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.TOPIC: Paths Configuration VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-F-1 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ CHAPTER TWO ANNEX F 4. PATHS CONFIGURATION ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ 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 NETWORKS.LST 4) System Text Files (\TXT) ═════════════════ Where VBBS expects to find system text files: *.TXT *.ANS *.ASC *.MNU *.PDM *.RIP 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 6.12 Documentation -- 2-F-2 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). For tighter security, you may want to place the \SYSOP directory directly off of your DOS root 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 settings in this section of VCONFIG to verify that they are correct. .TOPIC: Download/Upload Protocols VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-G-1 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ CHAPTER TWO ANNEX G DOWNLOAD/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 and it own proprietary VXY protocol. Other protocols may added 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 restrict rz .TOPIC: Networks Configuration VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-H-1 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ CHAPTER TWO ANNEX H 7. NETWORKS CONFIGURATION ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Selecting this option brings you to a list of networks, which is derived from NETWORKS.LST, a master multi-net listing. NETWORKS.LST is updated periodically as needed and should be placed in your /DATA subdirectory. --> IMPORTANT NOTE: The NETWORKS.LST file is configureable by the sysop. 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) Protocols Allowed Options are Zmodem, Ymodem, HSlink, and VXY protocols 4) Protocol Prefer. Protocol that will be used when your system initiates network transfers. 5) Server Your server's node number. 6) Server Phone # Your server's phone number. 7) Server Call Whether call to server is LOCAL or LONG DISTANCE. 8) 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. 9) 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>. A) Server Password Network server's password (if used). B) ZIP Trigger Level Default 50k for prezipping packets before initiating network callout. VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-H-2 C) Add/Edit/List Used only if your system functions as the Clients server for other systems. More on this in a moment -- I can only indent so far. E. Edit Extended Permits you to designate up to four Connections different VirtualNET servers to connect to. 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. If your system will connect to more than one VirtualNET server, selecting option E) Edit Extended Connections will bring up the following menu: 1. Node Number: 2. Phone #: 3. Call: 4. Threshold: 5. Macro: 6. Password: To use extended connects you must set up an EXTEND.0 file in your NET subdirectory. Please see VirtualNet helpd. 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. VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-H-3 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: 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) Nodelist: Name of the NODELIST 8) Zones: Options are 1-8 D) Dial List Allows editing of your dialing list. R) Routing Specifies mail routing. A) AKA's Allows for other Fido-type networks 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). These programs are freely available to sysops. You should also set up your VirtualNET entry for mail tossing to work properly. .TOPIC: Events Configuration VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-I-1 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ CHAPTER TWO ANNEX I 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 APPENDIX K. For online-game maintenance, please consult the game documentation. .TOPIC: Control Panel Configuration VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-J-1 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ CHAPTER TWO ANNEX J 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 must create using an ASCII text editor. This batch file contains the command line that will start up your communi- cations program (Telix, etc.). Hereis an example of a command line: C:\VBBS\TELIX.BAT and put TELIX.BAT in the main VBBS directory. 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 VLIST.EXE. Note that the DOS com- mand line above does not allow you to back up through the text, use arrow keys, or PgUp/PgDown; We recommend using VLIST.EXE or 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 6.0 editor or similar), or other programs you frequently run outside of VBBS. Be aware that several add-on utilities have been specifically developed for VBBS to call up sub-menus from F-keys so that maximum flexibility is available to you. --> IMPORTANT NOTE : Place all batch files to call up function keys in your main VBBS directory. .TOPIC: Doors Configuration VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-K-1 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ CHAPTER TWO ANNEX K 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 6.12 Documentation -- 2-K-2 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. In addition, Appendix J 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. ▒▒ For installation of games under OS/2, please refer to Appendix D for information. .TOPIC: Voting Booth VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-L-1 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ CHAPTER TWO ANNEX L 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. .TOPIC: Random Messages VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 2-M-1 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ CHAPTER TWO ANNEX M 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. .TOPIC: Archive View Configration VBBS 6.12 Documentation -- 20N-1 ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ CHAPTER TWO ANNEX N D. ARCHIVE VIEW CONFIGURATION ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ 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. ▒▒ OS/2 version : Please refer to Appendix D for archiver information related to OS/2.