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1993-05-30
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VBBS / Fido Gateway 6.10.00
===========================
Copyright Neil J Marshall 1st June 1993
TransAtlanticBBS {+44-689-890937}
1 @ 440 VirtualNET
Neil J Marshall @ 2:440/211 Fido
Introduction
============
This program is designed to create an interface between the VBBS
software written by Roland De Graaf and any Fido-compatible
network. FidoNET itself is the largest hobbyist network in the
world, with over 14,000 BBS as members, and there are literally
thousands of smaller Fido-compatible networks worldwide.
This version of the interface program allows the exchange of
private mail and public message areas between VBBS and Fido. It
no longer requires the use of FrontDoor to handle the calls to and
from other Fido BBS, although you can continue to use FrontDoor if
you so desire.
Contents
========
Initial Configuration Of VFIDO To Give E-Mail Functionality
Configuration Of VFIDO To Add Conference Functionality
Configuration Of VFIDO To Add Interface To FrontDoor
Creation Of A Fido Network List For Use By VBBS
Summary Of VFIDO Command Syntax
Technical Information
Development History
Initial Configuration Of VFIDO To Give E-Mail Functionality
===========================================================
Place the VFIDO.EXE program in your VBBS directory.
Run VCONFIG.EXE, and select Network Configuration for the Fido
(type 4) network you are configuring.
1. Fido Address: 2:440/211
Your Fido network primary address in Zone:Net/Node.Point format)
2. NetMail Directory: C:\VBBS\NETMAIL
Where Fido netmail will be stored - must be the same for all your
Fido networks
3. OutBound Directory: C:\VBBS\OUTBOUND
Where Fido EchoMail will be stored - must be the same for all your
Fido networks
4. Archiver: PAK
Compression for outgoing EchoMail - ZIP PAK ARJ LHA ARC PKPAK HYP
5. UnArchiver: PAK
This field is now redundant as archive format is
detected automatically
6. FIDO Front-End: Standalone
Standalone or FrontDoor are only valid options at this stage
7. Nodelist Name: NODELIST
The name of the nodelist for the network
8. Zones: 1-7
The range of Zones that belong to that network (ie the Domain)
D. Dial List
1. System Address: 2:440/59
Fido address of node to call
2. Phone Number: 0689-824890
Full phone number to dial
3. Poll Priority: Hold
Hold means never call, Priority is call as soon as mail is
waiting, once a day is the final option
4. Preferred Session Type: EMSI (FSC-0056) w/Zmodem (DSZ)
EMSI or TSYNCH handshaking selection
5. Session Password: FRED
The password to use in the EMSI session with the other BBS,
which may be blank
R. Routing
1: 2:440/59 2:440/59
Fido address of server and routing mask including wildcards. The
routing logic works top to bottom through this list so you can't
add anything meaningful after the last line with the *:*/* on it.
2: 1:1/1 1:*/*
3: 2:440/6 *:*/*
A)dd Lines E)dit Lines D)elete Empty Lines Q)uit:
A. AKAs
1: 2:440/59.3
Alternative address for the board - must be same Zone
2: 2:440/0
A)dd Lines E)dit Lines D)elete Empty Lines Q)uit:
Once this configuration is completed, go to the main VBBS directory
and run:
VFIDO /C NETWORKID=#
You must rerun this every time you change the above configuration
information.
You will also need set up a file containing phone prefix aliases
called VFIDO.FON in your DATA subdirectory. This is used to ensure
that the phone numbers listed in the nodelist are converted to a
format that can be dialed from your BBS. This is used for removing
your country code for national calls and area code for local calls.
VFIDO needs the correct phone numbers listed so it can call any BBS
in the nodelist when Crash Mail, File Attaches or File Requests are
sent.
An example of this file for the USA would be:
011- The prefix for dialing international phone numbers
1-616-399- 399- Sets up the toll free codes for your area code
1-616- 1- Makes all other calls in your area code long distance
1- 1- Ensures all US phone numbers are not made international
This example would convert a phone number listed as 1-616-399-4818 to
399-4818, or convert 1-616-772-0482 to 1-772-0482, or 44-689-890937 to
011-44-689-90937
and for Europe:
010- The prefix for international calls
44-689- Strip the country and area code for local calls
44- 0- Add a 0 prefix for national calls
As an example, the above would convert an international phone number
listed in the nodelist as 1-616-399-4818 to 010-1-616-399-4818, or a
national number in the nodelist as 44-689-890937 to 0-689-890937.
Place the unarchived nodelist into the C:\VBBS\NETMAIL directory and
run:
VFIDO /A NETWORKID=#
You will need to rerun this every time you receive a new NODELIST or
you change the VFIDO.FON.
Sending E-Mail Using VFIDO
==========================
To send an E-Mail message from VBBS to any Fido-type network, invoke
the E-Mail routine as normal. The User Network Address field should be
completed in the format User Name@Fido Address, so to send E-Mail to me
use Neil J Marshall@2:440/211.
If you want to send Crash Mail, that is where the E-Mail is sent
directly to the addressee's BBS, ignoring the routing logic, then
add a " +c" after the addressee's name, so to send Crash Mail to me use
Neil J Marshall +c@2:440/211.
In Fido-type networks it is policy that messages with files attached
must go directly to the addressee's BBS and ignore the routing logic,
so if you attach a file to a message it will be held on your board
awaiting a call from the addressee's BBS unless you send it Crash Mail
or the addressee is one of the BBSs in your dialing list that you call.
File Requests Using VFIDO
=========================
If you want to send a File Request to another Fido-type BBS invoke the
e-mail routine as normal. The User Network Address field should be
completed in the format Sysop +f@Fido Address, where the " +f" is the
switch to indicate this is a File Request. The Filename requested is
put in the Title field of the message. All File Requests are sent direct
to the addressee's BBS and ignore routing. If the addressee's BBS is not
one that you have set up in your dialing list, then you must also use
the +c switch to make the File Request a Crash E-Mail. To request the
latest version of VFIDO from me, you would invoke the E-Mail function
and address it to Sysop +f +c@2:440/211, then make the Title of the
message VFIDO.
VFIDO also supports incoming File Requests. When a File Request is
received, VFIDO searches each of the File Areas that you have set up in
VCONFIG and sends the file back if it is found. VFIDO also supports
"Magic Names" for File Requests - this is where a pseudonym is
associated with an actual file for ease of access by calling systems.
Magic Names should be set up in the file VFIDO.MAG in your DATA
directory. The format of this file is one entry per line, giving the
"Magic Name" followed by the full path and filename of the file to
associate with the Magic Name, for example
VBBS C:\VBBS\FILES\SYSOP\VBBS600.ZIP
FILES C:\VBBS\MASTLIST.TXT
might be some of the most common ones.
If you want a "standard letter" sent in response to each file request,
create this letter in a file called FILEREQ.TXT in your TEXT path.
Generally a Fido Sysop should use this to list the Magic Names
applicable to their BBS.
Configuration Of VFIDO To Add Conference Functionality
======================================================
Before conferences can be subscribed to you must place the GUS.EXE
program and whichever EchoMail archiver you want to use in a
directory accessable through the PATH statement.
If you want to access public message areas in Fido, you will
need to know the AREA name that uniquely