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Squalid V1.00 User's Guide
Greg Newton
FidoNet 3:632/376
15 May, 1993
based upon
AreaFix v1.20 User's Guide
Jeffrey J. Nonken
19 September 1990
(used with permission)
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
===================
This document is public domain. Please note that this does not alter
the rights or ownership status of the copyright holder of Squalid in
any way.
This is a user's guide to Squalid. This document does not describe how
to install Squalid; this document was created to allow echomail hubs
running Squalid to pass simple instructions around to their downlinks.
To keep things simple the terms "uplink" and "downlink" are used. Your
uplink is the system that is passing echoes to you, usually from the
direction of the backbone or the origin of the echo (sometimes known
as an "echo feed"). You are per downlink. If you are passing the
echoes from your uplink to another node, that node is your downlink,
and you are per uplink. Simple? Good. This guide assumes your uplink
is running Squalid and tells you how to add and remove echomail areas
remotely using Squalid.
WHAT IS SQUALID?
================
Squalid (SQUish Area List Interrogation Device) is a program that
allows sysops to remotely alter their uplinks' distribution file
(SQUISH.CFG) without bothering the uplinks' sysops. In other words, if
I want to pick up a certain echo from my uplink, and per has Squalid
installed, I just send a special message and the linking is handled
automatically. Ideally, my uplink's sysop does nothing once per has
set up Squalid.
SQUALID SETUP
=============
This is mostly your Hub's responsibility. Per has to install Squalid
on per system and install your password. You should pick a password to
use in your Squalid messages, or your uplink may choose one for you.
Remember this password! It may be from 1 to 30 characters long and may
contain any printable characters except spaces.
TALKING TO SQUALID
==================
To invoke Squalid you must send a netmail message to your Hub. The
message should be private, addressed to Squalid, and the subject will
be your password. Case is not important.
To: Squalid
Subject: Gronk
Squalid will also allow psuedonyms for itself. Your Hub may have a
special name per wants you to send to instead of "Squalid" (a typical
example would be "AreaFix"). If so, per will tell you. For my examples
I will use "Squalid".
SQUALID TALKING TO YOU
======================
Any time Squalid replies it will send you a message explaining what
action it took (if any) and giving you a list of echoes currently
active for you. If you are first on your uplink's list for a
particular area -- which usually implies that you are a 'feed' for
that area, the originator of the echo -- Squalid will put an asterisk
next to the echo name with a note that says you are your uplink's feed
for that echo. You will usually only see that for local echomail
areas, if at all.
Some areas will be 'pass through' at your uplink, which means that per
does not keep a store of old messages, and thus the areas cannot be
re-scanned. Squalid will indicate such areas by prefixing the echo
name with an equality sign (=).
Sometimes your uplink Sysop will specify some text to be included in
every message, which will appear before any automatically generated
text from Squalid.
TURNING ON ECHOES
================
Turning on an echo is easy; simply send a message to Squalid with a
list of echoes you want. Case does not matter, and you may use the
wildcard 'ALL' to turn on all echoes which your Hub has made available
to you. The names may start in any column, and you may string them out
on a line (separated by spaces) or put them on separate lines. You may
optionally use the '+' prefix to indicate that you want to turn an
echo on.
From: Tom Slick
To: Squalid
Subject: Gronk
GREEN_EC_O
+FDECHO
TUB
Squalid V1.00 User's Guide page 2
Squalid replies:
From: Squalid V1.00
To: Tom Slick
Subject: Echomail Change Requests
Squalid V1.00 Echomail Control Utility
Area GREEN_EC_O added
Area FDECHO added
Area TUB added
Areas active for 3:631/199
= FDECHO
TUB
GREEN_EC_O
Total: 3
`>' : you are the feed
`=' : pass through area
TURNING OFF ECHOES
=================
Removing an area is just as easy; just precede the area name with a
minus sign (-) when you send the message.
From: Tom Slick
To: Squalid
Subject: Gronk
-GREEN_EC_O
-TUB
Squalid replies:
From: Squalid V1.00
To: Tom Slick
Subject: Echomail Change Requests
Squalid V1.00 Echomail Control Utility
Area GREEN_EC_O deleted
Area TUB deleted
Areas active for 3:631/199
= FDECHO
Total: 1
`>' : you are the feed
`=' : pass through area
Squalid V1.00 User's Guide page 3
RESCANNING ECHOES
=================
Squalid introduces a new feature for those familiar with AreaFix.
Individual echoes can be 'rescanned' in a similar manner to turning an
echo on or off. Simply precede the name of the echo with a caret
character (^), which Squalid interprets as 'add and then rescan'.
Another way to achieve a rescan for one or more areas, is to precede
that area with the %RESCAN command. Only areas listed after the
command will be rescanned.
Note that your uplink Sysop can disable rescan for some or all of per
downlinks.
From: Tom Slick
To: Squalid
Subject: Gronk
^GREEN_EC_O
^FDECHO
TUB
%RESCAN
OZ_ACCESSNET
Squalid replies:
From: Squalid V1.00
To: Tom Slick
Subject: Echomail Change Requests
Squalid V1.00 Echomail Control Utility
Area GREEN_EC_O added
Area GREEN_EC_O rescanned
Area FDECHO not added (already active)
Area FDECHO not rescanned (passthrough area)
Area TUB added
Area OZ_ACCESSNET added
Area OZ_ACCESSNET rescanned
Areas active for 3:631/199
= FDECHO
TUB
GREEN_EC_O
OZ_ACCESSNET
Total: 4
`>' : you are the feed
`=' : pass through area
Squalid V1.00 User's Guide page 4
OPTIONS
=======
There are a couple of useful options available. Each of these is
invoked by adding a command to your subject line after the password.
Note that any of these options can be disabled at your uplink Sysop's
discretion.
-L sends you a list of echo areas. The uplink Sysop may make a list of
available areas in a file; if per has done this, the -L command will
cause Squalid to send it to you in a separate file-attach message. The
%LIST command in the body of your message is functionally identical to
the -L subject line switch. Simply use the one you prefer.
-Q also sends you a list of echo areas. However, unlike the -L
command, it will scan through the Area Control files to see what areas
are available and send a list back in a message. Squalid will put a
quote character (>) next to each area that you are receiving. The
%QUERY command in the body of your message does the same thing as the
-Q subject line switch.
From: Tom Slick
To: Squalid
Subject: Gronk -q
(Squalid doesn't require that you put any text here, but your message
editor may! If you need to, just put a tear-line '---')
Squalid replies:
From: Squalid V1.00
To: Tom Slick
Subject: Echomail Change Requests
Squalid V1.00 Echomail Control Utility
Echomail Query Request
Areas available to 3:631/199
AUST_C_HERE
AUS.CONSERVE
MUFFIN
> TUB
NEW_ECHO
>= FDECHO
WORLDTLK
> OZ_ACCESSNET
> GREEN_EC_O
GREEN.029
ENVIRON
Total: 11 Active: 4
`>' : active area for 3:631/199
`=' : passthrough area
Squalid V1.00 User's Guide page 5
The final option that can be used is the -H, or %HELP, option. If this
is enabled by your uplink, the -H option will send you a file that
contains instructions for using Squalid (it's very likely that you'll
get a copy of this file!). -? can be used instead of -H if you wish.
Note that you can use the -H, -L and -Q switches together or
separately, and you may use them with a message that contains changes
to areas, in which case they will reflect the situation after the
changes take effect.
ACCESS KEYS
===========
When your uplink sets up your password, per will assign an access key
to you. It is possible that per will have some private or special
interest echoes that per does not want to have automated for Squalid
use. By assigning those areas a different key than per gives to per
downlinks, those downlinks will not be able to turn on those areas
remotely; the uplink sysop must enable those areas for the downlinks
by hand. However, if you are enabled for a restricted area and you
want to turn it off, you may do so via Squalid as usual. The
restriction is only one-way.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
================
Jeffrey J. Nonken
Ophiophile Maximus
Fidonet: 1:273/715
Internet: Jeffrey.Nonken@f715.n273.z1.fidonet.org
BBS: (215)279-9799
The use of 'per' to indicate 'her', 'him', 'he', 'she' is adopted from
a novel by Marge Piercy, the name of which escapes me at the moment.
Squalid V1.00 User's Guide page 6