BBS Toolkit/BBS Toolkit.iso/gt_power/pcbv310.zip/PCBV.NEW

Text File | 1990-08-20 | 18KB | 365 lines

PCBVerify 3.10 - additions and corrections
==========================================

Release 3.10
------------

If you are running a version older than PCBVerify 3.1ß5, you will need to run
the UPDATE program in this zipfile.  Simply type UPDATE at the DOS prompt
while you are in the PCBVerify directory.  PCBVTC will be converted to the
PCBVVER file and the PCBVAL file will be restructured.  You will need to
create a PCBVNAL with all wildcard entries that were in your PCBVTC file (see
PCBV310.DOC for info on PCBVNAL, PCBVVER, and PCBVAL).

New error messages have been added.  An English message is now given for
most errors that may occur while using PCBVerify.

PCBVSET has been updated to include better handling for PCBoard 14.5.  Also,
a brief description is given before each entry when running the program.


Beta VII
--------

Notice: There was a problem in the PCBV.NEW file for 3.1ß6 which said that
        entering "Y" for the disconnect flag would hold the user online and
        "N" would hang up.  The reverse is true.  "Y" means disconnect, while
        "N" means "stay online."

1. Fixed problem with PCBVAL where ? markers would allow a match with
   characters other than numbers.  This meant that people using the
   international setup could have someone enter the same phone number
   with varying parenthesis and still gain access.  In 3.1ß7 any phone
   number that must have letters entered as well as numbers must have an
   entry in PCBVAL that matches the letters to their location exactly.  In
   other words, if you want to allow a number such as FTS0495, PCBVAL can
   not contain ??????? - it must say FTS????.  The same is true for symbols
   such as parenthesis.  To allow a number such as (12)345 an entry must read
   (??)??? in order to work.  Note that ????? would not accept this number.
   Also, ??????? would not as well.

2. Added ability to skip files if running multi-lingual and a translation is
   available.  It is no longer necessary to copy default WELCOME, GOODBYE,
   PCBVTEXT, and CALLBACK files for each language online.  If PCBVerify does
   not find a .[lang] file it will use the default instead.

3. Added better error-handling messages.  Most problems will now cause an
   English message to come up stating what the problem was and where in the
   program it occurred (broken up by files accessed).  It should be fairly
   easy to track down any problem that may occur.

4. Took some of the confusion out of the PCBVSET program.  Many people were
   answering "14.2" or "14.1" to the initial question instead of "Y" or "N".
   PCBVSET now brings up the entire list and allows you to choose.

5. Included the long awaited PURGE program.  PURGE will check to see if a user
   is in the USERS file and if not will remove that user from the PCBVVER file.

6. Began inclusion of DOCS.BRF file which gives brief setup instructions.


Beta VI
-------

Fixed a bug in 3.1ß5 that I put in and forgot to take back out.  No errors were
being trapped, which means tremendous problems could arise.  In beta 6 I
remembered to re-enable error trapping after I was finished debugging.

Also added two more .cnf file entries.  I suggest that EVERYONE re-run PCBVSET.
I will also include the complete .CNF file layout below.  This should be of
help.

The two new capabilites are: 1) A configurable delay time on calling out.
                                Previously, PCBVerify would wait 12 seconds
                                in order to clear the call before dialing out.
                                Be sure you set this high enough that the call
                                will definitely be connected - if not, you could
                                have security problems.

                             2) PCBVerify now has the option to prompt the user
                                for their name instead of their password.  This
                                feature was added specifically for Searchlight
                                systems but can be used by anyone.

Here's the .cnf file as it stands:

PCBVerify 3.1 Config File       ;config file identifier for PCBV310.EXE
COM1:                           ;comport to use
N                               ;baud rate locking / N for none, or baud rate
C:\PCB\PCBOARD.SYS              ;SYS file location
PCB14                           ;type of system running
Premier BBS                     ;your BBS name
0                               ;your registration number (0 for not reg.)
C:\PCB\MAIN\USERS               ;USERS (PCB) file / RESULT (nonPCB) file loc.
C:\PCB\MAIN\CALLER              ;LOG file location (caller's log for PCB)
20                              ;new user sec. level
60                              ;level to raise user to after verifying
 45                             ;minutes to add to time limit after verifying
9999                            ;new d/l byte limit to give after verifying
y                               ;add number to trashcan after verify
y                               ;add long dist number to tcan after first try
n                               ;external registration filename (n for none)
y                               ;callback mode enabled
+365.25                         ;expiration date adjust / new exp. date
40                              ;new expired security level
y                               ;Sysop maintained comment field enabled (PCB)
y                               ;Prompt for areacode/prefix/suffix seperately
0                               ;Delay time before dialing out
n                               ;Prompt for password (y=ask name)


Beta V
------

Several new features in Beta 5.  PLEASE read the below carefully before setting
up Beta 5.  Also, be sure to back up your previous version.  If you do not you
may be down for a few days, as I will be very busy the next few months and will
have trouble answering all the mail on the board as quickly as usual.

1)  A bug was fixed in the callback mode where the user's d/l byte limit would
    be inadverdently updated.  A user with a d/l limit of 0 bytes could go into
    callback mode of PCBVerify, get called back for a clearer line, and get
    the updated d/l byte limit instead of keeping the same as he should have.

2)  The PCBVTC file is now history.  Replacing it are the PCBVNAL (not allowed)
    numbers file and the PCBVVER (verified numbers) file.  The reason for this
    is that making the PCBVVER file not have wildcarded entries means an
    increase in speed of about 100%.  A 15 second trashcan search will now take
    about 7.5 seconds.

    You MUST create a PCBVNAL file.  Place at least one entry in it, your BBS
    number, for exmample.  The format is as follows:

    Number, Long distance answer

    For exmample, for Premier BBS I entered the following:

    615-675-3244,N
    615-675-3244,Y

    This tells PCBVerify not to dial 615-675-3244 at all, even it is found in
    the PCBVAL file.

    You can also use wildcards.  For example:

    900-???-????,N
    900-???-????,Y

    That would lock out all 900 numbers.

    A program called UPDATE.EXE has been included that will change your PCBVTC
    file into a new PCBVVER file.  This new format is faster but can still be
    easily read.  The fields enclosed in quotation marks and delimited by
    commas.  This is also in preparation for the new purge program coming up
    in future releases.  You will need to take out all wildcard and manually
    entered entries in your PCBVTC before running UPDATE.  Move these entries
    you remove to your PCBVNAL file.

    The PCBVVER file format is as follows:

    "phone number","user's name","date and other comments"

    Example:    "615-675-3244","CURTIS KOWALSKI","01-01-1990"

3)  Universal phone system compatibility added.  PCBVerify can now handle any
    configuration option you might have for dialing.  The dial strings are
    completely configurable, as are the lengths of the fields and the number
    of fields in a phone number.

    A line has been added to PCBV.CNF which tells PCBVerify whether to use the
    standard mode (place a Y on the last line) or the special mode (N).  Special
    mode simply means PCBVerify will not prompt the user for the three seperate
    fields of the phone number.  Instead it will simply say "Number?"  It will
    be up to the user to enter the number in the proper format (which will be
    defined in PCBVAL and can vary from entry to entry).

    The PCBVAL file has been totally re-vamped, hopefully for the last time
    ever.  The UPDATE.EXE program will also convert the old PCBVAL format
    to the new one.  The following explains the new format:

    [field1]-[field2]...[field9],[disconnect?],[ldist],[time],[dial cmd]

    Example:    615-???-????,N,N,A,"ATDT %2%3"

    Up to nine 'fields' of a phone number are supported now, each being of
    any length the Sysop wishes.  For example, the US/Canadian phone system
    uses a three field system, with the area code being 3 digits, prefix
    being three digits, and suffix being 4 digits.  This would be entered into
    PCBVAL as follows:  xxx-xxx-xxxx

    Each x may either be a number, letter, or a wildcard (? mark).  If a
    number, the number in the user's phone number at that position must match
    exactly.  The same is true for a letter.  Letters are not converted to
    numbers at any point - they are used in special cases like the Federal
    Telephone System.  For example, people on the Federal Telephone System
    do not have an area code - they are intstructed to put "FTS" in the area
    code field.  FTS numbers are dialed with a special code, such as 99
    preceding the number and * following it (this is just an example, FTS
    works completely different than this).  The PCBVAL entry would be:

    FTS-???-????,N,N,A,"ATDT 99,%2-%3*"

    A question mark would allow any number to be placed there.  In any case,
    the user's telephone number must match the PCBVAL entry's number of fields
    and length for each field.

    Sysops using PCBVerify currently in the USA/Canada should not worry about
    this.  Using the same phone number format will work as always.

    The second field tells PCBVerify whether or not to return the user to the
    board or disconnect after verification.  If set to Y, it will return them
    to the BBS.  If set to N, it will hang up.  This field also tells PCBVerify
    whether the number can be dialed in callback mode or not.

    The third field tells PCBVerify what the user should have entered in
    response to the question "Is this a long distance number from this BBS?"
    If the number matches, but this field does not, PCBVerify will go on to
    the next entry.  If both match then the dial string and hangup flag for
    this particular entry will be used.

    The fourth field is the format letter in the PCBVTIME file to use for this
    entry.  It works just as in prior versions of PCBVerify.

    The fifth and final field is the dial string.  Place the dial string here
    that you wish to use to dial the numbers matching this line.  Enclose it
    in quotes.  To place the phone number of the user in the dial string, you
    use %x where x is the field number.  For example, "ATDT%1" would send
    ATDT and the first field as entered by the user to the modem.  Here's a
    couple of examples of how to use PCBVAL:

    Sample setup for USA/Canada BBS's
    ---------------------------------

    If you are only going to call the straight 10 digit phone numbers (3
    digit area code, 3 digit prefix, 4 digit suffix), set your PCBV.CNF
    file line 21 to "Y" for normal mode.

    The following PCBVAL file will allow calls both long distance and local.
    If within the 615 area code, it will dial xxx-xxxx if local or 1-xxx-xxxx
    if long distance.  If outside of 615, it will dial a special long distance
    company access code (10555) and then 1-xxx-xxx-xxxx.

    615-???-????,N,N,A,"ATDT %2-%3"
    615-???-????,Y,Y,A,"ATDT 1-%2-%3"
    ???-???-????,Y,Y,A,"ATDT 10555-1-%1-%2-%3"

    Sample setup for USA/Canda BBS's with calling to extension numbers
    ------------------------------------------------------------------

    If your board is used by a number of people calling from an extension
    number and you can dial directly to their switchboard and then dial
    the extension number, you might set up something like this.

    1. Set up special mode in PCBV.CNF - so that users may enter their
    extension number if they so desire.

    2. Place instructions in the WELCOME and CALLBACK files telling them
    to enter the number as either xxx-xxx-xxxx or xxx-xxx-xxxx-xxx.
    The first would be for the regular users not at an extension.  Since you
    are in special mode they will not be stepped through each part of the
    phone number, and so must be careful to get the format exactly right.
    The second would be for those at extension numbers.

    3. The first two lines in PCBVAL would look something like this (if
    you lived in 615 area code and wanted to make local calls to regular
    lines and those with extensions).

    615-???-????,N,N,A,"ATDT %2-%3"
    615-???-????-???,N,N,A,"ATDT %2-%3,,,,%4"

    The second line would set you up to call anyone who entered a telephone
    number in the format 615-xxx-xxxx-xxx.  It would dial the phone number, wait
    about 8 seconds, then dial in the extension number.


    Sample setup for non-USA/Canada BBS's
    ------------------------------------------------

    If your phone system has only two fields (city code and tel. number), you
    can use PCBVerify by setting the PCBV.CNF file to 'special mode.'  Place
    an N on line 21 of your PCBV.CNF file.  This tells PCBVerify to prompt
    for the phone number by saying "Number?"  You will need to explain to your
    users in a bulletin file or in your WELCOME file how to enter the phone
    number.  Let's say, for example, the city code is a two digit number, and
    the phone number is five digits long.  Your own city code is 37 and you
    can dial calls in your city by simply dialing the phone number without
    the city code.  Let's say also that all calls you place are toll calls,
    billed by the time connected, so you want to disconnect once the caller
    is verified.  Here's how you would set it up:

    37-?????,Y,N,A,"ATDT %2"
    ??-?????,Y,Y,A,"ATDT %1%2"

    If a user enters 37-12345, and said "No" it was not long distance from your
    board, PCBVerify would send ATDT 12345 (%2 means 'field 2') to the modem.

    If a user enters 12-34567, and said "Yes" it was long distance from your
    board, PCBVerify would send ATDT 1234567.


Beta IV
-------

The only change made from beta 3 to beta 4 affects PCBoard 12.x users.  A bug
was found that would prevent PCBVerify from properly updating a users' security
level when using PCBoard version 12.x.

Beta III
--------

The status line now displays the number of comport errors (BASIC error 57)
that have taken place during the current session.

A user who has expired will now have his expired security level taken into
consideration when determining callback or verify mode instead of always using
the standard security level.

The final line in the configuration file is a parameter that determines whether
PCBVerify will add the user's phone number and "(PCBVERIFY)" to the Sysop
maintained comment field in PCBoard's USERS file.  Place a "Y" here to add
the comment, in to leave the field as it was.  Note that the comment is added
only if the verification was successful.

A /CBMODE switch has been added which will allow non-PCBoard systems to use
the callback feature of PCBVerify.  Non-PCBoard systems may run PCBVerify as
two doors - one run without the /CBMODE switch for verification and one with
the /CBMODE switch for callback mode.


Beta II
-------

A small problem with the handling of a NO DIALTONE condition has been
corrected.

Code has been modified to make password entry more compatible with non-PCBoard
systems.  Previously, some converters have had problems with password entry.
This should no longer be a problem with PCBVerify.

DOOR.SYS support has been added to PCBVSET.  Simply run PCBVSET and tell it you
are using a DOOR.SYS (selection E) system.  It will ask the remaining necessary
configuration questions.


Beta I
------

Version 3.10 now supports 38,400 baud.  No changes are required to run
PCBVerify at 38,400 unless you need to specify 'lock in' at 38,400 in your
configuration file.

The second new feature of 3.10 is support for DOOR.SYS.  All DOOR.SYS systems,
whether on a read/write or read-only setup of DOOR.SYS, should now be able to
use PCBVerify.  Note that the capabilities are somewhat limited unless you are
using a system which will re-read the DOOR.SYS file for security level updates,
etc.

*****************************************************************************

PCBVERIFY -- "Making a Sysop's job easier."

Premier BBS - Knoxville, Tn. - [phone] - 2400 baud - seeks to 2499
                               [phone] - 9600 baud (Hayes V.42)

*****************************************************************************