The Hacker's Encyclopedia 1998

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GALAXY STARLINK USERS GUIDE ======================================= A SERVICE OF GTC, INC. P.O. BOX 9455 VIRGINIA BEACH, VA 23452-9455 INFORMATION AND SIGNUPS 800-343-7304 (MODEM) ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES 800-321-0156 (VOICE) I. GENERAL DESCRIPTION GALAXY STARLINK is an asynchronous outdial service that permits members to make long distance modem-to-modem calls from various points around the United States and Canada to computers in remote cities at a low hourly cost. There are, as of this date, over 1000 local access numbers and 142 outdial modems in the United States and Canada. A complete list of both local access numbers and outdial cities are included with this guide. GALAXY STARLINK uses the facilities of TYMNET, one of the world's largest and most powerful networks, a division of McDonnell Douglas Network Systems Company. TYMNET is also a leading supplier of private networks and is an integral part of the networking portion of McDonnell Douglas Information Services Company which had 1988 revenues of over 1.3 Billion Dollars. II. SIGNING UP FOR SERVICE GTC maintains a multiline signup and information bulletin board system with up-to-date local access telephone numbers and outdial port number lists which may be accessed by calling 804-495-4665 or 800-343-7304. New members may sign up while on line using MasterCard or VISA credit cards or by direct checking account debit. Those who sign up by credit card are usually issued STARLINK usernames and passwords within 24 hours and no later than 72 hours after entering the required information, if Validations can voice verify. Those who sign up for direct checking account debit are mailed a members agreement and must sign and return the agreement, along with the registration fee and a voided check, before usernames and passwords can be issued. III. COST FROM WITHIN THE UNITED STATES ----------------------------- For members within the contiguous 48 states, there is a one-time $25 registration fee, a $10 monthly account maintenance fee and a $1.50 per hour charge for use of the network between 7PM and 6AM, all day Saturdays and Sundays, and the six major U.S. holidays. The cost for daytime use is $20 per hour. Rates are higher from Alaska, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada and are available upon request. In addition to these rates, some cities are subject to local telephone company "Zone" or "ZUM" rates. These are the so-called "meter rates" that apply when calling to an out-lying area from the outdial modem. These charges can range from ten cents per call upwards and Starlink has no choice but to pass those charges on to the member. The worst areas affected by these rates are Chicago, Los Angeles and the entire states of New Jersey and California. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, there is a twenty cents per call charge to reach Exec-PC. STARLINK provides the ability to make long distance calls to BBSes outside the outdial local area and neither promotes the use of nor restricts your ability to make these calls. Just be aware that in some cases intrastate calls can be more expensive than calls across the country. You should also be aware that in New Jersey, it is possible to dial long distance without putting a "1" in front of the number. The best source of information about whether a call is long distance to a BBS is the Sysop of that BBS. Every sysop is well aware of what exchanges can reach his BBS with a local call. Ask him when you make your first call to his BBS. Please don't ask STARLINK! We don't know! There are thousands of exchanges in the United States, we couldn't possibly be aware of the rates in every city in the U.S. You can help though, by looking in the front of your local telephone book and compiling a list of local exchanges if you live in a outdial city and uploading the list to the /Starlink SIG on Galaxy. Other members will then be aware of where they can call in your city without incurring a long distance call. FROM SELECTED FOREIGN COUNTRIES ------------------------------- For members residing in foreign countries whose postal and telegraph services permit gateway connections to TYMNET (International access number 3106), STARLINK service is also available. Foreign members must establish an account with STARLINK via telephone or mail before receiving a STARLINK Username and Password. The only payment method that STARLINK will accept from foreign members is MasterCard or VISA (Interbank Cards). The registration fee for foreign members is $50.00, off-peak hourly fees are $3.00 per hour and day-time usage is $35.00 per hour. This is in addition to the fees charged by your local PTT to reach the TYMNET gateway. Local Telephone company charges, as described above, apply to callers from foreign countrys. FOR ALL MEMBERS --------------- Members who request printed bills are charged $5 and there is a $20 dishonored check or credit card charge. Passwords may be changed at the members request for a $5 charge. IV. GALAXY INFORMATION NETWORK GTC maintains the GALAXY INFORMATION NETWORK Bulletin Board System for the use of it's members and others. GIN contains a file library, special interest groups, on-line games, electronic messaging, and other services. STARLINK members receive TWO HOURS of unlimited usage of GIN each month as the bills for STARLINK are left in an electronic message to the member each month. In addition, there is no charge to the member for time spent in the Special Interest Groups on GIN whether the member is using the teleconference feature or the message bases. Normal charges of $2 per hour are charged for the use of GIN's other features. A complete GIN User's Guide is included with this file. V. SIGNUP PROCEDURE A potential member calls the STARLINK registration system by modem at 1200 bps with the settings of 8 data bits, No parity, and 1 stop bit and signs up as a new user selecting a "handle" and password of his choosing. After determining that the service meets his/her needs, the user enters credit card or checking account information which invokes an automatic process wherein GTC causes a STARLINK username and STARLINK password to be created. NOTE: The Galaxy User-ID or "handle" and Galaxy Password should not be confused with the STARLINK Username and Password. These are two altogether different and distinct identification measures. The GALAXY User-ID or "handle" and Password are used to gain access to GIN. The STARLINK Username and Password are used to gain access to the STARLINK service on TYMNET. After a member has signed up for STARLINK service, the users account information is transferred to the GALAXY system and an e-mail message is written to the member containing his/her STARLINK Username and STARLINK password. The member calls the GALAXY system at 804-495-4636, logs on using the "handle" and password he/she chose when signing up and retrieves the STARLINK information. INTERNATIONAL MEMBERS MUST CALL 804-467-4887 BY VOICE TO REGISTER. VI. USING STARLINK As of April 1, 1989, there are 142 outdial "nodes". A complete list of those outdial nodes is included with this file. A "node" is a port on the TYMNET network that may be reached through the network from a local access number. As of April 1, 1989 there are over 1,000 local access numbers throughout the United States and Canada. The member first determines, from the access number list, the local access or "in-dial" number to the TYMNET network. These are 1200 and 2400 bps modems in the members home town reachable by a local telephone call. << SEE FOOTNOTE BELOW>> The member, using a computer and communications program or terminal, dials the local access number and is connected to the network. The first indication of connection is either a string of garbage or the phrase "enter your terminal identifier". Members using a personal computer should type the "a" key with no carraige return at which point a "Please log in:" prompt will be displayed. The member then enters his/her STARLINK username and password seperated by a semi-colon. EXAMPLE: STA000000;password. This procedure will result in the STARLINK menu being displayed. Note: In most cases, a communications setting of 8 data bits, No parity and 1 stop bit will work perfectly. If it doesn't work on your local access number, use 7 data bits, Even parity and 1 stop bit. VII. THE STARLINK MENU The STARLINK menu consists of a list of popular Bulletin Board Systems that may be easily accessed by simply typing a number corresponding with the selection the member wishes to connect to. EXAMPLE: WELCOME TO STARLINK 1. Galaxy Information Network 2. EXEC-PC 3. MEDCOM BBS 4. AMUSERS 5. American LINK-LINE 6. MULTICOMM BBS 7. Long Island Sound of Music 8. Information 9. Outdial Services Selecting a number corresponding with a BBS will initiate a process connecting you to that BBS. No further keystrokes are necessary until the BBS prompts you for log-in information. Selecting the number corresponding to the "Information" selection will display information regarding the BBSes on the menu. VIII. OUTDIAL SERVICES Selecting the number corresponding to "Outdial Services" will result in you being prompted to enter the "outdial" port number you wish to connect with. For example, if you wish to connect with the outdial port in Norfolk, Virginia, you would enter "6986" at this prompt. The following information would then be displayed: TYMNET ASYNC OUTDIAL 6986 (804) 857 NORFOLK , VA > At the ">" prompt, you may type "help" and receive the following screen: >help Set [Half] [Rxon] [Xon] [Even|Space] [Crdelay] Half - sets half-duplex communications. Default is full-duplex. Xon - sets flow control for data you send. Default is no xon. Rxon - sets flow control for data you receive. Default is no rxon. Even - sets even parity for data sent. Default is no parity. Space - sets space parity for data sent. Default is no parity. Crdelay - set printer carriage return delay. Default is no delay. Bps [300|1200|2400] Sets one of the baud rates indicated above. Default is 2400 bps. Dial [Tone] [Pulse] {phone number} Dials the requested phone number. Parameters are: Tone - activates touch-tone dialing. Default is tone. Pulse - activates pulse dialing. Optional commas - provide a one second pause. Default is no pause. Retry - Redials last phone number. Logout - Exits Outdial. Help or ? - Prints this screen. NOTES: * Dialed number need not be preceded by "9". * In some locations, long-distance numbers must be preceded by "1". If, at this point, you wish to connect with a BBS whose phone number is, for example, 555-1212, you would enter at the ">" prompt, the string "d 5551212". This causes the outdial modem to dial the number and connect you at 2400 bps. If the host BBS only has 1200 bps modems, you would need to first enter "bps 1200" at the ">" prompt. This sets the outdial modem to call the host at 1200 bps rather than 2400 bsp. If the BBS is busy you will usually receive a "BUSY" indicator, at which point you can type "r" to redial the number or "logout" to disconnect and return to the "please log in" prompt. At the "please log in" prompt, you may simply disconnect. What does the connect string mean? TYMNET ASYNC OUTDIAL 6986 (804) 857 NORFOLK , VA : : : Outdial Port # Area Code Local exchange STARLINK permits you to make long distance calls from the outdial port. You can determine if a BBS can be reached with a local call from an outdial port by calling the operator in the destination city and asking if it is a local call from the exchange. For example: Virginia Beach exchange 495 is a local call from Norfolk exchange 857. If the BBS is outside the local dialing area, you can still reach it by putting a "1" in front of the number at the ">" prompt. Example: "d 15551212". ALL LONG DISTANCE TOLL CHARGES WILL BE CHARGED TO YOU! IX. ERROR MESSAGES AND PROBABLE CAUSES The following are common error messages and some causes: HOST OUT OF PORTS All available outdial modems at the outdial city are in use. BUSY The host BBS's phone lines are all busy. CALL FAILED FOR UNKNOWN REASON Usually indicates that a voice answered the phone call. Call the number by voice to determine if it is still a viable number. Can also be caused by low quality modem on the BBS or the BBS only operating at 1200 bps. Try the "bps 1200" cure mentioned above. Can also mean the BBS has all lines in use and the modem did not detect the busy signal. MODEM TIMED ITSELF OUT - CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE Modem malfunction or all BBS lines are busy. Please report this if it happens more than once or twice. X. SUGGESTIONS There are some methods you can use to improve the STARLINK service from your end. The two most common complaints and the easiest to cure are file transfer speedups and interactive response speedups. To improve file transfers: Enter a control-V before typing in your STARLINK username. Example: "STA000000;password". This means hold down your control key and tap the "V" key before entering your Username. This opens up the band width and greatly improves file transfer time. To improve interactive response time: Enter a control-I before your STARLINK username. Example: " STA000000;password". Enter this the same way as the example above and the response time through the network will be faster. Perfect for chatting or e-mail, etc. Members calling a 2400 Baud BBS using a 1200 Baud modem can improve file transfers and reduce error messages by putting control-X control-R before the Username when logging on to the network. This enables X-on, X-off flow control and prevents the BBS from sending data to you faster than you can accept it. Never use Control-X, Control-R together with Control-V. It will really make a mess of things. FILE TRANSFERS Almost all BBS software requires that you transfer files at 8 data bits, No parity and 1 stop bit. If you are having trouble with file transfers this will usually be the problem. If you cannot access the network from your local number at 8-N-1 and must log on at 7-E-1, have your software switch to 8-N-1 after you have entered the ">d #######" command and before the BBS connects. Some BBS software doesn't care what settings you use until you try to transfer a file. To prevent wasting valuable network time, it's best to assume that you need 8-N-1 and change to that setting prior to attempting a transfer. XI. REPORTING STARLINK PROBLEMS We value your business and will attempt to resolve any problem with the network as quickly as possible. The fastest way to let us know that a problem exists is to post a message to "Galaxy" on GALAXY INFORMATION NETWORK. You will receive a reply to your message within 24 hours. If you are having trouble logging on, you may call 800-321-0156 by voice between 9AM and 5PM Eastern time. Someone will usually be available to answer your calls on weekends but this is not guaranteed. E-Mail is faster and not time dependent. If you are having a problem after 5PM and cannot wait until the next day, you may call TYMNET customer service at 800-336-0149. TYMNET will help you with network problems only, they will not get involved with billing questions, help with your communications program, or anything other than network communications. Please don't ask them to. XII. BILLING QUESTIONS Bills for network time are posted in an electronic message to you on Galaxy and contain the total of the bill and the date your credit card was charged or your bank account will be debited only. If you desire a printed bill, please request one by leaving an e-mail message to "Starlink" or "Galaxy". -------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOOTNOTE: The STARLINK menu is not yet operational. Until it becomes operational, to reach an outdial city you must enter your Username, the 3 or 4 digit number representing the city you wish to reach, and your STARLINK password. They must be entered at the TYMNET "please log in:" prompt as follows: Network says: You enter: | : : : please log in: USERNAME:####;password For example: Your Username is STA000000 and your password is "starman" and you want to call Exec-PC in Milwaukee. The Milwaukee outdial port numberis 9167 and Exec-PC's telephone number is 964-5160. At the "please log in:" prompt you should enter: STA000000:9167;starman you will then be connected to the Milwaukee outdial modem. You will receive a message informing you that you are connected and a ">" prompt. If you are calling at 1200 baud you must enter "bps 1200" to tell the outdial modem that you want to call Exec-PC at 1200 baud. If you don't do this you will receive garbage and your call will be in vain. 2400 baud users omit this step. Next, at the ">" prompt you should enter "d 9645160" which instructs the outdial modem to call Exec-PC. The modem will print a string of dots as it is dialing the number. During this time, you MUST switch your communications parameters to 8 data bits, No parity, and 1 stop bit. Exec-PC will NOT accept your call at 7-E-1. You will then be connected to Exec-PC and you proceed as you normally would if you had connected through the standard telephone lines. When you log off of Exec-PC, in almost every case you will be returned to the "please log in:" prompt where you may simply hangup or hit the return key a few times until the network logs you off. It is perfectly allright to just hang up at this prompt. Should the network return you to the ">" prompt after the BBS logs you off, simply type the word "logout" and you will be returned to the "please log in:" prompt where you may safely hangup. NEVER just hangup at the ">" prompt, type "logout" first. If you have problems, please read this complete file again before calling customer service. We have found that 99% of all problems are caused by improperly entering the Username, outdial port number and password. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- GTC STARLINK OUTDIAL LIST THE 3 DIGIT NUMBER AFTER THE NAME IS THE EXCHANGE. IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT IF THE NUMBER YOU ARE CALLING IS LOCAL, PLEASE CALL THE OPERATOR OF THAT AREA AND GIVE HER THE EXCHANGE LISTED HERE AND THE ONE YOU WANT. *ALABAMA 4101 BIRMINGHAM 942 1258 HUNTSVILLE 880 8829 MOBILE 460 1751 + OELIKA *ARIZONA 6112 FLAGSTAFF 774 9532 PHOENIX 258 MESA 4751 TUCSON 575 3530 YUMA 343 *ARKANSAS 9858 LITTLE ROCK 666 *CALIFORNIA 9204 ALHAMBRA 576 EL MONTE PASADENA 7859 + CATHEDRAL CITY PALM SPRINGS 9203 ELSEGUNDO MAR VISTA MARINA DEL RAY SANTA MONICA 5991 LANCASTER 945 9205 LONG BEACH 432 NORWALK SAN PEDRO 3173 LOS ANGELES 587 INGLEWOOD VERNON 5134 MOORPARK 378 9184 NEWPORT BEACH ANAHEIM SANTA ANA IRVINE 8963 OAKLAND 852 ALEMEDA BERKLEY HAYWARD 9182 REDWOOD CITY 361 BELMONT 6294 RIVERSIDE 422 COLTON 9179 SACRAMENTO 447 #### SAN CLEMENTE 9183 SAN DIEGO 296 9533 SAN FRANCISCO 543 6450 SAN JOSE 432 LOS ALTOS SANTA CLARA SUNNYVALE 8094 SAN RAFAEL 453 6295 SANTA BARBARA 965 6116 SANTA MARIA 922 9206 SHERMAN OAKS 789 VAN NUYS WEST LA BEVERLY HILLS CANOGA PARK 9202 WALNUT CREEK 935 CONCORD PACHECO PLEASANTHILL *COLORADO 2584 DENVER 832 AURORA BOULDER 8737 FORT COLLINS 224 6115 + GRAND JUNCTION *CONNECTICUT 9128 BLOOMFIELD 242 HARTFORD 6472 BRIDGEPORT 332 9129 STAMFORD 327 *DELEWARE 1784 WILMINGTON 652 *DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 2262 WASHINGTON (703)-352 *FLORIDA 4637 CLEARWATER 441 7123 FT LAUDERDALE 467 HOLLYWOOD POMPANO BEACH 5797 JACKSONVILLE 721 6582 MIAMI 477 116 NAPLES 434 7096 ORLANDO 841 LONGWOOD 9902 PORT ST LUCIE 337 5518 TAMPA 933 *GEORGIA 8795 ATLANTA 451 DORAVILLE MARIETTA NORCROSS 433 MARTIINEZ 855 AUGUSTA *IDAHO 200 BOISE 395 #### TWIN FALLS *ILLINOIS 8257 CHICAGO 922 8944 GLEN ELLYN 790 DOWNRS GROVE WHEATON 780 LAKE BLUFF 295 LIBERTYVILLE 6048 ROCKFORD 633 *INDIANA 9349 INDIANAPOLIS 632 5129 SOUTH BEND 234 *IOWA 9854 WEST DES MOINES 277 1745 + AMES *KANSAS 8615 KANSAS CITY 384 SHAWNEE MISSION 8013 WICHITA 681 *KENTUCKY 9987 LEXINGTON 266 #### LOUISVILLE *LOUISANNA 6999 BATON ROUGE 291 3654 NEW ORLEANS 525 *MARYLAND 2262 BETHESDA (703)-352 4600 BALTIMORE 528 552 ROCKVILLE 869 *MASSACHUSETTS 8796 BOSTON 439 CAMBRIDGE #### GROTON 5936 KINGSTON 585 531 LOWELL 452 432 MARLBOROUGH 481 3948 SPRINGFIELD 785 *MICHIGAN 209 ANN ARBOR 973 8794 DETROIT 963 9872 GRAND RAPIDS 458 9992 LANSING 484 9855 SOUTHFIELD 557 *MINNESOTA 3494 MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL 332 *MISSISSIPPI 1164 HATTIESBURG 582 9901 TUPELO 841 *MISSOURI 8615 INDEPENDENCE (913)-384 KANSAS CITY MISSION 8978 ST LOUIS 731 BRIDGETON *NEBRASKA 2521 OMAHA 393 *NEW JERSEY 6319 ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS 567 7618 NEWARK 824 ELIZABETH JERSEY CITY UNION 8693 PENNSAUKIN 665 3319 PISCATAWAY 562 DUNELLEN BOUNDBROOK E. MILL STONE FANWOOD MILLINGTON NEW BRUNSWICK PLAINFIELD SOMERVILLE 8920 SOUTH BRUNSWICK 452 PRINCETON *** ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER IT IS A LOCAL CALL SHOULD BE MADE TO THE AT&T OPERATOR OF THE OUTDIAL CITY FOR ASSISTANCE**** *NEW MEXICO 661 ALBUQUERQUE 242 6630 LAS CRUCES 525 *NEW YORK 9192 ALBANY 458 SCHENECTADY 9194 BUFFALO 893 9193 HEMPSTEAD 481 8811 MELVILLE 420 HUNTINGTON 1059 NEW YORK 809 582 LAKE GROVE 471 CENTEREACH RONKONKOMA 6019 PITTSFORD 385 PERINTON ROCHESTER 4710 SYRACUSE 433 8571 WHITE PLAINS 761 *NORTH CAROLINA 274 ASHVILLE 253 6793 CHARLOTTE 374 9986 DURHAM 549 8739 WINSTON-SALEM 768 *OHIO 8740 AKRON 376 1785 CINCINNATI 530 4222 CLEVELAND 861 9347 COLUMBUS 221 9511 DAYTON 898 1190 TOLEDO 255 *OKLAHOMA 9165 OKLAHOMA CITY 495 6805 TULSA *OREGON 9857 EUGENE SPRINGFIELD 9164 PORTLAND 222 *PENNSYLVANIA 1707 HARRISBURG 975 LEMOYNE 9581 PHILADELPHIA 592 7408 PITTSBURGH 642 *RHODE ISLAND 9130 PROVIDENCE *SOUTH CAROLINA 9074 GREENVILLE 9993 COLUMBIA 252 *TENNESSEE 9985 KNOXVILLE 693 1551 MEMPHIS 527 9141 NASHVILLE 889 *TEXAS 8736 + AMARILLO 1306 + AUSTIN 424 CORPUS CHRISTI 887 2948 DALLAS 986 5990 DENTON (This just says public access) 210 EL PASO 532 9337 FORT WORTH 998 ARLINGTON 4562 HOUSTON 496 9861 KILEEN 447 9169 SAN ANTONIO 222 9859 WACO 776 *UTAH 534 SALT LAKE CITY 533 *VIRGINIA 2262 FAIRFAX 352 ALEXANDRIA ARLINGTON 10149 HARRISONBURG 433 6986 NORFOLK 857 VIRGINIA BEACH PORTSMOUTH 413 RICHMOND 330 MIDLOTHIAN *WASHINGTON 773 BREMERTON 9170 SEATTLE 281 BELLEVUE 6113 PORT ANGELES 452 159 SPOKANE 747 906 TACOMA 572 5447 VANCOUVER 574 8931 YAKIMA 248 *WISCONSIN 9167 MILWAUKEE 785 BROOKFIELD *WYOMING 1752 LARAMIE 742 ********************************************************************* + denotes new outdial # << hit any key >> #### Denotes host in testing SYSOPS-----IF YOUR BOARD IS LOCATED IN ONE OF THESE AREAS, WOULD YOU PLEASE FIND OUT WHAT EXCHANGES ARE LOCAL FOR YOU AND POST THEM IN A MESSAGE TO "STARLINK"....THANK YOU. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS 304-744-2253