Short: Porticus, Gazebo, Umbrella - The Shelter Family of FrontEnds v2.63 Type: comm/fido Uploader: robert@ecs.mtlnet.org (Robert Williamson) Author: robert@ecs.mtlnet.org (Robert Williamson) The Shelter Family is a set of powerful and easily configurable Front-End Mailers which support FTS1, Wazoo, EMSI and UUCP handshakes. Three independant mailers are available: Umbrella, Gazebo and Porticus. Each can be configured and compiled with the included GenMailer program. The 2.63 releases of the Xpack Xferq Management Tools and the RFS and RFH freq handlers, the RFS filelist/guide utilities and the REQCK Freq Tracking utilities are now included in the SHELTER archive, but are also available separately in the Xpack*.lha and RFS*.lha archives. Each Shelter Mailer has a subset of the features of the powerful Roof Mailer, which has served as the development testbed for all wpl mailers, for certain XPR's and utilities and for the WXI, RexxMsg and WPLRX interfaces as well as the WPL language itself. Although the Roof Mailer is included in the distribution, it is an intregal part of the HUGE Roof System and requires the ROOFLOG and FLOWMGR function hosts for proper operation. It is provided as a configuration example only. If you are looking for a Point Mailer, and find that Umbrella is more than you need, I recommend one of the Melody Mailers: POP, JAZ or RAP. These Point-Only mailers are the smallest and fastest available. They are available on AmiNet or by FREQ using the magic names: POP, JAZ and RAP (or MELODY for all three) from either: fidonet#1:167/104.0 or fidonet#1:167/151.0. The Uncommon Features of Shelter Front-End Mailers -------------------------------------------------- All Shelter Mailers feature a Mailer Status Display, scrolling log and progress windows as well as an XPR progress window. In addition, individual windows can display the progress of each poll. All these windows, except for the Display, may be enabled or disabled during mailer generation. All Shelter Front-Ends feature Hydra, DirectZap, ZedZap, ZedZip, SZmodem, Zmodem, SeaLink, Telink and DietIFNA protocols with crash-resistant RESUME and support for both 2d and 4d outgoing file requests. XPR protocols are used thoughout and they support both XPR2.001 and XPR3 extensions. These protocols are maintained by the author. Some of these XPRS also support the WXI interface (FREQ:WXI_DEV.LHA), allowing read/write of wpl variables by the protocol. Shelter Mailers are the FIRST and at this time (almost 6 months now), STILL the ONLY Amiga Mailers to support the bi-directional Hydra protocol, and do this under BOTH WAZOO and EMSI. In addition, Shelter Mailers support the EMSI RH1 Hydra Link flag. Shelter mailers provide a high level of security, both when dealing with other mailers and with human callers. Unlike other mailers, when a Shelter Mailer is properly configured, if is very unlikely that files can be stolen, or your HD formatted. Multiple AFTERSESSION and WHENRECD commands allow automatic req, mail and tic processing. Unlike any other mailer, Shelter Mailers provide separate commands per filetype to be executed when that type is received,sent or aftersession. The Cache also allows Site-specific AFTERSESSION commands to override the GLOBAL ones. Example aftersession command scripts include utilities to set the filenote of a received file from the description comment in a REQCK freq tracking file, or from the short description in an AmiNet .README file. Shelter Mailers also permit both PREDIAL and PRESESS commands if one's application requires even more control. The usefulness of the above features is indicated by the fact that they have now found their way into other mailers under various guises. All Shelter Mailers are multi-FTN and feature both EMSI and AUTOAKA WAZOO. AutoAKA causes the mailer's primary address to be set depending upon the address of the site being called or who is calling. Rotating-AKAs allow setting the primary address presented to tha inthe domainof the caller. It also allows ajusting the remotes AKAs to change his primary address to that which we called. Both AutoAKA and Rotating-AKAS are active on EMSI calls if the FIXDOMAIN or FIXKNOWN generator options are activated. The domain is automatically set if the remote site does not provide it. When USEAKAS is set for FTN site, all files for all AKAs configured for the site will be sent in the same session under either WAZOO and EMSI. During EMSI sessions, the domain is corrected if missing (eg: Trapdoor does not send the domain in the address) or incorrect and known. The Shelter EMSI implementation is the most EXTENSIVE available on the Amiga and has been proposed in NET_DEV as the basis for extensions to the EMSI specification. Shelter Mailers are the ONLY Amiga mailers which PROPERLY present and process Link Hold and PickUp flags, and such specialized flags as FNC, RH1, TRX#, and UTC. The Shelter File request handlers RFS (for both mailer and human callers) and RFH (fast mailers-only Rexx FunctionHost) handle file requests in standard, password, update and HRF formats, response handling and accounts for both mailers and human callers. These handlers will accept and process multiple REQ files received during the same session. Unlike most mailers, which only start processing a request during turnaround, Shelter Freq Handlers are launched and start processing a request as soon as it is received. All Shelter Mailers feature a Site Cache, which allows setting a remote site's password, sitename, akas, sysopname and any number of phone numbers. The remote site may be an FTN node, a UUCP site, an Atomic Clock site or a BBS, FTP or Online Service ( in which case the configured term program will be spawned upon connect). Other parameters specific to the type of site may also be set to force a specific set of handshakes, modem line, dial string to use, enable domain sorting, wazoo aka routing, etc.. One may also configure a particular site so that all mail is sent to configured AKAs of a site either on inbound, outbound or both, REGARDLESS of the negotiation handshake used. This means with Shelter Mailers, WAZOO is as powerful as EMSI. One can also set which addresses to present under EMSI when dialing a site. The Cache allows Site-specific AFTERSESSION commands of the various types to override the GLOBAL ones. Nodelist support is also available using either nodelist.library or traplist.library for FTN sessions and the uucp Passwd and L.sys configs for uucp sessions. Lookup utilities for both libraries are included as well as the nodelist compiler for nodelist.library. The Shelter Mailer Manager program allows Cache and Manual dialing as well as an AUTO feature which allows auto-startup and poll of one's BOSS or echo hub. With Manual dialing, one just specifies site and phone number and/or line to use. Also included is a POLL feature which will asyncronously poll all sites with pending mail. POLLs will continue until a connection is made, with the number of seconds between dial attempts and the duration of a poll window both being configurable. Remote addresses can be simply specified, with address expansion being done based upon your AKA in the domain being called. For example, if one wanted to call fidonet#1:167/104.0, and one's own primary address is fidonet#1:167/151.0, one would simply do: Shelter CALL 104 One can enable individual windows for each poll in progress to keep abreast of the current status. A poll can be aborted via a Shelter command, or a Ctl-C in the poll's window. Parameters such as duration of poll attempt, redial and busy delays are settable on the fly. Both handshake and protocol may be specified for a poll session. Shelter mailers do not use the FLO file format, but rather the very secure Xferq.library outbound management. However, all Shelter Mailers do provide functions to convert 4D .FLO files to 5D XferQ queues and to add any type of file to a site queue. In addition, the VERY comprehensive set of Xpack Queue management tools is included. The author of the Shelter Mailers is also maintaining xferq.library and has released an update, including source, XQUPD1_9.LHA. Shelter Mailers also provide for multiple inbound directories for Tossers which are not domain aware, as well as a NONSECURE inbound for sites not in Site Cache or nodelist. A separate inbound is provided for HUMAN callers with Porticus. GenMailer, the Mailer generator, uses standard AmigaDos command line templates. Both command line switches and internal options provide extra control in special situations. A multiple output module format is used so that one can reconfigure and reload parts of the mailer, such as the site cache, menus or config, instead of recompiling the whole thing. Utilities are also provided for changing certain parameters (SCTL), editing the Site Cache (CacheEdit) and various menu options (SEDIT) at any time. Porticus and Gazebo have been successfully used with the following BBS's: DLG, Excelsior, Cnet, TransAmiga, Falcon, Contact! Umbrella Point Mailer --------------------- The Umbrella Point Mailer is a single line, multi-FTN mailer. It can be setup to answer the phone, BBS spawning is not supported however. If set to noanswer, the answer code is not generated. This mailer does not require a nodelist, as it features both the Site Cache and manual dialing. It does not support UUCP, CLOCK, FAX or BBS dialing, nor spawning of file request handlers or BBSs. It can be set to not do flo convert but to queue flo files only when connected, thereby reducing memory usage. Gazebo - The Standard Node Mailer --------------------------------- In addition to the standard Shelter FTN features, Gazebo allows single BBS spawning, UUCP inbound and outbound calls and setting the system clock via calls to any Atomic Clock Site with XPRclock.library. It also features XfreqSH, which allows the use of ANY File Request Handler except RFS and RFH. RFS or RFH may be used instead. Depending up[on the file request handler used, Gazebo may accept and process multiple REQ files received during the same session. Porticus - Full Service FrontEnd -------------------------------- Porticus has all the features of the Umbrella and Gazebo Mailers, as well as all the non-ROOF System dependant features of the ROOF Mailer. Porticus uses either or both the mailer-only RFH file request functionhost and the RFS File Request Handler (both included). Porticus is the only wpl mailer which is both a free and open system adhering to the WSC interface standards for third-party utilitites. It also featuring a WPLRX interface that allows the user to add additional capabilities. Many examples are provided. In addition to the extensive mailer capabilities described above, Porticus has a full-featured remote user interface for Human callers. This interface provides functions approaching those of a BBS: System Bulletins Multiple level Menus Multiple BBSs and/or Remote Shell selections Remote on-line help Text Information displays Doors including games and utilities Auto-Download of Magic Names (Zmodem) Auto-Uploads with file description prompt (Zmodem) Chat with sysop Messages to/from sysop Message Base scroller File Base Browser with command stacking (Zmodem/Hydra) File Requests with CallBack Verification (Zmodem/Hydra) Automatic FileRequests (Zmodem/Hydra) Forwarded File requests (to/from OTHER systems) Passworded Remote CLI Amiga Empire Game support User Accounts Boot a human caller Example doors include both QWK and FTP with both Zmodem and Hydra protocols. All these utilities are included in the distribution. Distribution: Both full release archives and diff updates archives are posted on AmiNet at regular intervals. Full release archives have file names in the format shelter.lha, while diff archives are shelter.lha. AmiNet Release FTN/HUMAN AmiNet Diff Updates FTN/HUMAN FTP FREQ/MAGIC FTP FREQ/MAGIC --------------- ---------- ------------------- ---------- shelter263.lha SHELTER shelterYYMMDD.lha SHE_UPD xpack263.lha XPACK xpackYYMMDD.lha XPA_UPD rfs263.lha RFS rfsYYMMDD.lha RFS_UPD Any of the above can be FREQed using the Magic names from: 14400bps: 1-514-696-6632 fidonet#1:167/104.0 amiganet#40:600/104.0 Full releases are also available from: Zyxel: fidonet#1:167/151.0 amiganet#40:600/151.0 14400bps: fidonet#1:167/207.0 Permission is hereby granted to redistribute releases and diff updates via the SAN and ADS fileecho networks and via AmiNet. HOWEVER: Distribution of merged or modified archives is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. robert@ecs.mtlnet.org