Libris Britannia 4/science library(b).zip/science library(b)/COMMUNIC/NETWORKI/1747.ZIP/README.TXT

Text File | 1980-01-01 | 16KB | 335 lines

                              LANTEL PC V 2.0

LANTEL V2.0 is not PD.  It is Shareware.  Please give copies of this program
to as many people as possible.  You are free to copy this program but if you
like it and use it regularly then please send £10 ($18) to the address
below.  You will then be registered and will be sent V2.1 which includes many
new features to make the program as flexible as possible.
Donations allow Shareware programmers to create more and more useful programs
for people who cannot afford to pay for commercial programs.

                                WARNING

The author of this software will not accept liability for damage or loss of
data caused by running this program.
This program is used on any form of storage media at the user's own risk!


The address to send your donations is:

M.Connor
8 Beverley Walk
Romiley
STOCKPORT.
SK6 3HG
ENGLAND.

If you want to 'phone me then call me any time between 18:00 - 22:00(BST/GMT).
Tel.    [phone]

If you are not fluent with DOS or Computers then skip to the beginner's
instructions.



                                INSTRUCTIONS

Before LANTEL can be used, you must create a directory which must begin with
'0'. eg. 061.  Then type 'a:\install' if you are installing off the A drive.
Follow the prompts by typing in the number, name and password.  The program has
an extended mode which can only be accessed by the users with the numbers 999
and 100 so it is preferable to enter these numbers first.
The information is stored in the file PHONE.BUK.  The password is
encoded to prevent other users from gaining your password.  If for some reason
you forget your password, edit PHONE.BUK using a text editor and change the
5 numbers under your name to 56786.  Your password will now be AAAA and can be
changed using PASSCHNG.
To use PASSCHNG run the program and when asked to enter your password, type in
your present password.  It will then ask for your new password to be entered.
Do so. After a few seconds you will be asked if you want to change it again.

ADDCA is a program which will replace your .CO, .CA & .AP files if you
accidentally erase them.  These files are necessary for V2.0.
If you change the .CA file then run ADDCA to return it back to normal.

In LANTEL normal users are allowed to send, read, delete and broadcast messages.
Send will ask for the user's number.  If the user is in a different area from
the user who is sending the message then that area code must be entered before
the actual number and they must be seperated by a space.
When you wish to end the message, type '\' on a blank line.  eg.
\
After a few seconds you will return to the mainmenu.
The same applies to Public messages except you don't enter a number as the
message is sent to all the users in the same area.

When reading messages, they will be displayed one at a time.  To read the next
message, press any key.

Deleting messages erases all your messages that have been received since the
last deletion.  It is advisable to read your messages immediately before
deleting so as to avoid deleting unread messages.

Users with numbers 100 & 999 can also trace anybody's mail, find a user's
number and find the user's name out by entering the number.
To use these options just follow the prompts.
NB.     When entering area codes to trace mail only, remember to type a \
before and after the code and don't leave a space between them. ie.
01 480 1549     would be entered as
\01\480 1549

I think that covers everything.  If you have any problems or find any bugs
then write or call to the address or telephone no. above.

Have Fun.


                          BEGINNER'S INSTRUCTIONS

        LANTEL is a program which allows more than one person to communicate
with another on seperate computers.  It is not necessary to have more than 1
computer but you will not recieve the full benefit of the program on one
machine.  It is, however, necessary for the computers to have access to the
same disk drive.

        Now that I have explained what the program does I will explain how to
work it.  Unfortunately, as with many other programs, LANTEL needs to be
installed.  This is because there are certain files which need to be created
for LANTEL to run properly.

        LANTEL works on an area code system - similar to a national telephone
network.  For example people in say, Manchester can call someone else in
Manchester by dialling a reasonably short number.  If, however, he wants to
call someone in, say, London, he must dial a few extra digits because they
are in different areas.
The way LANTEL works is to have different sub-directories to represent the
different area codes.(If you are not sure what a subdirectory is, then read
about it in your DOS manual)  So the first thing to do is to create a sub-
directory on the disk which can be accessed by all the computers.
(For this example we will pretend that the hard drive - C: is the common
drive.  It could however be any drive such as A: as long as it is common to
all the machines)
The screen should look something like this:-
C>_
or this :-
C:\>_
It is very important that your subdirectory is from the root directory so type
cd\<RETURN>
the screen should look like this :-
C>cd\

C>_
The command cd means change directory and \ means the root or the primary
directory. So cd\ means change to the root directory.
Now we need to make a subdirectory for LANTEL to be installed in.
The directory name must begin with 0 so 061 would be acceptable. Type:
md 061<RETURN>
the screen should show:-
C>md 061

C>_
md 061 means make directory called 061
Now we need to go into the directory so type:
cd 061<RETURN>
If the screen looked like this before:
C:\>cd 061
then it should look like this now:
C:\061>
If the screen doesn't look like this, don't worry it doesn't matter.
From now on we can let the computer do the rest of the instalation by running a
batch file called INSTALL.BAT.
Type:-
a:\install<RETURN>
The screen should look like:-
C:\061>a:\install

(Please note that you would only type this if you were installing off the A
drive.  Replace the 'a:' with the appropriate drive name.)

Now it will copy all the necessary files from the LANTEL disk onto the disk you
are installing on and then run INITAREA.
The screen should clear and a message should appear at the top of the screen
telling you to run the INITUSER program.
However, you don't need to do this as INSTALL.BAT does it for you.  It should
say:-
C>OK, Will do!
and it should then run INITUSER.
The screen should be cleared and it should say "Enter your number ?".
This is asking you to enter your number ie 430 8360. But don't type this in
yet because there is something very important that must be done first.
When I was writing the program I decided that certain users should be able to
have access to details and functions that other users would not be able to do.
Therefore LANTEL allows two users access to certain functions.  These
users must have the numbers 100 or 999.  When LANTEL is run, it checks to see
if the user's number is either of these and if so allows them extra options.
So type in:-
999<RETURN>
Now it will ask for the user's name.  Enter the name and press the RETURN key.
Now it will ask for a four letter password.  Type a four character password
in and press RETURN.  Now the disk will be accessed and the program will ask
you if you want to enter any more users.  Type "y" and press return.
The same questions will appear again.  This time the number will be 100
Type in the user name and password when they are requested and type "y" when
asked for more.  Now enter your number - You will probably find it best to
use your own phone number.
WARNING - Your number cannot be more than 8 characters long INCLUDING ANY
SPACES.
Enter your name and your password and continue this until you have entered all
the user's names, numbers and passwords.  It doesn't matter if you have missed
someone out as you can run INITUSER whenever you want to add more users.

If you want to change your password for some reason such as someone else
discovering it then run the program PASSCHNG by typing:-
passchng<RETURN>
The program will ask for your number and then your current password.
If you enter the wrong password or number then it will not let you continue
and you will have to run the program again.
The program will then ask for your new password.
After entering it, it will ask if you want to run the program again.
If so type:-
y<RETURN>
if not then type:-
n<RETURN>

If for some reason, you have forgotten your password then use a text editor
such as RPED and edit the file called PHONE.BUK. Change the line after your
name to read
56786
your entry should look like this:-
480 1549  (Your number)
Fred Bloggs  (Your name)
56786  (Your password)
Although the file says that your password is 56786, it is actually AAAA.
This is because your password is encoded to prevent other users from
discovering it.
Now if you want to change your password, run PASSCHNG and enter AAAA as your
current password.

                    WELCOME MESSAGES

When INITUSER is run it sends 2 messages to the user who has just been
initialized.  These messages are contained in the files: WELCOME1 & WELCOME2
I could have incorporated them into the INITUSER program as standard messages
but I thought it would be nicer if you could have your own messages.
To change these messages use a text editor such as RPED or EDLIN or any
wordprocessor which will allow text to be saved in ASCII form.  There are lots
of PD Text Editors and some Libraries such as PDSL have compilation disks with
the best of the bunch on one disk.  These are perfect for many applications
such as writing batch files and if you haven't got a text editor then I
strongly suggest you get one as soon as possible.


You are now ready to run LANTEL.  Do so by typing:-
LANTEL<RETURN>
The screen should change colour and should ask you your number. Type in your
number and press RETURN.
It should now ask for your password.  Type it in.  You will notice that
instead of your password being printed on screen, a series of asterisks(*) are
displayed instead.  This is to prevent anybody who is watching from seeing
your password.  If you have entered your password or number incorrectly it
should say:-
Sorry - Access Denied
You are allowed three attempts to enter your correct number and password.
Pressing a key will take you back to the start again.  If you don't enter the
correct number and password in the three attempts, the program will quit and
you will have to try again.
If you have entered them both correctly, a menu of possible options will
appear.  At the bottom it should say :-
You have some messages
Press 2 to read them.
The program will print the messages one at time pausing in between for you to
press a key.  When it has displayed all the messages it will say:-
End of Messages.
And return back the menu.  Every ten or so seconds, the disk may be accessed.
This is the program checking to see if you have messages.
If you have used 999 or 100 as the number then you will have more options than
normal.  For example, you can trace messages, find somebody's number or find
out the owner of a particular number.  I will explain these later.
Option 1 - SEND MESSAGES
This option allows you to send a message to a particular user.
It will ask for the user's number.
If the user you are calling is in the same area code as yourself then just
type in the number as normal and press RETURN.
If the user is in a different area such as 01 then type:
01 480 1549<RETURN>
If everything is correct then the screen will change colour and a message at
the top of the screen will say:--
Type '\' to end.
This is telling you that when you have finished entering the message,
go to a new line and type:-
\<RETURN>
The program will allow you enter up to 3000 lines of text although nobody in
their right mind would bother typing in 3000 lines of text.
It will then access the disk and return to the menu.
Option 3 = PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
This option allows you to send the same message to all the user's in your
area.  It works in exactly the same way except it will not ask for the user's
number as it is not being sent to a specific user.  It will also take a lot
longer for the message to be sent as it needs to be sent to each user.
Option 4 = DELETE MESSAGES
This option will delete all the messages that you have stored.
You cannot retrieve messages once they have been deleted.
The program will ask you if you are sure that want to delete the messages.
To delete them type:-
y<RETURN>
After a short while you will be returned to the main menu.
To keep them and return to the menu, type:-
n<RETURN>
Option 5 - EXIT
Choosing this option will exit from the program and return you to the DOS
prompt:-
C>
Option P - PRINT MODE ON/PRINT MODE OFF
On pressing P the program will switch(toggle) between print mode on and
print mode off.
The default setting is off.
If you set print mode to on and then read messages(option2) it will print the
messages on the printer as well as on screen.
WARNING - Do not set this option to on and read messages if a printer is not
connected, switched on and on-line.  Failure to take notice may cause the
program to crash and can cause loss of data.

        EXTENDED OPTIONS AVAILABLE ONLY TO 999 AND 100

Although every endeavour has been taken to make the program as user-friendly
and as simple to use as possible, it is worth noting that only experienced
DOS users should be allowed to use the 999 and 100 numbers.

Option 8 - TRACE A CALL
This option will list all the messages the specific user has stored and will
also display the number of the user it was sent by.  This number does not
include the area code.
When asked to enter the user's number type in the normal number if the user is
in the same area code.
If, however the user is in a different area code then you must type in the
number like this:-
\01\480 1549<RETURN>
The messages will be displayed one at a time pausing in between for the user
to press a key.
After all the messages have been displayed you will be returned to the menu.
Option 6 - FIND USER'S NUMBER
This option will ask you the name of the user whose number you wish to find.
If you don't know the whole of the user's name then type in the part which you
do know.  For example if you wanted to find out what your friend, Steve's
number was but his surname had slipped your mind then simply typing Steve will
list up all the users called Steve and their numbers.
Option 7 - FIND USER'S NAME
This option is to complement tracing a call(Option8).eg. Imagine you had
traced a call and it had been sent by 451 2364 and you wanted to find out who
was 451 2364 then using this option will list up the user's name.
When asked for the user's number simply type it in:-
451 2346<RETURN>
and if that user number exists then the program will print that user's name.
If it doesn't exist then the program will return to the menu.

That just about covers everything.
If you're thinking "Why can't you call somebody and have a conversation?" then
you'll have to register because that option will be incorporated in V2.1 as
well as many others such as scrambled messages.
If you have any ideas which could be incorporated in V2.1 or bugs in V2.0 then
send them with your registration.

Remember, if you have any problems, I will be very happy to help you over the
telephone.

Have Fun.