The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Copyright (C) 1992-1994 by Cutting Edge Computing
T.A.G. v2.7 Compatible Edition
All Rights Reserved.
Installation and Reference Manual
Written by George Hatchew
Cutting Edge Computing
PO Box 90476
Burton, Michigan 48509 USA
BBS Support Number: 810-743-8464
FAX Support Number: 810-743-5910
Voice Tech Support: 810-743-9283 (REGISTERED USERS ONLY)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
LICENSE AGREEMENT ....................................... 3
REGISTRATION AND LICENSE INFORMATION .................... 4
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENTATION ................................ 5
CREDITS ................................................. 6
WHAT IS THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR? ........................ 7
INSTALLING THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR ...................... 8
INSTALLING THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR INTO T.A.G. .......... 9
MULTI-LINE CONSIDERATIONS ............................... 12
COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS ................................. 13
THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR CONFIGURATION EDITOR ............ 19
General Information Editor .......................... 19
The Options and Toggles Editor ...................... 22
The Directories and FilePaths Editor ................ 26
The Message Area Override Editor .................... 30
The Limits and Maximums Editor ...................... 33
The Protocol Configuration Editor ................... 36
The Archiver Definitions Editor ..................... 39
Sample Command Lines for Popular Archivers .......... 41
The Security and Netmail Manager .................... 42
The User File Editor ................................ 43
MAINTAINING THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR ..................... 44
The BWSETUP PURGE Function .......................... 44
GENERAL OVERVIEW OF DOOR OPERATIONS ..................... 45
Keys Used While a User is Online .................... 46
Carrier Checking .................................... 47
Inactivity Timer .................................... 48
Lastread Pointers ................................... 48
OFFLINE CONFIGURATIONS .................................. 49
SENDING NETMAIL THROUGH THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR ......... 50
FILE REQUESTING THROUGH THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR ......... 51
LOCAL MAIL DOOR USAGE ................................... 52
Sample BWDOWN.BAT ................................... 53
Sample BWUP.BAT ..................................... 53
PRODUCT SUPPORT ......................................... 54
Electronic Mail ..................................... 54
FAX ................................................. 54
Voice Technical Support ............................. 54
US Mail ............................................. 54
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 2
LICENSE AGREEMENT
-----------------
Cutting Edge Computing has taken every precaution to ensure that no
harm or damage will occur on systems running The Blue Wave Mail Door.
However, we cannot be responsible for any damages or other losses
suffered as a result of running The Blue Wave Mail Door on your
system. The user assumes full responsibility for the proper use of
this mail system, whether damage occurs as a fault of operator error
or software error. NO WARRANTIES ARE IMPLIED OR EXPRESSLY STATED.
The Blue Wave Mail System and its documentation are copyrighted
materials of Cutting Edge Computing and George Hatchew. Cutting Edge
Computing reserves all rights to these materials, and is protected
under United States and International Copyright laws. No part of
these materials may be reproduced or modified in any way without the
prior express written permission of Cutting Edge Computing.
Use of The Blue Wave Mail System constitutes acceptance of the stated
terms and conditions. Cutting Edge Computing reserves all rights
which are not expressly granted.
The Blue Wave Mail System is fully copyrighted, and is not, nor will
it ever be, in the Public Domain. The Blue Wave Mail System is NOT
FreeWare. It is distributed under the concept of ShareWare. Users
are allowed to try this program for 30 days before paying for and
registering the mail system with Cutting Edge Computing. In this 30
days, you may use the program to its full capacity. If the software
does not meet your needs, and you do not plan on registering with
Cutting Edge Computing after your 30 day trial period, you are to
cease usage of the mail system. Continued use beyond the authorized
evaluation period requires payment of the registration fee in full.
Cutting Edge Computing grants an unlimited license to make and
distribute UNREGISTERED copies of The Blue Wave Mail System which have
been released to the public by Cutting Edge Computing. Absolutely no
modifications to the files contained in the software package,
including this documentation file, may be made before distribution.
No fee may be charged by anyone other than Cutting Edge Computing
beyond the actual cost of providing these copies without the prior
written consent of Cutting Edge Computing.
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 3
REGISTRATION AND LICENSE INFORMATION
------------------------------------
Registered users of The Blue Wave Mail System are granted an unlimited
license to use the product, provided the following:
Registration fees are NOT refundable.
Registration codes are not transferable to other parties.
Unofficial software patches must not be applied, and all copyright
notices in the documentation and supporting files are not to be
altered.
Backup copies may be kept of all registered versions of this software
for archive purposes only.
Use of a registered copy is limited to one machine at a time. Use of
multiple registered copies on multiple machines requires additional
payment to Cutting Edge Computing.
You can register your copy of The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door and Blue
Wave Offline Mail Reader in several different ways. Cutting Edge
Computing accepts credit card registrations by way of VISA,
MASTERCARD, and AMERICAN EXPRESS. You may register online on The Blue
Wave Support BBS by calling 810-743-8464 with your modem. You can
also register by phone by calling 810-743-9283 voice.
To register by FAX, please fill out the enclosed REGISTER.BW form
completely and FAX your registration information to 810-743-5910, 24
hours a day, 7 days a week. Fax-back registrations and technical
support are probably the fastest ways to get your software registered.
To register by Check or Money Order, simply fill out the enclosed
registration form and mail to the address shown. To register in
EUROPE, please see the form REGISTER.EUR. To register from anywhere
in the world, please see REGISTER.BW.
Corporate and government site licenses are also available. Please
call Cutting Edge Computing (810-743-9283) to negotiate a site
license.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 4
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENTATION
------------------------
The documentation presented in this file is designed for sysops and
system administrators responsible for installing, maintaining, and
running The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G. BBS.
A separate documentation file (BWDOOR.USE) has been enclosed in the
distribution archive. This file should be put online for download by
users and clients of The Blue Wave Mail Door. BWDOOR.USE describes
the functions available in the door, including options on the door's
CONFIGURATION menu, selecting and deselecting message areas, use of
The Blue Wave Bundling Commands and general operation of the door.
This documentation is formatted with Form Feeds for printing on all
Personal Computer printers. This documentation file contains no IBM
Extended ASCII characters, so it should print fine on all printer
models - even non IBM ProPrinter compatibles.
To print this documentation in hard copy, simply execute the following
DOS command:
COPY BWMAIL.DOC PRN
If you would like to print this documentation using the PRINT.COM
spooler enclosed with most versions of DOS, simply execute this
command at the DOS prompt:
PRINT BWMAIL.DOC
The documentation is formatted to 60 lines per page so that printing
on laser printers should also work with no problems.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 5
CREDITS
-------
The documentation for The Blue Wave Mail Door was written by George
Hatchew. The programming of The Blue Wave Mail Door was done by
George Hatchew (Cutting Edge Computing) and Martin Pollard (SysTech
Computer Services).
The following software is mentioned in this documentation, and the
copyright information appears below:
T.A.G., copyrighted by The T.A.G. Team
PKZIP/UNZIP, copyrighted by PKWare
PKARC/PKXARC, copyrighted by PKWare
ARJ, copyrighted by Robert K Jung
LHA, copyrighted by Yoshi
PAK, copyrighted by NoGate Consulting
DSZ, copyrighted by Omen Technologies
X00, copyrighted by Ray Gwinn
BNU, copyrighted by David Nugent & Unique Computing Pty Ltd
OpusCom, copyrighted by Bob Hartman
DESQview, copyrighted by Quarterdeck Software
MS-Windows, copyrighted by Microsoft
OS/2, copyrighted by International Business Machines Corporation
FrontDoor, copyrighted by Joaquim H. Homrighausen
D'Bridge, copyrighted by Chris Irwin
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 6
WHAT IS THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR?
--------------------------------
The Blue Wave Mail Door is only half of a complete package. It is the
part that you, as a sysop, will run online from your BBS. Users can
then sign into The Blue Wave Mail Door, download mail packets to read
offline, and upload replies that they have created offline.
The Blue Wave Mail System is a complete package consisting of The Blue
Wave Mail Door, and The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader. Both programs
work together to make your message bases more active. Since users can
download their mail in less than one tenth of the time that it would
take them to read it online, your system is open for more callers, or
activity in other areas of the BBS. Users are not pushed against time
limits, and long distance users are not paying for the extra connect
time to the BBS.
The advent of offline mail systems has helped amateur e-mail networks,
such as FidoNet, grow and prosper into a wealth of useful information.
Since users can take their time and reply offline at their
convenience, many times their messages are more meaningful. The Blue
Wave Mail System allows users to utilize the editor of their choice in
order to reply to messages. This gives them even more comfort with
the idea of entering mail.
The Blue Wave Mail Door has several advantages over conventional mail
doors. For the system operator, it offers a quick and easy
installation procedure. Once the mail door is installed, there is
very little or no maintenance required! The mail door reads most of
its settings and control parameters directly out of your current
T.A.G. BBS installation. You never have to worry about adding message
areas to the door's configuration, because once you add it to the BBS,
the mail door immediately recognizes the new area. If you remove
message bases from your BBS configuration, the door will recognize
that, too.
The Blue Wave Mail Door offers the BBS user an extremely easy to use
menu interface. The mail door gives the user more than a simple
interface however. Power BBS users will find the mail door extremely
flexible, allowing them to custom-build mail packets containing only
the messages they wish to download.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
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INSTALLING THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR
----------------------------------
This section is meant to provide a quick step-by-step installation
procedure. If you read no further in the documentation, it is highly
suggested that you read this section! If you very carefully follow
the installation procedures described below, you are (almost)
guaranteed a near hassle-free installation.
NOTE: The Blue Wave Mail Door requires that you have a
FOSSIL driver loaded. Currently available FOSSIL drivers
include X00, BNU, and OpusCom. You should be able to find a
FOSSIL driver on a BBS that carries communications files.
1) UNPACK BWMAIL.ZIP, which is enclosed within the distribution
archive. Make a directory on your hard drive specifically for
The Blue Wave Mail Door. Making a separate directory for The
Blue Wave distribution files will make life easier in the long
run. UnZIP BWMAIL.ZIP into your new directory (we'll call it the
BLUEWAVE directory throughout the rest of the documentation).
2) CHANGE TO YOUR BLUEWAVE directory, and execute BWSETUP. This
will load the door's INSTALLATION module, and guide you through
the initial setup procedures. You will first be prompted to
enter the PATH to your T.A.G. BBS v2.7 STATUS.DAT file. You
should enter the full path ONLY. If the door locates your
STATUS.DAT file, it will find out as much information as possible
from your existing T.A.G. BBS setup.
3) EACH MESSAGE AREA that you have defined in T.A.G. will be used by
the door EXACTLY as it is defined within the BBS. The door reads
all message area definitions directly from T.A.G.'s MBOARDS.DAT
file. This includes Security levels, area flags, private/non-
private status, etc.
4) AFTER A FEW SECONDS, BWSETUP will show you a screen informing you
that it has gathered as much data as possible. The installation
program also installed several sample archiver and protocol
configurations into your setup. At this time it will be
necessary to "walk" through EACH menu item of the installation
and maintenance utility in order to enter information that cannot
be found through your T.A.G. BBS setup. Each menu item in the
BWSETUP program is described in detail in the section titled "THE
BWSETUP CONFIGURATION EDITOR". If you have questions regarding
any of the menu items you encounter, please refer to the
appropriate section of the documentation.
5) AT THIS POINT, your new mail door has been installed. Now you
need to edit your T.A.G. menu system files to complete the
installation process. Please continue to the next section.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 8
INSTALLING THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR INTO T.A.G.
----------------------------------------------
If you have installed other external programs into your T.A.G. BBS
setup, you should have absolutely no problem installing The Blue Wave
Mail Door. If you have never installed external programs into your
BBS, don't worry. This section will guide you through the process and
have you back up-and-running in no time at all.
1) When you ran the BWSETUP installation module, it created a file
called BWDOOR.BAT in the directory where you told it to find
STATUS.DAT. This batch file was created with the paths and file
names taken from your initialization parameters, and should be
fully functional with your system (as long as you have not
changed anything around since you executed the installation
module). If you are running a multiline system, this batch file
will need to be edited prior to use! Here is a sample of the
batch file that is created:
@ECHO OFF
C:
CD \TAG\BLUEWAVE
BWMAIL %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9
2) To get T.A.G. to supply the user with a menu item to access The
Blue Wave Mail Door, you will need to edit one or more of your
T.A.G. system menus using the T.A.G. menu editor (or some other
T.A.G.-Compatible Menu Editor). You can place the menu item on
any system menu you choose. Suggested menus are the MAIN menu
and the MESSAGE menu. It is recommended that you create a
"BLUEWAVE" menu, which contains the following menu commands:
Load Blue Wave Door in Interactive Mode
---------------------------------------
1. Long desc. : (B)lue Wave Interactive Mode
2. Short desc. : (B)lue Wave Interactive
3. Key : "B"
4. Access : (define your access level)
5. AR flags : (define your AR flags)
6. Program key : "="
7. Program data: "*BWDOOR.BAT"
Load Blue Wave Door in AutoDownload Mode
----------------------------------------
1. Long desc. : (D)ownload Blue Wave Packet (no prompting)
2. Short desc. : (D)ownload BW Packet
3. Key : "D"
4. Access : (define your access level)
5. AR flags : (define your AR flags)
6. Program key : "="
7. Program data: "*BWDOOR.BAT /D"
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 9
Load Blue Wave Door in AutoUpload Mode
--------------------------------------
1. Long desc. : (U)pload Blue Wave Replies (no prompting)
2. Short desc. : (U)pload BW Replies
3. Key : "U"
4. Access : (define your access level)
5. AR flags : (define your AR flags)
6. Program key : "="
7. Program data: "*BWDOOR.BAT /U"
3) The default BWDOOR.BAT installation shown in item number 1
on the previous page is not sufficient for operation of the
door in multi-line systems. Below is a sample batch file to
use with the above menu commands.
BWDOOR.BAT for Multiline Systems
--------------------------------
@ECHO OFF
C:
CD \TAG\BLUEWAVE
BWMAIL /sC:\TAG\NODE1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9
It is very important that the mail door receive correct
information about the current user when running multinode.
Every time the door loads, it reads your system
configuration information from STATUS.DAT. You will notice
that one of the items in the door's "Directories"
configuration editor is the path to STATUS.DAT. Since each
copy of T.A.G. that is running requires a separate
STATUS.DAT file (and path), the door needs to know which
directory to load STATUS.DAT from. The directory defined in
the door's setup can be overridden on the command line by
using the "/s<STATUS.DAT directory>" command line parameter
to facilitate the use of only one configuration file for the
door. Here's the best way to handle it:
A) Copy the BWDOOR.BAT (created by BWSETUP in the directory
you specified as containing STATUS.DAT) into each of your
TAG system directories. If you have 5 lines/nodes, you
should have 5 batch files; one in each directory that
contains STATUS.DAT.
B) Edit the line that reads "BWMAIL %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 ..."
to read "BWMAIL /sC:\TAG\NODE1 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9".
Of course, replace 'C:\TAG\NODE1' with the name of the
directory where the batch file is located. You need to do
this with EACH batch file! This will tell the door where to
get information about the current user.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 10
4) The Blue Wave Mail Door/T.A.G. requires that all message
areas that you want active in the mail door contain
something in the "Qwk Info -- Name" field! Go to the T.A.G.
message board editor and verify that all message areas you
want available in the mail door contain a string in the QWK
Info Name field. (This is done by modifying a message area,
then selecting 'L. Qwk Info'.)
5) If you followed these instructions exactly, the mail door
should now be ready for use. To test your setup, simply log
into your BBS and select the new menu(s) item you placed
into the system. If the mail door fails to execute
properly, check the T.A.G. log file and the BLUEWAVE.LOG
file for clues as to what went wrong. You may want to
carefully go over the installation instructions once again
to make sure you didn't miss anything.
6) If you are running a MULTI-LINE T.A.G. BBS system, please
continue to the section titled "MULTI-LINE CONSIDERATIONS".
7) If you are interested in using The Blue Wave Mail Door for
local use, please read the section titled "LOCAL MAIL DOOR
USAGE".
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 11
MULTI-LINE CONSIDERATIONS
-------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door is fully capable of multi-node
operation, and provides facilities for ease of operation and
configuration on multi-line systems. There are a few points that you
need to be aware of.
All nodes on your system can use the same \BLUEWAVE directory. Full
file sharing and file locking is supported. You can use the same door
configuration file (BWMAIL.PRM) on all nodes on your system if you
like. It is also possible to use DIFFERENT .PRM files for each node
on your system by using the -C<door prm name> command line parameter
to BWMAIL.EXE. Many (if not all) of the necessary door parameters
that can vary between nodes can be passed on the door's command line,
thereby overriding any information in the configuration file. It is
highly suggested that you read "COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS" for full
information on these command line overrides.
It is also important to note that all nodes must have their own WORK,
DOWNLOAD, and UPLOAD directories. Failure to do so will result in
file-name clashes between nodes if two users are using the door at the
same time. The solution for this problem is to either use the /DOWN=,
/UPLOAD=, and /WORK= command line parameters, or the "%T" and/or "%N"
replacement macros in the BWSETUP->Directories setup menu. When the
door begins execution, it will replace all occurrences of "%T" and
"%N" with the task number passed to the door through the /t<task#>
command line parameter.
To recap, the following problems must be avoided when running The Blue
Wave Mail Door on a multi-node system:
1) Each task must have its own WORK Directory.
2) Each task must have its own DOWNLOAD Directory.
3) Each task must have its own UPLOAD Directory.
4) Each task must have its own LOG file.
If the above 4 conditions are not met, your door will not perform as
expected, and you may receive SHARE violations.
NOTE: The door needs to read several of T.A.G.'s configuration files
in order to operate properly. The mail door operates in the same way
as T.A.G. -- when it needs a file it first looks in the MFILES
directory (where shared multi-line files are stored). Then it will
look in the directory specified as the "Main Data Files Directory"
(DFILES).
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 12
COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS
-----------------------
The Blue Wave Mail Door accepts several command line parameters in
order for you to override certain settings and defaults within your
BWMAIL.PRM file or defaults internal to the door.
BWMAIL.PRM Override (-c)
------------------------
Multi-line users may wish to maintain separate Blue Wave PRM
files, one for each node. By default, the door will load
BWMAIL.PRM. If you use the -c command line parameter, you
can override this default. The command line:
BWMAIL -cLINE2.PRM
would load the door's parameter file called LINE2.PRM. (If
you wish to maintain separate PRM files between nodes, you
can edit others with BWSETUP by specifying the name of the
configuration file on the command line: "BWSETUP LINE2.PRM"
would allow you to edit the parameters in "LINE2.PRM".
USAGE : BWMAIL -c<bwave.prm name>
DEFAULT: BWMAIL.PRM
Node Directory Override (-s)
----------------------------
When the door initializes, the first file that it loads is
BWMAIL.PRM, or the file that you specified on the command
line. BWMAIL.PRM contains the path of the T.A.G. BBS
STATUS.DAT file that will be loaded when that particular
door configuration file is used. (See also the section
titled MULTI-LINE CONSIDERATIONS).
If you would like to override the default contained within
BWMAIL.PRM, use the command line:
BWMAIL -sC:\Tag\Node2
USAGE : BWMAIL -s<Node or System Directory name>
DEFAULT: System dir. defined in the configuration file.
Port Override (-p)
------------------
By default, The Blue Wave Mail Door uses the port contained
within the DOOR.SYS file that is loaded during
initialization. If, for some reason, you need to OVERRIDE
this parameter, use the -p command line. (Port 0=COM1, Port
1=COM2, etc.). The door will support any port that you
would like to use, as long as it can communicate with your
FOSSIL driver.
USAGE : BWMAIL -p<0-based port number>
DEFAULT: Found from DOOR.SYS file loaded by the door.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 13
Task/Node Override (-t)
-----------------------
The Blue Wave Mail Door uses the default TASK number of '1'.
You can override the task number used by using the "-t"
command line parameter. The door uses this information in
the translation of the "%N" and "%T" macros in the
Directories and FilePaths menu. The task number *must*
correspond to the user's task number within T.A.G., or the
door could load the wrong information about the current user
or cause SHARE violations if task/node numbers shared
between nodes.
In most circumstances, you will not have to worry about the
task number used by the door, since this information is
obtained from the DOOR.SYS file.
USAGE : BWMAIL -t<task/node number>
DEFAULT: Task number found in DOOR.SYS.
Local User Override (-k)
------------------------
Normally, The Blue Wave Mail Door can detect when there is a
local user through the DOOR.SYS file that is loaded.
However, if there is some type of problem with the door's
auto-detection, and you wish to run the door in local mode,
you will need to specify the -k parameter.
The -k can also be used to automatically load a selected
user out of T.A.G.'s USER.LST file and log them in locally.
The best use for this is when running the door in local mode
to bundle mail for the sysop or other users that may want to
use The Blue Wave Offline Mail System. The -k command line
parameter is described in greater detail in the section
titled "LOCAL MAIL DOOR USAGE".
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 14
Local Color (-MONO)
-------------------
The Blue Wave Mail Door will always output color to the
local screen, even if the remote user has TTY graphics
enabled. Sometimes this color is not desireable, especially
on Monochrome systems. Since the door contains so much BLUE
most of the text appears underlined.
To disable color output to the local console, use the -mono
command line switch. This switch has no effect on the
remote user.
USAGE : BWMAIL -mono
DEFAULT: Local color output.
Carrier Detect Override (-NOCD)
-------------------------------
Normally, The Blue Wave Mail Door requires that a carrier
detect signal be present in order for the door to send data
through the FOSSIL and serial port. This poses a problem
when trying to run the door through a NULL Modem Cable, or
something similar.
If the command line switch -NOCD is added, no carrier detect
function will be activated, and data will be sent through
the port specified with the -P<port> command line parameter.
This switch should NOT be used with a remote user online,
since the caller may drop carrier and tie up your system
until there is an input timeout (4 minutes).
USAGE : BWMAIL -NOCD
DEFAULT: CD is ACTIVE unless LOCAL mode forced or detected.
DESQview Detection Override (-NODV)
-----------------------------------
If the door detects that it is running under QuarterDeck's
DESQview multi-tasker, it will automatically write directly
to DV's video buffer to eliminate screen write bleed-through
and give away time slices to other tasks when the door is
idle. To eliminate this behaviour, use the -NODV parameter.
When DESQview support is enabled in the door, a line will be
logged to your defined LOG file, informing you of this fact.
USAGE : BWMAIL -NODV
DEFAULT: DESQview support used automatically if DV detected.
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Page 15
Stamping Downloaded Messages as "Rec'd" (-NORECV)
-------------------------------------------------
When The Blue Wave Mail Door gathers messages for a user, it
stamps all personal messages TO: that user as "Received", to
give an indication to the sender that the message may have
been read. The -NORECV command line parameter causes the
door to skip the process of marking messages as "Rec'd",
leaving no indication that the message(s) downloaded have
been read.
This parameter probably should not be used for normal BBS
usage. The switch may come in handy, however, if the sysop
wishes to download his/her mail, but not leave any
indication that the message had been read. (The sysop may
not have time to reply to the messages downloaded at that
particular time).
USAGE : BWMAIL -NORECV
DEFAULT: Marks personal messages as "Rec'd" when bundled.
Work Directory Override (-WORK=)
--------------------------------
If you would like to override the default WORK directory
defined within BWMAIL.PRM, use the -WORK=<path> command
line.
USAGE : BWMAIL -WORK=d:\path\to\workdir
DEFAULT: Drive and path defined within BWMAIL.PRM
Download Directory Override (-DOWN=)
------------------------------------
To override the door's default DOWNLOAD directory, simply
specify the drive and path to use on the command line in the
form -DOWN=<path>.
USAGE : BWMAIL -DOWN=d:\path\to\downdir
DEFAULT: Directory defined within BWMAIL.PRM
Upload Directory Override (-UPLOAD=)
------------------------------------
To override the door's default UPLOAD directory from the
command line, add the command line parameter -UPLOAD=<path>.
USAGE : BWMAIL -UPLOAD=d:\path\to\upld_dir
DEFAULT: Drive and path defined within BWMAIL.PRM
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 16
Log File Override (-LOG=)
-------------------------
Each copy of The Blue Wave Mail Door that is running
requires a separate log file. Log files cannot be shared
between two or more different tasks. This command line is
used to override the log file name that is defined within
BWMAIL.PRM. In most cases, it would be more convenient to
use the '%T' or '%N' metaphor in declaring the name of the
log file within the BWSETUP Directories and Pathname Editor.
However, this alternate way of overriding the log file name
is provided for special situations. To override the log
file name from the door's command line, use the -LOG=<file>
parameter.
This parameter can also be convenient when you do not want
to keep a log file for a certain task (usually a local
node). If the door receives the command line parameter
"BWMAIL -LOG=", no log file will be generated for that
session.
USAGE : BWMAIL -LOG=d:\name\of\logfile.ext
DEFAULT: Filename defined within BWMAIL.PRM.
WarpSpeed AutoDownload Mode (-d)
--------------------------------
The Blue Wave Mail Door has a special command line parameter
to force the door into download mode, then exit. When the
door is executed with the -d parameter, it immediately
begins scanning the message areas and bundles a mail packet.
If there is a remote user, the door will immediately fire up
the appropriate download protocol, and then exit back to the
BBS. If there is no remote user, the door skips executing
the protocol, and drops back to the calling batch file.
This is extremely handy for local use in batch files to
possibly build a mail bundle during a maintenance "event".
The door will NOT prompt for user input during the entire
session.
USAGE : BWMAIL -D
DEFAULT: The door defaults to "Interactive Menu" mode.
AutoUpload Mode (-u)
--------------------
Specifying -U on the command line will cause the door to
immediately go into upload mode. This parameter works the
same as the AutoDownload Parameter; the user will never be
prompted for input during the mail session.
USAGE : BWMAIL -U
DEFAULT: The door defaults to "Interactive Menu" mode.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 17
Auto Logoff Mode (-LOGOFF=)
---------------------------
This command line only has an effect on the operation of the
door when the following 2 conditions are met:
1) The door must be in AutoUpload or AutoDownload mode.
2) There must be a remote user online.
Adding the /LOGOFF=I command line parameter will cause the
door to perform an IMMEDIATE LOGOFF of the user (drop
carrier) after a successful AutoUpload or AutoDownload
session.
Adding the /LOGOFF=C command line parameter will cause the
door to perform a COUNTDOWN LOGOFF of the user (drop
carrier) after a successful AutoUpload or AutoDownload
session.
USAGE : BWMAIL <-D or -U> -LOGOFF=I
USAGE : BWMAIL <-D or -U> -LOGOFF=C
DEFAULT: The door defaults to returning back to the BBS with
the remote user still online.
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Page 18
THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR CONFIGURATION EDITOR
--------------------------------------------
(How to use BWSETUP.EXE to edit your setup.)
After the original initialization and installation of The Blue Wave
Mail Door is complete, you will be taken to The Blue Wave Mail Door's
Configuration Editor. By default, if BWSETUP finds a configuration
file already present, you will be taken directly to this menu. If at
any time you wish to re-run the Door Initialization module, simply
delete the file named BWMAIL.PRM, located in your BLUEWAVE directory.
To make simple changes to your setup, run BWSETUP with no command line
parameters, and you will be taken to the configuration menu. (If you
would like to edit a setup besides the default "BWMAIL.PRM", enter the
command "BWSETUP BWLINE2.PRM", or any other .PRM file name you like.
A thorough description of each item available for editing through
BWSETUP will now be given.
General Information Editor
--------------------------
The General Information Editor allows you to edit data
regarding your system name, your name as sysop, and other
general system data.
BBS NAME:
Enter the name of your BBS here, exactly as you
want it to appear in the door. Your BBS name will
be shown at the top of the main door menu, and
also to the users inside of the offline reader.
YOUR REAL NAME:
You should enter your real name in this field. If
you use a handle or alias on your BBS, this is not
the place for it. Your registration code will be
computed based upon the name you give here. Rest
assured that your users will NEVER see this field.
YOUR NAME AS SYSOP:
Please enter the name or handle that you use in
your T.A.G. setup to identify yourself to your
users. When entering mail in the offline mail
reader, users may enter "SYSOP" in the TO: field.
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader will insert this
name for them, instead of your real name, since it
may be different in some cases.
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NAME OF MAIL PACKETS CREATED BY DOOR:
Enter the root name of the mail packets that you
would like to use to identify your BBS. It should
probably correspond to the name of your BBS. For
example:
WILDBLUE -- The Wild! Blue BBS
IOBUS -- The I/O Bus
The Blue Wave Mail Door will generate mail packets
using this field as the 'root name'. If today is
Monday, and Joe User is downloading his second
packet of the day, and your Mail Packet Name is
IOBUS, the file generated will be named IOBUS.MO2.
This allows users of your BBS to have multiple
download packets available at one time for reading
from your BBS.
REGISTRATION NUMBER:
Upon registration of The Blue Wave Mail Door with
Cutting Edge Computing, you will receive a unique
registration code. Registration of The Blue Wave
Mail Door not only removes the UNREGISTERED COPY
on the Mail Menu, but also entitles you to special
utilities and support NOT available to
unregistered users. If you have a registration
number, please enter it here.
DEFAULT NETWORK ADDRESS INFORMATION:
These four fields (Zone, Net, Node, Point) require
your PRIMARY NETWORK Zone, Net, Node, and Point
number, if you will be using The Blue Wave Mail
Door in a FidoNet-style application. If you do
not have a network address, please leave these
fields as 0's.
Whenever possible, The Blue Wave Mail Door finds
the address information for each echomail and
netmail area from T.A.G.'s MBOARDS.DAT file. The
door will append the origin line defined within
T.A.G. and insert the network address. However,
if it cannot find the area within MBOARDS.DAT or
the Origin line is blank, this default address
will be used to address the message.
If you are running a point system, and would like
to use The Blue Wave Mail System, there should be
no problem. Specify your BOSSnode address here,
along with your specified point number.
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Page 20
READER FILES:
Reader files are plain ASCII or ANSI files that
will be displayed to the user when they load a
mail packet downloaded from your BBS. You may
define up to 5 files to be displayed. You may
wish to send files with each mail packet as an
advertisement of new items or echos available on
the BBS, etc. These files must reside in the
BLUEWAVE directory.
Along with each reader file, you can define a
security level that is needed to see each file.
If the online user does not have enough access to
see the file, it will not be included in his/her
mail packet. The door uses the same security
level scheme as T.A.G. You can select from any of
the 255 access levels defined in T.A.G., and also
any of the available AR flags.
NOTE: All security settings in BWSETUP allow you
to specify more than one AR flag. The mail door
requires that the user have ALL AR flags required
for that particular item. This differs from
T.A.G. in that T.A.G. only allows you to define
one AR flag that is required.
You may use 2 special character sequences in the
reader text files in order to control their
display to the user:
{PAUSE} - Inserts a "Press any key to continue"
{BEEP} - Sounds a beep in the reader.
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Page 21
The Options and Toggles Editor
----------------------------
SWAP ON SHELL TO EXTERNALS:
If this option is turned on, The Blue Wave Mail
Door will perform a "Memory Swap" when shelling to
execute the external protocols and archivers. The
door will swap all but about 3K out of memory and
free your valuable RAM for use by your archivers
and protocols.
If you enable this option, please also be sure to
specify one of the next 3 options.
SWAP TO EXTENDED MEMORY:
If this option is enabled, the door will attempt
to swap to extended memory. If not enough
extended memory is available, a swap to DISK will
be performed.
SWAP TO EXPANDED MEMORY:
If this option is enabled, the door will attempt
to swap to expanded memory. If not enough LIM
v4.0 Expanded Memory is available, a swap to DISK
will be performed.
SWAP TO DISK:
If you choose to have The Blue Wave Mail Door swap
its used memory to DISK, you will need about 200K
free on your "Swap Drive". You can specify the
full path to your swap directory within the
BWSETUP "Directories and Filepaths" menu editor.
FAST (DIRECT) SCREEN WRITES:
If this option is set to "Yes", the door will use
direct video writes; directly to your monitor
glass. This is by far the fastest video mode, and
may be incompatible with some systems and/or
multi-taskers. If you have trouble with direct
video writes, set this option to "No". The door
will then use generic BIOS screen writes. If
DESQview is detected, the door will automatically
write directly to the DESQview video buffer
regardless of what this setting is at. If auto-
DESQview detection causes problems, use the /NODV
command line parameter for the door.
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Page 22
ALLOW G)OODBYE COMMANDS:
Normally, The Blue Wave Mail Door will give users
the option of logging off your system through the
door [G)oodbye from the Main Menu], and the choice
of an "Instant" or "Countdown" logoff after
downloading a mail packet. If you do not want the
users given the ability to automatically log off
after a mail transfer, or to say G)oodbye from the
Main Menu, set this option to "No". In most
cases, however, this option should probably be set
to "Yes" in order to give users increased
flexibility within the mail door.
HANGUP ON INPUT TIMEOUT:
After 4 minutes of input inactivity from the
remote user, the door normally drops carrier and
recycles back to the BBS in order to prevent a
user from tying up your system. If you do not
want the door to drop carrier on the user for
inactivity, set this option to "No". If this
option is "No", and the online user has been
inactive for more than 4 minutes, the door will
simply exit and return control back to the BBS,
rather than dropping carrier on the user.
HANGUP ON USER WHEN TIME LIMIT EXPIRES:
When the user's daily time limit has expired, the
door normally drops carrier on them and returns
control to the BBS. However, if you would like
the door to just exit back to the BBS when the
time limit expires, set this option to "No".
NUKE *.NEW PACKETS AFTER LOCAL UPLOAD:
When The Blue Wave Mail Door is used in local
mode, the .NEW packet generated by the reader is
not normally erased from the Upload directory. If
you would like the door to erase your upload
packet after tossing the .NEW message replies, set
this option to "Yes". This option only affects
LOCAL MODE operations. *.NEW packets are always
erased after the door has processed it with a
remote user online.
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Page 23
KEEP OLD DOWNLOAD PACKETS (DON'T ERASE):
Normally, when The Blue Wave Mail Door builds a
mail bundle in LOCAL mode, it erases PKTNAME.* in
the local download directory, just as it does for
a remote user. If you use the door in local mode,
and you would like the door to NOT erase other
mail bundles which may reside in the door's and
reader's download directory, set this option to
"Yes".
Another feature that is enabled when this option
is set to "Yes" is auto-incrementing of the
download packet extension numbers. If the door
was about to build a bundle called WILDBLUE.TH1,
and WILDBLUE.TH1 already existed in the download
directory, the door would then check for
WILDBLUE.TH2. It will repeat this process until
it finds a 'hole' between .TH1 and .TH9. If there
are packets named WILDBLUE.TH1 through
WILDBLUE.TH9, the door will erase the oldest
packet and build a new one.
When using this option for local mode use, you
should define the DOWNLOAD directory in the reader
to be the same drive:\path as the LOCAL DOWNLOAD
directory in the door's configuration menu. This
way, the door will automatically archive your mail
packet into the directory the reader expects the
mail packet to be in.
LOG SCANNING INFORMATION:
If this option is enabled, the door will write
into your log file a detailed account of what
messages were scanned by a user online. It
includes a Keyword count, a count of NEW messages,
a Filter count, and a count of the personal
messages.
All logging done by this function will have a ":"
symbol preceding the log entry. To toggle these
entries ON/OFF, press the ':' key.
LOG BUNDLING INFORMATION:
This option is similar to the Scanning Information
function, except it writes an entry for each area
BUNDLED. All logging done by this function will
have a "+" symbol preceding the log entry. To
toggle these entries ON/OFF, press the '+' key.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 24
LOG UPLOAD INFORMATION:
This option will log all messages that were
uploaded through The Blue Wave Mail Door. With
this option enabled, an entry will be made for
each message a user uploads in a packet, including
information about who the message is TO, who it
was FROM, the subject of the message, and the area
to which the message was tossed.
All logging done by this function will have a "@"
symbol preceding the log entry. To toggle these
entries ON/OFF, press the '@' key.
LOG ERROR MESSAGES:
This option will log all errors encountered by the
door. All logging done by this function will have
a '!' symbol preceding the log entry. Press the
'!' key to toggle these log entries ON/OFF.
LOG SCANNING AND BUNDLING TOTALS:
With this option enabled, the door will write the
total number of messages scanned and the total
messages bundled to the log file. Please note
that this is a GRAND TOTAL. In order to get a
total number of messages that were scanned and
bundled by AREA, please see the previous page
regarding SCANNING INFORMATION and BUNDLING
TOTALS.
All logging done by this function will have a "*"
symbol preceding the log entry. To toggle these
entries ON/OFF, press the '*' key.
LOG GENERAL ACTIVITY:
This option is primarily a "catch-all" for those
who would like a log file, but not a detailed
account of events. General activity will log
things such as "Joe User Entering The Blue Wave
Mail Door at 9600 Baud", "Scanning Message Areas",
and "Bundling Messages".
If you want totals and other information included,
please use some of the above mentioned logging
levels.
All logging done by this function will have a '='
symbol preceding the log entry. To toggle these
entries ON/OFF, press the '=' key.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 25
The Directories and FilePaths Editor
------------------------------------
One of the many features of The Blue Wave Mail Door is the
ability to work easily on multi-line systems. For all of
the path and file names described below, it is possible to
use the '%T' and the '%N' metaphors wherever you would like
to use the TASK number the door is running as.
For example, if a system is running 2 lines, it is necessary
to specify different WORK, UPLOAD, and DOWNLOAD directories
for each line. It is not possible to share the door's
working directories between 2 tasks. To simplify the setup
process for multi-line setups, you may wish to declare your
paths in the following way:
DOWNLOAD Directory: C:\Tag\Bluewave\Down%T
UPLOAD Directory : C:\Tag\Bluewave\Upload%T
WORK Directory : C:\Tag\Bluewave\Work%T
If the door is invoked with a '-T1' command line parameter,
the door will search for and use the following paths:
DOWNLOAD Directory: C:\Tag\Bluewave\Down01
UPLOAD Directory : C:\Tag\Bluewave\Upload01
WORK Directory : C:\Tag\Bluewave\Work01
The door always expands the %T metaphor into a 2 digit,
hexadecimal number. A '-T12' on the command line would
expand to 'C:\Tag\Bluewave\Down0C', and so on.
The %N metaphor is very similar to the %T metaphor, except
that it translates the %N into a 1, 2, or 3 digit task
number that the door is using as a DECIMAL number. A '-T12'
on the door's command line would translate to
'C:\Tag\Bluewave\Down12', and a '-T1' on the door's command
line would translate to 'C:\Tag\Bluewave\Down1'.
The task number translations work for not only the working
directories, but for EVERY path name, filename, and Flag
File name described below.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 26
Path to STATUS.DAT:
The Blue Wave Mail Door needs to load a T.A.G.
v2.7x STATUS.DAT file in order to know several
things about your system, and the task that it is
running under. Please enter the full path to your
T.A.G. STATUS.DAT file that you would like the
door to use here.
Note: For those running multiple tasks, you may
specify the SYSTEM DIRECTORY to use on the command
line, if you wish. If you enter the name of the
SYSTEM DIRECTORY on the command line, it will
override the default setting that you enter here.
Please see the section titled "COMMAND LINE
PARAMETERS".
Path/Filename of Blue Wave's LOG File:
The Blue Wave Mail Door will keep a log file of
all activity within the door. You can specify the
name of this file here. You need to have separate
LOG files if you are running more than one task.
You can use the '%T' or '%N' metaphor, or use the
'-LOG=<path>' command line override when executing
the door to specify different log file names for
the different tasks you may be running.
If you do not want the door to keep a log file,
simply leave this field blank, and no log file
will be kept.
Path to Blue Wave's DOWNLOAD Directory:
Specify the path to Blue Wave's personal DOWNLOAD
directory. This is the area where mail packets
will be compressed into, and downloaded from.
This directory is cleaned of "PACKETNAME.*"
whenever a user begins to download a packet. To
be safe, you should never keep files in this
directory that you want to keep.
WARNING: Do NOT share your WORK directory with
the DOWNLOAD directory. The door will still work,
but may not operate correctly.
Normally, when a user leaves The Blue Wave Mail
Door, this directory is cleansed of the packet
that was made. However, in LOCAL mode, the file
is kept so that you may download mail in local
mode and read the packet with The Blue Wave
Offline Mail Reader.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 27
Path to Blue Wave's UPLOAD Directory:
The Blue Wave Mail Door uses the UPLOAD directory
to accept a user's upload packet. The protocols
will be executed with the upload directory on the
command line. After a protocol is finished
executing, the door will expect to find the upload
packet here.
After a remote user is finished with an upload,
this directory is erased of "PACKETNAME.*".
However, after a local upload, this directory is
not cleaned, in case you would like to save your
upload packet for later use.
When the door begins an upload session, it CHANGES
to the upload directory, for those protocols that
can only accept uploads to the current directory.
This means that you must either store your
protocol driver in your DOS PATH statement, or
specify the full path and file name to your
external protocol drivers in the PROTOCOL menu.
Path to Blue Wave's WORK Directory:
Specify the path pointing to Blue Wave's personal
WORK directory. The Blue Wave Mail Door will
perform all of its bundling and unpacking in this
directory. You should have enough free space in
this directory to handle the MAXIMUM NUMBER OF
DOWNLOADABLE MESSAGES specified in the Limits and
Maximums Editor Menu. (This path can lie on a
different drive).
WARNING: This directory will be COMPLETELY erased
whenever the user begins an upload or download
session. Do NOT point this directory somewhere
where there are files that you do not want
deleted.
Path to Blue Wave's SWAP File:
The path you enter here will be where The Blue
Wave Mail Door will write its SWAP file when
shelling to an external protocol or archiver. If
you do not have swapping enabled in The Blue Wave
Mail Door, you do not need to specify a path here.
If you told the door to use Extended or Expanded
memory on a swap, you should still specify a path
here, however. If the swap to extended or
expanded memory fails, the door will automatically
swap to disk.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 28
Local WORK Directory:
This directory serves the same purpose as the
normal work directory described above, with one
exception: This directory will be used when the
door is loaded in LOCAL mode (there is no remote
user). If you want to use the same directory in
LOCAL mode as for REMOTE mode, simply leave this
field blank.
Local DOWNLOAD Directory:
This directory serves the same purpose as the
normal download directory, but is used when the
door is in LOCAL mode. Leave this field blank if
you do not want separate download directories.
Local UPLOAD Directory:
Serves the same purpose as the Local DOWNLOAD and
WORK directories.
A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT DIRECTORIES:
The Blue Wave Mail Door checks for the existence of each of
the UPLOAD, DOWNLOAD, and WORK directories during the
initialization process. If any or all of these directories
do not exist, the door attempts to create them. If,
however, the door is unsuccessful in its attempt to create
its working directories, it will log an error and refuse to
run.
The UPLOAD, DOWNLOAD, and WORK directories can be overridden
from the DOS command line. Please see the section titled
"COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS", earlier in the documentation.
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 29
The Message Area Override Editor
--------------------------------
The message area override editor is provided in order for
you to have separate read access, write access, and area
descriptions between the door and T.A.G.. The override
editor also gives you the power to define DEFAULT message
areas for new users, and to FORCE message areas on (the user
will not be able to turn it off.)
New overrides are added to the door by pressing <INS> after
entering the Override editor. A scrollable "pick-list" will
then be displayed, and you will be able to highlight the
area definition you would like to override. After you have
found the message area that you would like to create an
Override for, simply highlight it and press <ENTER>. A new
area override will be created, and you can then edit the
parameters described below.
It should be noted that unused or unnecessary overrides
should not be created, since it will only take the door
longer to initialize when called from T.A.G. You should
always Delete message area overrides that you do not wish to
have active.
NOTE
----
If you are trying to override a message area, and it is not
showing up when pressing <INS> to select from the pick-list,
be sure that the area you are trying to work with has an
Area Description and "QWK Info -- Name" defined within
T.A.G. Areas that do not have an Area Description or Qwk
Area Name defined will be skipped by the BWSETUP editor and
by the door itself!
It is also necessary to define an area as an override if you
would like to FORCE downloading the area to all users, or
have the area active as a default for new users [which will
be explained later in this section].
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Page 30
Area Tag:
BWSETUP does not allow you to edit the AREA TAG
field of the message area. This area tag is the
same as the "Qwk Info -- Name" field in the T.A.G.
message board editor.
Area Description:
The more complete description of the message area
should be entered here. This will be shown to the
user when selecting areas for download, and in the
Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader when selecting
conferences to read. This does not necessarily
have to match the T.A.G. message board entry.
Area Origin Line:
Normally, The Blue Wave Mail Door will append an
Origin line to messages entering the system as
Echomail. The origin line used is the one that is
defined within T.A.G. If you would like to
override an area's Origin line, and have a
different one appended by the door, you should
enter it here. Do NOT include the Zone:Net/Node
information, as the door will automatically add
this information itself.
Area Type:
You can change the type of messages that are
posted in this message base between LOCAL,
ECHOMAIL, and NETMAIL, overriding T.A.G.'s
definition of the area.
Allow Private Msgs:
You can override T.A.G.'s operation to define the
current message area as accepting PUBLIC ONLY
messages, PRIVATE ONLY messages, or allowing the
user the choice of making the message PUBLIC or
PRIVATE.
Read Access Level:
Selecting this option will allow you to define the
Security level needed to access (read) this
particular message area. The Blue Wave Mail Door
supports all of T.A.G.'s Security levels and
FLAGS. If you enter a security level here that is
different than T.A.G.'s setting, this will
OVERRIDE what you have defined in T.A.G. This is
a useful feature to allow you to define different
access levels between the door and the BBS itself.
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Page 31
Write Security Level:
The Blue Wave Mail Door allows you to define a
security and flag level for a user to ENTER mail
into a message area. If a user has sufficient
access to download a message area, but
insufficient access to post, the reader will give
them a message that says "This is a READ-ONLY
Area", if they try to enter a message into the
area.
*)Default Message Areas for New Users:
If you would like to make the current message area
a DEFAULT message area for new users, you can
toggle the Default status by pressing the '*' key.
When an area is selected as a default, it will be
active the first time a new user enters the door.
They will still be able to turn the message area
off through the door's Configuration Menu, or
through the reader's OFFLINE CONFIGURATION. Of
course, the area is only automatically activated
if the current user has READ access to the message
area.
When entering the door for the first time, the
user is shown the default active message areas.
!)Force Message area ON
Through the use of the Override editor, it is
possible to FORCE a message area ON for all users
who use The Blue Wave Mail Door. If an area is
forced on, a user will not be able to turn it off
through the door's Configuration Menu, nor through
the use of the reader's OFFLINE CONFIGURATIONS.
It is also impossible to modify the download count
in the message area through the use of The Blue
Wave Bundling Commands.
This option is used to Globally force a message
area. You can force message areas on for
individual users through the BWSETUP User File
Editor, which will be described in a separate
section.
It should be noted that a message area will not be
forced ON unless the user online actually has READ
access to the message area. If the user doesn't
have access, they will not even know that the
message area exists.
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Page 32
The Limits and Maximums Editor
------------------------------
The Limits and Maximums Editor allows the sysop control over
several aspects of the door's behaviour. From this editor
you can define the maximum number of messages that you will
allow a user to download at each of the supported BPS rates.
Additionally, you can specify the maximum size of the mail
packets that you will allow to be created at each of the
specified BPS rates.
MAX UNCOMPRESSED PACKET SIZE:
The maximum uncompressed packet size allows you to
limit the size of the mail packets that the door
creates for users. Each supported BPS rate can be
configured independently of each other.
One of the best uses of this feature is for those
who have limited drive space and need to make sure
that a user never tries to package a mail bundle
that will exceed the capacity or free space of the
drive.
To improve message packing speed, you may want to
create a RAMdrive to use as the door's WORK
directory. Supposing you have configured your
system with a 2 megabyte RAMdrive, you would want
to make sure that any user does not exceed the
capacity of that drive. Therefore, you may want
to set the "Max Uncompressed Packet Size" for each
BPS rate listed to 1800K to ensure that all files
packed will be available to the user.
During the mail bundling process, the door will
immediately stop gathering messages when the files
in the WORK directory reach the size you specify
here. The door will then archive the mail bundle,
and send it to the user (after informing them that
they did not receive ALL of the mail scanned, due
to hitting the Sysop-defined packet size).
Each individual user ALSO has the ability to set
his or her own Maximum Packet Size through the
door's configuration menu. If the Sysop Maximum
Packet Size is reached before the user's, the
Sysop's packet size takes precedence. If the
user's defined maximum packet size is reached
before the sysop's, the user's maximum packet size
is honoured.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 33
The Maximum Packet Size parameter differs from the
"Maximum Number of Messages" parameter described
below in that the size limit is enforced DURING
message packing. The Max # of Msgs parameter is
enforced before packing can even begin. (The user
will be forced to trim messages from the scanned
message list with the Blue Wave Bundling Commands
before the door will begin packing messages).
If you do not wish to set a Maximum Packet Size
for any of the supported BPS rates, simply enter a
-1 in the field when prompted for a number. This
will disable the Maximum Packet Size Limits for
that particular BPS rate, and leave the screen
displaying a "(none)" in that field when the
limits are being viewed.
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF MESSAGES:
The sysop may define a maximum number of messages
that will be allowed for users to download at each
of the supported BPS rates. If, during the mail
scan, the door announces that more messages have
been prepared for download than are allowed by the
sysop, the user must trim his or her download
using The Blue Wave Bundling Commands before the
door will begin packing messages.
If you do not wish to enforce a maximum number of
messages that users can download, simply enter a
"-1" in this field when prompted for input. This
will disable the Maximum Number of Messages check
for that particular BPS rate, and display "(none)"
on the screen when viewing the limits.
ALLOW USERS CONFIGURATION OPTION OF NEWFILES SCAN:
After building the user's mail packet for
download, The Blue Wave Mail Door will scan the
file areas defined in your T.A.G. setup (honoring
all file area flags, and security levels) for new
files since the user last performed a successful
mail download. If you do not want users to have
this option available to them, set this option to
"NO". Otherwise, set this option to "YES".
When this option is set to "YES", users will be
able to enter the door's CONFIGURATION menu while
online and select whether they wish NO file list,
TEXT file lists, or ANSI (color) file lists.
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 34
LIMIT NEWFILES SCAN TO FILES LESS THAN ? DAYS OLD:
If a user has not used the mail door for an
extended period of time, it is possible for them
to receive a "new file" list that contains
hundreds of files that are dated several months
old.
Use this setup option to instruct the door to
never include files in the NEWFILE list that are
more than "x" days old. A good number to use here
is anything between 10 and 30 days, however you
may limit the scan to any number of days you like.
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF FILES ALLOWED PER FILE REQUEST:
The Blue Wave Mail Door and The Blue Wave Offline
Reader work together to provide users easy access
to files on your system. For a complete
description of the File Requesting system, please
see the section titled "FILE REQUESTING THROUGH
THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR".
If you wish to disable file requesting through the
door completely, enter a "0" in this field.
Otherwise, you can enter any number here between 1
and 10.
When file requesting, the door honors all file
area security levels, flags, and all system
DOWNLOAD limits (both for Maximum Daily Download
and file system ratios/file points).
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 35
The Protocol Configuration Editor
---------------------------------
The Protocol Configuration Editor will allow you to define
the protocols that are allowed to be used by users while
downloading and uploading their mail packets.
The Blue Wave Mail Door comes with 8 "built-in" internal
protocols. These are the most widely used protocols, and in
most cases you will not need to define any "External"
protocols.
However, if you would like to support protocols other than
those internal to the door, The Blue Wave Mail Door provides
the means to do so.
When you enter the Protocol Configuration Editor from the
main BWSETUP system menu, you will see a list of protocols,
labeled from A to R. The first 8 protocols are "Internal",
and the last 10 protocol slots are available to be defined
as EXTERNAL PROTOCOL DRIVERS.
DEFINING THE INTERNAL PROTOCOLS:
Each of the Internal protocols have a sysop-
configurable "hotkey", or key that will identify
the protocol in the door when the user attempts to
select a different protocol. This menu selection
key is listed in the "Hotkey" column of the
display.
Pressing the letter preceeding the protocol
description will toggle the status of that
particular protocol. If the protocol is ACTIVE,
it will become "inactive" or unavailable for
selection in the door.
If the protocol is INACTIVE, and you would like to
activate it, BWSETUP will ask you to type the key
that you would like to be displayed on the
protocol configuration menu. The protocol will be
made active if a valid key is pressed.
DEFINING THE EXTERNAL PROTOCOLS:
The Blue Wave Mail Door allows you to define up to
10 "external" protocols to be used in conjunction
with or in place of the internal protocols. There
are many external protocol drivers available for
use, including DSZ, GSZ, Hydra, BiModem, etc.
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 36
Pressing the letter corresponding to one of the
external protocol slots will cause BWSETUP to open
a window with several fields that must be defined
in order to have a properly working external
protocol.
PROTOCOL HOTKEY:
Simply type a letter that you would like to use
for selection of this protocol on the door's
protocol selection screen. You should be certain
that no 2 protocols are given the same hotkey. If
hotkeys are duplicated between protocols
(including the internal protocols), only the FIRST
one listed will be accessible by users.
PROTOCOL DESCRIPTION:
Type the description of the protocol that you want
displayed on the door's protocol selection screen.
For example, you might use "DSZ/MobyTurbo Zmodem"
as one of your protocol descriptions.
SEND COMMAND:
Enter the command line that will be necessary to
invoke this external protocol for sending files.
If the protocol driver is not located in a
directory located on your DOS Path, you must enter
the full drive:\path\filename.exe of the driver.
Several replacement macros are available for use.
Before the door executes the command line given,
the following characters are replaced with actual
parameter for the online user.
%P - The com port number currently in use.
%B - The online users CONNECTion baud rate.
%F - SEND command line=path & name of file to send
RECV command line=path & name of file to get
%U - The door's UPLOAD directory, with no filename
Use the %U macro for Bi-Directional protocols
(Hydra, Bimodem) that need to know the name of the
directory to store files that are uploaded while
the user is downloading files. The Blue Wave Mail
Door fully supports Bidirectional protocols.
While a user is downloading a mail packet, they
can upload their *.NEW packet with a bidirectional
protocol. The door will process the reply packet
after the user has finished downloading.
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Page 37
RECEIVE COMMAND:
Enter the command line that will be necessary to
invoke this external protocol for receiving files.
If the protocol driver is not located in a
directory located on your DOS Path, you must enter
the full drive:\path\filename.exe of the driver.
The same replacement macros are available for the
RECEIVE command line as for the SEND command line.
Please see the previous page for a description of
the replacement macros.
BATCH PROTOCOL?:
If this is a BATCH protocol (the protocol driver
can accept and send more than one file during one
invocation of the driver), enter a Y in this
field. If this is a single-file-at-a-time
protocol (such as Xmodem and Xmodem-K), enter an N
in this field.
SETTING THE DEFAULT PROTOCOL:
When new users enter the door for the first time,
the door assigns them a default protocol. This
protocol should normally be Zmodem, as almost all
terminal programs today contain some sort of
Zmodem transfer capability. If, however, you
would like to change the default protocol, simply
type "S" while in the Protocol Configuration
Editor. You will be asked to type the letter of
the protocol that you would like assigned as the
default.
EXAMPLE EXTERNAL PROTOCOL COMMAND LINE:
This part of the documentation is meant as a
simple guide to installing external protocols in
general. All external protocols contain their own
unique set of parameters and command line
switches. If you have trouble executing any
external protocol, please consult THAT PROTOCOLS
documentation. This examples shows how to install
DSZ with MobyTurbo as one of the externals:
PORT LOCKED AT 38400, SENDING:
c:\path\to\dsz.com port %P estimate 0 %B sz -m %F
UNLOCKED COM PORT, SENDING:
c:\path\to\dsz.com port %P speed %B sz -m %F
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
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The Archiver Definitions Editor
-------------------------------
Unlike the protocols described in the previous section, The
Blue Wave Mail Door *REQUIRES* the use of external archiver
utilities. The door initialization module installed some
sample archivers, but some editing may be necessary in order
for the archivers to work correctly. The archivers are used
to compress downloaded mail bundles before sending them to
the user, and for decompressing uploaded mail bundles after
receiving them from a user.
DEFAULT ARCHIVER:
This field allows you to define the Default
Archiver for new users to The Blue Wave Mail Door.
(A user may later change his/her default from the
door's CONFIGURATION menu.) As with protocols,
there must always be a default archiver defined.
Because of this, if archiver #1 is set to the
default, you will NOT be able to disable it. To
select another archiver to be the default, move to
the correct definition number, and type the letter
"D". Any previously marked default archivers will
be toggled off automatically.
ARCHIVER HOTKEY:
This field allows you to define the "Hotkey" used
to select the current archiver from the door's
CONFIGURATION Menu. You should be careful not to
duplicate hotkeys between different archivers
(such as using "Z" for .ZIP and "Z" for .ZOO,
both). The letter "Q" should also not be used, as
this is used internally by the door for a "(Q)uit"
menu option. Any other alpha-numeric character,
however, is OK.
ARCHIVER TITLE:
This is the short, 3 letter extension used by the
archiver. You should probably make it match the
"standard" extension so as to not confuse your
users. Examples of popular archivers would
include "ZIP", "ARC", "PAK", "LZH", "ARJ", and
"ZOO".
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 39
ARCHIVER COMPRESS COMMAND LINE:
Here you will define the command line used to
compress your users' mail packets. The Blue Wave
Mail Door supports 2 "metacharacters" in the
compression command lines, and will be described
below.
WARNING: LHARC *will* hang your system if you do
not give it the proper command line. The door
uses "non-standard" filename extensions, and LHARC
will complain. You must have a "/m" on your LHARC
compression command line.
ARCHIVER DECOMPRESS COMMAND LINE:
Here you will define the command line used to
decompress your users' uploaded mail packets.
NOTE: It should be mentioned that there MUST BE
ENOUGH MEMORY FREE ON YOUR SYSTEM TO RUN THE
EXTERNAL ARCHIVERS! If you are getting "Out of
Memory or Disk Space" errors, and you have plenty
of disk space, you will need to either enable
SWAPPING within The Blue Wave Mail Door, or make
T.A.G. swap out when loading the Blue Wave Mail
Door.
Archiver Command Line Metacharacters
------------------------------------
@F Inserts the directory/filename of the file to
be BUILT when used in the compress command
line. When used in the Decompress command
line, the door inserts the directory/filename
of the file to be DECOMPRESSED.
@I When used in the Compress command line, the
door inserts the directory and filename of
the files to INCLUDE in the archive. When
used in the DECOMPRESS command line, the door
inserts the directory/filename of the place
where the extracted files will be placed (the
door's WORK directory).
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 40
Sample Command Lines for Popular Archivers
------------------------------------------
The following examples have been tested with their
respective archivers and work well:
PKZIP @F @I ZIP Compression command line
PKUNZIP @F @I ZIP Decompression command line
PKARC -a @F @I ARC Compression command line
PKXARC -e @F @I ARC Decompression command line
LHARC a /m @F @I LZH Compression command line
LHARC e /m @F @I LZH Decompression command line
PAK a @F @I PAK Compression command line
PAK e @F @I PAK Decompression command line
ARJ a -e @F @I ARJ Compression command line
ARJ e @F @I ARJ Decompression command line
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 41
The Security and Netmail Manager
--------------------------------
The Blue Wave Mail Door has full built-in support for
Fidonet netmail. The door allows you to define the security
level and flags needed to access every BIT on a netmail
message. When the door was installed, it defaulted to SYSOP
on all security levels.
You should be careful about allowing users access to certain
netmail attributes. That, however, is left at your
discretion. The Blue Wave Mail Door simply provides the
capability for users to enter File Request messages, and
other "usually sysop-only" bits.
The Blue Wave Mail Door, however, allows you to have even
more control over messages entered in your netmail bases.
The door will allow you to define the default bits to place
on ALL MESSAGES. Several bits are allowed to be toggled,
but obviously those that will never be used were left out.
(What do you mean you want to mark ALL Netmail as File
Attaches??)
For example, you could place the HOLD bit on all netmail
messages so that they can be "screened" before leaving your
system. The door double checks these flags and security
levels when users upload netmail through the door, so there
is absolutely no chance of someone "hacking" their way
through the security system.
For full details on how The Blue Wave Mail Door handles
netmail bases, please see the section titled "SENDING
NETMAIL THROUGH THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR".
The door uses the security listed in the Security Editor for
sending mail to unlisted nodes. Unlisted nodes are those
that the door could not find in your NODELIST when doing a
matrix-mail lookup for the costing on a node. If you allow
"Normal" access to this option, it is possible to run the
door without a nodelist. If a node is unlisted, and the
user has proper access to SEND to unlisted nodes, the door
checks the "COST TO SEND TO UNLISTED NODES" field. Then, if
the user has a proper CREDIT/DEBIT ratio, the message will
be allowed to enter the system. Otherwise, the user is
given an informative message, and the door does not accept
the new mail into the system.
-------------------------------------------------
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Page 42
The User File Editor
--------------------
BWSETUP contains a User File Editor, which allows you access
to all of the user-configurable options and several other
extra items.
Most of the items in the user file editor are self
explanatory, so it would only be a waste of time and paper
to explain them here. The User File editor contains an on-
line help screen, which is accessible by pressing F1 in the
editor.
The part of the user editor that deserves mention is the
Area Editor. To see and/or edit the areas that a user is
currently active for, you can press F5 to bring up a "pick-
list". Areas that the user has active will be tagged with a
yellow box.
To toggle the ACTIVE status on the highlighted message area,
simply press the [Space] bar.
Through the user area editor, it is also possible to
selectively FORCE message areas for particular users. By
pressing F9 while on a highlighted message area, it is
possible to toggle the FORCED status of the area for the
current user.
Forcing a message area on a user through the user editor is
somewhat different than forcing an area through the Message
Area Override Editor, although both serve the same basic
purpose; to disallow the user to turn OFF the active status
either through the door's Configuration Menu or through the
reader's OFFLINE CONFIGURATIONS.
When a particular message area is FORCED on a user through
the user file editor, the door disregards the security
levels when evaluating whether or not the person has access
to see and/or read the area. If you force an area on a
user, and they do NOT have access to read the area, IT WILL
STILL BE TAGGED AS ACCESSIBLE AND ACTIVE!
This provides a very powerful way to give selected users
access to higher-security areas without actually having to
increase their Security and Flag levels for the rest of the
BBS.
You can BLOCK access to any message area for a particular
user by editing their user areas, highlighting the area you
wish to block, and pressing F10.
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 43
MAINTAINING THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR
-----------------------------------
Careful thought has gone into making The Blue Wave Mail Door easy to
maintain. There is nothing worse than having to duplicate efforts
while adding and deleting message areas to and from your BBS. After
all, you have already edited the BBS data files, why have to do it
again?
You don't! Since each time the door loads it reads directly out of
T.A.G.'s MBOARDS.DAT, the message area definitions are always up to
date with T.A.G.'s setup. The only time message area maintenance
would be required is if you use the Message Area Overrides feature of
the door.
The BWSETUP PURGE Function
--------------------------
About the only maintenance that may be necessary is the
deletion of users from the door's user file (BWMAIL.USR).
The Blue Wave Mail Door makes it easy to keep a 'clean' user
file. If you want to delete all users from the user file
that have not used the door in 90 days, simply execute the
command line "BWSETUP PURGE 90" from the BLUEWAVE Directory.
The door will automatically pack the user file and remove
all inactive users.
Any number may be entered for the number of days to pack the
user file down to, but the BWSETUP Purge function will not
allow the <days> parameter to be less than 30. This is a
built-in safety precaution against wiping out your entire
Blue Wave user file.
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 44
GENERAL OVERVIEW OF DOOR OPERATIONS
-----------------------------------
Now that we have examined the operation of BWSETUP in detail, and you
have gone through the initial installation of the door, it seems
appropriate to discuss (in general terms) the operations of the door
itself.
The Blue Wave Mail Door interfaces with T.A.G. almost seamlessly. The
main bridge between T.A.G. and The Blue Wave Mail Door is the DOOR.SYS
file.
The DOOR.SYS file contains some important information that The Blue
Wave Mail Door uses to initialize itself when first executed. In
fact, the door will not run at all if it cannot find a DOOR.SYS file
in your T.A.G. System Directory [unless the /K<user number> command
line is used. Please see the section titled "LOCAL MAIL DOOR USAGE"
for more information].
If you are attempting to run The Blue Wave Mail Door in LOCAL MODE,
and you get a message that says "LOST CARRIER" on your screen, chances
are that the DOOR.SYS file that the door is reading does not contain
your information. To simplify the usage of the door in LOCAL mode,
simply go to the BLUEWAVE directory and type "BWMAIL /k1", where the
/K parameter contains the user number of the person you would like to
run the door as. "BWMAIL /K1" would load the first user out of
T.A.G.'s USER.LST (normally the sysop), and execute the door in local
mode.
An alternative to the /K<user number> command line parameter is to use
the NAME of the person to load the door for after the /K. To load the
door with "Joe Smith" as the active user, use: BWMAIL /Kjoe_smith.
You must replace all <Space> characters with an underscore.
Also during initialization, all 3 of the door's PRIVATE directores are
purged of any files thay may be lurking around and ready to cause
trouble during the door operation. For this reason, you should make
sure NEVER to store files in the private directories (UPLOAD,
DOWNLOAD, and WORK) that you plan on keeping.
After the door has initialized itself, and prepared for operation, the
user will be shown either the file BWINTRO.TXT (if they have neither
ANSI nor AVATAR selected in T.A.G.), or BWINTRO.ANS for those with
graphics enabled. If the user has never used The Blue Wave Mail
System before, they will then be shown the text in the file
NEWUSER.HLP, and then their default settings. Otherwise, they will be
taken to the Main Menu.
From the Main Menu, a user is able to configure their setup, upload
new mail, or download their mail packet. Full information on using
The Blue Wave Mail Door is contained in the file BWDOOR.USE.
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 45
Keys Used While a User is Online
--------------------------------
The Blue Wave Mail Door contains several keys that you, as a
sysop, can press while a user is online. The door is always
in "simultaneous keyboard mode", meaning that whatever you
type on the local keyboard will also be echoed and processed
to/for the remote user.
However, there are "Special" key combinations that do not
echo to the remote user or affect their input. Before we
discuss the "Sysop Keys", let's explain a little bit about
the status bar on the bottom row of your screen.
The status bar is not visible to your remote users, of
course. During normal operation, you will only see 1
visible line, however, there are actually 2 lines that make
up the status bar display. When you press your sysop keys,
additional information will fill the "second" status line,
just above the normal one. This additional information will
be cleared, and the status bar updated every 10 seconds.
Please remember that anything shown on the bottom 2 lines of
your display is not echoed to the remote user!
The <HOME> Key:
Anytime a user is online, you can press the <HOME>
key to get help on the keys available to you.
They will be displayed on the STATUS BAR at the
bottom of the screen.
The <ALT-N> Key:
The <ALT-N> key will display extended information
about the current user, including their Alias Name
and City. The information, as with all of the
sysop keys, will be cleared in about 10 seconds
for a more "tidy" appearance.
The <ALT-C> Key:
While a user is online, you can press the <ALT-C>
key to "chat" with the user. Entering chat mode
allows you to interact directly with the user at
the remote end. Each key that you type will be
echoed to the remote user, and each key the remote
user types will be sent to your screen.
To exit chat mode at any time, simply press the
<ESC> key. After you exit chat mode with a user,
both the remote user's display and the local
display will be repainted with the information
that was on the screen at the time chat mode was
entered.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 46
The <ALT-H> Key:
Made for those users who are just plain annoying,
the <ALT-H> key will perform a disconnect (drops
modem DTR), and exits the door. Control is then
returned to the BBS. The BBS software will see
there is no longer a user online and recycle the
BBS system.
The <ALT-D> Key:
The <ALT-D> key will perform a local shell to DOS.
Don't worry, the remote user won't be able to see
what you are doing.
The <PageUp> Key:
The <PageUp> key will raise the user's online time
for this session by 10 minutes. The total time
remaining is displayed on line 1 of the status
bar.
The <UpArrow> Key:
The <UpArrow> key will raise the current user's
online time by 1 minute.
The <PageDown> Key:
The <PageDown> Key will lower the current user's
online time by 10 minutes.
The <DownArrow> Key:
The <DownArrow> Key will lower the current user's
online time by 1 minute.
Carrier Checking
----------------
The Blue Wave Mail Door performs its own carrier detect
function. If at any time a user hangs up on the system, the
door will detect it, clean its private diretories, and exit
back to the BBS. If the door is in the process of building
a mail bundle, the door will exit as soon as it is safe to
do so. Sometimes this may take a second or two because the
files have to be flushed and closed before the door can
exit. Do not be alarmed, if during the scanning or bundling
process, that it takes a couple of seconds for the door to
react.
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 47
Inactivity Timer
----------------
The Blue Wave Mail Door has a built-in inactivity timer
which will disconnect a user after 4 minutes of inactivity,
unless the setting under OPTIONS AND TOGGLES in BWSETUP
tells the door not to drop carrier on an inactive user.
Twenty seconds before the automatic exit takes place, a user
will be given a "second chance" to show that he or she is
still alive. If a key still is not pressed, the door will
lower your modem's DTR (if toggled ON) and exit back to the
BBS.
Rest assured that by pressing your SYSOP KEYS (described
earlier), the inactivity timer will *not* be reset. If a
user has been inactive for 3 minutes, and you happen to type
ALT-N to see more information about him/her, the inactivity
timer will still be set at 3 minutes. However, if you press
one of the "normal" keys, the timer will be reset, just as
if the remote user had entered the keystroke.
Lastread Pointers
-----------------
The door understands and updates T.A.G.'s LASTREAD pointers
for each user. The file LASTREAD.BBS (for Hudson Message
Bases), LASTREAD (for Fido-style *.MSG Message Bases), or
AREANAME.JLR (for JAM Message Bases) will be updated with
accurate lastread message pointer information.
-------------------------------------------------
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Page 48
OFFLINE CONFIGURATIONS
----------------------
The Blue Wave Mail System contains a built-in Offline configuration
function. There is absolutely nothing to configure for this function
to operate properly within The Blue Wave Mail Door. Everything is
automatic.
When a user wants to perform an offline configuration, all of the
information is entered through the reader. The next time that they
sign onto the BBS and upload their mail packet through The Blue Wave
Mail Door, the door will process their offline configuration.
Through the reader's offline configuration menu, users are able to
change everything about their door setup, except for the selection of
protocols and archivers. Even message areas can be toggled on and off
through offline configurations!
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 49
SENDING NETMAIL THROUGH THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR
-----------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Mail Door fully supports Fidonet netmail. Both the
reader and the door have full netmail capabilities, and can address
mail FROM Point systems, TO Point systems, and even handle mail from
one zone to another!
It has already been described how you can edit your netmail
configuration through the BWSETUP Security/Netmail Editor. For each
netmail "bit" that the user has access to, they will be given the
option to toggle it when entering netmail through the reader.
Extended attach flags, used by FrontDoor and D'Bridge, are also
supported. The DIRECT and IMM(ediate) flags are used to control the
handling of your netmail. If you are using a mailer that does not
understand these extended flags (a ^AFLAGS line), then you may want to
set these bits to "hidden" so that you don't have to deal with them.
If netmail is uploaded through The Blue Wave Mail Door which is
destined for another Zone, the door writes the proper ^AINTL: line to
handle the routing of the mail. To determine whether or not the
netmail is destined for another zone, the door compares your DEFAULT
network address (zone) to the destination zone of the message. If
they are different, the ^AINTL: line is written.
The Blue Wave Mail Door also respects user's Matrix Credits and
Debits. Netmail cost is handled the same way as the BBS. The door
looks up the cost for each netmail message through a T.A.G.-compiled
nodelist (You must use NLINDEX.EXE to compile the index files). If
you do not use NLINDEX.EXE to compile the nodelist indexes, the door
will report that all netmail sent is "UNLISTED".
If a user has enough credits to send a netmail message, the message
will be tossed, and the user's debits will be added to. The resulting
balance information will be written back to USER.LST, so that T.A.G.
has a properly updated user record.
If a node is unlisted, or The Blue Wave Mail Door cannot access your
nodelist, it acts accordingly. It checks the security level to "Send
Unlisted Mail", and also uses the cost that you have defined for "Cost
for Unlisted Nodes" in your BWMAIL.PRM file. If the node is unlisted,
the message will only be accepted if the user has enough access to
send to unlisted nodes, and the user has enough credits to his or her
name.
Each netmail message uploaded will be logged to your log file (if you
have enabled the UPLOAD INFORMATION logging (@)). The log entry will
contain the cost information and the destination of the uploaded
message. Obviously, you should be cautious about the people you allow
to have access to the Netmail area.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 50
FILE REQUESTING THROUGH THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR
-----------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Mail Door allows users to download files from your BBS,
if you have enabled the option to do so. If you do not want the file
request function to be active, you can set the "Maximum File Requests
per Session" to 0. Otherwise, The Blue Wave Mail Door will accept
them.
When a user requests that a file be sent with his or her mail packet,
the door performs all necessary checks to be sure that they actually
have access to download the file, and that their upload/download
ratio, if active, is in balance.
Any files that are requested are logged to your log file. The door
also updates a user's DOWNLOAD K and Total Download K for each file
request made. The new information is written back to USER.LST so that
your BBS always has accurate download statistics for the user.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 51
LOCAL MAIL DOOR USAGE
---------------------
The Blue Wave Mail Door has several provisions for making the
packaging of local mail downloads easy and hassle-free. Many times
sysops will opt to use The Blue Wave Offline Mail System to read mail
locally on their machines at home, or even to pack messages in a
nightly event to take to work with them.
Using this method will also allow sysops running DESQview, Windows, or
OS/2 to read mail packets with The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader while
still leaving the BBS online.
For this example, we will assume that you already have The Blue Wave
Offline Mail Reader installed in a directory called C:\BWAVE, and that
your DOWNLOAD directory is defined as C:\BWAVE\DOWN, your UPLOAD
directory is defined as C:\BWAVE\UPLOAD, and your WORK directory is
defined as C:\BWAVE\WORK. This example also assumes that the physical
computer that has the reader installed on it also contains your BBS
and mail door installed on it. (Or, different physical computers, but
with the same drives accessible through a LAN).
To get the best results from the interaction of the reader and mail
door, it is highly suggested that you set "Keep Old DL Packets (Don't
Erase)" set to "YES". This switch is located on the BWSETUP "Options
and Toggles" editor.
The next BWSETUP configuration items you will need to edit are located
on the "Directories and FilePaths" menu item. While in the
directories editor, cursor through the fields to the PATH TO LOCAL
WORK DIRECTORY field. You can enter any path here you like, as the
reader and the door do not need to share WORK directories.
You should then define your PATH TO LOCAL DOWNLOAD DIRECTORY to be the
same "Download Directory" defined in the reader (in our example this
would be C:\BWAVE\DOWN). Define your PATH TO LOCAL UPLOAD DIRECTORY
to be the same as the "Upload Directory" defined in the reader (in our
example this would be C:\BWAVE\UPLOAD).
Press F10 to save your configuration, choose to exit BWSETUP, and save
your current configuration. You are now ready to set up two batch
files. One batch file will execute the door in autodownload mode (to
build your mail bundle) and the other will execute the door in auto
upload mode (to send your replies back through the mail door).
Two sample batch files are shown on the next page. BWDOWN.BAT can be
executed each time you wish to build a mail bundle. BWUP.BAT should
be executed each time you have replied to messages in the reader and
are ready to send them back to the mail door to be processed.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 52
In the sample batch files below, enter the commands shown on the left
side of the page. Comments on the right side of the page are there
for explanatory purposes only and should not be entered in the batch
file.
Sample BWDOWN.BAT
-----------------
c: Change to the drive where BWMAIL.EXE is.
cd \bbs\bluewave Change to the directory where BWMAIL is.
bwmail /kJoe_Sysop /d Load with "Joe Sysop" as user in DL mode
Sample BWUP.BAT
---------------
c: Change to the drive where BWMAIL.EXE is.
cd \bbs\bluewave Change to the directory where BWMAIL is.
bwmail /kJoe_Sysop /u Load with "Joe Sysop" as user in UL mode
You should, of course, substitute "Joe_Sysop" with the name that you
use to log into the BBS with. In both cases, the mail door will
perform the desired function and exit back to the batch file. The
door will not ask for input in local auto upload or autodownload mode.
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The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 53
PRODUCT SUPPORT
---------------
The Blue Wave Mail System is a growing and developing software
package. Cutting Edge Computing is always interested in hearing your
comments, complaints, suggestions, and of course kind words. We take
into consideration every request that we get in order to make The Blue
Wave Mail System a first class offline mail package. We would like to
hear from you!
If you are having trouble with The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader, The
Blue Wave Offline Mail Door, or have comments and suggestions, please
drop us a line. We can be reached via direct FidoNet NETMAIL, through
the International BLUEWAVE Echo (available on the FidoNet Backbone and
distribution hubs), and of course through the US Mail.
Cutting Edge Computing is owned and operated by George Hatchew in
Burton, Michigan USA. Here are the addresses where you may contact
me directly:
Electronic Mail (methods for REGISTERED and UNREGISTERED users)
---------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNet Netmail to 1:2240/176, or the BLUEWAVE Fido Echo
Internet george.hatchew@f176.n2240.z1.fidonet.org
Internet bwave@aol.com
America Online Name: BWAVE
Support BBS The Wild! Blue BBS (1200-14400 v32b/HST)
810-743-8464
FAX
---
Faxes may be sent to 810-743-5910, 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.
If you are a REGISTERED USER, please indicate this on any Fax
communications for a speedier response. Unregistered user technical
support via Fax will be honoured at the earliest available moment.
However, registered user support and other commitments take
precedence. Please provide return FAX phone number and hours.
Voice Technical Support
-----------------------
Voice technical support is offered ONLY to registered users of The
Blue Wave Mail System. Please have your name (as you registered with
us) and your registration code ready before calling. If at all
possible, please be at or near your computer when requesting technical
assistance via telephone. Voice technical support is offered Monday
through Friday at 810-743-WAVE (810-743-9283).
US Mail
-------
Cutting Edge Computing
PO Box 90476
Burton, Michigan 48509 (USA)
-------------------------------------------------
The Blue Wave Offline Mail Door for T.A.G., v3.05
Page 54
INDEX OF KEYWORDS
-----------------
%B 37 BWMAIL.PRM Override 13
%F 37 BWMAIL.ZIP 8
%N 14, 17, 26, 27 BWSETUP Purge function 44
%P 37 BWSETUP.EXE 19
%T 14, 17, 26, 27 BWUP.BAT 52
%U 37 carrier detect 15, 47
-c 13 chat mode 46
-d 17 command line parameters 13
-DOWN= 16 configuration file 19
-k 14 copyright information 3, 6
-LOG= 17 Cost for Unlisted Nodes 50
-LOGOFF= 18 Countdown Logoff 18, 23
-MONO 15 credit card registrations 4
-NOCD 15 Cutting Edge Computing 3, 54
-NODV 15 Default Archiver 39
-NORECV 16 Default Message areas 30, 32
-p 13 Default Protocol 38
-s 13 DESQview 15, 22
-t 14 DIRECT 50
-u 17 DOOR.SYS 45
-UPLOAD= 16 DOS PATH 28
-WORK= 16 DOWNLOAD Directory 12, 27
@F 40 Download Directory Override 16
@I 40 DSZ 37, 38
^AFLAGS 50 Expanded Memory 22
^AINTL Extended Memory 22
{BEEP} 21 EXTERNAL PROTOCOL DRIVERS 36
{PAUSE} 21 FAST (DIRECT) SCREEN WRITES 22
ALLOW G)OODBYE COMMANDS 23 FAX 4, 54
Allow Private Msgs 31 FILE REQUEST 35, 51
AMERICAN EXPRESS 4 file sharing 12
ARC 41 Force Message areas 30, 32, 43
ARCHIVER COMMAND LINES 40 General Information Editor 19
Archivers 39 HANGUP ON INPUT TIMEOUT 23
ARCHIVER HOTKEY 39 HANGUP WHEN TIME LIMIT EXPIRES 23
ARCHIVER TITLE 39 Hydra 37
Area Description 31 IMM 50
Area Origin Line 31 IMMEDIATE LOGOFF 18
Area Tag 31 inactivity 23, 48
Area Type 31 installation 8, 11
ARJ 41 Instant Logoff 23
Auto Logoff Mode 18 internal protocols 36
AutoDownload Mode 17 Keep Old DL Packets 52
AutoUpload Mode 17 KEEP OLD DOWNLOAD PACKETS 24
BATCH PROTOCOL 38 LASTREAD pointers 48
BBS NAME 19 LHARC 40
Bidirectional protocols 37 LIMIT NEWFILES SCAN 35
Bimodem 37 Limits and Maximums 33
BLUEWAVE Echo 54 Local Color 15
BWDOOR.BAT 9 Local DOWNLOAD Directory 29
BWDOOR.USE 5 LOCAL MAIL DOOR USAGE 11, 52
BWDOWN.BAT 52 LOCAL MODE 23, 24, 45
BWINTRO.ANS 45 Local UPLOAD Directory 29
BWINTRO.TXT 45 Local User Override 14
Local WORK Directory 29 SHARE violations 12
LOG BUNDLING INFORMATION 24 ShareWare 3
LOG ERROR MESSAGES 25 shell to DOS 47
LOG GENERAL ACTIVITY 25 speed 33
LOG SCANNING INFORMATION 24 Stamp Downloaded Msgs as "Rec'd" 16
LOG UPLOAD INFORMATION 25 status bar 46
logging 17, 25, 27 Support BBS 54
LOST CARRIER 45 Swapping 22, 28
LZH 41 Sysop Keys 46
maintenance 44 TASK number 14
MASTERCARD 4 Task/Node Override 14
Matrix Credits 50 time limit 23
MAX UNCOMPRESSED PACKET SIZE 33 UPLOAD Directory 12, 28
Maximum File Requests 51 Upload Directory Override 16
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF MESSAGES 34 User File Editor 43
Memory Swap 22 VISA 4
message area override 30 WORK Directory 12, 28
Monochrome systems 15 Work Directory Override 16
Multi-line systems 11-12, 26, 27 Write Security Level 32
NAME OF MAIL PACKETS 20 YOUR NAME AS SYSOP 19
netmail 42, 50 YOUR REAL NAME 19
NEWFILES SCAN 34 ZIP 41
NEWUSER.HLP 45
Node Directory Override 13
NODELIST 42
NUKE *.NEW PKTS AFTER UPLOAD 23
Offline configuration 49
Origin line 31
Out of Memory 40
PAK 41
Path to DOWNLOAD Dir 27
Path to SWAP File 28
Path to UPLOAD Dir 28
Path to WORK Dir 28
Path to LOCAL DOWNLOAD Dir 52
Path to LOCAL UPLOAD Dir 52
Path to LOCAL WORK Dir 52
Path to STATUS.DAT
Path/Filename of LOG File 27
Port Override 13
Protocol Configuration Editor 36
PROTOCOL DESCRIPTION 37
protocol driver 28
PROTOCOL HOTKEY 37
PROTOCOLS 36, 37, 38
PURGE 44
RAMdrive 33
Read Access Level 31
READER FILES 21
RECEIVE COMMAND 38
Register by FAX 4
Register in EUROPE 4
Registration Information 4
REGISTRATION NUMBER 20
SEND COMMAND 37