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V e r s i o n 2 . 0 5
C o p y r i g h t ( C ) 1 9 9 0 S h a w n G r e s h a m
Home Base at Joel Karr's
Electrodes BBS (214) 868-2794 FIDOnet 1/19:55
C r e d i t s
─────────────
The following products are copyrighted material and/or
trademarks of their copyright and/or trademark holders
respectively:
DESQview Quarterdeck Systems
Remote Access, RABBS Continental Software
MASM Microsoft Corporation
W h a t i s S a b r e C h a t !
─────────────────────────────────────
Sabre Chat! is a cross-node/cross-environment chat
utility for Remote Access Bulletin Boards Systems
providing a means for users on different nodes to conduct
'real-time' communication.
Sabre Chat! provides the following options:
■ Character-by-character communications instead of
the confusing, jerky line-by-line method.
■ Runs on nodes separated by DESQview, NetBios, or a
RS232 cable.
■ Supports ANSI on/off (hi/lo intensity) and 40/80 column
displays.
■ Supports up to 8 nodes under DESQview and 99 nodes
under NetBios.
■ Allows paging to a user on another RA node.
■ Optional name-prompting to reduce confusion in
conversations of 3 or more users.
■ Can be used to create Conference menus for more than
one concurrent chat session.
Sabre Chat! is written in 8088 assembly language and
assembled with Microsoft's Macro Assembler Version 5.10
for smaller EXE size and faster execution. For those who
are curious, the source is 70k long, but not included. :)
R e g i s t r a t i o n
───────────────────────
Sabre Chat! has evolved to be a fantastic utility for a
multi-node bbs. Shawn has worked many many hard hours on
making it THE chat door for the users. And that is the name
of the game! For if not for the users then all of us SysOps
would be lookin at a dead screen. I (Joel) feel that Shawn,
which is working his way thru college, is due alittle
recognition for his hard work. I ask for you to find it in
yourself to help support programmers like Shawn that are
dedicated to making it a better tele-comm world for all of
us. SChat! is in no way crippled nor will you gain anything
from registering it other than the good feeling inside!
We ask that you send $15.00 USA to help contribute to the
funds of keeping Shawn developing new utilities for us.
If the money is a problem, then at least drop Shawn a netmail
message letting him know that you support him.
Send registration to:
Shawn Gresham
Rt 1 Box 544
Gordonville, TX
76245
S C h a t ! F i l e s
───────────────────────
The following files are included in the Sabre Chat! zip
file.
SCHAT!.EXE The main executing file.
SCHAT!.DOC This Manual.
WIPE!.EXE Helpful for creating a correct size
USERON.BBS.
MIXER!.COM Creates a memory buffer for Sabre Chat!
when being used under DESQview. Supports
up to 8 nodes at once.
DUET!.COM Creates a memory buffer like MIXER! but
only supports 2 nodes at once.
I n s t a l l i n g S a b r e C h a t !
───────────────────────────────────────────
To install Sabre Chat!, you will need to create a environment
variable called SCHAT! and point it toward the main directory
of your bulletin board system. For Remote Access systems
SCHAT! will be set to the same directory as your RA variable
is set. Also do NOT add a trailing '\' to the path name.
For example: SET SCHAT!=C:\RA
I would suggest that you throughly read this document for the
information that you need for you system.
C o m m a n d L i n e O p t i o n s
───────────────────────────────────────
Below is a listing of all the command line parameters needed to
execute Sabre Chat!. I have included a full length description
of each and usage examples to help prevent confusion.
A Ansi Usage.
This flag determines whether Ansi commands are sent to
an online user. Ansi is always sent to the local system.
A<0 or 1> where 1 = ON and 0 = OFF.
Default: A0 - Ansi Off
Example: SCHAT! A1 - Ansi On
SCHAT! A0 - Ansi Off
C Select Talk Port.
Selects communications port to be used for cross-node
communications. Not to be confused with P (Call Com
Port) that determines the communication port for the
caller. Only use this command if you wish to use a
communications port for cross-node chatting otherwise
do not include it on the command line.
C<port> where port is 1-8 or whatever your driver
supports.
Default: None
Example: SCHAT! C1 - Use COM1
F Define Message Filename.
RA versions 0.03 and above use NODE??.RA to send
messages to other nodes. Earlier versions of RA
use TMP??.TMP. The F command allows the sysop
to specify the filename if he does not wish to
use NODE??.RA.
F<filename> where filename is a legal filename
with ?? in place of the node
number.
Default: FNODE??.RA
Example: SCHAT! FTMP??.TMP -RA 0.02 compatible
L Use NetBios and Specify LANA Card Number.
Allows Sabre Chat! to run on systems running
NetBios without having to use an RS232 cable.
Do not include if you wish to use the C <talk
port> or V<Memory Buffers> options.
L<LANA Card> where LANA Card is 0 or greater.
Default: None
Example: SCHAT! L0 - activates netbios with LANA 1
M Activate Name Prompting.
Precedes each users text with his name to reduce
confusion in a chat session with 3 or more people.
Default: Disabled
Example: SCHAT! M - Name prompting enabled
N Assign Node.
Selects node to use when reading USERON.BBS for
the user information.
N<node> where node is a valid RA node 1-99.
Default: N1 - Node 1
Example: SCHAT! N3 - Node 3
O Select Conference Name.
Used with the L <NetBios> option to allow a
multi-conference system. Allows SysOp to
specify the name used by NetBios for communi-
cation. The name must be valid to netbios (no *
or bizarre characters). More Information on
conferencing is included later in the 'Using
Netbios' chapter in this manual.
O<conference name> where conference name is a
valid netbios name.
Default: OSCHAT!
Example: SCHAT! L0 OGIRLS - use netbios with the
name GIRLS.
P Select Caller Communications Port.
Specifies the com port to be used for the online
caller. Be careful not to confuse this command
with the C <talk port> option. This option is
ignored if the caller is local (i.e. baudrate 0).
Should be the same port as being used by the
bulletin board.
P<port> where port is a valid communications port 1-8.
Default: None
Example: SCHAT! P1 - Use COM1
T Set Minutes Remaining.
Sets the maximum amount of time allowed in chat in
minutes before Sabre Chat! will return the user to
the BBS.
T<minutes> where minutes is 0-255.
Default: T20 - 20 minutes
Example: T90 - 1 Hr 30 Minutes
U Allow User-Defined Conference Names.
Allows callers to create their own conference names
so that two callers may have a 'private' chat. The
callers is prompted for a eight character name and
enters that SChat! Conference Area. This requires
that both callers know the name they wish to
communicate with. Please see the 'Using NetBios'
chapter in this manual for menu examples. This option
requires the L <netbios> and NetBios to operate.
Default: None
Example: SCHAT! L0 U - use NetBios with User-
Defined Conference Names.
V Use Memory Buffers.
Allows Sabre Chat! to communicate across windows on a
DESQview system. This option requires that MIXER!.COM
was executed before entering DESQview. Be careful using
this option with the C <talk port> and L <netbios>
options. Please read the 'Mixing Inputs' chapter later
in this manual.
Default: None
Example: SCHAT! V - allows operation cross-DESQview windows
U s i n g S a b r e C h a t ! W i t h R A B B S
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Sabre Chat! has been designed on, around, and for Remote
Access Bulletin Boards. All of the command line
parameters have a RABBS counterpart to allow easy setup.
A full listing of these options are on page 32 and 33 of
the RA.DOC file. The most used options are included
below.
*G Ansi Graphics 0=off / 1=On
used with SChat!'s A option as A*G
*N Current Node
used with SChat!'s N option as N*N
*P Communications Port
used with SChat!'s P option as P*P
*T Time remaining in minutes
used with SChat!'s T option as T*T
These commands are the exact counterpart to Sabre Chat!'s
command line options. Sabre Chat! can be executed by
RA's Type 7 menu. Example as follows:
USER TEXT : (S)abre Chat!
MENU TYPE : 7
OTHER TEXT : SCHAT!.EXE N*N P*P T*T A*G
HOT KEY : 'S'
Currently, LANA settings for the net option will have to
be 'hard-set' at the command line because RA does not
have a counterpart.
OTHER TEXT : SCHAT!.EXE N*N P*P T*T A*G L0
U s i n g D E S Q v i e w
───────────────────────────
Sabre Chat! operates under DESQview using the V <memory
buffers> option . To use SChat! under DESQview with the
V option, you must first execute MIXER!.COM or DUET!.COM
before entering DESQview. These two programs create the
TSR's and buffers that Sabre Chat! will use later to
communicate inbetween windows. MIXER!.COM allocates a 1K
buffer for support up to 8 nodes active in SChat! at once.
DUET!.COM only opens a 256 byte buffer and supports only two
nodes at once but is slightly faster and ideal for a two-line
system.
Example of a DESQview call would be as follows:
SCHAT!.EXE N*N P*P A*G V
U s i n g N e t B i o s
─────────────────────────
Sabre Chat! Version 2.05 is the first of the SCHAT! series to
allow communication via NetBios. Data transfer is processed
using the datagram commands included in NetBios for those that
are curious as to how I am achieving this. A Group Name is
created by each node when Sabre Chat! is executed and text is
sent to and from that name. I have included a means by which
the SysOp can specify that name to allow several independent
chat sessions at once and a means for the users to create
their own conference names (if selected on the command line).
User-created names are actually eight-character names used in
creating a group name like 'SCHAT!xxxxxxxx' where 'xxxxxxxx'
is the name the user entered.
I have include a standard RA menu example to show what I mean.
SCHAT.ASC example
Welcome To The Conference Area
Conferences Availiable
──────────────────────
(F)ree For All
(L)ove Connection
(P)rivate Talk
(S)ysOp's Only
(Q)uit to Main
Select F,L,P,S or Q:
SCHAT.MNU examples
'F' - Type 7 : SCHAT!.EXE N*N P*P A*G L0
'L' - Type 7 : SCHAT!.EXE N*N P*P A*G L0 OLOVETALK
'P' - Type 7 : SCHAT!.EXE N*N P*P A*G L0 U
'S' - Type 7 : SCHAT!.EXE N*N P*P A*G L0 OSYSOPTLK
'Q' - typical goto or return to menu depending on how
you have it setup.
The previous example is a simplified RA menu that shows
all the various options availiable for net systems. The
'F' menu option is just a standard SChat! setup with the
default group name 'SCHAT!' being used. Option 'L' is an
example of the sysop-defined group name using 'LOVETALK'
as the tag to communicate across the net. The 'P' option
allows two users to use a previously decided number to
conduct a private SChat! session using the U
<user-defined group name> option. And finally the 'S'
menu option shows that mixed with RA's restricted
security access you could open restricted access SChat!
session with, in this case, 'SYSOPTLK' as the group name.
U s i n g R S 2 3 2
─────────────────────
Sabre Chat! allows communication between two computers
connected with a Null-Modem RS232 cable (diagram for a
null-modem cable is supplied later in this document
courtesy of Joel Karr) for slightly faster flow on a
two-line system that does not have NetBios. For
instance, if you had two computers each with two
communication ports, you could connect the computers
together by COM2 and allow users to call in to RA on COM1
on each computer. SChat! could be setup to accept the
user on COM1 and send data to the other user by COM2. The
command line for this setup would be as follows
(simplified).
SCHAT!.EXE P1 C2
or
SCHAT!.EXE N*N P*P C2
This RS232 support option has probably been made obsolete
by the new NetBios support, but I've left it in incase.
M i x i n g I n p u t s
─────────────────────────
Technically, it is possible to use the C <talk port>, L
<netbios>, and V <memory buffers> in combination to allow
cross-node/cross-environment communication. An example
would be trying to setup SCHAT! on a system in which you
have 2 computers connected by a net, each running a node
of RA with one LANA card, while one of these computers is
also running DESQview and supporting a 3rd node. For
this example, node 1 is on the computer with no DESQview,
and nodes 2 and 3 are supported by DESQview. To allow
SChat! to run without a 'double-echo', node 1 would be
setup normally with the L0 option. The problem develops
with node 2 and 3 because there is only one LANA card.
A correct system could be arrange by setting node 2 with
both L0 and the V <memory buffers> options and node 3
with just V option where node 2 would act as a link
between node 1 and node 3.
Due to the many different possiblities in system
configuration, the best possible setup may be determined
by trial and error on these multi-environment systems.
If you encounter difficulty in setting Sabre Chat! up on
one of these systems please drop us some netmail to the
address at the end of this manual. Likewise, if you find
a clever way of operating SChat! on one of these systems
please drop us a note and we'll include it in the next
documentation update with credits. We appreciate
feedback.
T e c h n i c a l i t i e s
───────────────────────────
For the sake of debugging, I have included a list of
system specific items that might cause conflict with
other software.
■ SChat! calls MIXER! and DUET!.COM via interrupt 66h.
■ SChat! calls the fossil driver via interrupt 14h.
■ SChat! calls NetBios via interrupt 5ch.
■ SChat! sends RA one-line messages by first creating
a temporary called NODE??.TMP.
■ SChat! gets it's user information from USERON.BBS.
■ SChat! gets it's keyboard input from the fossil and
likewise uses it's screen output routines.
H e l p o r C o m m e n t s
───────────────────────────────
If you have any difficulties or comments, we would
appreciate any feedback (is there anybody out there?!?).
Please call Electrodes BBS (214) 868-2794 or NetMail at
1/19:55 to Shawn Gresham or Joel Karr. We are also
available on the RA_SUPPORT and RA_UTIL echos.
T h a n k s
───────────
I'd like to thank the following people for all the various
things they did in the development of Sabre Chat!.
Joel Karr, my number one BETA tester, for submitting his
delicate BBS for testing (still got your finger over that
reset key???) and for the invaluable programming help and
insight!
Les Harding, for all the hours of testing the "other side"
and the technical help that made programming easier.
Debbie Karr, for the moral support and soft drinks!!
And to all the users of Electrodes BBS who had to deal with
Sabre Chat!'s moody tendencies...thanks guys and gals!!!
B e t a T e a m
────────────────
A special thanks goes out to our fantastic Beta Team.
Let's all take our hats off for these few brave souls.
Keep up the good work gang.
Fred Horner Rod Hancock
The Private EaR Motor City Software
Waco, Tx Oshawa ON
1:388/10 1:229/418
(817) 776-9877 (416) 579-6818
Josh Zerlan Steve Gabrilowitz
The Temporal Allance NCC-1701
Ft. Collins CO Orlando FL
1:306/23 1:363/1701
(303) 484-6483 (407) 380-6446
Gary Day
After Hours
Sherman TX
(n/a)
(903) 893-9110
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Wiring diagram for (NULL MODEM) cable for
inter-connection for use with SChat!.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
computer 1 computer 2
pin 2 ─────────────────────── pin 3
pin 3 ─────────────────────── pin 2
pin 5 ──┐
pin 6 ──┴──────────────────── pin 20
pin 7 ─────────────────────── pin 7
┌── pin 5
pin 20 ───────────────────┴── pin 6