ftp.wwiv.com/ftp.wwiv.com.zip/ftp.wwiv.com/pub/BBS/SBBS1B00.ZIP/DOCS.EXE/DOCS/QWKNET.DOC

Text File | 1992-06-28 | 6KB | 120 lines

Synchronet QWK Packet Networking
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let's start with some basic definitions. A QWK netted BBS is either a node,
a hub, or both. A node is a BBS that calls another QWK net hub to transfer
packets (receiving QWK and sending REP). A hub is a system that receives calls
from other nodes and transfers packets (sending QWK and receiving REP).

Configuring Your BBS as a QWK Node
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the SCFG program, you'll need to specifiy your system's tagline (usually
the system name and phone number), the hubs to call, when to call, what node
will do the calling, and which sub-boards to carry for each hub (a sub-board
can send and receive messages from more than one hub!).

The hub's System ID is important and must match the System ID of the hub BBS.
For each hub, you can specifiy a list of sub-boards to network. For each
sub-board, you must also set the conference number for the sub-board on the
hub BBS. In Synchronet, conference numbers are based on the Group/Sub-board
relationship. Group 1 / Sub 1 is conference number 101, Group 2 / Sub 3 is
conference 203, etc. (Note: this is NOT the conference number for the sub-board
on your BBS. It is the conference number on the hub BBS.) Also, for each
sub-board you must set the method of Ctrl-A code handling. If the hub system is
a Synchronet BBS, you'll want to leave Ctrl-A codes in. If it is not, you'll
probably want to strip them.

You'll need to decide which node will do the calling-out and configure it so.
You'll also need to decide if you want your BBS to call-out multiple times
per day at any given time based on a total number of calls per day (usually,
if all your hubs are local) or if you wish the BBS to call-out at a specific
time every day (usually if one or more hubs are long distance).

You also need to set the command line to execute to perform the call-out. This
is almost always a batch file. An example is:
%!qnet

Which will execute QNET from the EXEC directory. QNET, in this example, is a
batch file that executes Telix or another communications program to perform
the call-out (Robocomm is quite popular for calling PCBoard and Wildcat BBSs,
but its script interpreter is far inferior to Telix). Both Robocomm
(SBBSQNET.RS), Telix (SBBSQNET.SLT and QNET.SLT), and  Qmodem (SBBSQNET.SCR)
scripts come with SBBS. If you're not calling a PCBoard or Wildcat hub, we
strongly suggest you use the Telix or Qmodem scripts for call-outs.

Note: The above mentioned scripts are distributed in the EXEC directory.

The above mentioned QNET.BAT is as follows:

@echo off
cd \telix
telix sqnet q

This changes directory to the \TELIX directory and execute Telix, automatically
performing the script QNET.SLC (compiled QNET.SLT) which inturn calls
SBBSQNET.SLC (compiled SBBSQNET.SLT) for each hub to call. The 'q' parameter
runs Telix in "quiet mode".

If you do use Telix to perform your call-outs, you'll need to edit the QNET.SLT
file for all the hubs your system calls and then compile it using the CS.EXE
program included with Telix. You shouldn't need to edit the SBBSQNET.SLT file.

Note:
    Using the timed event, you can make your system call a hub at two
    specific times, or have one hub (or set of hubs) called multiple times
    per day and another hub (or set of hubs) called once a day. To do this,
    you'll need to copy QNET.SLT to another similarly named file and change
    the call() lines. Then make your timed event execute a similar QNET.BAT
    file to run Telix and have Telix automatically execute this new hub
    call-out script. This is convenient if you call-out to a mixture of
    local and long distant hubs.

Before having your BBS perform that call-out to a QWK network hub, you must
have the sysop of the hub create an account for your system using your system's
QWK BBS ID as the login name. If the hub is a Synchronet BBS, the sysop will
need to give your account the 'Q' restriction, configure your account's new
message scan to only include the sub-boards you are going to network, and set
your new message scan pointers for the netted sub-boards to a relatively recent
date. The 'L' and 'T' exemptions are also helpful on a QWK network node
account.


Configuring Your BBS as a QWK Network Hub
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Being a QWK network hub, just means that other QWK network compatible systems
are going to logon to your system and upload and download messages. All you
have to do is create a user account for each QWK network node that is going
to call your system. The user name/alias should be the QWK system ID of the
node BBS. The account needs to have the 'Q' restriction.

The 'Q' restriction is used only for QWK network node accounts. An account
with this restriction will receive the QWK: prompt immediately upon logon
and can't access any other facility of the BBS. This restriction also allows
that account to send messages that are from other users as well as receive
private posts that are to other users.

In addition to the 'Q' restriction, the 'L' (logons per day) and 'T' (time
per day) exemptions may be helpful, depending on how many times the node will
call your system a day and the time per call/day and logons per day allowed by
the ML you've given the account.

Before the QWK network node calls your system, you need to configure the
accounts new message scan to only include the sub-boards that you are
networking with it (&N main section command). If the account already has the
'Q' restriction, you can use the ;CHUSER command to change into that account
and edit its configuration. Also, keep in mind that new user accounts have
their new message scan pointers set to the beginning of time automatically.
If you do not set a QWK node account's pointers to a recent date/time (&P main
section command), the first time the node calls in and receives messages, it
will receive every message on every networked sub-board. This may be preferred
by some, but most sysops don't want a large group of old messages from a
foriegn BBS to suddenly appear on their sub-boards.

Be sure to give all node accounts sufficient access to read and write messages
on the sub-boards networked between the node and your BBS. The account will
also require the 'E' exemption if you wish elite text to be preserved in
messages (only available when ctrl-a codes are left in).

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