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╥ ╥ ╥─╖ ╥─╖ ╓──╖ ╓─── ╓──╖ ╓──╖ ║ ║ ╟─╨╖ ╟─╨╖ ╙──╖ ╙──╖ ╟──╖ ║ ║ ╙╜ ╨──╜ ╨──╜ ╙──╜ ╙──╜ ∙ ╙──╜ ╙──╜ The Virtual BBS/NET Version 5.60 (c) Roland De Graaf 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 4246 Elisabeth Avenue Holland, MI 49424 ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Terms of Use and Registration The Virtual BBS and associated files are Copyright (c) Roland De Graaf, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 This Virtual BBS/NET software has been made available to you as SHAREWARE, and is provided to you as such with hope that after evaluating this software, you will join our growing family of sysops nationwide. Your possession of this program entitles you to evaluate it for a reasonable period of time prior to registration, and in NO case shall this evaluation period go beyond two (2) months with- out resulting in either formal registration or discontinuation of its use. You are encouraged to distribute VBBS/NET to others in its original form only. The author makes no warranty, expressed or implied, with regard to any claims of loss or damage arising from the use of VBBS/NET or related softwares. Your use of this software constitutes acceptance of the above terms. ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ TABLE OF CONTENTS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ INTRODUCTION ............................................... i ABOUT THIS MANUAL .......................................... iii CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS MANUAL ............................ iii VBBS FEATURES .............................................. v VBBS INSTALLATION .......................................... 1 Before You Install VBBS ................................. 1 New VBBS Installations .................................. 1 Upgrading Existing Installations ........................ 2 SETTING UP VBBS USING VCONFIG .............................. 4 1. MAIN Configuration -- Screen One ....................... 5 Screen Two ....................... 9 Screen Three ..................... 13 2. CHANNEL Configuration .................................. 17 3. DATABASE Configuration ................................. 19 4. SYSTEM PATHS ........................................... 26 5. DOWNLOAD PROTOCOLS ..................................... 28 6. UPLOAD PROTOCOLS ....................................... 28 7. NETWORKS Configuration ................................. 29 8. EVENTS Configuration ................................... 32 9. CONTROL PANEL Configuration ............................ 33 A. DOORS Configuration .................................... 34 B. VOTING BOOTH ........................................... 36 C. RANDOM MESSAGES ........................................ 36 D. ARCHIVE VIEW ........................................... 37 E. TEXT SECTIONS .......................................... 37 F. MULTI-FEEDBACK ......................................... 38 G. PRINT REGISTRATION FORM ................................ 39 H. VBBS DIAGNOSTICS ....................................... 39 VBBS FROM THE COMMAND LINE -- WHAT HAPPENS? ................ 40 FIRST-TIME STARTUP ......................................... 41 Before You Log In the First Time ........................ 41 Logging In the First Time ............................... 42 Creating the Sysop Account .............................. 42 THE WAITING-FOR-CALL (WFC) SCREEN .......................... 44 NEW USER SIGNUP ............................................ 45 New-User Feedback and Validation ........................ 46 NEW USER DEFAULTS .......................................... 47 THE USER EDITOR ............................................ 48 ONLINE FUNCTION KEYS ....................................... 50 THE DEFAULT MAIN MENU ...................................... 52 MESSAGING FUNCTIONS ........................................ 53 Main Menu Commands and What They Do -- Messaging ........ 53 Setting Up Topic Areas .................................. 53 VFSE Full-Screen Editor ................................. 54 Message Quoting ......................................... 55 Message Threading ....................................... 55 Message Search .......................................... 56 Message Sub Validation .................................. 56 Message Sub Moderators .................................. 56 Messaging Sub-Menu ...................................... 56 E-MAIL FUNCTIONS ........................................... 59 Main Menu Commands and What They Do -- E-Mail ........... 59 Addressing E-Mail ....................................... 59 Oneliners ............................................... 60 Prepared Text Uploading ................................. 60 Attached Files to E-Mail ................................ 61 E-Mail Forwarding ....................................... 61 Carbon Copies ........................................... 61 Multi-Mail and Mailing Lists ............................ 62 Account Forwarding ...................................... 62 Automatic New-User E-Mail ............................... 62 Form Letters ............................................ 62 VBBS DIRECTmail Interface ............................... 63 E-Mail Sub-Menu ......................................... 63 FILE TRANSFER FUNCTIONS .................................... 65 Transfer Menu Commands and What They Do ................. 65 Setting Up Topic Areas .................................. 67 Uploading Files Locally ................................. 67 Remote Transfers ........................................ 68 NEWUPLD.BAT Specifics ................................... 69 Files Sub-Menu .......................................... 69 SUBSYSTEMS/MISCELLANEOUS FUNCTIONS ......................... 71 Main Menu Commands and What They Do -- Subsystems ....... 71 Main Menu Commands and What They Do -- Miscellaneous .... 71 Bulletins/Textfiles ..................................... 72 System Info ............................................. 72 Voting Booth ............................................ 72 Defaults ................................................ 73 Autoposts ............................................... 73 Sysop Paging and Chat Screens ........................... 74 Multi-User Teleconference ............................... 74 THE SYSOP MENU ............................................. 75 .QWK OFFLINE READERS ....................................... 76 THE VBBS HYPERTEXT HELP SYSTEM (Optional) .................. 76 THE VBBS QUIZ/TEST SYSTEM (Optional) ....................... 78 THE VBBS CALLBACK VERIFIER (Optional) ...................... 79 CUSTOMIZING VBBS ........................................... 81 Menus, Function Blocks, Scripts, and Mods ............... 81 "Heart-Code ANSI" ....................................... 81 Customizing Menus ....................................... 83 Function Blocks ......................................... 85 The Default START.FB ................................ 87 The Default FILES.FB and SYSOP.FB ................... 88 Scripts and Mods ........................................ 89 Scripts and Mods on VirtualNET ...................... 91 System Taglines ......................................... 91 VGIX -- The Virtual Graphical Interface Executive ....... 92 OPTIMIZING VBBS ............................................ 93 "Defragging" Your Hard Drive ............................ 93 Using a RAMdrive ........................................ 93 SECURITY ................................................... 94 MAINTENANCE ................................................ 95 EXPLANATION OF FILES USED BY VBBS .......................... 96 VNET, VIRTUALNET, AND THE MULTI-NET ........................ 98 VirtualNET .............................................. 98 The Multi-Net ........................................... 99 VIRTUAL TOOLS .............................................. 99 Freeware Utilities ...................................... 99 Utilities by Roland De Graaf ........................ 100 Utilities by Neil J. Marshall ....................... 100 Utilities by Various Authors ........................ 101 The Virtual Developer's Toolkit ......................... 103 THE FUTURE OF VBBS ......................................... 104 ABOUT THE AUTHOR ........................................... 104 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND CREDITS ............................... 105 Documentation Credits ................................... 105 Programs Mentioned in the Documentation ................. 106 REGISTRATION INFORMATION ................................... 107 APPENDIX A -- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ........................ 108 APPENDIX B -- RUNNING VBBS UNDER MICROSOFT WINDOWS 3.x ..... 112 APPENDIX C -- RUNNING VBBS UNDER DESQVIEW 386 .............. 116 APPENDIX D -- RUNNING VBBS UNDER OS/2 2.0 .................. 119 APPENDIX E -- RUNNING VBBS ON A LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN) ... 120 APPENDIX F -- VBBS "HEART-CODE ANSI" COLOR CHART ........... 124 APPENDIX G -- "ALT-KEYPAD HIGH ASCII CHART ................. 125 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ VIRTUAL BBS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Introduction ════════════ I hate tinkering with software. This may sound like a strange statement for a computer science major -- especially one who's also a BBS sysop -- to make, but it's true. When I get a piece of software up and running, about the only thing I like to do to it is change the display colors, if possible. My friends often make snide com- ments about my color schemes for DCOM or for Windows, and can usually tell when I've been fooling around with them. "What does this have to do with VBBS?" you ask. Actually, everything. You've gotten hold of a copy of what is probably one of the easiest programs in the world to modify -- VBBS. It's cer- tainly the most flexible BBS software in existence, and that's one reason I jumped at it when a friend of mine showed it to me in late December of 1991. With its QuickBASIC source code, ANSI graphics support, and VSCRIPT programming language, even *I* could add features that would make my BBS unique among the many BBSes here in Tuscaloosa. But there were other reasons I liked the software, too. One was that it was young and constantly evolving, testament to the skill and dedication of its developer, Roland De Graaf. Here was a guy who was not only open to ideas, but ACCESSIBLE as well. It was exciting to see his messages appearing regularly on the sysops' support subs, indicating that he'd taken sysops' ideas and incorporated them into his software. It was exciting to see an E-mail reply from "Zargon" or "R de Graaf" waiting in my mailbox when I logged on. Another reason I liked VBBS was that it and its network -- VirtualNET -- were small at the time, and this would give me an opportunity to actually have some influence in the VBBS com- munity and to be on the cutting edge of BBS software technology. As you can see, that's happened; a year ago, I hadn't even HEARD of VBBS, and now I'm writing the docs for one of its biggest re- leases. Finally, there was the sense of friendliness and coopera- tion I found on VirtualNET. Everyone was eager to help a new sysop with the inevitable questions about setting up the BBS, receiving networked subs, fine-tuning the software, and making sure my files were pathed correctly. There was a sense of humor - i - VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- ii on VirtualNET, a lighthearted approach to BBSing that was a re- freshing change of pace from the nearly solemn behavior I'd seen on other networks. In the past year, VBBS has gone from version 5.31 to ver- sion 5.60, and VirtualNET has grown from about 140 systems to over 800 systems. With that growth has come a certain amount of change. For example, Roland doesn't post as often as he used to; we've inundated him with ideas and suggestions for VBBS, and he's incorporated LOTS of them into the program. As a result, he sim- ply doesn't have TIME to read ALL the posts and personally answer ALL the E-mail he receives; he's too busy programming! :-) But the excitement, the feeling of being on the cutting edge, the sense of community -- they're all still there. Even long-time VBBS sysops get something akin to an adrenalin rush when news of an impending new release breaks. If you can't say anything else about VBBS, you CAN say this: it never stagnates. Between the dedication of Roland De Graaf and the desire for excellence on the part of VBBS sysops, VBBS is constantly evolving, improving to the point where it's fast becoming the standard by which other BBS softwares are judged. Congratulations on your acquisition of VBBS, and welcome to the VBBS community! I hope you'll find this software as much fun and as flexible and easy to use as I have. -- Sam Fleming "O. F." 11/28/92 VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- iii About This Manual ═════════════════ In response to sysop comments and suggestions, the docu- mentation for VBBS 5.60 has been almost COMPLETELY REWRITTEN from scratch. This hasn't been an easy task, considering the speed with which Roland keeps adding features -- as someone on Virtual- NET once said, it's like trying to write for a moving target -- but we're giving it a shot. I've tried to include as much information on VBBS as pos- sible, both for new sysops and for long-time VBBS sysops. Alas, being less than superhuman, I'm bound to have left something out. If you find that I've omitted something, please drop me an E-mail at the address below. Regardless of whether you're starting your first BBS or have been running VBBS longer than I have, I urge you to sit down with a few slices of pizza and a soda and read through this new, improved, lemon-freshened manual. It's been a labor of love on my part, and I've thoroughly enjoyed working with it and the people on the Documentation Committee (they're listed in the "Credits" section at the end of the manual). This manual was written using the editor in DCOM 3.44, a combination DOS shell and menu program written by Dave Frailey of DAC Micro Systems, Inc. My thanks to Dave for writing such a powerful program and offering it as shareware. Sam Fleming (alias "O. F.") Sysop, I.S.U. #1 @2056 VirtualNET Conventions Used in This Manual ═══════════════════════════════ There are several typographical conventions that will be used throughout this manual in order to make up for the lack of italics, boldface, and other neat font changes (ah, the limita- tions of straight ASCII): 1) Specific keystrokes to invoke commands, etc., will be desig- nated using square brackets: [Enter] [D]efaults [Esc][Esc] [S]can Titles would indicate to press the [Enter] key, the [D] key, the [Esc] key twice, and the [S] key, respectively. 2) Filenames and pathnames will be designated in ALL CAPS, as in: VBBS.EXE VQWK.EXE LOGIN.MNU C:\VBBS\TXT VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- iv 3) Where more than one possible filename exists, the variable characters will be represented by lowercase "x" characters (if it is not necessary to use all the characters, I'll let you know): TAGLINE.xxx DORINFOx.DEF xxxxxxxx.ANS would represent files like TAGLINE.1 DORINFO1.DEF LOGIN.ANS TAGLINE.23 DORINFO2.DEF FILES.ANS TAGLINE.109 OPENING.ANS 4) In lieu of using italics for word emphasis, the emphasized word will be enclosed in asterisks or capitalized: I just *love* using VBBS. I think it's the BEST soft- ware around. 5) Watch for the IMPORTANT NOTE sidebars: --> IMPORTANT NOTE: When upgrading an existing installa- tion, make SURE you delete ALL occur- rences of the file CONTROL.DAT from your hard drive! 6) Watch for the "helpful hints" scattered throughout the man- ual; they're marked with a large square. ╔═╗ If you're having problems with messages piling up ╚═╝ and your hard drive space diminishing rapidly, check to make sure you have daily cleanup enabled. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- v VBBS Features ═════════════ Below are just SOME of the Neat Things (caps intended) included with VBBS; features new to VBBS 5.60 are indicated: ∙ EXTREMELY easy setup ∙ Scrolling windows for many configuration options <NEW> ∙ Multi-node support for up to 1028 users online is available; the shareware version supports up to 4 users online ∙ Supports up to 999 networks completely transparently at any one time, including VirtualNET, FIDO-based, WWIV-based, UUCP-based, and QWK-format networks (with more coming) ∙ Built-in FIDO front end, eliminating the need for Front Door <NEW> ∙ Virtual Multinet Engine automates dialouts for multiple net- works and tossing of received mail <NEW> ∙ DigiBoard support in channel configuration <NEW> ∙ Unsurpassed menuing and BBS presentation options ∙ VGIX (Virtual Graphical Interface Executive) term program al- lows users to iconize VBBS in VGA from their computer <NEW> ∙ Sysop/co-sysop feedback can be set up for any network or network address <NEW> ∙ Built-in QWK door for offline readers ∙ Easy-to-learn VSCRIPT <tm> script language programming and modification ∙ Built-in ANSI full-screen editor with 36 text color choices ∙ XModem, YModem, ZModem, ZModem-Batch, and HS/Link transfers, both locally and across the network ∙ Automatically adds archive comments to uploads ∙ Sysop may allow users to upload directly to directory or force all uploads to the \SYSOP directory <NEW> ∙ Files may be attached to local and network E-mail ∙ Automated offline file requesting, both locally and on the network ∙ Surveys and voting; voting questions and responses may now be edited <NEW> ∙ Multi-user teleconferencing with port status, paging, and separate "rooms" ∙ Prepared-text uploads in E-mail and messaging, even from in- side the editor ∙ Easy-to-use quoting feature in E-mail and messaging ∙ Configurable new-message scans ∙ Easy to set up games and other external online programs, with nearly unlimited presentation options; scrolling window in setup routine <NEW> ∙ Save any public or private message to an ASCII text file ∙ Send form letters ∙ Number of message bases, file directories, games, and other databases limited only by your hardware ∙ User-defined macros ∙ Built-in user time bank VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- vi ∙ System bulletins and text files across drives; scrolling win- dows for setup <NEW> ∙ Random messages of up to three lines ∙ User phone charge accounting system ∙ Up to 20 separate timed events per day ∙ 36 user-definable screen colors, including background color ∙ File archive viewing with scrolling windows in setup <NEW> ∙ Access coding throughout ∙ Unique dual-purpose .MNU files accommodate both ANSI and non-ANSI users ∙ Full support for "heart-code" ANSI ∙ Full messaging and file search functions ∙ Efficient binary storage of messages and all system text ∙ Built-in daily cleanup/maintenance ∙ Optional system activity display at logon ∙ Fast login from console ∙ Highly informational and customizable WFC (Waiting For Call) screen, saved in .COM format ∙ Configurable WFC screen blanking ∙ Assignable function-key control panel at WFC ∙ Sysop may perform most routine BBS functions from WFC ∙ Mail forwarding, even across multiple networks ∙ Full CD-ROM or WORM capable databases ∙ Configurable user-action log (normal/keystroke-by-keystroke) ∙ Macro-capable networking software included ∙ Built-in ANSI auto-detection ∙ Split-screen chat function available ∙ "Pseudo-DOS" allows sysop to perform simple DOS functions while a user is online ∙ Up to 9 multi-mail mailing lists per user ∙ Multi-network carbon-copy E-mail ∙ Definable moderator (sub-op) fields for message and file bases ∙ Takes full advantage of ZModem's upload and log info routine ∙ "Heart-code" ANSI taglines, optionally random ∙ Built-in BBS diagnostics ∙ Definable "function blocks" for totally-configurable hot-key user/sysop menus ∙ "Stacked" menu functioning capable ∙ Configurable auto-validation of visiting sysops ∙ Supports optional use of FOSSIL driver ∙ ASCII, ANSI, and Enhanced ANSI operation with pull-down menus ∙ Each message sub and file upload area may use real names, aliases/"handles", or be anonymous ∙ Optional auto-callback account verification ∙ Message bases and file areas can either be "flat" or "layered" arrangements ∙ Minimum allowed baud rate configurable for each channel ∙ Optional online hypertext help system(s) ∙ Optional online test/quiz system(s) ∙ VBBS DIRECTmail interface VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 1 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ VBBS INSTALLATION ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Initial installation of VBBS is quite straightforward. It is perhaps the easiest BBS software in the world to install! Before You Install VBBS ═══════════════════════ Before you install VBBS, you need to make sure you have copies of the following programs and that they are in a directory specified in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file's PATH statement: ∙ PKZIP and PKUNZIP archive programs ∙ ZModem transfer protocol (usually named DSZxxxx.xxx) Other programs that will probably be useful include: ∙ TheDraw 4.00 or later (for creating your own menus) ∙ ARJ 2.11 or later (an alternative archive program) ∙ LIST.COM (a text-browsing program for reading system stats) ∙ DCOM 3.44 or later (DOS shell to speed file moving/copying) --> IMPORTANT NOTE: These programs are NOT supplied with the original VBBS archive; you have to get them on your own. Fortunately, many BBSes have them available for download. New VBBS Installations ══════════════════════ To install VBBS as a NEW installation, follow these in- structions: 1) Create a temporary directory on your hard drive and make it your current directory. 2) Using PKUNZIP, extract the contents of VBBS560.ZIP into the temporary directory. 3) Run INSTALL.EXE; when asked if this is a NEW installation, answer "yes". 4) As the VCONFIG.EXE program is presented, verify the configu- ration, particularly in the MAIN configuration and -- MOST importantly -- in the CHANNEL configuration. All single- node VBBS installations use the same command line: BBS 1 This names channel 1 as the primary channel. After this, VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 2 you only need to correctly identify your modem port number and baud rate in the channel 1 configuration. Upgrading Existing Installations ════════════════════════════════ --> IMPORTANT NOTE: VBBS 5.60 upgrades VBBS version 5.52 ONLY! Sysops of previous versions will need to either upgrade to version 5.52 prior to moving to version 5.60, or install 5.60 as NEW. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: Existing installations MUST use the INSTALL program to upgrade VBBS! INSTALL needs to upgrade your existing database .DAT files and your user account file. To upgrade to version 5.60 from version 5.52, follow these instructions: 1) MAKE BACKUP COPIES of the following: a) files in your database directory (\VBBS\DB) b) files in your data directory (\VBBS\DATA) c) your .CFG files 2) Delete ALL occurrences of the file CONTROL.DAT from your sys- tem. 3) Move VBBS560.ZIP into a separate directory and unZIP it there. 4) Run the INSTALL.EXE program; when it asks if this is a NEW installation, respond "no", then name the correct path to your actual VBBS directory. Your .CFG files will NOT be overwritten. 5) Verify the settings in VCONFIG and change channel 1 in the CHANNEL configuration to reflect your modem port. Base and IRQ addresses are set automatically. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: The INSTALL.EXE program for version 5.60, when used to upgrade existing installa- tions, copies ONLY the new .EXE file to your VBBS directory. It does NOT over- write menus, script files, text files, or function blocks. INSTALL 5.60, after copying files, will upgrade your pre-5.60 databases for full 5.60 operation. 6) Once INSTALL.EXE has finished, you may need to copy or manu- ally edit some files. Files to consider replacing or editing include: VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 3 *.ANS *.ASC *.TXT *.PDM 7) After the upgrade to 5.60, you need to go into VCONFIG to SORT your database configuration and COMPILE network info. * * * * * * * * * * That pretty much does it for the actual installation pro- cess, and as I said earlier, it IS fairly easy. Now comes the fun part (and a large chunk of this manual) -- configuring your VBBS installation just the way you want it. If you're an old hand at running a BBS (especially VBBS), grab another slice or two of that pizza and another soda and go right on to the next page to start in on using VCONFIG to set up the many features of VBBS. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 4 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ SETTING UP VBBS USING VCONFIG ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Using the VCONFIG.EXE configuration utility, you can con- figure the inner workings of VBBS just the way you want them. It DOES take some time to do this, but the end result is well worth the time spent. One nice feature of VBBS is that once you're finished with the configuration, it provides diagnostics to help you make sure all files and paths are correct. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: MOST of the essential configurations are properly set at default settings, meaning they are set up for you already. The fol- lowing is the ONLY configuration actually REQUIRED in most installations in order to effect a first-time startup: In MAIN configuration: BBS name, sysop name/handle, system password. In CHANNEL configuration: set channel 1 to proper modem port and baud rate. It's easy to use VCONFIG at any time to do additional setup and further configuration -- adding new message bases or file areas, changing the limits on existing message bases, etc. VCONFIG has 17 main functions available at its main menu: ┌───────────┤VCONFIG 5.60├──────────────┐ │ │ │ 1. Main Configuration │ │ 2. Channel Configuration │ │ 3. Database Configuration │ │ 4. Paths Configuration │ │ 5. Download Protocols │ │ 6. Upload Protocols │ │ 7. Network Configuration │ │ 8. Events Configuration │ │ 9. Control Panel Configuration │ │ A. Doors Configuration │ │ B. Voting Booth │ │ C. Random Messages │ │ D. Archive View Configuration │ │ E. Text Sections Confuration │ │ F. Multi-Feedback Configuration │ │ G. Print Registration Form │ │ H. VBBS Diagnostics │ │ │ └─[ ][ ]─[Enter]=[Select]──[Esc]=Quit───┘ We'll go through these options one by one through the next few sections of this manual. Aren't you glad you got that pizza re- fill? :-) VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 5 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ 1. MAIN CONFIGURATION -- Screen One ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ 1) BBS Name ════════ This is where you enter your BBS' name, so that VBBS can display it as needed. 2) Sysop Name ══════════ This field contains your name or handle, or the name or handle of the primary system operator. 3) Timeout ═══════ This numeric value determines how long a user may remain inactive (not typing anything) before being automatically logged off the BBS. The value is expressed in seconds, and the user will receive a "beep" warning at the midpoint of the interval. For example, a setting of 360 would allow for 6 minutes of inactivity; the user would receive a warning after 3 min- utes, and would be logged off after 3 more minutes of in- activity. 4) Start-Up Script ═══════════════ This is the first script that is run after a user logs on. For the default VBBS setup, this is START, which reflects the small START.V script included in the VBBS archive. 5) PAUSE string ════════════ This allows you to customize your "press any key to con- tinue" prompt. 6) Idle Modem ══════════ This setting defines what, if anything, to do with the modem when the BBS is busy doing certain offline func- tions, such as unpacking network mail, running external events, doing daily maintenance, etc. The choices are "Modem Off-Hook" and "Do Nothing". If you select "Modem Off-Hook", then VBBS will "busy out" your phone line as needed for offline functions. When the offline function is completed, VBBS will re-initialize the modem and resume servicing callers. Note that setting the MODEM off-hook does NOT set an attached PHONE off-hook; if a call comes in while the modem is off-hook, the phone will still ring (and this can be QUITE annoying). VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 6 7) Registration # ══════════════ This is where you enter your VBBS registration number, when you get one. The only way to get a valid registra- tion number is to register VBBS with the author (see "Re- gistration" and the section on VCONFIG's "Print Regis- tration Form" option for more details). 8) New User Password ═════════════════ In this field, you may specify your system's new-user passowrd. Leaving this field blank disables the new- user password entirely. The presence of a password in this field will require that a first-time remote caller actually know what the password is. 9) Blank WFC Screen ════════════════ This setting configures the VBBS automatic WFC (Waiting For Call) screen blanker. Like the "Timeout" option, this value is expressed in seconds; a value of 300 in this field would blank out the WFC screen after 5 min- utes. A value of 0 in this field disables screen blan- king entirely. A) Reserve Space ═════════════ This setting, expressed in kilobytes (KB), instructs VBBS to reserve some of your hard-drive space so that suffi- cient space to operate the BBS is always available on your hard drive. When the free space on your upload drive drops below this value, uploads will not be allowed onto the board; this is for your protection. A value of 0 in this field disables this feature. B) Using WATCH.COM ═══════════════ WATCH.COM is a small shareware utility that senses unan- swered telephone rings to your system and will reboot the computer after so many rings, or arbitrarily every few hours. This is a YES or NO setting; if YES, VBBS will issue com- mands to WATCH.COM as needed. If NO, the feature is dis- abled. C) Allow Handles ═════════════ This setting determines whether a user's primary means of identification on your system is a "handle" or his real name. Note that some networks and networked message bases do not allow the use of handles. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 7 D) Daily Clean-Up ══════════════ This setting specifies the time VBBS will run automatic database cleanup. The time must be entered in HH:MM for- mat using military time. A setting of 00:00 disables this feature, but this is not recommended unless you make some provision for some kind of cleanup utility as an ex- ternal event. ╔═╗ Not setting a cleanup time is a common mistake among new ╚═╝ sysops; if you notice the messages piling up and your hard-drive space diminishing rapidly, this is a good place to start looking for the source of the problem. E) Allow 255 Remote ════════════════ This feature may be used as an extra security measure to prevent someone from ever gaining sysop access via remote. If you need to access the sysop functions of your BBS re- motely, or wish to give a co-sysop or other individual that privilege, then choose YES for this setting. F) System Password ═══════════════ This field contains your system password and is an op- tional level of security. All users with a security level (SL) of 255, or sysop security, will be prompted for the system password when logging in. G) Registration Code ═════════════════ When you register VBBS with the author, you will be sent a card showing your registration code. Enter that code in this field EXACTLY as it is shown on the card. Put the card in a safe place where you'll KNOW where it is (trust me on this one). The combined entry of a valid registration number and your registration code "unlocks" your copy of VBBS and enables full operation (see "Registration" for details). H) Use FOSSIL Driver ═════════════════ This setting lets you tell VBBS to use a FOSSIL driver. FOSSIL drivers are especially useful in certain multi-user applications of VBBS, although they are not required. If this is set to NO, VBBS will use its own internal COM rou- tines. ╔═╗ The FOSSIL driver BNUxxxxx.xxx seems to work best with ╚═╝ VBBS. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 8 I) Sysop Page Control ══════════════════ This option allows you to select between two different methods of detecting sysop availability. The most popular choice is to let the lighted [Scroll Lock] key toggle sys- op availability. Sysops with non-standard keyboards may set this to toggle by hitting the [A] key at the WFC screen. Note that the [Scroll Lock] key may be toggled at any time anywhere in the system. J) WFC Drive List ══════════════ This is the list of hard drives you want displayed on the WFC screen. The drive letter, size, free space, and per- centage of space free will be displayed; if free space drops below a particular percentage, that display line will change color. K) # Active Channels ═════════════════ This setting lets you optimize VBBS for the number of si- multaneous online users (active ports) that you are set up for on your multi-user VBBS installation. If you have two lines running into your multi-user VBBS, set this to 2; if you have four lines, set it to 4, and so on. Single-line VBBS installations should set this value to 1. L) Log Detail Level ════════════════ This defines the level of detail that VBBS maintains in its BBS.LOG file. There are two settings: NORMAL, which shows the typical actions of a user (logon time, door calls, etc.); and EXTENDED, which also shows the indivi- dual keystrokes the user makes at the various menus within the system. ╔═╗ The EXTENDED level is useful for tracking users' progress ╚═╝ within the BBS; it can be particularly helpful in identi- fying users who head straight for the game or transfer sections. Z) SCREEN TWO ══════════ Takes you to the second screen of MAIN configuration. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 9 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ 1. MAIN CONFIGURATION -- Screen Two ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ 1) Net Low Time 2) Net High Time ═════════════ These two settings let you specify a period of time for network transfers. During net time, users calling the BBS will receive the text message you've configured in NETONLY.TXT (Text Directory) and be logged off. (Note: SysOp imay log in.) This is a way to open up a busy BBS for network calls, typically late at night. Use of this feature may be required in some networks. The "net low time" is the beginning of the net period; the "net high time" is the end of the net period. The times must be entered in HH:MM format using military time; if both are set to 00:00, the feature is disabled. 3) Net Redial Attempts ═══════════════════ This specifies the number of network redial attempts VBBS should make. ╔═╗ If you are a "leaf node" (i.e., no one connects to your ╚═╝ system for their network packets) and your server's BBS isn't particularly busy, chances are you won't have to set this very high (5 attempts usually connects me with my server). If your net connect is a very busy BBS, you may need to set this as high as 50 or more. Keep in mind that while your system is calling out, users can't call in. 4) Network Poll Delay at WFC ═════════════════════════ This setting configures how often VBBS checks to see if it needs to perform some type of automatic network dial- out. It is expressed in seconds (i.e., a value of 600 would represent 10 minutes). 5) Dialing String ══════════════ This setting specifies the proper dialing string for your modem. This will, in most cases, be either ATDT (for tone dialing) or ATDP (for pulse dialing). 6) New User Security 7) New User Time ═════════════════ These settings define the security level (SL) and time limit given to a new user on your BBS. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 10 ╔═╗ Make sure that you give new users a high enough SL and ╚═╝ enough time to at least explore your BBS for a bit. If they can't do ANYTHING on their first call, their first call might be their LAST. 8) Min. Sec. Lvl. Autopost 9) MSL Email Others A) MSL Email Sysop Attached File B) MSL Email Others Attached File C) MSL MultiMail D) MSL Email Carbon-Copy ══════════════════════════════ These settings define the minimum security level (MSL) a user needs to access certain functions of the BBS. A typical BBS might allow a new user to E-mail others, but restrict the other functions to validated users; some boards restrict multi-mail and carbon-copy mail to the sysop and co-sysop only. ╔═╗ A mistake beginning sysops sometimes make is setting these ╚═╝ too high for anyone to access; make sure the MSLs are low enough for users to access at least SOME of them. E) Upload/Download Ratio ═════════════════════ This setting specifies the optional system upload/down- load ratio; if enabled, it requires that users upload files in order to be able to download them. To calculate the value to enter in this field, use the following for- mula: decimal ratio = (required uploads) / (allowed downloads) For example, to require that a user upload 1K for every 5K downloaded (a ratio of 1:5), you would convert the fraction 1/5 into a decimal and enter the value .2 in the ratio field. Other values are possible; some of the more common ones are .1 (1:10 ratio) .05 (1:20 ratio) .25 (1: 4 ratio) .5 (1: 2 ratio) Ratios like 1:3, 1:6, 1:7 and so on are probably better dealt with through a credits system (see Screen Three for details); as with some of the other settings, a value of 0 in this field disables ratios entirely. F) Allow Auto-Sysop Validation G) Auto-Sysop Security Level H) Auto-Sysop Time Limit ═══════════════════════════ This feature is useful to those whose callers include a good number of other sysops. With it, you can allow them to boost their own SL and time limit a little. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 11 This feature can either be ON or OFF. If setting (F) is set to NO, sysop auto-validation is disabled completely. ╔═╗ It should be noted that there have been instances where ╚═╝ non-sysop users have given false information and gained visiting-sysop status on some systems. There are, how- ever, several source-code modifications (if you have registered at the source level) and scripts to combat this problem. I) QWK Message Limit ═════════════════ This setting defines the maximum number of QWK messages to put into one QWK packet. Unregistered copies of VBBS are limited to 50 messages per packet; entering the re- gistration number and registration code on Screen One enables full QWK-limit configurability. ╔═╗ Suggesting a good number to enter in this field is dif- ╚═╝ ficult to do; if you have a large number of active net- worked message bases, you will probably want to set this high (say, 500 or so). This is a trial-and-error set- ting, but easily changed. J) Enter System Password for WFC Sysop Commands ════════════════════════════════════════════ If this is set to YES, then the system password is re- quired to access certain functions from WFC. It's use- ful if your BBS needs to be secure locally -- if you have a lot of your users dropping by, or if you have small children lurking about the computer, for example. It can, however, be somewhat annoying if you make fre- quent use of the WFC commands when tinkering with the BBS (in which case you may want to at least temporarily disable it). K) Mail Hold Time (Days) ═════════════════════ This specifies the time, in days, that E-mail should be kept active on the system. When an E-mail reaches the age limit, it is automatically purged from the BBS. A value of 0 disables this feature, although this is not recommended (see below). ╔═╗ Encourage your users to clean up after themselves by ╚═╝ deleting (or extracting, THEN deleting) E-mail after they've read it. Old, read E-mail DOES tend to pile up on the system and may create problems if hard-drive space is at a premium. 21 days is probably a good length of time to hold E-mail, although this may certainly be ad- justed. L) Max Time Bank ═════════════ This specifies the maximum number of minutes that a user VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 12 may deposit into her time bank. Setting this to 0 will disable the built-in time bank. In addition to the internal time bank, as with other func- tions, there are several time-bank VSCRIPTS available. Z) SCREEN THREE ════════════ Takes you to Screen Three of MAIN configuration. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 13 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ 1. MAIN CONFIGURATION -- Screen Three ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ 1) QWK Packet Name ═══════════════ This is the name you wish to give to QWK packets being sent from your system. It is recommended that you give this field a unique six-character name. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT use a PERIOD or a ZERO within this field. Softwares tend to "choke" when you do. 2) Force Filename Entry Before Upload ══════════════════════════════════ If set to NO, the user is given the choice as to whether to enter filenames and descriptions prior to upload or after it. If set to YES, the user is forced to enter filenames and descriptions before the upload. When file- names and descriptions are entered before the upload, the file bases are checked for duplication. ╔═╗ You should tell your users that once they're through en- ╚═╝ tering filenames and descriptions, pressing [Enter] at the prompt will get them into the actual upload process. 3) Inverse Bar on Input Fields ═══════════════════════════ If set to YES, an inverse-color bar will be drawn on cer- tain input fields, to show the user how much space she has to enter the information. If set to NO, the bar is not displayed. 4) Display Network in Subs Listings ════════════════════════════════ If set to NO, minimal network information is displayed when the user does an online database listing. If set to YES, then full network information is displayed. ╔═╗ It should be noted that minimal info displays somewhat ╚═╝ faster than full network information. 5) Run LOGOFF.BAT At User Logoff ═════════════════════════════ The possible settings for this option are NO, CHANNEL 1 ONLY, and ALL CHANNELS. This option allows you to con- figure utilities (virus scans, information updates, etc.) to be run when a user logs off. Parameters passed to the batch file(s) are: %1 -- channel number %2 -- COM port number VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 14 6) Number of Rings to Answer On ════════════════════════════ This setting defines how many times the phone will be allowed to ring before VBBS answers. For most installa- tions, a setting of 1 is proper. ╔═╗ If you have Caller ID on your system, you might want to ╚═╝ set this to 2 to give your equipment time to display the originating phone number. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: If you're running WATCH.COM or some other auto-reboot program, don't forget to keep this setting BELOW the threshold for re- booting, else your system will spend all its time rebooting instead of taking calls. 7) Use Call-Back Verifier ══════════════════════ If set to YES, VBBS will look for the ALLOW.CBV and RESTRICT.CBV files you will have created in your \DATA directory (see the "Callback Verifier" section for de- tails). The installed callback verifier will prompt a new user to put his modem into a waiting-for-call state so VBBS can place a call to his terminal. VBBS will request password confirmation from the answering system, thereby confirming the accuracy of the phone number left for that account. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the dial-out nature of this feature, VBBS sysops assume individual responsibility concerning its use when activated. 8) Call Back Ver. Security Level 9) Call Back Ver. Time Limit ═════════════════════════════ These settings tell VBBS the SL and time limit to assign to the new user's account once the callback verifier has done its work. A) Force New User to Leave Feedback ════════════════════════════════ If set to YES, the file LEAVEFB.TXT (which you create in your \TXT directory) is displayed to the new user, and she is prompted to leave feedback to the sysop. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: A new user may choose to abort the feed- back, bypassing a "required" feedback. There are several VSCRIPTS available that will indeed FORCE a new user to leave the feedback letter. B) Run NEWUPLD.BAT For Each Upload ═══════════════════════════════ If set to YES, VBBS will run NEWUPLD.BAT (a batch file you create in your main VBBS directory) at each new up- VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 15 load. You could use this feature to set up your own virus checking, recordkeeping routine, or archive tester (al- though VBBS already performs integrity checking on .ZIP- format archives). The %1 parameter passed to the batch file represents the filename of the new upload. C) Modem Test Mode ═══════════════ If you need to run diagnostics on your modem, this switch may help. It will let you "see" what the modem is doing internally. D) Auto-Check for New Voting Polls ═══════════════════════════════ If set to ON, VBBS checks to see if there are voting questions the user hasn't answered yet; if new questions are found, the user is prompted as to whether she wishes to vote. E) Allow DIRECTmail ════════════════ If set to ON, DIRECTmail is enabled (see "DIRECTmail" for more information). --> IMPORTANT NOTE: For DIRECTmail to pass between two VBBS systems, this feature must be enabled at BOTH ends of the connection. ╔═╗ If you have a system tagline (see "System Taglines" for ╚═╝ details), it's usually a good idea to include the word "DIRECTmail" in it, to let other sysops know you have this feature enabled. F) Credits Awarded per Post G) Credits Awarded per Upload K H) Credit Cost per Download K ════════════════════════════ This allows you to implement a system in which users "pay" to use certain features of the BBS. For example, you may wish to require that users earn credits by posting mes- sages or uploading files in order to access online pro- grams or download files (see "Doors Configuration" for more information). I) Desqview Awareness ══════════════════ If set to ON, VBBS and its auxiliary programs will make best use of CPU time in DESQview environments. J) All Uploads to Sysop Directory ══════════════════════════════ If set to ON, all new uploads are pathed to the \SYSOP directory, where they sit until the sysop manually moves them to their proper directories. If set to OFF, uploads go directly into the directory in which they're uploaded. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 16 --> IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have this option OFF and have the NEWUPLD.BAT option ON, make sure the batch file has some way of knowing where the new file has been uploaded. ╔═╗ This feature was added to expedite getting new uploads in- ╚═╝ to their proper directories. If you use it, please make sure you have some kind of automatic virus-checking pro- gram installed. K) Built-in FIDOnet Detection ══════════════════════════ If set to ON, VBBS' internal FIDOnet detection is enabled (see MULTINET.DOC for more information on FIDOnet). L) VCONFIG Menu Color M) VCONFIG Background ══════════════════ Allows you to set the screen colors in VCONFIG. Settings are saved until changed again. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 17 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ 2. CHANNEL CONFIGURATION ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ In this section of VCONFIG, you can configure the multi- user communications aspects of VBBS and define the correct modem port for single-line installations. ╔═╗ If you have only one line, you won't spend much time in ╚═╝ this section of VCONFIG. You only need to tell VBBS which COM port to use for Channel 1. When you bring up the CHANNEL configuration screen, you will see a long list of channel numbers and their current charac- teristics. To edit a particular line, use the arrow keys to move the highlight bar to the channel you want to edit, then press [Enter]. This will bring up a second screen with the following information: 1) Serial Port ═══════════ This setting can range from COM1 to COM8 for communica- tions ports. Whichever COM port you specify is what this channel will use. If set to LOCAL, then no COM port at all is used for this channel. By using the LOCAL setting, VBBS could be used as the interoffice mail system on a LAN. 2) Base Address (Hex) 3) IRQ (Hex) ══════════════════ For unique addressing, you may configure the port base ad- dress and IRQ directly. Both entries should be entered in hexadecimal format. 4) Baud Rate ═════════ This field sets the baud rate of the COM port. 5) Init String ═══════════ The modem commands needed to properly initialize your mo- dem for VBBS go here. For initialization strings for sev- eral of the more popular modems, see MODEM.DOC. ╔═╗ There are several message bases on VirtualNET from which ╚═╝ you can get help in "tweaking" your init string to fit your exact setup. These include the "VBBS Sysop Support Sub", "Modem Mania", and "High-Speed Modem Discussion". See SUBSLIST.NET for the latest listings. 6) Locked Baud Rate ════════════════ If you are using a standard 2400-baud modem without error VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 18 correction, this should be set to NO; if you are using a high-speed modem, or a modem with error correction, this should be set to YES. 7) Hardware (RTS/CTS) Handshake ════════════════════════════ If you are using a standard 2400-baud modem without error correction, this should be set to NO; if you are using a high-speed modem, or a modem with error correction, this should be set to YES. Yes, this says the very same thing as 6); I had to check the original documentation myself to make sure I hadn't made a typo! :-) 8) Minimum Baud Rate Allowed ═════════════════════════ This feature can be used to "lock out" users using slower modems, should you desire to do so. This can be config- ured independently for each active channel. For example, a sysop running a single-channel installation might wish to lock out 300-baud callers; she would enter a value of 1200 in this field. A value of 0 in this field disables the minimum-baud-rate feature. A text file called TOOSLOW.TXT (found in your \TXT direc- tory) is displayed to the user immediately upon connect if his modem is at a disallowed speed. This ASCII text file may, of course, be customized to suit your needs. ╔═╗ There is some debate as to whether locking out 300-baud ╚═╝ callers serves any purpose. In my opinion, it serves no practical purpose, because 300-baud callers have no more time online than other users; they just can't do as much in their allotted time. ╔═╗ If you're running more than one channel, one of which ╚═╝ uses a high-speed modem, you may wish to use the minimum- baud-rate feature to reserve the high-speed channel for the exclusive use of high-speed callers. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 19 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ 3. DATABASE CONFIGURATION ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ At the heart of VBBS are the DATABASES. They are used for such functions as message bases, file directories, and various other creative functions that might be, for example, part of a custom script-based application. Databases may be set up or al- tered in VCONFIG at any time, and the only limit to the number of databases you can have is the amount of storage space on your hard drive. ╔═╗ Most sysops spend the greater portion of their time spent ╚═╝ in VCONFIG adjusting existing databases and adding or de- leting databases, so this section of the documentation is of particular importance. For this reason, we'll take a little extra time going over the principles behind data- bases, topic areas, and their use. There are three basic types of databases: message data- bases, file databases, and other databases. All databases may be set up and grouped into TOPIC AREAS. Each topic area needs its own DBGROUP identifier, which may be any letter from A to Z. ╔═╗ I'm holding off on discussing topic areas in detail until ╚═╝ after we get through learning about databases and how to configure them and we know what a "function block" is; the whole picture fits together MUCH better when you know more about the individual parts. When you enter the DATABASE configuration screen, you are presented a scrolling menu of choices: ∙ Message Databases ∙ File Databases ∙ Custom Databases ∙ Sort Database Configuration ∙ Compile Network Info We'll take a moment to describe each option in detail. Message Databases ═════════════════ Message bases, also known as "message subs" or simply "subs", are databases in which messages are stored. Subs may be about a specific topic, or they may simply be "chat"-type subs in which people can write messages, or "post", about whatever is on their minds. In VBBS, message subs are automatically pathed to the \VBBS\DB directory when you run INSTALL.EXE. If you want to put them somewhere else (I have mine on the larger of my two hard drives), you need to specify a separate path using the PATHS configuration (this is discussed in the next manual section). VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 20 File Databases ═══════════════ The file databases work in much the same way as the mes- sage bases, except that they store actual files instead of mes- sages. The major difference between the way file and message databases are set up is that while message bases are automatic- ally pathed to the \DB directory during the installation process, each file database requires a unique, specific DOS path, which you, the sysop, have to supply. Like message databases, file databases may be grouped in- to topic areas by giving each topic a unique letter DBGROUP identifier. Other Databases ═══════════════ This is one of those things that the author, Roland De Graaf, seems to know more about than he's letting on. :-) He hints at using the database structure for custom VSCRIPT- based applications, but I've yet to actually sit down and write one. Here's an idea I've kicked around for a while: using VSCRIPT and the VBBS database structure as the basis for a sim- ple online game. After all, what is an online game other than a skeleton program that makes repeated calls to databases (where monster, room, treasure, and character stats are kept)? Depen- ding on how you formatted the data "messages", you could store quite a bit of information on each room (or whatever) ... Any takers on this one? At any rate, let your imagina- tion wander a bit and see what you can come up with ... Configuring and Editing Databases in VCONFIG ════════════════════════════════════════════ 1) File Name ═════════ This is the eight-character-or-less name of the database file, entered in ALL CAPS. It is also a good practice to avoid "odd" characters such as "#", "!", "%", and the like in these filenames, as they might confuse the soft- ware. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: Even though message databases don't have an actual DOS directory, they have to have unique filenames; this is for VBBS' data- base configuration files. ╔═╗ The importance of giving databases UNIQUE filenames can't ╚═╝ be overemphasized. Database entries that have the same DB name and DB path specify the SAME database! Don't use a particular filename more than ONCE across all databases -- message, file, and custom. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 21 ╔═╗ New sysops sometimes forget and use a filename more than ╚═╝ once in their configuration; while this doesn't do any damage per se, it IS kind of embarrassing to have your file descriptions show up as posts on networked message bases. This usually generates at least one post from other VirtualNET sysops. :-) 2) Files Path ══════════ Enter a path in this field only if you are creating a file database or a custom database that uses messages or files. If you're setting up a message database, leave this field blank; VBBS automatically paths message bases to the \DB directory. Again, avoid "odd" characters and and lower-case letters. 3) Long Name ═════════ This is the longer, more descriptive database name that is displayed to the user, like "Virtual BBS/NET Support". 4) Private? (Y/N) ══════════════ This switch is for special uses only; you should set this to NO when creating public-access message and file databases. 5) Max Entries ═══════════ Defines the desired size of the database (in messages or files, not bytes). A value of 0 in this field allows un- limited message/file storage; a number in this field sets a limit on the number of messages/files. When VBBS runs daily maintenance, it will "pack" the database down to size by removing enough of the oldest messages to bring the database back to the specified limit. Beginning sysops sometimes wonder why they have 84 messages in a database they've configured for 50 messages; daily maintenance would, in this case, remove the 34 oldest messages, bringing the total back to 50. ╔═╗ For file databases, you should set the limit to 0 unless ╚═╝ hard-drive space is at a premium; if you put enough new files in a limited database to take it over the limit, VBBS will pack that file database just like any other. Fortunately, however, the files will NOT be erased; they will simply become unavailable for download. ╔═╗ Gauging the proper limit for a message database is largely ╚═╝ a matter of trial and error. For "slow" message bases, you'll want to keep the limit fairly low to keep messages turning over. For active subs -- like the sysop subs and the VirtualNET "star" subs -- you may want to set it as high as 200 or 250. It's NOT a good idea to enter a 0 in VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 22 this field for a message base; for example, on the Vir- tualNET Sysops' Sub, it would take less than a month to accumulate over 3000 messages! 6) Read SL ═══════ This is the minimum security level needed to access (read) the database. If the user's SL is less than this value, the database will not show up in his listing. 7) Write SL ════════ This is the minimum security level needed to write (post) in the database. If the user's SL is less than this value, the database will not allow input (or uploads) from her. 8) Access Flag ═══════════ This setting defines what access flag (if any) must be set in the user's account to access the database. This value may be NONE or a letter from A to Z. If set to a letter, the user must have a matching access flag in his account information in order to access the database. Ac- cess flags are set in the user editor (see "The User Edi- tor" for details). ╔═╗ Access flags are useful for restricting access to certain ╚═╝ databases to certain users. For example, if you wanted to have a sysops-only sub, you could enter an 'S' in this field and give visiting sysops an 'S' access flag; they would be the only users who could access the data- base (unless, of course, there were other users who also had the same flag). 9) Age Limit ═════════ The minimum age a user must be in order to access the database. For example, a value of 18 in this field would require that a user be at least 18 years old to have ac- cess to the database. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: A quick word about database access control and adult-oriented material ... while VBBS *does* offer a high level of security, NO software that restricts access to materials on the basis of age can protect a sysop from underage users who lie about their age in order to get adult-oriented materials. As sysop of your BBS, it is your responsi- bility to be aware of federal, state, and local laws regarding the distribution of and access to adult-oriented material. In no case will the author of VBBS or the au- VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 23 thors of the documentation be held respon- sponsible for underage users gaining access to adult-oriented materials on your BBS. A) Tagline ═══════ This instructs VBBS which tagline (if any) to append to messages posted in the database. If set to zero or left blank, no tagline is added (see "System Taglines" for more information). B) Random Titles ═════════════ This setting specifies which random title file to use in messages, and is disabled if set to zero. The range for this value is 1 to 999; specifying a value here instructs VBBS to look for the file RNDTITLE.xxx (where "xxx" is the entered value, without leading zeroes <for example, RNDTITLE.1, not RNDTITLE.001>) in your \TXT directory. Entries in RNDTITLE.xxx may be made using an ASCII text editor and should be made one per line in this file. ╔═╗ It should be noted that the current line of thinking on ╚═╝ VirtualNET (at least) is that message titles should be descriptive of the contents of the message, not simply assigned at random. Many users -- and especially other sysops -- will simply skip oddly-titled messages when doing a new-message title scan. C) Name Used ═════════ This setting defines the name used in the database. The possible settings are HANDLE, REAL NAME, or ANONYMOUS. Note that message bases marked "Anonymous" do not allow quoting of previous messages, and that the posting user's real name or handle will show up locally. Remote users will see "-- ANONYMOUS --" or "-- Guess Who? --" on their screen. In addition, there is some question as to whe- ther "Anonymous" posts remain anonymous on networked mes- sage bases. D) QWK Conference ══════════════ This setting defines the database's QWK conference num- ber as used by QWK-format offline mail readers. The range for this value is from *2* to 255, and each QWK conference assignment MUST be unique to the particular database. QWKable message bases are marked with a "!" in the subs listing. When you have configured a database to this point, VCONFIG will shift to the display of message bases in whichever topic area the database is included. It will prompt you to tell it where VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 24 to insert the new database, even though there are still options which may need to be configured. Don't panic. This is an added level of organization that helps prevent the networks from being flooded with messages from subs that have accidentally been mis- configured. It's not infallible, but it DOES help. The addi- tional configuration options are described below. E) Database Co-Sysop ═════════════════ Some sysops allow trusted users to moderate discussions on local message bases; this setting defines the co-sysop, sub sysop, or moderator for the database. Leaving this field blank disables this feature; any nonzero value spe- cifies the user number of the moderator. The moderator information is displayed in the message sub listing. ╔═╗ Having a user serve as message-sub sysop can be a good ╚═╝ way of breathing a little life to a sub that's been "down in the dumps", especially if the user has strong opinions on the topic at hand. Just make sure the user knows about any policies you might have regarding message content, etc. F) Req Net Validation ══════════════════ If you wish to review posts before they are transmitted out to any networks, turn this option ON. Post valida- tion is handled via the [V] option from the Sysop Menu within VBBS. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: This switch needs to be set to YES for the VirtualNET "star" subs (the ones that come with VBBS as defaults) and support subs such as the "Virtual BBS/NET Support Sub". Net validation may also be required for some VirtualNET "secured" subs; contact the sub's host sysop via E-mail for specifics. G) Networks Configuration ══════════════════════ Selecting this option allows you to edit the network con- figuration for the database. If you wish the database to be LOCAL ONLY, set this to NONE. If you wish the database to be networked, you must con- figure the network and network sub/conference identifier. VCONFIG will prompt you for the network, then for the identifier. The format of the identifier will vary from network to network. For Type 1 (VNET.EXE-based) and Type 2 (VWW4.EXE-based) networks, the identifier is a number; for Type 3 (VUUCP.EXE-based) and Type 4 (VFIDO.EXE-based) networks, the identifier is a string. Type 5 (VNET2.EXE-based) net- VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 25 works are still in the experimental stage as of this wri- ting, and more network types are forthcoming. You can configure a database to be on one network or on several networks. Configuring a database to be on mul- tiple networks (there is theoretically no limit) creates a "gateway" between two or more networks (the common term is "gating"). --> IMPORTANT NOTE: Prior to establishing a gateway connection, you should obtain permission from any con- ference or message base host/moderator sys- ops involved. The networking utilities VWW4.EXE, VUUCP.EXE, and VFIDO.EXE are available ONLY to sysops who have registered VBBS with the author. They may not be sent across any network or downloaded from local BBSes; the only place to get LEGITIMATE copies of these utilities is from the author's BBS, "Virtual Techno- logies". VFIDO.EXE (c) 1992 by Neil J. Marshall, Kent, UK. Version 5.52.04 current as of this writing (with 5.60.00 forthcoming). Database Considerations ═══════════════════════ There are some things to keep in mind when setting up or reconfiguring databases: ╔═╗ Setting up more databases is easy -- simply add them into ╚═╝ topic area(s) where they belong. Remember that when you add message databases, you need to SORT and COMPILE your configurations using the appropriate commands from the initial DATABASE Configuration screen. ╔═╗ Plan out your file databases ahead of time; too many file ╚═╝ databases can become unwieldy and hard to navigate (trust me on this one). ╔═╗ It's a good idea to periodically go through your message ╚═╝ subs and cull out the ones that aren't getting much traf- fic (and there WILL be some eventually). Whether you re- place them with new subs or just make do with fewer subs is up to you; just remember to keep your users in mind when choosing which subs to carry. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 26 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ 4. SYSTEM PATHS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ This is the section of VCONFIG in which you can configure and optimize VBBS' use of your hard-drive space. 1) Main VBBS Directory (\VBBS) ═══════════════════ The system executables (*.EXE) belong in this directory, along with WFC.COM and your configuration (*.CFG) files. This should be your current directory when you are exe- cuting the program. A typical path might be C:\VBBS 2) Scripts Directory (\V) ═════════════════ This is where VBBS expects to find any script and func- tion-block files: *.V *.COD *.LIT *.FB 3) Data Directory (\DATA) ══════════════ Where VBBS expects to find system data files: USERFILE.DAT CONNECT .DAT NET.1 ... NET.999 USERFILE.IDX AREACODE.NET STATVBBS.DAT NET .0 4) System Text Files (\TXT) ═════════════════ Where VBBS expects to find system text files: *.TXT *.ANS *.ASC *.MNU *.PDM Note that many online-game programs generate score files that may be placed in this directory and viewed using the [B]ulletins option from the Main Menu. 5) CONTROL.DAT Directory ═════════════════════ Specifies in which directory VBBS will maintain the tem- porary system file containing the current user's informa- tion. Multi-user installations NEED to set up a RAMdrive for this file; the same is also *recommended* for single- line installations (see "Optimizing VBBS" for details on setting up a RAMdrive). 6) Temporary Directory (\TEMP) ═══════════════════ This is the directory VBBS will use for temporary storage of incoming network packets and files. The directory you specify here should not be used for any other purpose, VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 27 and it is NOT recommended that you use a RAMdrive for this directory (if the power goes, you could lose an entire net packet). 7) Database Directory (\DB) ══════════════════ This is the directory where VBBS will store ALL database information, such as messages and file descriptions. 8) Upload/E-Mail Directory (\SYSOP) ═══════════════════════ Specifies path for storage of E-mail with attached files and uploads from users (if you have all uploads going to the \SYSOP directory). --> IMPORTANT NOTE: You may specify whatever paths you wish for these directories (and will need to for di- rectories you wish to place in a RAMdrive), but it is much less confusing to use the default paths set up by the INSTALL.EXE program. It is recommended that you run the system diagnostics anytime you alter any of the settings in this section of VCONFIG, to en- sure that VBBS can find the files it needs in order to operate properly. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 28 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ 5. DOWNLOAD PROTOCOLS ║ ╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ 6. UPLOAD PROTOCOLS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ PROTOCOLS are the means by which files are transferred to and from your system. The original protocol was XModem, devel- oped by Ward Christensen; there are many more to choose from now. VBBS comes "out of the package" preconfigured to handle XModem, YModem, ZModem, ZModem-Batch, and HS-Link protocols; you may add others at your discretion. Each protocol is configurable by: 1) Which letter the user will press to select that protocol 2) The name and description of the protocol 3) DOS command line to run protocol. Parameters passed are %1 COM port %2 baud rate %3 filename %4 handshake %5 UART rate %6 port base %7 port IRQ %8 channel number %9 upload directory 4) Batch compatible? (Y/N) For most installations, the preconfigured protocols will be more than sufficient; should you wish to add other protocols, consult the protocol documentation for information on construc- ting the proper command line. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: It is HIGHLY recommended that you use the FULL path when you specify the filename of your transfer protocols; these programs are notorious for their pickiness in this re- gard. For example, with ZModem, you might use the following command line to set it up to receive files (upload protocol): C:\VBBS\DSZ port %1 ha %4 rz VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 29 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ 7. NETWORKS CONFIGURATION ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Selecting this option brings you to a list of networks, which is derived from NET.0 (the master multi-net list). NET.0 is updated periodically by the author as needed. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to maintain multi-network inte- grity, NET.0 is an encrypted file. Under NO circumstances should you try to edit NET.0 yourself! What happens after you get to the first screen of the NETWORK Configuration depends on what type of network you're configu- ring. Type 1 Networks (VirtualNET-Type) ═════════════════════════════════ When you select this type of network, you will be prompted for the following information: 1) Node Number Your system's unique assigned network ad- dress, expressed as a number (e.g., 2056). 2) Net Directory The network directory to be used by this VNET-based network; each network you set up must have its own UNIQUE directory. 3) Server Your server's node number. 4) Server Phone # Your server's phone number. 5) Server Call Whether call to server is LOCAL or LONG DISTANCE. 6) Server Threshold Number of kilobytes that must be pending before automatic callouts to a server are allowed. Between the Server Call and Server Threshold settings, VBBS deter- mines if and when to call out to your server for a network transfer. If your server is LOCAL, the system will call whenever the threshold is met or excee- ded; if LONG DISTANCE, the system will call, once per day, between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. if the threshold is met or exceeded. 7) Server Macro "Macro" file needed to log onto the ser- ver's BBS, if any. Most of the time this is not needed, and can be left at <none>. 8) Server Password Network server's password (if used). 9) Server Protocol File transfer protocol to use with server. VBBS currently supports ZModem and HS- Link protocols. A) Server Compression Type of packet compression used by server. PKZIP 1.10 is the default. C) Add/Edit/List Used only if your system functions as the Clients server for other systems. More on this VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 30 in a moment -- I can only indent so far. U) Uninstall This Allows you to drop participation in a net- Network work. VBBS will prompt for confirmation. If your system functions as server for one or more other systems, you need to configure each client separately using the C) option above. When you select this option, you get a screen prompting for the following information: 1) Client Node Number 6) Client Password 2) Client Phone Number 7) Client Protocol 3) Client Call 8) Client Compression 4) Client Threshold 5) Client Macro D) Delete This Client These data fields function exactly as do the "server" fields de- scribed above. Type 2 Networks (WWIVnet-type) ══════════════════════════════ When you select this type of network, you will be promp- ted for the following information: 1) Node Number Your WWIVnet node number. 2) Data Directory The FULL path to your WWIV \DATA direc- tory. 3) Mode This is either NET (for WWIVnet-style networks) or LINK (for WWIVLink-style networks). 4) EXE Directory The directory containing the WWIV and VWW4 executable files. 5) Dialout Init Your modem's init string for calling String WWIV systems. Type 3 Networks (UUCP-type) ═══════════════════════════ When you select this type of network, you'll be prompted for the following information: 1) System Name Your UUCP system address. 2) News Directory Full path to your NEWS directory (for newsgroup usage). 3) User Directory Full path to your USER directory (for E-mail usage). Type 4 Networks (FIDO-type) ═══════════════════════════ When you choose this type of network, you'll be prompted for the following information: VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 31 1) Fido Address Your FIDOnet address in standard format. 2) NetMail Directory Full path to the directory into which incoming FIDOnet packets will be placed. 3) OutBound Direc- Full path to the directory in which out- tory going net packets are stored. 4) Archiver FIDO archiver to use (e.g., PKZIP -U). 5) UnArchiver FIDO unarchiver to use (PKUNZIP, etc.). 6) FIDO Front-End This can be FRONTDOOR, BINKLEY, or STAND- ALONE (the default). 7) Server Your server's FIDOnet address, in standard format. D) Dial List Allows editing of your dialing list. R) Routing Specifies mail routing. In each case, you may select [U] to uninstall the network; you will be prompted for confirmation. For more information on the various networks available, see MULTINET.DOC and NETGUIDE.DOC, as well as the documentation for the various network interface softwares (see below). --> IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to install networks of Types 2, 3, or 4, you will need the proper network interface software (VWW4.EXE, VUUCP.EXE, or VFIDO.EXE, respectively). Again, these programs are available ONLY to registered sysops, and may be legitimately downloaded only from the author's "Virtual Technolo- gies" BBS. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 32 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ 8. EVENTS CONFIGURATION ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ VBBS allows up to 20 timed events per day. Possibilities for these events include your daily external maintenance routine (usually done through a batch file or three), network dialouts, online game maintenance, etc. 1) Time ════ The time the event is to run, entered in HH:MM format using military time. A time of 00:00 disables the event. 2) Command Line ════════════ The DOS command line or batch file to execute. For exam- ple, you might enter C:\VBBS\EXTERNAL.BAT for an external daily-cleanup routine. Complete pathnames are not required if the routines are located in your main VBBS directory, but it's better to make sure. There are a number of external utilities specifically designed for use with VBBS; they are listed in UTIL.DOC. For online-game maintenance, please consult the game documentation. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 33 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ 9. CONTROL PANEL CONFIGURATION ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ In addition to the commands already configured in the WFC menu, VBBS allows you to assign the F1 through F10 keys for what- ever functions you desire. ╔═╗ If you find yourself continually dropping to DOS to run ╚═╝ the same program over and over, it's probably a good idea to assign a function key to handle it. The default VBBS setup suggests some possibilities for using the F-keys. F1 through F4 come preconfigured, but that's easy to change if you so desire. F1 Looks for a batch file called TERMINAL.BAT, which you cre- ate using an ASCII text editor. This batch file should contain the command line that will start up your communi- cations program (Telix, etc.). I fixed my command line to read C:\VBBS\TELIX.BAT and put TELIX.BAT in the main VBBS directory, and all is right with the world. F2 Calls up the system log, where information about the day's callers and what they did is located. Viewing the log requires the DOS command line TYPE C:\VBBS\DATA\BBS.LOG | MORE (your actual path may vary, depending on what you've set up in the PATHS configuration) or an external text-brow- sing utility, such as LIST.COM. Note that the DOS com- mand line above does not allow you to back up through the text, use arrow keys, or PgUp/PgDown; I thoroughly recommend getting LIST.COM. F3 Same as F2, but brings up the network log (the filename is NETWORK.LOG and should be in your \DATA directory). F4 Same as F2, but brings up the cumulative system statistics (the filename is DAYSTATS.LOG and should be in your \DATA directory). This one is particularly useful for tracking usage cycles and upload/download trends. Other potential uses for the F-keys include invoking a shell program (such as DCOM or StereoShell), a text editor (the DOS 5.0 editor or similar), or other programs you frequently run outside of VBBS. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 34 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ A. DOORS CONFIGURATION ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ VBBS will run almost all modern doors and online games created for use on BBSes, either straight from the command line or through the use of an external door converter, such as DOORWAY or DoorMaster. Doors can be called from function blocks or from scripts, as well as this internal doors configuration. VBBS shrinks out of memory for all external programs, re- serving only a small amount of RAM for its "hooks" that allow the user to return to the BBS. VBBS creates the CHAIN.TXT, DOOR.SYS, and DORINFOx.DEF "drop files" which contain user infor- mation for use by the door program; most doors will accept at least ONE of these formats. It should be noted, however, that some games, particularly WWIV- and PCBoard-specific games, re- quire the use of a door converter because of their use of DOS interrupts and their methods of handling ANSI graphics. When you choose item [A] from the VCONFIG Main Menu, you will see a scrolling-window screen listing the door programs you have installed, along with the SL needed to access them. Moving the highlight bar and pressing [Enter] selects that program's configuration entry. When configuring a door program in VCONFIG, you will be prompted for the following information: 1) Program Name ════════════ The name of the door program, as it will be presented to the user. Try to keep it short; long names will be trun- cated (not good if you like to include version numbers). 2) Command Line ════════════ The name of the batch file or command line to execute the door program, along with any command-line parameters that need to be passed to the door. Again, full pathnames are recommended. 3) Security Lvl ════════════ The MSL (remember *that* abbreviation?) needed to access the program. 4) Access Flag ═══════════ If set, allows only those users with matching access flags to access the program. Access flags are set in the user editor; for more information, see "The User Editor". ╔═╗ Access flags can be useful in "beta-testing" door programs ╚═╝ to see if you've installed them correctly. Before announ- cing you've got a new online game, give a couple of your trusted users access to the game using access flags and VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 35 get them to try to crash the game, tweaking your game set- up as necessary. Once all the glitches are fixed, THEN drop the access flag requirement and announce your new on- liner; this can spare you some grief from vexed hard-core gamers (the kind of feedback you LEAST want to hear). 5) Single User ═══════════ Indicates whether the game is playable on single nodes or multi-nodally. Single-line installations should leave this set to YES. 6) Credit Cost ═══════════ Allows sysops running a credit system to charge credits for door program access. This is configurable for each individual game. ╔═╗ Setting up a credit cost for games can either be a great ╚═╝ boost for your message-base traffic, or it can be a night- mare. If you use this feature, make sure you don't set your credit costs so high that it takes an inordinate number of posts or uploads to earn enough credits to play the games. D) Delete This Entry ═════════════════ Self-explanatory. ╔═╗ Getting door programs to run correctly, especially upon ╚═╝ exiting and re-entering the BBS, is probably the most difficult task a sysop faces. Door games are rapidly becoming more complex, and as they do so, their indivi- dual requirements and quirks are doing likewise. In installing door programs, patience IS a virtue; many times, installation involves a good deal of trial and er- ror. The importance of reading the door program's docu- mentation, especially with regard to installation, can not be overstressed. There is a message base available on VirtualNET in which sysops (and users?) discuss getting door programs to work correctly. The sub, "Online Games -- Making Them Work", is autorequest sub number 309. In addition, one of the auxiliary documentation files, VDOOR.DOC, contains sample batch files and command lines for some of the more popular online games. ╔═╗ Some door converters (not included with VBBS) will allow ╚═╝ the sysop to configure a remote sysop drop-to-DOS; this is a chancy business at best, and caution is advised. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 36 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ B. VOTING BOOTH ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ VBBS' Voting Booth allows you to present your users with a perpetual survey in which they can "vote" on particular issues you define. Frequently-asked questions deal with political can- didates, which online games should be registered/discontinued, reasons for calling the BBS, how users first heard of your BBS, how they like changes you've made, etc. When you select this option from the VCONFIG Main Menu, you will see a scrolling window containing the questions them- selves. To select a question for editing, move the highlight bar to the correct entry and press [Enter]. The question and its responses will then be available for editing. To add a new voting question, press [F1] at the scrolling- window screen. You may then type in a question and supply up to eight responses from which your users may choose. The poll results are displayed as the number of users choosing a particular answer, along with the percentage of the total number of votes each choice received. In the default START.V, if new questions exist, when a user logs on, she is given the opportunity to vote. If the user is up to date with the survey, the voting questions are ignored. You may use option [D] from Screen Three of the MAIN configura- tion to disable this automatic checking if you wish (see p. 15 for details). There are several VSCRIPT-based voting programs avail- able, any of which may be used in lieu of the default voting procedures. ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ C. RANDOM MESSAGES ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ VBBS features an optional "random messages" function that can display one-, two-, or three-line messages right before the user initially sees the Main Menu. Random messages are commonly used for quips and quotes or friendly advertisements for other BBSes in the area; you may, of course, use them for whatever pur- pose you wish (or not use them at all, if you so desire). To add a random message, press [F1] at the scrolling- window initial screen and type in your message. DO NOT press [Enter], as that will delete the currently-highlighted random message. Random messages are displayed by including the RANDOM com- mand from anywhere within a VSCRIPT or function block. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 37 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ D. ARCHIVE VIEW ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ VBBS allows you to view the contents of a compressed file within the file transfer directories. The default VBBS comes configured for .ZIP, .ARC, .ARJ, .ZOO, and .LZH archives; you may add others if you wish by pressing [F1] at the initial scrol- ling window and adding the information when prompted. Note that in order to view the contents of an archive for- mat, you must have the appropriate archive program where the sys- tem can find it; including the full path to the program in the command line is usually the best way to do this. ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ E. TEXT SECTIONS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Text files from within various directories on your system may be configured here for display. Types of text files commonly configured here include (but are not limited to): ∙ game scoreboards ∙ general information about your BBS ∙ standard operating procedures / rules for your BBS ∙ information about viruses ∙ rules of "netiquette" and so on. To add a new entry to the text section configuration, press [F1] at the scrolling-window screen. You will be prompted for the following information: 1) Name ════ The name of the text section, as it will appear to the user. 2) Path ════ The full pathname to the directory in which the text file(s) is located. 3) Security Level ══════════════ The MSL needed to access this particular text section. 4) Access Flag ═══════════ The access flag needed to access this particular section (please see "The User Editor" for more on access flags). To edit an entry, move the highlight bar to the desired entry and press [Enter]. You will have a chance to edit the above VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 38 information. In VCONFIG, you can define any directory on your system as containing text for a defined subject area. Text directories may be networked by using a script maintaining a database for text files. ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ F. MULTI-FEEDBACK ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Here you can configure the feedback capabilities of your VBBS installation. This will allow users to E-mail you (or any co-sysops) quickly and easily. To add an entry into the multi-feedback list, press [F1] at the scrolling-window screen. You will then be prompted for the following information: 1) Description ═══════════ The name/title you want your users to see, like "The Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz", "Sysop", or whatever. 2) Handle ══════ The addressee's user handle. If your system does not al- low handles, put the addressee's real name here. 3) User # ══════ The addressee's user number. For most sysops, this will be '1'. 4) Net Address ═══════════ The addressee's node number, regardless of network. For example, my net address would read '2056', without a user number or an '@' symbol in front. Since most feed- back is to a local sysop/co-sysop, most sysops will only need to enter their OWN node number here. 5) Network # ═════════ The network on which the addressee will be receiving his feedback. The network number corresponds to the list in the NETWORKS configuration screen; for example, '2' would be on WWIVnet, '3' would be on WWIVLink, etc. You may delete an entry by selecting it and pressing [D]. You will NOT be prompted for confirmation. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 39 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ G. PRINT REGISTRATION FORM ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Pressing [G] at the VCONFIG main menu sends the registra- tion form MAIL_REG.TXT to your printer. If you're setting up a new installation, please take the time to print out a copy of the form. It contains the latest pricing information, as well as frequent "bonus deals" on registering, pricing information on the Virtual Developer's Toolkit, etc. ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ H. VBBS DIAGNOSTICS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ This useful feature helps you look for problems in your setup; with any luck, if you've followed the instructions this far, you won't have any problems. If you DO receive an error message upon running VBBS, chances are this program will point out where the problem is. ╔═╗ It's also a good idea to run the diagnostics if you've ╚═╝ made any changes in the PATHS configuration, just to make sure VBBS can find everything it needs to run properly. If you get a "Path Missing" error, especially when the diagnostics are checking the file transfer areas, the most probable explanation is that the database has been set up in VCONFIG, but the DOS directory for that data- base does not exist yet. If this is the case, you need to create that database's directory in DOS. * * * * * * * * * * That just about does it for VCONFIG. If your system is like most, you'll find that you spend a lot of time using this program -- adding new databases, changing various settings, and whatnot. VCONFIG is one of the features that makes VBBS unique among BBS softwares -- it presents the sysop with a multitude of options with regard to BBS presentation and operation. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 40 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ VBBS FROM THE COMMAND LINE -- WHAT HAPPENS? ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ When running VBBS, a RAM-resident VBBS.EXE controls the program. It should be used as the ONLY means of starting VBBS, as it transfers needed information into the program. The basic syntax for bringing VBBS online is BBS <channel number> where <channel number> is a number from 0 to 4 (for the share- ware version). For larger multi-line installations (after the software is registered), it could be a number from 0 to as high as 64. Note that ALL single-node installations use the command line BBS 1 and that the command line BBS 0 specifies LOCAL MODE operation only, using the console keyboard and bypassing WFC initialization. Command line options include: /DV Turns on "DesqView Awareness". When this option is used, VBBS will multitask better under Desq- view. When VBBS is idle (waiting for call or while waiting for user input, for example) more CPU time will be given to other tasks that may be running on the system. /AC Use this option when running VBBS as a door, or from a matrix logon. It has VBBS maintain sepa- rate user data (etc.) and maintains the doored VBBS as an independent system. /H Used with the /AC option, forces VBBS to hang up when the user logs off. /Bxxxxx Used with the /AC option, passes the baud rate of the modem connection to VBBS. /CHAIN Command for logging user to VBBS being run as a door from inside another VBBS system, or any BBS software using the CHAIN.TXT format (such as WWIV). This option will use VBBS' user re- cord and will NOT prompt the already-online user to log on to the doored VBBS separately. BBS softwares that do not produce CHAIN.TXT can still use this option by using a door converter to obtain the CHAIN.TXT format. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 41 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ FIRST-TIME STARTUP ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Before You Log In the First Time ════════════════════════════════ Before you do your first login to VBBS, there are a few final checks you need to make: 1) Make sure the following files are available to VBBS via a PATH= statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: DSZ.COM (or DSZ.EXE) LIST.COM (not needed immediately if you're using the DOS command TYPE as described on p. 33, but you ought to consider getting it) PKZIP.EXE PKUNZIP.EXE For example, you might have these files in a directory on your hard drive called BBSUTIL; the PATH= statement might read PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\BBSUTIL For more information on the PATH= statement, please refer to your DOS documentation. 2) Make sure the device driver ANSI.SYS is loaded with the ap- propriate statement in your CONFIG.SYS file: DEVICE=ANSI.SYS This enables your computer to handle the ANSI displays VBBS uses and generates. For more information on the DEVICE= statement, please refer to your DOS documentation. There are many alternative drivers available - particularly ZANSI.SYS and NNANSI.SYS -- that handle ANSI graphics MUCH faster than DOS' default ANSI.SYS. These programs are available on BBSes all over the country. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 42 Logging In the First Time ═════════════════════════ By executing the statement BBS 1 on a single-node installation, you will bring up VBBS in the WFC [Waiting For Call] mode. This is the online control panel for VBBS, and when you see this screen, the BBS is said to be in a "waiting for call" state. Congratulations; you're now the proud "parent" of a bouncing baby BBS! :-) --> IMPORTANT NOTE: From the WFC screen, you will see that the [F] key does something called "Fast Local Login"; DO NOT use this until you have created the sysop account (see below)! The reason you don't do a fast login is that your VBBS is new, and your user information file (USERFILE.DAT) is empty; there is no account there that a [F]ast local login can find as belon- ging to the sysop. Creating the Sysop Account ══════════════════════════ From the WFC screen, type [L] to do a local login. You will see the LOGIN.MNU screen from the Virtual Technologies BBS (the author's BBS); you will, of course, need to change this be- fore bringing your own BBS online. Immediately following the LOGIN.MNU screen will be the login prompt. Type NEW (capitalization for clarity only; it's not case-sensitive) to create the first entry in your user data file. You will then see the file NEWUSER.TXT, followed by prompts to fill in your user information. Once you have finished entering this information, press the F2 key; this will bring up the user editor. Once there, type the following: G 255 [Enter] M 1440 [Enter] This gives you a SL of 255 (sysop access) and a maximum time per day of 1440 minutes (24 hours); while you likely won't ever need to stay on the BBS the entire 24 hours, it's nice to have the luxury. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 43 While you're in the user editor, you may also edit any information there by pressing the letter of the appropriate field and entering the correct information. Some sysops use this opportunity to set all their access flags and such (so they cannot be accidentally "locked out" of any section of the BBS); see "The User Editor" for more information. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: If you encounter any program errors at this point, it is likely that you have mistyped a path in the Paths Configuration, moved a file to the wrong directory, for forgotten to compile any scripts you may be using. Use the DIAGNOSTICS option in VCONFIG to try to isolate any problems. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 44 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ THE WAITING-FOR-CALL [WFC] SCREEN ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ VBBS uses a highly-informational WFC.COM screen. This screen not only provides system statistics, the time, available drive space, system status and the BBS name; it is also custom- izable using any ANSI drawing program (such as TheDraw) that saves screens in the .COM format. Note that if your drive space on a given drive drops be- low a certain percentage of its capacity, that line will change color to let you know that you need to free up some space on that drive. Options available from the WFC screen include: [F] Fast Login Local Fast login from the console (make sure you establish the sysop ac- count first!). [L] Login Local Logs a user into the system from the console (use this to estab- lish the sysop account!). [S] Shell to DOS Shells to DOS environment within VBBS; type EXIT to return to the BBS. [U] User Editor Allows editing of user information. [V] VConfig Brings up the VCONFIG utility. [I] System Info Displays information about your BBS. [C] Today's Callers Lists callers since midnight. [W] Who's Online Shows status of each COM port. [/] Dial NET to Client Allows a forced NET callout to a system listed in your remote con- figuration (if any). [N] Dial NET to Server Forces a network connect to your server as defined in VCONFIG. [E] E-Mail Allows you to write E-mail to both local and network addresses from the WFC screen. [M] Feedback Allows you to check the sysop mailbox from WFC. [Scr Lock] Sysop Avail. Toggles sysop page on/off; may also be set in VCONFIG to be the [A] key. [Esc] Exit BBS Quit VBBS and return to DOS. [F1] through [F10] Calls up the functions you have defined for function keys in VCONFIG; if you haven't set them up, don't worry about it yet ╔═╗ The WFC screen is set up so that most of the sysop's rou- ╚═╝ tine chores may be handled without ever loggin on to the BBS. This, coupled with efficient configuration of the <F1> through <F10> keys, can be a real time-saver. It's VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 45 worth the time spent in initial setup to have access to everything you need from WFC. ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ NEW USER SIGNUP ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ When a user logs on as NEW on your system, he or she is first presented with the NEWUSER.TXT file (which you definitely should create before opening your BBS to the public) stored in the \TXT directory defined in your PATHS Configuration. The NEWUSER.TXT file should provide enough information to get new users started; it may also include anything else you wish. If you configured a "New User Password" in VCONFIG, the new user will be asked to provide the password before the system allows him or her to continue (for most "public-access" BBSs, this is generally not done). At the end of the NEWUSER.TXT screen, the new user is prompted to provide some basic information about himself or her- self. Depending on whether or not your system allows "aliases" or "handles", the user will be prompted to provide a "handle" or real name to use on the board. VBBS checks what the user types in against other entries in the USERFILE.DAT to make sure that duplicate names are not used. ╔═╗ If there are handles or names that you would prefer not ╚═╝ to allow on your system, you may include them in a text file called TRASHCAN.TXT in your \TXT directory. This file is created using an ASCII text editor and has one handle/name/word per line. Most sysops use this to pre- vent users from having profanities as handles. As the signup continues, the user is prompted for his ad- dress, voice and data phone numbers, birthdate, password, and other information pertaining to default settings used on the BBS. The information provided goes into the USERFILE.DAT file. If you have chosen to allow auto-validation of visiting sysops, VBBS will aske the user if he or she is a sysop. If the user answers "yes", he or she will be prompted for informa- tion concerning his or her BBS and will then be given the SL and time you have defined for visiting sysops in VCONFIG. ╔═╗ Again, there have been instances in which a user has ╚═╝ given false information in order to gain sysop access to a BBS; use caution when allowing auto-validation. If you have configured "yes" for automatic call-back verification, VBBS will prompt the user (according to the area code and prefix criteria you have established) to prepare to receive an incoming call from your board, at which point VBBS hangs up, calls the data phone number left by the user, and confirms its authenticity by prompting the user answering the callback to provide the password for the new account (see "The Call-back Verifier" for more information). VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 46 New users are assigned the SL and time allowed on the system according to what you have set up in VCONFIG. New User Feedback and Validation ════════════════════════════════ Generally, you do not want to give a new user too high an access level to your system until you are sure the informa- tion provided you is accurate. It is often desirable to have a new user leave a short introduction of himself or herself in addition to the information given in the basic signup process. To have the system prompt for such "new-user feedback", set the appropriate option in VCONFIG "on" and edit the file LEAVEFB.TXT in your \TXT directory to ask for the sorts of in- formation you'd like to have (of course, you don't want to get TOO personal here, because that tends to catch new users off- guard). ╔═╗ It should be noted that a new user may choose to abort ╚═╝ the feedback letter and go straight into the system without leaving any message to the sysop. There are several ways of combatting this rudeness: 1) Using an ASCII text editor, create a file in your \TXT directory called NEWUMAIL.TXT. It should in- clude some basic information about your system and its standard operating procedures (but should not be too long). It will appear as a message from the sysop in the new user's mailbox. If the new user reads the NEWUMAIL.TXT file, the system will send you "oneliner" indicating that the message was read; sometimes, this is the only way a sysop knows a new user has logged on, short of doing a complete user listing. If the user chooses to not read this E-mail, no "oneliner" is delivered. 2) Should you happen to notice that a new user has signed up but has not left you any message announ- cing his presence, send him an E-mail, asking if there was any particular reason the feedback was aborted. Many users are somewhat embarrassed to draw this kind of "negative attention" to themselves and will promptly reply the next time they log on. They may not leave the information you requested in LEAVEFB.TXT, but that's another story ... 3) Simply ignore the new account until you receive feedback from the user. If new users have only limited access to your system, the offending user will either tire of logging on and not being able to do anything (and then send feedback), or will simply not call any more. This is, of course, combatting rudeness with rudeness, and is one way your BBS can earn a bad reputation among users VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 47 (word-of-mouth is still a powerful positive or nega- tive advertising tool, even among BBS users). 4) Install one of the various script modifications avail- able that will truly FORCE the new user to leave feed- back or have the account deleted. These may, of course, be edited (with an ASCII editor) to convey exactly the tone you wish, and while it may seem a "brute-force" method of getting the information you ask for, it IS effective. If the new user DOES leave feedback (or even a regular E-mail), the sysop need only hit [V] from the E-mail submenu and then enter the user's account in the user editor. Once there, the sysop can assign the user an appropriate security level and time allowed on the system, set any access flags/ratio exemp- tions/other variables as needed. There are MANY options as to how you present your BBS to new users, even without the use of scripts and/or source-code modifications. Your login screen(s), LEAVEFB.TXT, NEWUMAIL.TXT, and other informational screens make that all-important first impression. First-time callers, and ESPECIALLY new BBSers, ap- preciate friendliness and courtesy from the sysop, and USUALLY respond in kind (of course, if you're running a "bash board" and they EXPECT abuse on the first call ...). :-) ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ NEW USER DEFAULTS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ One of the most important things a new user (including a new sysop) should do is set his or her defaults. Pressing [D] at the Main Menu brings up a list of settings, which are described below. 1) Video Mode The user may choose ASCII, ANSI, or En- hanced ANSI (which enables pull-down menus) as the default. If a user wishes to use Enhanced ANSI, he or she MUST select it here; otherwise, ANSI auto-de- tection determines default. 2) Expert Toggle Expert mode disables the menu-at-every- prompt mode. 3) Page Breaks Number of lines per page. A setting of 0 produces continuous screen scrolling; 24 is default. 4) Password Change password, if desired. 5) Autoposts Toggles Autopost display at login. 6) Ctrl-A User Macro User may create up to 2 macros, each con- 7) Ctrl-B User Macro taining up to 79 characters (including ANSI control characters). 8) ANSI Color Setup User may customize screen colors to suit to suit personal tastes. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 48 9) Full Screen Editor Toggles between the full-screen editor (FSE) and a line editor; ASCII users get the line editor. A) Mailbox Forward E-mail to another user or network system, if desired. B) Security Displays a list of things the user has a high enough SL to do. C) Long Distance Cost Allows user to keep track of LD usage and billing by defining cost per minute and knowing the billing cycle. D) Sort File Lists Toggles between alphabetically- and nu- merically-sorted file listings. E) User Time Bank User may deposit unused time for later withdrawal. Maximum time is set in VCONFIG (q.v.). F) File List Display Toggles between single- and double-line file listing. Q) Quit Saves changes and quits to Main Menu. The sysop should encourage new users to take time to set their defaults early on; ANSI users should be encouraged to use the full-screen editor for its superior cursor control and edi- ting features. ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ THE USER EDITOR ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ The user editor allows the sysop to view and edit users' information, validate and/or delete users. The user information is divided into several fields, each of which is described below. User Number User's account number. a) User Handle User's handle (if used/allowed). b) User Real Name User's real name. c) Address Street or P.O. box address d) City e) State f) Zip g) Security Level User's SL; acceptable values are 1-255 (255 is sysop access); new-user SLs are set in VCONFIG. h) Access Flags Flags used for specific database access, given as a letter A-Z. Certain data- bases (such as sysops-only databases) may be given an access flag; only those users with the corresponding flag in this field may access those databases. The sysop should toggle all of these flags ON for his or her account by pressing [H] and typing the alphabet; this ensures that he or she cannot accidentally be locked out of any database. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 49 i) Flags General flags used outside of databases, given as a letter A-Z. VBBS currently uses four flags "out of the package": A -- Login autoposts on/off F -- If set, user uses full-screen editor N -- User has received new-user message X -- Menus in expert mode Flags may be set or reset manually in the user editor, or via scripts. j) Password User's password. k) Phone 1 User's voice phone number. l) Phone 2 User's data phone number m) MaxTime Maximum time allowed on per day. n) Credits User's credit total (see VSCRIPT.DOC for more information). o) Verify Birthday User's birthday. If toggled, will ask user to re-enter birthday at login. p) Ratio Exempt? Allows you to exempt the user from up- load/download ratio (if any). q) U/L Files/kilobytes uploaded. r) D/L Files/kilobytes downloaded. Ex1 - Ex8 User's $extra variables 1 through 8 (see VSCRIPT.DOC for more information). Page User's default page length. Vid User's default video mode. Calls Number of calls to your BBS the user has made to date. Time Total time the user has spent on your BBS to date. Last The date the user last called your BBS. Posts Number of public posts the user has left to date. Email Number of E-mails the user has sent to date. You may edit the information in fields a) through r) and Ex1 through Ex8; the rest is pretty much "read-only" user-selec- ted defaults or record-keeping information. There are several commands to help the sysop get around in the user editor: [/] Prompts for a user number, handle, or real name and searches on the information given. In case of duplicate information (e.g., two users with the first name "Mike"), it will ask if the user shown is the correct one. [Enter] Move to next record. [-] Move to previous record. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 50 [!] Delete user's account. Sets SL to 0 and opens the account number for reassignment. If you open several slots, a new user will be given the lowest-numbered slot available; the user list is NOT "packed" (renumbered) after dele- tions. [Esc] Quit to sysop menu or WFC, whichever the editor was invoked from. The user editor is a powerful tool for managing your user base -- spotting bogus accounts, changing users' access to various areas of the BBS, verifying information, and so on. There are several utilities available that make use of the in- formation stored in USERFILE.DAT; see "Virtual Tools" for more information. ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ONLINE FUNCTION KEYS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ When a user is online, the [F1] through [F10] keys func- tion differently from the way they do at the WFC screen. The list of functions available when a user is online is given be- low: [F1] Enter/exit Chat mode. [Shift-F1] Enter split-screen Chat mode; [Esc] exits. [F2] Call up user editor; user sees a <Wait> prompt on his or her screen. By exiting the [F2] user editor as another user, the sysop can "change into" that user. [F3] Add 1 minute to the user's session. [Shift-F3] Subtract 1 minute from the user's session. [F4] Increase user's SL by 5. [Shift-F4] Decrease user's SL by 5. It should be noted that the [F4] and [Shift-F4] changes appear to be permanent; if you wish to give a user a higher SL temporarily, your best bet would be to go into the user editor using the [F2] key. [F5] Drop to DOS (VBBS stays in memory). [Shift-F5] Drop to DOS (VBBS shrinks out as per a door pro- gram). [F6] Pseudo-DOS multitasker; allows sysop to run small DOS commands from the console while the user is online and using the BBS. One of the most un- derrated features of VBBS. [F8] Sysop alert; sets the computer to beep when the current user online logs off. [F9] Invoke the "Download Any File" convenience fea- ture. [F10] Boot user off the system, "cold". [Ctrl-F10] Display STORM.TXT (found in the \TXT directory), warning of inclement weather conditions, THEN VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 51 boot the user off the system. [Shift-F10] Spurt some simulated "line noise" at the user, and boot him or her off the system. Makes the user think a bad connection terminated the ses- sion. * * * * * * * * * That just about does it for the "introductory" section of the VBBS documentation. The next section deals with the various functions and features of VBBS, sort of a "Now that I've got this BBS, what do I do with it?" section. There's a LOT you can do with it! If you're reading through the docs before starting on the "grand adventure", good for you! But this WOULD be a good place to stop and take a break ... VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 52 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ THE DEFAULT MAIN MENU ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ VBBS could easily be distributed with a blank menu -- in- stead, a default menu and function-block set, reflecting the con- figuration of the software on the author's BBS, is included in the original archive. You are, of course, free to modify the menus and function blocks to your BBS' personality and your in- dividual tastes; see "Customizing VBBS" for more information on that subject. The default Main Menu contains five basic sections, the commands for which are listed below: MESSAGING FUNCTIONS E-MAIL FUNCTIONS ─────────────────── ──────────────── L) List Bases M) Mailbox Scan P) Post Message Y) Read Mail You've Sent N) New Message Scan E) Write E-mail R) Read Sequential F) Feedback to the Sysop S) Scan Brief Q) Multimail J) Join/Ignore Bases >) Next Base <) Previous Base #) Change to Base # $) Change Topic Area BBS SUB-SYSTEMS OTHER FUNCTIONS ─────────────── ─────────────── T) File Transfers K) Today's Callers B) Bulletins/Textfiles U) User Listing S) System Info I) System Info V) Voting Booth C) Page Sysop D) Defaults W) Who's Online O) On-Line Programs Z) Multiuser Teleconference A) Autoposts X) Network Info !) QWK Functions *) Sysop Menu (255 SL only) G) Logoff SYSOP MENU ────────── M) Read All Mail E) Edit File U) User Editor S) Security C) Force Cleanup V) Validate Posts Q) Quit VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 53 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ MESSAGING FUNCTIONS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ The default VBBS setup places all communications functions in the Main Menu. As stated earlier, separate menu displays for messaging and/or E-mail (for instance) may easily be customized to present whatever type of interface the sysop wishes. Again, see "Customizing VBBS" for more information. Main Menu Commands and What They Do -- Messaging ════════════════════════════════════════════════ [L] List Messages Lists message bases in current topic area, then prompts user to enter a sub, change topics, or quit. [P] Post Message Post a message in the current message base. [N] New Message Scan Allows user to scan all new mes- sages in configured bases. [R] Read Sequential Read messages in current base se- quentially. [S] Scan Brief Scans posts in current base in groups of 10, showing the mes- sage number, author, and subject. [J] Join/Ignore Bases Allows users to set up bases to ignore or mark for scanning. [>] Next Base Move to the next message base in sequence; also activated by [+]. Note that a user moving through three consecutive bases using [+] may actually activate his or her modem's hangup string. [<] Previous Base Move to previous base; also acti- vated by [-]. [#] Change to Base # Change to a particular message base by entering its number. [$] Change Topic Lists available topic areas, then asks user which one to go to. Setting Up Topic Areas ══════════════════════ It is possible to group your message and file databases into various TOPIC AREAS. Each topic area represents a letter (A-Z) assigned to the topic area in the Database Configuration in VCONFIG. You may choose to break your message subs down in- to topic areas, separating local from networked subs, categor- izing them by interest, or any other criteria you desire. Some typical arrangements are given below; they are intended only as a guide, not as THE way to do topic areas. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 54 A -- Main A -- Local Subs B -- Sysops' Subs B -- Networked Subs C -- Sysops' Subs A -- Hobby-Related Subs A -- Of Local Interest B -- Computer-Related Subs B -- Discussion Subs C -- Business-Related Subs C -- Technical-Help Subs D -- Sports Subs D -- Adult Subs E -- Adult Subs E -- Sysops' Subs F -- Sysops' Subs ╔═╗ Note that the sysops' subs ARE included in each listing; ╚═╝ needless to say, it's a good idea to carry them, because the help they can give a sysop (beginning or experienced) is invaluable. See "VirtualNET" for more information. VBBS comes out of the archive with one topic area: MAIN. To add another topic area, go into the Database Configuration of VCONFIG and create another topic area. To display the new topic area to your users, add its letter designator to the second line of START.FB using any ASCII text editor. At the risk of belaboring the issue, you may also set up various function blocks with their own menus for each topic area if you so desire ... see "Customizing VBBS" for more info. VFSE Full-Screen Editor ═══════════════════════ VBBS comes with both a standard line editor and a powerful built-in full-screen editor. The full-screen editor features 36 text color choices which are enabled by hitting [Ctrl-P], then a number from 0 to 9 or a letter from A to Z. [Ctrl-P] followed by a question mark will display a list of color choices. Other con- trol-key options exist for various other functions including cur- sor movement, line feeds, line and character deletes, cut-and- paste, etc. These commands may be found in the editor help-file by pressing [Ctrl-Z]. On the top line above the workspace, the user is shown the message or E-mail title, the current line number, and the insert/overwrite status. The editor starts in OVR (overwrite) mode and can easily be toggled to INS (insert) mode by using either the Insert key or [Ctrl-O]. The VFSE allows user to upload previously-prepared text at any time. Pressing the slash [/] key and supplying a file name at the prompt inserts the prepared text into the workspace. This is a neat and efficient way for the sysop to create or edit .MNU-type menus, system taglines (see "System Taglines" for more information), bulletins, or whatever. The full-screen editor is an ANSI-based editor; users who have their ANSI preference enabled should be encouraged to use the FSE for its superior features. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 55 Message Quoting ═══════════════ VBBS features advanced message quoting in messages and in E-mail. Users who reply to posts or E-mail are asked whether they wish to quote from the post or E-mail to which they're re- plying. If the user chooses "yes", then a special screen will appear, allowing him or her to choose which lines are to be quo- ted in the reply. The user is prompted at each line of the mes- sage whether to [A]dd that line into the quote workspace, [S]kip that line and advance to the next, jump to the [N]ext portion of the original message, [R]estart the quoting process (useful in case of an accidental skipped line), or [Q]uit from the quote workspace altogether. There is a 20-line limit on the amount of previous text that may be quoted; upon reaching the 20th line, the quoter automatically returns the user to the editor workspace. The quoted lines are prefaced with a bright green ">" symbol. ╔═╗ There is a definite "art" to effective quoting. Beginners ╚═╝ sometimes quote more of the original message than is ne- cessary, but this decreases with practice, especially in networked message bases. Note that quoted lines may be edited to remove extraneous words or phrases; this can help the quoter "zero in" on the essence of the quote. Message Threading ═════════════════ In addition to quoting, message "threading" exists in all message bases. This allows the user to search for the original message in a "thread" (line of discussion) and all replies to that message. It should be noted that the threader searches on the title field of the message; if the title has been changed by someone replying to the message, the threader will not pick it up as a reply. ╔═╗ In order to facilitate threading on network subs, users ╚═╝ and sysops are being encouraged to make titles as descrip- tive of the contents as possible; one- or two-word titles like "YO!", "Hmmm...", "Why don't...", and the like are being discouraged. Users replying within the context of a particular message thread should not change the working title if they want it to be included in a thread; if they are digressing, changing the subject, or starting a new thread, they should come up with a new title. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 56 Message Search ══════════════ VBBS messages may be searched in two ways. Pressing [S] from the message submenu prompt will display the next 10 messages in sequence. Following that, pressing [R] will bring up a "search" prompt that allows the user to search the message data- base by title. ╔═╗ The [S]can feature is one of the most useful tools a sysop ╚═╝ has, especially if her board carries a lot of active net- worked message bases. Scanning titles takes MUCH less time than reading EVERY message; this is another argument in favor of descriptive message titles. Message Sub Validation ══════════════════════ Each message base may be assigned a "requires validation" status from within the DATABASE Configuration of VCONFIG. This is to allow the sysop a degree of control over what goes out onto a network from his system. Some network subs require net validation to be set to "on"; when subscribing to a "secured" sub, the subscribing sysop should inquire about this. ╔═╗ One caveat about message sub validation: sysops some- ╚═╝ times forget to validate the messages, resulting in a pileup of messages, especially on active subs. Message Sub Moderators ══════════════════════ Moderators, sub-ops, and co-sysops can be very useful for any BBS. In local messaging areas, sub-ops can be invaluable as discussion leaders, often causing a far greater user participa- tion in subs than if those subs were without a moderator. As mentioned above, some network subs require net validation, and often a sysop may not have the time each day to validate the messages in those subs. In that case, a sub-op can be very use- ful in performing those duties for the sysop. To designate a user as moderator for a particular sub, go into VCONFIG and enter his or her user number in the "Data- base Co-sysop" field for that sub. Messaging Sub-Menu ══════════════════ While reading messages, a user has several options that are presented at each message prompt. These are hard-coded into VBBS, so altering them requires a source-code modification. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 57 [Enter] Next Message Read the next message. [R] Reply to Message Post a public reply to the cur- rent message. [A] Read Message Again Re-read the current message. [D] Delete Message Delete the current message. [###] Jump to Number ### Entering a number will take you to that message number. [S] Scan Next 10 Mes- Show the titles of the next 10 sages messages. This is a very use- ful feature, especially on ac- tive message bases. [B] Bypass Sub (Quick If you're doing a quick-scan, [N] Scan) from the main menu, this will move you to the next sub with- out having to read all the mes- sages in the current sub. If you find yourself using this option a lot, you might consider using the [J]oin/Ignore Bases command to configure your new- message scan. [E] Send E-mail Reply Send a private E-mail to the au- thor of the current message. His/her network address is in the message header. [Q] Quit Reading Mes- Returns to the Communications sages Menu. [+] Thread Forward Search for replies to current message (if any). Quite use- ful in eliminating redundant replies; if someone's asking a question, use this to check to see whether someone else has already answered it to your satisfaction. [-] Thread Backward Search for the original post that prompted the reply you're rea- ding now (if any). ──────── Sysop ────────── [X] Extract Text Allows sysop to extract the text of a message for later reading or printing. Sysop is prompted for a filename (.PST is a good extension to use, as it won't be confused with .TXT files). Sysops beware: liberal use of this function can greatly bloat your Main VBBS directory! :-) [M] Move Message Moves message to a different sub. Useful for combatting off-topic posts, or for bringing in rele- vant posts from other subs. [P] Toggle Permanent Toggles current message between permanent/non-permanent. This VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 58 is quite useful in making the first message of a sub a "sub rules/policies" post. A word on message threading: if a thread-search fails to find an original or a reply, it doesn't mean there ISN'T one; the thread function searches by TITLE. If someone has entered a related message under a different title, it will not show up as relating to the current thread. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 59 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ E-MAIL FUNCTIONS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ E-mail is the "private" version of messaging, and many of the functions within E-mail are very similar to their messaging counterparts. The VBBS mail functions are quite powerful. When a user logs onto your system, VBBS will do a mailbox scan. If the user has new mail waiting, he or she will be informed of the new mail and prompted to access the mailbox at that time. The VBBS E-mail prompt offers choices to present a queue of new and unread mail, ALL mail, or to search for mail from a specific user by name or partial name. Users may also access mail that has been sent and not yet read by a local addressee, or not yet bundled into an outgoing network packet for a network addressee. VBBS also offers the sysop a means for dealing with users who abuse E-mail privileges; all it requires is dropping the guilty user's SL below the minimum required to be able to send E-mail. Main Menu Commands and What They Do -- E-Mail ═════════════════════════════════════════════ [M] Mailbox Scan Manually check mailbox for mail -- new, ALL, or by author search [Y] Mail You've Sent Check mail you've sent BEFORE you log off; once you log off, network mail is bundled into the outgoing net packet. If the re- cipient is local and has not read it, you may still access it. [E] Write E-Mail Write an E-mail to another user, network or local. [F] Feedback to Automatically directs mail to the sysop. Sysop [G] Multi-Mail Users with an appropriate SL may store up to 9 separate "mailing lists" which may include an unlimited number of local, VirtualNET, and/or WWIVNet/WWIVLink ad- dresses. It is important that respon- sible network usage of this feature is maintained. Addressing E-mail ═════════════════ VBBS has several methods of addressing E-mail; even if you're not sure of the recipient's name, handle, or user number, there's usually a way to get E-mail to him/her. 1) If you're E-mailing a local user, you may send the mail to the user's handle, or user number. If you're not sure of any of this, you can type in a partial name; VBBS will prompt you VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 60 for additional information. If, for example, you were logged onto VirtualNET node @6160 and wanted to E-mail "John Some- thing-or-other", you could type in JOHN as the addressee; VBBS would prompt back John Bok (John Bok) User #1? (Yes/No/Enter=Yes) If the name rang a bell, you could simply press [Enter] and the E-mail process would be underway. If not, and there were any other users with the handle "John ______", you'd be prompted for each one until you either got the right one or ran out of users. Note that it DOES make a difference if the board you're on allows handles; if you type in a user's real name and that user uses an alias, you WON'T be prompted for the correct name. 2) If you're E-mailing over VirtualNET, you may address your E-mail to any user on any VirtualNET system, either by name or by user number. If, for example, you were E-mailing "The Mighty Quinn" at VirtualNET node @2057, but weren't sure of his user number on that system, you could address the mail to "The Mighty Quinn @2057", and it would get there. You could also mail "1 @2057" with equal success. Note that if the addressee doesn't have an account on the system you sent the mail to, it's lost; there's no way for you as a user to re-route the mail to its proper recipient. There IS a provision for mail forwarding -- that will be discussed shortly. Oneliners ═════════ Whenever an E-mail is received by the addressee (local or network), the user that sent the mail receives a one-line "return receipt" that informs the sender that his/her E-mail was read and when it was read. Oneliners are also sent to inform a user who has uploaded a file that the file has been downloaded by another user (local and network). On multi-user installations, if a user has written E-mail to another user who is on the system at the same time, that user will receive a real-time oneliner informing him/her that E-mail has just been sent to his/her mailbox. If the user sending the E-mail was unaware that the other user was online, VBBS will in- form him/her that the addressee was online and a oneliner has been sent. Prepared Text Uploading ═══════════════════════ As in the messaging functions, the VBBS full-screen edi- VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 61 tor [VFSE] will allow the insertion of prepared text through up- loading. To upload text remotely, press "/U" or "[Esc][Esc] U" after positioning the cursor at the desired insertion point with- in the E-mail or post. Local uploads are simply pathed to the directory and file you would like to include. Attached Files to E-Mail ════════════════════════ VBBS features a unique ability to attach a file to an E-mail. The sysop may choose to make this feature available to users by defining its minimum security level in VCONFIG. If a user has been given an appropriate security level, VBBS will ask whether he/she would like to attach a file to the current mail before saving. If the user selects "yes", then the upload prompt appears and the user may attach a file of any size. ╔═╗ This feature works across VirtualNET, as well; currently, ╚═╝ the generally accepted size limit for network attached files is around 30K. Anything larger than that definitely nitely raises a few eyebrows on the systems through which the E-mail must pass, and may even be stopped in transit. When an attached file is "received" by a user in E-mail, the existence of the file is shown at the bottom of the message header giving the name of the file and file size; the user is prompted to press [T] to transfer (download) the file from the BBS. The local sysop may attach a file from anywhere on the system by simply providing the path and filename at the prompt after choosing "yes". E-Mail Forwarding ═════════════════ According to security level, a user may forward a piece of mail he or she has either sent or received to another user. Mail forwarding may be done both locally and through any net- work in which the BBS participates. If a piece of mail is mis- directed to the correct system but the wrong user, the sysop (or the user himself, if allowed) may forward the mail to the correct user, if the correct address is known. Carbon Copies ═════════════ According to SL, a user may send carbon copies (CC:s) of an unsaved E-mail to other users, both locally and across the network. When that E-mail is received by each CC:d user, it shows each network address that received a carbon-copy. If the sysop allows users carbon copies but not multi- VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 62 mail functions (see below), this feature may be used as a "poor man's multi-mail"; the primary difference is that the mailing list for carbon copies is not saveable. Multi-Mail and Mailing Lists ════════════════════════════ According to SL (and generally restricted to higher se- curity levels), a user can maintain up to 9 separate "mailing lists", which can include an unlimited number of entries, both local and on any networks in which the BBS participates. This feature can be quite useful if you're involved in a project involving many users, such as an online role-playing game, political activity, or writers' roundtable; once again, the importance of responsible use of this feature CANNOT be overstated. Using multi-mail for networked "junk mail" will be brought to the Network Coordinator's attention; he will take whatever action he deems appropriate. Account Forwarding ══════════════════ If you have a network address that you write to regularly, you might decide to create a local account for that user and then configure that user's mailbox (in [D]efaults) to forward mail sent to it to the proper network address. That way, you can use "Mike" or "24" (or whatever the local ID is) in place of entering the whole network address each time you initiate E-mail. Automatic New-User E-Mail ═════════════════════════ Each time a new user logs onto your system, VBBS sends him a "welcome" E-mail that automatically appears in his mailbox. The name of this file is NEWUMAIL.TXT, and it should be placed in your \TXT directory. You may edit this file according to your needs. Form Letters ════════════ Form letters can be used anywhere you are sending mail -- from feedback, from regular E-mail, from replying to E-mail, and also from multi-mail. When prompted for the title, the sysop enters "\" (a back- slash, without the quotes), followed by a number from 1 to 99. An example would be \31 In the above example, VBBS would then look for a file named VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 63 FORM.31 in your \TXT directory. The real message title is pul- led from the first line of the file; the rest of the file becomes the message text. It should be noted that the filename should NOT have any leading zeroes in the extension (e.g., FORM.4 is okay, but FORM.004 is not); this is similar to the filename ex- tension rule for taglines (see "System Taglines" for details). When you've given the form letter a filename, follow the prompts for attached file and CC:s, and it is saved. Quick, clean, and a minimum of keystrokes. VBBS DIRECTmail Interface ═════════════════════════ Using the VBBS DIRECTmail interface, any VBBS sysop may send E-mail, with or without attached file, to another VBBS sysop. When you want to use this feature, select [D]IRECTmail at the E-mail prompt; then enter the full data-line number of the system you wish to send mail to. You will get an "Unknown System" message back; ignore it and go on with the process (this should be remedied in future versions of VBBS). Once you've written the DIRECTmail, drop to WFC and use the [N] command to force a callout to that system; if the line is busy, VBBS will retry as many times as you have specified in VCONFIG. The beauty of this system is that when the other system answers, your computer sends the DIRECTmail and hangs up imme- diately. Again, it's quick and clean. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: To use DIRECTmail, BOTH sysops must have this feature enabled in VCONFIG. E-Mail Sub-Menu ═══════════════ Below is the hard-coded E-mail sub-menu; again, altering this menu requires a source-code modification. [Enter] Next E-Mail Advances to next E-mail in the queue. [R] Reply to E-Mail Reply to the E-mail you're cur- rently reading. [A] Re-Read E-Mail Redisplays the current E-mail. [D] Delete E-Mail Delete the current E-mail. It's a good idea to encourage users to delete their E-mail once they've read and/or replied to it, because old E-mail DOES take up hard-drive space. [Q] Quit Reading E-mail Quits to communications menu. [T] Download Attached If a file is attached, this will File allow the remote user to down- load the attached file. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 64 [###] Read Mail Number ### Jump to E-mail number entered. ──────── Sysop ───────── [X] Extract Text Allows sysop to save message as a text file. Again, it's a good idea to NOT use the .TXT exten- sion on E-mail. [F] Forward Forward E-mail to another user, either locally or across any networks in which the BBS par- ticipates. [V] Validate User Jumps to the author's account in- ormation in the user editor. Useful when reading new-user feedback. Just a few parting words about E-mail -- sysops should encourage their users to take advantage of this feature of VBBS (or any networked BBS system, for that matter), especially if the BBS does not charge for its services. The communications potential here is enormous but, sadly, is one of the most under- utilized features of BBS software. ╔═╗ Another important use of E-mail that is seldom addressed ╚═╝ in reference manuals (until now) is in resolving "flame wars". On occasion, discussions in local and networked message bases will deteriorate into name-calling and "bashing"; on such occasions, the issue is best resolved in E-mail, rather than on public message bases. Please encourage your users to not engage in flaming, and if they happen to become involved in a flame war, please instruct them to take it into E-mail, rather than con- tinuing to spew vitriolic garbage across the network, where it can have detrimental effects on the message subs (these are strong words, but having seen the effects of flaming on more than one message base, I wanted to get your attention). VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 65 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ FILE TRANSFER FUNCTIONS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Transferring program and data files over phone lines was one of the original reasons for the invention of modems, transfer protocols, and BBS softwares; to this day, it remains one of the most popular functions of BBSs. As a sysop, the number of files (if any) you have avail- able for download and their content is your decision and your re- sponsibility. Some BBSs have huge transfer sections with thou- sands of files online; others have only a few (or even NO) files available for download. Most boards, however, fall somewhere in the middle of the range, with a few dozen to a few hundred files in their transfer sections. If you prefer to keep your transfer section small, you might consider carrying anti-virus software (your users will ap- preciate you for it), a communications program or two, and sev- eral general utilities. If you want a "mondo" file section, the sky's the limit; there are, however, a few general statements that are in order here: 1) Having commercial programs, such as Lotus 1-2-3 or Word- Perfect, available for download is ILLEGAL. BBS operators are responsible/liable for the content of the files they offer to the public, and several sysops have been arrested for running "pirate boards" offering commercial software. 2) Adult-oriented files should NOT be made available to users under the age of 18; the potential legal hassles over the distribution of pornography to minors simply isn't worth it. 3) Practice "safe computing". Use a virus-scan program on each file that you offer for download and on each file that is uploaded to you. If a user gets a virused program from your BBS, word WILL get around, and it may cost you several users. Transfer Menu Commands and What They Do ═══════════════════════════════════════ Below is a listing of the commands available from the Transfer Menu, which is accessed by pressing [T] at the Main Menu (in the default setup). [C] Change Directory Displays a list of directories in the current topic area and asks the user which one to change to. [$] Change Topic Area Displays a list of available topic areas; also allows user to view an index of the file section, if desired. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 66 [L] List Files *.* Lists all files in the current directory. [S] Search All Dirs Searches for filenames based on the mask entered by the user. If no mask is specified, this will display ALL files in ALL directories. [D] Download Files Download one or more files. [R] Review Files Browse file information in cur- rent directory, in a manner similar to reading messages. [N] New Files Scan Scans for files that have been added since the user's last logon. [U] Upload Files Prompts user for files to upload. [B] Batch Functions Used to mark and then download multiple files. [Y] Your Transfer Stats Displays user's KB uploaded, KB downloaded, and ratio (even if ratios are not enabled on your BBS). [P] Popular Downloads Searches current topic area and compiles a list of the most frequently downloaded files. [J] Join/Ignore Dirs Allows user to configure new-files scan to include/exclude certain directories. [K] Default File Dir Directory user defaults to (#1 if not set). [F] Find Description Finds file through keyword sear- ches in file descriptions. [>] Next Directory Also activated by [+]; advances one directory in current topic area. [<] Previous Directory Also activated by [-]; reverses to previous directory. [#] Change to Dir # Entering a directory number will take you to that directory. [M] Download Master List Compiles a master list of files available for download; the list is deleted after download. [Q] Quit to Main Exits to Main Menu. [G] Goodbye/Log Off Exit BBS. ──────── Sysop ───────── [X] Sysop Directory Allows sysop to review new addi- tions to the upload directory. [Z] Local Upload Uploads files from the sysop di- rectory to their proper down- load directories. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 67 Setting Up Topic Areas ══════════════════════ As with message bases, file databases may be broken down into topic areas. Typical topic-area arrangements for the file section might look like this: L -- Utilities T -- Windows Programs M -- Games V -- DOS Programs N -- Applications K -- OS/2 Programs O -- Communications Y -- Untried/untested uploads Of course, the letters you use for topic areas are up to you; it wouldn't be difficult to come up with a different arrangement for the topic areas, either ... but you get the idea. Under the "DOS Programs" area mentioned above, you might have the databases broken down like this: 1 Utilities 2 Graphics Games 3 Text Games 4 Word Processors/Text Editors 5 Programmers' Tools 6 Term Programs & Protocols . . . Again, the arrangement/breakdown is entirely up to you. VBBS al- lows an unlimited number of databases within a topic area (but the topic area designator NEEDS to be a letter). Uploading Files Locally ═══════════════════════ When you're setting up your file section, remember that file databases need a specific DOS path so that VBBS will know where to look for the file. File databases need to have UNIQUE DOS filenames, lest your file descriptions start showing up on networked message bases. To "load" files into your file section, move them to the appropriate DOS directory you've specified for the database in VCONFIG. Log onto the BBS and go to the Transfer Menu, then select [Z] -- Local Upload. If you specify a filename, you may upload that ONE file into the database; if you press [Enter] at the prompt, you're telling VBBS you want to upload ANY files in that directory that aren't currently on display. You may also tell VBBS to upload any new files within the entire topic area, if you wish. Once you've selected the desired option, VBBS will prompt you for a one-line description (and an optional extended de- scription). When the file is uploaded, VBBS will insert a "zip comment" to the archive; this comment contains your ZIPCOMNT.TXT (found in the \TXT directory). VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 68 To upload files to specific directories after a remote user uploads a file to your \SYSOP directory, simply choose the "Copy File" option from the sub-menu to place the file where it belongs in your transfer section. You may then wish to use the "Toggle File Online/Offline" option to move the original file to a backup diskette, directory, or tape drive. Remote Transfers ════════════════ VBBS comes configured for several transfer protocols. The "de facto" standard protocol is ZModem, a shareware protocol by Omen Technologies that is readily available from other BBSs. ZModem allows for the "batch" uploading and downloading of files to and from your BBS (this means that users can upload or down- load files in groups, instead of one at a time). ZModem is also faster than the earlier XModem or YModem protocols, particularly at a 2400-baud connect rate. ZModem comes in two "flavors": DSZ, which has been the standard for a while, and GSZ, which is basically DSZ with a graphical display and is becoming quite popular. If you use GSZ, it is highly recommended that you rename that file to DSZ.COM so that it matches the DSZ command line already configured within VBBS and is also used by the VNET networking software. VBBS comes pre-configured for XModem, YModem, ZModem, ZModem Batch, and the developing HS-Link bidirectional proto- col (which allows simultaneous uploading and downloading of files). If you're using ZModem and/or HS-Link, the .EXE and/ or .COM files for these programs need to be in your main VBBS directory to facilitate transfers. In the case of uploads, the sysop may define in VCONFIG whether the user will be prompted for a file description before or after the upload (if before, VBBS will check for duplication of files). Another VCONFIG upload option is whether an "upload event" (such as a virus scan) will be performed after the up- load (via the file NEWUPLD.BAT; see below). In any case, VBBS will check for compressed file integrity following upload (and optionally, at download). A file located in the defined \TXT directory, called REMUPLD.TXT, is displayed to the user imme- diately prior to the upload prompt; this file may be edited according to your needs. VBBS displays the user's upload/download ratio after each transfer. In VCONFIG, you may opt to have a specific minimum ratio to allow downloads; you may also exempt particular users (such as visiting sysops) from this ratio in the user editor. If you want to make certain files available as "free" downloads that will not be charged against a user's ratio, you simply need to create a file called FREEDL.TXT in your \TXT directory. This file should contain the names, one per line, of the files you wish to have as "free" downloads. Typical files that might fall into this category might include virus-scan pro- grams, text files describing your BBS and its features/policies, VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 69 etc. It should be noted that if you're running a credit system, the user WILL be assessed a credit charge for these files (in "default" VBBS, anyway). NEWUPLD.BAT Specifics ═════════════════════ If you've decided you want VBBS to run an upload event (again, this is done in VCONFIG), VBBS will look in the main di- rectory for a batchfile called NEWUPLD.BAT. VBBS passes a %1 filename parameter to NEWUPLD.BAT. This batchfile could do a virus-scan, check for duplication (using any of a number of shareware utilities), change the archiving method to the one you prefer (.ZIP, .ARJ, .ZOO, .LZH, etc.), or whatever else you want it to do with new files. Files Sub-Menu ══════════════ [Enter] Next Entry Advances to next file or file lis- ting. [D] Download File Download current file; [?] dis- plays options. [B] Batch Functions Adds file to "batch queue" for multiple file transfers. [A] List Again Redisplays the current file's in- formation. [###] Jump to File ### If you enter a number, VBBS takes you to that file's description. [Q] Quit Quits to Transfer menu. [V] View Archive View the contents of the archived file (for details, see section D of the VCONFIG setup instruc- tions). [R] Request File Allows user to request a file from its networked file listing. The sysop will be prompted to approve or disapprove a request. This also works for local files listed as <OFF-LINE>. [T] Test Archive Allows testing of the current file's archival integrity. ──────── Sysop ────────── [O] Move File Online/Offline Toggles file to/from diskette or tape drive. It may also be used simply to toggle the file's availability. [Z] Add ZIPCOMNT.TXT to ZIP Manually adds the ZIPCOMNT.TXT to the file archive. [X] Remove File Remove file listing and/or file from the current directory. Use VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 70 with caution. [M] Move File Move file from one directory to another (there have been some reported problems with this command; don't use it to move a file into the first database in the first topic area, and all should work well). [E] Edit Description Allows the sysop to edit the file description. Parting words on files: The file transfer section can be a real joy to work with, or it can be a real pain; it depends on how you (and your users) approach it. Even the most idealistic sysop can be driven almost to distraction by persistent file leeches -- users who do nothing but download files without ever exploring the other areas of the BBS (I speak from personal ex- perience here). Never say "I'll never run a ratio or credit system" unless you: a) truly don't care whether your users ever use the BBS to communicate with others, or b) like to eat crow (perhaps with peppercorn sauce). :-) Of course, NOT having a file section GREATLY reduces your system's risk of contracting a virus ... but it can be of great comfort if you have the latest anti-virus software when a user REALLY needs it! Some sysops take a sort of perverse pleasure in seeing just how many files they can have online; if you're a beginning sysop, don't sweat it. Have as many files online as you feel comfortable with. Don't get into a "competition" with BBSs that have 1.2-gigabyte hard drives or multiple CD-ROM drives if you don't want to; it gets REAL expensive, both in hardware costs and long-distance charges. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 71 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ SUBSYSTEMS/MISCELLANEOUS FUNCTIONS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ This particular area of a BBS is usually one of the more interesting areas, yet it's one of the most under-utilized. In the subsystems area, users can read a list of all the users on the BBS, vote on topics of current interest, read textfiles, and do several other Neat Things (caps still intended). Main Menu Commands and What They Do -- Subsystems ═════════════════════════════════════════════════ [T] File Transfers We just got through with this one. [B] Bulletins/Textfiles Display menu of general textfiles available for reading. [S] System Info Provides a display of the BBS' system statistics. [V] Voting Booth Users are allowed to vote on pol- ling questions posted by the sysop. [D] Defaults Allows user to set his or her de- fault settings; one of the most important features a new user can access. [O] Online Programs Displays menu for games and other online programs configured in VCONFIG. [A] Autoposts Displays autoposts. Main Menu Commands and What They Do -- Miscellaneous ════════════════════════════════════════════════════ [K] Today's Callers Displays a list of callers who have logged on today. [U] User Listing Displays a complete user listing; sysops also get SL, max time, and access flags. [I] System Info Shows system usage statistics. [C] Page Sysop If the console [ScrlLock] or [A] is set to ON, this will activate an audible page. [W] Who's Online Shows status of console and each modem port. [Z] Multiuser Teleconference On multiuser systems, allows the users to chat between nodes. [X] Network Info Displays network BBSLIST(s). [*] Sysop Menu Go to sysop function block (dis- played to 255 SL only). [G] Log Off Exit the BBS. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 72 Bulletins/Textfiles ═══════════════════ The bulletins/textfiles section (also known as "G-files" by WWIV sysops) contains text files that users may read at their leisure (if they have any). The types of files that are placed here are generally about the BBS' procedures and policies; other possibilities include system news files, virus information, game scoreboards and news files (a popular feature), or transcripts of articles dealing with topics of particular interest (please make sure to give proper credit to the author). To install a textfile, place the file in the directory you have indicated in VCONFIG, section E. Go into the textfile area and select the [A]dd option; follow the prompts from there. It's a good idea to keep your titles and descriptions brief; lengthy titles and descriptions are truncated. By the way, when a USER looks at the titles, he/she does NOT see the filename -- only the title. The filename is displayed to the sysop as a means of keeping track of filenames. System Info ═══════════ This is the screen produced by the line "sysinfo" in the default START.V. It shows today's statistics and the total cu- mulative statistics for your system. This screen differs from the WFC stats screen in that it also shows active/idle minutes and a graphical representation of usage by time of day and modem speed. The one statistic most sysops are usually concerned about is the "Duty Cycle" statistic; it's the ratio of active minutes to total minutes online. Naturally, you want to keep this num- ber as high as possible, since it's the quickest measure of how active your system is. A figure of 50% means that your system has been in use half the day -- not a bad total at all -- while a figure of 70% or better is cause for rejoicing. If your duty cycle is consistently less than 15-20%, you might want to re- examine the way you "do business" -- you may be doing something that discourages users from calling your board. ╔═╗ There is a VirtualNET sub in which sysops discuss ideas ╚═╝ for improving board usage: autorequest sub #328, "BBS Success (Keeping Your Board Going)". Voting Booth ════════════ Voting questions are an important way to keep your finger on the pulse of your user base. In VCONFIG, you can set VBBS to check whether there are new voting questions when a user logs on; this is generally a good idea. Typical voting questions might include: VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 73 ■ How did you hear about this BBS? ■ What's the MAIN reason you call <BBS name here>? ■ If you could change ONE thing at <BBS name>, what would it be? (Think this one through CAREFULLY -- don't suggest changes you aren't willing to implement!) ■ Which of the following subs would you MOST like to see added? Of course, you may tailor the questions to your specific needs. It should be noted that this multiple-choice format is not par- ticularly suited for "ranking"-type questions, as they allow only one answer per question. Another thing to consider when constructing voting ques- tions is that you may ask your users' opinion on something; the best format for "like/don't like" questions is 1 -- Really like it It's GREAT! 2 -- Like it I think it's okay. 3 -- Don't care Doesn't make any difference to me. 4 -- Don't like it I'm not real crazy about it. 5 -- Really don't like it I don't like it very much. You may "disguise" these choices as shown above, but it has been shown to be one of the most statistically reliable formats for opinion-type questions. Please see "The Voting Booth" for the "how-to" on setting up voting questions. Defaults ════════ This was addressed earlier in the section on VCONFIG, but having users set their own defaults is quite an important matter, and they should be encouraged to do this as soon as they create their account. It is possible to modify your START.V so that a new user is sent to the defaults section right off the bat; you may consider doing that. The most important default a new user can set is to enable the full-screen editor (if he/she has ANSI capability); other commonly-adjusted defaults include screen colors, user macros, and mail forwarding (if desired). Autoposts ═════════ Autoposts are like electronic Post-It Notes <tm> that may appear in a user's initial login (depending on his/her de- fault settings). Users who have the appropriate security level may post a one-, two-, or three-line message for display; the four most recent autoposts are displayed. These are useful for announcing upcoming system changes/downtime or alerting users to the existence of new/important files or posts. In addition, there are several VSCRIPT-based autopost programs (most notably GREMPOST.V) that allow networking of VBBS 5.51 Documentation -- 74 autoposts over VirtualNET-networked BBSs; note that these ARE NOT included with the original VBBS archive. Sysop Paging and Chat Screens ═════════════════════════════ As stated earlier, either the [Scroll Lock] key or the [A] key from WFC will toggle sysop availability, depending on how you have things set up in VCONFIG. There are two ways to answer a chat-call; one is with the normal [F1] key. This allows you to converse with the on- line user -- your words show up in one color, the user's in another. To exit this chat method, press [F1] again. The fancier way to answer is with the [Shift-F1] key. This divides the screen into two halves, with your words at the top and the user's at the bottom. To exit this chat mode, press [Esc]. ╔═╗ Chatting, if done properly, can be a great PR builder. ╚═╝ Some helpful hints on chatting: 1) Try to be available for chat at least SOME of the time. It doesn't usually take TOO long. 2) Try NOT to "drop in" on a user when they're in the mid- dle of something, unless they're looking totally lost. Try not to startle your users. 3) As a way of indicating that you're through typing a sentence, it's usually a good idea to hit [Enter] twice to double space; that lets the user know you're through typing, kind of like "over" in a radio conversation. 4) When you leave the console, make sure sysop avail- ability is toggled where you want it. If you're tog- gled as available when you're really not, users can become frustrated. As with other functions of VBBS, there are a number of alternative chat and paging scripts available -- there is even an "emergency chat" script that allows users who know a special password to bypass the "sysop not available" message and page you anyway. Multi-user Teleconference ═════════════════════════ The multi-user teleconference is an inter-node chat fea- ture. From inside the teleconference, two or more users who are online simultaneously can page each other to the teleconference, send one-line messages to each other to whatever area the other user is active in, and broadcast short messages to ALL users on- line at the time. Also, if you send E-mail to a user who is on- VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 75 line, VBBS will notify that user that you have sent E-mail to him/her. Once inside of the teleconference, users can chat with each other within teleconferencing "rooms". If there were four users in the teleconference, for example, two users could decide to change rooms in order to have an exclusive conversation with each other. There are 99 such rooms within teleconference. Users have the option in teleconference to change their handles within the teleconference. Users who do not wish to be available for chatting may access the "hide" function within the teleconference in order to be invisible to other users while executing other BBS areas on a multi-line system. ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ THE SYSOP MENU ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ The sysop menu, available only to users with a 255 SL, is accessed by pressing the star [*] key at the Main Menu (although with a function-block modification, you could make it accessible at ANY menu (... you know where to look for info on this). The functions available at the sysop menu are: [M] Read All Mail Review all E-mail on the system. Use this with extreme discre- tion, if you use it at all. [E] Edit Any File Pulls a file into the VBBS FSE for editing; useful for colorizing system taglines, among other things. [U] User Editor Go into the user editor to check on/edit user information. [S] Security Displays users with SLs greater than 150 or who have one or more access flags set. [C] Force Cleanup Force a daily cleanup. Note that this isn't a "hit-and-forget" command; the screen will pause when it reaches your default page length. [V] Validate Network Presents the posts scheduled to go out over the network from your system; you will be promp- ted to [A]pprove or [D]isapprove each one. Not easy if you have a lot of active subs that re- quire network validation. This is also an easy thing to forget to do on a daily basis. [Q] Quit Return to main (or previous) menu. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 76 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ .QWK OFFLINE READERS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ VBBS features support for .QWK format offline readers. Offline readers are special programs that allow a user to down- load message packets from a BBS and read them at her leisure. They also allow users to construct packets containing their replies to messages and upload them in return. Some of the more popular offline readers include SLMR, JABBER, BlueWave, OFFLINE, and OLX; in addition, there are .QWK readers available for Windows. VBBS' auxiliary program, VQWK.EXE, prompts the user to up- load a .REP file that tells VBBS which messages have been pre- viously downloaded, as well as which message areas the user would like to read. This is configured either by making use of the [J]oin/Ignore Bases command in the Main Menu, or from within the QWK menu: [D] Download QWK Packet Bundles messages in selected bases into a packet for download. [U] Upload REP Packet Selected from the user's end, up- loads a packet of replies. [S] Select Bases Similar to the [J]oin/Ignore Bases command from the Main Menu, in- cludes or excludes bases from user's QWK packets. [L] Log Off Exit the BBS/hang up. Does NOT prompt for confirmation. [Q] Quit to <BBSname> Returns the user to the BBS. ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ THE VBBS HYPERTEXT HELP SYSTEM (Optional) ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ The VBBS help system is a rudimentary hypertext help sys- tem. It can be configured in unlimited ways to meet a variety of needs. The calling sequence is VBBS-AUX %1 HELP <help system number> The <help system number> is used to form a filename of the "lookup" file, which should be placed in your VBBS \DATA direc- tory. For example, for help system number 1, the file name would be LOOKUP.1 (not LOOKUP.001). Help systems from 1 to 999 are available; system 0 is reserved for future internal use by VBBS. Lookup files have the format -- one entry per line -- <help filename> <keyword or key phrase> For example, you might have this as a lookup file: VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 77 HELP1 Main Screen HELP2 Primary Topics HELP3 Secondary Topics HELP4 General Information In the lookup file, do not put in an extension for the help filename; .HLP is assumed. The first entry in your lookup file is considered to be the starting point. The help filename speci- fied is displayed, and the user is prompted; continuing or going back to the main menu proceeds from there. Within each help file, you reference topics in the lookup file by bracketing them with [ and ]. Using the example LOOKUP file from above, help-file skele- tons might look like this: HELP1.HLP: ────────── Welcome to the Main Help Screen. [Primary Topics] [Secondary Topics] [General Information] HELP2.HLP ───────── Welcome to the Primary Topics Screen. [Secondary Topics] [General Information] [Main Screen] HELP3.HLP ───────── Welcome to the Secondary Topics Screen. [Primary Topics] [General Information] [Main Screen] HELP4.HLP ───────── Welcome to General Information. [Primary Topics] [Secondary Topics] [Main Screen] VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 78 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ THE VBBS QUIZ/TEST SYSTEM (Optional) ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ The VBBS quiz/test feature can be used to give users tests and quizzes online -- trivia quizzes (a great source of competi- tion among users), tests on the users' knowledge of the BBS, or even (if you can find the time to set it up) an actual test file for tests from the local high school, community college, or uni- versity (an extremely ambitious project, but unique!). The cal- ling sequence for the test feature is VBBS-AUX %1 TEST <test filename> Test files (and the score files generated) should reside in your \DATA directory. Test files assume a .TST extension (be careful typing that extension), and score files have a .SCO extension. Score files are simple ASCII files; report generators can ana- lyze the score file to produce statistical information. A report generator specifically designed for VBBS (TREPORT.EXE) is avail- able for download from the author's BBS. Test files are simple ASCII files also. Each line of a test file begins with one of the following prefixes: b= e= a= q= p= The "b=" prefix spcifies information displayed to the user BEFORE they begin the test; you may have one or more of these at the beginning of your test. The "e=" prefix indicates information that is shown to the user AFTER they have finished the test; you may have one or more of these. The "a=" prefix specifies the correct answer to the ques- tion beginning on the next line; it also signals the test proces- sor that a new question is beginning. The "q=" prefix contains the actual question (known in educational circles as the "stem"). There may be one or more lines in a question stem. The "p=" prefix specifies one of up to 20 possible answers for the question (although 5 is generally a good number). A sample one-question test under the name INTRO.TST might look something like this: b=Welcome to this sample test; it only has b=one question. a=3 q=Where is the Statue of Liberty located? p=Washington, DC p=Paris, France p=New York City p=Los Angeles e=Thanks for taking this test! VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 79 You will have to experiment a little to get proper spacing and such, but a well-constructed fun quiz is another way of getting users online ... ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ THE VBBS CALLBACK VERIFIER (Optional) ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ The call-back verifier is a means of checking to see whe- ther a new user has left a valid phone humber in his/her logon information. It is implemented in VCONFIG; if you choose "yes" to the callback verifier, VBBS will look at the two ASCII .CBV files you've created in your \DATA directory and establish whe- ther the new user is calling from a telephone exchange (accor- ding to the sysop's criteria) that will allow callback verifi- cation. If the user is NOT within your defined callback area, or leaves a number that you have included in your RESTRICT.CBV file (such as 911), the board will not execute the dialout, and new-user login will continue normally. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the callout nature of this feature, its use and proper configuration is the specific responsibility of the individual sysop. The callback verifier needs two files to work properly: ALLOWED.CBV and RESTRICT.CBV; as mentioned earlier, VBBS will look for these in the directory you have configured as your \DATA directory in VONFIG. The two files are discussed below. ALLOWED.CBV ─────────── ALLOWED.CBV specifies the list of ALLOWED area code/ prefix combinations. The format for the file is one entry per line, as follows: XXX-YYY Z where XXX is the area code, YYY is the prefix, and Z is a "specifier" that tells the callback verifier how to dial this area code/prefix combination. Possible specifiers are given below: Specifier Type of Call How Dialed ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── + Local YYY-???? - LD within area code 1-YYY-???? $ LD outside area code 1-XXX-YYY-???? / Local outside area code XXX-YYY-???? It should be noted that the wildcard character "?" is allowed when entering prefixes. For example, the line VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 80 205-34? + in ALLOWED.CBV would enable the BBS to call back ANY phone num- ber local to the BBS that began with the digits "34"; in the example above, the callback verifier would call Tuscaloosa's 345, 348, and 349 exchanges as local. The surest way to han- dle proper exchanges is to enter each one manually; while this may necessitate a little more work on the sysop's part, it also ensures that long-distance numbers that fit the prefix criteria won't be called unnecessarily. RESTRICT.CBV ──────────── RESTRICT.CBV specifies the list of restricted phone num- bers that may not be dialed by the callback verifier, such as local police and/or fire departments, 911, "prank numbers" like 000-000-0000, or those of previously-known "bad users". Some final words on optional features: These are often the "something extra" that will keep your users calling back, as implementing these features reflects a strong measure of dedica- tion on your part. Sysops are strongly encouraged to make use of (and to encourage their users to use) the .QWK-format offline readers available; this can significantly reduce the amount of time users spend online reading messages, freeing them to explore and use other areas of the BBS. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 81 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ CUSTOMIZING VBBS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ The configurability of VBBS can not be overstated. Because of the way VBBS is structured, it's possible to configure the program to look and feel like some other BBS soft- ware; you can borrow features from several different BBS soft- wares to create your own design. You might just take a vacation from reality one night and decide to make VBBS look just like GEnie or some other CIS. Aside from the obvious limitations on actual storage space, you could accomplish the "look-alike" to the point where a user could not tell the difference! By using scripts (and the source code, if you've registered for it), you can do many things that simply aren't possible with other BBS softwares. Unlike source code, which normally contains strict rules on code segment distribution (VBBS included), VSCRIPT-based ap- lications, function blocks, and menus may be distributed freely in full, or even in entire configuration sets. Menus, Function Blocks, Scripts, and Mods ═════════════════════════════════════════ Customization and modification of VBBS comes in several forms: changing the menus to suit your personal tastes and set- up, rearranging function-block commands, installing scripts for special applications, and even modifying the source code (if you've registered at the source level). Menus and function blocks are closely interrelated, so if you find yourself flipping back and forth between the sec- tions on the two, don't worry; it's normal. For the remainder of this manual, the term "script" will apply exclusively to programs utilizing the VSCRIPT script lan- guage; the term "mod" will refer exclusively to modifications made at the source-code level. It should be pointed out here that you do not need to register VBBS to write scripts or ex- change scripts with other sysops via VirtualNET; registration and an additional fee ARE, however, required to obtain the VBBS source code. There are other good reasons to register VBBS; we'll get to those presently. "Heart-Code ANSI" ═════════════════ If you've read this far, you've run across the term "heart-code ANSI" a time or two. Since customization often in- volves changing colors and menus and adding system taglines, this is probably a good place to explain what "heart-code ANSI" is. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 82 If you've ever used the DOS "type" command to look at a file you've created using TheDraw or some other ANSI drawing program, you know it consists mainly of "garbage" like this: ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────── AC────┐ │ IMPORTANT INFORMATION -- DO NOT ABORT!C│ This is the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) code for introducing color changes into text files so that the colors will show up onscreen; in order to display these color changes, you need to have the statement DEVICE=ANSI.SYS somewhere in your CONFIG.SYS file (remember, though, about the ANSI bomb -- see "First-Time Startup" for details on alternate ANSI drivers). A while back, some BBS programs (most notably WWIV) be- gan using a method of color changing called "heart-code ANSI", in which color changes were represented by a heart character followed by an alphanumeric character. The heart-code system has the benefit of taking only two bytes to accomplish what takes 4-6 bytes in "raw" ANSI, thereby reducing the size of network transfers, especially where large numbers of color changes are involved. In an effort to maintain compatibility with WWIV and WWIV-based networks, VBBS was designed to handle heart-code ANSI. The heart-code colorization system has become the stan- dard for these two BBS softwares. When you're starting out with heart-code ANSI, it's a good idea to go into the VBBS FSE and press [Ctrl-P][?], and look at the color combinations that appear at the bottom of the screen. The same set of color combinations can be seen when you go into your [D]efaults setup and start changing your screen display colors; you might consider printing out that screen using [Shift-Print Screen]. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: If you print-screen the default-menu color change information, be aware that all the codes are "off" by one; for exam- ple, the screen code for gray on black is 1, but the heart-code for gray on black is 0 (zero). Likewise, the bright-red on black is screen code 7, but heart-code 6. ╔═╗ Using heart-code ANSI takes some getting used to, but ╚═╝ with practice, it's not terribly more difficult than the "raw" ANSI produced by TheDraw or other ANSI draw programs. Heart-code ANSI is best for menus, taglines, and other features that have patterned or infrequent color changes; I wouldn't DREAM of using heart-codes to color my login screen, though! VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 83 The easiest way to produce a heart-code menu or tagline is to first use an ANSI drawing program to make the menu/tag- line, then save it as a straight ASCII text file. Then, pull it into the VBBS FSE and use [Ctrl-P] codes to change the co- lors (see Appendix C for details). To introduce a heart-code color change into an ASCII text file, turn Num Lock ON; while holding down the [Alt] key, type in either "3" or "259" (whichever works) FROM THE NUMERIC KEYPAD. A heart character should appear on your screen. The second keystroke should be a number from 0-9 or a letter from A-Z, depending on what color you want to produce. My apologies if this has run on a bit long, but the dif- ference between heart-code ANSI and "raw" ANSI has been the sub- ject of much discussion and debate on the VirtualNET sysops' subs over the last year or so, and the more you know about it in advance, the better off we'll ALL be. Customizing Menus ═════════════════ The VBBS archive includes a default set of function blocks (see below) and their accompanying menus. After running the de- faults for a while, however, most sysops want to customize their menus to more accurately reflect their personal tastes and give their BBS a distinctive look. Default VBBS has four different types of menu files: .MNU files (the default) .ANS and .ASC files .PDM files We'll take a moment to explain each one in detail (there is one more menufile type if your BBS is set up to use the Virtual Graphical Interface Executive <VGIX>, but we'll get to that a little later). On startup, VBBS looks for menu files with the .MNU ex- tension. The .MNU files included with VBBS are done in heart- code ANSI, and serve "double duty". If the user's video display will support ANSI graphics, the color changes will be included, but if it won't (user's defaults set to ASCII), VBBS will strip out the color changes for display to that user. The main bene- fit of this system is that by using the heart-code .MNU files, only one set of menu files is needed for both ANSI and ASCII users. Another point in favor of the .MNU files is that they seem to display a little bit faster -- this is probably due to the fact that it takes only two bytes to make a color change. The second set of menu formats -- .ANS and .ASC files -- is what VBBS will look for if it doesn't find .MNU files. The .ANS format is "raw" ANSI, such as that produced by TheDraw; an .ASC extension represents an ASCII (text) menu. The advan- tages to having these files in lieu of .MNU files is that they VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 84 1) are a little bit quicker to produce, i.e., you draw a menu directly in ANSI, save it twice (in .ANS format and in .ASC format), and you're done. 2) are easier to make, especially if you have very com- plex menus and color changes; the heart-code system can be a little daunting if your menus are ornate. The downside of this method is that you must have two copies of each menu, one for ANSI users and one for ASCII users; if a user with ASCII defaults gets an .ANS menu, he/she will receive gar- bage characters (as shown above) and probably won't call back. The final set of files are VBBS' "pull-down" menus, which have a .PDM extension. These are for users who have selected "Enhanced ANSI" as their screen display default. These are ac- tually ASCII text files that VBBS colorizes as part of the de- fault color selection. A user may opt to use .PDMs at any sys- tem prompt by pressing the [Esc] key -- and you should try it to see how they work. The default FILES.PDM file is shown below: Directory C Change Directory [C] L List Files [L] S Search All Dirs [S] N New Files List [N] F Find Description [F] Transfer D Download Files [D] U Upload Files [U] B Batch Functions [B] R Review Files [R] Y Your Stats [Y] Other J Join/Ignore Directories [J] P Popular Downloads [P] M Download Master List [M] Q Quit to Main Menu [Q] G Log Off [G] These files are preconfigured, but easily changed using any text editor. They don't need to be changed, though, unless you re- group or add commands within the function blocks. But -- --> IMPORTANT NOTE: Any changes you make in your .MNU or .ANS/.ASC menus should also be made in your .PDM files. There's a bit of personal experience behind this. I altered the command structure of VBBS in my function blocks and went from .ANS/.ASC to the .MNU format, but didn't change the .PDM files (admittedly, out of laziness); I advised users to NOT use the pull-down menus. A new user calling from a Macintosh with an ANSI-emulating comm program didn't read the warnings and selected pull-down menus. VBBS began looking for a non- VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 85 existent .PDM file, booted the user off, and kept looking for that .PDM file -- for three and a half hours! Every time it couldn't find the .PDM file, it wrote a couple of lines to that effect in the BBS.LOG file -- which, by the time I came home from work, had grown to 121,000 lines and 4.7 MEGAbytes in size! Creating your own .MNU menus is simple enough: after making backups of the original menu files (just in case), use your favorite drawing program (or even a text editor capable of handling "extended ASCII" characters, although this is a LOT more work) to make an ASCII menu file. To add the color changes you want, pull the file into the VBBS FSE and use heart codes to add color (as described earlier). ╔═╗ Menus are a great means of customizing your BBS. They're ╚═╝ also the primary method by which a user interacts with your BBS, so you want to design menus that are as func- tional as possible. Extremely gaudy or unnecessarily complex menus may alienate some users, either by hurting their eyes or by scrolling slowly. When designing a menu, ask yourself -- "Is this the sort of menu *I* wouldn't mind dealing with?". Function Blocks ═══════════════ At the heart of VBBS' command structure is the FUNCTION BLOCK, which is in turn represented by a menu. A function block is an easy-to-modify ASCII file which allows the sysop to define every single function of any menu -- what each key does, whether it is calling an internal function, an external VSCRIPT, external .EXE file (shrinking or not shrinking VBBS out of memory as de- sired), or calling another function block. Creating and editing function blocks may be done with any ASCII text editor; the resulting files should be placed in the VBBS \V or \VSCRIPT directory you have set up in VCONFIG. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: Longtime VBBS sysops are used to having the first line of a function block be the name of the menu file for that function block as well. That has changed with v5.60. Now, the menu file can NOT have the same filename as the function block itself. For example, for your FILES.FB, the first line of the function block might now read FILE1. This would instruct VBBS to display a menu file called FILE1.MNU, FILE1.ANS, FILE1.ASC, or FILE1.PDM (depending on which menuing scheme you're using and the user's default display setting). Similarly, your START.FB might call up the MAIN.xxx menu file, while your SYSOP.FB might call up the SYSOP1.xxx menu file. The second line holds the letter designators of any topic areas that "go with" the function block. For example, if you VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 86 have message topic areas A, B, C, and D, the second line of your START.FB should read ABCD Otherwise, your users would only see ONE topic area; the "A" topic that came preconfigured as a default. Many new sysops for- get to add these other topic designators in; it's not difficult to overlook this, even though it IS crucial. Each subsequent line of a function block enables a "hot- key" to perform a particular command or function. Lines in the "body" of a function block MUST follow this particular format and appear in strict columns: k xxx y cccccccccccc An explanation is given below. Part Column(s) Explanation ───── ───────── ──────────────────────────────────────────── k 1 The letter or symbol serving as the hot-key xxx 3-5 The minimum SL needed to access the function (must be three digits, like "050" or "007") y 7 The command type (a digit 0-5; more on that below) cccccc 9+ The name of the routine/script/.EXE command line, etc.; this section is of variable length, depending on what you're trying to do. The "y" in the command line represents a digit from 0 through 5 that tells VBBS how to execute the command, according to the following list: Digit Command-type Description ───── ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 0 Null (no operation) 1 Internal command (like SENDEMAIL) 2 Script 3 DOS function (don't shrink VBBS out of memory) 4 DOS function (shrink VBBS out of memory) 5 Transfer control to a different function block A sample function block to handle E-mail might look some- thing like this (without the parts inside angle-brackets): EMAIL <name of menu file> <no database attached; E-mail's automatic> e 001 1 sendemail m 001 1 reademailto f 001 1 feedback s 001 1 reademailsent q 000 5 start <on quitting, return to START.FB> VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 87 The Default START.FB ──────────────────── VBBS could easily have been distributed with a blank menu; instead, a default START.FB is included which reflects the con- figuration of the software on the author's BBS, "Virtual Techno- logies". Note the columnation at the beginning of each line and the topic-area designator on the second line. Other points of interest include: 1) the 255 SL required to transfer control to the SYSOP.FB function block; 2) the VBBS-AUX commands that shrink the BBS out of memory to execute the associated program; and 3) the nonalphabetic characters used as hot-keys. MAIN A $ 001 1 choosetopic > 001 1 nextbase < 001 1 prevbase c 001 1 selectbase j 001 1 setquickscan s 001 1 scanmsg n 001 1 readnewmsg r 001 1 readseqmsg p 001 1 post e 001 1 sendemail y 001 1 reademailfrom m 001 1 reademailto q 001 1 quickmail f 001 1 feedback o 001 1 door z 001 4 vbbs-aux %1 telecon d 001 1 account l 001 1 pagesysop t 001 5 files b 001 4 vbbs-aux %1 textfiles k 001 1 listcallers u 001 4 vbbs-aux %1 listusers a 001 1 autopost v 001 4 vbbs-aux %1 vote i 001 1 sysinfo w 001 1 who x 001 4 vbbs-aux %1 listnet * 255 5 sysop g 000 1 logoffyn Making changes is as simple as pulling the START.FB file into a text editor (even the VBBS FSE, from WITHIN the board!) and adding in the desired function(s). For example, you might add in the following line to invoke a script that shows a user his/her credit total: # 001 2 crcheck Notice that all this is presented in lower-case; function blocks are NOT case-sensitive, so the number of commands you may have VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 88 is limited to 26 letters + 10 digits + however many punctuation and nonalphabetic characters you can come up with (of course, if any FB ever gets that big, you'll probably want to split it into smaller chunks anyway). ╔═╗ If you start breaking your function blocks into smaller ╚═╝ pieces, it's important to choose letter commands -- "hot keys" -- in such a way that commands will be consistent across menus. For example, if you have the [M] key set to jump to the Message Menu in one function block, try to make it do the same thing in ALL function blocks. This may not be easy, but your users will appreciate not having to learn a different set of hotkeys at each menu. The Default FILES.FB and SYSOP.FB ───────────────────────────────── There are two other default function blocks: FILES.FB, which governs the file transfer section(s), and SYSOP.FB, which contains the commands for the sysop function block. These func- tion blocks are shown below: FILE1 SYSOP1 F g 000 1 logoffyn m 255 1 readallemail m 001 1 dlmasterlist e 255 1 editfile u 001 1 remoteupload u 255 1 useredit d 001 1 downloadfile s 255 4 vbbs-aux %1 security r 001 1 reviewfile v 255 1 validate c 001 1 selectbase c 255 1 cleanup j 001 1 setquickscan q 000 5 start l 001 1 listfiles n 001 1 newfiles s 001 1 searchall b 001 1 batchdl f 001 1 findfiles > 001 1 nextbase < 001 1 prevbase p 001 1 topdownloads y 001 1 ratio z 255 1 sysopupload x 255 1 reviewuploads q 000 5 start One change to FILES.FB you might want to try right off the bat -- if you have more than one files area and want to fiddle with the function blocks (and if Roland hasn't added it in as a de- fault command yet) -- is to add in this line: $ 001 1 choosetopic No compilation is necessary ... just save it, and the the [$] command to move between files topic areas is enabled, just like VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 89 in the message bases! Make sure, though, that you add the com- mand in your menus so your users can take advantage of it. Rearranging the commands in function blocks isn't that difficult -- it's just a matter of making sure you don't leave out any commands. For example, I have separate function blocks for the Main Menu (12 whole commands!), E-mail, transfers, and subsystems, coupled with the ability to jump between FBs with one keystroke. Of course, my menu structure is quite different from the default setup -- but that's the beauty of VBBS. It didn't blink an eye when I installed the changes! One caveat, however: your main function block MUST be called START.FB. It is the function block that takes over when the START.V script finishes running. Scripts and Mods ════════════════ As stated earlier, the term "scripts" refers to programs written using VSCRIPT and compiled using the program VCOM.EXE; "mods" refers to source-code modifications (just a reminder). The VSCRIPT language is one of the most powerful features of VBBS (if not THE most powerful). It's a small programming language, somewhat similar to the REXX script language, that incorporates many of VBBS' functions into single command state- ments (with or without command-line arguments). All it takes is your favorite ASCII text editor or word processor and some familiarity with the VSCRIPT language (that's a separate part of the documentation; see VSCRIPT.DOC for details), and you can be customizing your BBS via scripts in no time. As an example, let's take the script mentioned earlier that allows users to check their credits. It consists of only three lines: tr tr "You currently have " $credits " credits." tr Save this file in your \V or \VSCRIPT directory (as you have it configured in VCONFIG) under the name CRCHECK.V (to maximize efficiency, you might want to keep a copy of VCOM.EXE in this directory as well). Compile the script: VCOM CRCHECK.V and you will see two NEW files in the directory: CRCHECK.COD and CRCHECK.LIT. These are the files VBBS will look for when you execute the script from the function block in which it's placed. There are literally dozens, if not hundreds, of VSCRIPT- based applications available through VirtualNET (more about that later). Some enterprising programmers have created casino games, alternate mail and voting routines, scripts to welcome new users VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 90 and take them on a tour of the BBS, show user information ... it's difficult to describe the variety of scripts that have been written by sysops and users alike! VBBS may also be modified through direct changes to the source code, a process known as "source modding" or simply "mod- ding". This DOES require that you have a copy of either Micro- soft's QuickBASIC compiler (version 4.5 or later) or Professional Development System (version 7.1 or later). The "QBASIC" that comes with MS-DOS is NOT sufficient for this purpose. VBBS employs a mixed programming environment using assem- bly-language routines for fast COM port and program I/O, while using QuickBASIC as an affordable and easy-to-modify environment. This is in sharp contrast to many other BBS softwares, which re- quire a knowledge of Pascal or C and their associated compilers. It should be noted here, however, that in order to keep the source-code files from being too large, there are very few com- ments in the default program; this can make for an -- <ahem!> -- INTERESTING time when you're looking for a particular routine or section of the code. Just thought we'd let you know in ad- vance ...! :-) For advanced use, the VBBS.EXE compiled under Microsoft's PDS (Professional Development System) compiler will produce an even faster-executing .EXE (3-10%) and will provide a somewhat greater degree of power in the program, such as increased string space. ╔═╗ Some helpful hints to make your source modding easier: ╚═╝ 1) Make backup copies of the existing source code. It might save you truckloads of grief later. 2) Print out the source code (make a pot of coffee or something while you do ... it takes a while) and read through it BEFORE you start modding. The files are simply too complex to try to keep up with on a screen- by-screen basis. Highlighting's much easier, too; my source-code printout has so much red ink on it that it looks like a bad high-school English paper. 3) Make sure you're thoroughly familiar with the functions and commands of VBBS; this will make it easier to spot their associated source routines. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: Access to the VBBS source code is obtained under specific licensing agreement. You may not possess any portion of the source without having obtained a license to do so from the VBBS author, and in no case shall more than 100 lines of VBBS code be con- tained within a published modification at any time. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 91 Scripts and Mods on VirtualNET ────────────────────────────── Once your BBS is a VirtualNET node (more on that in a bit), there are a pair of message subs and a networked file sub dedicated to VBBS scripts and mods. They are: #225 Virtual BBS Script/Mod Discussion #231 The Virtual ModNET #899 Virtual BBS Scripts & Mods (file sub) The "Virtual BBS Script/Mod Discussion" sub is for the discus- sion of scripts and mods -- questions, troubleshooting, and the like. The "Virtual ModNET" is EXCLUSIVELY for the posting of script/mod code -- no discussion. The "Scripts and Mods" file sub allows scripts and mods under about 30K to be sent directly through VirtualNET. System Taglines ═══════════════ Many sysops whose BBSs are part of VirtualNET like to "personalize" posts originating from their system by adding a system tagline to the posts. System taglines are optional; if they are used, however, they must follow several guidelines: 1) They must include the name of the BBS, its geo- graphic location, VirtualNET node number, and version of VBBS being used; 2) They must be 3 lines or less AND 300 bytes or less (i.e., a 3-line, 350-byte tagline is NOT acceptable); 3) They must be colorized using ONLY heart-code ANSI (no "raw" ANSI allowed). Creating a system tagline is similar to creating a new menu; you make and save an ASCII version of the tagline, then bring it into the VBBS FSE to colorize it with heart codes. Since any experimental color changes are also saved with the tagline, it's usually a good idea to use your ASCII text edi- tor to delete any unnecessary color changes after you've got your tagline looking the way you want it. Taglines reside in your \TXT directory under the name(s) TAGLINE.xxx, where "xxx" is a number from 1 to 999. It should be noted that single- or double-digit extensions to these files should be just that, i.e., TAGLINE.1 or TAGLINE.22, and not TAGLINE.001 or TAGLINE.022. ╔═╗ A word or two on system taglines: they should be as dis- ╚═╝ tinctive as possible without being gaudy or distracting from the body of the message. "Eyesore" taglines are sometimes the butt of jokes on VirtualNET. In addition, some sysops try to cram every bit of information they VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 92 can about their systems into their taglines; this is frequently viewed as being distracting, and in general, a "less-is-more" approach is best advised. If you want to advertise your huge file base or the 42 game doors your system currently has, it's usually better to make a BBS ad for the "BBS Advertisements" sub (autorequest sub #220) instead of trying to cram this information into your tagline. VGIX -- The Virtual Graphical Interface Executive ═════════════════════════════════════════════════ VGIX, a new program from Roland De Graaf and Virtual Technologies, is an optional mouse-driven terminal program speci- fically designed for VBBS. VGIX supports user's-end VGA graphics (sorry, no VGA locally -- the "overhead" local VGA would intro- duce would be of truly epic proportions) and is icon-driven. As of this writing, alpha versions are available on a number of BBSes; new features are being worked on constantly. Details on VGIX may be found in the documentation that ac- companies the program; since it's not a required/included part of VBBS, I won't go into much detail about it here. It's yet another way you can customize your VBBS installation, and the early reviews are enthusiastic, to say the least! As you can see, there are quite a few ways you can cus- tomize your VBBS to get exactly the "look-and-feel" you want. It's pretty much a case of you being limited only by your imagi- nation. You can make the graphics, menus, and command structure as simple or complex as you want them. Just keep in mind that when you make changes to your user interface, it should be to make your users' lives easier, NOT to push everything to the max for the sake of doing it. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 93 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ OPTIMIZING VBBS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Running a BBS -- and VBBS is no exception here -- is a major source of hard-drive wear and tear. This is not to put down any BBS software; it's just the nature of the beast. There are several steps you can take to optimize VBBS so as to minimize hard-drive abuse. "Defragging" Your Hard Drive ════════════════════════════ One piece of maintenance you should run periodically is a program designed to de-fragment files on your hard drive. Daily maintenance erases the oldest messages on your hard drive, lea- ving "gaps" where those messages used to be. After several days of this, a map of your hard drive utilization can look like some- one took a shotgun to it -- empty sectors/clusters scattered all through your data. "Defragging" your hard drive puts your data into contigu- ous (adjacent) sectors/clusters, thereby reducing the amount of time it takes the read/write heads to access a particular piece of information. Utilities such as Norton's SPEEDISK accomplish this quite well; be prepared, though, to spend several minutes watching the process when you run it the first time. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: Just to be on the safe side, you SHOULD NOT run a disk defragmentation program from within VBBS or from WFC; always EXIT the BBS prior to running the program. Using a RAMdrive ════════════════ Another means of optimization is to place the most fre- quently accessed files -- menus and such -- into a RAMdrive (virtual disk). By loading the most frequently accessed files into RAM, many systems will realize system speedup ranging from modest to substantial. VBBS textfiles and menus within the \TXT directory pro- bably benefit most from being placed in a RAMdrive; these would be the .MNU, .ANS/.ASC, and .TXT files. Because they are acces- sed often, having them in RAM can substantially decrease hard- drive access. Another group of files suitable for placing in a RAMdrive are your script files -- the .V, .COD and .LIT files. This speeds the process of loading the scripts, since no disk access is performed. To install a RAMdrive, include the following in your CONFIG.SYS file: DEVICE=RAMDRIVE.SYS 80 /E This command line creates an 80-kilobyte RAMdrive; the "/E" switch tells DOS to place the RAMdrive in EXTENDED memory. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 94 In addition, the default limit on the number of files that can be placed in a RAMdrive (as would be the case in the above ex- ample) is 64; if you want to place more files than that in the RAMdrive, you need a command line similar to this: DEVICE=RAMDRIVE.SYS 128 128 /E The above command line would create a 128K RAMdrive with a maxi- mum of 128 files in extended memory. For more information, please consult your DOS manual or reference book. To make the best use of a RAMdrive, you need to be run- ning a 286 or 386 computer with at least 1 Mb of RAM and the DOS device HIMEM.SYS (an extended memory manager) loaded. If you're running a 386, you might consider QEMM386 as your exten- ded memory manager. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: It is recommended that you do NOT assign your VBBS \TEMP directory to a RAMdrive. ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ SECURITY ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ VBBS provides a high level of security. One of the most significant security features of VBBS is that it will not allow a remote user to drop to DOS through internal functions. If you would like to enable a remote drop-to-DOS capability, you will need to install DOORWAY or DoorMaster (both shareware programs) as a door from VBBS. This is generally a much safer method, and in the case of using DOORWAY, provedes a much more powerful re- mote interface than a built-in remote DOS access routine could. By using a program such as this, you may also run VBBS utilities such as VCONFIG remotely. In VCONFIG, you have the option of allowing remote sysops. Allowing a remote sysop will let a user with a SL of 255 who knows the system password to access the sysop functions of VBBS. Pressing [S] from the sysop menu will show all users on the sys- tem who have security level access. Although a user may view an archive, there is no function that will allow him or her to extract an archive. As with all BBS software, it is recommended that you register DSZ (ZModem) for maximum security. VBBS uses a \SYSOP directory which stores all files up- loaded to the system and files sent that were attached to E-mail. Here, the sysop has the ability to view, scan and move the files and file listings to the appropriate directory after review. Be sure to leave the maximum settings for this database at 0 (zero) and make sure that DSZ.COM is in your path (a common mistake when setting up for the first time). VBBS features a special exclusion file, EXCLUDE.TXT, in which you define whole filenames, partial filenames, or DOS extensions that you wish VBBS to NOT allow upload of (such as .GIF). It is highly recommended that you do NOT delete any of the lines in the default EXCLUDE.TXT provided. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 95 VBBS allows you to define a special upload batchfile, NEWUPLD.BAT, that passes a filename parameter from the program which can be configured to extract, scan, and delete (if neces- sary) a file found to contain a virus by a virus-scanning pro- gram. ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ MAINTENANCE ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Much of your system's maintenance is performed automatic- ally by VBBS each day. Database "packing" occurs as the primary event where your system's databases are compacted and old mes- sages are removed according to the limits you set in VCONFIG. System logs are then compacted as well and the daily log cycles into another log file that shows a log of the last five days of system activity. Many sysops run other maintenance as well. Backing up certain important system files each day is common. There are several VBBS-specific utilities as well as several general-use utilities that can be valuable for the VBBS sysop. Some of these utilities, such as those by Neil J. Mar- shall and other VBBS freeware utility programmers, perform such tasks as searching out duplicate posts and files, removing users who have not called for a specific time, printing reports, etc. There are several shareware utilities available that will allow you to automate periodic batchfile events so that they run on a daily or weekly (or other interval) basis. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 96 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ EXPLANATION OF FILES USED BY VBBS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Filename Directory Explanation ──────────── ───────── ────────────────────────────────────── LOGIN .MNU \TXT Your system's login screen (may also be an .ANS or .ASC file) LOGOFF .MNU \TXT Your system's logoff screen NEWUSER .TXT \TXT Message displayed to new users before they sign up NEWUMAIL.TXT \TXT Automatic E-mail from the sysop to a new user COLORS .TXT \TXT Menu for selecting user's default ANSI colors EMAILHLP.TXT \TXT Help file for addressing E-mail and NETmail EDITHLP .TXT \TXT Help file for line editor FEDITHLP.TXT \TXT Help file for full-screen editor TRASHCAN.TXT \TXT ASCII file containing words disallowed in user handles STORM .TXT \TXT Used as an emergency logoff screen to online users ZIPCOMNT.TXT \TXT Your BBS .ZIP/.ARJ file comment REMUPLD .TXT \TXT Message displayed to users before they upload files LEAVEFB .TXT \TXT Displayed to new user when he/she is force to leave feedback EXCLUDE .TXT \TXT File used for restricting certain up- load filenames/extensions TOOSLOW .TXT \TXT Displayed to user if call is below the minimum baud rate in VCONFIG FREEDL .TXT \TXT Contains the names of "free" download files (that don't affect ratios) CBV .TXT \TXT Displayed to users before callback verification NETONLY .TXT \TXT Displayed to users who call during 'Mail-Only' Network Hours EMAIL .TAG \TXT Tagline file for E-mail (2-line max) TAGLINE .xxx \TXT Tagline files (3-line max), where xxx is a number from 1 to 989 TAGLINE .yyy \TXT Random tagline file (1-line max), where yyy is a number from 990-999 xxxxxxxx.ANS \TXT ANSI menus xxxxxxxx.ASC \TXT ASCII menus xxxxxxxx.MNU \TXT Multipurpose heart-code menu files xxxxxxxx.PDM \TXT Pull-down menu definitions xxxxxxxx.NET \NET Various network files BBSLIST .xxx \NET Network BBS lists, where xxx is 1-99 xxxxxxxx.V \V Original script code from VSCRIPT xxxxxxxx.COD \V Script code file (produced by VCOM) xxxxxxxx.LIT \V Script code file (produced by VCOM) START .FB \V Start function block (main menu) FILES .FB \V Files function block (files menu) SYSOP .FB \V Sysop function block (sysop menu) INSTALL .EXE \VBBS VBBS auto-install program BBS .EXE \VBBS VBBS startup program VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 97 Filename Directory Explanation ──────────── ───────── ────────────────────────────────────── VBBS .EXE \VBBS Main VBBS executable file VBBS-AUX.EXE \VBBS VBBS secondary executable (for voting, textfiles, etc.) VNET .EXE \VBBS Network executable VCONFIG .EXE \VBBS VBBS configuration program VQWK .EXE \VBBS .QWK-format upload/download program VCOM .EXE \VBBS VBBS VSCRIPT compiler WFC .COM \VBBS Sysop's waiting-for-caller screen WFC .DVA \VBBS Sysop's WFC screen for use with DesqView xxxxxxxx.CFG \VBBS Various system configuration files produced by VCONFIG xxxxxxxx.LOG \DATA Sysop system logs STATBBS .DAT \DATA System activity statistics CONNECT .DAT \DATA Connect-speed statistics AREACODE.NET \DATA Area code map file USERFILE.DAT \DATA VBBS user account file RESTRICT.CBV \DATA Specifically restricted phone numbers for the callback verifier ALLOWED .CBV \DATA Allowed area codes and prefixes for the callback verifier DORINFOx.DEF \VBBS "Drop file" (online user info) for use with certain door programs CHAIN .TXT \VBBS "Drop file" for door programs DOOR .SYS \VBBS "Drop file" for door programs VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 98 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ VNET, VIRTUALNET, AND THE MULTI-NET ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ The VNET.EXE is part of the VBBS package. It is the most advanced Wide-Area Networking software in existence, providing commercial and amateur networking installations a superior solu- tion to any networking need. For more information on VNET.EXE, see VNET.DOC. VirtualNET ══════════ VirtualNET is currently the largest of the hobbyist VNET- based networks and, as of this writing, maintains over 500 net- worked message areas and file databases that are shared inter- nationally. Although there are many areas within the network, reflec- ting a wide variety of interests, VirtualNET retains as its pri- mary purpose the support of the VBBS/VNET software. That nearly-famous support and the fast-growing network around it have been online for nearly two years as of this writing. You will find VirtualNET easy to get into and a lot of fun to participate in. VirtualNET is friendly, casual, and filled with a lot of great people inside what's become the ever-increasing VirtualNET family (over 800 networked systems as of this writing). Join us! Networking your BBS with VirtualNET is quick, easy, and quite affordable due to the efficiency of the VNET design. Network "packets" are automatically compressed for transmission, reducing the length of the transfer to 1/3 that of sending uncompressed data. The network software can make full use of the new HS/Link bi-directional protocol, which can make network transfers even more efficient. In addition, VirtualNET itself undergoes reorganizations designed to minimize long-distance connections between "client" BBSs and their "servers". While these can occasionally get a little hairy as systems are moved from one VirtualNET "region" to another, they're a necessary part of VirtualNET's growth and dedication to maximum efficiency. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: Although the software itself has a clearly defined demonstration period which you are expected to observe, registration is NOT required to apply for a VirtualNET network node assignment. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: VirtualNET, while proprietary to VNET and VBBS by nature, is a separate entity from the VBBS program. The VirtualNET Network Coordinator (NC) reserves the ultimate right of admission or exclusion concerning the VirtualNET status of any VirtualNET VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 99 BBS, sysop, or applicant, irrespective of VBBS/NET registration status, etc. For more information on VirtualNET and the VNET.EXE pro- gram, see NETGUIDE.DOC. The Multi-Net ═════════════ The unique and developing VBBS "Multi-Net" allows VBBS sysops the capability of maintaining up to 999 different compu- ter networks simultaneously. The Multi-Net is capable of han- dling and nearly transparently "gating" private E-mail and net- worked subs of VNET-, FIDO-, UUCP-, and WWIV-based networks and others in an ever-expanding "Multi-Net". Utility programs that enable the use of these networks -- VWW4.EXE, VFIDO.EXE, VUUCP.EXE, and more to come -- are avail- able only to VBBS sysops who have registered the software with the author. A master network list file (NET.0) is maintained and ad- ministered by the VBBS author; it includes formal "slots" for each network that is part of the Multi-Net. Some of these net- works include DataNet, FROGNet, AdultNet, ICENet, among others. In addition, one flexible "slot" (#15) exists for sysops who wish to create a local VNET-based network of as few as two BBSs. Please see LOCALNET.DOC for more information. For more information on the Multi-Net, please see the documentation file MULTINET.DOC. ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ VIRTUAL TOOLS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ VBBS is fortunate to have devotees who are also talented programmers (not to mention its author); they create scripts and external utilities for the program with an eye toward enhancing the already-formidable capabilities of VBBS. Freeware Utilities ══════════════════ A good many freeeware utilities, performing a variety of useful functions, exist for VBBS. Some of these utilities, such as the network interface software, are required for multi-network operation; others are designed to make the sysop's life easier; still others just make VBBS more fun to use. There are MANY fine utilities that are VSCRIPT-based, and others that are source mods. Since you are able to get these VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 100 mods by way of VirtualNET or fellow VBBS systems, it's better to concentrate on EXTERNAL utilities that can be run outside of VBBS, or are used by VBBS itself. These are utilities that are usually .EXE files. Below is a list of such utilities, and a description of what they will do for you. Utilities by Roland De Graaf Virtual Technologies BBS (616) 399-4818 1 @ 1 VirtualNET ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── VWW4 VWW4 is a utility needed to interface WWIV-style net- works to VBBS. This software requires VBBS registra- tion to function and works in conjuntion with WWIV networking software. Networks such as WWIVnet, WWIVlink and IceNet are directly supported. VUUCP VUUCP is a utility needed to interface UUCP-style net- works to VBBS. This software requires VBBS registra- tion to function and works in conjunction with UUCP networking software. A copy of WAFFLE BBS (WAF129.ZIP) and the UUCP files in it are needed. VGIX VGIX is a utility for VBBS 5.60+ to take advantage of VBBS's graphical VGA interface. It is an advancing terminal program that will provide FULL VGA and mouse support while on-line. VCDROM VCDROM is a utility used with VBBS 5.60+ that will convert entire CDs to VBBS directories. It creates the necessary files needed by VBBS, including the file descriptions. Utilities by Neil J. Marshall The TransAtlantic BBS 44-689-89-0937 1 @ 440 VirtualNET 1 @ 813 WWIVnet FIDOnet address 2:440/53.3 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── VFIDO VFIDO is a utility needed to interface FIDO-style net- works to VBBS. This software requires VBBS registra- tion to function and is directly supported by VBBS's front end. VDUPE VDUPE is a utility that will scan message and file bases and delete duplicate posts and file descriptions. On file bases, it deletes the oldest filename in the database. VFILT VFILT is a utility that allows servers to filter the message subs going thruogh their system to clients. It can be handy in stopping clients from subscribing VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 101 to networked files or subs they are not permitted to receive due to age/legal restrictions, etc. VLOGS VLOGS is a utility that allows the sysop to maintain network logs separate from VBBS. If VBBS deletes a network log, VLOGS won't, allowing the sysop to main- tain up to a year of network log files. VSIZE VSIZE is a utility that allows a server to split mes- sage packets to clients in the event that the client is running low on disk space. This would prevent the loss of a network mail packet. VSUBS VSUBS is a utility that allows a server to see what message subs his clients are receiving, in order to help minimize duplication or to promote equity in cost-sharing. VUSER VUSER is a utility that allows the sysop to delete users on a MASS scale, usually by date. You can de- lete all users who have not logged on in 6 months, or who have less than a minimum SL, or whatever criteria you wish. VWWIV VWWIV is a utility used in conjunction with WWIV- style networks (WWIVnet in particular at the present time). WWIVnet automatically updates its subs lists by way of its networking software, so if you host a sub in WWIVnet, you would have to have a COMPLETE WWIV setup in order for your hosted sub to appear in the WWIV subs list. VWWIV will create the files that WWIV is looking for without the need to have a FULL working version of WWIV BBS software. This saves hard-drive space and time. VNODE VNODE is a utility that is used in the event you should change your node number, or the network to which you belong. VNODE will amend all references to your old node number, replacing them with your new node number. Utilities by Various Authors ──────────────────────────── CVTUSER This is a utility for Sysops who are converting from WWIV software to VBBS. CVTUSER will convert your WWIV 4.2x standard user list to VBBS format. This saves you from having to type all your users into VBBS, or for- cing them to re-login as NEW. Written by : Jake Blues The Arena BBS (314) 845-6849 1 @3147 VirtualNET 1 @13470 WWIVLink VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 102 WW4DL2 This is a utility for sysops who are converting from WWIV software to VBBS. WW4DL2 will convert WWIV-style file bases to VBBS format. Written by : Jake Blues The Arena BBS (314) 845-6849 1 @3147 VirtualNET 1 @13470 WWIVLink VPKTPEEK This utility allows viewing and editing of VirtualNET pending mail packets. Read and delete messages in a packet without disturbing the rest of the packet. Written by : Brian Dessent, a.k.a. "Elvis" Graceland BBS (919) 1 @ 9990 VirtualNET STAT2 This is a utility that allows the sysop to edit BBS stats such as number of calls/posts/E-mail, days on- line, etc. Written by : SCOTT Flightline BBS 1 @4123 VirtualNET QWKSORT This utility takes all subs with a NON-ZERO QWK number and sorts them by QWK number. This assures that all QWK numbers are unique. Written by : Jerry Winfrey, a.k.a. "Dr. Pepper" The Trident BBS (310) 924-1844 1 @3100 VirtualNET 1 @3059 WWIVnet 1 @13059 WWIVLink SUBLST This utility creates a text list of BBSes that sub- scribe to one or more subs you host. It lists their node number, BBS name, phone number, and maximum baud rate supported. UEDIT This is a utility that greatly expands the sysop's ability to edit user records. It's a mouse-compatible, pull-down-menu editor that will even let you print mailing labels from your user list. Written by : Scott Flightline BBS 1 @4123 VirtualNET VREQ This utility is used in conjunction with WWIV-style networks. It will send automatic sub drop/add requests, adding or deleting the correct NNxxxxx.NET file as needed. GPOST This utility is used by the sysop to allow users to read autoposts beyond the normal new ones. It not only allows viewing of old autoposts, but networking of VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 103 autoposts as well. Written by : Bruce Grembowski, a.k.a. "The Gremlin" The House of Gremlin BBS 1 @8180 VirtualNET CHECKIF This utility automatically toggles file areas on- or off-line. Written by : Bill Plese Fantasy Island BBS 1 @ VirtualNET VLOAD This utility uploads ASCII-format file listings to VBBS (for use with CD-ROM). Written by : Bill Plese Fantasy Island BBS 1 @ VirtualNET READUSER This utility is an external user-variable editor and manipulator that allows your VSCRIPTS much more ac- cess to the user information files. Written by : Tom Hightower, a.k.a. "Baloo" Baloo's Den BBS 1 @ VirtualNET As is always the case when a list such as this is compiled, some utilities (and their authors) have probably been left out. This was not intentional -- just an occupational hazard of documenta- tion. Apologies to any VBBS utilities/authors who were inadver- tantly left out. The Virtual Developer's Toolkit ═══════════════════════════════ With the advent of the new Virtual Developer's Toolkit, the production and availability of new utilities, dedicated fea- tures, and online games can soon be expected. The "Toolkit" is a series of source-code routines and libraries that will enable developers to create VBBS multi-user online utilities, games, and applications with ease. The new Toolkit is expected to produce many new modules for VBBS, and is a very powerful tool for even intermediate-level "modders" to have in their VBBS customization arsenal. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: Purchasers of the Virtual Developer's Tool- kit are granted limited license regarding the use and distribution of the resulting .EXE files. The products developed through this license may be copyrighted by you and may be freeware, shareware, or commercial in nature. In NO case, however, shall any use of the Toolkit result in a distributed executable program that is not exclusive to use as an auxiliary program to VBBS/VNET VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 104 itself. In ALL cases, acknowledgement should be made within the executable result and ac- companying documentation that credits the copyrighted code of the VBBS author. ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ THE FUTURE OF VBBS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ VBBS is a software that does not stand still -- ask anyone who has been involved with VBBS and VirtualNET for any length of time! :-) The near future will find VBBS with further enhance- ments and system features through the wizardry of its author and through the input of the growing number of VBBS sysops that have begun to assemble internationally. Plans for the immediate future include, as always, the continuing and regular occurrence of improved, new, and added features that find their way into the program with each succes- sive release. ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Roland De Graaf is 28 years old and does not sleep. Ear- ning a following as a gifted programmer and program developer in the U.S. and abroad, Roland's passion for the past two years has been the continuing development of the Virtual BBS/NET software. Born in 1964 with detached retinas from a premature birth, Roland is legally blind. Although his sight is very weak, his vision is intense and focused. He is blessed with a photographic and audiographic memory, but above all else, he is blessed with a drive to excel. Under the deft helmsmanship of Roland De Graaf, VBBS con- tinues sailing into the virtual blue water of cyberspace. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 105 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND CREDITS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Documentation Credits ═════════════════════ Team Leader Richard Shell, a.k.a. "UT Prof" #1 @ 5121 VBBS560.DOC Sam Fleming, a.k.a. "O. F." #1 @ 2056 VirtualNET Scott Call, a.k.a. "Zapo Zapper" #1 @ 5101 VirtualNET Gene Wells, a.k.a. "Red Dog" #1 @ 6460 VirtualNet, WWIVnet, ICEnet #1 @ 16450 WWIVLink 1:129/201 FIDOnet Utilities information Guy W. Tessum, a.k.a. "Keye" #1 @ 4083 VirtualNET Modems information Bruce Grembowski, a.k.a "The Gremlin" #1 @ 8180 VirtualNET Modems information Patrick Murray, a.k.a. "Shark" #1 @ 9999 VirtualNET Windows 3.1 information David Bell #1 @ 2032 VirtualNET Novell/LAN information "DALE666" #1 @ 3451 VirtualNET DesqView information "Dr. Feelgood" #1 @9044 VirtualNET DesqView information VSCRIPT.DOC Tom Hightower, a.k.a "Baloo" #1 @ 8064 VirtualNET Dan Newcomer, a.k.a. "Lazarus Long" #1 @ 5130 VirtualNET Kevin Klunk, a.k.a. "Lord Doomslayer" #2 @ 5081 VirtualNET Thom Harris, a.k.a. "Da' Chief" #1 @ 6171 VirtualNET Sam Fleming, a.k.a. "O. F." #1 @ 2056 VirtualNET VBBSDOOR.DOC Kevin Klunk, a.k.a. "Lord Doomslayer" #2 @ 5081 VirtualNET Thom Harris, a.k.a. "Da' Chief" #1 @ 6171 VirtualNET VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 106 NETGUIDE.DOC John Bok, a.k.a. "Snoop" #1 @ 6160 VirtualNET VirtualNET Network Coordinator "DALE666" #1 @ 3451 VirtualNET LOCALNET.DOC Rockielynn Greer, a.k.a. "Angelic Host" #1 @2180 VirtualNET "Dr. Feelgood" #1 @ 9044 VirtualNET "ShadowMaster" #1 @ 9198 VirtualNET USENET.DOC Greg Nicholson, a.k.a "Cow!!" #1 @ 2058 VirtualNET Mark Sapp, a.k.a. "The Mighty Quinn" #2 @ 2057 VirtualNET VFIDO.DOC Neil J. Marshall #1 @ 440 VirtualNET John Grimes, a.k.a. "Big Daddy" #1 @ 2142 VirtualNET VWW4.DOC Richard Shell, a.k.a. "UT Prof" #1 @ 5121 VirtualNET Programs Mentioned in the Documentation ═══════════════════════════════════════ DSZ.COM, DSZ.EXE, and GSZ.COM are external protocol driver pro- ducts by Omen Technology, Inc. HS/Link is a bi-directional external protocol driver by Samuel Smith. PKZIP and PKUNZIP are file archiving programs by Phil Katz. ARJ is a file archiving program by Robert K. Jung. DCOM is an external DOS shell/text editor by Dave Frailey, of DAC Micro Systems, Inc. SPEEDISK is a disk optimization utility, part of Symantec's Norton Utilities package. SCAN and CLEAN are virus scanning and "disinfecting" programs produced by McAfee Associates. TheDraw is an ANSI drawing program written by TheSoft, Inc. MS-DOS is a disk operating system produced by Microsoft Corp. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 107 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ REGISTRATION INFORMATION ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ The registration fee for VBBS, as of this writing is only $49. In light of its features, configurability, and multinode capability, this makes VBBS an unsurpassed value in telecommunications software. Registration is a LIFETIME affair; once you have registered, you are entitled to each successive VBBS upgrade/update, various network drivers and other available utilities which will make your VBBS even MORE powerful. Registrations are processed within 24 hours. There are various options for delivery including standard U.S. Mail, UPS Red shipping, and (soon) a voice-line ordering service. The Virtual Developer's Toolkit is another optional fee; it is available for a one-time fee of $50.00. For more information on registration (and frequent new- version "special offers"), see MAIL_REG.TXT. For more information on VBBS, call the Virtual Technolo- gies BBS 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (616) 399-4818 (node 1, with V.32/HST capability) or (616) 399-8791 (node 2, with V.32 bis capability). Thank you for your interest in VBBS! VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 108 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ APPENDIX A -- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ New sysops frequently have many questions about VBBS and getting it set up properly; these are usually handled in the var- ious support subs. There are, however, questions that keep crop- ping up again and again as new sysops come online and into Vir- tualNET. The following is a continuing compilation of the most- asked questions about VBBS, taken from the file MOSTASKD.DOC on the author's "Virtual Technologies" BBS; other material has been added as needed. ═══════════════ Q: My system beeps at users, and sometimes boots them off. A: Check a setting in the MAIN Configuration screen in VCONFIG called TimeOut. It specifies the amount of time VBBS waits before it determines that the online user is idle (that is, just sitting there, not typing anything), and they should be disconnected. The beeps are what VBBS sends to warn the user that they are about to be logged off for inactivity. On most hardware this setting calibrates in seconds .. a set- ting of 300 equals 300 seconds, which is 5 minutes. A few systems, however, need a much higher setting, like 10000 or 30000. If this is the case with your installation, you may need to experiment a bit to find the right value for you. ═══════════════ Q: VBBS seems to be reinitializing the modem every 5 minutes. A: VBBS checks to see if it needs to dial out for network trans- fers every so often. The interval is defined under the MAIN Configuration screen of VCONFIG. The default is 300, which is 5 minutes. You may wish to adjust this option to better suit your needs. ═══════════════ Q: I've added new networked subs, but they don't seem to be get- ting out, or anything coming in. A: Make sure you run "Compile Network Info" from the DATABASE Configuration screen in VCONFIG every time you make changes to the way your subs are networked. ═══════════════ Q: I have trouble getting VBBS to answer the phone; The modem picks up for 2 seconds, and then hangs back up before a con- nection can be made. A: Make sure S0=0 and E0 are part of your VBBS modem init string. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 109 Q: I have trouble getting VBBS to answer the phone; The modem picks up, but when the connection is made, and the modem passes the result back to VBBS, VBBS hangs up. A: This problem tends to be more frequent with some of the newer, low-cost V32/V32bis modems, but it can be easily fixed through proper configuration of the modem. Some of the newer, low-cost V.32/V.32bis modems have different ways of returning result codes. The key is telling the modem to report the correct format which is compatible with VBBS. For example, one of the modems I have here can be told to re- port the connect results 3 different ways: 1) CONNECT <DTE Rate> In this format, VBBS connects OK, but the modem reports the wrong baud rate back to the computer. The DTE rate is the rate at which the computer talks to the modem, and in most cases, this never varies. 2) Super Extended Result Codes This format isn't compatible with anything. In this for- mat, 3 or 4 separate lines are displayed, in a format like: CARRIER <DCE Rate> CONNECT <DTE Rate> PROTOCOL <Error control> 3) CONNECT <DCE Rate> This is the one we want. The DCE rate is the speed of the modem-to-modem connection, which is what we want. When this format is used, VBBS will work just fine. To configure my modem to use the correct format (#3), I send it ATW2. The proper command for your modem may vary. Check the modem manual. ═══════════════ Q: I've added new topic areas, but they don't show up when I try to list them from the BBS. A: Line 2 of every FB file (Function Block) controls what topics (database groups) are enabled at the current FB prompt. For example, line 2 of the default START.FB that comes with VBBS looks like: A It enables topic A only. If you added message-base topics VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 110 B, C, and D, your line 2 should look like: ABCD Line 2 of the default FILES.FB that comes with VBBS looks like: F It enables topic F only. If you added more file-base topics, for example G, H, and I, your line 2 should look like: FGHI ═══════════════ Q: When I try to display a network listing, it doesn't print anything. A: Each network interface utility (VNET, VWW4, VUUCP, VFIDO) is responsible for generating network listings for its type of network. Normally, generation of these lists is automatic, whenever a new BBSLIST or NODELIST is received. However, new installations may need to "jump-start" their network listings as follows: VNET: Use the command VNET /A NETWORKID=# VWW4: Delete file BBSDATA.IDX in your WWIVnet DATA directory and use the command VWW4 B NETWORKID=# VUUCP: Not applicable. VFIDO: Use the command VFIDO NETWORKID=# /A "#" in the above examples refers to the networks ID #, as given in the NET.0 network masterlist file. ═══════════════ Q: The call-back verifier refuses to verify. A: The file that MUST be set up in order for the callback veri- fier to work is called ALLOWED.CBV, and it should be located in the VBBS \DATA directory. The format for the file is ASCII, one entry per line, as fol- lows: XXX-YYY Z VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 111 where XXX is the area code, YYY is the prefix, Z is a "speci- fier" that tells the CBV how to dial this area code-prefix com- bination. Specifier Type of Call How Dialed ───────── ──────────── ────────── + Local YYY-???? - LD within Area Code 1-YYY-???? $ LD outside Area Code 1-XXX-YYY-???? / Local outside Area Code XXX-YYY-???? RESTRICT.CBV specifies the list of RESTRICTED phone numbers that may not be dialed; it is not essential that this file be set up, but if you're going to use the CBV, you NEED to set it up. The individual sysops who use the CBV are responsible for any char- ges incurred by its use. ═══════════════ Q: I want to make a neat tagline for my BBS. How do I do it? A: First of all, keep in mind the limits on system taglines in VirtualNET: 1) Maximum of 3 lines 2) Maximum of 300 bytes 3) Heart-code ANSI colors ONLY Go into an ANSI drawing program (like TheDraw) and draw the tagline you want; block-save it in ASCII format. Then, en- ter VBBS and use the [E]dit Any File option from the Sysop Menu to bring the tagline file into the FSE. There, you can use the [Ctrl-P] color-change feature to add color to the tagline. Once you're satisfied with it, save the file. Because the FSE saves the heart-codes for ANY color changes you make inside it -- even experimental color changes -- you should bring the tagline back into the DOS 5.0 editor or some other text editor, where the heart-codes will become visible. Delete any unnecessary color-change codes. Save the file again. To check to see if the tagline meets the byte limit, use the trusty DIR command: dir <tagfilename> If the size of the file is greater than 300 bytes, you need to edit it down some. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 112 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ APPENDIX B -- RUNNING VBBS UNDER MICROSOFT WINDOWS 3.x ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Running VBBS under Microsoft Windows <tm> 3.0 or 3.1 can sometimes seem to be an impossible dream, but with a little twea- king, it can not only be done, but done well enough to run two high-speed remote nodes as well as a local login. Minimum Requirements ════════════════════ For a single remote-plus-local system, you'll need a 386DX/25 (or higher) CPU and an absolute minimum of four megs of RAM. Performance improves dramatically with additional RAM (8 megs is recommended) and higher CPU speeds. For a two remote- plus-local, your machine should be a 386/33 with eight megs of RAM (again, a minimum baseline). Setting Up Your .PIF ════════════════════ The most critical single element is your .PIF (Program Information File). The more carefully you design the .PIF, the better your system will run. Below are suggested "starter" set- tings for yours: In Basic .PIF Setup ─────────────────── Program Filename: C:\VBBS\BBS.EXE Window Title: VBBS Online Optional Parameters: 1 (BBS.EXE commandline parameters go here) Start-up Directory: C:\VBBS Video Memory: Text Memory Requirements: KB Required: -1 KB Desired: -1 EMS Memory: KB Required: 0 KB Desired: 0 XMS Memory: KB Required: 0 KB Desired: 0 Display Usage: Full Screen Execution: Background (selected) Close Window on Exit: Yes (selected) In Advanced Options ─────────────────── 1) Multitasking Options: Background Priority: 200 (400 for high-speed modems) Foreground Priority: 200 (350 for high-speed modems) Detect Idle Time: Yes (selected) VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 113 2) Memory Options: Lock Application Memory (selected) 3) Display Options: (none) 4) Other Options: (none) In Windows Control Panel -- 386 Enhanced ──────────────────────────────────────── 1) Device Contention: See discussion on COMports, below 2) Scheduling: Windows in Foreground: 200 Windows in Background: 1 (see Note 1) Exclusive in Foreground: OFF (unchecked) Note 1: This setting can be higher if you really need WinApp activity in the background. 3) Minimum Timeslice: 10-12 (for 25 MHz CPUs) 8-10 (for 33 MHz CPUs) 6-8 (for 40+ MHz CPUs) 4) Virtual Memory: This option controls Windows' "swap file" where it can move inactive applications out of RAM and onto the hard drive temporarily. It is imperative that you create a per- permanent Swap File of 2-6 meg to speed any swapping ac- tivity. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are creating a Permanent Swap File for the first time, be sure to optimize your selected partition BEFORE you create the Swap File! Select 32-Bit Access to maximize data transfer to and from the hard drive. 5) COMports: If you are running a 9600 baud or faster modem, be sure to lock that port in Control Panel, Ports. Windows 3.1 will allow locking up to 19200 baud; if you are running a FOSSIL driver (such as BNU or X00), you can safely lock the FOSSIL at a higher rate without threatening your Win- dows environment. Also, make sure you set Flow Control to "Hardware" for high-speed modems. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 114 6) Conflicts: Often, computers ship with bizarre hardware configura- tions, some with COMports 1 and 4 occupied by a modem and a mouse. Make sure you do not introduce problems by introducing a second modem on an already-occupied port address or IRQ. Just because you have four COMports on an ISA-bus computer doesn't mean you can use all four without conflicts. There are only two IRQs avail- able for them. In Control Panel, 386 Enhanced, select "Never Warn" for your active COMport. This will prevent Windows from opening a "COMport Contention" dialog box when an online user selects a game that does its own COM writes (thus locking the port until you intervene). Just make sure that you do not inadvertantly attempt to seize the BBS COMport for your own use from another win- dow! In SYSTEM.INI ───────────── Under the heading [386Enh], add or modify the following lines as necessary for your system: COMxBuffer=1024 (where x is your modem port) COMBoostTime=8 COMxFIFO=1 (where x is a port controlled by a NS16550AFN buffered UART) COMxAutoAssign=0 (where x is a "no conflict" COMport) Additional Hints ════════════════ ■ The use of a FOSSIL driver for the BBS can many times resolve nagging problems with BBS-external programs, such as games. Two widely used FOSSIL drivers in the BBS community are BNU and X00. As discussion of FOSSIL drivers and setup is beyond the scope of this document, please refer to the documentation accompanying the drivers, and, if using one, make sure to set "Use FOSSIL Driver" to "Yes" in VCONFIG. ■ Since VBBS is DesqView-aware, consider using the small TSR, DV2WIN.EXE. This utility will make a DV-aware program yield unneeded time slices more readily under Windows. As a result, activities on your BBS are less likely to be noticeable to you, particularly at 14400. Set this also in VCONFIG. ■ Replace your DSZ protocol driver with the newer GSZ, which is much better suited to sharing resources in a Windows environ- ment. With a 14400 data transfer in background, DSZ effec- tively locks the local user's window; with GSZ, the transfer VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 115 is barely noticeable. ■ Make sure all .PIFs for DOS applications have a Background Priority of 1 and have the Exclusive Execution box deselected. ■ If at all possible, put your mouse on COM1 and your modem on COM2. Avoid the COM1/4 or COM2/3 setups (and certainly do NOT use COM1/3 or 2/4 together on an ISA-bus machine). Remember, COM2 is serviced before COM1. ■ Avoid running the BBS in a windowed display, especially if there are other windows open on the desktop. Video conflicts can wreak havoc with the BBS! ■ Consider replacing Windows' COMM.DRV with one of several after-market COM drivers, such as TurboCom (Bio-Engineering Research Labs, Berkeley, CA) or, for multi-port COM cards (such as the VBBS-supported DigiBoard), W3COM9 (Cherry Hill Software, Marlton, NJ). ■ Never be afraid to experiment with .PIF and Control Panel settings. Your results are dependent on your machine, setup and use of the computer. ╔═╗ Running VBBS under Windows can sometimes overwhelm you. ╚═╝ It CAN be done (and is being done by many sysops). Feel free to ask questions in any of the VirtualNET support subs; you may also want to consider carrying "Windows Workshop" (VirtualNET autorequest sub #6090). More Windows reading: Windows 3.1 Secrets, by Brian Livingston (IDG Books Worldwide, San Mateo, CA) VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 116 ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ APPENDIX C -- RUNNING VBBS UNDER DESQVIEW 386 ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Multinode Specific Concerns and Problems ════════════════════════════════════════ VBBS was written from the beginning to run multinode using multitasking software or LANs or both. As a rule, filesharing is not a problem, however, a message such as "System rescource in use by another. One Moment Please..." may pop up from time to time. This is to done to coordinate writes from multiple nodes to a single database simultaneously, and should not be a common occurrence. Without this feature, data would be lost of databases corrupted. Make sure DOS's SHARE is run on systems that support it for proper operation of this feature. Novell Netware has it's own file locking system, and is fully compatible with VBBS. Start each copy of VBBS with a different channel number. Example: BBS 0 (start channel 0, local channel) BBS 1 (start channel 1, remote channel) BBS 2 (start channel 2, remote channel) . . BBS 64 (start channel 64, remote channel) DESQview 386 (Quarterdeck Office Systems) ══════════════════════════════════════════ VBBS multitasks under DESQview, but REQUIRES that you use a FOSSIL driver. VBBS under DESQview can support multiple users. You will need at least 2 MB of RAM to run 2 or 3 copies of VBBS. V1-PIF.DVP is an example DESQview PIF file for VBBS. You will need a PIF file for each copy of VBBS you intend to run. each PIF will have a different channel # entered into the command line parameters field of the PIF file. If you wish to set DESQview settings manually (making your own PIF files), here are some example settings from a working system: Virtual BBS 5.60 window for DESQview 2.40 Setup by: Dr. Feelgood 1@9044 VirtualNet VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 117 ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Change a Program Program Name............: Virtual BBS Port 0 Keys to Use on Open Menu: V0 Memory Size (in K): 480 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Program...: C:\VBBS\DV.BAT Parameters: Directory.: C:\VBBS ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Options: Writes text directly to screen.......: [Y] Displays graphics information........: [Y] Virtualize text/graphics (Y,N,T).....: [Y] Uses serial ports (Y,N,1,2)..........: [N] Requires floppy diskette.............: [N] Press F1 for advanced options Press ─┘ when you are DONE ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Change a Program Advanced Options System Memory (in K).......: 0 Maximum Program Memory Size (in K)..: Script Buffer Size.......: 0 Maximum Expanded Memory Size (in K): Text Pages: 4 Graphics Pages: 2 Initial Mode: Interrupts: 00 to FF ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Window Position: Maximum Height: 25 Starting Height: 25 Starting Row...: 1 Maximum Width.: 80 Starting Width.: 80 Starting Column: 1 ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Shared Program Pathname..: Data......: ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Close on exit (Y,N,blank)......: [N] Uses its own colors..............: [Y] Allow Close Window command.....: [Y] Runs in background (Y,N,blank)...: [Y] VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 118 Uses math coprocessor..........: [Y] Keyboard conflict (0-F)..........: [0] Share CPU when foreground......: [Y] Share EGA when foreground/zoomed.: [Y] Can be swapped out (Y,N,blank).: [N] Protection level (0-3)...........: [0] Press F1 for standard options Press ─┘ when you are DONE ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 119 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ APPENDIX D -- RUNNING VBBS UNDER OS/2 2.0 ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ OS/2 2.0 is a solid new operating system, capable of running nearly all DOS applications. VBBS is no exception. However, native OS/2 applications run much better (faster and more efficiently) under OS/2 than do DOS applications. In order for DOS communications programs to run with high speed modems, they require a great deal of CPU attention under OS/2, degrading overall system performance significantly. For this reason, if OS/2 2.0x is to be used for multinode VBBS, VBBS-DOS is not recommended. Instead, VBBS-OS/2 has been developed for this purpose (See VBBS-OS2.DOC). For one VBBS-DOS node (or two if you have a 386/40 or greater), the following is recommended: ~ 386SX/25 or Greater CPU ~ 8 Megabites of DRAM minimum ~ 90 Megabite HD Minimum ~ Use OS2SPEED.ZIP to allow VBBS to give up timeslices to OS/2, simulating DESQview operation Set DOS settings in OS/2 as follows: ~ COM_HOLD ON ~ BACKGROUND_BACKGROUND_EXECUTION ON ~ DOS_DEVICE C:\OS2\MDOS\ANSI.SYS ~ IDLE_SECONDS 30 ~ IDLE_SENSITIVITY 100 VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 120 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ APPENDIX E -- RUNNING VBBS ON A LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN) ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ General ═══════ With a LAN (Local Area Network), you don't need multitasking software. However, use of a LAN does not preclude the use of multitasking software. When using a LAN, workstations (and the server, if non-dedicated) can be used to run one copy of VBBS each. Each copy, of course, must run on its own unique channel number. One of the advantages of a LAN setup is that hardware-wise, the maximum COM port limitation disappears. Thus, there are versions of VBBS up to 64 users, intended for LAN installations. Versions supporting more than 64 users are available by special request. Another advantage is that you can run the many inexpensive games, doors, transfer protocols, etc. already available because no special COM handling is needed. Often, the cost of networking software and hardware is easily offset when one considers that most of the PCs on the network will not require a hard drive - only the file server, whose hard drive is shared with all of its clients. Additionally, data security becomes easier, because now all PC's can share one com- mon database, and one can be managed easier (backed up, etc.) than several. Businesses considering VBBS may consider a LAN as well, as VBBS and many other applications can co-reside on the server, running simultaneously. Users only have access to that which the net- work administration allows them access to, so confidential book- keeping or word-processing files are invisible to say, VBBS users, engineering sorts or whomever is not supposed to have access. LANs combined with multitasking software make VBBS a valuable and cost-efficient business tool for customer support as well as any other day-to-day business computing needs. Multiuser Bulletin Board Systems run on LAN set-ups offer the highest performance available; this is very important when many high-speed modem lines are to be used. With the cost of 286/386 motherboards and LAN hardware dropping constantly, a multi-user LAN-based VBBS is more affordable than one might think. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 121 VBBS 5.60 has been tested and known to be compatible with: Novell Netware / Ethernet Novell Lite / Ethernet LANtastic NOS / 2 MB LANtastic NOS / Ethernet This is not an exhaustive list. VBBS should be compatible with most any DOS LAN environment. LAN Pointers ════════════ All LANs are not created equal. This discussion is intended to provide an overview of more common LAN options to help the VBBS sysop gain a basic understanding of LANs. There are two basic types of LANs, with many different LAN software vendors and several types of network cards used for each type. The first type of LAN, called "peer-to-peer" networking, allows one PC to share resources (hard drives, floppies, printers, etc.) with another PC and vice versa. The second type employs a "dedi- cated file server" and all PC's access network programs and data- bases from the LAN's dedicated fileserver(s). Both of these sys- tems have their strong and weak points, and sometimes features can be intermixed. Both LAN types can use ARCnet (2.25 MBPS data transfer rates), Ethernet (10 MBPS), Super ARCnet (12.5 MBPS) or Token Ring (4 or 16 MBPS). Currently, Ethernet is regarded as providing the most bang for the buck, with its 10 MBPS throughput and the price of Ethernet cards falling below $100.00 each in the mail order market. With most types of networking, one LAN card per PC would be required. It is not recommended to use networks employing the use of the PC's parallel or serial ports, as those types of LANs are too slow to provide a fast enough interface for a VBBS user. Use the fastest LAN cards you can afford. VBBS was designed and tested on a LANtastic 2 MB/sec LAN. It does very well on this relatively slow hardware platform; speed is excellent, given the limitations of the hardware. However, faster LANs (ie..10 MB/sec) run noticeably faster. (Note: The disk I/O optimizations made in VBBS will result in speed increases over all platforms, LAN, or non-LAN. Even XTs should run considerably faster.) All path specifications under VCONFIG "System Paths" must be set to a drive which is shared among the entire network. This is easily accomplished with most networks. With Novell Lite, for example, clients only need to load CLIENT.EXE after loading the network drivers, then map the net drive. The server, however, must load BOTH SERVER.EXE and CLIENT.EXE, and map the net drive the SAME WAY the clients do. This may result in replicating the "C" drive as logical drive "F" or whatever. Though in reality VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 122 the "F" drive is really just another label for the "C" drive, this will be necessary for proper network operation. All VBBS nodes must look to the same path. If necessary, FLAG all VBBS files as SHARABLE, READ/WRITE. Synchronize all of the clocks on your work stations. (Most networks let you set your workstation clock from the net- work server's clock; this is done automatically with Novell Net- ware). LANtastic (Artisoft) ═════════════════════ LANtastic was designed to be a peer-to-peer type network, but a dedicated fileserver can be set as well. LANtastic is among the most stable of peer-to-peer type Network Operating Systems, but its performance as a dedicated file server falls below that of dedicated Netware. Net cards for LANtastic a proprietary, making them more expensive. Novell NE-1000 and NE-2000 compatible Ethernet cards may also be used, but adaptors must be used in conjunction with these cards to make them work with LANtastic, raising the price significantly. Costs for a two-node Ethernet LANtastic setup for software, cabling and netcards run between $475.00 to $550.00. Additional workstations are added by purchasing additional netcards for each new workstation at about $175 each. The practical limit of this type of network would be about 10 nodes, though the software will allow many more. These prices reflect current market prices only, and may vary with different vendors and market conditions. Novell Lite (Novell) ═════════════════════ At this writing, Novell Lite is at revision 1.1. It is a peer- to-peer networking system not as stable as LANtastic, but is in use with Multinode VBBS successfully. Novell Lite can also be used to set up a dedicated file server. One advantage of Novell Lite is that it can use many of the generic low-cost netcards available on the market today without any special adaptors. Costs for a two-node Ethernet Novell Lite setup for software, cabling and netcards run between $400.00 to $475.00. Additional nodes are added by purchasing a copy of Novell Lite and a net- card for each workstation to be added, up to 25, but the prac- tical limit would be about ten nodes. Again, these prices re- flect current market prices only, and may vary with different vendors and market conditions. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 123 Novell Netware 2.2 and 3.1x (Novell) ═════════════════════════════════════ Novell Netware has captured the lion's share of the LAN market, for good reason. Novell is revered as the best network opera- ting system available, period. Out of the box, Netware 3.11 can not only interface DOS machines, but PC's using Windows, OS/2, and Macintosh machines. PCs and workstations running UNIX and main and mini-mainframes can also be interfaced to Netware 3.11 with the purchase of additional software modules through Novell. Both 3.1x and 2.2 DEDICATED Netware load DOS initially, then load their own operating system, then totally remove DOS from the ser- ver's NOS environment. Netware utilizes its own file system, making its own hard drive partitions, which support extended at- tributes, increased security over DOS based NOSes and much im- proved disk performance. Additionally, Netware partitions are not prone to disk fragmenting and data corruption to the extent that DOS NOSes are. Although 2.2 will not allow true "peer-to-peer" style networking, it will allow the file server to log onto the network as a work- station, though this will decrease performance of the server significantly as it runs DOS tasks as well as its tasks as file server. Netware is seldom used in this manner; in fact, Netware 3.x does not allow the server to be used as anything other than a dedicated server. However, Artisoft LANtastic for Netware and Novell Lite can both be used in conjunction with dedicated Netware to incorporate the best of both worlds -- the rock-solid performance and security of dedicated Netware along with the utility of peer-to-peer net- working. Netware 2.2 and 3.11 will serve those interested in dedicated Netware for DOS, Windows and OS/2 PC's equally. 2.2 will run on a 286, 3.11 requires a 386SX. Because its own operating system is optimized for file serving and its disk management is far superior to DOS, it provides superior connectivity. Novell's Netware is the system of choice for those planning large LANs. For those who can go a few extra bucks, it is still a great choice for small LANs. The price for Netware 2.2 starts around $500.00 for a 5-user version, with Ethernet cards available for under $100.00 each. One card is necessary for each node and one for the fileserver. Again, these prices reflect current market prices only, and may vary with different vendors and market conditions. VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 124 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ APPENDIX F -- VBBS "HEART-CODE ANSI" COLOR CHART ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Heart Ctrl-P Code Code Color Combination ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 1 0 White (grey) on black 2 1 Intense cyan on black 3 2 Intense yellow on black 4 3 Magenta on black 5 4 Intense white on blue 6 5 Intense green on black 7 6 Intense red on black 8 7 Intense blue on black 9 8 Brown on black 10 9 Cyan on black 11 A Green on black 12 B Intense magenta on black 13 C Intense white on black 14 D Intense yellow on red 15 E Intense cyan on red 16 F White (grey) on red 17 G Blue on green 18 H Red on yellow 19 I Blue on yellow 20 J Yellow on blue 21 K Cyan on blue 22 L White (grey) on blue 23 M White (grey) on magenta 24 N Black on cyan 25 O Black on white (grey) 26 P Red on white (grey) 27 Q Blue on white (grey) 28 R Intense white on white (grey) 29 S Intense red on white (grey) 30 T Intense blue on white (grey) 31 U Intense white on black 32 V Black on red 33 W Black on blue 34 X Black on magenta 35 Y Intense white on green 36 Z Intense white on cyan When coding color changes, it's usually best to stick with the values in the second column; most of the time, it's easier to keep up with something like "U" rather than "31". VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 125 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ APPENDIX G -- "ALT-KEYPAD HIGH ASCII" CHART ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ "Unprintable" Characters ════════════════════════ Num- Sym- Ctrl Ctrl Num- Sym- Ctrl Ctrl ber bol Code Key ber bol Code Key ─────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────── 0 NUL ^@ 16 DLE ^P 1 SOH ^A 17 DC1 ^Q 2 STX ^B 18 DC2 ^R 3 ETX ^C 19 DC3 ^S 4 EOT ^D 20 DC4 ^T 5 ENQ ^E 21 NAK ^U 6 ACK ^F 22 SYN ^V 7 BEL ^G 23 ETB ^W 8 BS ^H 24 CAN ^X 9 HT ^I 25 EM ^Y 10 LF ^J 26 SUB ^Z 11 VT ^K 27 ESC ^[ 12 FF ^L 28 FS ^\ 13 CR ^M 29 GS ^] 14 SO ^N 30 RS ^^ 15 SI ^O 31 US ^_ VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 126 Printable Characters ════════════════════ Num- Sym- Num- Sym- Num- Sym- Num- Sym- ber bol ber bol ber bol ber bol ─────────── ──────────── ──────────── ──────────── 32 spc 81 Q 130 é 179 │ 33 ! 82 R 131 â 180 ┤ 34 " 83 S 132 ä 181 ╡ 35 # 84 T 133 à 182 ╢ 36 $ 85 U 134 å 183 ╖ 37 % 86 V 135 ç 184 ╕ 38 & 87 W 136 ê 185 ╣ 39 ' 88 X 137 ë 186 ║ 40 ( 89 Y 138 è 187 ╗ 41 ) 90 Z 139 ï 188 ╝ 42 * 91 [ 140 î 189 ╜ 43 + 92 \ 141 ì 190 ╛ 44 , 93 ] 142 Ä 191 ┐ 45 - 94 ^ 143 Å 192 └ 46 . 95 _ 144 É 193 ┴ 47 / 96 ` 145 æ 194 ┬ 48 0 97 a 146 Æ 195 ├ 49 1 98 b 147 ô 196 ─ 50 2 99 c 148 ö 197 ┼ 51 3 100 d 149 ò 198 ╞ 52 4 101 e 150 û 199 ╟ 53 5 102 f 151 ù 200 ╚ 54 6 103 g 152 ÿ 201 ╔ 55 7 104 h 153 Ö 202 ╩ 56 8 105 i 154 Ü 203 ╦ 57 9 106 j 155 ¢ 204 ╠ 58 : 107 k 156 Ñ 205 ═ 59 ; 108 l 157 ¥ 206 ╬ 60 < 109 m 158 ₧ 207 ╧ 61 = 110 n 159 ƒ 208 ╨ 62 > 111 o 160 á 209 ╤ 63 ? 112 p 161 í 210 ╥ 64 @ 113 q 162 ó 211 ╙ 65 A 114 r 163 ú 212 ╘ 66 B 115 s 164 ñ 213 ╒ 67 C 116 t 165 Ñ 214 ╓ 68 D 117 u 166 ª 215 ╫ 69 E 118 v 167 º 216 ╪ 70 F 119 w 168 ¿ 217 ┘ 71 G 120 x 169 ⌐ 218 ┌ 72 H 121 y 170 ¬ 219 █ 73 I 122 z 171 ½ 220 ▄ 74 J 123 { 172 ¼ 221 ▌ 75 K 124 | 173 ¡ 222 ▐ 76 L 125 } 174 « 223 ▀ 77 M 126 ~ 175 » 224 α 78 N 127 176 ░ 225 ß 79 O 128 Ç 177 ▒ 226 Γ 80 P 129 ü 178 ▓ 227 Σ VBBS 5.60 Documentation -- 127 Num- Sym- Num- Sym- Num- Sym- Num- Sym- ber bol ber bol ber bol ber bol ─────────── ──────────── ──────────── ──────────── 228 Σ 236 ∞ 244 ⌠ 252 ⁿ 229 σ 237 φ 245 ⌡ 253 ² 230 µ 238 ε 246 ÷ 254 ■ 231 τ 239 ∩ 247 ≈ 255 spc 232 Φ 240 ≡ 248 ° 233 Θ 241 ± 249 ∙ 234 Ω 242 ≥ 250 · 235 δ 243 ≤ 251 √ The drawing characters (176-223) actually line up under each other; the staggered spacing used here is for clarity in rea- ding.