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╓─╥─╖ ╓─╖ _
║╓╖╓╥╖║ ╓╖╫ ║ /"/
╨╙╜╨ ╨╙─╜╙╨╙╜■ 3.01 \"\
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The .QWK Compatible Mail ( Θ"Θ )":":":"|
Door for Wildcat! BBS ≈≈_╥_≈≈ : : : w
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#/#/ #/#/
Copyright (C) 1990-91
by Technique Computer Systems
and Greg Hewgill
All Rights Reserved
Victoria, BC, CANADA
October 14, 1991
Table of Contents
-----------------
Introduction .............................................. 2
Tomcat Version 3.01 - What's New? ......................... 3
Installing Tomcat ......................................... 4
Using TCMAINT for Tomcat Configuration .................... 6
Local Tomcat Operation .................................... 9
Tomcat Command Line Options ............................... 9
Prescanning packets ....................................... 10
Network Hub Operation ..................................... 11
Disclaimer ................................................ 12
Technical Support ......................................... 12
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technique Computer Systems - TOMCAT.DOC Page 1
**************************************************************************
You MUST be running Wildcat 3.0 or later to use this program. Tomcat
will NOT work with earlier versions of Wildcat. If you are not running
Wildcat 3.x, please contact Mustang Software, Inc. about an upgrade.
**************************************************************************
Introduction
------------
Welcome to the Tomcat QWK-compatible mail door for Wildcat BBS! Tomcat
allows you and your users to download BBS messages to read offline with
a QWK compatible reader program such as our Silly Little Mail Reader
(SLMR) program. QWK mail packets consist of new messages selected from
your own conference configuration, any new bulletins, new file
listings, and the bulletin board's own "hello" and "goodbye" screens.
The offline reader simulates an on-line BBS session, allowing you to
read and reply to messages without tying up the phone line or incurring
expensive toll charges. Use your favorite text editor or word
processor while replying to messages at your convenience, save and
print messages for future reference. Later, you can call back and
upload your replies, where they are inserted automatically into the
correct BBS message bases.
TomCat! is fully compatible with all mail readers designed for use with
the industry standard QWK mail format. It creates QWK packets directly
from Wildcat's message database, and inserts REP packets the same way.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technique Computer Systems - TOMCAT.DOC Page 2
Tomcat Version 3.01 - What's New?
---------------------------------
Tomcat 3.01 is the first full release of Tomcat for use with Wildcat
3.x. Therefore, there have been dozens of changes since the last
release of Tomcat for Wildcat 3.x (which was the interim Tomcat 3D
version). The following list summarizes the major changes:
- Multiple packers are now supported, not just PKZIP
- New bulletins, files, and news can optionally be included in mail
packets
- Duplicate message checking and rejection is now performed
- Prescanned mail packets are now supported, as well as saving callers'
packets when they encounter a download abort resulting in
disconnection
- Maximum message limits can be specified by conference and per packet
- Short conference names can be explicitly specified
- Local command line operation is now supported
- New command line switches let you invoke Download, Upload, or
Configure directly from the command line
- Pointer files are now supported, these are .PTR files which are
included in each QWK
- Text-only packets are now supported
- Private network mail is now supported
- Conferences which are set for no high ASCII will have all high ASCII
removed by Tomcat, and in addition Tomcat will remove any tear bars
that exist in uploaded messages
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technique Computer Systems - TOMCAT.DOC Page 3
Installing Tomcat
-----------------
*****************************************************************
* Before you run Tomcat (or any other BBS utility that works *
* directly on your datafiles) for the first time, BACK UP. *
* We'll say it again. BACK UP your important BBS files. *
* *
* While we have no reason to think Tomcat will harm your *
* datafiles, accidents can happen. And by the time the damage *
* is repaired, it's frequently impossible to know exactly *
* what went wrong. It's no fun trying to rebuild a BBS from *
* scratch. So BACK UP your important files daily. If you *
* don't have a current backup, and you experience problems *
* while running Tomcat, the amount of help we can offer you *
* is limited. We have tested Tomcat thoroughly on our own *
* system and others, but because no two systems are exactly *
* alike, we cannot guarantee absolutely that Tomcat will *
* work as expected. *
*****************************************************************
What is in the distribution ZIP file
------------------------------------
You will find these files when TCAT301.ZIP is extracted:
TOMCAT.EXE - The executable file
TOMCAT.OVR - The overlay file
TCMAINT.EXE - Tomcat's configuration file editor
TCNEWUSR.BBS - Sample display file shown to first-time Tomcat users
TOMCAT.DOC - Tomcat's manual (the file you're reading now)
MAIL.BAT - Sample batch file to invoke Tomcat
Installation
------------
Throughout these installation instructions, the following terms are
used:
Home Directory - This is the directory where your MAKEWILD.DAT file is
stored, usually C:\WC30 or a similar name.
Node Directory - This is the WCWORK\NODExx directory that is created by
Wildcat for storing node-specific information. The
full path for this directory is usually something like
C:\WC30\WCWORK\NODExx where xx is the node number.
1. Extract the entire contents of TCAT301.ZIP into your Home
Directory. If you keep your Wildcat executable files in another
directory, you may move TOMCAT.EXE and TOMCAT.OVR into that
directory.
2. Move TCNEWUSR.BBS to your display directory (or directories if you
have different display directories per conference). This file may
be edited using a normal text editor to reflect your own system
layout.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technique Computer Systems - TOMCAT.DOC Page 4
3. Run TCMAINT to create Tomcat's configuration file. See the
following section for detailed information on using TCMAINT.
Note that if you have "Terminate on DOORS and MENU Hooks" set to Yes in
Makewild, then you must add the statement
CAT
to the end of MAIL.BAT to restart Wildcat after Tomcat is finished. Do
NOT add this line if "Terminate on DOORS and MENU Hooks" is set to No,
or your system will not operate correctly!
In addition, note that Tomcat need not (and, if you are using the
Autonode feature of Wildcat, MUST NOT) be executed from the Home
Directory. Due to the way Autonode works, Tomcat must be executed from
the Node Directory and therefore MAIL.BAT cannot contain any "CD"
statements that change the current directory. The included MAIL.BAT
file is appropriate for use with Autonode.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technique Computer Systems - TOMCAT.DOC Page 5
Using TCMAINT for Tomcat Configuration
--------------------------------------
TCMAINT is used to edit Tomcat's configuration file, select which
security profiles will have "network security", and maintain Tomcat's
network user database. Remember to always run TCMAINT from your
Wildcat Home Directory, otherwise it won't be able to find your
MAKEWILD.DAT file and other Wildcat files it needs.
Configuration
-------------
This option provides an easy way of editing the Tomcat configuration
file. Each option will be described in the following notes.
ID - This is your BBS identification code. It will
be used to generate the name of QWK packets
made by Tomcat - for example, if ID is set to
MYBBS, then Tomcat will generate MYBBS.QWK
packets. This ID should be a short form of
your BBS name.
City - This is the city in which your BBS is located.
This is only used for informational purposes
in the generated QWK packets.
Phone - This is your BBS phone number. This is only
used for informational purposes in the
generated QWK packets.
Local directory - This field specifies an alternate directory in
which to place locally generated QWK packets.
Normally Tomcat will use the Node Directory
(WCWORK\NODExx), but you may want to place
these QWK packets in another directory. Note
that if you have a lot of different local
users, you will probably want to leave this
blank to use the Node Directory.
Work directory - This field specifies an alternate directory
which Tomcat will use to generate its QWK
packets. Normally Tomcat uses a directory
called TCWORK off the Node Directory, and this
should be sufficient for most purposes. If
you would like to, say, use a RAM disk for
Tomcat's work area, you could set this to
E:\WORK (assuming E: is your RAM disk). Note
that Tomcat will automatically distinguish the
directories for different nodes, so if you set
this to E:\WORK then Node 1 would actually use
E:\WORK.1. This allows you to specify a
single work directory without fear of two
nodes "colliding" when they try to use the
same directory.
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Technique Computer Systems - TOMCAT.DOC Page 6
Bulletins - When set to Y, new bulletins are collected and
included in the generated QWK packets.
News - When set to Y, the Newsletter file is included
if it has been changed since the user's last
Tomcat download.
Files - When set to Y, new file listings are generated
and included in the QWK packet.
Detail download - When set to Y, detailed information on the
number of messages scanned from each
conference is placed in the activity log.
When set to N, only the total number of
messages is logged.
Reject duplicates - When set to Y, Tomcat will automatically
reject messages that already exist on the BBS.
This is to prevent users from uploading a
reply packet that they have already uploaded
once before. There should be no reason why
you would want to turn this option off, but it
is provided nonetheless.
Propeller - This can be set to None, Simple, Varied, Dots,
or Count. Each option provides a different
style of "propeller" display that is shown
when Tomcat is scanning messages.
Prescan Area - This option indicates which file area you
would like to use for prescanned mail packets.
See the section entitled "Prescanning Packets"
for more information on this feature.
Save packets - This option lets you specify which classes of
users will have their packets automatically
retained by Tomcat in case of a download abort
that results in disconnection. See the
section entitled "Prescanning Packets" for
more information.
Baud rate maximums - This section lets you specify what the maximum
per-packet and per-conference message limits
will be by baud rate. Callers may modify
their own maximums, up to the limits set by
the sysop in this configuration. Note that
prescanned packets fall under the "Local" baud
rate.
Packers - This section lets you specify which packers or
archivers you want Tomcat to use. This
section comes already set up for use with
PKZIP, PKPAK, LHA, and ARJ. If you want to
disable any of these options, just blank out
the Letter field with a space.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technique Computer Systems - TOMCAT.DOC Page 7
Short Conference Names - This section is used to specify short
conference names that will be used in the QWK
packet. Tomcat automatically determines a
default short conference name based on the
longer Wildcat conference name, but you may
want to change these defaults.
Note that if you wish to modify any of these options on a per-node
basis, Tomcat will also read a TCNODE.CFG file from the Node Directory.
This file has exactly the same format as TOMCAT.CFG (in your Home
Directory), and any options in it will override the corresponding
setting in TOMCAT.CFG. If you have a need for this feature, you will
probably want to copy TOMCAT.CFG to TCNODE.CFG in the Node Directory,
then edit it with a text editor to remove all but the specific options
you would like to be different. TCMAINT currently will not edit the
TCNODE.CFG files.
Network Security
----------------
The Network Security option of TCMAINT lets you select which security
levels will have "network security" when in Tomcat. Selecting this
option will bring up a list of your security levels. Security levels
with network security will have a dot beside their names. Toggle the
dots using the space bar, and F10 to save your changes and exit.
Network User Database
---------------------
Tomcat's Network User Database contains a list of all users who have
posted a message via one of your nodes (if you are running as network
hub). This information is stored so that Tomcat can correctly route
private messages addressed to users back to the node from which they
have been posting their messages.
If you have never had a node call you for mail, Tomcat will report "No
network nodes in database" and not let you enter this function. It is
necessary to be a network hub before this option will be of any use.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technique Computer Systems - TOMCAT.DOC Page 8
Local Tomcat Operation
----------------------
You can run Tomcat from the DOS command line if you wish to create mail
packets or post replies without having to log on to Wildcat. Just type
a command line like this:
TOMCAT SYSOP
or
TOMCAT SCOTT BRYNEN
Keep in mind that you are starting up Tomcat as if it were another
Wildcat node. This means that it must have a unique node ID number as
set in the WCNODEID= environment variable. If you do not ensure this
is the case, your databases will likely become corrupted.
Tomcat Command Line Options
---------------------------
There are four command line switches that Tomcat recognizes:
/DOWNLOAD - This will cause Tomcat to bypass its main menu and go
directly to downloading a packet. Once the download is
complete, it will return to the program that called it.
This can be useful if you are calling Tomcat locally to
generate a packet - by using the command line
TOMCAT SYSOP /DOWNLOAD
your packet will be created immediately without further
intervention.
/UPLOAD - This will cause Tomcat to bypass its main menu and go
directly to uploading a reply packet. Once the upload is
complete, it will return to the program that called it.
As with the /DOWNLOAD option, this is useful for command
line operation.
/CONFIGURE - Like /DOWNLOAD and /UPLOAD, this option will cause Tomcat
to bypass the main menu and go directly to the user
configuration section. This option was added for the case
where you want to set up three menu hooks on Wildcat's
Message Menu - one to download a QWK packet, one to upload
a REP packet, and one to configure Tomcat. By placing the
correct command line option in each of MAIL.BAT, MSG1.BAT,
and MSG2.BAT, you can seamlessly integrate Tomcat into
your Wildcat message menu.
/PRESCAN - This option can only be used in a command line situation.
The next section explains prescanned packets in detail.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technique Computer Systems - TOMCAT.DOC Page 9
Prescanning Packets
-------------------
One of the new features of Tomcat is the ability to create a mail
packet for a user ahead of time (when they are not online), then let
them download it immediately once they request it. This is done by
setting aside a Wildcat file area especially for these prescanned
packets. Tomcat will create and maintain all the files in this file
area without you (the sysop) having to worry about it. All you will
have to do is set up an event that will create the prescanned packets
for your callers.
To create a prescanned mail packet, execute the following at the DOS
command prompt:
TOMCAT username /PRESCAN
where "username" is replaced by the user for which you would like to
create a prescanned packet. The packet will be created and stored in a
unique file in the file area you have set aside in TCMAINT for
prescanned packets. When the user logs on and requests to download a
packet, Tomcat will immediately give him the one that has been stored
for him instead of actually scanning a packet. Once it is successfully
downloaded, the packet will be removed.
If a prescan packet (that has not been downloaded) already exists for
the user, then Tomcat will recognize this and not generate another
packet. The existing packet must be downloaded (or deleted) before
Tomcat will create another one.
Tomcat also has the option to retain packets for users who encounter a
fatal download error during file transfer. If the "Save packets"
option in TCMAINT is set to something other than None, then such
packets will be retained by Tomcat in the defined prescan file area,
until the next time the user calls for their packet. This option can
be set to "Net Status Only" or "All" which lets you control who Tomcat
saves packets for.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technique Computer Systems - TOMCAT.DOC Page 10
Network Hub Operation
---------------------
If you are operating as a QWK network hub, then you will have to give
your nodes "net security" access. You can do this by either creating a
security level called NETSYSOP and assigning your nodes to that
security level, or you may select additional security levels with
TCMAINT that will have "net security".
By having "net security", Tomcat enables these callers to upload
messages that are not from their own user name, and also generates
modified QWK packets that are appropriate for use with TNet and other
QWK message network programs. You will have to give these callers
access to the appropriate conferences through the normal Wildcat
methods - either through their security level or by changing their
conference override settings in their user record.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technique Computer Systems - TOMCAT.DOC Page 11
Disclaimer
----------
While we have taken every care to provide a working, stable program, we
cannot be responsible for any damages that may arise because of the use
of this program. You use it at your own risk, plain and simple.
We assume that if you're running a BBS you know enough about DOS and
computers to take reasonably good care of your own system -- i.e. your
files are backed up on a regular basis, and your files and directories
are well organized and maintained. You probably also already know that
even DOS can attack the unwary, the ignorant and the careless ... the
moral is, NO computer program is, or can be, completely safe or
predictable under all conceivable circumstances. If that's not good
enough for you, DON'T run this program.
This program, its documentation and support files are all (C) Copyright
1990-91 by Greg Hewgill and Technique Computer Systems.
Technical Support
-----------------
If you have questions, or need help with configuration, please call our
technical support bulletin board at (604) 598-1546 (9600 HST/V.32).
Voice support is available from Technique Computer Systems at (604)
598-2141, weekdays 10am-5pm Pacific time.
Please note that ALL Tomcat support will be handled directly by Mustang
Software, Inc., effective January 6, 1992.
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Technique Computer Systems - TOMCAT.DOC Page 12