FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee IIIIINNNNNTTTTTRRRRROOOOO-----11111 This is once again a totally new manual for Fido and FidoNet. It replaces all older documentation; the information contained here overrides any previous documentation. Fourth Edition, August 1985 Dial Up or Fidonet Mail Mailing Address Tom Jennings Fido Software Fido's Board Tom Jennings (415)-864-1418 2269 Market St. #118 300/1200/2400 baud San Francisco CA 94114 _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _A_d_d_r_e_s_s_: Fido's_Board Net 125 Node 1 _U_s_e_n_e_t _A_d_d_r_e_s_s_: ihnp4!encore!vaxine!spark!125!1!tom_jennings (Note: The usenet gateway, run by Bob Hartman (FidoNode 101/101) is very new, and as of Aug 85, runs usenet to Fido only; please contact Bob Hartman before using the Unix/Fido gateway.) _ The World's First / \ BBS Network /|oo \ * FidoNet * (_| /_) _`@/_ \ _ | | \ \\ | (*) | \ )) ______ |__U__| / \// / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / (________) (_/(_|(____/ _____FFFFF_____iiiii_____ddddd_____ooooo _____(((((_____ttttt_____mmmmm_____))))) _____iiiii_____sssss _____aaaaa _____ttttt_____rrrrr_____aaaaa_____ddddd_____eeeee_____mmmmm_____aaaaa_____rrrrr_____kkkkk _____ooooo_____fffff _____TTTTT_____ooooo_____mmmmm _____JJJJJ_____eeeee_____nnnnn_____nnnnn_____iiiii_____nnnnn_____ggggg_____sssss _____FFFFF_____iiiii_____ddddd_____ooooo_____NNNNN_____eeeee_____ttttt _____(((((_____ttttt_____mmmmm_____))))) _____iiiii_____sssss _____aaaaa _____ttttt_____rrrrr_____aaaaa_____ddddd_____eeeee_____mmmmm_____aaaaa_____rrrrr_____kkkkk _____ooooo_____fffff _____TTTTT_____ooooo_____mmmmm _____JJJJJ_____eeeee_____nnnnn_____nnnnn_____iiiii_____nnnnn_____ggggg_____sssss FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee IIIIINNNNNTTTTTRRRRROOOOO-----22222 _I_n_t_r_o_d_u_c_t_i_o_n This manual is in four parts; you are reading _I_N_T_R_O. Next is _O_P_E_R_A_T_E, the manual on operating Fido and FidoNet, _F_I_D_O_N_E_T, how FidoNet works and what it does, and then _I_N_S_T_A_L_L, how to install Fido. Each section is totally standalone, and has it's own table of contents and index. The _I_N_T_R_O section contains: What Fido and FidoNet Are ________________ Page 3 Credits __________________________________ Page 4 Commercial Use of Fido ___________________ Page 5 The Public Domain FidoNet Network ________ Page 6 Obtaining Fido ___________________________ Page 7 Introduction to Fido's Complete Manual ___ Page 8 _S_u_p_p_o_r_t_e_d _C_o_m_p_u_t_e_r_s _a_n_d _M_o_d_e_m_s At the time of this writing, Fido supports the following hardware and software. Please contact Fido Software for the most current list of supported hardware; new machines are added as time goes on. IBM PC, XT, AT, Junior DEC Rainbow, 100, 100+, 100B Otrona Attache 8:16 Sanyo 555 Victor 9000 D.C. Hayes SmartModem 300, 1200, 2400 and clones EXCEPT Anchor Automation Racal Vadic VA212 DEC DF03 Novation SmartCat series Fido requires 256K of memory, and MSDOS 2.00 or higher, and at least two floppies. It is recommended that you use a hard disk. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee IIIIINNNNNTTTTTRRRRROOOOO-----33333 _W_h_a_t _F_i_d_o _a_n_d _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _A_r_e Fido is a software system that contains a non realtime packet switched electronic mail system, plus a full featured bulletin board system to support it. Fido uses the hierarchical file structure of MSDOS version 2 and 3. The basic features are: _F_i_d_o _B_u_l_l_e_t_i_n _B_o_a_r_d _S_y_s_t_e_m - Unlimited number of users - Absolute security - Multiple message and file areas - Consistent Email commands - Eight file transfer methods Users, commands, message and file areas all have seperate privelege levels; these can be intermixed to allow free access to all areas, limited access to some areas, or locking each user into a specific area. Fido uses pathname strings for accessing all disk files; this affords complete control of file uploads, downloads, work files and messages. _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _P_a_c_k_e_t _S_w_i_t_c_h_e_d _E_l_e_c_t_r_o_n_i_c _M_a_i_l FidoNet is a packet switch electronic mail system contained within Fido. It supports almost any network topology; amorphous, ring, star, or any mixture. Any node can act as host for one or more nodes, to any practical number of levels deep. Routing and hosting is controlled via a text file; there is a true English Language route processor available in the public domain. Routing is chosen manually; FidoNet executes it automatically, with error handling and error recovery, and a full log file of net activity. The public domain FidoNet is organized into Nets, Regions and Nodes. A node is an individual FidoNet system. A net is a group of FidoNets in a local calling area; a net provides many advantageous services. Regions are FidoNet nodes in a geographical area that cannot yet take advantage of packet routing within a local calling area. FidoNet supports up to 32767 regions and nets, each containing up to 32767 nodes. At this writing there are more than 400 nodes in more than 30 nets and regions in the continental US; others are in Indonesia, Sweden, England, The Netherlands, etc. Any FidoNet may access any other FidoNet in the world, usually overnight. Nets and regions are added constantly; please obtain a current NodeList file for the latest listings. The NodeList is published weekly. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee IIIIINNNNNTTTTTRRRRROOOOO-----44444 _C_r_e_d_i_t_s The following people have contributed greatly to the design of Fido and FidoNet. I know I have omitted many people from this list; apologies ahead of time. Thanks also to the many Fido sysops and callers that contributed ideas (and found the many bugs). Special thanks to John Madill, who thought out many of the nicer Fido features, and did much of my debugging for me. (And contributed from end to end; he finally got me to do PICKUP and POLL ... ) Fido and FidoNet Design Crew: John Madill, Baltimore, MD (Fido #2) Tony Clark, St. Louis, MO (Fido #4) Danny Feinsmith, NYC, NY (Fido #8) Jim Ryan, Danbury, CT (Fido #9) Ben Baker, St. Louis, MO (Fido #10) Vern Crawford, San Jose, CA (Fido #13) FidoNet Scheduling and Routing: The St. Louis DECUS Group: Ken Kaplan, Mike Mellinger, Jon Wichman (Fido's 16, 17, 22) And general thanks to all of the other Fido sysops for suggestions. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee IIIIINNNNNTTTTTRRRRROOOOO-----55555 _C_o_m_m_e_r_c_i_a_l _U_s_e _o_f _F_i_d_o For all commercial uses, except as noted below, all that is required is to purchase a copy of Fido from Fido Software, address below. This provides you with a diskette, a printed manual, and unlimited updates (see _O_b_t_a_i_n_i_n_g _F_i_d_o). If you will have a "small" number of installations (under 5), make copies as necessary. You need not purchase a copy for each site (though Fido Software wouldn't mind if you did ...) If you are to have a large number of installations, please write Fido Software at the address below for special arrangements. Volunteer run, not for profit organizations (irregardless of any non-profit status) serving their community can use Fido freely; they can either purchase one copy to get the update capability, or download it for free and maintain it themselves. Obviously Fido Software relies on your honest evaluation of the installation. The above scheme is suggested because it is simple and non-obnoxious to both you and Fido Software. Please contact Fido Software if you have any questions. Purchasing a copy of Fido is considered by me to be authorization for commercial use. Please note that these are guidelines; it is not the policy of Fido Software to define rigid or unreasonable licensing policies, and in any case contracts of any kind are nearly impossible to enforce. It is up to you to determine what type of installation you have, and purchase copies or not as the case may be. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee IIIIINNNNNTTTTTRRRRROOOOO-----66666 _T_h_e _P_u_b_l_i_c _D_o_m_a_i_n _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _N_e_t_w_o_r_k There is a large public domain, public access electronic mail network comprised of independent Fido/FidoNet bulletin board systems in North America and Europe. The net is growing very quickly; in May 84 there were two nodes, Sept 84 fifty, March 85 there were 160, in Aug 85, 400. Each of the FidoNet nodes (FidoNodes) is a totally independent, generally privately owned bulletin board system using Fido. Late at night, they all run the FidoNet portion of the Fido system, and exchange messages and files. The messages and files transferred are ones entered by users of the particular FidoNode; besides entering the usualy BBS message type information (name, subject, etc) they select which FidoNode; unlike Usenet, the FidoNet software worries about such things as routing. FidoNet does it's electronic mail transfers using a packet system that supports addresses within the packets and the messages themselves, and a complex routing language that lets networks or any arbitrary complexity be generated for effecient use of the phone lines. FidoNet is getting more organized as time goes on; updating nodelists (central to FidoNet's organization) will be be totally automated very soon; the newsletter (FidoNews, published by Fido 107/375) is already published mechanically, and distributed further and further as time goes on. _G_e_t_t_i_n_g _a _n_o_d_e _n_u_m_b_e_r The structure, organization of FidoNet, and the software itself are all constantly changing; it is not possible for me to tell you exactly what to do to get a node number and join the net. What I can do is point you in the right direction to figure out what the process is at the moment. At the moment, FidoNet is organized into Networks and Regions; Networks are concentrated FidoNodes, such as in Los Angeles, New York, etc. Regions are geographical areas, such as the South West, New England, etc. You need to determine who is your network or region host; they provide you with a node number. After rummaging through this manual and getting your system up and running, contact Fido 100/51 (FidoNet Central) or Fido 125/1 (thats me) and read the bulletins; 100/51 keeps the list of networks and regions available. I hope this is not all obsolete by the time you read it; good luck! FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee IIIIINNNNNTTTTTRRRRROOOOO-----77777 _O_b_t_a_i_n_i_n_g _F_i_d_o The Fido/FidoNet software can be obtained by downloading it, for free, from Fido #1 or any other system, or directly from Fido Software. Purchasing Fido enables you to get unlimited updates for a small fee. The following are the _o_n_l_y computers and modems supported at this time. Fido is MSDOS only and will not be ported to any other DOS. _C_O_M_P_U_T_E_R_S _S_U_P_P_O_R_T_E_D IBM PC, XT, Jr. and AT and HARDWARE clones DEC Rainbow 100 (MSDOS 2.05 and later) Otrona Attache 8:16 Sanyo 555 Victor 9000 _M_O_D_E_M_S _S_U_P_P_O_R_T_E_D DC Hayes Smartmodem 1200 and clones DC Hayes Smartmodem 2400 and clones US Robotics Courier 2400 Racal Vadic VA212 DEC DF03 Ventel MD-212 with WECO EPROM _U_p_d_a_t_e_s Updates are provided to Fido purchasers; downloaders must obtain their own updates. You can receive an update at any time by returning your original diskette in a returnable diskette mailer plus $20.00. You will receive the latest distribution diskette, plus any errata sheets for the manual. New manuals are not included with updates, though errata sheets are. New manuals are released on major revision changes (9 to 10, 10 to 11, etc). The latest version is always available free for downloading from Fido #1. Fido is a public domain program, and direct support cannot be done without special arrangements. _O_r_d_e_r_i_n_g Send your order to the address inside the front cover, specifying what computer you want it for; if you do not specify, the IBM version will be shipped. Please do not order for machines not listed above. -- NEW PRICES: 1 SEPT 1985 -- Fido and FidoNet system, all versions : $100.00 CA orders add 6.5% sales tax : $ 6.50 Printed Manual only : $ 35.00 Software Update (plus orig. diskette) : $ 20.00 FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee IIIIINNNNNTTTTTRRRRROOOOO-----88888 _I_n_t_r_o_d_u_c_t_i_o_n _t_o _F_i_d_o_'_s _M_a_n_u_a_l This manual is divided into three major sections. If you download this manual, you will have found it in three files; these sections do correspond to the logical layout of this manual. I apologize for the intimidating size. Each section is more or less self contained, with it's own index and table of contents. The bad part of this is that you have to refer to the right section to find something; luckily, Fido is partitioned well enough to allow this kind of manual. _O_P_E_R_A_T_E _F_I_D_O_-_1_-_3_._P_R_N This is the section you are reading now. It covers operating Fido; it assumes that you understand basically what Fido is about, and that you already have it installed. The Operating section is first, because it's assumed that once you install Fido you will refer to this section more that the Installation notes. _F_I_D_O_N_E_T _F_I_D_O_-_2_-_3_._P_R_N This covers the theory, installation and operation of the FidoNet packet switch electronic mail section of Fido. It tells you how to find out the process invloved in hooking up to the network in the U.S.; for Europe and Asia, you need to find the systems located in England, Sweden, or Jakarta; the sysops there can point you in the right direction. _I_N_S_T_A_L_L _F_I_D_O_-_3_-_3_._P_R_N This section covers installing the software on the hardware you plan to use. There are step by step instructions for setting up a minimal board, and hints on customizing it and making Fido do what you want. Sysop Only Commands ____________________________ Page 2 1 -- Paths _____________________________________ Page 3 2 -- Purge Messages ____________________________ Page 5 3 -- Command Privilege Levels __________________ Page 6 4 -- Fidonet Parameters ________________________ Page 7 5 -- List scheduled events _____________________ Page 8 6 -- Enter/change events _______________________ Page 9 7 -- Enable/disable/remove an event ____________ Page 11 FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----22222 _T_a_b_l_e _o_f _C_o_n_t_e_n_t_s 8 -- Renumber Messages _________________________ Page 12 0 -- Terminate to DOS __________________________ Page 13 Special Local Console Features _________________ Page 14 Questionnaires _________________________________ Page 16 The SYSOP Utility ______________________________ Page 19 TIMELOG -- The Time Log Utility ________________ Page 23 Fido callers log file: SYSOP.LOG ______________ Page 24 Fido's Users Manual: Main Section ______________ Page 25 Fido's Users Manual: Message and Mail Section __ Page 29 Fido's Users Manual: File Section ______________ Page 33 Fido's Users Manual: Control Characters ________ Page 35 Maintenaince and Backup ________________________ Page 36 Fido's Internal Files __________________________ Page 37 Operate Index __________________________________ Page 39 FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----33333 _S_y_s_o_p _O_n_l_y _C_o_m_m_a_n_d_s The sysop commands are all single digits, and do not show up in any prompts nor in any of the supplied help files. Most are "dangerous", in the sense that they set and change Fidos environment, and are not for general use. With one exception, all sysop commands are available at all prompts. This exception is at the "Read Command" prompt; entering numbers specifies a message number, not a command! Therefore, the 3 command (see below) is accessed only there as "#". These commands are hardcoded for SYSOP privilege; this cannot be changed. This also means it is not possible for a NORMAL user to ever access these commands. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----44444 _1 _-_- _P_a_t_h_s Sets paths, select and create new system files (SYSTEMn.BBS) and change the privilege level for each area. The Installation Section walks you through setting up Fido with the 1 command, and provides many real life examples. Entering 1 by itself lists the contents of the current system file. Changing and setting system file parameters is done by entering them after the 1, in a slightly peculiar way. The 1 commands are: 1 List the current set of paths (a) 1 Select or create a system file. (b) 1 \M Set the MSG Path (c) 1 \F Set the FILE Path (d) 1 \U Set the UPLOAD Path (e) 1 \H Set the HELP Path (g) 1 \V Set the Area privilege level (h) 1 \A Set Attributes (i) 1 S Save the changes (j) 1 ? Get HELP! With the 1 command If (a) is not done, then the system file is the one last selected when in a Message Section or File Section. You can always find out by just entering 1 by itself; it lists which system file and all its contents. (You could do the same thing by using the A)rea command in the Message or File Section.) To create a new system file, enter 1 , where is one higher than the highest one. Fido will not allow creating SYSTEM99.BBS, for instance, when the current highest is only 8. When a new one is created, it copies the contents of the current one into the new one. For (b) through (e), the specified path is selected. You can check your changes by entering 1 by itself. (g) sets the privilege level for the Message and File areas in this system file. The default is DISGRACE. (This is not copied from the previous one; it is always set to DISGRACE.) To change it, enter as shown. The privilege levels are: TWIT DISGRACE NORMAL PRIVEL EXTRA SYSOP You must spell fully the privilege level name. Each system file has an attribute word. Currently, only FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----55555 _1 _-_- _P_a_t_h_s one bit of it is used, so the method of changing it is crude. The 1 bit determines whether the MSG Path is a regular Message area or a FidoNet Mail area. 1 0\A Set normal Message Area 1 1\A Set Fidonet Area This should be set on only one MSG Path; the one you use for Fidonet mail. NOTE: Any changes you make are not permanent until you save them with (i). If you make changes, then select another area with (a), then the changes are lost. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----66666 _2 _-_- _P_u_r_g_e _M_e_s_s_a_g_e_s The 2 command is helpful to manage your message areas. It is used to delete messages by age or (RECV'D) status. The first option is to delete messages by age. YOu enter the number of days old, and Fido kills messages older than that many days. Message numbers are listed as they are deleted; you can Control-C to stop it at any point. The second option is whether messages that have been received by the addressee (the message will be listed (RECV'D)) should be deleted. If you answer Yes, then any message with (RECV'D) in the header will be deleted, regardless of it's age. Note that if you answer No to both questions, Fido is stupid enough to read all the messages anyways; no harm will be done. Just Control-C to abort it at any time. HINT: Try not to use this command when you are not in the Message Section. Until you enter the Message Section, Fido hasn't selected a set of paths, etc. and I have no idea what happens if you try to use this command then. The same applies to the 8 command. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----77777 _3 _-_- _C_o_m_m_a_n_d _P_r_i_v_i_l_e_g_e _L_e_v_e_l_s # -- IN THE READ COMMAND PROMPT ONLY NOTE: The "3" command is the "#" command while in the R)ead Message prompt, because "3" is a message number. The 3 command is used to change and list the privilege levels for each command in each Section. 3 by itself lists the command names and the privilege level needed to be able to use it. If the users privilege level isn't high enough, then the command will not show in the prompt. To change a privilege level, you enter: 3 Where is the command letter as normally entered (for instance, in a Message Section, K for Kill message, etc) and is the name of the privilege level, as listed under the 1 command. The change is stored immediately. The following are considered separate areas, as far as the 3 command goes: Main Section, MAINPRIV.BBS Message Sections, MSGPRIV.BBS Mail Sections, MAILPRIV.BBS File Sections, FILEPRIV.BBS Read Command Prompt READPRIV.BBS CHANGE Command Prompt CHGPRIV.BBS Though FidoNet message sections are almost identical to regular Message Sections, it has it's own set of privilege levels for the commands. HINT: If you really mess up, you can start over by deleteing the PRIV file, or all of them. Next time you run Fido, it will start over with all of it's orignal defaults. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----88888 _4 _-_- _F_i_d_o_n_e_t _P_a_r_a_m_e_t_e_r_s If you haven't yet, read the _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _M_a_n_u_a_l first, otherwise this may be meaningless. The 4 command sets and displays FidoNet parameters. These parameters are used mainly by FidoNet, and possibly external programs. 4 ? Get help! 4 \N Set Node Number 4 \T Set Net Number 4 \H Set Alternate Node number 4 \A Set Alternate Net number 4 \P Set Mail Path 4 \F Set Mail File Path The Mail Path is the message directory you want to use for the FidoNet mail area. It must be the same as one of the message paths set with the 1 command, and the one that has the MAIL attribute set with "1 1\A". The Mail File Path is where files received via FidoNet are placed. Generally a good place is the same as where you put uploaded files, or a seperate directory only for mail files. The node number, net number, and the alternate net and node numbers are the way that your Fido system is identified to others on the Net. These numbers must be unique, and known to everyone else in the Net. Please refer to the FidoNet section for details. Use this command to set your node and net numbers once you have figured out what they are. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----99999 _5 _-_- _L_i_s_t _s_c_h_e_d_u_l_e_d _e_v_e_n_t_s Lists all of the scheduled events that Fido can execute. Events are added, changed, enabled, disabled, etc with the 6 command and the 7 command. The default is one event enabling the Y)ell command. The actual scheduler operation is covered in the Scheduler chapter of the _F_i_d_o_N_e_t section. Basically, these events are things like when to execute FidoNet, days and times when the Y)ell command is allowed, and with additional work, when external programs are to be executed. See the _6 _-_- _E_n_t_e_r_/_C_h_a_n_g_e _E_v_e_n_t_s section (next page) for details on what events mean and how to change them. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----1111100000 _6 _-_- _E_n_t_e_r_/_c_h_a_n_g_e _e_v_e_n_t_s This command allows entering and changing events. There is room for up to 35 events. You are asked for an event number, then you are asked for each of the components that make up an event. These are: Event # [0 - 35]: Which event to work on. Events can be in any order; Fido executes them according to the day and time. If you enter a number that is already used, you will replace it with the new one you are entering. Hitting RETURN will exit the 6 command. Day of week [All, 0=Sun, 1=Mon ...]: The day of the week that this event should be run on. Entering A (for ALL) means run it every day. For example, FidoNet gets run every day; enter A. An alternative (just for an example) would be to enter seven events, one for each day of the week. This is just for convenience. Start Time: [hh:mm]: The time this event is to start. Enter as 10:44, etc, or use a space instead of the colon. Entering just 10, for instance, is the same as entering 10:00. 00:00 (or just 0) is midnight; 23:59 is one minute til midnight. Window width, Minutes: How long the specified event should be run. This can be from 1 to 1440, the number of minutes in a day. If you had entered A for the day of the week, 10:00 for the start time, and 60 for window width, then the event would be run from 10:00AM to 11:00AM. For external events, you should enter one minute; Fido cannot "call back" an external program when it's time is over, it is up to that program (and your batch file) to return to Fido. Schedule Tag [A - W, X, Y, Z]: This tells Fido what event it is you are running. A - W are FidoNet events; _F_i_d_o_'_s _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _M_a_n_u_a_l describes this in detail. Tag A is the normal, nation wide FidoNet time slot. If in doubt, or for new systems, enter A. This will then be compatible with older FidoNets. Y is the yell command. The Y)ell command (which rings the bell annoyingly on the console) can be enabled for any time of the day, by setting it up as an "event". Fido will not terminate or do anything different; it will just allow the yell command to be used while the event is running. The default is to allow the yell command from 10:00AM til FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----1111111111 _6 _-_- _E_n_t_e_r_/_c_h_a_n_g_e _e_v_e_n_t_s 10:00PM. Tag X is the external event; with these, you can run other DOS programs through a specially modified batch file. X terminates with DTR low (the modem hung up, and auto- answer disabled). ERRORLEVEL [4 - 255]: Asked ONLY if Tag X is entered, above. This is the ERRORLEVEL code passed back to DOS, where it can be detected by the batch file, for selectively running programs. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----1111122222 _7 _-_- _E_n_a_b_l_e_/_d_i_s_a_b_l_e_/_r_e_m_o_v_e _a_n _e_v_e_n_t This is used to enable, disable and remove set events. You are asked for an event number (as entered above) and then what to do with it. If you enter an event number that does not exist, it will tell you so. Enable "turns on" that event, that is, allows it to run. Disable causes it to be ignored, though it will still exist, so you can enable it later if you want. Remove deletes it entirely. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----1111133333 _8 _-_- _R_e_n_u_m_b_e_r _M_e_s_s_a_g_e_s The 8 command will renumber all the messages in the current message area, so that they start at 1, and increase by 1. It will preserve Replies and See Alsos. HINT: It is recomended that you use the 8 command when you have either a lot of messages, or lots of "holes", ie. groups of numbers that are missing. When searching for messages, Fido searches through the missing message numbers, which takes time. Use of the 8 command regularly (try once a week at first, adjust accordingly) will speed up your system. Renumbering causes temporary great upheaval to the messages themselves; interrupting the 8 command (by powering off or resetting) is not reccomended. To prevent losing the connection (and disconnecting) from aborting the renum, nothing is displayed to the modem while the command is working. The local console will show 8 command status. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----1111144444 _0 _-_- _T_e_r_m_i_n_a_t_e _t_o _D_O_S This is a highly specialized command, that works only when a /W value is specified on the command line. Please note that Fido does *NOT* run programs through the modem; all the 0 command is for is terminating Fido in an orderly way so that yo can use OTHER programs, not suppiled with Fido, for running other programs through the modem. When set, the 0 command causes a immediate termination to DOS with the ERRORLEVEL specified by the /W switch. It is assumed that your RUNBBS batch file will trap this errorlevel, and do something appropriate. Note that it is NOT adequate to just use CTTY to redirect the console; you must have a special "watchdog" program to monitor the Carrier Detect line from the modem, and reboot the system if carrier is lost. Otherwise, if the connection is lost, the next person that calls in has control of your system, from the DOS level. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----1111155555 _S_p_e_c_i_a_l _L_o_c_a_l _C_o_n_s_o_l_e _F_e_a_t_u_r_e_s There are a number of commands that can be used from the system's local console while a user is on. This is sometimes called "spy mode", as the user does not have any indication that you are spying on them. The commands are: ? / Displays the name of the current user, and how long he has been on. It lists a small menu of other things that can be done, described here. C Chat with the caller. (Also see the Y)ell command.) The user will get an appropriate message, and you will then be in terminal mode with the caller, allowing you to type back and forth. The chat mode is terminated by typing Control-Z, at which point the user is back in normal Fido operation. Z Clear the current users limits. This clears the accumulated download, time on system, and accumulated time on system. (same as user calling back in 48 hours.) This is useful for extending someones time limits temporarily. ^A (Control-A) Simultaneous keyboards. All keystrokes typed are treated as if they were from the callers modem. Terminated by ^Z, Control-Z, below. This can be used for intensive handholding of terrified users. ^Z (Control-Z) Terminates both Chat mode (or the Y)ell command) and simultaneous keyboards. ^X (Control-X) Immediately terminate a call. The user is logged off. Ignored during file transfers. To be used sparingly. If you need to get into the system while a caller is on, refer to ^T. ^O (Control-O) ^N (Control-N) These two are for special purposes only. They turn off (^O) and on (^N) the local screen output. Normally, Fido displays what the user sees, on the local screen. For use with a multi-DOS type program (XAP, Multilink, etc) this console activity greatly slows down the system. It can be disabled with ^O, or via the /I command FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----1111166666 _S_p_e_c_i_a_l _L_o_c_a_l _C_o_n_s_o_l_e _F_e_a_t_u_r_e_s line switch. These two keys override and /I command line switch. ^T (Control-T) When entered while a user is on, after the user hangs up it causes Fido to disable the modem, and alert the operator that the system is free. Fido rings the bell once a second for ten minutes. When Fido is ready, type ^C to quit to DOS, or ^Z to stop the terminate and resume normal operation. If there is no response in five minutes, then Fido resumes normal operation automatically. Space bar When a user has started a Y)ell, hitting the space bar immediately causes the "sysop not available" message. The scheduler can be used to limit the hours in which the Y)ell command can be used. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----1111177777 _Q_u_e_s_t_i_o_n_n_a_i_r_e_s A questionnaire is a pseudo-language file that is interpreted by Fido. If someone invokes the A (Answer Questionnaire) command in the Main Section, and there is no questionnaire, it says: "No questionnaire today" Questionnaires are simple text files that are interpreted by Fido. There is a very simple line oriented pseudo language that interprets these scripts. There are only a couple of "commands", and only two crude conditionals. The answers to the questionnaire are put in a seperate file, without the questions. They are also normal ASCII text, but in a fixed field format with field characters, to make post- processing of the questionnaire easier. (I do not, and probably will not ever, provide a processor for the answers files.) The questionnaire consists of two files: QUESTION.BBS The questionnaire script ANSWERS.BBS The answers Answers are appended to the end of the answer file; it is create first if it does not exist. There is also a second questionnaire: QNOPWD.BBS. If this exists, users who forgot their password, or if the /M (private system) is specified, they get to fill it in. You can put in requests for passwords, address and phone numbers, etc here. The first character of each line tells Fido what to do with the line. This first character is a normal printable character. If the first character is not one of the known commands, the line is merely displayed. HINT: Do not have blank lines in the questionnaire. Interrogation will stop at end of file or a blank line. The questionnaire commands are: / Display , then input a single line of text. Maximum line length is 78 characters. The usual editing is available. The inputted text is written to the answer file. * Put users info to the answer file: name and last (current) signon time and date. Useful for the "what kind of system ..." type questionnaires. Leaving this out allows FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----1111188888 _Q_u_e_s_t_i_o_n_n_a_i_r_e_s confidential questionnaires, as there is no other record of which caller filled on in. +N Multiple choice. The single digit number N is the number of possible choices. (1 - 9) If an illegal number or the number is missing, the number of choices defaults to one, so at least it wont hang up. The choice entered by the user is checked for in range 1 to N, and saved in the answer file. There is a special feature of multiple choice: an internal flag is set if the last choice (choice N) is selected, that can be tested by the ? and ! commands, below. ? To be used ONLY immediately after a multiple choice question. This command will be executed only if choice N is made. This allows implementing "A, B, C, Other" type questions. Put "other" as the last choice; if selected, then the ? command following it will be executed. See the example below. If any other selection was made, this line will be skipped. The conditional flag is cleared by: + command, ? command, _ command. No other commands affect it. ! To be used ONLY after a multiple choice question, similar to ? above. If the last choice of a multiple choice was selected, this terminates the questionnaire. Allows asking "Do you want to fill this out (1) yes (2) no". _ (Underscore) Unconditionally clear the conditional flag. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----1111199999 _Q_u_e_s_t_i_o_n_n_a_i_r_e_s _Q_u_e_s_t_i_o_n_n_a_i_r_e _E_x_a_m_p_l_e The following is an example of an executable questionnaire, though the questions are useless. This is not a command, and will merely be displayed. This can be used as a header or prompt for long questions. * Insert user info (text after * is ignored) Want to fill this out: +2 (1) Yes (2) No ! /Prompt, input a line of text: +3Multiple choice: (1) green (2) blue (3) other: ?What other color? ?will never be executed; ? above cleared flag. +2Multiple choice: (1) this (2) that This is just plain text. Does not affect the flag. ?What is that? Text can be used as a prompt for a long question, like this: What time did you last jump out the window? / _E_x_a_m_p_l_e _A_n_s_w_e_r _F_i_l_e The answer file is a specially formatted text file. It can (has to be for now) interpreted manually. (The answer file for QNOPWD.BBS is ANOPWD.BBS) For the questionnaire above, here's what the answer might look like: (manual comments in parens) * Some User 32 Jan 44 23:59:59 1: A line of text (text inputted by / command) 2: 2 (choice 2; ? after it not executed) 3: 2 (choice 2. == N, so ...) ? 3: the other thing (conditional question, "other") 4: at midnight (ans to "when ... out the window?") Each question is numbered by BBS. Characters are 3 digits max, right justified. _S_p_e_c_i_a_l _C_h_a_r_a_c_t_e_r_s _i_n _C_o_l_u_m_n _1_: * User record info. ? Answer to conditional question. Note that the number is the same as the question that triggered the conditional question, even if there was text inbetween. (blank) Normal answer. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----2222200000 _T_h_e _S_Y_S_O_P _U_t_i_l_i_t_y The SYSOP utility is used to maintain the user list file, USER.BBS. It is a simple data base type program, has online help, and is fairly easy to use. First, a general description of the user list. The user list is a variable number of records, with one record per user end to end. New users get added to the end. SYSOP allows going back and forth through the user list, changing things such as names, passwords, privilege levels, and more global things like purging old users from the list. It will be much easier to use this section while actually running the SYSOP program. When first run, SYSOP displays the first record in the list, usually the sysop. You can get a brief description of each of the commands by entering a ?, then the command key listed in the menu. SYSOP automatically saves any changes you make. To change a password, for instance, use the P command (below) and thats it. SYSOP will save any changes before exiting to DOS or selecting another user record. _S_e_l_e_c_t_i_n_g _a _U_s_e_r _R_e_c_o_r_d There are a number of ways to look at (and maybe change) user records. You can use the following key to move to the next and previous record: _N_e_x_t _H_i_g_h_e_s_t _P_r_e_v_i_o_u_s > < + - . , _ = The last four don't appear to make any sense, but they happen to share the same keytop, either shifted or unshifted. _B _-_- _B_e_g_i_n_n_i_n_g _o_f _t_h_e _U_s_e_r _L_i_s_t B takes you directly to the first record. _Z _-_- _E_n_d _o_f _t_h_e _U_s_e_r_s _L_i_s_t Z takes you to the end of the list. _A _-_- _S_e_l_e_c_t _R_e_c_o_r_d _N_u_m_b_e_r You can also enter the record number directly with the A command. This is handy only if you know the record number. _F _-_- _F_i_n_d _a _R_e_c_o_r_d This works similar to the I command in Fido. You are prompted for a string; SYSOP then searches for that string FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----2222211111 _T_h_e _S_Y_S_O_P _U_t_i_l_i_t_y in the name portion of the user records, and stops at the first one it finds. It starts searching from the _n_e_x_t record; i.e. if you are currently at #100, it starts looking at #101. When it reaches the end, it wraps around, and continues from record #1. It stops if a match is found, or until it reaches the point where it started. Therefore, if no match is found, it leaves you where you were. If you are searching for "John", you will probably get more than one match. If it matches one you did not want, then just repeat it; it will start searching again with the _n_e_x_t record. For speed, you can use the Control-R key as in Fido, to recover the text you had entered ("John" in this example, by typing: F Find command ^R Restore old line CR Execute command _E _-_- _E_n_t_e_r _N_e_w _U_s_e_r E adds a new user to the list. First, it goes to the end of the list (may take a while) then makes a clear, empty user record. You use the usual SYSOP commands (below) to fill out the record. After doing an E, SYSOP will save the new user record only if you change at least one field in it. If you just do an E, then a command such as B or - it will not save the new record. Once you have changed anything (name, password, etc) it will save it automatically. _N _-_- _N_a_m_e N prompts you for a new name. You can enter one or two words. Entering a blank line leaves the present name. _P _-_- _P_a_s_s_w_o_r_d Enter a new password. _V _-_- _p_r_i_v_i_l_e_g_e _L_e_v_e_l Change users privilege level. You can enter only the first letter of the privilege level name, or enter the whole thing. The levels are listed by "? V". They are: TWIT DISGRACE NORMAL PRIVEL EXTRA SYSOP FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----2222222222 _T_h_e _S_Y_S_O_P _U_t_i_l_i_t_y _Q _-_- _Q_u_i_t _t_o _D_O_S Saves any changes, and returns to DOS. _O _-_- _M_a_r_k _O_l_d _U_s_e_r_s This is used to mark old users that haven't called in for a long time, to be later purged from the list. (One time callers, etc) The user records are not deleted by this command; you must use the ! command to do it after you have them all marked. It starts at the current record, and if a caller hasnt called within the specified number of days, that record is marked as "deleted". Users within the number of days are marked as "Un-deleted". You can use this if you change your mind, for instance, to un-delete everyone use the O command to mark all users that havent called in, say, 1000 days. This will undelete anyone that has called in within 1000 days. A good number to use is 32; you will find that almost all users that get deleted have called only once. SYSOP displays each user record that it is marking. _D _-_- _M_a_r_k _C_u_r_r_e_n_t _U_s_e_r _R_e_c_o_r_d _a_s _D_e_l_e_t_e_d This marks the current record as deleted, as if it were marked by O. _! _-_- _P_u_r_g_e _d_e_l_e_t_e_d _U_s_e_r_s This does the actual deletion from the user list of any marked records. First, it makes a backup copy of USER.BBS in USER.BAK. As it deletes records, it puts the deleted ones into USER.OLD, where they can be recovered from if a mistake is made. You can recover deleted records by either renaming USER.BAK to USER.BBS, or by appending USER.OLD to USER.BBS by the DOS command: REN USER.BBS USER.WRK rename for now, COPY/B USER.WRK+USER.OLD USER.BBS Note that SYSOP will _n_o_t delete users that have a privilege of EXTRA or above or any credit left. _$ _-_- _S_e_t _C_r_e_d_i_t _a_n_d _D_e_b_i_t This is used for supplying users with credit for sending FidoNet mail. It prompts you for a dollar value, which is the _a_d_d_e_d to the current credit, after subtracting any debit from it. If there were already $5.16 credit left, entering "10" would leave them with $15.16 credit. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----2222233333 _T_h_e _S_Y_S_O_P _U_t_i_l_i_t_y To set the credit to a specific number, enter: =10 This clears any remaining credit before adding the $10. _M _-_- _S_e_t _D_e_f_a_u_l_t _M_e_s_s_a_g_e _A_r_e_a Fido saves the message area that a user was in last. Normally, new users end up in message area #1. For certain types of systems, you might want to eliminate the A (Area- Change) command, and lock users into particular areas. This determines what area the user will end up in when entering the Message Section. Note that if the specified area does not exist, or it's privilege level is too high, Fido will automatically bump them into area #1. Make sure you have these set up right. _K _-_- _S_e_t _D_e_f_a_u_l_t _F_i_l_e _A_r_e_a Same as M, except it sets the default File Area. _A_b_o_r_t_i_n_g _a _S_Y_S_O_P _C_o_m_m_a_n_d Some of SYSOPs commands may take a while, such as searching for a name or marking users. You can abort most commands by hitting the ESCape key. It will stop at the current record. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----2222244444 _T_I_M_E_L_O_G _-_- _T_h_e _T_i_m_e _L_o_g _U_t_i_l_i_t_y Fido keeps a record of all callers in a simple log that records the number of callers per hour, for every day, for seven days. When it is seven days old, it gets renamed to the current date, and a new one is started. The TIMELOG.BBS file contains 168 slots: one for each hour of the day, for seven days, plus the date when started and ended, etc. Every time someone calls in and logs in succesfully, (enter their name, and guess their password) Fido increments the appropriate slot. When all seven days are used, it renames it to the current date (TIMELOG.BBS becomes for instance, 01JUL84.TLG, or 21MAY84.TLG, etc) and starts a new TIMELOG.BBS. These .TLG files are fairly small; 378 bytes each, so you dont have to worry about them filling your disk for quite a few months. Note that TIMELOG.BBS is not started on Sunday; it starts whenever you first run Fido. If you want to synchronize it to start on a particular day, delete TIMELOG.BBS on that day of the week, and when Fido is run, it will create a new one. _R_u_n_n_i_n_g _T_I_M_E_L_O_G_._E_X_E TIMELOG.EXE will run on any MSDOS machine, and is not hardware sensitive. To run it, enter: TIMELOG Where is the name of a .TLG file. It will display the contents as crude bar graphs. There are two options: TIMELOG /P Pause TIMELOG /F Format /P tells TIMELOG to pause between each graph (so they dont run off the screen). /F formats the output for a printer, putting formfeeds in between each graph. (To send to the printer, use redirection: TIMELOG /F >PRN) FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----2222255555 Fido callers log file: SYSOP.LOG Fido keeps a running log of all system activity. Every time a caller connects to Fido, information is being logged. The log is added to whenever someone calls in, and logging never stops, unless the disk fills up. (See the HINT below ...) The log file is organized line by line. The first character on the line defines what type of entry it is; types defined so far are: + user name and time on ! errors of all sorts = download and upload info - line between entries When a call is logged, Fido installs a line of dashes to make it readable. followed by the users name, time of connect and baud rate. HINT: The log files generate by Fido can get quite large. If you don't want to keep the logs around, or if you want to print or COPY them then delete them, you can do so automatically with Fido's scheduler. Create an External Event, and in your RUNBBS batch file, add the following or something like it. (Assume for now that the X event's ERRORLEVEL is 10.) :fido fido_ibm /switches ... IF ERRORLEVEL 10 GOTO LOGSTUFF ... :LOGSTUFF copy *.log prn print the log or whatever del *.log goto fido You can of course think of varioations on this theme. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----2222266666 _F_i_d_o_'_s _U_s_e_r_s _M_a_n_u_a_l_: _M_a_i_n _S_e_c_t_i_o_n FidoBBS is a Bulletin Board system that takes full advantage of MSDOS version 2. Most of the features were modeled after the usual CBBS and RBBS software, since the command system is so popular and familiar. There are three help levels; the default for new callers is NOVICE. This provides a small menu of commands, and usually gives further description as commands are executed. REGULAR is the command letter prompts, minus the full words, and does not tell you what command you have just executed. Useful for after you understand the structure, but have not memorized all the command mnemonics. EXPERT is just a very short command prompt; there are no menus or other things; prompts are very small and fast. Once you are very familiar with Fido, this will make using it very fast. Regardless of help level, you can enter ? at almost any point for a list of the options at that point. From the Main Section, all of Fido's available commands can be accessed. The actual commands are described in detail below. Fido is arranged into three sections: +-----------------------+ Change User name, etc | | Bulletins, Questionnaire, | Main Section | Yell at Sysop, access to | | other Sections. +-----------------------+ | | | | | | +------------------+ +-------------------+ | | | | | Message Section | | File Section | | | | | +------------------+ +-------------------+ Read, enter, delete List, download, messages, message upload files, change areas, etc. file areas, etc. _C_o_m_m_a_n_d_s All commands in all areas are one letter, though some require further arguments or options. Most command allow entering the further arguments right after the command key; if not, or if not supplied, each necessary component is prompted for, usually with help available at each point. For instance, to download a file you must enter the FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----2222277777 _F_i_d_o_'_s _U_s_e_r_s _M_a_n_u_a_l_: _M_a_i_n _S_e_c_t_i_o_n D command, the download method (one of seven) then the filename. If you entered D, then Fido would ask for the download method. After that, it asks for the filename. Once you become familiar with it, you can enter it all as: D X FILENAME.EXE All on one line, skipping the prompts. This works for most commands. All commands can be aborted with a Q or a blank line. All Sections The following are commands that are available in all Sections. G)oodBye Logoff the system, optionally leave a private message to the sysop. If a message is left, it goes into the special message area (in system area 0) that is accessable only by the sysop. The usual message editor is available for comments. If there is no message path set for area #0, then Fido will not ask for a comment to the sysop. S)tatistics This command lists the time on the system, time remaining, etc. Also, depending on the area, it will list further information. Files Area Statistics also lists the free space left on the default drive. Message Area Optionally lists messages to or from you. FidoNet Area As in Message areas, and also lists FidoNet statistics. _M_a_i_n _M_e_n_u This is the section you are in after signon, right after the Bulletins and quotations. From here, the "system" type commands are accessed, such as Change user settings, etc. The commands accessible from here are described below. M M)essage-Section F F)ile-Section FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----2222288888 _F_i_d_o_'_s _U_s_e_r_s _M_a_n_u_a_l_: _M_a_i_n _S_e_c_t_i_o_n Y Y)ell at the Sysop A A)nswer a Questionnaire B Get B)ulletin again E Get the E)ditorial C C)hange User settings S S)tatistics U Display U)sers List G G)oodbye, logoff M)essage-Area Enter the message section. From there, the message areas can be accessed. F)iles-Area Similar to Message-Area, but where the upload and download commands are. A)nswer-Questionnaire If there is a questionnaire in the system, you get to fill one out with this command. A questionnaire is an text pseudo-language file, described in the Questionnaire section. C)hange User A small sub-menu of commands to change various user settings, such as signon name, password, screen dimensions, etc. U U)sers name C C)ity and State P P)assword W Screen W)idth L Screen L)ength H H)elp level M "M)ore?" on and off T T)abs On and Off N N)ulls, 0 - 20 You can change your name, password, city and state, and anything else at any time. (Unless the options were removed by the sysop.) NOTE: For security reasons, when your name is changed, the entire users list is searched to make sure the name is unique. This is to prevent having two or more people with the same name. The screen dimensions are used by the page pauser ("More?") and the message system. Messages are listed to fit within the set screen boundaries, and message entry is done via a word wrap editor. If "More?" is ON, then Fido will pause after each screenful. All of the command prompts are made to fit within this. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----2222299999 _F_i_d_o_'_s _U_s_e_r_s _M_a_n_u_a_l_: _M_a_i_n _S_e_c_t_i_o_n Help level is either NOVICE, REGULAR or EXPERT. NOVICE is the default; it causes all prompts to be displayed fully, and each command to be described with a one liner. REGULAR is similar, but does not list the entire wordy prompt. EXPERT is almost no prompt at all. "More?" on and off controls whenther Fido asks "More?" every screenful. Tab expansion converts all tabs sent into spaces, for those systems that cannot handle tabs. Fido can be set to send nulls after each linefeed. It defaults to 0 nulls. B)ulletin This just displays the signon bulletin, BULLETIN.BBS again. E)ditorial Similar to the Bulletin, (but displaying file EDTORIAL.BBS) but not displayed automatically. Y)ell at the Sysop By yelling, the caller can attempt to contact the sysop. It beeps for 30 seconds, and if the sysop does not respond by then, displays "Sysop not available". The sysop can chat with the user at any time. U)sers List Lists the names of all current callers to the system. Not very useful. G)oodbye Terminates the call. It is not really necessary; however, callers seem to get upset when they cant figure out how to log off, so there it is. (Its OK to just hang up.) It also allows entering a private message to the sysop. After (optionally) entering a message, it causes a disconnect, exactly what would have happened if the caller just hung up. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----3333300000 _F_i_d_o_'_s _U_s_e_r_s _M_a_n_u_a_l_: _M_e_s_s_a_g_e _a_n_d _M_a_i_l _S_e_c_t_i_o_n The Message Section is accessed by the M command from the Main Menu. All message commands are available here. Return to the Main Menu is via the M command. M Return to M)ain Section G) Goodbye A A)rea-Change R R)ead messages E E)nter a Message K K)ill a message L L)ist Messages S S)tatistics I I)nquiry A)rea-Change Change the current message area. If an area number is entered after the A, that area is selected if available. If not, a list of areas is displayed, from which you may choose one. If a new area is selected, then the messages there are counted (why it says "Wait ...") and if it's the first time you've selected that area, asks if you want to list mail addressed to you. Nothing happens if you select the same area, or blank line or Q. The mail search searches all messages, newest to oldest, and lists: New message to you (ones you haven't read yet) Old messages to you (ones you have read) and messages you have entered. Typing Control-C or Control-K aborts the search. If there are lots of messages in any of the above catagories, it reminds you to Kill some. The message area numbers displayed may not be sequential. Each area has an associated privelege level and if the your privelege is not high enough, that area will not be displayed nor available. L)ist Messages Only the message headers are listed. A starting number is requested; this can be: An ordinary number A number followed by + or - - itself. If just a number is entered, messages are listed starting at that one, towards the highest message. A number followed by + or - controls the direction messages are listed in. + is redundant. - means list backwards; 100- then means start listing at 100, list towards 1. - means list from the highest message towards the lowest. This is the most useful, and for some reason the least used. If you have called before, this is the easiest FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----3333311111 _F_i_d_o_'_s _U_s_e_r_s _M_a_n_u_a_l_: _M_e_s_s_a_g_e _a_n_d _M_a_i_l _S_e_c_t_i_o_n way to see any new messages. R)ead Actually a small menu by itself. From here messages can be read, entered, killed, replied to, etc. See the descriptions of the Kill and Enter commands for details on those. Entering a message number reads that message. N (Next) reads the next highest message, and P (Previous) reads the next lowest message. Hitting CR repeats the previous N or P; if neither was used, then it defaults to P. * is a special message number. It means the highest message number. + and - are little used keys, but one of the most powerful message features. Messages can have, and be, replies. (See R command below.) Messages created with R are linked to other messages. For example, a message about an item for sale may have a reply. If you come across the original for sale message, it will say "See also #nnn, use + key" if it has a reply. Entering a + at this point will take you directly to that message. This message will say "Reply to #xxx, use - key". Entering - will take you back to the original message. There is no limit to the number of messages that can be linked this way. Further replies are added to the end, and if one in the middle (or either end) is Killed, the string of messages is "patched" to maintain continuity. This is my favorite feature (dreamed up by John Madill) and I am slightly annoyed that no one uses it. R Replies to the current message. It acts basically like Entering a message, but automatically fills in the "To:" field, and links it into the original message. You can enter "RK" to reply to a message, and kill it afterwards. This is extremely useful while reading your mail. If you are replying to a message in the Mail area, it also fills in the destination system. The message will be mailed out that night. Please read about Entering messages, further below. E enters a message in the normal fashion. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----3333322222 _F_i_d_o_'_s _U_s_e_r_s _M_a_n_u_a_l_: _M_e_s_s_a_g_e _a_n_d _M_a_i_l _S_e_c_t_i_o_n E)nter a Message You fill in the To:, From:, Subject: fields, etc, then the main body of the message. After terminating the message, commands can be used to save, abort, edit, etc. If the area is a FidoNet Mail area, then in order to enter a message, you must select the system to send it to at the prompt. If you do not have enough credit, then Fido will not let you send a message to that system. If you do, then Fido will deduct the cost of the message from your credit. Message text entry is done with a word wrap editor. If the screen width is set properly (C command in Main Menu) then this is about as close to a full screen editor as you can get through a modem (on current DOSs anyways.) Like WordStar, text is entered continuously without carriage returns. Words that would go past the left edge are wrapped to the next line. Carriage returns can be used to form paragraphs as in WordStar. When entered this way, later reading of a message will conform to the callers screen width. At the Enter Message command prompt, the options are: C for continue. Add more to the message, adding to the end. L lists the message so far. T lets you change the To: field. J lets you change the subject. D Deletes a line I Inserts a line E edit a line. You enter the line number, then you are prompted for the Old string (what to change) then the New string (what to change it to). Both old string and new string can be anything that you can enter, except a carriage return. NOTE: it is possible to edit a line such that it goes beyond the edge of the screen. It will list correctly after it is saved. A aborts the message. You will be asked yes or no. S saves the message. The message is written out to disk, and the highest message number, etc is updated. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----3333333333 _F_i_d_o_'_s _U_s_e_r_s _M_a_n_u_a_l_: _M_e_s_s_a_g_e _a_n_d _M_a_i_l _S_e_c_t_i_o_n K)ill Deletes the message. Will not let you delete messages that are not To: you or From: you, unless you are the sysop. If the message you killed was mail to a remote system and it was not sent yet, you get your credit back; you are not charged for that message. I)nquiry Prompts you for a string. It then searches all messages, newest to oldest for the thing you enter. It looks in the "To:", "From:", or "Subject:" fields. If the string you enter is in any one of those parts of the message, the header of the message will be listed. Typing Control-C aborts the search. An insensitive sliding match is done; ON matches TONY or PITON, etc. Each message header matching is listed, then a list of all matching message numbers. ? will match any character. For example, if there are the following messages in the system: #100 From: Joe Bungpop To: All Subject: Musical Instruments #102 From: No Body To: W.S. Burroughs Subject: Guns #200 From: All To: Board Subject: Music If you enter MUS, it will list messages 100 and 200, as MUS is contained in the Subject: fields of both. If you had entered BU, then it would list messages 100 and 102, as it would match "Bungpop" and Burroughs". Entering B??R would cause #102 and #200 to be listed, as B??R matches BURRoughs and BOARd. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----3333344444 _F_i_d_o_'_s _U_s_e_r_s _M_a_n_u_a_l_: _F_i_l_e _S_e_c_t_i_o_n The file Section contain all the file oriented commands for downloading, uploading, etc. The M command returns to the Main Menu. M M)ain Section G G)oodbye A A)rea-Change F L)ist Files L L)ocate specific Files D D)ownload U U)pload R R)aw-List K K)ill a file T T)ype a file A)rea-Change Similar to the Message Area-Change. If a valid area number is entered, it is selected directly, otherwise a list is displayed. Like the message areas, there may be numbers missing from the sequence. These are either blank paths or high privelege areas. L)ocate Given a file specifier (wildcards reccommended) it searches through all file directories for the filename, and lists all occurences of it. L;*.ASM lists all .ASM files in all areas, etc. L;*.* lists all files everywhere. This is not the general purpose list-files command. F)iles Lists the files in the current directory. If no specifier is given, it lists all files, otherwise only matching ones. The size of the file and the description is displayed after the filename. If "MISSING" is displayed instead of the file size, then the file is not there, even though it is listed. T)ype Very simple. Displays an ASCII file on the screen. It statistically checks the file to make sure it is a text file. U)pload Upload a file or files to Fido. I will not even attempt to document all the upload methods. Suffice to say you select the upload method and do it. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----3333355555 _F_i_d_o_'_s _U_s_e_r_s _M_a_n_u_a_l_: _F_i_l_e _S_e_c_t_i_o_n The total uploads made is kept in the user record. These count towards further downloads, by effectively raising the download limit on a 1 for 1 basis. It will not give you credit however. There is no limit on uploads. After all files are uploaded, you are asked to describe each one; this is added to the list of files. (You may not be able to see the newly added files though.) D)ownload Again, pick the method and do it. Before the download starts, Fido checks time limits and K byte limits, and prevents too long downloads. Uploading will remove some of the download limit. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----3333366666 _F_i_d_o_'_s _U_s_e_r_s _M_a_n_u_a_l_: _C_o_n_t_r_o_l _C_h_a_r_a_c_t_e_r_s Control characters are used by Fido for editing command lines, pausing and aborting commands. Control- C and Control- K always are identical and have the same effect: Control-C Aborts anything Control-K Aborts anything Control-S pauses the display. Any key except a second Control-S will let it continue. When not using the word wrap message editor, Fido allows simple editing of command lines. It assumes the your or computer terminal can support at least backspace. It supports: ^C, ^X, ^U, ^Y Delete the entire line. ^R Restore the previous line, from last use or deletion. (Most useful.) ^S, ^G, ^H, DEL Delete one character to the left. ^D Restore one character. ESC, CR, LF Enter the line. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----3333377777 _M_a_i_n_t_e_n_a_i_n_c_e _a_n_d _B_a_c_k_u_p Once the system is up and running, you will need to look at messages, put files in the download display, etc. This should be done daily or so. TIMELOG.BBS and *.TLG FILES: These record the number of calls to your Fido. Please read the section on the TimeLog. SYSOP.LOG This is a record of callers and any messages they leave at the Goodbye command. Also in here go error messages (missing files, disk full, etc) These can be printed or whatever, then deleted. Fido will create a new one if it does not exist, otherwise it adds new info to the end. This is the most useful way to watch system activity. MAILER.LOG This is a record of all FidoNet activity. USER.BBS This is your list of users. It grows with every new caller, and the SYSOP utility program can be used to maintain it. NEW FILES If you use a separate upload directory, look in it once in a while. Copy desireable files into a download directory, and update FILES.BBS accordingly. Deleting them afterwards makes it easy to keep track of uploaded files. MESSAGES Log on to the system (via test mode or calling in) and read and prune as necessary. SYSOP level users can read all messages, private or not, and can delete anyones messages. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----3333388888 _F_i_d_o_'_s _I_n_t_e_r_n_a_l _F_i_l_e_s This is a brief accounting of some of the internal only files that Fido can create. These are managed automatically; you do not need to worry about them. They are included here for the curious. NODELIST.SYS NODELIST.IDX Fido creates these files from NODELIST.BBS whenever they are missing or NODELIST.BBS has changed. The .SYS file is a formatted version of the .BBS file, and .IDX is an index to make accesses faster. Never delete or modify any of these files from within Fidop by U)ploading, K)illing, etc. ROUTE.BBS ROUTE.A ROUTE.B ROUTE.etc These files control where and how FidoNet mail is sent. They are described in the FidoNet section. MAIL.SYS Created and maintained by the 4 (sysop only) command, this is where FidoNet related info is kept. If you delete this, you will need to reenter the node number and mail paths. MSGPRIV.SYS MAILPRIV.SYS MAINPRIV.SYS FILEPRIV.SYS READPRIV.BBS CHGPRIV.BBS Each of these contain the names of all the normal user commands, and the privilege levels necessary to access them. One or more of these files may not exist; they are created only if a command privilege level is ever changed. Deleting these files causes the command privileges to revert to their default settings. *.IN *.OUT *.FLO *.FLI These are working files created and usually deleted by FidoNet. You will never see these files, except when you reset or reboot in the middle of FidoNet operation. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----3333399999 _F_i_d_o_'_s _I_n_t_e_r_n_a_l _F_i_l_e_s The .IN files are packets received from other FidoNet systems; they contain messages which are unpacked. The .OUT files are packets sent to other remote FidoNet systems. .FLO files are the list of files to be attached to that node; it may be empty. .FLI is the list of files received from a remote system, and may be empty or non-existent. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----4444400000 _I_n_d_e_x #....................................... 6 *.FLI................................... 37 *.FLO................................... 37 *.IN.................................... 37 *.OUT................................... 37 *.TLG................................... 36 .TLG.................................... 23,23 /I...................................... 14,14 6 command............................... 8 7 command............................... 8 8 command............................... 5 ?....................................... 14 A)nswer-Questionnaire................... 27 A)rea-Change............................ 29,33 Attribute word.......................... 3 B)ulletin............................... 28 C....................................... 14,27,14,6,37,20,14 Credit.................................. 21 D)ownload............................... 34 Debit................................... 21 Digits.................................. 2 DISGRACE................................ 3 Download directory...................... 36 E)ditorial.............................. 28 E)nter.................................. 31 Error messages.......................... 36 ERRORLEVEL.............................. 10 ESCape.................................. 22 Event number............................ 9,11 Events.................................. 8 External events......................... 9 External program........................ 9 EXTRA................................... 3 F)iles-Area............................. 27,33 Fidonet Area............................ 4 FidoNet mail............................ 21,7,7 File Section............................ 3 FILEPRIV.BBS............................ 6 FILEPRIV.SYS............................ 37 FILES.BBS............................... 36 Free space.............................. 26 FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----4444411111 _I_n_d_e_x G)oodBye................................ 26,28 HINT:................................... 24,12,6,5,16 Internal only files..................... 37,19 I)nquiry................................ 32 K byte limits........................... 34 K)ill................................... 32 L)ist................................... 29 L)ocate................................. 33 Local console........................... 14 M)essage-Area........................... 27 Mail File Path.......................... 7 Mail Path............................... 7 MAIL.SYS................................ 37 MAILER.LOG.............................. 36 MAILPRIV.BBS............................ 6 MAILPRIV.SYS............................ 37 MAINPRIV.BBS............................ 6 MAINPRIV.SYS............................ 37 Message area............................ 22 Message path............................ 26 Message Section......................... 3 Messages................................ 36 MSGPRIV.BBS............................. 6 MSGPRIV.SYS............................. 37 Multilink............................... 14 Net number.............................. 7 New user................................ 20 No questionnaire today.................. 16 Node number............................. 7 NODELIST.IDX............................ 37 NODELIST.SYS............................ 37 NORMAL.................................. 2,3 PRIVEL.................................. 3 Privilege level......................... 3,20 Questionnaire........................... 16 R)ead................................... 30 READPRIV.BBS............................ 37,6 Record of callers....................... 36 ROUTE.A................................. 37 ROUTE.BBS............................... 37,37 ROUTE.etc............................... 37 S)tatistics............................. 26 Scheduler............................... 15,8 Screen output........................... 14 Simultaneous keyboards.................. 14 Space bar............................... 15 FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee OOOOOPPPPPEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTEEEEE-----4444422222 _I_n_d_e_x Spy mode................................ 14 SYSOP................................... 2,3,2,15,36 SYSTEMn.BBS............................. 3 T)ype................................... 33 Tag X................................... 10 Terminate a call........................ 14 Time limits............................. 34 TIMELOG.BBS............................. 36,23,23 TIMELOG.EXE............................. 23 TWIT.................................... 3 U)pload................................. 33 U)sers.................................. 28 Upload directory........................ 36 User list............................... 19 USER.BAK................................ 21 USER.BBS................................ 19,36 USER.OLD................................ 21 Window width............................ 9 XAP..................................... 14 Y)ell................................... 14,8,28,15 Z....................................... 14 ^A (Control-A).......................... 14 ^N (Control-N).......................... 14 ^O (Control-O).......................... 14 ^T (Control-T).......................... 15 ^X (Control-X).......................... 14 ^Z (Control-Z).......................... 14 15 FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----11111 _F_I_D_O_N_E_T _T_a_b_l_e _o_f _C_o_n_t_e_n_t_s Introduction to FidoNet ________________________ Page 2 FidoNet Description ____________________________ Page 3 Costs __________________________________________ Page 5 FidoNet Operation ______________________________ Page 6 Basic FidoNet Packeting (Figure A) _____________ Page 8 FidoNet Routing and Scheduling (Figure B) ______ Page 9 FidoNet Packet Layout (Figure C) _______________ Page 10 FidoNet Glossary _______________________________ Page 11 Fidonet topologies _____________________________ Page 13 Addressing FidoNet Nodes _______________________ Page 16 Routing: Message Forwarding ____________________ Page 17 Route Files ____________________________________ Page 18 Route File Contents and Syntax _________________ Page 19 Route Statement ROUTE-TO _______________________ Page 22 Route Statement SEND-TO ________________________ Page 23 Route Statement ACCEPT-FROM ____________________ Page 24 Route Statement NET ____________________________ Page 25 Route Statement SEND-ONLY and RECV-ONLY ________ Page 26 Route Statement EXTERNAL-MAIL __________________ Page 27 Route Statement PICKUP _________________________ Page 28 Route Statement POLL ___________________________ Page 29 Route Statement NO-ROUTE _______________________ Page 30 Route Statement HOLD ___________________________ Page 31 Routing Examples _______________________________ Page 32 Using the Scheduler ____________________________ Page 33 The Node List __________________________________ Page 35 Installation of FidoNet ________________________ Page 39 FidoNet Section Index __________________________ Page 41 FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----22222 _I_n_t_r_o_d_u_c_t_i_o_n _t_o _F_i_d_o_N_e_t This manual explains (hopefully) what FidoNet does, how it does it, and how to install and run it. FidoNet is built into, but seperate from, Fido the bulletin board system. Please read the _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _O_p_e_r_a_t_i_o_n chapter for details on how Fidonet works; briefly, FidoNet is a method of connecting many Fido Bulletin Boards in different locations for the purpose of transferring messages and files automatically. The net operates for a short period of time each day; for instance, Fido the Bulletin Board runs for 23 hours each day, and Fidonet for 1 hour. During this hour, any messages marked as mail are combined into packets, and transferred to the each of the Fidonet programs. They are then unpacked, and normal BBS operation resumes. In most local areas (St. Louis, Los Angeles, London, Karlstaad, etc) local networks have been set up for local traffic, and use centralized hosts to send mail nationally. If there is a local net in your area, you must join it or the organization in the geographical area. The host or region manager can supply you with lists of other systems, newsletters, and other timely information on FidoNet. FidoNet inherently "knows" about hosts and regions, which operate similar to the telephone companies' area code system. FidoNet routes messages accordinly; this is covered further in a later section. There are numerous things to control the setup, such as available remote systems, cost control (or prevention) and so on. Once setup, FidoNet is totally automatic, requiring no sysop or user intervention. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----33333 _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _D_e_s_c_r_i_p_t_i_o_n Fidonet's purpose is to link Fido based Bulletin Board systems together for the purpose of automatic message and file transfers. FidoNet is a true dialup packet switch network system, that supports many different topologies. It supports routing, message forwarding, scheduling, and uses a tuned collision detection algorithm over normal phone lines, for the lowest possible cost and highest effeciency. The simplest scheme, and the one to setup initially, supports point to point messages. Most major geographical areas have a host that will accept mail for itself and it's local nodes. After you have contacted any other Fido sysops in your area, you can tie into their local network, and take advantage of the lower cost. Each local area runs things differently, and cannot be covered here. If you can't find your local region or host, contact Fido #1 at 415-864-1418, where you can find the latest node list and other files to help steer you in the right direction. The original design was built around the current Bulletin Board architecture (if there is such a thing) which is basically: an unknown number of completely independent, standalone systems, with extremely low overhead in both maintenance and cost. FidoNet was designed to be compatible with this, in that it should be: (1) No extra work for the sysop, (2) No effect on normal BBS operations, (3) No unexpected extra costs, (4) No effect upon system reliability. FidoNet is totally automatic, and requires no extra work, once set up. Other than the effect of allowing network-wide message traffic, the only other affect to the current BBS is that it is "down" to normal (human type) traffic during the mail periods. Costs, if any, are controlled by the sysop. Unless specifically enabled, mail will not be sent out from a node. (Sending mail costs; receiving mail is free) Fido provides accounting and cost limitation functions (all automatic) to prevent unauthorized mail from being sent. There can also be "free" traffic to non-toll call nodes. The usual privelege levels can be applied to each of the Mail commands, to control their use. FidoNet message traffic success/failure does not in any way affect BBS operation. (Unless of course of hardware or other unavoidable failure.) Failure to make a connection and transmit a packet, or errors during incoming packets, FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----44444 _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _D_e_s_c_r_i_p_t_i_o_n affect only the mail sent or received. In the case of transmission, the messages will not be sent, nor will charges (if any) be applied to the senders credit account. For a paying system, the sysop must occasionally set the users credit, using the SYSOP command. If reasonably large sums are used as a minimum ($10.00 or more) this will not need to be done more than once every few months. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----55555 _C_o_s_t_s Each node maintains a node list, that contains the accessible remote systems. Systems not in the list cannot be mailed to. The sysop controls this file, updating or changing it with any text editor. It can only be read from within Fido; users cannot otherwise access it, and cannot see the actual phone numbers used to dial. If the bulletin board system is a public "free" one, then probably no toll call systems will be allowed for general use. All users credits default to zero, so that mail will not be allowed to non-free systems. Toll call systems can always be accessed by the sysop. Occasional local networks have a host that will accept toll call mail for free; contact the Fidos in your area to find out about this. There are also a number of ways to control access to the mail area; these are described in more detail in the other sections of this manulal. If a system in the node list is marked as free, then anyone may send messages to it. Fido controls all costs, and balances the accounts after messages are sent sucessfully. Each user record contains a credit and a debit. Messages entered are charged to debit, and cannot exceed the credit. Deleteing a message (that has not been sent yet) entered lowers the debit by the cost of the message; the actual cost of the message is stored within the message. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----66666 _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _O_p_e_r_a_t_i_o_n Fido and FidoNet are both contained in one program, run as specified by the scheduler. Fidonet is a time driven system, and the national time slot is at 1:00 AM Pacific Time. (4:00 AM Eastern Time) During normal Fido operation, users can enter FidoNet messages, and during the FidoNet time, these messages are made into packets and sent to the right destination. The messages may be destined to any one or more of the available remote nodes in the nodelist. At the predetermined time, Fidonet takes control. It then creates mail packets, one per node, containing the messages for each node. If there is no mail to a node, no packet is created, and no call is made to that system. After the outgoing packets are made, FidoNet alternately waits for calls and attempts to place calls. Mail packet transfers are done on a collision detection basis. After the first few collisions, the network synchronizes. If there are a number of nodes to send mail to, each one is called in turn, until all are sent, or mail time is over. If it fails with one node, it goes to the next, and repeats the failed one only after trying all of the others first. All of these steps have the appropriate error checks and limits. The list of nodes to call is the same order in which they appear in the node list. In between outgoing calls (if any) FidoNet delays a random interval, during which it waits for incoming calls. This interval, along with the redial algorithm, synchronizes the net after the initial collisions. If an incoming call is detected, it attempts connection with it. The baud rate is determined (same as a normal caller would in Fido) and a message to human callers is displayed (warning them that it is accepting only other FidoNodes) and a synchronization process is started. This process must complete within 60 seconds, or the call is terminated. Once synchronized, the packet transfer is made. The receiver just stores that packet for later use, and then disconnects. Note that at this time, Fidonet has no idea who originated the packet it just received. After an incoming call is received, FidoNet calls out immediately afterwards (assuming there are calls to be made) since there is a high probability that the line is now clear. This helps synchronize the network. To place an outgoing call, the sender dials the number, performs the sync process mentioned above, and transfers it's outgoing packet. (Messages to a given node are again checked against the node list at mail time; if they do not match, the packet is not sent, and an error is logged.) If the transfer was successful, the destination node number is deleted from the senders list of nodes to call. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----77777 _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _O_p_e_r_a_t_i_o_n The collision detect algorithm is optimized such that during the first few minutes of mail time, there are many collisions, after which the net synchronizes, and none or few collisions occur. Of course assumptions have been made on average traffic per node; for heavy (or low) traffic nodes, the collision detect algorithm can be modified by command line parameters, the scheduler, and the various routing control files. When mail time is over, FidoNet deletes all it's outgoing packets that were assembled, and for each one that was sent sucessfully, marks those messages (in the mail area) as SENT, so the originator can tell if they went out or not. Then, the incoming packets are unassembled, and the messages placed sequentially in the mail area. These packets are then deleted. A complete log of all call attempts, incoming calls, and messages sent and received are kept in the log file. If any mail at all was sent, the user credits are balanced. This is somewhat unsatisfactory, as it balances the accounts even if the mail was not sent. This is to prevent extremely long processing time necessary to account for each message and user. (Users lists run upwards of 600 entries typically; on a floppy based system this would become unworkable.) FidoNet then terminates, and if there were no fatal errors invokes Fido for another day. Messages received are then accessible like any other message. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----88888 _B_a_s_i_c _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _P_a_c_k_e_t_i_n_g _(_F_i_g_u_r_e _A_) FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----99999 _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _R_o_u_t_i_n_g _a_n_d _S_c_h_e_d_u_l_i_n_g _(_F_i_g_u_r_e _B_) FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----1111100000 _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _P_a_c_k_e_t _L_a_y_o_u_t _(_F_i_g_u_r_e _C_) FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----1111111111 _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _G_l_o_s_s_a_r_y First, a small glossary of terms used in this manual to describe FidoNet and all it's permutations. Network: A group of two or more Fidos, with the same net number. A "network" witihn FidoNet implies that there is routing between the systems, and that one of the systems is a host. Region: A geographical area of a continent, arbitrarily chosen during the First FidoNet Conference in St. Louis. Regions are where Fido systems that do not belong to a network are put; it is used only for keeping track of systems. A region has a manager like a network does. From Fidos point of view, a region is just like a network except it does nto do automatic routing to the regin host. Node: One Fido, running FidoNet. It may be a host as well. Host: A node that handles mail for itself as well as other nodes. It may accept mail, and send it on to another node. The sysop of the host system is usually the manager for that area. Manager: The person who manages the node list for a region or network. Usually, the sysop of the zeroth node in the region or net. Zeroth Node The node that acts as host for a region or network has two node numbers; the normal node number (1 - 32767) and zero; zero indicates that it is the "hub" or central node for that region or network. For a newtwork, the zeroth node is where all mail for that network is routed to automaticall by Fido. Local Net: A group of nodes, presumably within a small geographical area, (ie. non-toll call or cheap calls) that consists one or more nodes and a host. Basically, a small, self contained Network. Local Node: Really the same as just "Node", but implies that it is a node that has a host serving it. Topology: Basically, if you were to draw a map showing all the nodes and their interconections. Some of the "shapes" made FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----1111122222 _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _G_l_o_s_s_a_r_y by the map are called "topologies" if they show some recognizable pattern, such as star, ring, etc. Traffic: The actual messages being sent. If you picture messages as things that travel along the phone connection, it makes more sense. Bombing Run The technique of sending the same message to all or many FidoNet nodes. Frequently used for advertising purposes in the past (highly frowned upon; a sure fire way to make enemies these days) and very useful for disseminating information rapidly throughout the net. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----1111133333 _F_i_d_o_n_e_t _t_o_p_o_l_o_g_i_e_s Fido works by having "time slots", or windows, in which it sends mail. The national window is one hour, at the same time across the country; 1:00AM Pacific Time, 4:00 AM Eastern Time. During this time, all Fidos send their mail to wherever it is supposed to go. When the time is over, Fido is run again, and callers can read the messages sent and received. _S_i_m_p_l_e _t_o_p_o_l_o_g_y Fido's simplest layout is "amorphous", ie. a nice name for a randomly interconnected blob. All nodes have access to all other nodes; to send a message, a call is placed directly to the desired other Fido. To illustrate this topology, draw 50 dots on a piece of paper, representing each Fido, and from each, draw a line to every other Fido. (You will end up with a lot of lines) The disadvantages of this are mainly the fact that the window is very, very crowded; it is sometimes difficult to "get into" a busy system, as many others may be calling at the same time. The advantages are mainly simplicity. New Fidos can come into the net just by letting others know of it's existence. A "down" system does not affect any other system. It is very easy to set up a FidoNet, as all you have to do is get a node number and run FidoNet. This is how the original FidoNet was organized (until Sept 84 or so). It collapsed into utter confusion at about the 50 node point. _T_w_o _L_a_y_e_r _t_o_p_o_l_o_g_y If you draw in all the Fidos on a map of the world, you will find that they tend to occur in geographical areas. St. Louis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Boston, etc. There are occasional "stragglers" by themselves. To alleviate the crowding problem, the new arrangement is to break the current FidoNet system with all it's many nodes, into local geographic areas and make those into self-contained FidoNets, of the "amorphous" type. Mail traffic within the local area works as it always did; if there is mail to another local system, it is sent directly. Each area is given a net number, to distinguish it from the other nets and regions. There are two types of local organizations; nets and regions. Nets are where a number of systems are all within a non-toll call area, ie. within basic service. Regions are just geographical areas of the country, used to logically organize a group of systems. Except for the fact that Fido does automatic routing to nets, the two are the same. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----1111144444 _F_i_d_o_n_e_t _t_o_p_o_l_o_g_i_e_s To interconnect all of the local nets together, each local area designates one node as a "host". This node then has two node numbers; the regular one, plus 0. For local traffic, this has no effect; mail is just sent as necessary. The host is only used to access nodes outside the local area. This is completely automatic and transparent to users. In other words, net and node numbers work the same as ATT's area codes. Systems in a limited area all share the sam enet number (area code), and have unique node numbers. Systems in another network may have the same node number, but will have a different nuet number, just as the seven digits in your home phone number may be the same as someone elses on the other side of the continent. When a person on one net enters a message for a person on another net, at mail time Fido routes that message for effecient use of time. All messages for nodes within a given network are packaged into one packet, and sent to the zeroth node in that net, not directly to the desired net. Later, the zeroth node (the host) unpacks the messages, and passes them on to the desired destination. The advantages of this are mostly effeciency and low cost. Since all outgoing messages are bundled together, costs go down because more messages are sent in a single call (by way of the phone companies one minute minimum and cheaper rates for longer connections) and because messages from two nodes to another single node are sent at the same time. The traffic in each of the time slots is lessened, because of the smaller number of nodes using a particular window. The disadvantages are that if a host goes down, all local nodes do not send nor receive mail that cycle. However, the mail will be again attempted when the next time slot comes around. The "stragglers" mentioned above just connect to the net through the national window, and act like hosts and nodes by themselves, because Fido does not do this automatic routing for regions; only nets. This is the defacto standard organization designed at the First FidoNet Conference, and implemented on June 11th, 1985. Who knows what it will be by the time you read this. This method has both advantages and disadvantages, as you may have already guessed. Most nodes (even local ones) still run the national window; this means that if you want, you can send mail directly. This is still necessary, because File Attach (logically attaching MSDOS disk files to messages) subverts the automatic routing, and send them FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----1111155555 _F_i_d_o_n_e_t _t_o_p_o_l_o_g_i_e_s directly. Regardless of the configuration, any node may access any other node during the national time window. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----1111166666 _A_d_d_r_e_s_s_i_n_g _F_i_d_o_N_e_t _N_o_d_e_s As mentioned before, Fidonet uses net numbers and node numbers. How this is done is described in detail here. To send a message to another system in FidoNet, you need to know the other systems net/node number. There are a number of ways to determine this. For a telephone system type analogy, net numbers can be thought of as the Area Code, and the node number as the Phone Number. To place a call (or send a message) within your own area code (net) you do not need to specify the net number; the node number will do. For an out of state (to another net) message, you pick the net first. Unlike the phone company, you can either enter the net and node numbers directly, or let Fido give you a list from which you can pick one or more. Fido will let you enter more that one at a time as well, so that the message you enter can be sent to a number of places at the same time! When entering a FidoNet message, you see the prompt: Currently NET #125 ?=Help, #=List NODES /=List NETS This says that you are in Net #125. Entering / gives you a list of networks and regions; this is like getting a list of phonebooks. If you pick another Net, then the prompt will tell you the one you have selected. Entering # lists the nets within the net; this is like reading the phone book, only a lot smaller. You then enter the node number. There is also a shorthand for all these steps, and the syntax will be a familiar one by the end of the manual: NET/NODE For instance, you could go through the lists and enter 125 for the net, and 1 for the node, you just enter "125/1" at the first prompt. This is obviously handy when you send mail to the same node frequently. At any time Fido expects a node number, you can enter this shorthand format. This includes the routing control files. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----1111177777 _R_o_u_t_i_n_g_: _M_e_s_s_a_g_e _F_o_r_w_a_r_d_i_n_g Routing is accomplished by the router and the scheduler. The scheduler controls when to run FidoNet (ie. when to send and receive mail) and the router controls where to send the mail. Fido does most routing automatically, but you can also completely control routing with route control files. As an example, here is a very simple system, consisting of four nodes, two of which are acting as hosts. (Net #1) (Net #2) Node 1 ------------------- Node 3 | | | | Node 2 Node 4 The interconnecting lines are phone calls. (While it is still true that any node can call any other, that does not use the routing.) Assume that Node 1 to Node 2 is a local call (ie. no charge) and 3 and 4 also. Node 1 to Node 3 is a toll call. Someone at node 2 wants to send a message to someone on Node 4. The message is entered normally; Node 4 is chosen for the message. (Entering mail is covered elsewhere) This is identical to previous FidoNet mail. When Fidonet is run (because the scheduler says so) FidoNet determines what mail to send, and to where. It creates packets of mail, places phone calls, and sends them out. Without the router, Node 2 would call Node 4 directly, and send the mail. The router however, tells it to send it to Node 1 instead. Once it is sent, that is the last that is heard of it as far as Node 2 is concerned. When Node 1 runs FidoNet, it also makes the packets as do all other Fidos. However, it's router tells it to send all mail destined for Node 4 to Node 3 instead. (Since in this case Node 3 is a different net, and Fido need not be told to do it; it's done automatically but you could tell it to manually.) Similarly Node 3 sends mail to Node 4. Since the message has reached it's destination, it is forwarded no longer, and stops. Node 4 has received mail from Node 2. Even though this discussion is about mail in only one direction, it can actually be going in both (or any, or all) directions simultaneously, and in practice does. Mail that is "in transit" disappears when the message has finally be forwarded. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----1111188888 _R_o_u_t_e _F_i_l_e_s Previous Fidos had only one route file, called ROUTE.BBS, and all it did was control routing. Route files now control many different parameters for packet and mail operation. Instead of just one file, there can be one per schedule. The Schedule Tag also reflects the name of the route file used: Schedule A ROUTE.A Schedule B ROUTE.B ... ... Schedule W ROUTE.W If the specified route file cannot be found, then it looks for ROUTE.BBS; if that isn't found, one is not used. IMPORTANT NOTE: Schedule A is a very special schedule. Fido normally will not send any mail unless you very specifically tell it to do so; for this reason, Schedule A was made to simplify life for sysops not part of a local net. Schedule A should be used only if your only schedule is the single, national FidoNet event. If you run any kind of routing or network, please do not use A. Schedule A basically basically executes the following routing statement without the need for a route file: SEND-TO ALL If you need to do fancy routing from Fido to Fido, you will need to set up schedules for each leg of the journey, as covered above. It is recommended that you make each schedule a seperate tag, so that you can have a route file to control each. The best way (well, the only way, since this is how I'm going to cover it all) to get an idea of the capabilities of the route language is to read about each statement. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----1111199999 _R_o_u_t_e _F_i_l_e _C_o_n_t_e_n_t_s _a_n_d _S_y_n_t_a_x The route file contains an ASCII text "language", that is more or less format free. There are a number of keywords, that take a variable number of arguments. The commands are: ROUTE-TO SEND-TO ACCEPT-FROM NET SEND-ONLY RECV-ONLY EXTERNAL-MAIL PICKUP POLL NO-ROUTE HOLD The command modifiers and metanumbers are: ALL OURNET HOSTS NOT Arguments to commands are always numbers or metanumbers; the numbers specify node and net numbers. "Metanumbers" represent useful groups of node and net numbers. Route file contents are completely free form; keywords can appear anywhere, in any order. Leading and trailing spaces, commas or tabs are ignored, though you need at least one between each keyword and number. You can use the same keyword more than once. The following two blocks of code accomplish the same thing: SEND-TO 99 SEND-TO 1,77 SEND-TO 99,1,77 Fido will let you put in contradictory commands; the last one encountered will have effect. The two lines below are treated as if the first one does not exist. ROUTE-TO 99,1 ROUTE-TO 1000,1 _C_o_m_m_e_n_t_s Comments are considered to be anything starting with FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----2222200000 _R_o_u_t_e _F_i_l_e _C_o_n_t_e_n_t_s _a_n_d _S_y_n_t_a_x a semicolon and continuing to the end of the line. Comments can be put anywhere in the route file. _N_o_d_e _N_u_m_b_e_r_s Most route file commands require numerical arguments, usually a list of nodes. There are a few ways you can specify this; use which ever looks nicer or is shorter. 99 a plain number A number by itself means a node number within your current network or region. For example, if your net is #125, 99 means node 99 in net 125. 125/99 net/node This very explicitly means net 125 node 99; if your net were not 125, then you need to specify the net and this is one way to do it. Another way is to change the "default" net; see the NET command description. For all route file commands, you can enter any number of node or net/node numbers, either on the same line or continuing onto the next. For example, the following are all OK: SEND-TO 99 SEND-TO 129/99 SEND-TO 1,33,76,55 5,33,77/456, 5/23,5/24 SEND-TO 1 99 _M_e_t_a_n_u_m_b_e_r_s While you can, and frequently need to, specify long lists of numbers, you usually do this in ordered sets, such as member of your own net, all nodes, or all nodes except your own net, and so on. Fido supports some special "metanumbers" to accomodate this. ALL Means "every node in the node list" OURNET Means "every node in out network or region". HOSTS Means "all network and region hosts". (All node number 0's, the zeroth node for each net and region.) FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----2222211111 _R_o_u_t_e _F_i_l_e _C_o_n_t_e_n_t_s _a_n_d _S_y_n_t_a_x To extend the above example, you could use: SEND-TO ALL SEND-TO OURNET SEND-TO HOSTS NOT "Undo" the command for the list of nodes to follow. The following example should explain it's main side effect: SEND-TO ALL NOT OURNET If your net is 125, then this means SEND-TO all nodes except those that are in net 125. It is not exactly the same as the word "except"; Fido does not use the word a way a person does. This is a very subtle difference, and exactly how people can get burned by computers. Extremely literally, the above statement means: "Mark ALL nodes as SEND-TO, then remove the marks from nodes in OURNET". Using NOT with the SEND-TO command "undoes" the effect of the SEND-TO command; it is like saying: SEND-TO ALL (UN-SEND-TO OURNET) There is no UN-SEND-TO command of course. Fido scans the line from left to right, first marking all nodes as SEND-TO, then it goes back and removes the marks in OURNET nodes. The only time this will matter is if you had done something like: SEND-TO 99 SEND-TO ALL NOT OURNET The first line says to send to 99, in our net. The second line does what you think it does, EXCEPT that NOT OURNET means "undo" all of OURNET, including the 99 from the previous command. I may be overemphasizing the importance of this, but better warned than not. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----2222222222 _R_O_U_T_E_-_T_O ROUTE-TO is the most basic and powerful routing command. It modifies the destination of the basic message unit. It has the syntax: ROUTE-TO Which means in English "Route to dest-node, messages for node, node, node ...". Please keep in mind that internally, Fido will route all mail for nodes inanother net, to the host (node 0) of that net. This could be done via a ROUTE-TO statement (and in previous versions was) but is so universally necessary that it was made implicit. You can use ROUTE-TO to override Fido's default host routing. The list of nodes can be replaced with either ALL or OURNET; for an outgoing host, you could specify ROUTE-TO ALL, which means send to the host node all outgoing mail. ; ;Send all of our outgoing mail to fido 99. Fido 99 ;makes all long distance phone calls. ; ROUTE-TO 99 ALL ; ;Route mail for nodes 100/51 and 100/22 to 125/99 instead. ; ROUTE-TO 125/99 100/51,100/22 HINT: There are certain things that can override any routing that may be in effect. The following things cause a message to go directly to it's final destination rather than to the host or ROUTE-TO node. File attach NO-ROUTE POLL FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----2222233333 _S_E_N_D_-_T_O SEND-TO tells FidoNet that during this schedule, whatever it is, that it is OK to send mail to the list of nodes that follow. If none are specified, Fido will not send any outgoing mail. The exception to this is Schedule A, which implicitly allows mail to all nodes; this is done for convenience, and historic backwards compatibility. In a multiple schedule system, you may set aside a schedule to send mail to and from your local nodes, say 1/2 hour before or after than national time. Since you only want to deal with your local nodes, the statement: SEND-TO OUTNET Tells Fido to send mail to only the local systems, as defined in the node list. You could of course specify any legal node number, including ALL. If you do not specify a SEND-TO command, then Fido will not send any mail! Most Fidos run the national mail schedule using: ; ;Normal national schedule route file. ; SEND-TO ALL ; ;We use ROBOT.EXE to generate messages to all the ;hosts in FidoNet (net/0 and region/0) and now we want ;to send to them. ; SEND-TO HOSTS FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----2222244444 _A_C_C_E_P_T_-_F_R_O_M ACCEPT-FROM is another basic command, and is used for cost control and security purposes. It controls whose mail your Fido will forward onward. Normally, your Fido system will send only mail that originated on your system; this is to prevent another system from accidentally forwarding it's long distance mail to you for further mailing. There are many cases where you do want to forward others' mail. If you are a host for a number of local systems, you need to accept mail from anyone, for forwarding to your locals only. The statements: ; ;We are an incoming host, and receive all mail for the ;other nodes in our net. We need to pass this on to them, ;and only them! ; SEND-TO OURNET ;our net only ACCEPT-FROM ALL ;but from anyone During a local schedule tells Fido to send mail to only the local systems, and to accept it from anyone. If you were an outgoing host for your locals (you take their outgong mail and send it around the world) you could do that by: ; ;Accept mail from only our local nodes, for mailing anywhere ;in the world. ; ACCEPT-FROM OURNET ;from our own net only SEND-TO ALL ;but send to anywhere NOTE: ACCEPT-FROM does not mean that Fido will reject messages from any other Fido; it means that your Fido will not accept them for FURTHER MAILING. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----2222255555 _N_E_T For all routing commands, Fido assumes, unless told otherwise, that the network is your Fido's network. That is, if you specify a node number without a net number, as in: ROUTE-TO 99,1,2,3,5,77,88,101 ... Fido assumes all of those nodes are in your net. The NET command changes the default network for further routing commands. For example, if you were part of net 125, and ou wanted to specify a number of nodes in another net, the following two are equivalent: ROUTE-TO 99,101/1,101/2,101/3,101/4 ... NET 101 ROUTE-TO 125/99,1,2,3,4 ... Remember that Fido will remember the last set NET; use NET 125 to change it back if necessary. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----2222266666 _S_E_N_D_-_O_N_L_Y _a_n_d _R_E_C_V_-_O_N_L_Y You may be able to guess at the purpose of these two. They do not control how Fido routes, but how it dials. SEND-ONLY tells Fido not to pause waiting for incoming calls, but to dial as quickly as possible. This is a very special purpose command, only for outgoing-only systems used as outgoing hosts. For example, in the SF Bay Net, there is an unlisted Fido that does outgoing mail only; since it is unlisted, there are no other Fidos trying to call it. RECV-ONLY does just the opposite. Fido makes all of it's outgoing packets normally, but never makes any outgoing calls. this command is useful for incoming hosts that want to stay maximally available, or for systems the rely on other systems using PICKUP or POLL to retrieve their mail. ; ;We never send mail during this schedule, only receive ;it. Fido 99 sends it. So sit and receive only. ; RECV-ONLY ; ;Fido 1 passes all it's outgoing mail to us, Fido 99. ;Since its an unlisted number, no ne ever calls us; do ;nothing but make outgoing phone calls. ; SEND-ONLY FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----2222277777 _E_X_T_E_R_N_A_L_-_M_A_I_L This is another very special purpose command. It is meant for use as a gateway from Fido to different networking system. All it does it cause Fido to not delete it's packet files and file list files when a schedule ends. Normally, after Fido finishes a schedule, it deletes any unsent packets and lists. Using EXTERNAL-MAIL, you can coerce Fido into creating it's packets and file lists in a coherent fashion, and leave them for you to handle. The way to do this is to make a route file that contains any routing you need, and the EXTERNAL-MAIL command, and make the schedule only ONE MINUTE LONG. (If it is longer, Fido will still attempt to make outgoing calls!) When EXTERNAL-MAIL is specified, Fido will treat all the packetized messages AS IF THEY WERE SENT; messages are marked (SENT) or deleted, as appropriate. It is assumed that you will deal with the packet files yourself. There is a fixed naming format to these files. For each node that there is mail for, there are two files: nnnnmmmm.OUT Message Packet nnnnmmmm.FLO File List The .OUT file is a FidoNet Packet, as defined in FIDOMAIL.DOC, and contains all the outgoing messages. The .FLO file is a list containing all of the pathnames of any files that were attached by messages in the a variable length null terminated string. The net/node number is the filename portion. Both net and node numbers are expressed as zero filed hexadecimal numbers: nnnnmmmm = net/node 007D0001 = 125/1 FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----2222288888 _P_I_C_K_U_P PICKUP is a command that lets one system "pick up" it's own mail when it calls another system. For example, if two seperate systems have mail for each other, normally Fido requires that each system make an outgoing call to send it's packet to the other. (This is done in the interest of accountability; it totall yeliminates arguments ...) If PICKUP is specified, in the above example who ever called first would transfer it's packet as it normally would, then additionally ask the system it just called for if there is any mail to "pick up" while it's connected. If there is, the calling system receives the packet that normally would have been delivered by the other system making an outgoing call. Instead of relying on chance determining who calls out first, the RECV-ONLY command can be used on one system. The syntax for PICKUP is: PICKUP n1, n2, n3, n4, n5, ... The calling system requests to pick up mail only if commanded to do so; the receiving system will allways let a calling system pickup it's own mail. Note that routing will affect this command in a very important way. If you desire to PICKUP mail for say, 100/99, your FIdo has to actually call that system, not the host (100/) that it will normally. It is your responsibility to ensure that routing is setup properly. Please refer also to the POLL command, which has a similar function. If you want to send mail normally, but leave one nodes mailfor it to pickup, refer to the HOLD command. ; ;I have a WATS line, so why not pick up mail when I ;make outgoing phone calls. (I wish) ; PICKUP ALL FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----2222299999 _P_O_L_L POLL is used to force a node to make outgoing calls to the specified nodes even if there i sno mail to send. The purpose of this is to support polling systems that may have mail for pickup. POLL is similar to PICKUP, in that it tells FidoNet to request pickup mail from the specified system; POLL additionally causes FidoNet to place a call and transfer an empty packet even if there are no messages to send. POLL overrides any routing in effect for the listed nodes. The syntax for POLL is the same as PICKUP: POLL n1, n2, n3, n4, ... Call each of the specified nodes even if there is no mail for them, and request any pickup mail. One use of this might be where you have a centrally located system acting as host, and a numebr of locals. To make billing easier, you can arrange it so that the locals never make phone calls; the host calls them in turn and picks up it's own mail. ; ;Host: call all of our nodes and pick up the mail. ; POLL OURNET ; ;Local: make packets, but do not send them; let the host ;call and get it. ; ROUTE-TO 99 ALL RECV-ONLY Refer to the HOLD command for more ways to hold mail for another system to pick up. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----3333300000 NO-ROUTE This command causes Fido to ignore any routing specified for the list of nodes specified. This command is necessary in many cases to make PICKUP work as desired. The syntax for NO-ROUTE is: NO-ROUTE n1, n2, n3 ... If you have mail for a number of nodes waiting to do PICKUP, make sure you specify them all as NO-ROUTE. The reason is that if the nodes are in another net, then Fido will address the packet to the host, not the nodes themselves; when a node calls in, it will find no mail, because it is addressed to their host! NO-ROUTE tells Fido to not do routing for the specified nodes. ; ;Fido's 100/22 and 100/51 call in for their mail; make ;sure that Fido doesnt address it to 100/0, their host. ; NO-ROUTE 100/22, 100/51 FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----3333311111 _H_O_L_D The HOLD command causes Fido to not make outgoing phone calls for the nodes listed. It's main use is so that another system may call in using PICKUP or POLL and retrieve their own mail, by preventing Fido from calling that system to deliver mail. An example might be where you want to deliver most mail normally (let Fido packet it and make phone calls) except for one system; for that system, you want Fido to wait for the other node to come and pick it up. The syntax for the HOLD command is: HOLD n, n2, n3, n4 ... For instance, you could have your system send it's mail out as would any other Fido, except make one system call it to get it's mail. ; ;Normal outgoinging mail, but make 100/111 call in ;and pick up its mail. ; SEND-TO ALL ;OK to send to all, NO-ROUTE 100/111 ;no routing for this one, HOLD 100/111 ;hold it FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----3333322222 _R_o_u_t_i_n_g _E_x_a_m_p_l_e_s I feel the best way to describe routing commands is by example. The example here is for a network, it's incoming host and local nodes. The host receives mail from the rest of the network and passes it on to the locals. There are two schedules for the host: Schedule B 1:00 - 1:50 Schedule C 1:50 - 2:00 Note that this schedule accomplishes all local system routing within the national time slot. It does not need any further schedules, but does assume that the host to local traffic is fairly small. The locals just run one schedule, during the normal national mail time. The schedule tag is arbitrary; it can be anything A to W. A is handy in this case because it does not need a route list. ; ;Schedule B route file for the host; just do ;normal FidoNet mail, as most of the systems in the ;world. Since there is no ACCEPT-FROM, it will only ;send mail actually entered on this system. ; SEND-TO ALL ;we can send to anyone ; ;Schedule C route file for the host; the locals are still ;running schedule A, and are waiting for mail, and maybe ;sending some of their own. This passes any mail received ;during schedule B to the locals. ; SEND-TO OURNET ACCEPT-FROM ALL Fido processes the route files sequentially; you can take advantage of this to make it easier to create custom routing. For example, if you wish tou route all mail to a certain system except for one or two, it is not necessary to list them individually merely to exclude the one or two. You can do it by: ROUTE-TO 99 ALL ROUTE-TO 500 500 With the esception of POLL and NO-ROUTE, commands can overwrite the effect of any previous command. The above effect could be had by: ROUTE-TO 99 ALL NO-ROUTE 500 FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----3333333333 _U_s_i_n_g _t_h_e _S_c_h_e_d_u_l_e_r The scheduler is the way that Fido controls when, as opposed to how, FidoNet (and other things) are run. The details of operating the scheduler commands is described in the Sysop Only Commands section. This section tells how to use the events. The scheduler contains a list of "events", each of which consists of a day and time and other information on what to do at that time. While Fido is waiting for a caller, it is also watching the scheduler. When Fido accepts a caller, it watches the time until the next scheduled event; if it is less than that callers time limit, it sets their limit to be the time until the event, and warns the user that they have less time than normal. Fido will enforce this limit to ensure that the caller logs off so that the event can be run. The scheduler keeps information on what is to be done to execute the event. The schedule Tag is what determines what kind of event it might be. Tags A to W are reserved as FidoNet schedules; when an event tag A to W is found, FidoNet is run. This tag controls which nodes in the list mail is sent to; this allows sending mail to certain other systems during certain times, by setting a schedule with each desired tag. This example covers making Fido run FidoNet in the national time slot. The time of day depends on your location, that is your time zone. The example below assumes Pacific Time; adjust accordingly. Pacific Time Central Time Eastern Time 01:00 AM 03:00 AM 04:00 AM 60 minutes 60 minutes 60 minutes Do two things: Set Fido to run FidoNet every day at 1:00AM for one hour (normal FidoNet operation) and allow the Yell command to be used only between the hours of 9:00AM and 5:00PM. (Enter command '6') Event # [0 - 34]: 0 (over write the default one) Day of week [All, 0=Sun ...]: A (every day) Start Time [hh:mm]: 9 (9AM) Window Width: 480 (8 hrs) Schedule Tag: [A - W, X, Y]: Y (Yell command) (Yell command now enabled from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM) (Enter command '6') Event # [0 - 34]: 1 (New event) FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----3333344444 _U_s_i_n_g _t_h_e _S_c_h_e_d_u_l_e_r Day of Week [All, ...] A (every day) Start time [hh:mm]: 1:00 (at 1 AM) Window Width: 60 (1 hour) Schedule Tag [A - W, X, Y]: A (Normal FidoNet) That is it. It was not necessary to choose events 0 and 1; any two could have been used. Using 0, however, replaced the default yell command enable (10:00 AM til 10:00 PM) with the desired one. To add other events, just choose another event number and enter them as above. There is room for up to 35 events. _E_x_t_e_r_n_a_l _E_v_e_n_t_s The scheduler can be used to cause Fido to terminate to DOS (to the RUNBBS.BAT batch file, actually) with an ERRORLEVEL value that can be used to run programs at certain times of the day. This isnt a general purpose way to run programs like data based programs, etc. It is meant for use with programs that can run unattended, such as Fido's RENUM.EXE utility program. You set a schedule normally, except select X for the tag. When you do this, it asks an additional question: ERRORLEVEL [4 - 255]: This is the ERRORLEVEL passed back to DOS. This value can be tested for in the batch file by: IF ERRORLEVEL (xx) GOTO LABEL Where (xx) is the errorlevel you specify, and LABEL is a label in the batch file. You need to understand how MSDOS batch files work; it is too complex a subject to cover here. One reminder though: the IF ERRORLEVEL (xx) GOTO LABEL does not mean "if errorlevel EQUALS (xx) goto label", it means "if errorlevel IS EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN (xx) goto label". This means that you must put the tests in decreasing order: FIDO_XXX switches ... if errorlevel 10 goto x1 if errorlevel 4 goto x2 if errorlevel 1 goto end FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----3333355555 _T_h_e _N_o_d_e _L_i_s_t The format of the node list has been expanded in version 11 of Fido, over previous versions. The node list is the list of remote systems, the phone numbers, etc. When you apply for a permanent node number, you will receive the latest node list. Node lists will be broadcast to all FidoNodes as it is updated. Most of this information is academic; the node list is too large, and too complicated, to manage manually. The LISTGEN program, by John Warren (see seperate documentation) was written specifically to handle the processing needed to customize the node for your specific area code, modem, dial requirements, etc. As of August 1985, the nodelist is published weekly by Fido 100/51. Please refer to the current lists, or contact a local Fido system to obtain the latest node list. The nodelist distribution process may change without notice. The node list, called NODELIST.BBS, describes each remote system, one per line. You do not need to create one; new ones are distributed on a regular basis, and they are easy to find if you lose one. Note that each component of the nodelist cannot contain spaces or commans; spaces and commas are used to seperate fields. Therefore, use the underscore character to seperate words in a given field. For example, to put in a name of "Fido's Board" do it as "Fido's_Board". See the node below about special text processing done on the node list lines. The basic format for a node list entry is as follows: (KEY) 1 0 1200 Board_Name (415)-864-1418 SF_CA 24_hrs_etc ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +------ Cmt | | | | | | +------------ City | | | | | +--------------------------- Phone | | | | +-------------------------------------- Name | | | +------------------------------------------- Baud | | +--------------------------------------------- Cost | +----------------------------------------------- Node +--------------------------------------------------- *text Each of these items are seperated by one or more spaces or tabs. Do NOT have spaces, commas or tabs in the middle of any of these. FFFFFiiiiidddddooooo'''''sssss CCCCCooooommmmmpppppllllleeeeettttteeeee OOOOOpppppeeeeerrrrraaaaatttttiiiiinnnnnggggg MMMMMaaaaannnnnuuuuuaaaaalllll PPPPPaaaaagggggeeeee FFFFFIIIIIDDDDDOOOOONNNNNEEEEETTTTT-----3333366666 _T_h_e _N_o_d_e _L_i_s_t _K_e_y This word, if present, tells Fido what kind of line this is. Currently, there are three possibilities: (blank) If no word is present, then this line defines a normal Fido node. The _n_u_m_b_e_r field is the systems node number. NODELIST This doesn't define a node, but is used to identify the nodelist itself. Fido will display the LIST entry when listing the nodelist when entering messages. In this case, the node number field is the same as the extention of the filename itself; the day of the year in which the file was created. (000 for 1 Jan, etc) This number cannot be zero. All other fields in the node list entry can have any contents. HOST This line defines a Network Host. The _n_u_m_b_e_r is this networks Net Number. All nodes that follow this line are considered part of this Net until another HOST line is encountered. REGION Same as HOST, but has different meanings to Fido; refer to earlier chapters. COUNTRY This word is reserved; COUNTRY entries are otherwise treated as HOST for all FidoNet purposes. _N_u_m_b_e_r This is that systems net or node number, depending on the _k_e_y field. It cannot be zero. _C_o_s_t This is the cost, in cents per message, that you want to charge a user for sending mail to this node. If the cost is 0, it is assumed to be a local call. If 0, then anyone may send messages to this node. Otherwise (if not zero) the user must have enough credit in their user record, or Fido will not allow them to enter mail. (Set by the SYSOP.EXE Utility program.) _B_a_u_d _R_a_t_e This is the speed to dial this system with when it is time to send them mail. It is any number that is a multiple of 300; i.e. 300, 600, 1200 ... 9600. 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