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__ The World's First / \ New-Sysop BBS Network /|oo \ Orientation * FidoNet * (_| /_) Information _`@/_ \ _ | | \ \\ published by IFNA | (*) | \ )) ______ |__U__| / \// (International FidoNet / Fido \ _//|| _\ / Association) (________) (_/(_|(____/ (tm) Steve Bonine (115/777) editor Version 1.0 11/19/87 Copyright (c) 1987, International FidoNet Association. All rights reserved. May be freely copied and distributed for noncommercial purposes. The purpose of this little treatise is to provide introductory information for persons who are interested in starting a computer bulletin board system or connecting an existing system with FidoNet. In this one document you will find an introduction to many different aspects of running a bulletin board and information on where to go for more information in those cases where the introduction sounds interesting. This document is distributed under the auspices of IFNA, the International FidoNet Association. IFNA's chief responsibility is the maintenance and administration of the network which forms the backbone of this collection of diverse bulletin board systems. Part of this job involves orientation of new members of the network. The growth and health of FidoNet speaks well of the ability of the systems and the operators of those systems to work together, and you can't work together if you don't know the ground rules. Introduction to FidoNet ------------ -- ------- The network is a loose coalition of many different bulletin board systems. "FidoNet" and "Fido" are registered trademarks of Tom Jennings; a formal agreement allows IFNA to use these in the name of the organization. The network is by no means limited to the Fido software; there are several "FidoNet compatible" systems which interface with the network. By joining, you as a sysop can take advantage of the expertise of thousands of other users. A short history lesson will help in understanding FidoNet. Tom Jennings was in San Francisco, and John Madill was in Baltimore, both working on the Fido BBS software. In the spirit of finding out if it could be done, they decided to add code to the system to support a dialup connection with no human interven- tion during the wee hours when the sysops were sleeping and the systems were free. This quickly became a useful function, since both systems and both sysops were busy and it was a convenient method of exchanging information. From this chance beginning in May 1984, growth was phenomenal. By August 1984, there were 30 nodes; by September there were 50. By February 1985, there were 160 systems, and a group of sysops in St. Louis had taken over the administra- tion of the list of systems. In June 1985 the network converted to the currently-used two-part addressing scheme to support the growth. As this is written in late 1987, the size of the network has passed 2000 nodes and change continues with a zone-based nodelist to facilitate communication with systems overseas. But we get ahead of the story . . . Network Organization ------- ------------ Today's network is organized into geographical divisions of zones, regions, networks, individual systems, and points. A zone is a very large division; zone 1 is North America, zone 2 is Europe, and zone 3 is Australia, New Zealand, etc. Of more interest are regions, networks, and points. North America is divided into regions. For example, the central region, region 11, includes Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Regions are assigned 2-digit numbers to differentiate them from networks. Regions are further broken down into networks. A network usually covers a rather small geographic area, such as a metropolitan area. Chicagoland is network 115. Individual systems are assigned a node number within the appropriate network or directly within the region if no network covers that specific location. A point is a usually a one-person BBS. There is an analogy with telephone numbers. Think of the zone as the country code, the network as the area code, the node number as the telephone number, and the point as an extension for the individual. This is written as zone:network/node.point. For example, Chicago is covered by network 115, and is in zone 1. The specific BBS which has been assigned node 100 in the Chicago network would be 1:115/100. If there were point systems served by this BBS, they would be 1:115/100.1, 1:115/100.2, and so on. The purposes of this organization are twofold. First, decentralization means that no one person has the task of administering the entire network. Since it is a volunteer and amateur operation and such an assignment would be a big job, it became obvious early in the life of FidoNet that decentralization was necessary to support growth of the network. The second reason for such a hierarchy is to improve the flow of mail. One system in each network takes on the responsibility of Network Co-ordinator, and that BBS becomes node zero in the network. One of the tasks of the Network Co- ordinator is to forward incoming mail. Thus, if I have ten messages for different systems in the Chicagoland network, I need to make not ten telephone calls but only one -- to system 115/0, which is the NC for Chicagoland. The mailer software automatically routes messages for nodes in network 115 to 115/0, saving me money and making the network work better. The Nodelist and FidoNews --- -------- --- -------- All of this is held together by two documents, each published weekly. One of these is a list of every system in the network, with network/node address, telephone number, and other useful information; this is called the NODELIST. The other document is a newsletter, FidoNews. Both the nodelist changes and FidoNews are distributed using the network; once your system is up and running you will have a source for the most current information. What's in it for Me? ------ -- -- --- -- This is all well and good, but other than the thrill of being a part of all this exciting technology, what good is FidoNet to the average sysop? Through the magic of echomail, your system can have thousands of callers a day, posting messages, asking questions, and receiving answers. This use of the network has eclipsed the original sysop-to-sysop communication, although this is still a strong motivation, especially when used to exchange data and/or programs. More about echomail later. What Must I Do? ---- ---- - -- There are really only two rules to follow to be a part of the network. The first is that your BBS system must be "FidoNet compatible" and able to receive network messages during one hour each day. The second is that you must not unduly annoy other members of the network, or yourself be unduly annoyed. Like a large family, the members of the network must all learn to live together, if not in perfect harmony, at least working together. A formal policy document exists which states in more detail the expectations of systems as members of the network. It should be available from the same source where you found this document; for example, as an additional file in the ARC or an additional file in the download area where you found this. Look for POLICYx.ARC. How do I join FidoNet? --- -- - ---- ------- If you live in an area covered by a network, you will normally join that net- work; if your geographic area is not covered by a network then you can join the region as an independent system. The method for becoming a part of the network is described in the policy document mentioned above. It involves actually using your BBS to send a message to the network co-ordinator. This insures that you have a working system, providing an important cross-check on your request. (This became important early in the history of the network as wrong numbers crept into the nodelist. Imagine explaining to someone why their telephone rang dozens of times between 3 and 4 AM, with no one on the other end when they answered it.) Many networks have a document available to prospective members which supplements the Policy document and contains local requirements. The best course of action is to find a BBS in your area and quiz the sysop on local procedures. Failing this, find a nodelist (see below) and send a message to the General Help node listed in Region 1. The Nodelist --- -------- Perhaps the single most-important file on your system is the nodelist. From it, your system obtains the information necessary to communicate with other systems, be they across the street or in another country. The most basic format of nodelist is described by the FidoNet Technical Standards Committee (FTSC) and is generally called the "St. Louis format" nodelist. If you find a file named NODELIST.nnn, where nnn is a number, that is an FTSC nodelist. The number is the date associated with the nodelist; for example, NODELIST.275 was issued on day 275. Nodelists are often ARC'ed; NODELIST.A75 is the ARC'ed version of NODELIST.275. (No, Virginia, all ARC files don't end with .ARC.) FTSC nodelists (which no longer come from St. Louis) are issued each Friday. The FTSC nodelist contains information on every BBS in the network. Luckily, it is rare that you will need to transmit or receive an entire nodelist. CHANGES are distributed each week in a file named NODEDIFF.nnn. For example, let's say that you are running with NODELIST.267. When the next nodelist is ready, you will obtain a file named NODEDIFF.275. When you run the XLATLIST program (see below) it will automatically apply the changes in the nodediff file, and as if by magic you will have NODELIST.275 on your system. Here is an excerpt from NODELIST.275 which illustrates the FTSC format: Host,115,Chicagoland,Homewood_IL,Rick_Moore,1-312-799-4790,2400,#CM: ,333,Solar_Wind,Homewood_IL,Rick_Moore,1-312-799-4790,2400,#CM: ,500,Sit_UBU_Sit_HST,Skokie_IL,Henry_Senk,1-312-982-5092,9600,#CM: ,108,Samson,Arlington_Heights_IL,Larry_Miglore,1-312-394-0071,2400, Down,123,Chicago_DECUS,Elk_Grove_IL,Chuck_Garrett,1-312-640-5667,1200, ,640,Computer_Guild,Elk_Grove_IL,Dick_Sonka,1-312-640-7980,2400,RE: This is part of the definition of network 115 ("Host,115"). The network co- ordinator is listed first, and becomes node zero in the network. After that, individual nodes are listed. Notice that 115/333 is really the same BBS as 115/0. System 115/123 has been marked in the nodelist as "down", which gives other systems notice that it is unavailable. The FTSC nodelist is the only file which is consistent throughout FidoNet. Virtually all systems process this file into other forms before it is actually used by the BBS software. In the interest of attempting to clarify, the current process for MS-DOS will now be described. If your system does not use this method, don't let the explanation confuse you -- instead consider it an example of nodelist processing. For most systems, the next flavor of nodelist is NODELIST.BBS. This one is similar to the FTSC format, but some of the information is dropped (name of sysop, for example), and some is customized (for example 1-312 in the telephone number could be removed if you are in area-code 312). NODELIST.BBS is created by a program named XLATLIST. This program and its documentation are usually found in a file named XLATRGEN.ARC. (Another program in the same ARC file is ROUTEGEN. XLATRGEN=XLATlist+RouteGEN. ROUTEGEN will not be discussed here; if you choose to use it read the documentation carefully.) Input to XLATLIST is the FTSC nodelist, optionally a nodediff file containing changes for the week, and a control file, XLATLIST.CTL. The control file specifies options like telephone-number customization and how much you want to charge your users to send mail to various locations. Here is an example of the same segment of the nodelist as it might appear in NODELIST.BBS: HOST 115 0 2400 Chicagoland 9-799-4790 Homewood_IL 333 0 2400 Solar_Wind 9-799-4790 Homewood_IL 500 0 9600 Sit_UBU_Sit_HST 9-982-5092 Skokie_IL 108 0 2400 Samson 9-394-0071 Arlington_Heights_IL 640 0 2400 Computer_Guild 9-640-7980 Elk_Grove_IL Notice that the sysop name is not included and the format is slightly different. The telephone number has been "customized" based upon the XLATLIST.CTL file -- this system needs to prefix local numbers with a "9". The zero after the node number is the cost of calling that system; these are free calls for the example system. The system marked "down" in the FTSC nodelist was not included in NODELIST.BBS. The last flavor of nodelist is created from NODELIST.BBS by your BBS software, and is specific to the system (Opus, SEAdog, etc.). This step is called "compiling" the nodelist. Its exact implementation varies with the type of BBS software, but usually there is a program similar to XLATLIST which takes NODELIST.BBS as its input and creates internal files used by the BBS while it is running. For example, Opus has a program named OPUSNODE.EXE which creates NODELIST.SYS and NODELIST.IDX. During actual execution, Opus uses these files to look up information on network addresses. Finally, a real-life example from my system, running Opus with an address of 1:115/777. The current nodelist is NODELIST.268. On Saturday I receive from my network co-ordinator a file named NODEDIFF.A75 which when un-ARC'ed becomes NODEDIFF.275. Being a conscientious sysop who knows that maintaining a current nodelist is one of the requirements of FidoNet policy (and also not wanting to jangle someones telephone at 0400) I will update the nodelist. I have a file named XLATLIST.CTL which looks like this: node 1:115/777 seadog nocomments DIAL 1-312- ; ; END cost 0 0 1-312 0 end This is a simple control file which tells XLATLIST I am node 1:115/777, that I want a SEAdog-format NODELIST.BBS, that I don't want to see the comments in the nodelist, that the text "1-312" should be removed from telephone numbers, and that the cost for all calls is zero. After un-ARCing the NODEDIFF, I execute XLATLIST.EXE. Its input is NODELIST.268, NODEDIFF.275, and XLATLIST.CTL. Its output is a short summary on the screen, NODELIST.275, and NODELIST.BBS. Now I execute the command "OPUSNODE -f". This creates Opus' internal-format nodelist files. And that's it. Next week, I'll receive a file named NODEDIFF.282 and repeat the process. Very painless, actually. Which BBS System is the Best? ----- --- ------ -- --- ---- You will find no answer to that question here, as each sysop has good reasons for choosing a particular system. You must decide for yourself, based upon what you observe as a user of the system and what you may be able to find out from sysops of that particular type of system. A quick overview of the various types of software available will be provided here, and even that is done with fear and trembling, since new versions and new products are upon us always. There are two distinct components required for a FidoNet BBS: the part that interfaces with the NETWORK (which we'll call the MAILER) and the part which interfaces with the USER (which we'll call the BBS). Some products contain both of these functions (Fido, Opus), some contain only the BBS portion (TBBS, RBBS), and some contain only the mailer function (SEAdog, Dutchie, BinkleyTerm). This provides the flexibility to interface existing BBS products such as TBBS and RBBS to the network. Specific information on how to obtain the systems is provided at the end of this document. Full-Function: BBS and Mailer -------------- --- --- ------ Fido: This is where it started. Fido version 11 is copyrighted software which may be used for free if the use meets certain conditions (free access and non- commercial are two). Fido version 12 is a commercial product with a list price of $175, available to IFNA members for $100. Fido version 12 has several new features, including the ability to receive network mail any time and locks/keys for message areas. Opus: A more recent entry in the Fido-compatible BBS field is Opus. This BBS is copyrighted software which is free to users who observe the restrictions of the license, and from the caller's perspective behaves much the same as Fido; this makes the conversion from Fido to Opus easy for the caller. For the sysop, the conversion is also easy as Opus supports the user list, file areas, and messages from Fido. However, from the sysop perspective, Opus is significantly different from Fido, more flexible, and supports 24-hour mail. BBS-function (User Interface) Only ------------ ----- ---------- ---- TBBS: In the opinion of many, this system is the premier BBS. It costs $299.95, plus $99.95 for SEAdog to handle network mail. (Note: Because of the method used to package the extension to TBBS for network operation, it is not possible to order SEAdog through IFNA and TBBS from the vendor. The TBBS mail processors and SEAdog are bundled together.) TBBS is a very flexible system from the sysop perspective and very easy to use for callers. TBBS will even support a multi-line and online chat option if you want to get fancy. RBBS: Another recent entry in the FidoNet arena by virtue of interfacing an existing BBS how to a mailer, RBBS is just beginning to make its presence known. RBBS uses a separate mailer system to interface with FidoNet and a program written by Bob Westcott (132/114) to convert netmail-style messages into the RBBS message base. RBBS is public domain, available from most sysops which run it. PCBoard: Yet another case of a well-established BBS system which now interfaces to FidoNet using a mailer. Contact Norm Henke (157/200) for more information. Mail-function (Network Interface) Only ------------- -------- ---------- ---- There are two options when using a separate mailer system. The mailer can answer the phone and, if it detects a human caller, load the BBS. Or the mailer can be run only during specific time periods, such as during National Mail Hour, to send and receive network messages. With the first option, the system is able to receive network mail at any time, but callers are slightly inconvenienced by waiting for the BBS to load. With the second, network interface is limited to the specific time period. SEAdog: SEAdog began its life in FidoNet as an improved mail processor for Fido version 11. SEAdog is a commercial product of System Enhancement Associates, costing $100; it is available to members of IFNA for $60. DUTCHIE: Dutchie began its life in FidoNet as the first system designed specifically to operate as a point, but has since grown to a full FidoNet mail system similar to SEAdog, but with a more amateur user oriented interface and setup. Unlike SEAdog, Dutchie is free to non-commercial users. BinkleyTerm: This package can be used as a mailer for a BBS, as a terminal program, or to support a point system. It is copyrighted code, distributed with source code with no charge for use in noncommercial applications. The authors request recognition for their work, which may take the form of a simple "thank you", a post card, or best of all, helpful hints on special applications or new utilities. EchoMail: What is it? -------- ---- -- -- For most sysops, echomail is the primary reason to hook up to FidoNet. It provides the opportunity to share information with large numbers of callers on other BBS's which may be in other parts of the world. This is a particularly important advantage for those BBS's which do not have large numbers of local callers, or for those subjects in which the interest level on any particular BBS is low. The concept of echomail operation is simple. A group of systems decides to form a conference on some topic. Each of them sets aside a message area on the local BBS. Then any message posted on one board is automatically echoed to all the other systems. Functionally, it is as if all the participants were dialing into the same local BBS. This concept was invented in late 1985 by Jeff Rush, a sysop in Dallas. Growth since then has been phenomenal, with network volume associated with echomail eclipsing person-to-person volume. Conferences exist today on hundreds of topics with more being started every week. Computer/technical topics are covered (programming, general-technical, mainframe) as well as non-computer topics (debate, Bible, music, disABLED, humor), providing every sysop with a wide variety of interesting conferences, even in subject areas that have limited local expertise. The advantages of echomail are obvious, but it has a few disadvantages. In most cases, the sysop pays telephone charges to obtain echomail; the routing discussed above is not used for echomail because of the volume involved. Connecting to other systems to obtain the conferences can be a headache, depending upon how well the local network has organized echomail. There are delays in response which take some getting used to, and there can be "too much of a good thing" with active conferences averaging in excess of 100 messages a day. Like anything, echomail is best taken in moderation, and the sysop must use good judgement. For example, an attempt to maintain 50 echomail conferences with a 10-meg hard drive is doomed to failure. Operation of EchoMail --------- -- -------- Various echomail utilities are used to move the messages between the mail area and the message area. The words used to describe the operation of these utilities are different with the different BBS software, but the same functions are performed in all cases. A summary of processing using several popular packages is provided after the "generic" explanation. Several fields within the message are used to control this process. Some of these fields may be invisible, depending upon the type of software and parameters specified when it was installed. There are two basic functions required to support echomail. Messages posted by local users must be sent to all the other systems participating in the conference; we'll call that EXPORT here. Messages arriving from other systems must be placed where the users can see them; we'll call that IMPORT here. The import/export process is controlled by information within the message itself, and the utilities use a control file named AREAS.BBS or ECHO.CTL. The first line of each echomail message, when it is sent through the network, is AREA:something. The "something" is what determines into which area the message will be placed. A file named AREAS.BBS or ECHO.CTL controls the correspondence between this field and the BBS area; in other words, AREA:MAINFRAME might correspond to area 12 on your BBS and area 3 on mine. Near the end of each message is a SEEN-BY line. This is the control field which is used to determine which system(s) have not yet seen the message. Again, AREAS.BBS or ECHO.CTL lists which systems see messages, based upon the AREA:something. The last piece of control information in the message is the Origin line, near the end of the message, which is placed there during the export process. This is primarily for us humans to know from which system the message originated; it is not used in routine operation of the echomail utilities. A few examples may make this easier to understand. The syntax of the ConfMail product is used in the examples, but consider them generic to the echomail process, rather than specific to one product. Assume that the following line exists in AREAS.BBS: c:\msg\mframe MAINFRAME 115/123 115/234 which defines the message area corresponding to the conference with AREA:MAINFRAME to be subdirectory c:\msg\mframe, and defines systems 115/123 and 115/234 as recipients of this conference. Also assume that this is system 115/777. Example 1: A user on this board (115/777) posts a new message in the area. The export process will find no SEEN-BY line at the end of the message. It will add a SEEN-BY line to the existing message which reads SEEN-BY 115/123 234 777 It will also add an Origin line to the existing message. Then that message will be sent to systems 115/123 and 115/234. Example 2: A incoming netmail message has as its first line AREA:MAINFRAME, and it's SEEN- BY line lists 115/123 and 115/777. IMPORT moves the message into the MAINFRAME message subdirectory, c:\msg\mframe. The first line, AREA:MAINFRAME, is removed. When EXPORT runs, it compares the SEEN-BY line with AREAS.BBS and discovers that the message has not been seen by 115/234. A copy is sent to 115/234 via netmail. (The copy sent to 115/234 will have AREA:MAINFRAME as its first line.) The SEEN-BY line in the message in the local area is also updated to indicate that the message has been sent to 115/234. Echomail Terms -------- ----- One thing that makes echomail difficult for many people is that each echomail processor uses different words to describe the same thing. The discussion above used the vocabulary of Bob Hartman's popular ConfMail system. Messages are IMPORTED from the netmail area into the actual conference, and EXPORTED from the conference to the netmail area. Other products are available to process echomail: Jeff Rush's original utilities, Opus, TBBS, and MGM. ARCMAIL is a utility normally used in connection with echomail processing, although its application is not limited to echomail. Early in the life of echomail, it became obvious that thousands of messages sent as normal network mail were causing problems. To address this problem, Thom Henderson at SEA provided the ARCMAIL utility. ARCMAIL searches through the netmail area and finds all messages which are to be sent to a system and packs all these messages into one ARC file. It then deletes these messages from the netmail area and creates one message to that system, with the ARC file attached. This saves significant connect time for the systems involved, and provides the side benefit that a point-to-point routing will be used since the message has a file attached. Of course, ARCMAIL also provides the function of expanding the ARC file into netmail messages at the receiving system; if you receive a funny- looking file attached to a null message, chances are it is an ARCmail file. ConfMail has the ARCmail function integrated; in other systems it is a separate step. The original Jeff Rush echomail utilities used the terms TOSS and SCAN -- messages were TOSSED from netmail into the conference, and the conferences were SCANNED, creating the outgoing messages in the netmail area. Opus uses the Jeff Rush terms -- scanning and tossing can be done automatically by the Opus system, or an external processor like ConfMail can be used. There are restrictions on what Opus' internal scan/toss mechanism can handle, but these restrictions will not affect the casual sysop -- only the active echomail hub. MGM also uses the Jeff Rush terms. Its operation is similar to the original echomail utilities. Incoming messages are unARC'ed using ARCMAIL and tossed (from the netmail area to the actual conference area) using MGM TOSS. MGM SCAN is similar to the original scan function, in that it moves messages from the actual conference to the netmail area. However, once in the netmail area, all msessages are addressed to your own system. An additional step, MGMFWD, is required to address the outgoing messages to their actual destination. Finally, ARCMAIL is normally used to pack the outgoing messages. TBBS has an interesting situation, since it uses SEAdog to interface with FidoNet. TBBS maintains all message subboards in one DOS file, as opposed to the Fido method of one message per DOS file which is used by SEAdog. Thus, there is a utility named PREMAIL which searches the TBBS message file for messages which need to be sent out and converts them to messages in the SEAdog netmail area. There is a similar utility named POSTMAIL which pulls the messages back into the TBBS file from SEAdog's area. The ECHOLINK utility establishes reply chains within the TBBS message base and also checks for duplicate messages. Finally, if there is a need to forward to additional systems, the ECHOFWD utility handles that chore. Routing of Echomail ------- -- -------- It is not unusual for a moderately-sized echomail hub to handle dozens of conferences and thousands of messages a day. This volume would quickly swamp the structure which was set up to handle person-to-person communication in which mail flows into a network through the network co-ordinator. For this reason, separate structures have been established to expedite the movement of echomail conferences. Echomail co-ordinators have the responsibility to administer this activity. In some cases, the same individual handles both the job of a network or region co-ordinator and echomail co-ordinator; many times these different jobs are performed by different individuals. There are entire systems dedicated to the movement of echomail. These "echomail backbones" serve as repositories for large numbers of conferences and links to the next level down on the hierarchy. The actual topology of echomail is unimportant. The point is simple -- do not route echomail through normal channels! Send a few hundred echomail messages to some network co-ordinator and find out the real meaning of "annoying behavior". To get started in echomail, first get a working BBS. Get into the network, and get settled. Then talk with your network co-ordinator, or perhaps by then you will have found out who the echomail co-ordinator is. Regional echomail co- ordinators are listed in Region 1 of the nodelist, with the help nodes. You should start by receiving a small number of conferences from another node and you will route your traffic (that is, messages your users enter) back to that node. As your knowledge and confidence grows, you can ask for more conferences. Echomail Etiquette -------- --------- There are a few simple things you can do to make echomail more pleasant for everyone. These are common-sense issues but they may not be immediately obvious when you are just getting started with echomail. Do not send person-to-person messages using echomail. If you have a message for Joe Klutz, and no one else is interested in it, then use standard netmail. Even if you mark the message private, every sysop in the conference will pay to receive it! A message between two sysops across town in New York, received on a BBS in California, isn't likely to win any friends. Every conference has a subject; don't get too far off of it. Most conferences have a moderator who will step in and shout if the topic strays too much. Unless you have been involved in a conference and have a good grasp of its scope, be cautious about starting a new topic. When you reply to a message in echomail, mention enough of the previous message so that readers can tell what you are replying to. It is maddening to see someone discussing the merits of a previous message when you can't figure out what the previous message is about. Remember, reply chains in echomail are imperfect at best and some echomail processors don't even attempt to reconstruct reply chains. Also, remember the delay inherent in echomail. If you post a question, don't expect a response tomorrow. If you reply to a question, realize that many others may be replying at the same time, a flood which will pour in over the next several days. Flames ------ The term "flame" is used within FidoNet to describe a "hot" message which disagrees violently with some issue. Unfortunately, flames often are attacks on persons, not ideas. This can be very annoying, using the term in its "technical" context from FidoNet policy. There is no excuse within FidoNet for personal attacks by one individual upon another individual, yet it happens all the time. When you compose a message, remember that the electronic media does not convey facial expressions or voice tones. This can make it very difficult to convey the real meaning of what you are trying to say. Flames are contagious. If you see an attack on something you believe in, or on someone you like, it is human nature to want to answer the challenge. Instead, think about whether you really should reply. If you violently disagree with what you just read, a reply may not be the best idea. . . at least not until you have had time to calm down. It is bad form (although altogether too common) to spend more time in the reply discussing personalities than the real issues. Calm reasoning will win over more support than calling your opponent names. Remember, it's not the COMPUTER you are jousting with; there is a real human being out there, with feelings. Sure, the modem does a great job of insulating you, but don't say anything in an electronic message which you would not say face-to-face. On the other hand, if someone attacks YOUR ideas, don't take it personally. Humor is often the best response to a flame. Remember, everyone has a right to their opinion, and the lack of verbal queues in echomail makes disagreement sound like attack. It is not necessary to respond to each and every message which states an opinion different from your own. There are times when ignoring a message is the right thing to do, even though it is much more difficult than replying to it. An Alternative for EchoMail Junkies -- ----------- --- -------- ------- Are you the type of person who is addicted to echomail? You call up your local BBS and spend hours online reading all the messages in twenty different confe- rences? Perhaps the major reason you're even considering opening a BBS is to have your own local source for echomail, where you can sit in front of your own computer, and read without worrying about tying up a telephone line. Welcome to the world of POINTS and SERVERS. There is an alternative to much of the hassle which you've just read about -- instead of starting a full-service BBS, become a POINT instead. Here's the way it works. A POINT system operates as an adjunct to another system which is a traditional nodelisted FidoNet system, the SERVER. The POINT system is much like a one- person BBS. The point system dials the server at some pre-arranged time, usually in the wee hours, and downloads echomail. Then the owner of the point can read it, enter replies, and upload this information at the next call. This has many advantages for all concerned. (1) The point system doesn't tie up the server BBS for hours reading messages online in the traditional way. (2) The owner of the point may save lots of money in telephone charges if there is a connect-time charge involved in the call. (3) The point owner doesn't have to worry about busy signals, and can peruse the messages at any convenient time. (4) If the point owner types slowly, this is even more of an advantage. (5) The point system isn't listed in the nodelist, but can still participate in network mail. With growth of the nodelist, this is a serious consideration. (6) Compared to setting up a full-service BBS, setting up a point is easier. The disadvantage of being a point is that you must have a server. This is becoming less of a problem with the development of point/server software. If you routinely tie up a popular system for hours reading mail, the sysop will likely be more than happy to provide you with point access, since it will make the BBS more available for other callers. If you fall into the category of "echomail junkie", consider discussing point/server with your favorite sysop; it may be what you really want to do rather than open a full-service BBS. There are several alternatives available now for point/server software, and the capabilities of the software are growing by the day. DUTCHIE was the first package, and introduced the concept. Other alternatives include ConfMail, MGM, and BinkleyTerm. Obviously the point must use a system which is compatible with the server. Common "Gotcha's" ------ ---------- Here's a collection of little tips that may save you from having to ask your fellow sysop when something looks bad. . . or keep your system running more smoothly. You'll have an interesting problem once a year with XLATLIST. It "knows" that the most current changes to the nodelist are in a file named NODEDIFF.nnn where nnn is the largest. What happens at the first of a new year? Guess what -- it's not true, once a year, that the most current nodediff file has the "highest" name. So watch for this; it can keep your nodelist update from working correctly in early January. The solution is simple: Rename the old nodelist (the one you want the nodediff applied to) to NODELIST.000, and make sure that there aren't any other NODELIST.nnn files present in the subdirectory. A similar problem exists with Daylight Savings Time. FidoNet does not observe daylight savings time. If your area does, then the LOCAL time for your National Mail Hour changes twice a year -- once in the spring when DST begins, and once in the fall when it ends. When you change the time on your computer (using the TIME command), remember to also change the time for your mail events in whatever mailer program you are using. If you don't change both at the same time, you'll be observing National Mail Hour during the wrong hour. Many new FidoNet sysops find out the hard way that messages which have files attached do not follow normal routing. No matter which BBS software you are using, if a message has a file attached it will be sent direct to its destination, and no routing that you request will affect it. This can come as a shock to the new sysop who thinks that all the outgoing messages are routed to another local system; attach a file to a message and your system will gladly call Australia if you let it. Sources ------- To obtain help on FidoNet or a related software product, use FidoNet! The best source is a local sysop who has done what you want to do. There are echomail conferences on many of the products discussed in this document. Refer to the echomail section to discover how to join them. The first part of the nodelist, "Region 1", contains help nodes for many software products and functions. This is a partial list (taken from the current nodelist): 1/0 N._America_Coord 1-602-235-9653 Phoenix_AZ 1/1 FidoNews 1-201-473-8522 Clifton_NJ 1/10 Int'l_FNet_Assn 1-314-576-2743 St_Louis_MO 1/11 IFNA_Finance 1-808-533-0190 Honolulu_HI 1/12 IFNA_Legal 1-201-326-9870 Parsippany_NJ 1/16 IFNA_Mem._Data 1-216-291-3048 Clevland_OH 1/17 IFNA_Mem._Info 1-216-883-0578 Clevland_OH 1/20 Fido_Tech_Stand 1-715-362-3895 Rhinelander_WI 1/100 General_Help 1-201-245-6614 Clifton_NJ 1/102 BinkleyTERM_Help 1-615-875-4131 Chattanooga_TN 1/103 Netware_Help 1-405-947-7294 Okla_City_OK 1/105 IBM_Help 1-201-249-1898 E._Brunswick_NJ 1/108 Modem_Help_East 1-203-366-1336 Milford_CT 1/109 Tandy_Help 1-206-527-5618 Seattle_WA 1/110 Modem_Help_West 1-714-647-9009 Santa_Ana_CA 1/113 OPUS_Help 1-214-991-3381 Dallas_TX 1/116 Dutchie_Help 1-314-334-6359 CapeGirardeau_MO 1/117 Fido_Help 1-408-296-2329 San_Jose_CA 1/200 Nat'l_Echo_Coor 1-415-672-2504 Concord_CA 1/201 EchoList_Coord 1-201-286-2567 Toms_River_NJ 1/210 Reg_10_Echo_Coor 1-714-544-3369 Tustin_CA 1/211 Reg_11_Echo_Coor 1-216-883-0578 Clevland_OH 1/213 Reg_13_Echo_Coor 1-201-249-1898 E._Brunswick_NJ 1/215 Reg_15_Echo_Coor 1-303-973-9338 Littleton_CO 1/216 Reg_16_Echo_Coor 1-603-888-8179 Nashau_NH 1/217 Reg_17_Echo_Coor 1-206-848-5317 Puyallup_WA 1/218 Reg_18_Echo_Coor 1-404-928-1876 Woodstock_GA 1/300 SoftWare_Coord 1-901-353-4563 Memphis_TN 1/301 SoftWare_East 1-301-574-1984 Essex_MD 1/302 SoftWare_West 1-915-857-1974 El_Paso_TX The International FidoNet Association makes certain publications available and provides member-only discounts on some software products. The publications are readily available for download on many bulletin board systems, or they can be purchased in paper form using the order blank in each issue of FidoNews; the current one is reproduced below: IFNA Fido BBS listing $15.00 _____ IFNA Administrative Policy DOCs $10.00 _____ IFNA FidoNet Standards Committee DOCs $10.00 _____ Special offers for IFNA members ONLY: System Enhancement Associates SEAdog $60.00 _____ ONLY 1 copy SEAdog per IFNA Member. Fido Software's Fido/FidoNet $100.00 _____ ONLY 1 copy Fido/FidoNet per IFNA Member. SUBTOTAL _____ Missouri Residents add 5.725 % Sales tax _____ International orders include $5.00 for surface shipping or $15.00 for air shipping _____ TOTAL _____ SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO: IFNA P.O. Box 41143 St. Louis, Missouri 63141 USA Name________________________________ Net/Node____/____ Company_____________________________ Address_____________________________ City____________________ State____________ Zip_____ Voice Phone_________________________ Signature___________________________ For information on International FidoNet Association: IFNA PO Box 41143 St. Louis, MO 63141 USA 314 576-4067 (voice) For information on System Enhancement Associates' products, including SEAdog: System Enhancement Associates 21 New Street Wayne, NJ 07470 For information on ConfMail: Bob Hartman (132/101) Spark Software 427-3 Amherst Street Nashua, NH 03061 For information on TBBS: eSoft, Inc. 4100 S. Parker Road #305 Aurora, CO 80014 303 699-6565 (voice) A nationwide listing of echomail conferences is available from Thomas Kenney, 107/316. Request ELST*.ARC. Acknowledgements ---------------- This document is a group effort. It has to be; no one person can know every piece of software which is in common use in the network. When you run a particular type of BBS software, you become familiar with that piece of software and the utilities that it uses; that doesn't help the potential sysop who isn't using your configuration. So, readers, if you have made your way through the implementation of something which is not covered here, and you want to share your experience with your fellow users, please write something and send it to me. I would be happy for this document to grow so that more topics are covered. To corrupt a popular phrase. . . send prose! Information was adapted from published documents by the following persons: Bob Hartman -- ConfMail and the history of EchoMail Tom Jennings -- FidoNet history Thanks to the following individuals for "sending prose": Randy Bush -- Dutchie and the term "public domain" Norm Henke -- PCBoard Ken Kaplan -- Specific <tm> information and IFNA background Brian McCullough -- A careful reading; many useful suggestions Vince Perriello -- BinkleyTerm Dick Sonka -- TBBS Bob Westcott -- RBBS James Zachary -- MGM Steve Bonine 115/777 November 1987