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Configuring and installing the G8BPQ Networking Software
This document is intended to give you enough information to enable you to
get the software installed and running. It has been produced in a great hurry,
so I would appreciate any comments you have as to how it could be improved.
1. Decide what you want!
The software can be configured as a mailbox access system, a packet switching
node, or a combination of both. I would expect most intallations to use either
one or the other, but if you run a well sited BBS (particularly if multiband),
and there is a shortage of nodes in your area, you may wish to run both.
2. Choose your hardware and software.
You need an IBM PC/XT/AT or compatible. A switch needs very little RAM (
about 64k), but a BBS system will probably need a minimum of 640K. You can
connect your radios via an internal packet adaptor (PC120 from PACCOM,
PCPA from DRSI, etc), or via normal TNC's running in KISS mode (or both). For
a new installation I recommend the internal card, as it will normally be
cheaper (especially for multiport nodes), and faster, but if you already have
a TNC which has (or can be fitted with) a KISS option, then by all means use
it.
The software was orignally designed to run with MBL431, and DesqView. I have
recently added a simple host mode interface for use with the UFQ BBS, and
support for W0RLI systems.
3. Edit the configuration file (BPQCFG.TXT)
I hope the comments in the file make it largely self-documenting. You need
one Callsign/Alias pair for BBS access, and one for the Node. If you are
running both, they must be different, but if you are running only one or
the other, you must still put BOTH entries in the file, but they MUST be the
SAME. The software doesn't currently verify this, so be careful!
You can define up to 16 'virtual tnc' (COMBIOS) ports via the TNCPORTLIST
parameter, but I would suggest 4 BBS streams, and say a couple for your use
for 'personal' QSO's would be a reasonable maximum (unless you have a 25mhz
'386 machine to play with!). Each port takes over 1k memory, so if you are
running two MBL ports on a 640k machine, I suggest you limit yourself to a
total of 3.
Most of the configuration params should be left alone - the ones to look at
are:
IDMSG and INFOMSG
BBS, NODE to select BBS support and NODE support as required
UFQBBS
ROUTES to 'Lock In' the routes you want to use
Note that the supplied Networking parameter conform (more or less) to the
recommendations made at SYSOPS 5.
There are sample 'PORTS'configuration files for various link types
supported on the release disk (kiss.cfg, drsi.cfg, etc) - copy and
cusomise the ones you want to use. Note that ASYNC refers to a link to
the 'back end' port of a real NetRom or TheNet node - the current version
only allows each link to support one TNC, and not a TNC complex via a diode
matrix.
4. Run BPQCFG.
This will convert the configuration file to a format suitable for use by the
main software. Validation isn't wonderful, but it may produce error messages
either to the screen and/or a separate error file.
5. Load it.
I suggest you test the system first using a simple terminal program, before
trying it with the BBS (if required). I have included on the disk a suitable
terminal program (PAC2), which may be used with the system.
When running with a multitasker (eq DesqView), you must load my software
before the multitasker. Normally you can just replace the COMBIOS/DVIOCOM/
whatever call with one to BPQCODE. A copy of my normal startup file is on the
disk (GO.BAT). Once BPQCODE is running, load your BBS (if required) as normal.
PAC2 is small enough to run alongside 2 copies of MBL431 under DesqView on a
640K PC.
6. Have fun, and report all the Bugs.
Remember the software is 'beta-test', which means that it should basically
work, but is likely to have lots of bugs. Most of my testing has been in a
BBS plus NODE environment, but because of my position in the network, the
switching part of the software has not been exercised extensively. Almost all
my testing has been with MBL, so the UFQ and RLI support may be less reliable,
and I have run with internal adaptor cards (both PC120 and DRSI) much more
than with KISS or NET/ROM links.
Appendix 1 - a brief guide to PAC2
PAC2 is a small, simple terminal program, primarily for use with my switch,
but it also works with a normal TNC + COMBIOS. It has one paramter (port
number), so enter PAC2 N, where N is the (virtual) COMBIOS port you want to
access. The program provides a buffered input line, which allows use of
the editing keys ins, del, cul, cur, etc, It allows logging to disk (CTRL/L
toggles this function on and off), and maintains a simple 'Response Time
Monitor' function - useful for seeing how badly the network is performing!
To exit from PAC2, enter CTRL/Y
Appendix 2 - Fowarding files
Both MBL and RLI BBS software requires that the reply to the first connect in
a forward file connect sequence is of the form *** CONNECTED to xxxx. This is
not normally provided by the switch code, as the first connect is effectively
at the Net/Rom level. To get round this, I have provided a dummy command,
C SWITCH, which returns the string '*** CONNECTED to SWITCH'. This should be
included as the first entry in each set of forwarding commands. I have included
a sample forwarding file on the disk. FIles are FWD.MBL for MBL and FWD.RLI
for RLI.
John Wiseman, G8BPQ
76,Haywood Road,
Mapperley,
Nottingham.
NG3 6AE.
Phone 0602 624235 (Please phone only betweem 20:00 - 22:00)
14 December 1988.