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FALKEN LIMITED WARRANTY The programs contained in this package are provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied,including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk related to the quality and performance of the programs is on you. In the event there is any defect, you assume the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, or correction. Some states do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so the above exclusions may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. The author does not warrant that the functions contained within the programs will meet your requirements or that the operation of the programs will be uninterrupted or error-free. IN NO EVENT WILL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES (INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS, OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES EVEN IF HE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES) OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. This agreement constitutes the complete and exclusive statement of the terms of the agreement between you and Herb Rose, author of FALKEN. It supersedes and replaces any previous written or oral agreement and communications relating to this software. No oral or written information of advice given by BC Software, its dealers, distributors, agents or employees will create any warranty or in any way increase the scope of the warranty provided in this agreement, you may not rely on any such information or advice. U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS The software and documentation is provided with restricted rights. The use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subdivision(b)(3)(ii) of The Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at 252.227-7013. Contractor/manufacturer is BC Software, P.O. Box 1703, Hanford Ca, 93232-1703 GENERAL INFORMATION SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 1. IBM PC 386 or faster IBM compatible computer with 4MBytes of memory and a hard disk drive. 2. One or more Hayes-compatible modems. 3. One megabyte or more of expanded memory is highly recommended for multiple users to execute doors (add-in) programs. 4. MS-DOS version 3.3 or higher is required, due to the number of open files needed by the BBS system. 5. If you have expanded memory in your computer, FALKEN will use it to execute doors programs. This is done automatically, as long as your expanded memory is enabled and you have installed an Expanded Memory Driver in your CONFIG.SYS file. Your expanded memory driver must support the LIM 4.x EMS specification. FALKEN OVERVIEW FALKEN Multi-User BBS is a computer program for the IBM PC and true compatibles, providing support for asynchronous communications with Hayes compatible modems. Up to 64 Hayes compatible modems may be supported in any combination of internal and external units. All popular BBS functions are provided including: messages, bulletins, private mail, upload/download sections, multi-user chat (teleconference), ANSI and RIP graphics support, and add-in programs (Modules). FALKEN can support bit rates up to 57600 bps using the latest 16550A UART I/O chip technology. FALKEN will automatically sense the presence of the 16550A's and adjust accordingly to maximize throughput. In order to use multiple lines at high bit rates (above 2400 bps), we recommend that you run the program on a very fast 80386 or a 80486-based system. In addition to the communications lines, FALKEN supports a local login line, called the "Emulation Channel", which emulates a modem connection. In general, when you are logged on to the BBS via the emulation channel, you have access to the same functions, and are subject to the same restrictions, as you would when you called on one of your modem lines. The BBS software itself does not make any distinction between modem lines and the emulation channel when processing your keystrokes. When you are not logged on to the system via the emulation channel, a full-screen display showing current system activity is visible on the computer monitor. The various parts of the display, and the available functions are discussed in detail later in this manual. FALKEN runs in a special DOS environment that allows true multitasking. It is this multitasking environment that makes it possible for all users to run Door programs simultaneously. TELECONFERENCE (MULTI-USER CHAT) OVERVIEW The teleconference area is an open CB-type forum. When you enter the teleconference area, you are first put into the "open" teleconference. This conference is always present, and always public. You may create your own "sub-conference" if you wish. You can join other sub-conferences or remain in "open". When you are in the teleconference area, anything you enter on your computer will be broadcast to others in your teleconference; however, nothing is broadcast until [ENTER] is pressed. This allows you to make corrections prior to making your inputs public. Once you press [ENTER] to send your message you will receive all text entered by others in your conference while you were busy typing. Remember that while you are typing you will temporarily be unable to receive inputs from others until [ENTER] is pressed. MESSAGE BASE OVERVIEW The message base is broken into 64 "Folders", each folder being concerned with a different subject. Each message folder consists of messages and responses. All messages in the message base are public, as are all responses unless specifically saved as a private response. EMAIL OVERVIEW When you logon to the system you will be notified of your Email status. If you have private mail waiting you will see a message telling you that you have new mail waiting, if you do not have new email waiting you will see the message telling you that you do not have any new mail waiting. To read your mail enter goto the email section and select "R" from the email menu. All messages written to you will be displayed along with a header indicating who sent you the message and the date and time it was written. FILE SYSTEM OVERVIEW FALKEN supports software downloads, allowing up to 64 different libraries. Each file library can have up to 20 different categories for specific a topic of files. Information for each of the files is maintained in a keyed database file for fast access. FALKEN downloads support keyword searches and various listing options. MULTITASKING OVERVIEW FALKEN uses the CSWITCH multitasking library to provide a true preemptive multitasking environment. This allows module programs to execute simultaneously for all lines while FALKEN is active. CSWITCH allows FALKEN to run in a true multi-line mode without the overhead of external multitaskers. RUNNING EXTERNAL PROGRAMS (MODULES) A module program is a stand-alone program that is executed under FALKEN's control. Usually it is a very specialized program written specifically to work with FALKEN, such as a game, questionnaire, or a database. You must identify each module available on your system by listing them in your Main Menu or in one of your custom menus available through BBSCFG. To add a module to your system, follow the modules directions for installation and add its name to one of your menus using the BBSCFG utility. Modules written specifically for FALKEN will work without any special actions required. In addition, some other types of programs may work with FALKEN. Small well-behaved DOS programs will work as FALKEN modules. FALKEN has the ability to redirect input and output calls through DOS, and send those I/O requests to the modems. Programs that perform direct screen writes and direct keyboard access will not work in this way, but normal DOS I/O will be redirected. There are numerous modules written by third party programmers which take advantage of FALKEN's multi-tasking functions. Some of these are quite sophisticated and can add a whole new dimension to your system. For more information on what is available you will need to access the FALKEN support BBS. See the section on Sysop Support in this manual for more information. MEMORY USAGE FALKEN uses EMS memory to execute modules. You must use an expanded memory manager, such as QEMM, EMM386, or 386MAX, to provide expanded memory to FALKEN. FALKEN will map all available conventional memory between the end of the program and the end of conventional memory as an EMS page frame. This page frame can be up to 400K on some systems. A page frame of 272K is typical on a 32-line system. The size of the page frame determines the size limit of the external modules you can execute. If your page frame is 300K, you will not be able to execute an external module that requires more than 300K to run. Because FALKEN can map multiple modules into this page frame, many modules can execute simultaneously. If you have an EGA or VGA adapter, you can increase the size of the EMS pageframe by putting the following switch on the QEMM line in CONFIG.SYS: INCLUDE=A000-B7FF. This allows the memory manager to use the EGA/VGA graphics memory as conventional memory, increasing the size of the page frame by 96K, thus allowing larger external modules to be executed. Since FALKEN executes in text mode, there will be no ill effects while FALKEN is active. If you have a monochrome adapter, the memory manager should automatically map the unused graphics memory as conventional memory. In general, the more conventional memory you can free by loading drivers into high memory, the larger the page frame you will have available, and that will allow you to run larger, more sophisticated external modules. Consult your DOS or QEMM users guide for more information on loading programs into high memory. If you are using QEMM v6.02 with FALKEN, beware!! The zmodem file transfer protocol will not work correctly, and you may experience slow response times unless you REMOVE: DOS=UMB from your CONFIG.SYS file. DO NOT use UMB; it does not work correctly with FALKEN and QEMM. DPMI drivers, such as Quarterdeck's QDPMI.SYS, should not be loaded while FALKEN is running. They interfere with FALKEN's EMS memory mapping functions. DISK CACHING Using a disk cache program, such as Microsoft's SMARTDRV or PC-Cache, will generally increase the performance of your FALKEN system. The cache program should be loaded into high memory, and should be configured to use EXTENDED memory when possible. It may be dangerous to configure the cache program to cache or delay disk writes, since this can cause database corruption if your system halts without warning, due to power outage, for example. DISK COMPRESSION Disk compression programs, such as DOUBLEPACE, STACKER or SUPERSTOR, can be used with FALKEN. The warning against allowing writes to delay or cache, mentioned above, is even more crucial when using these disk compression programs, since a corrupted database on a c compressed disk may lead to corruption of the entire disk. INSTALLING FALKEN The installation program will generally do all the work for you, all that you will have to do is edit the install.ini file and set the paths to the proper directories, once this is done, type "install" and it will do the rest of the work for you. All necessary subdirectories and program files will be created during the installation process. After the install program has completed the computer will need to be rebooted to make the changes made to the path statement in the autoexec.bat file take effect. A generic bbs configuration file will be created for you that will allow you to start the bbs right up and create your sysop account. Once this is done, you will have to setup the bbs using the bbscfg.exe program provided. See the section on BBSCFG for details on setting up your bbs. PREPARING YOUR SYSTEM TO RUN FALKEN CONFIG.SYS Before you run FALKEN you must edit your CONFIG.SYS file to include the following parameters: FILES=64 BUFFERS=32 For more information on CONFIG.SYS and its function please consult your DOS manual. USING A RAM DISK FALKEN uses temporary disk files to buffer large blocks of text prior to transmission. Overall system performance can be increased by allocating a RAM disk and using that space for these work files. See the section on BBSCFG for details on specifying the path to work files. BBSCFG: SETUP & CUSTOMIZATION From the DOS prompt enter BBSCFG and you will be placed at the main menu. The BBSCFG utility allows you to setup your system in many different ways depending on the hardware you are using to support your BBS and also allows you to restrict certain areas or functions to specific users. The INSTALL utility created you a generic configuration file filled with information needed for the system to run. You should review and modify the system switches and access flags to better suit suit your needs. The following sections will explain these parameters in further detail, menu by menu, so you can decide how you wish your final setup to perform. DESCRIPTION OF ACCESS CONTROL FLAGS The system provides nearly unlimited levels of access privileges depending on how you wish to configure it. Based on your setup, first time callers may be allowed full access to all areas of the system, restricted to only a few subsystems, or denied access entirely. Within the FALKEN configuration utility (BBSCFG) there are numerous access control flags that inhibit access when set to zero (0), or allow access when set to one (1). These flags are used to control access to individual file libraries and message folders as well as whole subsystems such as the teleconference area or electronic mail. They are also used to provide special privileges such as system operator functions. When you first configure the system to accept callers you must pay special attention to how these flags are set. For your protection we have provided defaults that restrict all of the system operator functions and other special features. Once you've become familiar with what these features allow you to do, you can then selectively provide these privileges to those individuals you consider appropriate. GENERAL SETUP - Sysop Account ID There can be many users with sysop level access, but this should be the SYSOP; the one that gets Feedback, gets notified of new callers, and gets upload notification (by default). You can use SYSOP, your personal name, or any system name your users are familiar with. If you elect not to use SYSOP you should still create the account later to ensure no one else chooses this system name for use on your system. - Sysop Menu Password There is a special online menu for users with sysop level access. In order to access that menu, however, a user must supply the correct password. This gives you one additional level of security for your system if a user somehow obtains Sysop privileges. - Allow NEW callers (yes/no) ? Setting this to NO will not allow the caller to create a new account, this can be used to maintain a private system. You will receive email notification of the new account when created. NOTE: The first time you run the system, make sure this is set to YES, so you can create YOUR account! - Number of visitors allowed online? A zero in this field prevents visitors from logging on. A valid number (up to the number of lines in use) enables that number of visitors. Each visitor is prompted for name, address, etc. and the sysop is notified of each visitor's logon. The access is the same as "new callers". No account will be created for the user. - Credit for visitors/new accts If you set this field to any number other than zero you will activate the built-in credit access control feature of FALKEN. The number you enter here will be allocated to each new caller and then decremented by a specified amount or cost assigned to areas of the system (See section on Menus Setup). Once the credits have been used, the user's account will be restricted and access to system functions will be limited. A message is displayed to the caller to inform him of the state of his account and the need for him to contact the System Operator. - Upload Credit for new accts If you need to allow a limited number of files to be downloaded by new callers and have assigned download ratios on your system, this field will allow you to set a default credit for them to use. If you give new users 100 upload credits, and your ratio is 1 to 10, then a new user could download 1000K without uploading anything (See Upload to Download Ratio below). - Minimum Age (See Account Setup Questions below) You may specify a minimum age for system access which will be used to screen out NEW callers and Visitors that do not meet the minimum age requirements. The SYSOP will still receive notification of the call. - Access Time level for New accounts This setting is used as the time limit per call setting for all new accounts and visitors. Any number from 0 to 5 is allowed here. This number corresponds to the Online Time Limits you specify for each level. - Online Time Limits per Call You can set different time limits for each of the 6 allowable system access levels (0-5). Any number of minutes from 0 to 9999 is allowed here. A zero 0 indicates no limit. Daily Online Time Limits In addition to time limit per call, you can set a daily time limit for each access level. This limit should be equal to or greater than the time limit per call specified above. Any number of minutes from 0 to 9999 is allowed here. A zero 0 indicates no limit. Example: If daily time limit is set for 30 minutes per day for a level 2 user then a caller whose account is at level 2 could call in 3 times in one day and spend 10 minutes online for each call. Remember, it does not make sense to have the daily limit set below the per-call limit. - Upload to Download Ratio If you wish to restrict downloads based on the number of bytes uploaded to the system you can set a ratio of bytes uploaded/downloaded which the system will monitor for each account. If for instance you set the ratio as 1 to 5 by entering a 5, then for every byte uploaded the user can download 5 times that amount. Set the ratio to '0' for no upload to download ratio. - Must-Read Bulletins Specifies which of the 32 bulletins that must be read before system access beyond the main menu is granted. When a bulletin is edited for any reason and its "must read" flag is set, the user will be forced to reread the bulletin. - System Log File Active (0=No Log / 1=Log Active) If you specify the log file is Active, all significant system activity is recorded in a log file. This information includes logons, logoffs, DOORS activation, and error reports. This information is duplicated in a screen window while the system is online, regardless of the setting of this flag. This log is used for the Sysop only and creates a file called BBSLOG.TXT. - Sysop Available for Chat at Startup (1=Available / 0=Not Available) When this feature is set to 1 the Sysop will get a beep at the console when a caller pages the Sysop. If it is set to 0 then they get a message that the sysop has the chat turned off. If there are other users online with the sysop or subop status defined they will be notified of the user that wants to chat regardless of the sysop page flag. - Main Menu Cost For BBS operators that wish to use a credit system, wherein a user will purchase (or be given) 'credits' to be deducted while the user is online, this entry provides a way to deduct a specified number of credits per minute from the user's account once the menu option is selected. The Main Menu Cost is the cost per minute for those users sitting idle at the Main Menu selection panel. - Path to FALKEN temp/work files FALKEN uses several work files when it is running. You can speed up system response by specifying a RAM disk for these files. Simply place into this entry the path to the drive and subdirectory you wish for FALKEN to use as a work area, and it will create the work files there. You can also copy the files MSGTEXT.IDX, MSGANSI.IDX, and MSGRIP.IDX to this work area before starting FALKEN, and FALKEN will read all menus and text messages from that area, possibly improving system response. Example: If you have a RAM disk designated as drive G: on your system, place the text 'G:\' in this entry for FALKEN to use the RAM disk for work files. - Path to files attached to Email This is the subdirectory that you must create to store files that are attached to Email. Example: c:\bbs\mailatt\ This subdirectory *MUST* be created in DOS before running FALKEN. FALKEN will not create this subdirectory for you. NEW CALLER PERMISSIONS - General Access Flags These flags determine what a NEW caller or VISITOR can access on your system. There are separate flags for READING and POSTING to each message folder, UPLOADING and DOWNLOADING to each file library, and for access to various system functions. In every case, a 0 means the user is not allowed to do the activity, and a 1 means he is allowed to do the activity. Example: Placing a 1 in "MESSAGE FOLDER READ FLAGS" number 1 would allow a new user to read all messages in folder number 1 in the message base. If all the other "MESSAGE FOLDER READ FLAGS" were left 0, the user would not be able to read (or even see) anything in the other folders. - Expiration Each account is date-stamped with the creation date and the expiration date 2 weeks later. When a user logs on AFTER the account expiration date, all the access flags and the timer value are set to these defaults, giving the user the same access that a NEW CALLER would have. You can reset the expiration date on accounts to prevent this from happening, if you wish. This is particularly useful if you plan to charge for system access, or wish to give people a few weeks of normal access as a test period. ACCESS CONTROL FOR NEW CALLERS / VISITORS / EXPIRED ACCOUNTS - Message Base Read Flags There may be up to 64 message folders on your system. These flags are used to control which message folders a new user may read. - Message Base Post Flags These flags control which message folders a new user may post messages in. It would not make sense to allow posting in a message folder where the Read flag was set to 0. - File Library Download Flags These flags control which file libraries a new user may download files from. - File Library Upload Flags These flags control which file libraries a new user may upload files to. A user can have access to a file library to upload files without permission to download from the same library. NOTE: If a users Upload and Download flags are both '0' for a library, they are not allowed access to that library at all. To allow a user to see the files but not download then set the download flag to 0 and the upload flag to '1'. - General Access Level Flags These flags control which of the major FALKEN functions a new user has access to. These flags represent, from left to right: 1. User Bios: If set to 1, a new user may enter a user biography. 2. TLCF: If set to 1, a new user may enter the teleconference area. 3. Send Email: If set to 1, a new user may send Email to other users. NOTE: Users can always receive electronic mail and send feedback to the SYSOP. 4. Doors: If set to 1, a new user may run external programs. 5. Subop: If set to 1, a new user may execute SUBOP commands. 6. Sysop: If set to 1, a new user may execute SYSOP commands. 7. Network: If set to 1, a new user can create a system-to-system link using FALKEN's NETWORK function. 8-12. Menus 1-5: Access to each of the 5 submenus is controlled independently. Many FALKEN sysops place their DOOR programs in a separate menu, such as MENU1, instead of placing them in the Main Menu. These flags control access to each of these menus. 13. SEND command allows users to send private messages to other user on your system using the .SEND [user name]<<message>>.. 14. Stealth: Allows users to logon to the system privately. The usual system status displays available on-line will not display the fact that the user is there. Under stealth a user can not enter the teleconference system (the feature wasn't designed to spy on users). The idea behind "stealth" is to allow sysops to access their systems with out public knowledge for reading of messages and other system maintenance chores they wish to perform without being disturbed. This privilege can be granted to other users who may need this added security or privacy while on-line. WARNING: It is highly recommended that you do NOT allow new or visiting callers to access Subop (5), Sysop(6), or Network (7) functions or have stealth ability. To turn these functions off, your general access flag string should look like the following: 11110001111110. Notice that the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 14th positions are set to '0' (off). - Message base access for new callers If there are one or more message folders that you allow new callers to access, these flags allow you to permit or restrict the specified folders. - Upload/Download access for new callers These flags allow you to configure your system to permit new callers to upload and or download from the libraries you specify. Enter a '1' in the upload or download flags area to allow access to that area. ACCOUNT SETUP QUESTIONS When a caller logs in for the first time without an established account on your system they will enter the system as a NEW account or VISITOR. Either way, you can select which questions to be asked prior to allowing further access. You can also specify what information the user is allowed to change online. In every case, a '0' tells the system to not ask the question, a '1' will allow the question to be asked. In the message files (MSGTEXT.MSG, etc.) there are 6 messages named mainbbs_setup_question_one thru six. These are questions that are asked when the account is created. The answers to these questions can be displayed by the .USER and .WHO commands. MENUS SETUP - Configurable Menus FALKEN supports 6 menus, identified as Main Menu, Menu 1, Menu 2, Menu 3, Menu 4, and Menu5. Each of these menus supports 30 options. Using the Menu Setup screens, you control which system functions are available at each menu, as well as the command to enter each function. For each of the 30 entries on the Menu Setup screen, you may specify the command a user must enter, and the function to be executed when that command is entered. Commands may be from 1 to 5 characters, with no imbedded spaces. Normally, one character commands, such as 'E', 'X', etc. are preferred for ease of use. The function name to be executed when the command is entered may be one of the internal FALKEN functions, such as WHO, LOGONS, etc., or may be a module program such as email or msgbase. In the above example you would type E at the Main Menu to run the module EMAIL.EXE. The module, EMAIL.EXE, must be in FALKEN's work directory, or in a directory included in your PATH variable. All internal FALKEN functions are identified with a '@' in the first column, e.g. @who. All other entries are assumed to be external module programs, either .EXE or .COM files. If the word DOS appears before the module name, FALKEN will redirect standard input and output files to the modems, allowing many regular DOS programs to run as module programs, e.g. 'DOS MYUTIL.EXE'. The CREDITS field is the cost per minute for selecting that menu function. Choose which of the menus you wish to configure (page up or down for sub-menus). Upon login, each user is placed at the Main Menu. From there, you may allow access to system functions, including the 5 'sub-menus'. - Pre-defined Menu Functions Help Screen (@help) This screen provides some general guidelines to those users accessing the system for the first time. The help screen is located in the .MSG files as mainbbs_help. Main Menu (@mainmenu) Returns the user to the Main Menu when selected. Submenus (@menu1-5) This is the link between the six menus on your system. You can group activities together onto a single menu that is a sub-menu to the main menu. Who Else Is Logged On (@who) Provides a list of other users currently online and indicates where on the system they are currently active. The information displayed is configurable by the SYSOP. Chat With SYSOP (@chat) When selected the host system will "beep" the System Operator. If available, you will be able to talk to the user privately online. Subscriber's Account Status (@status) Displays information about your account including number of times called and time total online. User List (@userlist) This function provides a listing of all system accounts. Logoff (@logoff) Before doing so, the user is provided a confirmation message and prompt. Logons (@logons) Gives a listing of the 20 users who had previously accessed the system. Sysop Functions (@sysop) Takes you to the Sysops menu if the account has its sysop access flag set to "1" AND after the proper password has been entered. - External FALKEN Modules NOTE: All FALKEN Modules *MUST* be placed in the mainbbs path *OR* in a directory that is specified in the path environment. Edit Account Information (pedit.exe) Whenever you need to find out the status of your account or to edit your computer's system parameters, you may do so by accessing this function. Electronic Mail (email.exe) Each subscriber is assigned a personal mailbox on the system. This function allows you to send and receive private messages to/from other subscribers. Bulletins (bulletin) Here the System Operator can place information about the system or other pertinent information for users to reference. These bulletins can be flagged as "must read" for new user first accessing the system to inform them of policies and registration information. Downloads From Program Library (download.exe) Public Domain software library for all major types of computers is available for downloading using the popular XMODEM, XMODEM/CRC, YMODEM, or ZModem batch file transfer protocols. Multi-user Teleconferencing (runtlcf.exe) This exciting feature allows all users to participate in open (or private) multi-user discussions while online. Runtlcf.exe is the main teleconference loader which will load the main teleconference program called 'teleconf.exe'. You can specify conference names as a parameter to runtlcf. e.g. runtlcf Teleconf will create a teleconference called 'Teleconf', the name cannot be no more than 8 charactors in length. This will allow you to have more than 1 teleconference going on at any one time. You may also create a text file called <name>.bad, in the above case it would be called teleconf.bad, in here you can put up to 50 words that the teleconference will consider to be bad and will not broadcast. If a user enters to many bad words they will be logged off the system. A second file may be created also called <name>.act, this is a straight text file and is used for action commands. The format is <action> <text> e.g. .afk $1 is steping away from the keyboard. $1 will be replaced with the users handle. A general actions file is included for you as an example. Public Message Base (msgbase.exe) This subsystem will contain general information posted by other subscribers, computer clubs, or business accounts. Users may respond to messages publicly or privately, or post their own. Feedback To The SYSOP (feedback.exe) By using this feature a user sends an electronic message to the SYSOP. You should encourage your users to provide you with their comments about the system. Any ideas they have are usually appreciated and can be considered for implementation. If users find any errors they can use this function to notify you. User Questionaire (question.exe) One of the most interesting aspects of a system such as this are the people you find using it. This option allows you to enter information about yourself that other users can see when they enter a .USER handle command. LOGON MODULE SETUP While the user is logging on, before they get to the Main Menu, you can specify up to 8 external module programs to be run. These programs will run sequentially as the user is logging on. Example: You could have a program that displays "This Day in History" text followed by a program that checks the user's birthday and displays a special message if it is his birthday. These programs have been developed by other FALKEN Sysops and have been made available as either shareware or for fee. Our FALKEN Support BBS is a very good source for these types of programs. SETTING UP THE MESSAGE FOLDERS - Folder Subject You may specify up to 64 different subjects for message folders (page down for folders 17-64). If you do not wish to have 64 message folders, then only supply subjects for the ones you wish to support. - Moderator You may specify a "Moderator" for each folder by entering his account name in the moderator field. This is a user who has message deletion permission for that folder only. The user does not need to have SUBOP or SYSOP access to delete messages in the folder for which he is the moderator. - Allowing anonymous posts The Anonymous flag will allow you to select whether anonymous postings are allowed within each folder. Set to 0 to disallow or 1 to allow anonymous postings and replies. The user will be prompted for anonymous postings if the base allows anonymous postings. SETTING UP THE FILES AREA You may specify up to 64 different file libraries, according to the theme of your BBS. For each different library you may specify the Name, the Download Path, the Upload Path, an optional password to restrict access to that area, a file librarian, and up to 20 categories within the library. Librarians are individuals who help you maintain the file libraries. They have the ability to save files from upload area to download area, and the ability to delete files in their respective libraries. If the librarian field is left blank it will default to the system operator. The librarian receives file upload notifications whenever a user uploads a file to the system. - File Area Names The name of the File Libraries you have configured are displayed on the menu. To configure a new file library, move the highlight bar to a blank entry, press [ENTER], and when the menu screen appears, enter the name of the new library in the "Name" field. Each of the 20 categories may be assigned a separate download path. The same path may be used by replicating the path on the 'download path' section for each category. There is only one upload path per library. - Upload and download paths Uploads and downloads are separated for security reasons. The paths supplied should specify a subdirectory into which the files will be placed. The path specification should end in a "backslash" ( \ ). Example: C:\UPLOAD\IBM\ or D:\DOWNLOAD\IBM\UTIL\ You may go several levels deep in the path specification, depending on the categories you choose. DO NOT place uploads and downloads in the same subdirectory since files are deleted from the UPLOAD directory when moved to the DOWNLOAD directory. Other than that, you have complete freedom over where the files are placed. If you specify a password, no user will be allowed access to that area unless he provides the password, even if his access flags allow him into that library. WARNING: It is imperative to make your UPLOAD and DOWNLOAD directories different. All files in the UPLOAD directory that are selected for saving into the DOWNLOAD directory will be copied from one directory to the other and then deleted from the UPLOAD directory. If these paths are the same the file will be deleted, expunged, obliterated, call 1-800-ITS-OVER... Walk towards the light .... you get the idea. - Specifying CD-ROM directories When you are using a CD-ROM for file downloads, it may be cumbersome or impossible to specify all the subdirectories on the CD-ROM in the file library setup. FALKEN supports CD-ROM usage by allowing you to specify the exact path to the file within the file description. The 'UPLOADED BY' field of the file description can be used to specify the exact path to the file. Simply put an @ in the first character of the field, followed by the full path to the file, such as '@F:\IBM\UTIL\'. When FALKEN sees the '@' in the UPLOADED BY field, it searches in that directory for the file. -Categories Categories are used to separate the download files and to limit file searches to only the areas selected. - Password protection The password field allows you to protect a library by telling the system to ask for a password prior to allowing access to the library. The password will be required by all account regardless of the subop or sysop access control flags. - Librarians If you wish to allow one of your users to have access to the Librarian menu (automatic for Sysop level accounts), then place his account name in the Librarian field. The name provided will have access to the additional commands for this specific library only. The sysop may move files from one library to another, or to a different category within the same file library. To do this, enter 'M', FALKEN will prompt you for the file name to move. FALKEN will then prompt you for the library to move the file to, and then the category into which the file should be placed, once done simply hit [ENTER] to return to the sysop menu. You may also perform a directory list of the upload directory 'R'aw listing. You can delete files from the download library 'P'urge file or from the upload directory 'K'ill file. FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS - What is a File Transfer Protocol? A file transfer protocol is simply a set of rules that both computers must follow to guarantee a correct transfer of a file or set of files. In the same way that 2 people must speak a common language for communication to take place, computers must use a common language for the exchange of files. We won't discuss individual protocol rules here, but will simply say that a protocol is just a set of procedures and instructions that both computers understand and use to guarantee a good file transfer. FALKEN implements protocols as external programs, called Modules. Each protocol is a separate program, which is called in to execute when necessary. Examples of these programs are XMSEND.EXE, ZMRECV.EXE, and others. The upload protocols are basically doors. They get a time slice to run in, and must compete with FALKEN and the other doors for a time slice. It is quite possible for the upload protocol to go for 1/2 second up to even a full second or more before it gets a time slice and gets to run (this is an extreme case, but I have seen a time lag of 2 seconds). FALKEN receive buffers are 1K in size. At 19200, the buffer can fill up in 1/2 second. If the protocol is delayed in reading the buffer, data may get lost. - Adding protocols to FALKEN To add a new protocol to your protocol list, simply use the BBSCFG EXTERNAL PROTOCOLS screen to add the name of the protocol program to the list of protocol programs that your copy of FALKEN already uses. - External Protocol List In BBSCFG there is a screen for you to tell the system the program names of up to 8 download protocols and 8 upload protocol programs to be used as external protocols. These external protocols must be written as DOORS programs (no drivers for ProComm or RBBS will work). External protocols are provided on the Distribution Diskette. Included are external protocol programs for Ymodem and Zmodem. The file names are: YMSEND.EXE Ymodem/Ymodem-g file download protocol YMRECV.EXE Ymodem/Ymodem-g file upload protocol ZMSEND.EXE Zmodem file download protocol ZMRECV.EXE Zmodem file upload protocol XMSEND.EXE and XMRECV.EXE provide FALKEN's Xmodem file transfer protocols. FALKEN assumes these protocols will be available, so they are not listed on the external protocols list. The file names must not be changed, since FALKEN uses these names for Xmodem file transfers. NOTE: FALKEN upload protocols do not allow streaming on uploads from the user, meaning the transmitting side must wait for the FALKEN protocol to acknowledge each block before it sends the next one. TIME-RELATED ACTIVITIES FALKEN gives you the ability to perform backups and other maintenance functions automatically at specific times during the day. The "Time-Related Activities" screen in the BBSCFG program allows you to specify the time, and an optional weekday for these activities to occur. FALKEN uses the ERRORLEVEL facility of DOS to accomplish this. When a program terminates it provides an "exit status" to the operating system that can be queried from a batch file. The exit status is stored as ERRORLEVEL. A batch file can test the ERRORLEVEL value to determine the exit status of the last program that ran on the system. - Automated maintenance shutdowns and restarts You can direct FALKEN to terminate at specific times with an ERRORLEVEL or you can perform a sequence of commands and then have the system brought back online. This features allows the System Operator to schedule routine backups at a time to minimize impacts to the users. - Automated file backups ERRORLEVEL 0 is the normal termination for FALKEN. ERRORLEVEL 5 and up are currently undefined. This leaves ERRORLEVELS 1-4 for you to use. As an example, suppose you wished to backup your important files every morning at 4:30 AM. You could set the ERRORLEVEL 1 minute = 30 and the hour = 4 in the BBSCFG utility. In BBS.BAT, you would then place the necessary instructions for performing the backup immediately after the label for the ERRORLEVEL 1 test. The following segment of a batch file assumes you have set ERRORLEVEL 1 to occur every day at 4:30, and that a batch file named BACKUP.BAT exists to perform the selective backup. :start bbs if errorlevel 5 goto end if errorlevel 4 goto err4 if errorlevel 3 goto err3 if errorlevel 2 goto err2 if errorlevel 1 goto err1 goto end :err1 call backup goto start :err2 :err3 :err4 goto start :end In this example, when FALKEN terminates with an ERRORLEVEL 1, the batch file will start executing at the label "err1:". The file BACKUP.BAT will be executed, then the BBS will start running again. Unused timer functions should have the hour and minute set to 0. - Setting daily or weekly time-related activities. If the DAY field is left empty on the BBSCFG screen for Time-related activity, the shutdown occurs every day. Otherwise, the shutdown occurs only on the day specified. To execute the activity on a particular day of the week, enter 1 for Sunday, 2 for Monday, etc. HARDWARE CONFIGURATION - Addressing the Modems You must tell FALKEN where each of the modems is located, and what baud rate to use on each one. Normal addresses for COM 1-4 are: COM 1 : 3F8 COM 2 : 2F8 COM 3 : 3E8 COM 4 : 2E8 Multi-port cards are normally configurable for various starting addresses, and often come preconfigured to start at address 100. You can use more than one multi-port card. NOTE: IRQ settings for the communications ports are not used by FALKEN. You may need to refer to the installation guide for your internal modems or your COM board to determine the exact address for your modems. - Modem Initialization Strings You must specify the modem initialization string to be issued by the FALKEN software. This command string will be sent to the modem during the program initialization sequence, and every time the software needs to reset the modem to accept another call. The normal initialization string for a Hayes 2400 baud modem is: ATE0 S0=1 S2=1 X4 V1 &C1 &D2 This string tells the modem: AT (the Hayes Attention signal) E0 (do not echo commands) S0=1 (answer the phone on the first ring) S2=1 (redefines the modem's 'escape' character to SOH (hex 01) ) X4 (use extended result codes) V1 (use text result codes) &C1 (DCD signal follows carrier) &D2 (reset modem and go to command state when DTR goes low) - How To Configure Modems In general, you want to configure your modem so that it does not echo commands, configure it for auto-answer, and configure it to return text result codes that specify the connected baud rate. - Flow Control Flow control seems to be one of the real problem areas for many sysops and users. Many modems these days can compress data as it is transmitted. Modems that support MNP-5 and V.42bis protocols are examples of this capability. In order to use this feature, the baud rate between the computer and the modem must be higher than the baud rate between the local modem and the remote modem. For Example: If you call a 14,400 bps modem with your own 14,400 modem, the 2 modems may be able to compress the data going between them. To take advantage of this feature, the baud rate at which your computer talks to your modem should be higher than the 14,400 modem-to-modem rate. Use a baud rate at least twice the speed of the modem speed rating. This can lead to problems if your computer transmits data that cannot be compressed, and begins to overflow the modem. The modem must be able to indicate to your computer that it is ready or not ready to accept more data. This is called flow control. There are two methods of performing flow control. Software flow control is performed using special characters, called XON and XOFF. The receiving side tells the transmitting side to stop sending data by sending an XOFF character to the transmitting side. When it is safe to send more data, the receiving side sends an XON character to the transmitter. This method will not work when raw computer files are being transferred, because a raw computer file may contain binary codes that look like the XON and XOFF characters. Hardware flow control is generally more reliable, and will work with any kind of data. A pair of electrical connections between the modem and computer are used to indicate that each side is ready for data. This flow control method is also called RTS/CTS flow control, since the Request-To-Send (RTS) and Clear-To-Send(CTS) lines are used for flow control signals. If your modem supports hardware flow control, then use it. If your modem does not support hardware flow control, then use software flow control. - Baud Rates If your modem supports MNP-5 or V.42bis, then set the baud rate to the modem to at least twice the modems speed. If you have a 9600 baud modem with V.42bis, set the speed to 19200 baud and set the FIXED BAUD flag to prevent the BBS from changing the BBS-to-modem baud rate. The maximum baud rate supported by FALKEN is 57600 bps. CUSTOMIZING MESSAGES AND MENUS WELCOME.TXT This is a simple text file that can be created with any text editor. It is displayed to each user when they log onto your system. This file should contain only ASCII text, meaning that the control codes used by many word processors should be stripped from the file. You can put any message here that you may wish, up to a total of 2000 bytes, or about 1 screen worth of text. This is an excellent place to put special announcements or warnings that need immediate attention by your users. FALKEN MESSAGE TEXT NOTE: Each of the MSGTEXT.MSG, MSGANSI.MSG, and MSGRIP.MSG files contains a version of each menu or screen. For instance the mainbbs_main_menu message exists in each of these files, but the contents of the message will likely be different. One will be straight text, one will be ANSI codes, one will be a RIP graphics menu. After these files have been modified the idxmaker program must be run for each of these files individually: idxmaker msgansi idxmaker msgtext idxmaker msgrip The output of IDXMAKER is a file with the .IDX extension which is what FALKEN reads to display the menus/screens. Copy these .IDX files to your RAM disk for better system performance. - RIPscrip Graphics RIPscrip stands for "Remote Imaging Protocol Script" language. This graphical language is one answer to the graphics needs of the BBS community and has serious tools for implementation and practical use. RIPscrip is a text based Script language for displaying online graphics. The script language conforms to 7-bit ASCII, avoiding the use of Extended ASCII characters. This allows transmission over X.25 networks and other carriers that do not support full 8-bit binary transfers easily. RIPscrip allows RIPscrip graphical statements to be mixed with printable ASCII text and [de facto standard] ANSI/VT-100 directives. RIPscrip can dynamically determine what is graphics and what is text and display them appropriately in separate windows (a graphics window and a text window). For more information on RIPaint, RIPterm or RIPscrip development tools, contact: TeleGrafix Communications, Inc. 16458 Bolsa Chica #15 Huntington Beach, CA 92649 VOICE: (714) 379-2131 FAX: (714) 379-2132 DATA: (714) 379-2133 - How FALKEN Supports RIP The use of RIP is transparent to FALKEN. The MSGRIP.MSG file can contain RIP screens, ANSI screens, and regular text. FALKEN simply takes the contents of the messages and sends them to the user unmodified. FALKEN will automatically sense RIP terminal programs during the login sequence, to determine whether to send the RIP mainbbs_logon_screen message or the normal text mainbbs_logon_screen message. - Editing .MSG files WARNING: Make sure you keep backups of these files, and NEVER edit your only copy of these files. The file is composed of message names followed by the text of the message. A message may be a menu or a help screen, or just a single line of text. The basic format is: msgname {Put message text here. This will all be considered one line.\r Here is the second line.} Some characters have special meaning in this file. The curly brackets, { and } are used to enclose text. The sequence \r is used to force a Carriage Return on output. If you do not use the \r, then NO Carriage Returns will be placed into the text. The end of a line in the message is treated as a "soft Return", and a space is placed in the file, trusting the automatic word-wrap feature of the BBS to take care of text formatting. Use code \[ to represent an ANSI prefix (ESCAPE character and [), if you wish to use ANSI screen controls in your messages. If you wished to clear the screen before printing the message above, it would look like this (the [ESC][2J is the code for clear screen): msgname {\[2JPut message text here. This will all be considered one line. \rHere is the second line.} To imbed a backslash (\) in the text, enter 2 of them: \\ To call an external text file use the following format: msgname{@filename.ext} - Substitution strings in text via .msg files. There are global commands that provide information about the user and other user accounts. In the .MSG files you can select which account fields are displayed when these commands are isued. You can put an optional length parameter after the name, such as $handle[20] which means to reserve at least 20 bytes for the handle. This allows you to ensure information is lined up in your displays. See the messages.doc file for exact names and locations of the commands. GOING ONLINE STARTING THE PROGRAM The file BBS.BAT is a batch file that starts the FALKEN BBS software. Use this batch file to run the program every time it is started. To run the FALKEN BBS, type: BBS You will see the FALKEN program banner screen displayed. Some useful information is displayed on this screen which we will discuss later. Refer to the System Status Screen while reading the following paragraphs explaining each window: NOTE: You should put this in the autoexec.bat file for automatic boot at startup time. THE SYSTEM STATUS SCREEN LINE STATUS WINDOW This window shows you what each active line is doing, including who is logged on and what area they are in. You will notice there is a configured line for every modem you have specified in the BBSCFG, plus ONE. The last line is used for local login. A new feature in version 9.0 is if the user is logged on as stealth then a red '!' will appear next to that line in the window. BBS LOG WINDOW This window logs logons, logoffs, module activations, chat calls and system errors. The log file on disk (if activated) is actually a copy of the information written to this window. SYSTEM STATUS WINDOW This window is the heart of FALKEN's monitoring screen. It will display important information to the sysop as the session progresses. - EMS Memory. If you have a EMS driver configured, this is the amount of memory that FALKEN has to run doors in. This value will decrease/increase when doors are ran and exited. NOTE: The following discussion assumes you have a 386 processor, or higher, and at least 1 MB of RAM, and a memory manager such as QEMM, 386MAX or EMM386. When FALKEN runs, it reports 3 different memory sizes. These are: CONVENTIONAL, EMS, and EMS FRAME. FALKEN will use the EMS capabilities of the memory manager to convert as much conventional memory as it can into EMS memory. FALKEN will round up the start of the EMS memory to a 16K boundary, but will leave at least 16K of conventional memory. This small chunk of conventional memory (between 16K and 31K) is used to pass messages between FALKEN and the external program modules. The new EMS page frame will normally be between 128K and 300K, depending on how much memory you are using with drivers and such, and how many lines you have active on FALKEN. This is the EMS FRAME size. One EMS FRAME will be used to run one module. So, if your EMS FRAME is 160K, you can only run doors which require less than 160K of memory. Remember that the .EXE file size is no indicator of the memory the module requires, since some modules use large memory buffers that are allocated when the program runs. The EMS size is the total amount of EMS memory available. It will be divided up among the active module programs, with no one module getting more than EMS FRAME size of memory. If you have 1024K of EMS memory, and 8 people all try to load a module that requires 256K, then 4 of those people will get a load error, because there is no memory to load the module into (assuming your EMS FRAME is at least 256K). When using QEMM, make sure you have the 'dma = 64' switch in the qemm386 line in your config.sys - this is necessary or else you will get strange memory errors caused by too few DMA channels. Since FALKEN does not use graphics, you can tell QEMM to map the graphics memory range as conventional memory. The switch 'I=A000-AFFF' in the QEMM386 line in CONFIG.SYS does this. If you have a CGA/EGA/VGA card, you can also map the monochrome text area, by changing the afff to b7ff. This gives you an extra 64K or 96K of EMS FRAME so you can run larger external program modules. - Email Count. This is the amount of Email waiting for the sysop (account number 1) it will display a total figure as well as a new figure. - EMS Frame. This is the amount of memory to run your door in, if FALKEN is reporting a 256k page frame, then multiple 256k modules can be ran simultaneously as long as you dont run out of EMS memory. - Disk Space. A new feature of 9.0 is the ability to monitor your disk space of the drive that FALKEN is running on. This will allow you to maintain the drives space so that FALKEN dont run out of HD space. - Last Startup. This is the time and date of the last time the system was brought online. - Total Users. This is a count of the total users that you have on your bbs. - Total New Users. This is a count of the total new users that are on your bbs, this value is determined by the newuser flag in the account, when you validate a user and turn this flag off, then it will decrease this value. - Loader Errors. This is a count of errors created by doors that didnt start properly or would not run, if this value is increased it means that you had a door mailfunction while trying to run, you should consult your bbslog.txt file to determine the problem from there. - BBS Log. This tells you whether or not the bbs log is recording. - Sysop Chat. This tells you whether or not your page is active. COMMAND WINDOW This is a dialog window for you when answering a system query, you will be typing in this window. Anytime a response is expected of you, the cursor will be in this window. MONITOR LINE X WINDOW This window allows you to monitor everything that occurs on a particular modem. When you activate the monitor window, it will replace your system status window. You can have a dialog with a user by monitoring that user's line, and using the SEND (F1) key to compose messages to be sent to that user's line. Note that this window displays everything that is transmitted on the line. Normally this will enable you to see the user's input, since input is echoed by the BBS in text mode. In binary mode (file transfers), input is not echoed, so you will only see the data transmitted by the BBS. FUNCTION KEYS You control the system using the function keys. The various function key assignments are described below: - F1 Send: Transmits text to one or more lines. After pressing this key, you have the choice of sending to one line, or every line (broadcast). F10 quits. After you choose one of these options, the broadcast window will appear over the top of the registration and function key windows and will accept text up to 1000 characters. The window scrolls as you type, but you can only correct mistakes by back-spacing. When you press [ENTER], your text is transmitted to the line(s) you have selected. - Shift-F1: Redraws the Sysop's console screen. - F2 Util: Pressing F2 will cause a second function key menu to be displayed. The options available from this second menu are: F1 (Account Edit): This function lets you add, delete, and edit account records. F2 (Chat Bell): This function enables and disbales the BELL that normally sounds when a user wishes to Chat with the sysop. If you usually do not choose to be disturbed, set the "Sysop Chat Bell at "Startup" option in the GENERAL SETUP screen of BBSCFG to 0 (turn off chat bell). Then you can use this toggle to turn the bell off or on. F4 (Email Count): Counts how much EMAIL each user has on the system. Large amounts of email being stored on the system can drastically slow down the system when a user logs on, since the mail is searched for NEW letters. A text file named EMAIL.CNT is produced with a report on how much mail each user has. - F3 Emulate: Emulates a channel, for local logon. F3 allows you to log on as a user. You will be asked if your computer supports ANSI. Type "N" for no. You can answer "Y" for yes if ANSI.SYS is installed in your DOS CONFIG.SYS file. You can get back to the system screen by pressing F10. While you are logged on, you can toggle between your online screen and the system screen with F10 and F3. - F4 Monitor: Specifies which channel you wish to monitor. When the system first starts, it is set to monitor the system status window, When monitoring any line, you may offer help to that user by using the F6 function key and actually take over their keyboard to help them out if needed. - F5 DOS: Executes a limited number of DOS commands. A help function is provided to explain how to use this feature. This is called The FALKEN Command Interpreter (FCI) and will place you in a simulated DOS environment which will allow you to perform most of the DOS internal commands such as: Dir, type, copy etc. Type "help" at the FCI Prompt for help on available commands. - F6 Lock On: Locks onto a specified active line, where you will see everything the user sees, and your keystrokes appear to FALKEN as if they came from the user's line. This is an effective way of 'guiding' someone through the system if they are unfamiliar with computers and BBSes. You can also log on to any idle line simply by monitoring that line with the F4 key, and pressing the F6 key. - F7 Timlist: Lists time-related activities scheduled to occur in the BBS log window. These must be listed in the BBSCFG Utility in order to run. - F8 Hangup: Disconnects (hangs up on) a user. It can be useful to reset a modem that does not seem to be responding properly. - F9 Record: Records everything that occurs on a particular line. You will be asked which line to record. A file named RECORD.LIN will be created to store the text. Everything the user types, and everything the system sends to the user will be recorded (except binary file transfers). Use the F9 key to toggle recording off when done. If you start recording again, the RECORD.LIN file will be overwritten, so copy that file to another name if you wish to save it. - F10 Halt: Halts the system, and returns you to DOS. You will be asked to verify this request before the system halts. SYSOP LOGON SETTING UP THE FIRST ACCOUNT (SYSOP) Press F3. The system should respond by starting the LOGIN sequence. You will be asked if your computer supports ANSI. Type "Y" only if you have ANSI.SYS in your CONFIG.SYS file in the root directory of your boot drive. When asked for name, type NEW. Go through the prompts, answering all the questions. When your account is set up, log off by typing "x" at the main menu, then typing "y" when the system asks if you are sure. Press F2 then F1 for Account Edit. Your new account should be on the screen. If an account named "SYSOP" is on the screen, press 'd' to get to your account. Press [ENTER] several times until you are at the "Account Expires" entry. Give yourself more than the few weeks this defaults to (i.e. 1999). Continue on until you get to the Timer Level entry. Give yourself a level access that equates to 0 (no time limit) as configured in BBSCFG. Continue on to the SYSTEM ACCESS FLAGS, and set them ALL to 1. This gives you access to ALL system functions, including SUBOP and SYSOP functions. Press F5 to save the record. Press F10 to return to the system screen. USER LOGON When a user logs on through the modem they will see the same sequence of questions as outlined above. Once they have completed the logon questions their account will be given privileges as established in the BBSCFG New Account Menu. If they have already established an account on your system, then they will be processed through any logon doors, given status on new Email or Bulletins, and then brought to the system's Main Menu. There are two ways for the Sysop to upgrade a user's account once established: 1. Online using the Sysop's menu Edit Account function. 2. Offline using the Account Edit function from the System Status Screen. See the Sysop Guide and Utilities sections of this manual for further information. EXTERNAL FALKEN MODULES BULLETINS Bulletins are typically used by the sysop to place important system information such as system rules and policies. These bulletins can be marked as "MUST READ" bulletins for new callers to force them to read this information prior to accessing other areas of the system. FALKEN will accommodate up to 32 bulletins each having its own flag in BBSCFG to indicate whether it is to be a "must read" or not. Each bulletin will be displayed as a "new" bulletin to a user if it has been updated since the last time the bulletins area has been accessed by that user. The system updates the users account status upon entering the Bulletins area and uses this date stamp to compare with the date the bulletins were last modified. Once a user exits the Bulletins area all existing bulletins will no longer be displayed as "new" whether or not the user actually read them. To force a user to display a bulletin use the BBSCFG "must read" flag. EMAIL - Email Functions To read mail addressed to you, type "R" at the email prompt. To read only the NEW mail in your mailbox, enter "RN" at the email prompt. After each message has been displayed you will be given the option to delete that message, forward it to another user, reply to the sender, or exit back to the email menu. If you just press [ENTER] you will go to the next message (if there is one), without deleting the message you just read. Typing A at this prompt will redisplay the letter. Send Mail To send mail to another user you must know their system name. If you are unsure, you can browse the User List (.userlist command). Enter "S" from the Email menu then answer the prompt to indicate to whom the message is to be sent. You will see a message verifying the name of the user to whom you are sending mail. Once completed and saved you will not be able to edit the message, so be sure everything is acceptable before saving. File Attach You will also have the option of attaching a file to your private mail. After entering the user's name and a subject line, you will recieve a prompt for whether or not you wish to attach a file. If you enter YES the system will place you in the file send mode for the transfer. Once the file has been transfered successfully, you will be placed in the editor to write your message. When the Email is read by the recipient, he or she will be given notice that a file has been attached and is ready for downloading. Delivery Status To check the delivery status of mail you have sent select "D" from the Email menu. You will be prompted to enter the name of the user you have sent mail to. If the message has not been read by the recipient, the entire message will be displayed and you will be given the option to Delete this letter or Copy it to another user. You can use the Copy feature to easily send a single message to multiple users. List Mail Waiting You can list the mail in your mailbox with the 'L' command. Letters in your mailbox will be numbered 1-x. To start reading at a particular letter, type 'r ?' where ? is the message number. Mailing Lists You can create or update a mailing list with the "M" command. The Mailing List Option allows you to create a special group of users for which you would like to send mail to on a frequent basis. You can View, Change, Add, and Delete these mailing lists as required. To send a letter to everyone on a particular mailing list, type "s" then enter the mailing list name prefixed with the "@" symbol. When the message is saved it will be sent to those users in the specified mailing list. FEEDBACK When a user selects the "Feedback" option from the MAIN MENU they are placed into the system editor so that they may write a private message to the System Operator (sysop). The feedback will be delivered to the system operator via the normal EMAIL function. The system references the sysop account as specified in the BBSCFG setup. TELECONFERENCE FALKEN's teleconference is where users can congregate for real-time chatting. There are numerous unique features available to provide both entertainment as well as functionality to support many uses. Certain commands apply to the teleconference area. All commands in this area must be preceded by a period "." to distinguish them from a broadcast message. Whenever a "." is found in the first column, a command is assumed. Note: In the examples that follow, [ ] denotes required parameters, while { } denotes optional parameters. .LIST Shows all active conferences, subjects, and members. .ECHO Will enable echoing of your messages back to you. If echoing is already enabled then it will disable echoing of the messages. .STATUS Shows your current teleconference status. .MAKE [conference name] Creates a new conference with the given name, and places you in it. If no subject is given, "general" is used. .JOIN [conference name] Places you in the named conference, unless it is private. .LEAVE If you are in the "open" conference, you exit the teleconference area and return to the main menu. If you are in any conference except the "open" conference, you are placed in the "open" teleconference. When the last person has left a non-permanent conference, the conference is removed from the system. .PRIVATE Declares the conference you are in "private". No one else may join it unless you issue the .INVITE [handle] command. .PUBLIC Declares the conference you are in "public". Others may join it. .INVITE [handle] Allows "handle" to join your private conference. .SAYTO [handle] [message] Send a private message to another user. If the other user is in the teleconference area he/she will receive the message, even if the user is in a different conference, whether private or public. No one else will see the message. .PAGE [handle] Pages the specified user to the teleconference area (except when that user is in the process of transferring a program file). .SUBJECT [subject] Changes the subject field for your conference as it appears in the st command (limit to 40 characters). .EXIT Return to main menu from the OPEN conference or any other private or public conferences. .POST [message] Allows users to leave one line (70 character) messages on the teleconference "chalkboard". The chalkboard can hold up to 20 messages before the oldest message will scroll off to make room for a new message. .VIEW Allows users to view messages on the FALKEN "chalkboard". .VIEW N Views messages and displays name of user who posted it. .ERASE [message#] Erases the chalkboard message number indicated (Sysop can erase any message while other users can only erase messages they posted). .ERASEALL For the chalkboard, allows sysop to erase the whole chalkboard. /[user] [message] Shortcut command to send private message to specified user. Subsequent messages to the same user can be entered as "//[message]". //[message] Sends the private message to the user on the line that was implied by the last /[user] command. If that user logs off the system and another logs on to the same line then message will be sent to user that is currently logged onto that line. .CHANNEL changes you to a different channel within the tlcf. Channels are in addition to the separate conferences, and they span conferences. You can send messages to all the people that are on the same channel with you by typing a single quote (') as the first character of the message ( as in 'hello to all on this channel). .channel 90 switches you to channel 90 DOWNLOADS SOFTWARE FILE LIBRARIES There are 64 available libraries each having 20 sub-categories. The libraries are configured in the BBSCFG setup utility. Options available at the Software Library Menu are: - Software Library Menu Commands A Change areas, when you enter the downloads your selected libraries are set to all as default, meaning that you will access all libraries that you have access to. To change this, hit 'A' to change libraries and selecte only the ones that you want to access. B Batch Maintenance, here is where you can modify your batch records before downloading of the files, you can delete 1 or more files from here as well as kill your whole batch. C Change Category, this will change the categories selected for each area that you have selected. Defaults to all categories. D Download a file from our database, you will be prompted for a protocol to use for the download, if you have more than 1 file in your batch record and you select a non batch protocol (Xmodem) then it will give you a warning about having selected a non batch protocol if you choose to ignore this warning then it will erase all but the first file in the batch record and send it. If you have selected a batch protocol and have files in your record you will be prompted for the next file to download. Once all files are selected for downloading hit ENTER to start the file transfer. H Send the download help screen to the user. L List Files, will list all the files in the areas that you have selected once a screenfull is sent you will be prompted for a command of continuous display, tagging, quiting, about a certian file or starting a download. U Upload a file or files to the bbs, you are prompted for a protocol, if you select a batch protocol you will be prompted for more than one file, once done, a upload notice will be posted to the sysop or moderator of the base. Z Sysop Menu, here is where you will maintain your filebase with the following commands. A. Select file areas. B. Batch Maintenance. D. Download Files. K. Delete files from your uploads dir. L. List files. M. Move Files from one area to another or one cat to another cat. P. Purge files from downloads. V. Validate files (save from uploads to downloads) Q. Return to downloads main menu. R. Raw listing of uploads directory. T. Tag files from upload directory. MESSAGE BASE ORGANIZATION - Message Base Menu Along with version 9.0 of FALKEN bbs software comes a all new message base. This message base is a lot different that the one that has been with FALKEN since its creation, however you should find its ease of operation pleasing. Here are the commands for the message base. One of the new features of this message base software is its capability to quote original messages if available. Here are the main commands for the message base. A. Change Area, this will allow you to select a new message base area for reading, posting, ect. This can also be acomplished by using using the > and the < keys. H. Show the message base help screen. ?. Show the message base help screen. L. List available message base areas and the amount of messages posted in them. N. Newscan scanned bases for new messages posted since last message base scan. NOTE: You must configure the message areas to scan via the 'S' command. Q. Return to the bbs. R. Reads all messages in the current folder, this will not update any newscan pointers, so if there are new messages they will be read again when using the newscan method. In read mode you have a completly different set of commands available, they are as follows. A. Reprint Message. B. Backup 1 message. D. Delete message, only a sysop, moderator, or the owner of the message can delete the message. J. If in newscan mode, you can hit J to Jump to the next scanned message folder. Q. Return to the message base main menu. R. Reply to a letter, here is where you will reply to a message adding your responce, again you will be prompted for a subject and whether or not you want to use the FSE, once done it will ask if allowed to post it anonymously. ENTER: will read the next message in the folder until you run out of messages. S. Set Scanned Pointers, here is where you will tell FALKEN which bases to scan or not scan, selecting the number of the base you want will either mark it scanned or unscanned depending upon its current status. P. Post a message, you will be prompted for the area the message goes to, a subject line, and then if you have the ansi flag set if you want to use FALKENs full screen editor or not, take note that no quoting is allowed in the FSE, once done, FALKEN will ask you if you want it posted anonymously if that base has the anonyous flag set. >. Advance one area, if your at the end of the areas it will wrap to 0 and start looking for available bases there. <. backup one area, if your at the begining of the areas it will wrap to 64 and count back till it comes to the next area you have access to. GLOBAL COMMANDS Many of the commands found in teleconference can be used at almost any system prompt no matter where you are on the system (one exception is when executing a door program). These command are called GLOBAL commands and will execute the same way as if you were in the teleconference subsystem. Once the command has been executed by the system you will return to the system prompt the command was issued from (unless you have selected to logoff). .WHO shows who is logged on and where they are on the system. .USER [name] displays the information file provided by the user indicated. You may also enter the user's handle. .USERLIST [starting point] displays a list of known users. If no starting point is given, the list starts at the beginning, in alphabetical order. If you give a starting point, such as a name or even just a letter, the list starts at that point. .LASTLOGON [handle] Displays the last 2 times the user logged on the system. .TIME displays date and time. .ANSI turns ANSI on. .NOANSI turns off ANSI and RIP graphics from the BBS. .RIP turns on RIP graphics. .NORIP turns off RIP graphics. .SEND [handle] [message] sends a message to any user, even if the user is not in teleconference at the time. This command would allow a sysop to send instructions or information to any online user. .LOGOFF Will log you off the system bypassing any further menus. SYSOP UTILITIES IDXMAKER This offline utility was briefly described in the "Customizing" section of this document. It is used to create the system menus and text screens for the BBS. In general you may edit the file MESSAGES.MSG, to customize the menus and text screens in any way you wish, as long as each entry is not longer than 4000 characters. PACKFILE As the database files are used, they will grow very large. This is due to the fact that unused space from deleted data records is not reused. To reduce the size of the database files, and to check the databases for consistency, you should run PACKFILE once per day. PACKFILE will process each of the 5 database files, compressing them to eliminate unused space between records, and verifying that the index files have not been damaged in some way. Also, USERBIO and EMAIL records are deleted if no ACCOUNT record is found for the user. Packfile verifies records as it compresses the files. Any records which do not read correctly are deleted. Likewise, email and user biography records for users whose accounts no longer exist are deleted. Just typing PACKFILE will pack all files. To pack any file, enter the appropriate letter(s) on the command line: A account file M message base file E email D download database U user bios file You can pack multiple files by putting several letters on the command line, separated by spaces: PACKFILE AEM CREATFIL WARNING: This utility will reinitialize current database files, permanently destroying all records. DO NOT USE this utility if working database files currently exist! Use this utility to create your database files (account, email, dload, userbio, msgbase) before running the system for the first time, or to recreate any of the files should they become corrupted and unusable. The program will ask you whether to create each file, and you must enter "y" or "n" to create or not create each file. CREATING BULLETINS The bulletin text is contained in a simple ASCII file with the bulletin's title placed in the very first line of the text and the bulletin text on subsequent lines. Bulletins will automatically pause after 24 lines of output are displayed, so you can make the bulletins as long as you like. - To create your first bulletin Use your favorite text editor to create your bulletin, the first line of the text will be the title. Save the file as BULLETIN.X where X is a number from 1 to 32. - Marking a Bulletin as "MUST READ" Run BBSCFG and enter General Setup. There is a 'must- read' flag for each bulletin (1-32). If the corresponding flag is set to 1, and the bulletin file has been created or modified since the users last call, then the user MUST read that bulletin before they are allowed access to TLCF, Message Base, Files, or Email. To turn off the MUST READ feature for a specific bulletin change the flag back to 0. INFORMATION FOR PROGRAMMERS Writing doors for FALKEN, or converting existing doors programs to run well under FALKEN is easy and straightforward. A FALKEN API is available with full documentation for writing programs in C for FALKEN. For more information, download the door writers information file (DOORINFO.ZIP) from our support BBS. SYSOP GUIDE THE ONLINE SYSOP FUNCTIONS Select option "Z" from the Main Menu and supply the correct password (specified in BBSCFG), and you will call up the online system operators menu. SYSTEM LEVEL MENU The following options are available at the System Level Menu: [K]ill a user [D]isplay user info [E]dit user info [L] Turn Log File Off [crashit] reboots computer [DOS] execute FALKENs DOS gateway. This is an external program called CMDPROC.EXE. This is the same program that is executed when you press F5 at the local keyboard, except in this case it is run as a DOOR. [enter] to return to main menu - FALKEN Command Interpreter (DOS Interface) The FALKEN Command Interpreter (FCI) provides you with a subset of DOS commands which work online. When you run FCI, you will see a prompt similar to the DOS prompt, with the current directory shown at the left column. Type "HELP" at the FCI prompt to see a list of available commands. In brief, you are given the following commands: DIR directory list similar to DOS COPY copy files, similar to DOS DEL delete files, similar to DOS RD remove directory MD make directory WHERE find a file (searches the entire disk drive) TYPE display a text file on the screen, with page breaks DUMP display any file on the screen, in both ascii and hex format ONLINE GLOBAL COMMANDS FOR SYSOPS .KILL [line number] Will hangup on the selected user very abruptly. .KILL # Will hangup the selected line number and reset the modem. This command also serves to reset a hung modem remotely. .EXTEND [handle] Provides the selected user with an additional 30 minutes of time on the system to avoid auto-logoff. Repeated use will have a cumulative effect. If the command is issued three times in succession for a selected user 90 minutes will be added. .CHAT [handle] Allows the Sysop and the selected user to enter a private chat mode where all inputs between the sysop and the user are handled privately. Hit the ESC key to exit and return the user to where he was prior to going in to chat. .YANK [handle] Places a user into the Sysop's chat area. The user will not be able to exit the chat area until you issue the .UNFIX command. .UNFIX [handle] Allows user to exit who has been .YANKed into the Sysop's chat area. .FIX [handle] Locks the user into the Chat area until the .NOFIX command is entered. .GAG [handle] This sysop command will silence a user by not permitting then to enter text into the teleconference. The user will still be able to receive other user messages. .NOTE [text] Allows the sysop to record a text note about any subject. The text is saved in a file SYSNOTES.TXT for later review. This function is handy to record information about users or system function requiring attention at a later time. TELECONFERENCE COMMANDS FOR SYSOPS .ERASE ALL This command will erase all messages from the teleconference chalkboard. .REMOVE [handle] Takes a user out of teleconference and places them at the main menu. .ALLOW [handle] Permits a user to enter the teleconference even though his account access control flag does not. Once he exits the teleconference he will not be able to return. STEALTH LOGIN There are times when you, as a sysop, need to log into the BBS to perform maintenance activities without being visible to other users, to avoid .sends, etc. FALKEN allows you to do this. When prompted for your account name, put a '!' in front of your name, as in : Please enter your account name : !username Stealth logins are visible to sysops, but not to normal users. Once you are logged on in stealth mode, the command .NOSTEALTH will return you to a normal login. You can enter stealth mode from a normal login by typing .STEALTH. This feature can be enabled for other users by setting the "allow" flag for stealth in their user account record. ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE Account maintenance can best be performed from the system console. Press F2 for system utilities, then press F1 for Account Edit. To find a particular account, use the F7 key after entering the user's system name in the proper field. Make whatever changes you like, then use the F5 key to save the changes. F10 will quit back to the main screen. If you change the account name, then save, a NEW account will be created with that name. If you truly wished to change an account name, you can go back and DELETE the original account. Use the F9 key to DELETE an account. At the Account Edit screen, various editing functions are available, including Delete to end, Restore Field, and Restore ALL Fields. Follow the menu on the bottom of the screen, and you should have no problems. If you accidently delete an account, IT IS GONE, WITH NO RECOVERY POSSIBLE! Make sure you have backups of the account files and other important system files before you start making changes! To find an account that you wish to view or change, type the user's name or partial name in the 'Account Name' field, and press F7. The account will be displayed, or, if that account is not found, the account whose name comes next in the file (alphabetically) from the name entered will be displayed. BACKUPS You should perform a backup once per day. Use several tapes or sets of disks, and rotate them, so that at any one time you have at least 2 backups that you know are good. At a minimum use the XCOPY DOS command to make copies of the system dynamic files (accounts, Email, message, etc.) onto a floppy for safe keeping. This would protect you if your hard disk were to fail. See your DOS manual for information on using the XCOPY command. All important information, such as user account records, private mail, message indexes, etc. are kept in indexed database files. These files include: ACCOUNT.IDX - ACCOUNT records indexes. ACCOUNT.DAT - actual ACCOUNT records. EMAIL.IDX - EMAIL records indexes. EMAIL.DAT - actual EMAIL records. MSGBASE.IDX - MESSAGE folder indexes. MSGBASE.DAT - MESSAGE folder records. DLOAD.IDX - DOWNLOAD records indexes. DLOAD.DAT - actual DOWNLOAD records. USERBIO.IDX - user BIO file indexes. USERBIO.DAT - user BIO records. The BTREE functions of the C/Database Toolbox, from MIX Software, are used to maintain the database files. SYSTEM UTILITY FILES CALLCNT.BBS FALKEN keeps track of the last 20 callers and the number of calls in a file called CALLCNT.BBS. It will report what caller number you are upon login. It will report the last 20 callers even after restarting the software. XLATE.DAT Every character received from the line goes through a filter, or translation table. This table contains all 256 possible 8-bit codes, and a translation value for each one. Normally, all printable ASCII characters (32 to 127, plus CR and Backspace) are translated as themselves, while all other characters translate to a NULL, and do not pass through, thus preventing someone from using strange codes to adversely affect your system. During binary file transfers, this filter is not used. You have the ability to change ANY translation value in this table, by specifying the new translation in this file. EXAMPLE: Enabling the BELL in Teleconference. Normally, the BELL (CTRL-G, or ASCII 7) gets filtered out by the software, preventing someone from sending "beeps" to others in the teleconference, or imbedding them in messages. You can override this setting by entering this line in the XLATE.DAT file: 007 : 007 Which tells the system to translate the 7 to a 7, thereby allowing the BELL to pass through intact. Or you can translate the BELL to something else, like this: 007 : 042 Which would cause the BELL to be translated to an asterisk. When someone types a CTRL-G for a bell, other users would see an asterisk! If you wish to allow your users to enter ANSI screen control for their messages, you must have the following line in the XLATE.DAT file: 027 : 027 This allows the Escape character to pass through. OPERATORS SUPPORT & REGISTRATIONS: FALKEN BBS: 209-584-2895 or 209-582-4747 or Telnet midnight.kingsnet.com or B.C. Software P.O. Box 1703 Hanford, CA 93230-1703 USA The Midnight Hour and M-42 are examples of FALKEN BBS in action, M-42 is the DOS based version and TMH is our Linux based version, you may leave feedback to either Car Doctor or M-42 on both systems for your FALKEN needs. If you require helpful guidance in setting up or operating your FALKEN BBS please use our support BBS at the above numbers leaving a message with an explanation of what assistance you need and a good time for us to return your call will get the fastest results. System updates can be downloaded from these systems. The payment schedule is as follows: - Standard Pricing Structure * Falken 8-line version : $50.00 Falken 32-line version : $99.00 Falken 64-line version : $199.00 * Currency only in US dollars. Offer of these prices are good until August 1, 1997. Check the above site (http or telnet) for current prices after this date. - Comments and Suggestions And finally, If you've found some errors or inconsistencies with this Operators Manual, please make a note of them and provide these inputs to us as if you had found a problem with the software. Your comments and suggestions are always appreciated.