OS/2 Shareware BBS: 2 BBS/02-BBS.zip/fullpack.zip/FULLPACK.TXT

Text File | 1994-12-22 | 41KB | 821 lines

╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  FULLPACK.TXT - A 10 step guide to setting up a DOS-Based BBS under OS/2  ║
╚══════════════════════════╤═══════════════╤════════════════════════════════╝
                           │ Revision 1.00 │
                           ╘═══════════════╛
(Revised 12-22-94)

Welcome to the world of OS/2!
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Many have requested a set of instructions on how to get their BBS
up and running under OS/2. This text file, along with SETTINGS.TXT
gives you the tools necessary to get your DOS-Based BBS running
under OS/2 with minimal down-time.

Please note that this package centers around the Wildcat! BBS
platform, as this is the current BBS package that I operate. However,
I have attempted to make the following set of tips and instructions
as "generic" as possible. Although substitution of certain commands
and environment variables is in order if you run a different BBS
package, the basic structure can be adapted to your specific needs
without too much trouble.

Well take a deep breath, grab a can of your favorite beverage, and let's
get started! Only 10 steps from start to finish!

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-
Step 1:

The first thing you should do is prepare your BBS software to run under
OS/2's operating environment. Before you do this there are a couple of
things you will need to be aware of regarding OS/2's DOS support itself.

First off, unlike MS-DOS, OS/2's DOS emulation does not need an
external program (SHARE.EXE) to enable file sharing support. This
support is totally integrated into OS/2, thus SHARE.EXE is not needed.
The main thing to remember is that there is no need to enable this
support under OS/2. File sharing support is ALWAYS there. You can't
"turn it off".

Any programs that require DOS Share to be loaded will work properly
under OS/2 in most situations*. Simply tell the program that DOS Share
is loaded, and you are set.

So the first step would be to go into your BBS configuration setup
program and tell your BBS software that SHARE is loaded.

╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ EXAMPLE:                                                                  ║
║                                                                           ║
║ For Wildcat systems, go into MAKEWILD.EXE and under "General Information" ║
║ there is a field for "Network Type" as shown below. This needs to be set  ║
║ to DOS Share.                                                             ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

╔═══════════════════════════ General Information ═══════════════════════════╗
║ Path for language files               : E:\WC40\LANGUAGE\                 ║
║ Default file extension                : ZIP                               ║
║ Generate file keywords dynamically    : Y                                 ║
║ Index long file descriptions          : Y                                 ║
║ Copy files from CD-ROM on transfers   : Y                                 ║
║ CD-ROM changer tables                 :  (Press F2 to edit)               ║
║ Allow duplicate user names            : No duplicate names                ║
║ Database file safety mode             : None                              ║
║ Network type                          : DOS share                         ║
║ Node ID                               : 1                                 ║
║ Auto determine node ID                : N                                 ║
║───────────────────────── Display information ─────────────────────────────╢
║ Screen blanker type                   : Blank out                         ║
║ Video adaptor type                    : Auto Detect                       ║
║ RIP mode for system                   : Standard RIP                      ║
║ Clear screen before menus             : Y                                 ║
╙───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╜

NOTE: If you are running a SINGLE-NODE BBS only, you will not need to make
use of file sharing, so you have the option to set Wildcat's network mode
to "No Net".

* - There is a bug in OS/2 Warp that will cause some programs to error
with a network initialization error or an error related to not having
share loaded. There are many fixes available for some of these programs.

As of this revision, patches are available for Wildcat, wcEDIT!, PostMaster,
and wcTODAY, and are included in this archive. More on these patches at
the end of this text file. Program upgrades which also fix the problem
are available for Transcan, Wildmail, and HyperMail. IBM is working on the
problem and a fix should be released shortly.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-
Step 2:

Ok, now that you have your BBS configuration set, it's time to make use
of a file distributed with this archive, SIO140.ZIP. These are the
high-performance communications drivers that are needed for your BBS to
run properly under OS/2. Create a directory on your hard drive called
SIO and copy that ZIP file into that directory. Now unzip it's contents
into that directory. The files you are concerned with now are SIO.SYS
and VSIO.SYS, which you have just PKUNZIPed into that directory.

Please take the time now to read the SIOUSER.TXT which is the documentation
for SIO. ESPECIALLY if you are using non-standard COM ports and IRQ's.
The doc's explain exactly how to enable non-standard COM support under OS/2.

Now that you have those files ready to go, it's time to implement them.
Using a text editor, REM out or delete the following two lines:

DEVICE=x:\OS2\BOOT\COM.SYS
DEVICE=x:\OS2\BOOT\VCOM.SYS

and replace them with:

DEVICE=x:\SIO\SIO.SYS
DEVICE=x:\SIO\VSIO.SYS

This will enable COM1 and COM2 for use under OS/2. For details on how
to enable COM3 and COM4, refer to the SIO documentation.

If you would like to lock the ports at a certain baud rate, the way to
do this is to enclose in parenthesis the COM port number you wish to
lock and the baud rate to lock the port at. This needs to be placed on the
SIO.SYS command line, NOT the VSIO.SYS command line.

 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
 ║ EXAMPLE:                                                               ║
 ║                                                                        ║
 ║ To lock COM1 at 38,400 BPS and COM2 at 57,600 BPS, the command line to ║
 ║ accomplish this is:                                                    ║
 ║                                                                        ║
 ║ DEVICE=x:\SIO\SIO.SYS (1:38400) (2:57600)                              ║
 ║ DEVICE=x:\SIO\VSIO.SYS                                                 ║
 ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Save the file, and reboot for the changes to take effect. If SIO
reports ANY errors, please take the time NOW to correct them, SIO must
be operating correctly in order to continue. If SIO detected your COM
ports, and reported no conflicts or errors, you're ready to continue!

You have just enabled COM support for your BBS!
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Step 3:

It's time to create a folder for your BBS nodes on your OS/2 desktop. The
easiest way to do this is to pick any other folder on your desktop, place
your mouse cursor over the folder, and click your right mouse button.
This will bring up a variety of options, one of which will look similar to:

Create another ->

Click on the arrow, and choose "Folder".

This will bring up a note pad. At the top of the Pad it displays:

New Name: Folder

Change the name from "Folder" to whatever you would like to call your
new BBS folder, for example, "Shadowgate BBS".

On the note pad it also asks you to "Select a folder as a target for this
operation". Click on "Desktop". You will now have a folder on your desktop
with your BBS name!
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Step 4:

Now that you have your folder, click on it to open it. You should have
an empty (icon-less) folder. Now it's time to add some DOS-session
icons to this folder that will be used to represent each node of your BBS.

Before you can begin to do this, you'll need to set up your DOS sessions
to be as fast as possible under OS/2. OS/2's DOS sessions are THE most
user-configurable DOS sessions available. While introducing a whole new
level of power and flexibility to DOS, it also introduces a whole new
level of confusion<g>.

Since there are approximately 65 different DOS settings, setting up each
DOS session you have can be a long and tedious task. But why make it long
and tedious when you can make it short and sweet! Here's how you're going
to do just that!

Open up your command prompts folder, and there will be a command prompt
labeled "DOS Full Screen". Place your mouse pointer over that icon and
click your right mouse button once. This will bring up a pop-up list.
One of the choices will be "Settings". Click on that. Now there will
be a settings notebook displayed with five tabs on the upper right hand
side labeled "Program, Session, Association, Window, and General".

The first tab, Program, is already selected for you. Please click on the
"Session" tab.

This will bring up a number of options, and among the options there will
be a button in the middle right-hand side labeled "DOS Settings". Click on
that button and brace yourself<g>.

Clicking on "DOS settings" brings up a list of possible ways to display
the settings. (NOTE: This ONLY applies to users of OS/2 3.0 - 2.x users
will be sent directly to the DOS settings list). Choose "All DOS
settings" and click "Ok".

Now you will see the beginning of a list of all of the DOS settings for
that particular session. Starting with either "AUDIO_ADAPTER_SHARING", or
DOS_AUTOEXEC.

Now you're going to set each one according to my recommended DOS session
settings for this session. Included with the FULLPACK archive was my
SETTINGS.TXT file. What follows are my recommended DOS session settings
taken from that file. I URGE you to read SETTINGS as soon as you are
finished setting up your BBS to put the finishing touches on your system.
SETTINGS.TXT includes not only optimized DOS session settings, but
selected CONFIG.SYS modifications as well. It's definitely worth the read!

Ok, here are the settings, in order. Please modify your DOS session to
reflect these settings (substiute the "x" for the appropriate drive letter
in your case):

───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DOS_AUTOEXEC                x:\AUTOEXEC.BAT
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DOS_BACKGROUND_EXECUTION    ON

NOTES: Necessary for multitasking ANY communications program.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DOS_BREAK                   ON

NOTES: Turn on to Allow CTRL-Break in the DOS session.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DOS_DEVICE                  x:\OS2\MDOS\ANSI.SYS
                            x:\SIO\VX00.SYS

NOTES: ANSI.SYS is necessary to load if you wish to be able to view callers
activity while they are in a door.

VX00.SYS is OS/2's FOSSIL driver, and is included with the SIO package.
If you use doors that require a FOSSIL driver, VX00 is the one you need
to load. (Do NOT use DOS fossil drivers such as X00 or BNU).
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DOS_FCBS                    16
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DOS_FCBS_KEEP               8
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DOS_FILES                   40
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DOS_HIGH                    ON
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DOS_LASTDRIVE               Z
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DOS_RMSIZE                  640
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DOS_SHELL                   x:\OS2\MDOS\COMMAND.COM x:\OS2\MDOS
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DOS_STARTUP_DRIVE           (Blank)
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DOS_UMB                     ON

NOTES: This is up to your individual preference. For Sysop's who use
Livecat door monitor program under OS/2 this setting as well as DOS_HIGH
must be turned OFF for that program to work properly.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DOS_VERSION                 (Too Numerous To List)

NOTES: This setting is only for programs that require a specific DOS
version. 90% of the time this will never need to be touched.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DPMI_DOS_API                AUTO
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT           16

NOTES: Increasing this from the default of 4 will cause your DOS-based
programs to load up faster.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DPMI_NETWORK_BUFF_SIZE      8
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
EMS_FRAME_LOCATION          AUTO
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
EMS_HIGH_OS_MAP_REGION      32

NOTES: This is different from the default of 0. Some programs that use EMS
encounter problems if this is not set to 32.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
EMS_LOW_OS_MAP_REGION       384
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
EMS_MEMORY_LIMIT            2048

NOTES: See notes under XMS_MEMORY_LIMIT
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
HW_NOSOUND                  OFF
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
HW_ROM_TO_RAM               ON
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
HW_TIMER                    OFF

NOTES: Some people were having difficulty getting system sounds to
generate from the PC Speaker when this was turned on. If you are having
this problem, turn this option OFF. If you are not experiencing this
problem, you can turn it ON. However, the performance improvement is
hardly noticeable under most cases.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
IDLE_SECONDS                60

NOTES: Necessary at 60 for 14.4+ modems. Improves CPS rates dramatically
(as opposed to the default of 0)
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
IDLE_SENSITIVITY            38

NOTES: If using OSTSR - Set to 38, otherwise, set it to 100 (Disable it)
OSTSR needs IDLE_SENSITIVITY enabled for it to work properly.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
INT_DURING_IO               OFF

NOTES: LEAVE IT OFF! Under NO circumstances should this be turned on unless
it is specifically needed for a particular DOS session. Your CPU will take
a serious performance hit with this turned ON.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
KBD_ALTHOME_BYPASS          OFF

NOTES: Setting this to ON prevents you from using Alt-Home to toggle
between DOS full screen and DOS Window.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
KBD_BUFFER_EXTEND           ON
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
KBD_CTRL_BYPASS             NONE
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
KBD_RATE_LOCK               OFF
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
MEM_EXCLUDE-REGIONS         (Blank)
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
MEM_INCLUDE_REGIONS         (Blank)
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
MOUSE_EXCLUSIVE_ACCESS      OFF
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PRINT_SEPERATE_OUTPUT       ON
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PRINT_TIMEOUT               15

NOTES: This setting is up to you. It adjusts the amount of time, in
seconds, that the system waits before forcing a print job to the printer.
The default of 15 seems to work fine for me.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SESSION_PRIORITY            1

NOTES: This setting is OS/2 3.0 specific. It works best at the default
of 1.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SIO_ALLOW_ACCESS_COM1       See Notes
SIO_ALLOW_ACCESS_COM2       "   "
SIO_ALLOW_ACCESS_COM3       "   "
SIO_ALLOW_ACCESS_COM4       "   "

NOTES: Leave this at the default for now, you will be modifying this later.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SIO_IDLE_SENSITIVITY        32
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SIO_MODE_DTR                No Change at Open or Close

NOTES: Some people were reporting drop carriers if this option was set to
"On at open, off at close" using SIO 1.32 with a front-end mailer. Setting
this to the default cures that problem.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SIO_MODE_FIFO_LOAD_COUNT    16
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SIO_MODE_IDSR               Ignore DSR during receive
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SIO_MODE_OCTS               HandShake signal, as in RTS/CTS
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SIO_MODE_ODSR               Ignore DSR during transmit.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SIO_MODE_RTS                HandShake signal, as in RTS/CTS
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SIO_MODE_XON/XOFF           No XON/XOFF Flow Control by SIO
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SIO_SCREEN_SUNC_KLUDGE      ON

NOTES: Test this on your particular system. It seems to have different
results depending on the system. It improves performance for me when it is
ON, however it may not for you. Test and set accordingly.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SIO_SHARE_ACCESS_WITH_OS/2  ON
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SIO_VIRTUALIZE_16550A       ON
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SIO_VIRTUALIZE_COM_PORTS    ON
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
VIDEO_8514A_XGA_IOTRAP      OFF

NOTES: Some people were having problems when switching from full screen
graphical programs (such as Ripterm) to something else and then back again.
Their video would become corrupted and their screen would go blank or turn
a different color. Setting this to OFF cures that problem.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
VIDEO_FASTPASTE             OFF
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
VIDEO_MODE_RESTRICTION      NONE
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
VIDEO_ONDEMAND_MEMORY       ON
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
VIDEO_RETRACE_EMULATION     ON
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
VIDEO_ROM_EMULATION         ON
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
VIDEO_SWITCH_NOTIFICATION   OFF
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
VIDEO_WINDOW_REFRESH        1
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
XMS_HANDLES                 32
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
XMS_MEMORY_LIMIT            0

NOTES: Either use EMS or XMS. (Whatever the particular program that you are
running wants).  Otherwise you are starving OS/2 of the one thing it likes
most...LOTS of RAM. You're consuming half of your total 8 meg for this
DOS session alone. 2 meg EMS is PLENTY. That way you get two DOS sessions
for the price of one.

SUGGESTION: If you run Windows programs under OS/2, allocate XMS memory to
the WIN-OS2 sessions, not EMS. Why? Windows does not use EMS, it only uses
XMS, thus allocating any EMS memory to WIN-OS2 sessions is unnecessary.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
XMS_MINIMUM_HMA            0
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Now that you have the settings set up for your DOS session, you can now
click on "Save" to save those settings, and then double-click on the
upper-left mini DOS icon to close the settings notebook.

───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Step 5:

Now the time has arrived to create your individual DOS sessions for your
BBS. Make sure you have your newly created folder OPEN displaying the
icon view (the folder should still be empty), AND your "Command prompts"
folder open displaying your newly modified DOS full-screen session as well.

Place your mouse over the newly modified "DOS Full Screen" icon and right
mouse button click on it. This will bring up a pop-up pick list, and one
of the options will be:

"Copy"

This will bring up a note pad. At the top of the Pad it displays:

New Name: DOS Full Screen

Change the name from "DOS Full Screen" to whatever you would like to
call your new BBS node, for example, "Shadowgate Node 1".

On the note pad it also asks you to "Select a folder as a target for this
operation". Click on your BBS folder. You will now have a DOS full screen
icon with for one of your BBS Nodes in your BBS folder!

Repeat this step for every node icon you wish to create. For example,
if you have 2 dial-in lines and one local node, you will want to create
three new BBS icons, one for each of your nodes.

The best part is that when you copy a DOS session like you just did, you
copy ALL of the DOS settings with it!
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-
Step 6:

Now you'll need to open up your DOS settings for each node and tell SIO
what COM port to allow access to for each node. To do this start with one
of your BBS icons, place the mouse pointer over that icon, and click the
right mouse button once. Now choose "Settings" from the pop-up menu, and
the DOS session settings notebook will appear, click on the "Session"
tab on the right hand side to bring up the window settings. Click on
the "DOS Settings" button on the middle-right hand side. Click on "Ok"
to display all of the DOS session settings. Press the PageDown key until
you see the settings that begin with "SIO_".

You will find a group of settings that say:

SIO_ALLOW_ACCESS_COM1
SIO_ALLOW_ACCESS_COM2
SIO_ALLOW_ACCESS_COM3
SIO_ALLOW_ACCESS_COM4

You'll want to only give access to the one COM port that will be needed
for this session.

╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ EXAMPLE:                                                                  ║
║                                                                           ║
║ If you are editing your BBS Node 1 icon, and your Node 1 is connected to  ║
║ COM1 on your computer, you will need to allow SIO access to COM1 only, so ║
║ turn on access for COM1, and off for COM2, COM3, and COM4. For your local ║
║ login icon, you'll want to turn COM access off for all four ports.        ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Now click on the upper left-hand corner of the DOS settings notebook and
close it. Repeat this step (Step 6) for all of your node icons. When you're
finished, you're ready to move on!
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Step 7

Now that you have that taken care of, it's time to set up some batch files
to run a multiple-node BBS under OS/2.

I have included the files STARTBBS.BAT, NODE0.BAT, NODE1.BAT, NODE2.BAT, and
AUTOEXEC.BAT with this archive, and you can use these by simply modifying
the names and SET statements to match your needs and preferences.

The way I have structured this is for simplicity, and to make it as easy
as possible to add new nodes in the future. Basically here is how the
structure flows from start to finish:

  ┌─────────────────┐  ┌──────────────────────┐   ┌─────────────────┐
  │  Node 0 (Local) │  │  Node 1 (Non Mailer) │   │ Node 2 (Mailer) │
  └────────┬────────┘  └──────────┬───────────┘   └────────┬────────┘
   ┌───────┴───────┐      ┌───────┴───────┐        ┌───────┴───────┐
   │ Click on icon │      │ Click on icon │        │ Click on icon │
   └───────┬───────┘      └───────┬───────┘        └───────┬───────┘
           │                      │                        │
           └──────────────────────┼────────────────────────┘
                        ┌─────────┴─────────┐
                        │ Load AUTOEXEC.BAT │
                        └─────────┬─────────┘
                                  │
           ┌──────────────────────┼────────────────────────┐
           │                      │                        │
   ┌───────┴────────┐     ┌───────┴────────┐       ┌───────┴────────┐
   │ Load NODE0.BAT │     │ Load NODE1.BAT │       │ Load NODE2.BAT │
   └───────┬────────┘     └───────┬────────┘       └───────┬────────┘
           │                      │                        │
           │                      │                        │
           └──────────────────────┼────────────────────────┘
                                  │
                  ┌───────────────┴──────────────────┐
                  │ Call STARTBBS.BAT from NODEx.BAT │
                  └───────────────┬──────────────────┘
                                  │
           ┌──────────────────────┼────────────────────────┐
           │                      │                        │
   ┌───────┴────────┐     ┌───────┴───────┐       ┌────────┴──────────┐
   │ Local node     │     │ Node 1 is now │       │  Mailer is now    │
   │ is now loaded! │     │ waiting for   │       │  loaded and       │
   │                │     │ calls!        │       │  ready for calls! │
   └────────────────┘     └───────────────┘       └───────────────────┘

As you can see, no matter what icon you click, your AUTOEXEC.BAT is loaded
first. Let's take a look at the AUTOEXEC.BAT which was included with this
packet as AUTOEXEC.FPK:

───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-
AUTOEXEC.BAT (AUTOEXEC.FPK):
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-
@ECHO OFF

NOTES: Simply tells DOS not to echo any statements in this batch file back
to the monitor when executing them.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-
PROMPT $P$G

NOTES: Set the DOS Prompt for this session. "$p$g" will cause the DOS prompt
to display like this:

C:\>
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-
PATH=C:\WC40;C:\OS2;C:\OS2\MDOS;C:\;C:\DOS;

NOTES: You can place any directory you want in your path. Make sure your
main BBS directory (In this case C:\WC40) is in the path. The PATH statement
functions the same as MS-DOS's PATH statement.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-
DOSKEY /INSERT

NOTES: Loads DOSKEY command macro editor. This particular command tells
doskey to turn on the Insert key so that when you recall commands at the DOS
prompt using the Up/Dn arrow keys, it will automatically insert your
new modifications instead of overwriting. If you would rather it default
to overwriting, remove the /INSERT parameter.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-
SET WCNODEID=10

NOTES: This is a very useful feature for Wildcat Sysop's, and can probably
be modified for other BBS platforms as well. This basically acts as a "fail-
safe" so that no matter what DOS session you open, you will always have
a BBS node ID set for programs/utilities that need one. (Such as PostMaster,
wcPRO, etc.). You can set this for any node that your BBS software will
allow, but it is a good idea to use a node ID that is NOT already being
used.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-
SET DIRCMD=/O/P

NOTES: This SET statement is identical to the MS-DOS DIRCMD statement, and
simply tells DOS how to display your directories when you type "DIR".
The "/o" parameter tells DOS to display directory listings in alphabetical
order with directories first, and the "/p" parameter pauses the listing
after every screenful. Choose parameters that you like the best.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-
SET DELDIR=C:\DELETE,4096

NOTES: This is OS/2's undelete environment variable. This tells OS/2 to
allocate a 4 MEG area to hold deleted files until they are either recovered
by typing "undelete", or overwritten by newer deleted files. Basically what
happens is when you delete a file, it is actually copied over to this
4 meg (4096) holding area. The file will remain there until either you
recover it using "undelete", or 4 MEG worth of newer deleted files arrive
in that directory. Then it will overwrite the old with the new. You need
to set this environment variable for each drive you have. If you have a
C, D, and E drive, the SET statement would look like this:

SET DELDIR=C:\DELETE,4096;D:\DELETE,4096;E:\DELETE,4096
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-
SET WCHOME=E:\WC40

NOTES: This variable is specific to Wildcat systems and tells programs
that look for this variable where your Wildcat home directory is located.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-
E:\SIO\OSTSR 2

This executable is included in your packet as OSTSR11.ZIP. Place the ZIP
file in your SIO directory and UNZIP it there. Refer to the documentation
on how to use OSTSR. The above statement sets OSTSR at a value of 2, which
I recommend. OSTSR is a DesqView timeslice converter for OS/2, and works
well on programs that normally are DV-aware but not OS/2 aware.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-
C:\SIO\KBSET N+

NOTES: This is a nifty little utility that will turn on various keyboard
switches. Since OS/2 defaults to NumLock off, I use KBSET to turn on
NumLock as soon as the DOS session loads. KBSET.EXE was included with this
package, and can be copied to your SIO directory as well.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-

That covers the basic AUTOEXEC.BAT for OS/2. Of course you can modify the
above any way you like, but it's a good starting point.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────-
Step 8:

Now that we have the AUTOEXEC.BAT taken care of, we can move on to the
Individual NODEx.BAT files. These batch files can be placed anywhere you
wish. Personally I place each of them in their respective work
directories. For WIldcat users that would be your x:\WC40\WCWORK\NODEx
directories. Others will vary but again they can be placed wherever you
want.

Now here are some examples of various batch files you may wish to use
in your setup. NODE0.BAT shows what a local login batch file would
look like, NODE1.BAT is what a normal dial-in line would look like, and
NODE2.BAT is for those who run a mailer.

  ┌───────────┐
  │ NODE0.BAT │
  └───────────┘
  @ECHO OFF
  SET WCNODEID=0
  SET WCPORTID=0
  SET NODEPATH=E:\WC40\WCWORK\NODE3
  CD\WC40
  STARTBBS.BAT

  This file is pretty self-explanatory. It sets the WCNODEID, WCPORTID,
  which is all that is necessary for local logins. Calling STARTBBS.BAT
  is OPTIONAL. Doing so will give you an Idle screen. If you would rather
  click on this icon and be logged in directly, remove the STARTBBS.BAT
  line and replace it with WILDCAT /LOCAL.

  The NODEPATH environment variable is for programs such as Romdoor that
  look for that environment to be set.

  ┌───────────┐
  │ NODE1.BAT │
  └───────────┘
  @ECHO OFF
  C:
  SET WCNODEID=1
  SET WCPORTID=1
  SET WCIRQID=4
  SET WCBASEID=$3F8
  SET NODEPATH=C:\WC40\WCWORK\NODE1
  SET WCMDM=SPORTSTR
  CD\WC40
  STARTBBS.BAT

  This is similar to the NODE0.BAT except that we add a few important
  items. WCMDM is the .MDM file that Wildcat will use with this node.
  Change the name to reflect what you use for an .MDM file. Use
  wcMODEM to edit/create your .MDM file. WCIRQID and WCBASEID are
  important variables to set for certain 3rd party programs. These
  settings are identical to what is shown in your .MDM file, but
  they should still be used.

  ┌───────────┐
  │ NODE2.BAT │
  └───────────┘
  @ECHO OFF
  C:
  CD\IM
  SET MAILERID=1
  SET WCMDM=HAYES288.MDM
  SET WCHOME=C:\WC40
  SET WCNODEID=2
  SET WCPORTID=2
  SET WCIRQID=3
  SET WCBASEID=$2F8
  SET NODEPATH=C:\WC40\WCWORK\NODE2\
  MAILER

  As you can see this is very similar to node 2 except that at the end
  it loads MAILER.BAT (or whatever your bath file name is to load your
  mailer) instead of STARTBBS.BAT. I also add a handy environment
  variable for those like me who run a mailer on more than one node.
  That way you can specify which mailer configuration you would like
  to use depending on the node you are loading.

  For Intermail the command line would look like this:

  im -nounpack /#%MAILERID%

Now it's time to show the core file that each of the NODEx.BAT files
loads, the STARTBBS.BAT. The master batch file that calls up the BBS is the
STARTBBS.BAT file, which for Wildcat! users will be their CAT.BAT file.
Here is what that batch file looks like. (Remember this was included in
your packet as STARTBBS.FPK).

   ┌───────────────┐
   │ STARTBBS.BAT: │
   └───────────────┘
   @ECHO OFF
   echo Running STARTBBS.BAT for Node %WCNODEID% on COM:%WCPORTID%
   :RELOAD
   WILDCAT /T
   IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO RELOAD

   This batch file serves one purpose, to load up your BBS software.
   for Wildcat users, I have added the /T parameter so Wildcat will
   release timeslices (it seems to do so regardless of whether or not
   you have the /T set but let's humor MSI<G>)

   Well, you've got your NODEx.BAT files, and your STARTBBS.BAT files
   all set, and if you'll refer back to the above diagram, you're almost
   done!

   Now simply modify the files to suit your taste and number of nodes.
   After you have edited them the way you liked, you're ready to tell
   each of your node icons which batch file to run. You are almost there!
   Now is the time to edit those files, and copy them to where you would
   like them to be. For the sake of congruity I am assuming that you have
   copied your NODEx.BAT into the appropriate WCWORK\NODEx sub-directories.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Step 9:

Now it's time to modify each of your DOS session icons to load the
correct NODEx.BAT files. This is accomplished my placing your mouse pointer
over one of the icons, and clicking the right mouse button on it. Choose
"Settings" from the pop-up pick list. You'll now see the settings notebook
for that session.

There now is a field displayed that says "File Path and Name". You'll need
to enter in the path and file name to your batch file.

╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ EXAMPLE:                                                                  ║
║ If you're editing the icon for Node 1, In the "File Path and Name" enter: ║
║                                                                           ║
║ C:\WC40\WCWORK\NODE1\NODE1.BAT                                            ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Leave the "Parameters" field blank, and for the "Working Directory:" field
put in the directory where your NODEx.BAT resides.

╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ EXAMPLE:                                                                  ║
║ For Node 1, your working directory would be:                              ║
║                                                                           ║
║ C:\WC40\WCWORK\NODE1                                                      ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Repeat step 9 for each of the DOS sessions, and guess what...

YOU'RE ALMOST DONE!

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Step 10:

If you're running a Wildcat! BBS, you'll need to take the time now to
run the OS/2 Warp fix included with this archive on your .EXE's. To do
this copy the WCOS2FIX.ZIP over to your main Wildcat directory, unzip
the file, and run the WCOS2FIX.EXE. It will then patch your files.

If you have PostMaster, wcTODAY, or wcEDIT, there are patches for these
programs included in this archive as well. They are PMOS2FIX.ZIP,
WCTOS2FX.ZIP, and WCEOS2FX.ZIP respectively.

Please view the README's in each of these fix archives before you
install them. They are important!

If you use Transcan, Wildmail, or HyperMail, there are patches for
each of these programs available also. These patches were included
with program updates which were too large for this archive. If you
are running Transcan 5.10+ or HyperMail 1.10+ there is no need to
upgrade. The fix for it was included with the latest update. The
current upgrade for Wildmail fixes the problem with SHARE as well.

Click on the icons and load the BBS up. You're now running full-speed
under OS/2!

For those of you that were either used to a DesqView utility that would
"spawn" new DOS sessions and run a specified program, or for others
wishing to get the BBS back up and running as soon as possible, Doug
Glenn's KIS0894 (Keeping it Simple) for OS/2 "spawns" new DOS or OS/2
sessions on command. This is very useful for systems that process a
large amount of mail as you can open a new DOS window to run the mail
tosser, allowing your BBS to immediately come back online. The uses for
KIS are really unlimited, and for a $5 registration fee, it's well worth
it. It's avaiable for FREQ as KIS0894.ZIP

Please take the time to read SETTINGS.TXT which is your guide to improving
OS/2 performance. The file includes not only recommended DOS settings,
but also recommended CONFIG.SYS all tuned for performance.

In the future, the only file that you will need to keep up to date with
is SETTINGS.TXT, which is distributed separately as SETTINGS.ZIP. It is
not necessary to download this FULLPACK.ZIP file again. SETTINGS is
constantly updated to improve performance, and the latest version is
always available on my BBS (and many others!). For contact information,
please refer to SETTINGS.TXT. It has all of the different ways to contact
me, as well as the address to FREQ either FULLPACK.ZIP or SETTINGS.ZIP
from, and my BBS # to download it if you do not have a Front-End Mailer.

Good Luck with all of your future endeavors!

Tony Harrison, Sysop
Shadowgate BBS