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.TOPIC: Database Configuration VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-E-1 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ CHAPTER 2 ANNEX E 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, number or symbol from ascii characters 33 to 255. ╔═╗ We'll hold 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. 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 6.12 Documentation -- 2-E-2 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. The file directory must be physically made by the SysOp in DOS, and the files placed there. To 'upload' these files locally, the SysOp uses the 'Z' command on the Transfer Menu where he will be prompted to add descriptions. Like message databases, file databases may be grouped in- to topic areas by giving each topic a unique letter DBGROUP identifier. Other Databases ═══════════════ Custom databases may be set up to work in conjunction with script-based applications. Entries in custom databases, be they text or screens, may be called up from scripts using the DISPLAYTEXT and related script commands. Configuring and Editing Databases in VCONFIG ════════════════════════════════════════════ K) DB Group: ════════ This is a letter, number or symbol from ascii characters 33 to 255 which designates which database topic group this database belong to. See "Setting up Topic Areas" for details. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: It is NOT necessary to create a new database group each time you wish to add a new database. 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 6.12 Documentation -- 2-E-3 ╔═╗ 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 embarrassing to have your file descriptions show up as posts on networked message bases. 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 large FIDOnet and InterNet conferences -- you may want to set it as high as 500 or 1000. It's NOT a good idea to enter a 0 in VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-E-4 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 6.12 Documentation -- 2-E-5 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 6.12 Documentation -- 2-E-6 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 non-secured subs (the ones that are preset in VBBS) 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 6.12 Documentation -- 2-E-7 works are still in the experimental stage as of this wri- ting, and more network utilities are in development such as VRIME and VQWKNET. 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 to sysops and are fully operational in the DEMO version of VBBS. They are automatically inactivated if VBBS remains unregistered after 60 days. 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 ╚═╝ existing topic area(s) where they belong. When you add message databases, you MUST SORT and COMPILE your configurations using the appropriate commands from the initial DATABASE Configuration screen for the changes to take effect. ╔═╗ 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 use VAREA to go through ╚═╝ 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.