Quick Start Manual for The MainMail System Version 3.x 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴 This 'Quick Start' manual is NOT intended to be a replacement for the primary sysop's manual, but rather a suppliment to it. DO NOT think that reading this manual and following the directions within will inform you fully of the features of The MainMail System, or provide you with all options and enhancements. This manual is ONLY intended to get you 'up and running' quickly and easily, so you can read the full manual on your own time. READ THE FULL MANUAL! READ THE FULL MANUAL! Setting up The MainMail System for the first time 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� 1. Create a directory structure similar to the one shown here: 읕 MAINMAIL 쳐 GEN 쳐 HELP 읕 DUPE This 'tree' can be off of the root of any drive, or below any sub directory. The choice is totally up to you. 2. Unzip your MainMail archive, or copy your MainMail disk into the MAINMAIL directory. 3. Unzip GEN.ZIP into the GEN directory. 4. Unzip HELP.ZIP into the HELP directory. When finished, the following files should be present in each of the respective directories: MAINMAIL GEN HELP DUPE -------- --- ---- ---- MM-GAP.EXE MM-MENU MMHLP-* Currently empty. MMSETUP.EXE MM-NEWS MMPACK.EXE MM-NUSER MMSYS.DAT 5. Add the following line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: SET GAPCNF= The above environment variable is used by MainMail to find your GAP default directory. You should have a 'SET GAPCNF=d:\path' statement in EACH node's autoexec.bat file if you are running on a network, or in EACH node's window startup batch file if you are running Desqview. Each node's environment variable should 'point' to the correct GAP default directory for THAT NODE! Once this environment variable is added to autoexec.bat, reboot the machine so that the change takes affect. 6. Change to the MAINMAIL directory. 7. Run MMSETUP. a) Choose CONFIGURATION. b) Choose GENERAL. Check and/or change any necessary information on the screen. You will find several fields, most of which will probably already be set up correctly. Special attention showld be placed on the "Sysop's Name In Door" field. Use your REAL name in this field, even if you use a fake name in the GAP user file. This is the name that MainMail will use when messages to or from you are exported to your users. When finished with this screen, press ESC. Your changes will be saved and any directories that do not exist will be created. Note: The 'Local Uploads' and 'Local Downloads' paths are not verified by MMSETUP. These directories must be created manually or local operations will fail. c) Choose COMPRESSION. You will be shown a screen containing the first four compression methods. Additions and/or changes may be made at this time. This screen should be self-explainatory. NOTE: To delete a compression method, change the CODE to blanks. Once you exit the screen, MMSETUP will clear out the remaining fields of that compression method. Also, MMSETUP will sort the compression methods alphabetically. You need not do so yourself. When you are finished with your compression methods, press ESC. Your changes will be saved. d) Choose PROTOCOLS. This screen works identicaly to the COMPRESSION screen. When configuring protocols, MainMail allows you to pass certain variables to the protocol driver. These strings are outlined at the top of the screen. NOTE: VARIABLES MUST BE UPPER CASE! In other words, use '#F#' for filename. '#f#' will _NOT_ work. When finished with your compression methods, press ESC. Your changes will be saved. Press ESC again to exit the CONFIG section. e) Choose NETWORKS. You can think of NETWORKS as a group of forums. Nothing more. Each NETWORK should be given a minimum of a CODE and a NAME. These CODES will be used later. By grouping your forums by network, the user will be shown a list of networks whenever s/he chooses [S]elect Forums from the MainMail main menu. This provides an easy way for the user to pick and choose forums based on his/her area, preference, etc... In addition, if the user is a network node, then s/he will be RESTRICTED to only those forum within the network s/he is also assigned. In other words, if a user is a network node, and is assigned network 2, then s/he will ONLY have access to the forums in network 2! HOST ID and TAGLINE are optional, and if you are _NOT_ operating as a QWK network hub, thay are not used at all. If you _ARE_ going to operate as a QWK network hub, then any messages ENTERED ON YOUR BBS (either online or through MainMail or any other mail door) and exported through MainMail to a network node, will have the tagline for this network appended to it. MainMail will NOT append a tagline to any message entered FROM a network node. It is assumed that any message FROM a network node will already have a tagline appended to it. When you have all of your NETWORKS configured, press ESC and your changes will be saved. f) Now choose FORUMS. Choose which network each forum belongs to, and place that network number in the last field. In addition, set all of the flags apropriately. Here is a description of each field: Forum Number, Forum Name, Net Forum: These fields are read from your GAP configuration and cannot be edited. Force This Forum: If set to "Y", users will not be able to de-select this forum. Auto Select : If set "Y", this forum will be flagged as SELECTED for ALL MAIL for a user the first time s/he opens the MainMail door, but the user WILL be able to deselect this forum. Note: The FORCE flag above implies auto-select. Thus, if a forum is FORCED, there is no need to set the auto-select flag also. News Optn : By default, MainMail includes your news and welcome screens in the user's mail packet. If you toggle this field to "Y", any user may then toggle their own news/welcome screens off. Enable Dupe Checking : This flag simply enables dupe checking on messages uploaded and downloaded through the MainMail door. Dupe checking is performed by parsing all uploaded and downloaded messages to the TO: name, FROM: name, and SUBJECT: of the message, along with the message body, not including any detectable taglines, and performing a 32 bit CRC of these fields. Then, this 32 bit value is compared to all previous 32 bit CRCs on file for this forum, and if a match is found, the message is discarded. MainMail maintains a list of the last 1000 CRCs in each forum (maximum of 4000 bytes per forum). MainMail uses a highly buffered CRC table in memory, and updates disk only when needed. This makes CRC checking VERY fast, and efficent. In benchmark tests, importing 1000 messages, there was only a slight increase in time (aproximately 4%) needed when dupe checking was enabled. All messages which are _NOT_ duplicates, are appended to the CRC table, until 1000 CRCs are reached, then the oldest CRC(s) are dropped off of the end of the table. These 1000 (max) CRCs are saved in a file named .MMD in the 'dupe' directory configured in the GENERAL configuration section above. Export NonEcho : This flag only applies to Network Nodes calling into MainMail as a network hub. If a message is imported to your bbs through MainMail from a network node, or from other network software such as GAPNET, PCRELAY or POSTLINK, MainMail will recognize that message as a message FROM the network, and will not re-export the message to a network node. If this flag is set to "Y", MainMail will override the fact that the message came from the network, and will export it anyway. This flag is required if you use BOTH MainMail _AND_ other networking software on the same forum. IE: You call another hub using Postlink, and you have nodes calling you using MainMail. Allow [Y]ours : This flag only applies to Network Nodes calling into MainMail as a network hub. Normally, a network node will want ALL mail. This flag allows network nodes to choose [Y]our mail only. Use Tagline : This flag only applies to Network Nodes calling into MainMail as a network hub. If toggled "Y", MainMail will append your tagline to any messages extracted by a network node that were entered (originated) on your bbs. Messages that originated on another network node and imported into your bbs will not receive any additional taglines, regardless of the state of this flag. Network Number : This selects which network this forum belongs to. NOTE: If you choose network number 99, then this forum will appear in EVERY network. This is especially usefull if you are acting as a hub for several networks. Press ESC when finished with the forums, and your changes will be saved. NOTE: While you are in the FORUM editor, there is one other special option, that is the F8, 'global change' key. When chosen, a 'clone' of the forum editor appears, in reverse video. This screen serves as an easy way to change EVERY forum in a certain manner. Any field that you place data into will be copied to EVERY forum. Any fields left blank will be left unchanged. For example, if after pressing F8, you place a "Y" in the 'Enable Dupe Checking' field, then EVERY forum will then have Dupe Checking enabled. g) Choose USERS. This screen works much like the FORUMS and NETWORKS screen. Any changes made to this screen will be saved in the user's record currently being displayed. If this is a network node, set the 'Net Status' flag to "Y" and choose which network number to place this user into. Note: If you place this user into network 99, then s/he will have access to EVERY forum as a network forum! This is usefull if you are acting as a hub for several networks. h) Press ESC and your changes will be saved. THE MAINMAIL DOOR WILL NOT RUN UNTIL IT IS CONFIGURED! 8. Create a MAINMAIL.BAT file. The batch file must change to the MAINMAIL directory and run the door. Example MAINMAIL.BAT file ------------------------- @ECHO OFF D: CD\MAINMAIL MM-GAP 9. Edit your DOORS.DAT file and your DOORM(g) menus to reflect the addition of The MainMail System to your board. Example DOORS.DAT File ---------------------- MAINMAIL 50 C:\GAP\DOORS\MAINMAIL.BAT This concludes the configuration portion of MainMail 3.x.