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RemoteAccess File Manager version 1.11
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│░░░ Table of Contents ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Legal aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Rafm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Multi-line systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
RafmEdit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
RafmCln . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
RafmChk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
RafmAll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
RafmCnvt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Bugreports, address etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
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╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│░░░ Introduction ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
Welcome to RAFM, the ultimate file-manager for RemoteAccess
(tm) version 1.10 and up. First of all, I'd like to thank you
for showing interest in this program, believe me, you won't be
disappointed!
Rafm is a product of one year of programming and testing. I've
been hesitating for a long time whether or not making it a
shareware program. Although I do think that shareware is the
very best way to spread programs (cheap, good and the only way
for you to test it before you pay), it's common knowledge that
there are far too less people who pay... Finally, I decided to
spread the first releases as shareware. Maybe the shareware
philosophy still works? On the other hand, maybe not, we'll
see. It's up to you if you want to keep shareware or not.
One thing: English is not my native language. Please excuse me
if this manual contains some weird words of sentences.
╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│░░░ Legal aspects ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
1. This package is shareware, so you'll have to pay for it
after a reasonable time during which you can determine
if it's worth your money. If you like the package and
want to continue using it, you MUST pay. Look in the
Register.Doc contained in the archive for more info
about the registration procedure.
2. The package is not in any way crippled. Registration
entitles you to use it for as long as you wish and
removes the intro-message.
3. All programs and other files in the archive are copy-
righted material by René van Hoorn, Hilversum, The
Netherlands.
4. Modifying or reverse engineering of the programs is
strictly forbidden.
5. You are encourage to distribute Rafm provided that no
fee is charged for its distribution except a small fee
to cover direct costs (<= $5.00)
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6. The author (René van Hoorn) is in no way obliged to give
future support for new versions of Rafm.
7. The author will not be held liable to you or anyone else
in case of any kind of damage caused by the use or
inability to use Rafm.
If you don't agree with these rules, you may NOT use RAFM!
╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│░░░ General ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
Ok, now for the good part: What is RAFM?
Rafm is a complete file-system. It has all internal RA-
functions and many, many more. Maybe you thought it was just
another FileDoor, but really, it isn't. For users of RA it's
quite revolutionair, because it doesn't use the Files.Bbs
anymore. Instead of those files, it uses ONE database and for
high-speed access a small index-file. At this moment there
isn't a faster program around. Also, the full-screen editor is
unique and offers you powerfull tools for editing and
maintaining the file-section of your BBS. No need to edit long
ASCII-files... Here we go for a quick and incomplete overview
of features:
- Global download from every area.
- Internal ProtocolEngine with support for Xmodem,
Xmodem/1K, Ymodem and Zmodem.
- Enhanced protocol interface. All protocols can be used,
not only those creating a log-file.
- Support for Bi-directional protocols (Send en Receive
simultaneous)
- Build-in Bimodem interface, no need for an external
program.
- Use of file-descriptions longer than one line.
- Support for ZIP/ARC/PAK/ARJ/LZH and HYP archives,
including self-extracting archives.
- Users can view archives, extract files from archives and
convert archives to another type.
- 2 types of file-listing (RAFM and RA-alike)
- Time needed to download a file is shown in the listing.
- Virus-checking and re-archiving of uploads.
- Full-screen cursor-tagging, no need to enter filenames
anymore.
- Chatmode.
- Fully user-definable colours.
- Dupe-checking (all areas).
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- Duplicate files can be moved to a special area or
killed. (Same for bad archives)
- Uploads can be restricted to one area.
- Working (!) Kb and File-ratios, with an option to leave
out the first x number of files and x Kb.
- Functional private (sysop-only) files
- Support for Free Files (Don't affect the user's time-
and download-limit)
- Support for unwanted filenames.
- Option to give upload-credit both in time and in
download-kb-limit.
- (Optional) Automatic log-off after transfer.
- Auto-Adopt. (Scanning directories for files and adding
them to the database).
- File-maintenance. Optional you can let Rafm move and/or
kill static files that aren't downloaded within a
certain period.
- Fully multi-line aware.
- Avatar-support.
- Internal ANSI and Avatar-driver for fast screen display.
- and many many more...
I've almost forgotten the perhaps most important feature:
except for the virus-check and re-archiving of uploads, ALL
options are contained in only ONE program! There is no need
for constant switching between programs! (In fact, this is the
main reason why I've written Rafm...)
What's in the archive?
- RAFM.EXE: The main program. A fossil-driven door with
carrier-detect and time-check (of course).
- RAFMALL.EXE: The all/new-files creator. With an internal
full-screen configuration part. Can create
upto 10 different all/new-files combinations
in one run.
- RAFMCLN.EXE: Maintenance-program for use in the nightly
(?) batch-file. Used to keep the database
up-to-date.
- RAFMCHK.EXE: Virus-check and re-archiving program. Used
to manipulate new uploaded files.
- RAFMCNVT.EXE: The conversion-program. Used to convert the
files.bbs to the database.
- RAFMEDIT.EXE: The full-screen editor. Used to edit areas,
files and protocols.
- *.OVR: Several overlays, used by the different
.EXE's.
- README.1ST Important note!
- RAFM.DOC: That's what you're reading now.
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- RAFMPROT.DDD: Description of the most often used protocols
(rename this to RafmProt.Dat if you want to
use it).
- RAFMZIP.BAT: Batch-file used by RafmAll to archive the
created All/New-files-listings.
- REGISTER.DOC: Information about prizes and registration
procedures.
- REGISTER.*: Several registration-forms for each country
where a support-node is located.
- RAFMSTR.DOC: RAFM File-structures document
- USERON30.ARJ: Gerard Hoogterp's replacement for the 'Whoes
on-line' function (Fully supported by RAFM).
- EXAMPLE.ARJ: Set of menus and .A?? files.
- WHATSNEW.111 Short overview of all changes since 1.10
After installation, there are a few extra files created:
RAFMAREA.DAT: Contains the area-information.
RAFMCONF.DAT: Configuration-file.
RAFMFILE.DAT: The file-database.
RAFMIDX.DAT: Index-file.
RAFMPROT.DAT: Contains all info about installed protocols.
ALLCONF.DAT: Created and used by RafmAll.
What do you need beside these files?
- One or more archivers. Rafm uses following programs:
ZIP: PkZip.Exe (tested with version 1.10)
ARC: PkArc/PkxArc (tested with version 3.5)
LZH: LhArc.Exe/Lha.Exe (tested with both version 1.13
and 2.12)
PAK: Pak.Exe (tested with version 2.51)
ARJ: Arj.Exe (tested with version 2.21)
HYP: Hyper.Exe (tested with version 2.5)
Note: Please use only the tested versions (or higher) of
the archivers. Some functions (like adding comments to
ARJ archives) will NOT work with earlier versions!
- A virus-scanner, f.e. Scan from McAfee.
╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│░░░ Installation ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
Installation is quite easy, just follow these steps:
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1. Create and new sub-directory and copy the *.EXE and
*.OVR files to this directory.
2. Rafm uses an environment-variable called "RAFM" (without
the "" of course) to find the data-files. If this
variable is NOT set, Rafm will use the current
directory.
Edit your autoexec.bat and add following line to it:
SET RAFM=<Full Path>
Don't forget to reboot before you run Rafm for the first
time and don't put any spaces in the SET command or else
it won't work! (refer to your DOS-manual)
3. Copy all .A?? files to your textfile-path and all .MNU
files to your menufile-directory.
4. Run RafmCnvt.Exe and answer the questions asked.
5. Run RafmEdit.Exe. The first time RafmEdit is run, it
will create the configuration- and protocol-datafile.
Walk through all menu-options and change whatever you
want.
6. Create a type 7 menu-entry in RA (using Ramenu). The
dataline should contain following:
C:\RA\RAFM\RAFM.EXE *N *M
*N is only necessary when running a multi-line system.
It's advised to use the memory-swap, because Rafm has to
call other programs (archivers, transfer-protocols).
Now you're ready to try Rafm local. Run RA with the -L
parameter and use the menu-option you've just created. For
easy operation it's advised to place the RAFM-directory in the
PATH. In that case Rafm and all accompanying programs will
always be able to find the *.DAT files.
╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│░░░ Environment ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
Rafm can use three different environment-variables:
RAFM: Should point to the directory where the *.DAT
files are located. If not present, Rafm will look
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for these files in the current directory.
RAFMTEMP: If present, Rafm will use the directory pointed to
by this variable to store the memory-swapfile. If
you have a RAM-disk, speed will increase when you
let Rafm swap to this disk.
RAFMOVR: If present, Rafm will look for the OVR-file in the
directory pointed to by this variable. If not
present, Rafm will first look in the current
directory and then search through the PATH.
Similair to RAFMTEMP, speed will increase further
when placing the OVR-file on a RAM-disk.
╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│░░░ Rafm ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
As said before, RAFM is the main program of the package. Rafm
takes care of whatever an user wants to do on-line. Rafm can
read and understand the standard RA-menus, so you probably
only have to make minor changes to your menus when switching
to Rafm. Please refer to a seperate section in this manual
where all menu-types are described.
There are a few hard-coded names for some screens used by
Rafm. All .A?? files should be placed in the textfile-path, as
stated in RaConfig.
ARCHHELP.A??: The Archive-helpfile. Shown when an user
presses H, using the full-screen archive-
viewer.
RAFMDOWN.A??: Download-menu. Should show all protocols
available.
RAFMUP.A??: Upload-menu.
RAFMAREA.A??: Shown when an user presses the ?-key
whenever he/she has to choose an area. This
is only the case when NOT using templates!
The Rafm-Archive contains an example of all these files.
Rafm only uses one commandline-parameter. This parameter
indicates on which line Rafm is running. Since Rafm assumes
it's running on line 1, single-line systems don't have to use
this. Multi-line systems however, MUST use this parameter or
else strange things can happen!
1.11 offers a new way of selecting files from the listings.
Users can now select the desired file using the cursor-keys
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and press [Enter]. Please note that Rafm will turn off the
status-line during the listings. This is done because else
your local screen will become a mess when an user uses cursor-
tagging. You can force the status-line on by pressing [F10] if
you want. RAFM supports the ANSI-escape codes for Home, Cursor
Up/Down en End. Unfortunately, ANSI doesn't have a code for
PgUp/PgDn keys, so if an user wants to use these keys, he/she
has to turn on Numlock of put the software into Doorway mode.
╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│░░░ Multi-line systems ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
Rafm is completely multi-line aware. All files that should be
shared, are shared and record-locking is available. Note: Rafm
will ONLY use record-locking if it's indicated in RaConfig
that you really are running multi-line. For record-locking,
Rafm uses share, so this should be loaded. Screen-writes are
never direct, unless indicated by RaConfig. Because Rafm will
always search the current directory for it's datafiles first,
you can create different configuration- and protocol-files for
each line.
IMPORTANT: The maintance program RafmCln does NOT use any
record-locking. Make sure ALL lines are down when
using this program, or else you run the risk of
ruining your database!!!
One nice feature of Rafm: everytime a new menu is being read,
Rafm will check if the filedates of one of the *.DAT files has
been changed, if so, Rafm will re-read these files. This means
that you can change your configuration using RafmEdit while
your users are on-line! No need to close-down the system!
╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│░░░ Menus ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
Rafm reads and understands the standard RA-menus. However, not
all types can be used. An overview containing all menu-types
and a short explanation follows. Refer to your RA-manual if
you want more info. Please note that Rafm not always uses the
same optional data!
There is ONE hard-coded menu-name, and that's RAFMTOP.MNU.
This is the first menu to be shown. If NOT present, Rafm will
abort!
Type: 1
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Name: Goto another menu
Optional Data: <Menu Name> /F=<File Area>|+|-
Description: Same as RA.
If you enter "QUITRAFM" (without the "") on
the optional dataline, Rafm will end the
session and return to RA, without
disconnecting.
Type: 2
Name: Gosub another menu
Optional Data: <Menu Name> /F=<File Area>|+|-
Description: Same as RA.
Type: 3
Name: Return from gosub
Optional Data: None
Description: Same as RA.
Type: 4
Name: Goto menu after clearing menu stack
Optional Data: <Menu Name> /F=<File Area>|+|-
Description: Same as RA.
Type: 5
Name: Display a *.A?? text file
Optional Data: <1-8 character name>
Description: Same as RA.
Type: 7
Name: Run an external program in a shell
Optional Data: <Command Line> [Control Codes]
Description: Same as RA. All control codes can be used,
except: *H, *O and *1
Type: 8
Name: Product information
Optional Data: None
Description: Same as RA, but displays different
information (of course)
Type: 9
Name: Terminate the session
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Optional Data: None
Description: Same as RA.
This option will disconnect and doesn't let
the user return to RA! If you want to do
that, use a type 1!
Type: 11
Name: Page sysop for a chat
Optional Data: <Paging string>
Description: Same as RA.
Type: 14
Name: Time / Display statistics
Optional Data: <None>
Description: Will show some information about the user's
limits, and how much already has been used.
Type: 30
Name: Directory
Optional Data: <Full path> or /F
Description: Same as RA
Type: 31
Name: List Files
Optional Data: /F
Description: Displays a list of files available for
download. If the /F is present in the
optional data, Rafm will assume that you're
using templates and will display the listing
instantly. If not, Rafm will first ask the
user which area should be displayed. Besides
entering the area-number, there are 2
special keys:
- ?: Displays an overview of all areas that
the user can access. If present,
RafmArea.A?? will be displayed.
- +: Will list all files in ALL areas.
Type: 32
Name: Download a File
Optional Data: None
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Description: First, RafmDown.A?? is displayed and the
user has to choose a protocol. Besides the
hot-keys definied in RafmEdit, there is
always an extra option: "-", which will
abort the download.
After choosing the protocol, the user can
enter filenames or download the files that
were tagged. Wildcards (* and ?) are
allowed. Rafm will refuse however *.*.
Type: 33
Name: Upload a File
Optional Data: None
Description: Similair to type 32. Uses RafmUp.A?? instead
of RafmDown.A??.
Type: 34
Name: View Archive
Optional Data: None
Description: Activates the full-screen archive viewer.
Rafm can handle all populair types of
archivers. Be sure to place the necessary
archive-programs in your Path, or else Rafm
won't be able to find them. There is a
possibility to show a help-file, called
ARCHHELP.A??.
Type: 35
Name: File scan by keyword.
Optional Data: None
Description: Same as RA.
Type: 36
Name: File scan by Filename.
Optional Data: None
Description: Same as RA.
Type: 37
Name: Show new files
Optional Data: None
Description: Same as RA, with an extra option to ask a
number of days to scan back instead of a
single date.
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Type: 39
Name: Display a fully named text file
Optional Data: <Full path and name>
Description: Same as RA.
Type: 40
Name: Display an *.A?? text file with hot-keys
Optional Data: <1-8 character name>
Description: Same as RA.
Type: 45
Name: Display a text file and wait
Optional Data: <1-8 character name>
Description: Same as RA.
Type: 46
Name: Display a direct text file with CR
Optional Data: <Full path and name>
Description: Same as RA.
Type: 48
Name: Download a specific file
Optional Data: <Full path and name>
Description: Same as RA.
Type: 50
Name: Select file area
Optional Data: None
Description: Shows a listing of all areas the user has
access to and lets the user choose another
area. If present, the file RafmArea.A?? will
be displayed instead of the internal
listing.
Type: 55
Name: Download any file
Optional Data: None
Description: Same as RA.
╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│░░░ RafmEdit ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
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RafmEdit is the full-screen editor of Rafm. With RafmEdit you
can edit areas, files, protocols and configuration. Like all
Rafm-programs, RafmEdit will first search the current for
*.DAT files. Only if one or more *.DAT files can't be found in
the current directory, RafmEdit will look in the directory
pointed to by the RAFM environment variable.
Use the cursor-keys and [Enter] to walk through the menu-
choices. [Esc] will always abort input and return without the
changes becoming permanent. When exiting RafmEdit will ask if
you want to save the changes, answering this question with
'N'(o) will discard any changes you've made in that session.
Please note that changes to files will always become permanent
instandly.
AREAS: Choose an area or an empty slot (indicated
with <Not Used>) with the cursor-keys. You
can also directly type an area-number. If
you've reached the desired area, press
[Enter] and a new window will open. Now you
can edit the chosen area. Since most fields
are equal to RA, I'll only will explain some
extra fields:
-Password: Areas can be protected with a password.
Files in these areas can still be seen by
users, but if they want to download from
these areas, they have to know the correct
password.
-Header: At the beginning of a file-listing, it's
possible to show an .A?? file. This file
could contain some extra info about the
area, or f.e. some statistics.
-Free Area: Indicates if an user can download from this
area without affecting his/her limits.
Please note that ALL files in the area will
be free files (there is also an similair
option in the files-section).
-Protected: Areas can be protected against the
maintenance function of RafmCln. If an area
is protected, files in this area will never
be moved or killed because of inactivity.
-Proc. Arch.:
If set to NO, files in this area will never
be re-archived by RafmChk. This can be
usefull for areas where you f.e. place your
Fidonet-related files.
FILES: Activating this option will open 2 different
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windows. On the left side all files are
displayed, on the right side an overview of
all possible command-keys is shown.
All commands are activated via an Alt-Key
combination. Typing without the Alt-key
pressed will activate the Search-function
(look at the 'Search-String'). You can clear
the search-string by using backspace or
[Ctrl-Home].
The space-bar will tag a file (or if a file
already is tagged, remove the tag). Except
for the Edit and Add function, all functions
will work with all tagged files at once. So,
if you've tagged 10 files and press [Alt-M],
all 10 files will be moved!
Search on keyword [Alt-K]
Allows you to search through the database on
keywords. Works the same as the menu type
35.
Search on wildcard [Alt-F]
Allows you to search through the database on
wildcards. Works the same as the menu type
36.
Select files in 1 area [Alt-A]
Allows you to select all files in a specific
area.
Delete tagged file(s) [Alt-D] or [Del]
Will erase the tagged file(s) from disk en
mark the record(s) in the database as
deleted. Deleted records can only be removed
from the database by using RafmCln -S -K
Move tagged file(s) [Alt-M]
Will move tagged file(s) to a different
area. Only the area-number in the database
is changed, but you can optionally let
RafmEdit copy the file physically to another
directory.
Edit [Alt-E] or [Enter]:
Opens another window in which you can edit
the selected file. Note that Rafm will store
the full directory with each file, so it is
possible for a file to have a different
directory than the area in which it is
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located. This will save you much copying and
moving, but can cause problems when using
Bimodem, because when an user has entered
Bimodem and has access to the directory,
there is no way Rafm can prevent an user to
download a file.
-FileName: The complete name of the file, including
extension.
-Directory: The full path to the file. You can prevent
possible problems if you always include the
drive-letter. Pressing [F2] will give you an
overview of all directories.
-Area #: Determins in which area the file is located.
As said before, the directory of the file
doesn't have to be the same as the directory
of the corresponding area. Again, pressing
[F2] will give you an overview of all areas.
-Downloads: How many times the file is downloaded.
-FileSize: The size of this file in bytes.
-FileDate: The date the file was uploaded. This is
automatically updated if you run RafmCln -U.
-Uploader: The name of the person who uploaded the
file.
-Password: If an file is protected by a password, an
user has to enter this password first before
he/she can download the file. Password
protected files can always be seen in a
listing.
-Last access:
The most recent date the file was
downloaded. This date is used by the
maintenance function to determine whether or
not a file is inactive.
-Description:
The description of the file. You can enter
upto 210 characters.
Note: a "|" will be translated to a CR/LF
combination in a file-listing.
If the entry is a comment (see further) this
field holds the text to be displayed.
-Free: Can this file be downloaded for free? (i.e.
Not affecting any of the user's limits)
-Private: If a file is private, the file can only be
seen or downloaded by users which security
is equal or higher than set in the
corresponding area. Private files will also
never appear in an All/Newfiles-listing.
-Checked: Is the file already processed by RafmChk?
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-Deleted: Determines is the file is deleted from the
database. This doesn't mean the file doesn't
exist anymore, only that Rafm will ignore
the file.
-Protected: If set, the file will never be moved or
killed by the maintenance function. Use this
if you don't want to protect the whole area,
but only a few files in that area.
-Comment: Indicates whether or not this entry should
be treated as a comment. Normally, the text
entered in the description-field is used as
a comment. You can also use a .A?? file as a
comment by entering a @ followed by a 8
character filename. Since it is not (yet)
possible to insert a entry in the database,
you will have to choose the filename
carefully.
Add a file [Alt-A] or [Ins]
Will create a new record in the database and
afterwards activate the Edit-function to let
you add a new file to the database.
Clear all tags [Alt-C]
Will clear all previous entered tags.
Global Edit [Alt-G]
With this option you can change several
files at once:
-Directory:
Change the directory of all tagged files.
Files are NOT copied to this directory, only
the entry in the database will be changed.
-Last access date:
Change the date on which the files are last
downloaded of all tagged files.
-Uploader:
Change the name of the person who uploaded
the file.
-Description:
Change the description of all tagged files.
-Statusbits:
Change the statusbits of all tagged files.
There are 5 different statusbits:
-Free:
Determins if the file can be downloaded
for free.
-Private:
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Determins if the file is private
(sysop-only)
-Checked:
Whether or not the file already had
been processed by RafmChk.
-Deleted:
Is the file deleted from the database?
-Protected:
If set, the file will not be touched by
the maintenance function of RafmCln.
PROTOCOLS: Rafm can handle 5 types of protocols:
- Logfile:
Protocols that create a logfile (f.e. DSZ)
- Errorlevel:
Some protocols don't create a logfile, but
exit with an errorlevel. Rafm assumes that
an errorlevel of 0 means Ok. Any other
errorlevel should indicate the transfer has
failed.
- Bimodem:
Rafm has a complete build in Bimodem
interface, taking advantage of all features
of Bimodem. There is no need for any
external interface.
Note: although Rafm will take care of the
security (download-limit, time-limit,
directories etc.) you still have to
configure Bimodem to suit your own needs!
- Other:
If you can't get the protocol to work with
any of the first 3 types, you rather
shouldn't use it, but if you still want to,
you could try this type. This type will
cause Rafm to measure the time the transfer
took, and compare it to the calculated time
(size/speed/efficiency*100). If the actual
time and the calculated time match, then
Rafm will assume the transfer was
succesfull. The succes of this type depends
very much on the accuracy of the efficiency.
If you don't know exactly, set it high
(about 95%). That should do it.
- Bi-directional:
Besides Bimodem, there is at least one
protocol than can send and receive files
simultaneously. You can't use the oridinary
Logfile type, because RAFM won't scan the
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logfile for both up- en downloads. Bi-
drectional types are expected to creat a
logfile, if not, you can't use them in RAFM.
The main difference between logfile- and Bi-
drectional-types is the download keyword.
Normally RAFM will treat this keyword case-
insensitive, but NOT with Bi-directional
types!
The archive contains a sample RafmProt.Dat with a number
of often used protocols. The only thing you have to do
is change the directories. If you want to install other
protocols, please read the section below first!
-Description (All types):
The name and comment of the protocol. The
first word will be placed in the logfile. An
underscore ("_") will be translated to a
blank space when displayed, but you can use
this to force Rafm to take more than 1 word
into the logfile (f.e.: True_Ymodem will
still show True Ymodem in the logfile, if
you don't use the underscore, only True will
be written to the logfile).
-Enabled/Disabled (All types):
Determines whether or not users can use the
protocol.
-Kind (All types):
Logfile, Errorlevel, Bimodem, Other or Bi-
directional.
-Hot-Key (All types):
The character used in the menu's to select
the protocol.
-Download command (All types):
The complete command and controle codes
(look at the end of this section for an
overview of these control codes) to execute
the protocol in download (send) mode.
-Upload command (All types):
Similair to Download command, only for
upload (receive) mode.
-Efficiency (All types):
The efficiency of the protocol (in %). This
is important because Rafm will calculate the
transfer-time according to this efficiency.
Even more when using the type "Other".
-Max. files (Logfile/Bimodem)
Rafm can transfer a maximum of 20 files in
one session. For errorlevel and other types,
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the maximum number is always one, even if
the protocol itself can transfer more than
one file a time.
When using opus-type of protocols (protocols
that DON'T use control-files to specify the
filenames) limit the maximum number of files
to 4. This because the limited size of the
commandline that DOS can handle.
-Logfile (Logfile/Bimodem)
The full path to the logfile created by the
protocol.
With Bimodem you should specify the complete
path to your Bimodem.Cfg and NOT the logfile
created by Bimodem!!!
-Download Keyword (Logfile)
Same as RA.
-Upload KeyWord (Logfile)
Same as RA.
-Download count (Logfile)
Same as RA.
-Description count (Logfile)
Same as RA.
Up/Download control codes:
*P: Comport used
*B: Current baudrate
*M: Activate memory-swap option
*CF: Create a control-file with filenames which have to
be transferred.
*AF: Is replaced by filename(s) on the command-line.
All control codes are case-insensitive, but don't mix
both kinds! So, "cf" and "CF" is allowed, but "Cf"
isn't!
INTERNAL PROTOCOLS
The internal protocols are exactly the same as in RA.
The hotkeys which activate the protocols are the same
and you can turn the use of these internal protocol
on/off via RaConfig. Please note that the hotkeys you've
entered in RafmEdit overrule the onces for the internal
protocols. This way, you can still use RA's protocols
for f.e. message uploading and install a different one
in Rafm.
CONFIGURATION
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The configuration is divided in 5 different sections.
Each section is discussed seperately.
General
-Default extension:
Used when an user doesn't enter an
extension. Normally this would be the same
as the "convert archive to"
-Logfile: The name of the logfile Rafm should use.
Since the logfile isn't shared, multi-line
systems may NOT enter a directory, only a
filename!
-Allow automatic log-off:
When enabled, users can choose to log-off
automatically after a file-transfer (up- or
download).
-DateFormat:
There are 4 different forms to show dates.
You can choose between them using the
[Enter] and [BackSpace] keys.
-Swapping:
This only refers to swapping when executing
archivers. If enabled, Rafm/RafmChk will
swap to EMS or Disk to leave enough memory
free for the archiver to operate.
-Use EMS:
Rafm (and the other programs) will always
use EMS (if available) to store the .OVL
files and for the memory-swap. If you don't
want Rafm to use EMS (f.e. because you need
it for other programs) you can disable this
option. This will however slow down Rafm.
-Auto-Adopt text.
The file-description to be used when auto-
adopting (only if no description available
in the files.bbs).
-List-method:
There are 2 different kind of listings. A
new kind (Rafm) and one similair to RA.
You're free to choose the one you like best.
-New files scan:
When you set this on "Ask date", an user has
to enter a complete date. "Ask days" will
only ask the user how many days to scan
back.
Colors
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Almost every color in Rafm can be changed if you want.
Use the cursorkeys to move through the different fields,
and [Enter] and [BackSpace] to change colors.
Downloading
-Allow global downloads:
If enabled, Rafm will scan all areas for
matching files. If disabled, users can only
download from the current area.
-No Downloadhours:
If enabled, users can only download between
the hours set in "Starting hour" and "Ending
hour".
-Search in archives:
Determines whether or not users can search
inside archives when using the Keyword or
Filename scan. If set to Yes, Rafm will ask
the user if he wants to search inside the
archives. If set to No, the question will
never be asked, so it will be impossible to
search inside the archives.
-Show files in archives:
Should Rafm ask if an user wants to see
files inside the archives during a file-
listing?
-Show long comments:
Determines if Rafm will show all comment, or
only partial (depending on the type of
listing, 1 or 2 lines).
-Show downloadcounters:
Should Rafm display the downloadcounters?
(Only in a Rafm listing).
-Show filedates:
Should Rafm display the dates of the files?
(Rafm listing only)
-Show Kb:
Should Rafm display the filesizes in Kb
instead of bytes? (Rafm listing only)
-Show only new:
Determines if an user will be allowed to
list only new files in an area.
-Text when missing:
This text is displayed when an user wants to
download a file which is missing on the
disk.
-Free Files (Kb):
If set higher than 0, an user may download
this many Kb, before being confronted with
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his ratio.
f.e.: is you set it to 500 and the Kb-ratio
is 1:10, an user may download 500Kb and
after this, has to upload 50Kb.
-Free Files (#):
Similair to the previous option, but now for
the number of downloaded files.
Uploading
-Private Uploads:
Whether or not you want to accept private
downloads (i.e., sysop-only).
-Check duplicates:
Should Rafm scan the database after every
upload for possible duplicate files?
-Action duplicates:
Determines what you want to do with
duplicate uploaded files. Files can be
killed, moved to a special area or you can
decide to do nothing with the file.
-Move duplicates to:
If you want Rafm to move duplicate files,
you must enter the areanumber here.
-Check on viri:
Should RafmChk check new uploaded files on
viri?
-Restrict uploads:
If Yes, all uploads will be placed in one
area (see further), if No, uploads are
placed in the current area at that moment.
-Upload area:
When restrict uploads is set to Yes, all
uploads will be placed in this area.
-Credit Kb factor:
If set to non-0, the user's daily download
limit will be raised by Kb*factor.
f.e.: is you set it to 2, and an user
uploads 100Kb, his daily limit will be
credited with 200Kb.
-Credit time factor:
Similair to Credit Kb factor, but now
regarding the users daily time-limit. When
using a batch-protocol, the time needed to
upload the file is calculated based on the
real effeciency.
Note: Rafm will always freeze time whenever
an user uploads a file.
-Minimum diskspace:
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The minimum free diskspace to allow uploads.
Note: Rafm can't prevent users to upload
files via Bimodem.
-Update Files.Bbs:
Whether of not Rafm should add new uploaded
files to the existing Files.Bbs (added for
compatibility reasons).
-Scan path:
Complete path to the virus-scanner,
including the necessary parameters. Since
RafmChk has to know where on the commandline
the directory to scan has to be placed, you
have to put in a %1, f.e.:
C:\UTIL\SCAN.EXE %1 /Nomem /x
Maintenance
-Move inactive files:
Should RafmCln move inactive files after a
certain period?
-Days before move:
If move active files is set to Yes, inactive
files are moved if not downloaded within
this number of days.
-Area # to move to:
Determines the area to which inactive files
area moved.
-Kill inactive files:
Should RafmCln erase inactive files?
-Days before kill:
If kill inactive files is set to Yes,
inactive files will be erased if not
downloaded within this number of days.
Note: if an moved file has been downloaded, RafmCln will
move the file back to the original area.
Archives
-Convert archives to:
Determines to which type of archive new
uploaded files should be converted. Rafm
currently supports following types:
ARC/PAK/ZIP/LZH (new and old)/ARJ and HYP.
-Re-archive SFX:
Nowadays more and more programs are spread
in self-extracting archives with security-
enveloppes. When processed by RafmChk, these
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enveloppes will be lost. If you want to keep
these kind of archives, you should disable
this option.
Note: Rafm will still be able to perform all
actions with these files, although searching
through SFX-archives takes considerably more
time than normal archives.
-Convert directory:
This should be an empty directory. It's used
by Rafm and RafmChk to convert or extract
files from archives.
IMPORTANT: ALL FILES IN THIS DIRECTORY WILL
BE DELETED WHEN AN USER EXTRACTS OR RE-
ARCHIVES FILES AND WHEN RAFMCHK IS RUN!
Multi-line systemen have to use different
directories for each line!
-Comment path:
Complete path to a standard ASCII file which
can contain your BBS-advertisement. This
file will be used to comment the archives
created by RafmChk (if the archive-type can
handle comments of course).
-Archive area:
Determines in which area the converted
archives are placed, when an user uses the
View Archive menu-type.
-Stamp archives:
Normally, uploaded files are stamped with
the current time and date right after the
upload. If you turn this option on, files
are also stamped after converting with
RafmChk.
-Action bad archives:
Similair to duplicate files you can let
RafmChk move/kill bad archives.
-Move bad archives to:
The area in which bad archives should be
placed.
Rafm ?
Well... just take a look sometimes.
╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│░░░ RafmCln ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
RafmCln is the maintenance part of the package. It will clean
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up the database and perform some extra functions (such as
maintenance, creating new Files.Bbs and Auto-Adopt). You
should run it daily, most likely in your maintenance event.
Multi-liners: please make sure that every line is down before
you start RafmCln!!!
There are several parameters:
-B: Backup datafiles. Will create backup copies of the
data- and indexfile. The copies will be placed in
the Rafm directory with an extension of .BAK.
-A: Activate the Auto-Adopt function. This function
will scan all directories in RafmArea.Dat and if a
file is found that isn't in the database, it will
add the file to it, if the file passes the
duplicate-check (same as in Rafm).
If RafmCln can find a Files.Bbs (the Listpath is
supported) then it will look there for a
description. If not the default description is
used.
-AF: Similair to the -A function, but only scans
Files.Bbs for new files. If you f.e. are connected
to a file-echo (SDS f.e.) the current utilities
don't support Rafm, they will however create a
Files.Bbs. The -AF function also uses a different
duplicate routine. This routine doesn't check the
extension, so you can now add your nodediffs f.e.
automatically.
-E: Together with the -AF function this function will
truncate the Files.Bbs after it has been scanned.
Using the -E function will dramatically increase
the speed of the auto-adopt function next time.
-U: Update database. Compares the sizes and dates in
the database with the actual sizes and dates of
the files on the disk. If an file has been erased
from disk, only the size of the file is set to 0,
the file will NOT be removed from the database!
This way, you can easily create a offline-area or
request-area.
-N: Creates a new index. Only use this if you've lost
the index or the index has been damaged.
-S: Sort the database. The files are sorted
alphabetticaly on filename.
-K: Kill deleted records. Will remove deleted records
from the database.
-O: Optimize database. Normally, only the index will
be sorted. With this option the database will also
be sorted, saving lots of headmovements and
increasing the accessspeed.
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-M: Activate the maintenance function (see RafmEdit)
-F: Create new files.bbs from the database.
WARNING: using this option will erase ALL current
files.bbs!!!
There is an extra option when using the -F
parameter: the -c parameter will create a new
Files.RA using the paths in RafmArea.Dat.
-D: Delete empty records. Will remove all records
containing files which filesize = 0.
╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│░░░ RafmChk ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
RafmChk will check the new uploads, convert them to the
archive-type of your choice and add an comment to it (if
supported). RafmChk only uses 1 parameter, the -A which
overrules the 'Swapping' option from RafmEdit. So, if you
start RafmChk with the -A parameter, RafmChk will always swap
whenever an external program has to be called.
DON'T FORGET: THE CONVERT-DIRECTORY WILL BE ERASED
COMPLETELY!!!
╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│░░░ RafmAll ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
Since Rafm uses a database, you can't use any of the existing
all-files creators (except when you first create new files.bbs
using RafmCln -F) so I decided to write my own. RafmAll has
it's own configuration part, which you can activate by running
RafmAll -C and can create upto 10 listings at once. If you run
RafmAll without any parameters, the actual listings are
created.
Configuration:
If you run RafmAll with the -C parameter, you'll first
have to pick the listing you want to edit, or an empty
slot if you want to create a new listing. Use the
cursorkeys and [Enter].
After pressing the [Enter] key, a new window will open
and you can edit the listing:
-Areas to include:
Opens another window, in which you can select the
areas. An "*" indicates whether or not the area
will be included in the listing.
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-Allfiles path:
Full path and name to the allfiles listing.
-Newfiles path:
Full path and name to the newfiles listing. If you
leave this empty, no newfiles listing will be
created.
-Header path:
Full path and name to the header file. The header
file is a standard ASCII file, which is placed at
the begin of the all/newfiles listing. You can
leave this empty.
-Trailer path:
Similair to the header, except that the trailer is
placed at the end of the listings.
-Days to include:
Files newer than this number of days will be
placed in the newfiles listing. If you set it to
0, no newfiles listing will be created.
-Separation char:
The character RafmAll should use between files.
Please note that everything else than a space will
significatly increase the size of the listing.
-Show long comments:
Should RafmAll process long comments? (i.e. more
than 2 lines).
-Use ext. ASCII:
Is RafmAll allowed to use extended ASCII
characters (above 128) in the listings?
-Show Xfertime:
Should RafmAll calculate and write the needed time
to download a file in the listings?
-Baudrate 1
Baudrate 2
Baudrate 3
The baudrates to use when calculating the needed
time to download files.
Archiving the listings:
After creating the listings RafmAll will call a
batchfile called RAFMZIP.BAT for each individual
listing. Please look in the RAFM archive for an example
of such a batchfile.
╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│░░░ RafmCnvt ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
RafmCnvt will convert the old Files.Bbs and Files.RA into a
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database to be used by all Rafm-programs. RafmCnvt supports
the separate Listpath for Files.BBs. Normally you only run
RafmCnvt once, so you can erase it afterwards if you want to.
RafmCnvt will ask you some questions which you should answer.
Most questions are pretty clear, so I only explain one of
them:
Process missing files (y/n) ?: By default only existing
files (i.e. files which RafmCnvt can find on your drive)
from the files.bbs are processed, but if you want you
can switch of this check and all files in the files.bbs
will be converted.
RafmCnvt supports the extended comments used by QFF/RFW/ProFam
(comments starting with an +). Downloadcounters are also
converted, but only if they are placed between [].
Some users of RAFM have asked me to add an extra parameter so
that they can use RafmCnvt in their maintenance-event. If you
add the /N parameter, all keyboard-calls will be disabled and
the converting will take place fully automatically.
╒═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
│░░░ Credits ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
I would like to thank:
Continental Software for writing RemoteAccess
Raymond Gwinn for his superb fossil X00
Eric Labs for writing Bimodem
Maris for her mental support
Pim van Kralingen for testing some very early alpha-versions
and of course my beta-team (in random order):
Jos Bergman, Raimond Kollman, Gerrit Mak, Flemming
Engstrom, Jaap Huizinga, Bob Garbutt, Lars Eriksson,
Dirk Kissing, John Veldhuis, Michiel Nicaise, Jan
Bredenbeek and Sico Bruins.
Thanx guys!!
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│░░░ Bugreports, address etc. ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│
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Any bugreports, comments or compliments (:-)) can be send to
me by:
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RemoteAccess File Manager version 1.11
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-Posting a message in one of the following (Fidonet)
echomail areas:
RA_SUPPORT (intl), RA_UTIL (intl) and RA.028 (dutch)
-There is also a special RAFM-Echo called RAFM.SUP. For
the time being only available at my node, but I hope
that it will be on the backbone soon. If you want to
receive this echo, please send a netmail to me.
-Sending Netmail to Rene Van Hoorn at 2:283/506.
-logging on to my BBS:
EyeS Delight, +31-35-231224
24 hours daily, V21/V22/V22bis/V32/V32bis/HST
The latest version of RAFM will always be available at my BBS.
The magic name will be RAFM (of course...). Filerequest are
allowed 24 hours a day, except during ZMH (2.30-3.30 GMT).
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