Short: NOW YOU CAN USE MAXsBBS WITH FIDONET OR OTHER NETs !!! Author: Renato Cretella, Giovanni Lambiase Uploader: mc2990 mclink it Type: comm/maxs Architecture: m68k-amigaos ______________ ____ __ _______ ______ / ____/ _/ __ \/ __ \ / |/ / __ \/ _/ / / /_ / // / / / / / / / /|_/ / /_/ // // / / __/ _/ // /_/ / /_/ / / / / / __ // // /___ /_/ /___/_____/\____/ /_/ /_/_/ /_/___/_____/ V 1.0 NOW YOU CAN USE MAXsBBS WITH FIDONET OR OTHER NETs !!! This package is SHAREWARE so you are limited Hi! If you have unpacked this archive then you are interested on how to spawn MAXsBBS using TrapDoor. I must advise you that T H I S I S A H A C K ! If you don't want hack MAXsBBS then you must delete now this archive, otherwise you can read this document to learn something about. NOTE: This package will only work if you have a SINGLE NODE BBS. Furthermore, READ ALL DOCUMENT. I ADVISED YOU! o Why we builded this hack ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On september '95 I (Giovanni Lambiase) and Renato Cretella decided to create the first bbs in our zone. We choosed MAXsBBS as bbs software because it's PD (#:-) and because it's small and easy to use. On december we decided to become a fidonet node. It was a hard job because MAXsBBS have an internal mailer but it's not a good mailer. It doesn't support ZedZap (most used protocol). We contacted other sysops using MAXsBBS but they sayd us that they couldn't use internal MAXsBBS mailer to exchange fidonet mail because all other nodes used ZedZap. So I decided to hack MAXsBBS to spawn it using TrapDoor. o How it works ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I tried to spawn MAXsBBS using TrapDoor but it doesn't work. First, MAXsBBS is a "stand-alone" program builded to run and stay in memory until you quit it. You can run MAXsBBS using TrapDoor but, at MAX start, you'll get a requester saying you that MAX has found the "carrier". First problem, thus, was to delete this requester. I hacked MAX (in installation section I'll say you how to do it) to delete this requester. Anyway MAX didn't connect because it didn't find the "CONNECT xxx" string. So I decided to write a patch of DoIO() function to send MAXsBBS the desidered string. I wrote "RunMAX" to execute MAXsBBS and to send it the connect string, and a daemon called "PatchMAX" which works together with "RunMAX". Into TrapDoor preferences file you can add following lines: BBSCOMMAND "RunMAX <>NIL: BBS:MAXsBBS %B" BBSINOUT "NIL:" BBSMODE SPAWN These lines say TrapDoor to run the command "RunMAX". "%B" will be substitued from the baud rate of connection. RunMAX will load and run "BBS:MAXsBBS". Now the "hacked" MAXsBBS will find the carrier but it will not show the "I found a carrier" requester due to the patch. It shows up a black screen. This happens because it don't receive the connect string. At this point RunMAX sends (using the patched DoIO) the connect string to MAX. I don't know why it happens but YOU MUST PRESS A KEY TO RECEIVE THE CONNECT STRING. To show up a message for all users you can use the "Setup" string of the "Modem" preference page. This string will be sended to screen at MAX start so, if you write "Press any key to continue.." you'll get the aim. As soon as the user press a key MAXsBBS will receive the connect string (Note that MAXsBBS will receive the exact connection baud rate, using %B). Now you can use MAXsBBS as you want, but at logoff YOU MUST QUIT MAXsBBS. Otherwise TrapDoor can't continue its job. To stop MAXsBBS you can use the "ForceQuit" command. It presses "AMIGA+Q" to quit MAXsBBS. Now there's a problem. MAXsBBS shows a requester to ask you if you want really quit it. So I had to hack another time MAXsBBS. Using hacked MAXsBBS this requester will be automatically satisfacted, so MAXsBBS will quit soon. That's all. The installation will be described below, of course. Anyway there's the last problem. What's this problem ? Now you have to give all users an interface to read/write fidonet messages! Isn't it? You can't use internal messages base because now you need a GOOD Tosser/Scanner/etc. (I suggest the Italian Mail Manager by Pino Aliberti, it's the best!). So I wrote two doors: FidoMail & FidoCheck. To use them you must install a tosser/scanner/etc. to install an EXTERNAL MESSAGES BASE. You can configure FidoMail to read & write messages from/to the external msgs base. So you'll not use MAXsBBS messages base! Fidocheck is a door to advise the user just connected if he/she have new mail today. Note that this package allows you to have fidonet point. All you have to do is to configure your tosser/scanner. MAXsBBS will not be called if a point calls your bbs. Thus ? Is it a good package ? If you want enter in fidonet YOU MUST INSTALL IT NOW! Of course it's shareware. So read the "registration" section. o FidoMail's limitations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In this release you are LIMITED using FidoMail which don't allow messages writing. To get a fully functional release of Fidomail see registration section. With the Demo-Version you can write only 1 msg at time and read all msgs only one time. o Installation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In this archive you can find: - FidoCheck_E English Version of Fidocheck - Fidocheck_I Italian Version " " " - Fidomail_E English Version of Fidomail - Fidomail_I Italian Version " " " - ForceQuit - PatchMax - RunMax - MAXTD.doc To install MAXTD you have to follow these steps: 1) Copy "RunMAX","PatchMAX" and "ForceQUIT" to "C:" 2) Create a new drawer "FidoMail" into "Doors:" 3) Copy "FidoMail" to "Doors:Fidomail" 4) Create a new drawer "Users" into "Doors:FidoMail" 5) Create a new drawer "FidoCheck" into "Doors:" 6) Copy "FidoCheck" to "Doors:FidoCheck" 7) Create a key in MAXsBBS menu window to run Fidomail as soon as you want. 8) Insert the line: fidocheck/fidocheck in file "introdoor.text" to run fidocheck at each user login. It will scan all areas to find new messages. 9) Install a REGISTERED TrapDoor and configure it as you want. But you must use the following lines: BBSCOMMAND "RunMAX <>NIL: BBS:MAXsBBS %B" BBSINOUT "NIL:" BBSMODE SPAWN 10) Insert the following line in bbs start script (if you have it) OR in your User-StartUp: Run <>NIL: PatchMAX TASK bbs:maxsbbs DEVICE serial.device If you are using a different serial device put it at right place. Note that this patch don't check for used unit, so THIS LIMITS THIS HACK TO A SINGLE NODE BBS. Sorry. 11) In your logoff script you MUST insert the following line: Run <>NIL: ForceQuit You MUST insert this line AT THE END OF LOGOFF SCRIPT. ForceQUIT MUST BE RUNNED. Otherwise the logoff script will never end and if MAX is running logoff script ForceQUIT can't quit MAX. 12) Insert a string such as "Press any key to continue..." into Setup string of Modem preference window. 13) Hack MAXsBBS. You could use a commodity which delete requesters, but this hack is simpler: You MUST have the MAXsBBS V1.54 compiled for 030 which lenght is 244160. This patch will only work using this version. CREATE A BACKUP OF YOUR ORIGINAL MAX EXECUTABLE. NOW! Load MAXsBBS in any hex file editor (Hex,FileX,Zaphod,etc.). Jump to $1991E and write three bytes: 4E 71 60 Jump to $19975 and write six bytes: 71 4E 71 4E 75 60 That's all. Of course you MUST configure TrapDoor and your tosser/scanner. You should use a good dispatcher to manage TrapDoor, too. I suggest TrapDispatcher 1.2 (see TDISP12.LHA on aminet). Thus, CONFIGURE ALL YOUR NODE. WE CAN'T HELP YOU NOW. Anyway a good sysop must know all necessary steps... o FidoMail configuration ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To use fidomail in MAXsBBS you must create the message section 99, as the following picture: Name Lo acc Hi acc Rp acc Max From To Del Lk1 Lk2 Lk3 Als Fil Ech 90: 91: .... 98: / / / / 99: FIDOECHO 1 10000 1 1 \/ \/ \/ \/ This step creates a dummy section which will be used from Fidomail to put temporary messages. This section will contain, always, one message (last written message). You can use the "optimize msgs" to delete all unused msgs. Now you must create the fidomail configuration file. It must be named "BBS:FidoMail.config". You can insert in this file the followings lines: AREA ~~~~~ AREA=,,<5D add>,,,,[,] This line configure an echo/matrix/local area. : fidonet tag of the area (such as GRAFICA.ITA). : small description of the area which will be shown to users. <5D add>: fidonet 5D address (such as 2:335/237.0@fidonet) : level required to read msgs from area : level required to write msgs into area : must be MAIL or ECHO or LOCAL depending the area type. : if this is a MAIL area you can specify the access level required to WRITE A MESSAGE TO ANOTHER NODE. If you HAVEN'T a level greater or equal to this level you can send only messages to BBS users. If you HAVE a level greater or equal to then Fidomail will ask you the destination node of this message. USE THIS OPTION TO PREVENT USE OF NETMAIL FROM BEGINNERS AND/OR GUESTS. This level is required only for a MAIL area. You must insert all areas configured in your tosser using "AREA" lines. ORIGIN ~~~~~~~ Use a line such as: ORIGIN=3D On Line BBS (20-08 089/855276 2:335/207) This is the origin line which will be appended to all the messages written using fidomail. NODELISTPATH ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NODELISTPATH= Use this line to specify the compiled nodelist path. The compiled nodelist will be read to search for known nodes and points. So you must create a "point-list" containing ALL your points. You should know it. ATTACH ~~~~~~~ ATTACH= This line specify the drawer used to keep all file attached. Of course you can use the MAXsBBS drawer "BBS:AttachedFiles". USERSDIR ~~~~~~~~~ USERSDIR= This line specify the drawer used to keep all data about the readed messages. You should use: USERSDIR=Doors:FidoMail/Users SYSOP ~~~~~~ SYSOP= Name of the sysop. Used to send direct mails to sysop. NOTE: Fidomail allows sysops (access level 10000) and cosysop (access level 5000) to read and delete ALL messages. Beware! Registration ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This package was written to allow our bbs to become a fidonet node. Anyway we decided to distribute it to allow all MAXsBBS sysops to run MAXsBBS using TrapDoor. Anyway we want a small registration fee. All you see is fully functional but FidoMail can't write messages. If you want latest release of this package and a fully functional FidoMail you can send 30 US$ to the following address: Renato Cretella C. Di lieto,26 Cesarano Tramonti (SA) 84010 ITALY You can send us cash or use international postal money orders. If you use internation postal money order please send us 50000 Italian Lire. Your postal office will exchange your money automatically. All italian users can send us a "Vaglia Postale" of 50000 Italian Lire. Anyway all your money will be given to Telecom (Italian phone company). Authors ~~~~~~~~ You can contact us at the following addresses: Renato Cretella (3D On Line sysop,for registration info) FIDONET: 2:335/206.31 AMIGANET: 39:102/5.31 INTERNET: Renato.Cretella@p31.f206.n335.z2.fidonet.org Giovanni Lambiase (3D On Line cosysop,for technical info) FIDONET: 2:335/206.35 AMIGANET: 39:102/5.35 INTERNET: Giovanni.Lambiase@p35.f206.n335.z2.fidonet.org You can also send us suggests and or bug-reports. If you are interested we'll support MAXTD, otherwise we'll keep it for our bbs. So, REGISTER NOW! Renato Cretella Giovanni Lambiase