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KSP-MAIL.TXT
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1998-03-01
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Newsgroups and TBBS - The Missing Link
I've found it. Finally. An inexpensive, reliable, automated, easy to
install method for importing and exporting Usenet Newsgroups to/from a TBBS
BBS directly from the Internet via IPAD or any other fulltime TCP/IP
connection to a standard Internet NNTP news server (or alternately via a
standard consumer dialup ISP account offering access to a news server). I'm
neither selling this nor advertising it. This is just an excellent solution
I want to share with any of you other TBBS Sysops and/or IPAD owners.
Background:
We'd been successfully using the Planet Connect satellite system and
TIGER to provide Usenet Newsgroups to our TBBS BBS for several years prior
to getting our own T1 and the IPAD. But with a direct connection from the
BBS to the Internet via the IPAD for Telnet in/out and other text-based
Internet features we offer to our BBS users, not to mention the fact that
Planet Connect long ago ran out of available cycle time to transmit
anything near the entire Usenet, we were frustrated by not having a simple,
fast, and efficient way to feed newsgroups into TBBS from our Usenet news
server via the IPAD/LAN/T1. And of course, we wanted to avoid placing those
expensive long-distance UUCP calls to Planet Connect to post outgoing
Usenet articles.
I'd been looking at all sorts of Windows-based consumer-oriented
"clients" which purportedly go out and retrieve Internet stuff as directed
on schedule, but none of them could then deliver Internet newsgroups in a
format easily "stuffable" into the TBBS message base. It looked like
massive custom-programming just to reformat incoming/outgoing Usenet
articles.
Then I stumbled across this solution.
Voila!
What Is It?
First of all ... it's cheap! We're now importing/exporting newsgroups
to/from TBBS for $120.00 total purchase price, no contracts, no service
fees, no further expense at all. And you can actually do it for less than
that. Still interested?
This solution is "KSP-Mail", a complete Usenet Newsgroup and e-mail
server software package originally designed for BBSes running on software
other than TBBS, and fulltime Internet PPP connections other than the IPAD
... and yes, currently supported by its author!
What's more, he's worked with us to adapt it to TBBS and optionally
the IPAD, and the end result is frankly awesome.
A recently added "plus" to KSP-Mail is an optional "Spam Filter" which
can filter unwanted "Spam" advertising messages from your incoming e-mail.
We use a similar function provided by the IPAD and thus don't need this
option, but it looks like a superb solution to your BBS users' mailboxes
filling up with advertising garbage.
How does it work?
KSP-Mail runs on a separate LAN workstation under DOS. We use the
diskless '386 that previously ran our Planet Connect receiver, but KSP-Mail
will happily operate on anything from an 8088 on up. It needs nothing much
in terms of the computer it runs on, other than a standard IP address and
TCP/IP shim (a full-time Internet connection), or alternately, a standard
consumer dialup Internet account with a local Internet Service Provider
which includes access to a news server. While KSP-Mail was originally
designed to work with a direct full-time Internet connection and works most
efficiently that way, the author of KSP-Mail has developed alternate
methods for using it with a dialup account. (We haven't tried that dialup
option, but we understand it does work).
Because the IPAD is an excellent e-mail server, we don't use
KSP-Mail's SMTP potential, although if you're not using the IPAD for your
Internet connection, you may wish to implement that e-mail feature.
Essentially, we just use its NNTP news processing functions, and since you
purchase and activate each of KSP-Mail's individual features (mail in, mail
out, news in, news out, time set, and remote administration) separately to
order, this is an incredibly practical way to get the job done.
KSP-Mail is easy to install and set up. You basically just follow the
.DOC file that comes with it. To use the latest version with TBBS and
TIGER, you simply set it up using the information below. From then on, you
just watch it periodically access your local or remote news server via your
IPAD or other Internet connectivity service, pull down new entries to the
specific newsgroups that you want to carry on your BBS and pass them on to
TIGER, post outgoing replies/articles to those newsgroups from your BBS
users, and log its activities. Rather than have it "pull" articles from
your news server, it can alternately be configured to accept "pushed" news.
With a fulltime connection, you can also log into it for remote maintenance
from anywhere on the Internet. That's it, and it works.
Obtaining KSP-Mail:
Call the author's BBS at: 415-364-9847. You'll find complete ordering
options and instructions there.
Or, send e-mail to the author at:dan.lewis@ksp.com.
Using KSP-Mail with TBBS/TIGER:
As would newsgroup delivery via a satellite system, this
implementation requires the TBBS add-in software package called "TIGER".
TIGER is the interface between KSP-Mail and the TBBS message base. When
properly installed, KSP-Mail automatically imports and exports newsgroup
articles and (optionally) e-mail via TIGER.
Installation:
1. This installation assumes you are already running TIGER with TBBS.
If you're not, procure TIGER from its publisher: eSoft, Inc., and install
TIGER as directed by its manual. It also assumes you're using a filltime
direct Internet connection, as we do. Use the following TIGER.CFG file
(with appropriate adjustments for your own LAN server and workstation drive
letters and directory names, as well as other obvious settings unique to
your own BBS):
FILE: TIGER.CFG
SPEED: 15
ORGANIZATION: Community Educational Services Foundation
UUCICO: internal 23
MINUTES: 1
HOST: news
DOMAIN: @glib.org
BOARD: Internet
UUCPIN: e:\uuin\
UUCPOUT: e:\uuout\
ENCLOSURE: e:\encl\
LOGFILE: e:\tbbs\logs\tiger.log
USERLOG: e:\TBBS\
TOPIC BOARD: List-Servers
MAIL LOG: ON
UUCPNAME: glib
FTPMAIL: tims.ctl
LOCALMAIL: no
SUPPRESS HEADERS: yes
TIME ZONE: -0500 Eastern
NO DIAL HOURS: 01:00 01:00
-----------
NOTES ON TIGER.CFG:
The above TIGER.CFG file works for us exactly as shown. I've made no
changes to it which were not absolutely necessary to switch from Planet
Connect to KSP-Mail, thus while some of them may be unnecessary, they work!
You may find other settings which work equally well for you, but we haven't
tried and cannot comment on any other than these.
Although they may appear to be incorrect, "UUCICO" and "NO DIAL HOURS"
are purposely configured as shown. With these settings, TIGER "thinks" it
is doing UUCP file transfers, but cannot actually make any outgoing calls.
Such news and e-mail files are instead "snatched" from TIGER's outgoing
directory by KSP-Mail. You may substitute any of your TBBS line numbers in
"UUCICO".
2. Purchase at least the following KSP-Mail options (you need pay
only for those you order, and you can add remote maintenance and mail
in/out if you wish), and install them as directed by the KSP-Mail manual:
NEWS IN
NEWS OUT
TIME SET
3. Configure KSP-Mail using the following WATTCP.CFG file (with
appropriate adjustments for your own LAN server and workstation drive
letters and directory names and IP addresses). Only those settings used in
our basic news in/out installation are shown here. URLs and IP addresses
here are, of course, fictitious, and you may need to adapt or add to these
settings for your own needs:
FILE: WATTCP.CFG
;--[ Configuration file (WATTCP.CFG) for KSP-Mail ]--------------------;
hostname=robot
domainslist=yourdomain.org
netmask=255.255.255.0
my_ip=999.999.999.9
gateway=888.888.888.8
nameserver=777.777.777.7
nameserver=666.666.6.66
nameserver=555.555.55.55
;
;--[ Configuration parameters to enable/disable processes ]-------------------
;
ksp-mail.import_news_process=pulled
;ksp-mail.import_news_process=disabled
;
;ksp-mail.import_mail_process=enabled
ksp-mail.import_mail_process=disabled
ksp-mail.export_news_process=enabled
;ksp-mail.export_news_process=disabled
;
;ksp-mail.export_mail_process=enabled
ksp-mail.export_mail_process=disabled
;
ksp-mail.set_clock_process=enabled
;
;ksp-mail.command_shell_process=disabled
;
;--[ Internet Mail Parameters ]-----------------------------------------------
;
; Required:
;ksp-mail.esmtp_server=222.222.222.2 ; Mail-Out (1st)
;ksp-mail.mail_in_directory=e:\uuin
;ksp-mail.mail_out_directory=e:\uuout
;ksp-mail.mail_directory=f:\kspmail\in-out ; Mail-In, Mail-Out
;
; Optional:
;
;ksp-mail.import_mail_command="uuin -s mail" ; Mail-In
;ksp-mail.import_mail_seconds=600 ; Mail-In (dflt=60)
;ksp-mail.import_mail_trigger=on_arrival ; Mail-In
;ksp-mail.export_mail_command="uuout -c 5" ; Mail-Out
;ksp-mail.export_mail_seconds=600 ; Mail-Out (dflt=60)
;ksp-mail.export_mail_trigger=60,c:\pcb\i-email\msgs ; Mail-Out
;ksp-mail.forwarding=enabled ; Mail-In
;ksp-mail.esmtp_greeting="This server now supports ESMTP!"
;ksp-mail.max_message_bytes=100000 ; Mail-In (dflt:none)
;ksp-mail.vrfy_program=<program_filespec> ; Mail-In (dflt:none)
;ksp-mail.mailing_list=<filespec> ; (May be repeated)
;ksp-mail.check_recipients_at=<host.domain> ; (May be repeated)
;ksp-mail.uucp_from_line=disabled ; Mail-In (dflt:enbld)
;
;--[ Usenet News Parameters ]-------------------------------------------------
;
; Required:
;
ksp-mail.nntp_server=999.888.77.66 ; News server
ksp-mail.nntp_server=999.888.77.55 ; Alternate news server
ksp-mail.news_in_directory=e:\uuin\news
ksp-mail.news_out_directory=e:\uuout
;ksp-mail.news_directory=f:\kspmail\in-out ; News-In, News-Out
ksp-mail.newsgroups=f:\kspmail\newsgrps.lst ; News-In (filespec)
ksp-mail.news_hour=0-23 ; News-In
ksp-mail.export_news_seconds=60 ; News-Out (dflt=60)
;
;
ksp-mail.import_news_command=command /K f:\kspmail\in-news.bat
ksp-mail.import_news_trigger=on_arrival ; News-In
ksp-mail.export_news_command=command /K e:\robot\robot.bat
;ksp-mail.batch_news=disabled ; News-In
ksp-mail.news_filter=glib.org ; News-In
ksp-mail.max_article_days=3 ; News-In (Pulled)
;ksp-mail.max_article_bytes=100000 ; News-In (dflt:none)
ksp-mail.newnews_timeout=60 ; News-In (Pulled)
;
ksp-mail.inbound_data_extension=.D ; TBBS file
ksp-mail.inbound_exec_extension=.X ; name extensions
ksp-mail.outbound_data_extension=.D ;
ksp-mail.outbound_exec_extension=.X ;
ksp-mail.outbound_work_extension=.CMD ;
;
;--[ Network Time Server Parameters ]-----------------------------------------
;
; Required:
;
ksp-mail.time_server=999.888.77.66 ; Set-Clock
ksp-mail.time_server=999.888.77.55 ; Alternate time server
;
; Optional:
;
ksp-mail.set_clock_hours=24 ; default is 24 hours
;
;--[ Log File Parameters (Optional) ]-----------------------------------------
;
ksp-mail.logging=disabled ; default is enabled
;ksp-mail.log_directory=f:\kspmail\logs ; If logs are desired
;ksp-mail.verbose=log_files ; Level of detail
;ksp-mail.log_days_newsin=1 ; Default is 7 days
;ksp-mail.log_days_mailin=3 ; Default is 7 days
;ksp-mail.log_days_newsout=5 ; Default is 7 days
;ksp-mail.log_days_mailout=7 ; Default is 7 days
;ksp-mail.log_days_setclock=7 ; Default is 7 days
;ksp-mail.log_days_extcmds=7 ; Default is 7 days
;
;--[ Screen Display Parameters (Optional) ]-----------------------------------
;
ksp-mail.local_bell=DISABLED ; On error messages
ksp-mail.verbose=on_screen ; Level of detail
;ksp-mail.monitor=error ; To window on error
;ksp-mail.monitor=memory ; Stack & heap
;ksp-mail.monitor=speed ; Threads/second
ksp-mail.screen_saver_seconds=0 ; Screen saver timeout
;
;--[ Other Parameters (Optional) ]--------------------------------------------
;
ksp-mail.watchdog_seconds=10 : default is 10 secs
;
;ksp-mail.close_timeout=10 ; default is 10 secs
;ksp-mail.client_timeout=200 ; default is 300 secs
;ksp-mail.server_timeout=600 ; default is 300 secs
;
ksp-mail.outbound_retry_seconds=60 ; default is 10 mins!
;ksp-mail.outbound_check_seconds=15 ; default is 5 secs
;ksp-mail.share_delay_seconds=30 ; default is 0 seconds
;
;ksp-mail.sequence_file=d:\pcb\uucp\ksp-mail.seq ; Mail-In, News-In
;
;ksp-mail.dont_swap_to=xms ; default is enabled
;ksp-mail.dont_swap_to=ems ; default is enabled
;ksp-mail.dont_swap_to=disk ; default is enabled
;
;ksp-mail.remote_management_password=pswd ; default is no pswd
;
;ksp-mail.ok_filespec=<filespec>,<seconds> ; default is 60 secs
;ksp-mail.exit_spec=c:\ksp\ksp-exit.*,5 ; default is 10 secs
;
ksp-mail.retrieve_hostnames=disabled ; default is enabled
ksp-mail.sitename_alias=<host.domain> ;
-----------------------
NOTES ON WATTCP.CFG:
As with TIGER.CFG, these settings work for us, but you'll need to
substitute your own drive/directory designations and IP numbers. You may
find other settings work better for you, but these should get you started.
Obviously, you need to define in your IPAD .NAM and .REV DNS files (or
other TCP/IP control files) a unique URL and IP address for the machine on
which KSP-Mail will run.
Note that you can use KSP-Mail's remote maintenance option only if you
also run a continuously functioning client such as "in-mail" or pushed
news. In an application utilizing an IPAD Internet connection, "in-mail"
has no other purpose, thus you may wish to forego remote maintenance if you
don't really need it.
4. If you wish, install a batch file to run after KSP-Mail retrieves
your news. This one automatically maintains an updated listing of new
newsgroups added to the news server you use. We make that list available
through our web home page.
NOTE: Be sure that your batch file terminates with "exit" as this one
does. It is called in the configuration above by "command /K
f:\kspmail\in-news.bat", thus you must "exit" that second copy of
COMMAND.COM in order to return to KSP-Mail after running this batch
process.
FILE: IN-NEWS.BAT
@echo off
rem - IN-NEWS.BAT
rem Called by KSPMAIL after each incoming newsgroup session
:datetime
rem - Create "DATETIME.TXT" to show most recent update
rem ------------------------------------------------
e:
cd \uuin\news
echo >datetime.nws Most recent Usenet News update was:
e:\util\timestmp >>datetime.nws
:newgrps
rem - Update new newsgroups listing
rem -----------------------------
rem
if not exist f:\kspmail\groups.new goto no-newgps
e:
cd \ipad\weblite\forms
e:\util\timestmp >>newgrps.fmt
echo ------------------------------------------->> newgrps.fmt
if exist f:\kspmail\groups.srt del f:\kspmail\groups.srt
sort f:\kspmail\groups.srt
copy newgrps.fmt + f:\kspmail\groups.srt
copy newgrps.fmt + newftr.htm newgrps.htm
copy f:\kspmail\groups.new f:\kspmail\groups.bak
del f:\kspmail\groups.new
:no-newgps
:return
rem - Return to KSP-Mail working directory
rem
f:
cd \kspmail
:end
exit
------------------
"TIMESTMP" is a simple .EXE utility which generates current time and
date for inclusion in a small text file ("datetime.nws") we display on the
TBBS newsgroups menu to show the most recent newsgroup update date/time.
Substitute any similar utility, or simply delete this function from this
batch file.
KSP-Mail maintains a file in its home directory called "groups.new"
which automatically maintains a listing of all new newsgroups added to your
server. The ":newgrps" procedure takes advantage of this handy feature to
update a plain-text "Newly Added Newsgroups" file we offer in our web page
for the convenience of our subscribers.
Note that you can add any additional processes to IN-MAIL.BAT which
you may wish to do on a periodic basis.
KSP-Mail features a sophisticated internal scheduler which can
initiate multiple events simulating a "multi-tasking" environment. Thus,
the above parameter ...
"ksp-mail.export_news_command=command /K e:\robot\robot.bat"
... periodically runs a batch file which does general housekeeping duties
totally unrelated to KSP-MAIL, such as dialing out to contracted
news/weather services, printing subscription and information request forms
received from IPAD's forms processor, and maintaining/archiving system
logs. Again, be sure to terminate any such batch file with "exit" in order
to exit the second called copy of COMMAND.COM.
OK...
That should do it.
This information should get you up and running, automatically
importing/exporting Usenet news (and optionally e-mail) between TBBS and
your Usenet News (and mail) server(s) via IPAD or any other fulltime TCP/IP
Internet connection.
This file describes the methods we used. You may find ways to
significantly improve this interface, and if you do, we hope you'll share
them with us, as well as any solutions to problems you've encountered that
aren't mentioned here, so we can update this file to reflect those
improvements.
Should you need information configuring and/or using KSP-Mail itself,
please contact the author of that program. You can reach him at his e-mail
address: dan.lewis@ksp.com, or via his BBS at: 415-364-9847.
The author also runs a KSP-Mail Internet Mailing List. You may wish to
ask him to add you to it.
Should you need additional information specifically regarding using
KSP-Mail with TBBS and the IPAD, I'll be glad to try to expand upon these
instructions, limited only by my own experience as detailed here.
Jon Larimore
Sysop, GLIB
Systems Administrator, ZZAPP! Internet Services
(jon@zzapp.org)