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- Introduction
- Internet Account Type Details
- Dedicated vs. Non-Dedicated Access
- Fixed IP Address vs. Dynamic IP Address
- Whether or Not to Register a Domain Name
- Single-User MailDrop vs. Multi-User MailDrop
- Connecting To The Internet
- Communicating With Other Computers
- Software Overview
- VISK Software Installation and Set-Up
- Single Computer Set-Up
- Dual or Multiple Computer Set-Up
- Installing the VISK Files
- Creating the Three Shared Directories
- Run SCHEDULE.EXE to Initialize INI file VCT-INET.INI
- Run VCONFIG.EXE on the BBS to Set-Up VUUCP For Use With VISK
- Create a Batch File to Process Incoming Data
- SCHEDULE
- SMTP, POP3 and NNTP
- VAIRC
- WEBDL
- WEB
- FINGERS
- MAKEWWW
- MAKEHTML
- Shareware Registration
- Windows 95 Tips
- Additional Sources of Information
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The Virtual Internet Survival Kit is a series of programs that
run on top of a Windows WinSock 1.1 Environment that connects
Virtual Advanced Bulletin Board systems to a live Internet feed.
The SMTP, POP3, and NNTP programs are geared for use with Virtual
Advanced's VUUCP mail tosser engine. The version of VUUCP required
is 3.00, or higher.
Possible WinSock 1.1 Environments:
Windows 3.1 w/Trumpet Winsock or equivalent
Windows 3.11 for Workgroups w/Microsoft's 32-bit TCP/IP pkg
Windows 95 (TCP/IP and Dial-Up Networking Built-In!)
Windows NT
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In order to use WinSock 1.1 Applications, you will need a PPP or
SLIP Account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). PPP is
preferred over SLIP for ease of use and better performance.
With this type of account, your computer obtains an IP address,
and becomes an actual part of the Internet's Wide Area Network,
just like any other Host Site or User Computer. It is important
to note that you can you use VISK with any kind of SLIP or PPP
Internet Account. It does not matter if you have dedicated or
non-dedicated access, dynamically assigned IP or fixed IP,
registered domain name or not.
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With dedicated access, your computer is connected to the Internet
full-time, 24 hours per day. The typical rate of this type of
access averages $150 per month in the US for a 28.8k or 33.6k (USR)
connection, and it would be suitable for most BBS's, schools,
companies, and institutions that want to easily and inexpensively
run an Internet host site under Windows. Internet users with
dedicated access almost always also use a fixed IP address.
With non-dedicated access, you only connect to the Internet for the
duration you need -- such as the time needed to send mail with SMTP,
pickup mail with POP3, and post/retrieve newsgroups with NNTP.
Note that simce Windows and TCP/IP are capable of multitasking,
several Internet apps can, and often do, run at the same time.
Cheap, so-called "unlimited" Internet access is available from many
sources for average $19 per month. Just what is meant by "unlimited"
most likely varies, but I do not think that the ISP's intend
"unlimited" to mean the same as dedicated access. Usually what
happens is that you can use as many hours as you want, but you are
limited to 4 hours per call. Dynamically assigned IP addresses are
usually used with the cheap, low-rate Internet access accounts.
This tends to make these types of accounts unsuitable for dedicated
access -- especially if your ISP enforces the 4-hour per call limit,
and your IP address changes every 4 hours.
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There are not enough possible Internet IP addresses available such
that every computer on the planet can have its own unique fixed
address. To overcome this problem, dynamic addressing was
developed. With dynamic addressing, each ISP gets a block of
addresses for their use. When a user dials in and logs into
the system, an address is allocated from the available pool of
addresses, and the user's computer is known by this dynamically
assigned IP addresss for the duration of the session. When they
disconnect, the address is returned to available pool for re-use.
Most direct users of the Internet will not require a fixed IP
address, and a dynamic address will work just fine. For example,
SMTP, POP3, NNTP, and WEBDL don't care either way.
You will need a fixed IP address if you intend on using WEB, or any
other "server" software that makes your site a host site on the
Internet; you need the fixed IP address so that people can find
your system on a consistent basis.
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A IP address is a string of digits with periods in between.
205.138.136.151 is an example of a fixed IP address used by Virtual
ComTech's host site. Most people aren't good at remembering strings
of digits, so a more human-friendly way was developed called Domain
Names or Host Names. The name associated with the fixed IP address
205.138.136.151 is "virtualc.com".
A process called a Name Server (usually run by your ISP) is
automatically called upon by your computer's TCP/IP, when you give a
domain name or a host name (such as "virtualc.com") to resolve.
The Name Server looks up the host name virtualc.com and returns to
your computer the IP address.
If you have a fixed IP address, and are a host site on the Internet,
you may wish to consider registering a domain name on the Internet.
Often times, your ISP can help you with the paperwork on this, but
beware that many ISPs overcharge for this service. Your better off
doing it yourself -- its quick and easy. The cost to keep the domain
name registered is $100 for two years, at that this doc was written.
You pay this $100 to the InterNIC (Internet Network Information Center)
directly -- they send you a bill in the mail!
If you don't want to go the whole 10 yards and get your own domain
name, you might be able to "hang off" the domain of your ISP; for
example, if your ISP were "isp.com" and your BBS was called "Acme",
maybe you could be "acme.isp.com" -- this may be a cheaper
alternative. This is sometimes called an unregistered domain name
or unregistered site name.
If neither option is appealing, then don't worry about it. Just
because domain names exist does not mean you have to use them. In
other words, you can accessed via your IP address directly (for
example, try http://205.138.136.151), and you can access others
that way too.
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If you have registered a domain name (example: mysystem.com), or if
you "hang off" your ISP's domain (example: mysystem.isp.com), you
should request a multi-user POP3 mail-drop from your ISP. What this
means is that users of your bulletin board system (and possible
gateways provided by your system) will be able to receive Internet
email in the simple format:
@
: This part is automatically assigned by VUUCP, the
first time the user sends an email message. The handle, once
generated, is remembered for future reference in sending subsequenet
emails, and when receiving replies back .
: This would be your sites registered or unregistered
site name.
It should be noted that the Multi-User Mail-Drop is usually standard
with dedicated access; the Single-User Mail-Drop is usually
associated with the non-dedicated access, or cheap flat-rate
accounts. It is possible to do POP3 email with a Single-User
Mail-Drop, but email exchange will be limited to the SysOp in those
cases, since the ISP isn't giving you a mailbox which supports
multiple users (ie te SysOp and his/her callers). I hope to propose
the additon of a "X-" extension header line to give a place for
custom addressing, so that a Single-User Mail-Drop might be able to
be used in multiuser situations. This would be something VUUCP
would need to be concerned with, not SMTP/POP3.
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No matter what type of account you have (PPP or SLIP), or whether
you use a fixed IP address or a dynamic address, registered domain
or not, there are a variety of ways you can physically make the
connection to the Internet. When you connect your computer to the
Internet, its essentially like being on a really big LAN. Once you
make the physical connection, you are ready to begin communicating
with any other computer currently attached to the Internet -- that's
any computer, anywhere in the world -- in real-time. The type of
connection you get will largely depend on what you can afford.
For most of us, this will mean a simple dial-up type of connection
using a V.34 modem. With this type of connection, the dialing
process varies with the version of Windows and brand of TCP/IP
you are using. With Windows 95, you will use the built-in "Dial-Up
Networking."
For a few, this may mean a more intense (and more expensive)
connection using ISDN, digital 56k, digital T1, digital T3, or some
other type of high-speed digital transport such as FDDI or HSSI.
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Once you've established the physical connection, your computer is
ready to communicate with other computers on the Internet. This is
where the WinSock-dependent applications take over, and get things
done. Here are some examples:
If you start-up the SMTP client, it will attempt to deliver outgoing
email to your ISP's SMTP Server. It does this by requesting a
temporary link to the Server, sending commands and data, and then
closing the link appropriately when done.
If you start-up the POP3 client, it will attempt to retrieve incoming
email from your ISP's POP3 Server. It does this by requesting a
temporary link to the Server, sending commands and receiving data,
and then closing the link appropriately when done.
If you start-up the NNTP client, it will attempt to post outgoing
articles, and then retrieve incoming all new incoming articles with
your ISP's NNTP Server. It does this by requesting a temporary link
to the Server, sending commands, and sending and receiving data,
and then closing the link appropriately when done.
Note that SMTP, POP3, and NNTP can be run as often as practical,
but should be scheduled appropriately for optimal efficiency.
Just what that means to you depends on your needs and resources.
If you start-up the Web Server, it will open up a socket to "listen"
on for incoming connections. When one comes in, a temporary link
is established between the remote computer and your computer. In the
case of the Web Server, once the link is established, your computer
will wait for the remote end to send up a command to be processed.
Once the processing is complete, the link is closed, and made
available for re-use. The Web Server remains available to users on
the Internet until you either shut-down the Web Server software,
disconnect from the Internet, or shut-off the computer entirely.
It is important to note that establishing temporary links to other
computers on the Internet does not change the status of your physical
connection to the Internet; these things are independent of each
other.
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VISK is a modular design; each program, generally, handles one
specific Internet-related task, and you make use of just the module
or modules you need. The modules included with VISK Ver 1
Official Release:
SCHEDULE (Automated Scheduler) [Utility]
Automates Execution of SMTP, POP3, and NNTP
Also A Configuration Editor for SMTP, POP3, and NNTP
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) [Client]
Sends Internet Email To ISP
POP3 (Post Office Protocol Ver 3) [Client]
Retrieves Internet Email From Maildrop At ISP
NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) [Client]
Posts To Internet Newsgroups
Retrieves Internet Newsgroup Articles
VAIRC (Virtual Advanced IRC Software) [Client]
Connects Virtual Advanced BBS
Teleconference To Internet Relay Chat
WEBDL (Web Download Software) [Client]
Download Files From Any Internet Web Site
Download VirtualNET Packets From virtualc.com
WEB (Web Server Software) [Server]
Makes Your Windows Computer A Host Site
On The World Wide Web
FINGERS (Finger Server Software) [Server]
Makes Your Windows Computer A Host Site
Capable Of Responding To User Information Requests
MAKEWWW (Creates HTML Pages) [Utility]
Automatically Creates HTML Pages Using Data In
Virtual Advanced BBS File Area Databases
MAKEHTML (Creates HTML Pages) [Utility]
Automatically Creates HTML Pages Using Data From
Any ASCII Text File
It should be noted, that, of the above modules, only SCHEDULE,
VAIRC, WEB and FINGERS need to be run continuously.
SMTP, POP3, NNTP, and WEBDL are programs that start-up, do their
business, and quit.
MAKEWWW and MAKEHTML might be set-up to called from .BAT files,
perhaps as an automatic daily event.
[Client]
A program which will interact with the like Server Process at
your ISP. For example, the SMTP Client application running on
your computer establishes a link to your ISP's SMTP Server
Program. The SMTP Client delivers mail to the SMTP Server, and
closes the link. The SMTP Server Process at your ISP then
delivers your email wherever it needs to go -- all around the
world -- almost instantly.
[Server]
A program running, usually continuously, on an Internet Host Site
which allows Client Applications to make use of its services.
For example, a POP3 Server sits and waits for incoming links.
When a client establishes a link, the Server "wakes up" and
processes the commands and inputs from the client. This might
entail sending or receiving of requested data (email messages, in
the case of POP3), or even a "quit" command which closes the
link. Typically, a Server Process can handle many users at a
time, and there are a generous number of services possible on
the Internet.
[Utility]
A program which does not communicate with the Internet directly,
but interacts with other programs -- clients and servers --
that do.
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The first thing you'll need to decide is whether you'll be runing
your BBS (Virtual Advanced) and your VISK Software on the same
computer, or on separate computers connected together via LAN.
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If you intend to run everything on one computer, Windows 95 or
Windows NT is recommended; you could think of Windows 95 as a "the
poor man's" NT, and so far I personally like Win95 very much. I am
impressed with its ability to handle my dedicated Internet
connection -- not too bad for an $85 operating system.
If you run Windows 95, then naturally you'll have to run the DOS
version of Virtual Advanced, since the OS/2 version of Virtual
Advanced will not run under Windows 95. It is possible that Virtual
Advanced for OS/2 will work with Windows NT, but I have not tested
this.
With the single computer set-up, the Virtual Advanced BBS Software
(and VUUCP), will communicate with the VISK program modules via
three shared hard drive directories. For example, to send out email,
VUUCP will compose the RFC822-format message, and write the file to
one of the three directories. SMTP, next time it is run, will check
that same directory for possible outgoing email. If there is some
waiting, it is sent. To send out a newsgroup post, VUUCP will
compose the RFC822-format message, and write the file to a different
one of the three directories. Next time NNTP is run, it will check
this directory for outgoing posts, and if any exists, it will be
posted to the newsgroup. The third directory is for POP3 and NNTP
to place incoming data that needs to be processed by the VUUCP /R
command.
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If you intend to run the BBS and the "Internet Box" on separate
computers, then there are fewer limitations to the version of Windows
you can run (though Win95 is still recommended) for your "Internet
Box," and fewer limitations to the version of Virtual Advanced you
can run (either Virtual Advanced for DOS or Virtual Advanced for
OS/2) for your BBS.
With the multiple computer set-up, you'll need a LAN of some type.
Virtual Advanced and VISK are compatible with most any LAN.
With the multiple computer set-up, the Virtual Advanced BBS Software
(and VUUCP), will communicate with the VISK program modules via
three shared, networked hard drive directories, exactly like the
single-computer set-up.
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VISK is distributed with the following files:
CSWSOCK.VBX
VBSOCK.VBX
VBRUN300.DLL
SCHEDULE.EXE
SMTP.EXE
POP3.EXE
NNTP.EXE
VAIRC.EXE
WEBDL.EXE
WEB.EXE
FINGERS.EXE
MAKEWWW.EXE
MAKEHTML.EXE
HEADER.HTM
TRAILER.HTM
and
SETUP.EXE
Executing SETUP.EXE will copy the DLL and VBX files to your Windows
System directory, and will copy the EXE files to your Windows
directory.
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Next, create the three shared directories described in previous
paragraphs. For the purpose of example, let's use G:\SMTPOUT,
G:\NNTPOUT, and G:\INCOMING. You may choose a drive other than
"G:", of course.
md G:\SMTPOUT
md G:\NNTPOUT
md G:\INCOMING
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Next, execute the SCHEDULE.EXE program. When it detects that you
have no prior VCT-INET.INI file in your Windows directory, it will
create one for you with default settings, and let you immediately
modify those settings to fit your needs:
SMTP Settings
Host
This specifies the address or host name of the SMTP Server provided
by your ISP. Typically, if your ISP were "isp.com" your
SMTP Server would be "mail.isp.com" -- if in doubt or having
trouble, contact your ISP.
Domain
If you have a registered domain name, or one given to you by your
ISP, enter that address here. If not, then put your ISP's main
address here (for example, isp.com).
Path
This specifies the directory where SMTP should look for outgoing
email to send. For our example, this would be the G:\SMTPOUT path
created earlier.
POP3 Settings
Host
This specifies the address or host name of the POP3 Server provided
by your ISP. Typically, if your ISP were "isp.com" your POP3
Server would be "mail.isp.com" -- just like the SMTP Server. In fact,
most often they are the same machine. If in doubt or having
trouble, contact your ISP.
Login
Password
In order to retrieve your email from your service provider's POP3
Server, the POP3 Client must authenticate itself with a login ID
and a password. In most cases these will be exactly the same, as
the ones you used to make the Physical Connection, described
earlier in this text. Note that thse two fields may be case-sensitive.
Path
This specifies the directory where POP3 should put incoming email
to be processed by VUUCP and put onto the BBS. For our
example, this would be the G:\INCOMING path created earlier.
NNTP Settings
Host
This specifies the address or host name of the NNTP Server provided
by your ISP. Typically, if your ISP were "isp.com" your
NNTP Server would be "news.isp.com" -- if in doubt or having trouble,
contact your ISP.
In-Path
This specifies the directory where NNTP should look for outgoing data
to post to Internet Newsgroups. For our example, this is
G:\NNTPOUT.
Out-Path
This specifies the directory where NNTP should put incoming data it
has received, for later processing by VUUCP (posting the
messages to the BBS). For our example, this is G:\INCOMING.
Note: You should put the file NEWS.LST in your Windows directory.
NEWS.LST can be automatically generated by the Virtual Advanced BBS
VCONFIG program. You should generate the file with VCONFIG, and
then copy it to your Windows directory.
Scheduling
Each module has its own separate scheduling capability that you
can customize to fit your needs:
Disabled
Disables automatic execution of a module.
Hourly
Automatic execution hourly at a certain time past the hour, expressed
in minutes from 0 to 59.
Daily
Automatic execution daily at a certain time of day, expressed in
hh:mm format.
Minimized
Execute the module minmized.
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Even though the VISK SMTP/POP3/NNTP programs used over a PPP or
SLIP connection completely eliminate the need to use UUCP, you
still need to put an entry into the VUUCP dialing list for mail
tossing purposes only. Let me make it clear that you will not be
using VUUCP to do any dialing; you will be using it just to toss
mail.
Main VUUCP Config Screen (VCONFIG)
1) System Name:
Your registered domain name if you have one. If you don't have a
registered domain name, then put here the host name given to you
by your ISP. If you don't have one of those either, then put your
ISP's domain name here.
2) Spool Directory:
Typically this is C:\SPOOL or D:\SPOOL, or similar. VUUCP uses this
directory, and automatically creates additional directories below
this one as needed. For the purpose of example, let's assume this
is set to C:\SPOOL.
Remote Configuration VUUCP Config Screen (VCONFIG)
1) Remote System Name:
This would be the host name or domain name of your ISP.
2) Remote System Phone:
Since you won't actually be doing any dialing with this entry, this
field is used to store some needed Path information instead. This
field should contain two paths separated by a semi-colon. The first
path tells VUUCP where to write outgoing emails (from our example
G:\SMTPOUT), and the second path tells VUUCP where to write outgoing
posts (from our example G:\NNTPOUT). Thus, a complete example for
this field would be:
G:\SMTPOUT;G:\NNTPOUT
Remote Configuration Options 3, 4, and 5, can be left at default
settings.
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Finally, the last step in the set-up process. Create a .BAT (or
for OS/2, a .CMD) file that will run on the BBS computer that will
retrieves all data from the incoming directory (for our example,
G:\INCOMING) and copies it to the SPOOL\TMP directory (C:\SPOOL\TMP,
in our example) for processing.
if exist c:\spool\tmp\nntp.d goto no
if not exist g:\incoming\nntp.d goto no
copy g:\incoming\nntp.d c:\spool\tmp
if not exist c:\spool\tmp\nntp.d goto no
del g:\incoming\nntp.d
vuucp 0 /r
:no
if not exist g:\incoming\p*.d goto no2
copy g:\incoming\p*.d c:\spool\tmp
del g:\incoming\p*.d
vuucp 0 /r
:no2
if not exist g:\incoming\rm*.d goto no3
copy g:\incoming\rm*.d c:\spool\tmp
del g:\incoming\rm*.d
vuucp 0 /r
:no3
If you cut and paste the above batch file, don't forget to change
drive and directory references as appropriate. You can schedule
the batch file to run as an event from the Virtual Advanced BBS.
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SCHEDULE.EXE is responsible for automatically executing SMTP, POP3,
and NNTP. It also functions as a simple configuration editor for
the VCT-INET.INI configuration file used by SMTP, POP3, and NNTP.
And it provides a simple mechanism for viewing the log files created
by these programs.
Schedule takes a simple command line:
SCHEDULE
Note that SCHEDULE is, perhaps, most useful in situations where you
are running a dedicated connection 24 hours per day. If you don't
need to run SCHEDULE, you'll still need it for the confguration
editor.
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By default these three programs take their settings from the
VCT-INET.INI file, located in your Windows directory, when you
run them without parameters.
Simple examples:
SMTP
POP3
NNTP
You can, however, selectively override the VCT-INET.INI settings
by specifying otherwise on the command line, if you wish:
SMTP /host= /domain= /path=
Example:
SMTP /host=mail.isp.com /domain=isp.com /path=G:\SMTPOUT
SMTP will write a SMTP.LOG in the Windows directory.
POP3 /host= /login= /pw= /path=
Example:
POP3 /host=mail.isp.com /login=myloginid /pw=mypassword /path=G:\INCOMING
POP3 will write a POP3.LOG in the Windows directory.
NNTP /host= /inpath= /outpath=
Example:
NNTP /host=news.isp.com /inpath=G:\NNTPOUT /outpath=G:\INCOMING
NNTP will write a NNTP.LOG in the Windows directory.
Note: You should put the file NEWS.LST in your Windows directory.
NEWS.LST can be automatically generated by the Virtual Advanced BBS
VCONFIG program. You should generate the file with VCONFIG, and then
copy it to your Windows directory.
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VAIRC requires the following command line parameters:
VAIRC /ch=<virtual advanced channel number> /path=<path to virtual advanced control.dat directory>
VAIRC provides a bridge between the popular Internet Relay Chat
service and the Virtual Advanced BBS Teleconference Program. You
must execute one copy of VAIRC.EXE for each Virtual Advanced BBS
channel that you wish to make IRC-capable. In other words, if you
run a two-line BBS (channels 1 and 2), plus a local node for the
sysop (channel 0), then you'd run three copies of VAIRC.EXE.
(/ch=0 for channel 0, /ch=1 for channel 1, and /ch=2 for channel 2)
Example:
VAIRC /ch=0 /path=i:
VAIRC runs continuously, checking to see if it is needed by the BBS
user. During this inactive time, the program comsumes extremely
little system processor time. Once invoked by a user, however, the
program wakes up and services the caller, providing a bridge between
Internet Relay Chat and the BBS teleconference. The program will
keep the bridge going until the caller quits, drops carrier, or runs
out of time. Then it will return to the inactive state, waiting for
the next user.
You should be able to have multiple-users using IRC all at the same
time without any conflicts. They can be accessing the same or
different IRC servers.
Note: For maximum performance, your Virtual Advanced CONTROL.DAT
Directory should be located on a RAMDRIVE or write-cached
harddrive if no RAMDRIVE is available.
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WEBDL requires one or more command line parameters:
WEBDL <URL to download>
Examples:
WEBDL //virtualc.com/welcome.htm
Download the current Virtual ComTech Home Page
WEBDL //virtualc.com/va/va1b4.zip
Download Virtual Advanced Ver 1 Beta 4 for DOS
WEBDL //www.microsoft.com/
Download Microsoft's Home Page
WEBDL can be used to download files from any site running a
HTTP/0.9 or HTTP/1.0 compatible web server.
WEBDL can also be used to download VirtualNET packets through
the Internet. This feature works only with virtualc.com:
WEBDL /VNET
When used in this mode, WEBDL will receive the file with the
filename as INCOMING.PKT.
This can be immediately passed to VNET ver 8.02 or higher, on the
BBS computer:
VNET 1 /IMPORT=INCOMING.PKT
(Note that you may need to include some path information if
INCOMING.PKT is not in the main VADV directory.)
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WEB is the Web Server software included with the VISK package.
It has some unique capabilities, and can handle average to light
duty; it is ideal for the hobbyist, sysop, or small business to
put a cheap but effective site up on Internet, on a budget.
WEB takes the following command line:
WEB <Root Path Allowed For Access>
If WEB is run with no parameters, then <Root Path Allowed For Access>
defaults to C:\WWW.
For purpose of example, let us assume C:\WWW.
NOTICE: Internet Web Users will be able to access all files in C:\WWW
and ALL FILES in directories below C:\WWW
You must create this directory manually before running WEB for the
first time. Within C:\WWW, you must place WELCOME.HTM -- your site's
main home page. You may create additional directories below this
directory as desired. For example, C:\WWW\TEST.
It should be noted that C:\WWW is then equivalent to the Internet
URL http:/// which is the Root Directory, and URL
http:///test/ would refer to hard drive directory
C:\WWW\TEST.
NOTICE: Internet Web Users will be able to access all files in
C:\WWW and ALL FILES in directories below C:\WWW, such as C:\WWW\TEST,
so be VERY CAREFUL that you don't put anything there that isn't
suitable or desired for public viewing.
WEB maintains two files in its root directory: WEB.LOG, a log file,
and WWWHITS, a stats file.
Note: When a web user asks for a directory only (ie no filename
given), then WELCOME.HTM is assumed by the web server software.
Therefore, if you are using C:\WWW, then C:\WWW\WELCOME.HTM should
be the very first page you create!
Your .HTM pages may contain text and HTML tags as defined by the
HTML specification. Virtual Web Server passes the information in
the html file verbatim, with the excpetion of the following special
tags recognized by WEB:
<VWS_EXT_NUM_ACCESS>
At fetch-time, WEB replaces the <VWS_EXT_NUM_ACCESS> special tag
with the number of hits to this page. WEB maintains hit statistics
for up to 200 pages on your web server.
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FINGERS is the Finger Server software included with the VISK package.
It has some unique capabilities, and is ideal for providing limited
user information and other text information from your BBS to users
on the Internet. The amount of information transmitted is kept
limited for security reasons, since the information is freely
accessible by anyone. In order for users on the Internet to use your
Finger Server, they will need a Finger client -- several are
available on ftp and web sites everywhere.
FINGERS takes the following command line parameters and options:
FINGERS <path to VADV CONTROL.DAT Dir> <path to VADV DATA Dir> <additional options>
Possible <additional options> allow you to customize the data
available from your site:
/NOU No User Listing
Prevents users on the Internet from obtaining a list of all
users.
/NOS No Search
Prevents search/display of user information.
/NOI No Information
Prevents display of text file SITEINFO.FGR (Windows Dir)
/NON No News
Prevents display of text file SITENEWS.FGR (Windows Dir)
/NOC No Callers List
Prevents display of your Today's Callers file (DATA\CALLERS.LST)
/NOA No Net Calls List
Prevents display of your Net Calls file (DATA\NETCALLS.LST)
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MAKEWWW is a utility program that creates HTML pages based on the
contents of your VIrtual Advanced BBS File Area Databases. MAKEWWW
is a DOS-based program, and must be executed from your Virtual
Advanced BBS Main Directory to execute properly. In addition,
this program can only be used in conjunction with the Virtual Web
Server in this VISK package. Other WEB SERVERs may or may not be
compatible with the special MS-DOS drive and directory conversion
that the Virtual Web Server supports.
MAKEWWW takes the following command line parameters and options:
MAKEWWW <Windows Directory> <WWW Directory> <VADV Database Dir> <Your Site Address>
If run with no parameters, MAKEWWW will display help syntax.
Here is an example using MAKEWWW:
MAKEWWW C:\WINDOWS C:\WWW D:\VADV\DB yoursite.com
MAKEWWW will create a FILEAREA.HTM, which will allow the web user
to select a directory for viewing; it should be noted that only
directories with the FREQ option enabled (VCONFIG, Database
Configuration) will be available for access. The FILEAREA.HTM
will be written to the designated WWW directory. To make the
file downloads available to web users, you'll need to make a
reference to FILEAREA.HTM, either on your WELCOME.HTM page, or
some other page.
MAKEWWW will also create one page for each file area, listing the
actual files and descriptions, and allowing the user to click on
them to download the file. These files are named FLST#.HTM, where
# is a number starting at 0 and counting upward. As described in
the previous paragraph, the FLST#.HTM files are automatically
referenced by FILEAREA.HTM, so there is no need to reference these
files from other web pages, unless desired.
Note: When MAKEWWW.EXE is making pages, it uses data from HEADER.HTM
(at the top of the web document) and TRAILER.HTM (at the bottom of
the document), allowing you to customize your pages quite a bit.
You could, for example, use custom borders, backgrounds, graphics,
etc. The TRAILER.HTM is usually a good spot to put your copyright
notice for your page.
Example HEADER.HTM and TRAILER.HTM files are included for easy editing
and use; put them in your main Virtual Advacned directory for MAKEWWW
to find them.
Another file created by MAKEWWW.EXE is WWWPATHS.LST, in your Windows
Directory. The purpose of this file is to allow the web server
software to have controlled access to paths (directories) other than
the WWW directory (and its child directories). MAKEWWW lists out the
paths where your file downloads reside. Again, only FREQ-able
directories are in this list.
WWWPATHS.LST is read by the web server software when the web server
software starts up; if you add or remove directories from
WWWPATHS.LST, then WEB.EXE must be restarted for the changes to
be recognized. You do not need to restart WEB.EXE if file downloads
themselves are added or removed when MAKEWWW is executed; only
when directories themselves are added or deleted.
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MAKEHTML is a utility program that creates HTML pages from plain
ASCII text files. MAKEHTML is a DOS-based program, and must be
executed using the following command line syntax:
MAKEHTML <input text file> <output html file>
Like MAKEWWW, MAKEHTML will use the HEADER.HTM and TRAILER.HTM
found in the current directory to begin and end your html file.
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VISK is a set of shareware programs. You may use the programs for
up to sixty (60) days before you must register the software, or
discontinue its use. In addition there are a number of limitations
to the unregistered shareware version:
-WEB shuts down after 25 accesses
-POP3 only retrieves one email at a time
-SMTP delivers only one email at a time
-NNTP only retrieves first newsgroup listed in NEWS.LST
-VAIRC only works on channel 0
Once you register VISK, you will receive a PROD5.ID file, which
should go in your Windows directory. PROD5.ID will unlock your
shareware version, and make it fully operable.
See ORDERFRM.TXT for ORDERING INFORMATION.
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1. If using Dial-Up Networking for a dedicated connection, get a
program like DUNCE (filename DUNCE1_3.ZIP), which will automatically
re-establish a connection in event of disconnect (dropped carrier,
etc). For best possible results, put a Windows 95 Shortcut to DUNCE
in your Start-Up Folder.
2. If using Dial-Up Networking for a non-dedicated connection,
consider getting programs that will let you schedule an automated
connection, or activate one from the Win95 command line. Such
utilities are available from the BBS and Web Site printed at the
top of this document.
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In the interest of educating the public, Virtual ComTech includes
the following information, which is believed to be accurate at
time of publication of this document. As with any network, sites
and services can come and go without warning on the Internet.
No guarantee is made as to the accuracy of this information, nor
is this to be considered as an endorsement of any particular
site or service.
WWW Search Engines:
altavista.digital.com
www.yahoo.com
www.excite.com
search.com
WWW Shareware Archives:
www.shareware.com
www.jumbo.com
www.windows95.com
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Copyright © 2024 Steve Winn. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer |
License