Cream of the Crop 12

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Cream of the Crop 12 / Cream of the Crop 12 (Part II) / Cream of the Crop 12 (Part II).iso / BBS / DFAX103.ZIP / DFAX.DOC < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1996-03-01 | 18.4 KB | 401 lines

Domain FAX Copyright (c) 1993-95 Domain Entertainment Installation/Configuration Domain FAX Table of Contents ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Introduction ............................................................... 1 Program Features ........................................................... 2 Setting up for Synchronet .................................................. 3 Configuring Domain FAX ..................................................... 4 Making Documents Available for FAXing ...................................... 5 Program Files .............................................................. 6 Getting Domain FAX to Send Out FAXes ....................................... 7 Known Problems ............................................................. 8 Setting up with BGFAX ...................................................... 9 Setting up a Dedicated Outgoing FAX Line .................................. 10 Domain FAX Introduction Page 1 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Domain FAX is a multi-user capable, online FAX add-on program for Synchronet BBS systems. Domain FAX will allow users to have documents, made available by you, FAXed to them. It will also allow users to upload documents and have them FAXed out to a phone number of their choice. These instructions will give you a quick description of the program, as well as instructions on setting up the configuration file for the program (DFAX.CFG) and adding it to your Synchronet external programs. Please be sure to read ALL of the instructions to avoid any problems setting up the program. IMPORTANT: The following limitations have been placed on the UNREGISTERED version of Domain FAX to encourage user registration: Only 1 document can be made FAXable, and fees for FAXing are NOT configurable (all are set to 0). Domain FAX Program Features Page 2 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── o Multi-User capable. o Charges are on a file size, rather than a "per FAX" basis. o Seperate charges for local and long distance FAXing. o Supports 7 popular FAX packages to accomodate your software/hardware. o Sysops can make up to 100 documents available for users to have FAXed to them. (This option can be disabled). o Users can upload files to have them sent out as FAXes to a number that they specify. (This option can be disabled). o Phone number trashcan file where sysops can place "undialable" numbers. o Long distance file, where sysops can place the prefixes of "local" numbers that should be considered long distance. o Local file, where sysops can places the prefixes of "long distance" numbers that should be considered local. o FAX event(s) (when the FAXes are send out) are completely configurable by the sysop. o Easy to use configuration program. Domain FAX Installation Page 3 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The program setup is very simple. Just run the program INSTALL.EXE, and it'll create the necessary directories and copy the files for you! After that's done read on! NOTE: If you received Domain FAX in compressed form with no INSTALL.EXE program, you will need to create a directory off of your Synchronet XTRN directory, call the directory DFAX (\SBBS\XTRN\DFAX), and unzip the archive into this sub-directory. You will also need to create another subdirectory under this one called INFILE (\SBBS\XTRN\DFAX\INFILE). Now, set up the program (using the Synchronet configuration program) so that it looks like this: Name Domain FAX Start-up Directory C:\SBBS\XTRN\DFAX (or whatever yours is!) Command Line dfax Clean-up Command Line Cost in Credits 0 Access Requirements Execution Requirements ANSI Required No Multi-User Yes Intercept I/O Interrupts Yes Shrink BBS No Modify User Data No Uses WWIV Color Codes No Execute on Event No Menu Command Keys Main ( ) Transfer ( ) BBS Drop File Type Synchronet XTRN.DAT Place Drop File In Node Directory Domain FAX Configuring Domain FAX Page 4 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── You're just about ready to go now, the only thing left to do is to set up the DFAX options to suit your system, and to create a list of documents available for faxing from your system. To do this, go to your DFAX directory and run DFCONFIG. Once you're in the DFCONFIG program, highlight the first option (Configure Default DFAX Settings) and press ENTER. Now go through the list and modify the options as required to suit your BBS. You should only set a BBS area code if you are in the US or if the phone numbers of your country match the AAA-PPP-SSSS format. If you wish to allow users to upload and send their own FAXes, you should make sure that the Transfer Protocol that you've selected (either DSZ (c) Omen Technology INC. or DTP <Domain Transfer Protocols> (c) Domain Entertainment) is located in the EXEC directory of your BBS. NOTE: If you select DSZ as the transfer protocol, and DSZ does NOT exist, Domain FAX will attempt to use GSZ. The minimum and maximum acceptable phone number length options are pretty self-explanitory. The "Numbers not in Local List are LD" option simply means that any phone number (or prefix) not found in the local prefix list should be considered a long distance number. Setting the "Allow Users to Send Their Own FAXes" option to NO will prevent users from being able to upload files to be sent out as FAXes. The minumum level for sysop abilities option is a very powerful option. Any user entering Domain FAX having this level or higher will be treated as though they are of a sysop level. This gives them various abilities, such as not being charged for FAXes, and being able to send faxes long distance when others cannot. This does NOT allow the user to dial numbers in the bad prefix list. This option can be disabled by setting it to 0. The last two options on this screen will allow you to configure the costs (in BBS credits) to charge users for sending and receiving FAXes. Note that LD (Long Distance) users and Local users can have different "per kilobyte" costs for sending and receiving documents. IMPORTANT NOTE: Domain FAX looks for either DSZ or DTP in your Synchronet EXEC directory, you should have the program you plan to use in this directory for users to be able to upload files to send as FAXes. Domain FAX Making Documents Available for FAXing Page 5 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Now for setting up documents to be available to FAX from your system. From the DFCONFIG program, select "Edit List of FAXable Documents" from the opening menu. To add a FAXable document to the list, hit INS, and enter the COMPLETE PATH to the file you wish for users to be able to have FAXed to them. To remove a document, move the cursor to the document name and hit DEL. To change the name of a document, move the cursor to the document name and hit ENTER. You can add up to 99 FAXable documents to this list. If this list is empty, users will NOT have the option to select FAXes from your system, they will only have the option to "Upload & Send a FAX". Now for a menu of these docs, you can create up to three different menu types for this, either a .RIP (RIP graphics), .ANS (ANSI graphics), or a .ASC (plain ASCII file/^A file) menu (or all three, but you should ALWAYS have a .ASC menu present if you have a list of files which can be FAXed). The file name should be DFAXDOCS.ASC (.RIP, and/or .ANS), and it should be a menu of file numbers (1 thru up to 99) and the document the number corresponds to (numbered according to their placement in the DFAXDOCS.CFG file). These menus are NOT created using the DFCONFIG program, you should use your favorite ASCII, ANSI, or RIP editing program to create this menu. Domain FAX Program Files Page 6 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Following is a list of files that Domain FAX uses for it's operation, some files may not always be present in some configurations. A description of what the file does follows each file name, files created using the DFCONFIG program are noted as such: DFAX.EXE The main executable file. DFAX.CFG Domain FAX configuration file. THIS FILE IS CREATED USING THE DFCONFIG PROGRAM. DFAXCALL.EXE The program that sends out requested FAXes. DFAXDOCS.CFG List of FAXable documents. THIS FILE IS CREATED USING THE DFCONFIG PROGRAM. DFAXDOCS.ASC Menu of FAXable documents (also .ANS and .RIP). DFAXSEND.ASC Displayed to users who have scheduled faxes to be sent out. TOOLONG.ASC Displayed to users when they have entered a phone number which exceeds the maximum allowable length (in the DFAX.CFG file). TOOSHORT.ASC Displayed to users when they have entered a phone number which is shorter than the minimum allowable length (in the DFAX.CFG file). BADPHONE.ASC Displayed to users when they have entered a phone number which is contained in the trashcan (BADPHONE.FIL) file. BADPHONE.FIL A list of PREFIXES (each on it's own seperate line) which users should not be able to use in their phone numbers. (example: to keep users from calling long distance numbers, you should place a '1' or a '0' on a line in this file). THIS FILE IS CREATED USING THE DFCONFIG PROGRAM. LONGDIST.FIL A list of LOCAL PREFIXES (numbers which don't require a '1' or a '0' to be dialed) which should be considered a long distance call. (example: a phone number in the same area code as you '234-5555' doesn't require a 1 or 0 to be dialed, but is a long distance number, you should place '234' on a line in this file). THIS FILE IS CREATED USING THE DFCONFIG PROGRAM. LOCALNUM.FIL A list of LONG DISTANCE PREFIXES (numbers which require a '1' or a '0' to be dialed) which should be considered a local call. (example: a phone number in a different area code as you '1-909-234-5555' is a local call, you should place '1909234' on a line in this file). THIS FILE IS CREATED USING THE DFCONFIG PROGRAM. Domain FAX Getting Domain FAX to Send Out FAXes Page 7 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Domain FAX does callouts via the file called DFAXCALL.EXE, you should create a batch file which will change into your DFAX directory, and run DFAXCALL with it's required parameters (type DFAXCALL /? to at the DOS prompt for a list of required parameters). This program should ONLY be run from the node which is set up to do FAXes using your FAX software. An example event and batch file would look like this: LOGOFF EVENT: %!LOGOFF.BAT %# (runs LOGOFF.BAT with the node number) LOGOFF.BAT: @echo off if not %1==3 goto end (where node 3 is the node number to send FAXes) cd \sbbs\xtrn\dfax (the DFAX directory) dfaxcall \ZFAX /T=0 /A=5 (FAX program directory, type of FAX program, and number of attempts to make) :end Supported FAX program types are as follows: 0 = ZFAX v2.xx 1 = ZFAX v3.xx 2 = BitFax 3 = QuickLink II 4 = The Complete PC FAX 5 = FaxTalk Plus 6 = MultiExpressFAX 7 = BGFAX v1.xx You can also run DFAXCALL from a node specific DAILY or TIMED event, whichever best suits your system. If the callouts are to be performed on a node which uses a front end mailer, you should either have it set up as a LOGOFF event (above example) or edit your MAILER.BAT file to include callouts at certain events. Most FAX programs require a conversion program to first be run on the FAX file before it is sent out. DFAXCALL will automatically run the appropriate conversion program UNLESS the file being sent out has an extension of .FAX, if so, it will assume that the file is already converted and not attempt to convert it again so be sure not to use this extension on ANY of your FAX files unless they are already in a format supported by your FAX program. IMPORTANT: BGFAX is a SHAREWARE command line send/receive FAX program. It is included as a convenience with Domain FAX, and Domain Entertainment does not charge any fees for including this file. If you should decide to use BGFAX for your FAXing needs, you should read and abide by the BGFAX registration form. For help with setting up BGFAX with Domain FAX, read the section in this manual on 'Setting up with BGFAX'. NOTE: Because certain FAX programs use TSR's that may not immediately FAX out files, Domain FAX will not delete converted FAX files for these programs until they are greater than 24 hours old to insure that they have been sent. Domain FAX Known Problems Page 8 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Although Domain FAX supports several packages supplied by manufacturers with their fax modems, not all of these packages are guaranteed to produce desired results! The best package that I've found so far that produces the BEST results, and offers the advantage of converting files on the fly, is ZFAX (ZyXEL). This package is highly recommended for use with Domain FAX (if you are using a ZyXEL modem of course). Any package which requires a TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) program (also known to some as a Memory Resident program) to operate, is NOT recommended for use when running a BBS, this is because of possible conflicts with the operation of the BBS. Unfortunately most packages I've found (with the exception of ZFAX and BGFAX) require a TSR, and should only be used if absolutely necessary. Another known problem is that with FaxTalk software (or FaxTalk PLUS), the fax conversion program produces a seperate file for each fax page to be sent. This results in only the FIRST page of the fax to be sent, and the remaining pages to be ignored. These are currently the only known problems. Domain FAX Setting up with BGFAX Page 9 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── BGFAX is a nice shareware send/receive FAX program. BGFAX is included with the Domain FAX program as a convenience, and Domain Entertainment does not collect any additional fees for including this program. Since BGFAX is a SHAREWARE program, if you should decide to use this program for your needs, you should follow the instructions on registering BGFAX which are included in the BGFAX???.ZIP file. Now on with the setup. BGFAX works with several different brands of modems and comes with some kind of instructions for setting up some of them, but to make things a bit easier, I've included 4 pre-written configuration files which will require very little modification on your part. First of all, you will need to create a directory for BGFAX, and unzip the BGFAX???.ZIP file into this directory. Then, based on the type of modem you have, you will need to copy the corresponding configuration file from the Domain FAX directory into the BGFAX directory, and name it BGFAX.CNF (e.g.: for Rockwell modems, at the DOS prompt type type the following: COPY C:\SBBS\XTRN\DFAX\ROCKWELL.CNF C:\BGFAX\BGFAX.CNF). o For the Supra, Practical Peripherals, Zoom, Microcom, and most other class 2 FAX modems using the Rockwell chipset, use the ROCKWELL.CNF file. o For the Hayes 28.8 and the Supra LC, use the HAYES.CNF file. o For USRobotics FAX modems, use the USR.CNF file. o For ZyXEL modems, use the ZYXEL.CNF file. When you have completed the above steps, you will need to use a plain ASCII text editor, and edit the BGFAX.CNF file that you will be using. Comment lines in the file will tell you which lines need to be altered. Domain FAX Setting up a Dedicated Outgoing FAX Line Page 10 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Domain FAX is normally set up in such a way that FAX attempts are made either when a user hangs up and/or at a certain time of day. In some instances you may want to set up a dedicated outgoing FAX line which will FAX any outgoing documents continuously throughout the day. A dedicated outgoing FAX line will require a dedicated FAX modem, a dedicated phone line, and a dedicated machine or DESQview (or similar) window. On the dedicated machine or window, you simply need to edit the FAXSERVR.BAT file which is included with Domain FAX, and run the batch file after all necessary changes are made. The batch file should be run while in the Domain FAX subdirectory. The FAXSERVR.BAT file utilizes a program called DWAIT.EXE to wait a specified amount of time between checking on and attempting FAXes. The DWAIT program is included with Domain FAX, and is written to automatically detect DESQview and give up DESQview timeslices.