWIV after one caller done /H - don't hang up on caller when he disconnects /M - don't access modem at all Most are self-explanatory. Use /B if somebody is already connected to your modem and you want to run the BBS. If you don't, the BBS would attempt to initialize the modem upon startup, something you wouldn't want to happen if somebody was already on-line. /N and /A are normally used as a pair in a batch file. The following is an example of such a batch file: copy con wwiv.bat :bbs BBS /N0 /A1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 if errorlevel 1 goto bbs ^Z This batch file would run the BBS, allowing you to enter other switches if necessary. If the BBS aborted abnormally for any reason (you did NOT hit Q at WFC), the batch file would automatically reboot the BBS. If the BBS was terminated normally (you hit Q at WFC), the batch file would end. One last note about switches. The /M switch may be very useful to you as you initially set up your BBS. It causes the BBS to totally ignore the modem. So, you can run the BBS without a modem even attached to the computer. If you were to try that without the /M switch, the BBS would lock-up in it's attempt to initialize the modem. Once you've entered the BBS command to execute the BBS, you will see a copyright notice, the screen will clear, and "Waiting..." will flash on the screen for a moment. The "Waiting..." message means that the BBS is trying to initialize the modem. If after 30 seconds, the Waiting... message is still on the screen, you have a problem with your modem, or the BBS doesn't have the right information about your modem. If Waiting... is still on your screen for over 30 seconds, you will need to reboot your computer, and should then recheck the modem information in the INIT program. If that all looks correct, you should check your modem itself, perhaps running a terminal program to make sure everything is working correctly. After Waiting... disappears from the screen, the screen will be blank. The system is now waiting for a caller. This mode is termed WFC, for quick reference. - 18 - Initialization/Configuration Creating the Sysop Account Your first task will be to log on with the sysop account. To do this, you will hit the spacebar at WFC. You will be asked if you want to log on. You do, so hit Y. You will be presented with the welcome message, and will be asked for your name or number or new. You will be new, so type "NEW" and hit [Enter]. You will be prompted for: your name/alias, real name, phone number, callsign, sex, birthdate, computer type, screen size, and ANSI support. The BBS does internal ANSI decoding, so you can always see ANSI locally. After entering this information, you will be presented with a list, and asked if you want to change anything. Make sure all is correct, and press Q. After verifying your password, you will be logged on and taken to the main menu. You now need to validate the sysop account. To do this, hit F1. A window will pop up in the middle of the screen which displays the current info about the account. You will want to set the SL and DSL to 255, and the AR and DAR to "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP". To do this, enter 255 for SL, and hit [Enter]. You will now be at the AR prompt. Hold down Z until all letters appear. In the future, you can toggle letters by typing them. You can remove a letter by pressing the spacebar while the cursor is over the letter to be removed, and you can add consecutive letters by holding down any key that is not an AR setting itself (ie, not A-P). Hit [Enter], and repeat for DSL and DAR. If there are any restrictions highlighted, move the cursor to that character (with the left & right arrow keys), and hit the spacebar to remove that restriction (you can also press the letter which is indicated to toggle it on or off, just like with the AR and DAR). When done, hit escape (or F1 again) to quit back to the main menu. The sysop account is now logged on and validated. Type /O to log off, and you will be returned to WFC. Please note that there are a few differences between logging on locally and logging on remotely. First, and most obviously, the ANSI welcome message (if present) and logon message are not printed out when you log on locally, because the system assumes you already know what they are. Furthermore, when logging on locally, you will not need to enter the system password. When you log on in the future locally, you can simply press F after pressing the spacebar. That will immediately log you on, without need of typing your password or phone number. It will also bypass the welcome message and information screen. You have completed initial setup of your bulletin board. However, you are far from going on-line with a full-featured BBS. What you have now is a rather barren bulletin board with one user account - your's. Your BBS will have one message base already installed, General, and two file directories, Sysop and Misc. There are no g-file sections, no on-line programs, no files for transfer, and no messages. Chances are, you do not have most text files prepared (for news, new callers, info, etc.). Make no mistake - you have a great deal of work ahead of you. Your next stop is the WWIV SysOp Guide. It will show you in detail what your main BBS sysop options are. You will learn how to create and modify message bases and file directories. You will also see how on-line programs are installed, and how g-file sections are added. Your bulletin board as it is now is a shell, waiting for you to personalize with your own interests. - 19 -