ftp.wwiv.com/ftp.wwiv.com.zip/ftp.wwiv.com/pub/BBS/FONREP18.ZIP/FONREP.DOC

Text File | 1992-12-08 | 8KB | 135 lines

FONREP - PCBoard 14.x User File Phone Number Comparator, Version 1.8
Copyright 1989 - 1992, by S. David Klein

                                -INTRODUCTION-

This program generates a report which shows user records that have matching
passwords or phone numbers, which may be indicative of one person using two or
more names on your system.  A master list showing all unique phone numbers in
your USERS file is also generated.  Provision is made to include phone numbers
identified with Caller*ID, if desired.  The users file is opened shared
read-only, and as a result FONREP will run in a network environment with
PCBoard nodes up and running.  FONREP shells out to a sort program of your
choice (currently, SORTF and QSORT are supported) to place an intermediate
file in differing sort orders for the comparison of user records.  The sort
program need only be in the path; it is not necessary that it be in the
default directory.

                          -CONFIGURATION/OPERATION-

FONREP will look in the default directory for a file called FONREP.CFG.  This
file should consist of at least 6 lines.  The first line should contain the
full name, with path, of your USERS file.  The second line should contain the
full name, with path, of the master listing to be generated.  The third line
should contain the full name, with path, of the report file to be generated.
The fourth line should contain your local area code, to deal with those
instances where a phone number has been entered without area code, presumably
since it is local to your system.

The fifth line should contain a flag to tell FONREP which sort program it is
to use.  The letter Q is used to signify QSORT (by Ben Baker); the letter S is
used to signify SORTF (by Vernon Buerg).  Both programs are available on
most bulletin board systems.  Using SORTF is faster; however, if your USERS
file is large, SORTF may run out of memory (the program tells you how many
records it can sort, and how many are in your intermediate file).  In this
instance, using QSORT, which is disk based, will permit sorting the full
intermediate file.

The sixth line should contain a flag to tell FONREP if you want it to use a
supplemental users listing.  For example, this might be a listing of users who
have been deleted from the system, but against whose numbers you want current
users checked.  If this flag is set to Y, then the seventh line should contain
the full name, with path, of the supplemental users listing.  The format of
this listing is fixed, and _MUST_ adhere to the specifications given at the
end of this doc file.

The sample config file, FONREP.CFG, provides an example of how to set up the
config file.  Once the program has examined the USERS file and generated the
master list, it will make two passes, comparing phone numbers and passwords,
and will write to the report file those records for which it finds consecutive
matches.

One interesting use of the supplemental file is to use the master list from the
previous FONREP run as the supplemental file for the current run.  This results
in a master list that is continuously updated with new users, but which still
contains users who have been purged from the users file.  By using this
technique, you wind up with a master list that contains all of the names,
passwords, and phone numbers that users have entered on your system since your
first use of FONREP.  If you wish to use this variant, be sure that lines 2
and 7 of the config file are identical, and that line 6 of the config file is
set to Y.

                                 -CALLER*ID-

Caller*ID is a service of the Baby Bells, which provides a sysop with the
opportunity to observe the number from which a call originates.  This is a
valuable tool is detecting fraudulent use of your system.  If you wish to
include the number that Caller*ID displays in the FONREP reports,  you should
place it in the Sysop Comment field of the user record, prefacing the number
with the prefix CI: to tell FONREP that it's a Caller*ID number.  For example,
CI:908-123-5467.  The number should be entered in this format; the length of
the string is critical.  If you need to enter two Caller*ID numbers for a
single caller, separate them with a semicolon.  For example:
CI:908-123-5467;908-123-4567.  Be sure to include the area code with both
numbers.  Due to the length of the sysop comment field, only two Caller*ID
numbers may be entered for any given caller.

                               -MISCELLANEOUS-

Phone numbers that do not have a correct number of digits (such as overseas
numbers or improperly entered numbers) are flagged as invalid, and so appear in
the report.  Phone numbers that are blank in the users file are so flagged.

The program is written and compiled with MicroSoft QuickBasic 4.5.

Thanks to Brian Miller for his help in debugging a particularly obscure bug
in this revision of the code.

The author makes no warranties, either express or implied, with regard to this
program and hereby disclaims any and all implied warranties of merchantability
and fitness for a particular purpose.  In no event will the author be liable
for incidental or consequential damages, including, but not limited to,
destruction of data or damage to your equipment.

Your comments on FONREP are welcome.  The author may be contacted on his
PCBoard system:

Software Society South, North Brunswick, NJ - [phone], 1200/2400/9600
US Robotics HST Dual Standard

                                -DISTRIBUTION-

Permission is hereby granted to reproduce and disseminate the FONREP18 program
archive, so long as no alterations are made and no remuneration is received in
exchange.  The program archive contains the files FONREP.BAS, FONREP.CFG,
FONREP.DOC, FONREP.EXE, and CONVERT.EXE.  No other files belong within the
program archive!  This specifically excludes the inclusion of files which
contain BBS advertisements in the program archive.

                          -SUPPLEMENTAL FILE FORMAT-

The supplemental users listing MUST be in a format that is identical to the
master listing that FONREP generates.  As an example:

0   0    1    1    2    2    3    3    4    4    5    5    6    6    7    7   7
1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789
                                                                              CL
JOHN DOE                 30   123 456 7890 - HOM        PASSWORD      DATE    RF

The name must begin in column 1.  The security level must begin in column 26.
The phone number must begin in column 31, and must not include hyphens.  If an
area code is not included in the number, the phone number should start in
column 35.  Column 44 is a hyphen.  The phone number code (HOM, BUS, ID) should
start in column 46.  The password begins in column 57.  The last date on begins
in column 71.  The line should be terminated with a paragraph marker (carriage
return/line feed).

Note that this format has changed from version 1.4 of FONREP, in that there is
now space for the security level and for the last date on.  Preexisting
supplemental files need to be padded with 5 spaces at column 26 and padded out
with spaces to column 78 in order to make them compatible with the new file
format.  A conversion utility, CONVERT.EXE, is included in this program archive
to automatically perform these padding operations.  File format is identical
to that used starting with version 1.5 of FONREP, and no conversion from
version 1.5 or later is required.