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INTRO.DOC
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The Ultimate Account Manager
Version 1.07
August 1992
If you need support, we have an echoed conference on Salt Air
carried at present by our support board, Salt Air, and TDS Intl.
If you want to pick up this conf for our own reading, feel free
to do so.
"This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware
principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member
directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you
resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide
technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP
Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a CompuServe
message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536."
Foreword
I would like to thank Fred Clark as if it were not for his work,
then PCBoard would not be here today.
David Terry and all the staff at CDC also have condolences coming, as
they were instrumental in creating PCBoard v14.5 and beyond.
I would also like to take time to thank you for reviewing our product,
and considering it as an option for distribution of bytes to your
users.
Please be so kind as to provide us with feedback as to what you think
of the documentation, our product in general and its features.
We consider providing you with a quality product that meets your needs
of utmost importance. If this product fails to meet your needs,
please let us know where we failed, what we could have done to make
the product better, or why you chose not to use our product.
We appreciate your time and effort in reading our documentation, and
in trying our products.
Introduction
What is an Ultimate Account Manager you ask ? Good question, and
one that has as many answers as those who ask the question.
We have attempted to meet as many of those needs as varied as possible,
while still maintaining a fast, flexible and reliable method of
controlling bytes for your users.
We have also gone to great lengths to integrate TUAM into PCBoard as
closely as possible. This includes, but is not limited to, using screen
formats and displays as closely matched in layout and color as possible
to the normal PCBoard displays.
We will NOT display at any point to your users any form of
advertisement, nor mention of our product.
All of our products support the PCBoard @ color and naming conventions,
and allow sysop generation of many user display screens.
We have written the system completely in Borland C to obtain as much
speed as possible.
The system has been tested in Networking environments, and under DOS
3.3, 3.31 and 5.0.
The system has been written to work correctly under DesqView, however
extensive testing has not been done in this environment.
We are looking for some reliable beta testers for future projects if
you are interested, please fill out the enclosed form and mail it to
us.
We do have online beta distribution doors, allowing instant access to
our latest beta code at all times.
The Ultimate Account Manager (called TUAM from here on) allows you to
have as many different byte and time configurations as you have
security levels.
While this in itself is not unique, the fact that you can have file
ratios, byte ratios, file/byte ratios, daily limits (as PCB does now),
session limits (amount allowed each logon), weekly limits, monthly
limits or annual limits to name a few of the combinations gives you
a flexibility never before available to PCBoard Sysops.
This flexibility is carried over into users time as well.
While the flexibility is only limited by your imagination, you can
give a user a weekly limit for example, and let them use it at their
convenience.
A non pay system can have upload ratios as well as daily, weekly,
monthly or yearly bytes distributed to their users.
A pay board can now sell bytes, and have byte accounts to allow a
better control over file leaches. At least if a file leach wants files
they will have to pay for the bytes.
A board can use both account bytes and upload/download ratios at the
same time.
Allowing a user a limited number of bytes free each month for example,
(ie: give a user 4 meg per month, when it is finished the remainder of
the month period will run on ratio alone or wait until the start of
the next month period)
A pay board can also sell minutes if so desired.
Version 2 will have much more support on this and will do online
accounting and billing if desired.
The system is flexible enough that only your imagination can hold you
back on the bytes configuration and account configurations available
to you.
All this is accomplished using absolutely NO events, this ensures that
your users will get their bytes accurately all the time and every time.
Users bytes will adjust upon expiration level as defined by the SysOp,
each user is completely configurable by the SysOp! Now YOU have total
and complete control over who gets bytes, how many, and when.
There are a few items worth noting though, if a user downloads files
which abort transfer, and it is not counted by the system as a
successful transfer, then TUAM will NOT take these bytes away from the
user, which is only logical.
As the system does not use events, we had more flexibility, and as a
result, have chosen to have the accounts reset upon actual week,
month, and year lengths rather than calendar weeks, months and days.
This means if a user starts using the system on August 6th 1992, which
will be a Thursday, then their week will reset on Thursdays, their
month will fall on the 6th of the month, and the year end will fall
12 months later or on August 6th, 1993.
Overall, we felt this led to better control of accounts, and more
flexibility on the part of the sysop. Not to mention a more fair
distribution of bytes to your users.
While every attempt at accuracy has been made, this manual may have
some details that may not reflect exactly what you see in your current
version of TUAM.
This is because the documentation is written after the programming and
debugging phases, and usually will be a short period of time behind the
actual release of any code.
We will include update files, and history files with future releases
to identify any changes to the current release that may not be included
or may be different that as described in the documentation.
TUAM is not freeware nor is it public domain software, but is shareware
software. All documentation, source code, programs and file structures
are copyrighted and remain property of Platinum Software.
What is Shareware ? A.S.P. defination briefly states it as such:
"Shareware" is copyrighted software which is distributed by
authors through bulletin boards, on-line services, disk vendors,
and copies passed among friends. It is commercial software
which you are allowed to try out before you pay for it.
Disclaimer
Ok, lets get through the legal stuff up front.
Platinum Software Development, or any of its associates are not liable for any
damages suffered as a result of use of this software, either by
proper use or improper use.
We assume no liability for any losses incurred, either financial or
otherwise as a result of use of this software.
We hold no responsibility for your inability to use this software
due to your hardware configurations, software configurations, or
any other reason not mentioned in this document.
Features
o Allows Daily Accounts (similar to PCBoard accounts using
PWRD file)
o Corrects problem with midnight rollover and loss of bytes
o Corrects problem with PCBoard midnight rollover and loss of
time.
o Allows Monthly Account Bytes
User has preset byte limit for month rather than day
o Allows Annual Account Bytes
User has preset byte limit for year rather than day
o File Ratio Accounts with definable ratios
o Byte Ratio Accounts with definable ratios
o File and Byte Ratio together with definable ratios
o Upload credits allowable to non ratio users.
This will credit user with uploads who are not on
ratio accounts, but on Monthly or Annual accounts.
o Lock Out of specific users
o Default settings of Session Bytes, Daily Bytes are security
specific.
o Individual users can be set different than their specific
security level.
o Base Baud rate and Factoring allows flexible control on
bytes allocated based upon current session baud rate.
o Allows greater control over Display User Info at Login
o If user is found in PWRD, TUAM will honor PWRD setting.
o Byte ratio can be calculated on Session Bytes or Actual Ratios
o No need for DEPOSIT doors on Monthly or Annual Accounts for
byte storage.
o Runs automatically and is completely maintenance and event free.
o Demo File will allow 60 days free usage
o Demo Key does not need to be downloaded from support board !
o SysOp definable display screens
o Complete integration into PCBoard, transparent to user
o Can run with some user on TUAM and others on PCBoard's PWRD or
other file control system.
o Automatic control over accounts upon user expiration
o Automatic Update possible for sysop changes in Security file
This allows one change to the Security file, and
all users of that specific level will change.
(User switch to disable this on user basis)
o Small Code, allows shelling to TUAM. Executes very fast,
making it appear invisible to users.
o Daily Limits can be enforced by security level, or can
be disabled, relying on session limits only.
o Session Limits, allow control on per session limit, while
allowing Daily limits to be higher.
(for monthly or annual accounts you may wish to
disable daily limits)
o Maintains full PCBoard security on files.
o Allows PCBoard to have full control over FREE files via
the normal FSEC file.
o Writes PWRD file, allowing no loss of bytes due to doors
or other external doors.
o Allows for sliding security levels, granting bytes in EACH
level according to the sysops configuration.
o Provides for Session Time limit as defined in setup
o Provides for Daily Time limit as defined in setup
o Allows different time in each security level as defined for
sliding security levels.
o Allows sysop configurable commands per security level
o Corrected loss of bytes when using some other doors.
Description
A system allowing maximum flexibility in the distribution of bytes
possible.
Byte accounts are limited only by SysOps imagination !
The most flexible byte distribution system on the market today.
We have been running this code for several months on both single
node and multi-node (PCBoard /250) systems, with no user complaints,
nor loss of bytes to any users.
We feel the safeguarding of users bytes is sacred, and have taken
every precaution to ensure your users neither loose bytes, nor
are given wrong amounts of bytes.
There are very few reasons the bytes will not be allotted to the user,
and all are system failures on the part of PCBoard or hardware, or are
SysOp configuration errors.
If a user for whatever reason looses download information and PCBoard
does not count the download as successful, then we will not subtract
the bytes.
All byte removal and additions are controlled by PCBoard's calculations.
Quick Installation
For quick installation see the installation section in this
document file, or enclosed file QUICK.DOC.
Licence Agreement
The Ultimate Account Manager, its accompanying programs, documentation
and associated files are Copyrighted (C) 1992 by Platinum Software
Development.
All rights reserved.
You may not engage in, nor permit third parties to engage in any of
the following :
A ) Altering the software, the documentation, the key files or any
other files associated with or supplied with The Ultimate
Account Manager.
B ) Attempting to reverse engineer, disassemble, decompile
any of the software, key files or associated files in any way
or by any means, either electronic, mechanical or manually.
C ) Granting licences, sub-licences, leases or any rights of any
kind of this software to others.
D ) Selling or giving away key files without proper notification to
Platinum Software Development.
Platinum Software Development grants you a licence to use this
software as long as you agree to meet, and continue to meet all
the above conditions. Any present or future violations of any of
the above conditions will result in the termination of your
licence to use this software. Upon termination for any reason,
you must immediately stop using this software, and destroy all
copies of the key files in your possession. Platinum Software
Development reserves the right to cancel your licence at any
time for any violations incurred that may not be listed in this
documentation.
Cancellation of licence due to violation of agreement will forfeit
your ability to use this product, and any or all fees paid to
use this product.