         Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 1  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26


13 Jan 96
Fidonet on a SHOESTRING - First Release
-----------------------


I. INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Fidonet into WWIV on a shoestring.  This help file will cover how
to gate Fidonet echos into WWIV for basically nothing.  If you are attempting
this, it is assumed that you already have a working WWIV BBS, and experience
in WWIV networking (the more the better).

You should print this file, and take some time to read it, before beginning.
The time you use to make notes and write down questions as you progress will
pay off greatly soon!  Read all the way to the END before you create your
first directory, just so that you'll be prepared for the amount of time and
work that is involved in this project.  It will take you a few cans of Coke to
get this working.  Setting up Fido is not for the faint at heart!  Because
everything I use is free, they lack the pretty GUI configuration programs that
other shareware and commercial programs offer.

Before we begin, here are some email addresses where I can be contacted:

Perry Wolf (1:109/567)@fidonet.org
1@8219.WWIVnet / 1@3102.IceNet / 1@3119.TerraNET / 1@1161.FileNET
1@71.DigiNet / 1@3119.BetaLink / perry.wolf@f567.n109.z1.fidonet.org

Email me if you have any problems anywhere along the way.  (Hell, I know you
will -- everyone does at first!)  Or, when you have everything working, drop
me a note with your suggestions on improving this beast.

I've been working on this for about 6 months now.  That's a long time, but
there were about 4 months in there where I had completely forgotten about it.
Now that I'm snowed in (some 30" of snow on the streets), I decided to finish
it up!

If some of the terms I use don't make sense, you should read up on Fidonet, in
general, before beginning.  If you don't know what an echoarea, tosser or hub
is, you're unlikely to progress completely through this.  I am assuming you
have some interest in this, and are willing to do that much work.  No one will
have the answer to every single question you might have.

All programs needed to set up Fidonet, except for WWIV's network software, are
freeware.  (That's right, you pay nothing!)  To follow this guide to the
letter, you'll need:  BinkleyTerm for DOS (Bink), SQUISH/386 for DOS, QNode
for DOS, and WFido 1.10c.  Some of these are available in OS/2 flavors but,
although it's certainly possible to set up Fido completely under OS/2, it's
beyond the scope of this guide.

At the time of this writing, Bink was at v2.59c, Squish at v1.11 and QNode at
v2.07.  All are available for download on my BBS (301-549-1724) under the
following filenames:

BinkleyTerm       BDOS259C.ZIP   325K
Squish            SQSH_111.LZH   676K
QNode             QNODE207.ZIP   89K
WFido             WWA1-424.ZIP   696K
BNU FOSSIL        BNU189G.ZIP    100K

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Video FOSSIL      VIBM_110.ARC  <10K
Current Nodelist  NODELIST.ARC  >1.7MB
CleanUp           CLNUP10.ZIP    10k
NetCall!          NCALL107.ZIP   67k

In case you are wondering, BinkleyTerm is the front end or mailer (the thing
that says, "Press Escape to enter WWIV"), Squish is the message tosser for
compressing and uncompressing mail to and from your system, and QNode is the
nodediff processor and nodelist compiler.  (BinkleyTerm must have a compiled
nodelist in order to call another system.)

You'll notice these files are compressed with a mixture of ZIP, LZH and ARC
extensions.  If you don't have ALL these compression utilities, get them!
You're going to need them eventually, as you could receive files (both mail
and programs) compressed with any of them via Fidonet!  (Naturally, I have all
of those online)

READ THE ENTIRE FILE BEFORE GETTING STARTED - YOU'LL LEARN SOMETHING!


         Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 3  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26


II. THE DIRECTORY TREE

You main mailer directory, where you'll extract BinkleyTerm, will be named
BINK and located off the root directory.  Under \BINK, you must create a
directory tree like this.  Try to use the same names, as it's much easier to
help if you run into trouble.  I'll refer to these directories listed below
throughout the rest of this guide.

DOWNLOAD
FILE
INBOUND
MAIL
OUTBOUND
QNODE
SQUISH

or in other terms:
BINK
  DOWNLOAD
  FILE
  INBOUND
  MAIL
  OUTBOUND
  QNODE
  SQUISH

Extract the utilities you gathered above into their appropriate directory,
e.g. Squish into the SQUISH directory, QNode into QNODE, etc.  You should also
print and read the documentation for each of these.  They will be a very handy
reference as you begin to customize your configuration!


         Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 4  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26


III.  WWIV INSTALL

Follow the WFido docs for installing WFido.  They do a much better job than
what I would.  Here is the WWIV.INI section that I use.  Most of these are
default values, but just in case some aren't, compare yours to this.

WWIV.INI

[FIDO]
CRASH_MAIL                              =0
DIRECT_MAIL                             =0
ADD_CR                                  =Y
ADD_LF                                  =Y
SOFT_TO_HARDCR                          =Y
NETMAIL_DIR                             =D:\bink\MAIL
NETFILE_DIR                             =D:\bink\FILE
ORIGIN_STR    =Origin: UIODR * (301)549-1724 * Burtonsville, MD * WWIV 4.24a *
DEFINE_FILE                             =FIDO1.DAT
KEEP_AFTER_PROCESSING                   =N
LOCAL_MAIL_ONLY                         =N
HIGH_ASCII                              =N
PASS_ALL                                =N
PASS_WWIV                               =N
ALIAS_OK                                =N
SKIP_SYSOP_MAIL                         =Y
AREAFIX                                 =Y
SOFT_CR                                 =N
SOFT_TO_HARD_CR                         =Y
KILL_TAG                                =N
NON_LOCAL                               =N
ALWAYS_CENTER                           =N
NO_ORIGIN                               =N
QUIET                                   =N
PACKET_DIR                              =d:\bink\OUTBOUND
PACKET_EXT                              =out
DEBUG                                   =1

FIDO1.DAT

You will need the following line to tell WFIDO about the network:

Network 0 1:109/567 1 679 8219
                       - Real WWIV-type node number in BBSLIST
                    - Fake Fido node number in BBSLIST
                  - Fake point address for SQUISH for export
            - Your Fidonet address
        - Fido network number in INIT (minus 1)

Here is a sample echoarea/subboard definition:

Subboard 1679  SYSOP-109   0
                         - Network number in INIT (minus 1)
              - Real echoarea tag (from Fido hub)
         - Subtype to use in //BE (created by you)


Network Data Configuration

         Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 5  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26



Follow the WFido docs, and you should be able to figure out how to install
Fidonet into INIT and create the necessary network files (BBSLIST, CONNECT,
etc.) in the network directory.  Remember to run "NETWORK3.EXE .n Y" (where
'n' corresponds to the network number minus 1).  If you receive a message
about missing DE*.EXE, ignore it.  These files aren't used in Fidonet mail
movement.


WWIV Sub Configuration

For ease of installation, the following section was taken verbatim from the
WFido Docs.  This describes the installation process of Fidonet echos into
WWIV.

<BEGIN WFIDO CUT>
  Creating FidoNet Subs

  The next phase of the installation process is one which requires attention
  to detail.  In this phase you will define subboards for the FidoNet echoes.
  You must define one subboard for each of the FidoNet echoes that you plan to
  import to WWIV.

  It is strongly recommended that you print as many copies as you need of
  Appendix B and use that form to fill in the information about your FidoNet
  echos before you begin setting them up in WWIV.  Such a step will facilitate
  your making N*.net files and will ensure that you do not forget to setup up
  one or more echoes that you wish to take.

  If you do not have a list of FidoNet echoes, you can obtain one from your
  net coordinator in FidoNet.


  Now that you have this listing of FidoNet echoes on paper, it would be a
  good time to assign fake WWIV SubType numbers to each echo (directory).

  You can use one of two schemes for convenience.  One subtype naming scheme
  is to use the first SIX letters of the FidoNet echo name.  Do not use more
  than six letters or the export program will not export properly.

  The second convention is to assign a number to each of the subs.  If you do
  this, you should not "gate" the subs to any of the WWIV based networks
  unless you first insure that the subtype is not in use.  However, if you do
  not gate the subs, then the numbers will not matter. Also, if you use
  sequential numbering and keep the list that you made above, then you will
  have a handy reference when working with these echoes.

  Below you will find a short list of FidoNet echo names and suggested
  treatments for use under each of the conventions mentioned above:

    FidoNet           Alpha           Numeric
    Echo Name         SubType         SubType

    80XXX             80XXX           30000
    ADOPTEES          ADOPT           30001
    AQUARIUM          AQUAR           30002
    ARJ               ARJ             30003

         Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 6  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26


    ASIAN_LI          ASIAN_          30004
    AUTOMOTI          AUTOMO          30005
    AUTORACE          AUTORA          30006
    AVIATION          AVIATI          30007
    AVICULTU          AVICUL          30008

  Once you have assigned each echo a SubType, you are ready to enter your new
  subs into //BOARDEDIT.

    //BOARDEDIT

    Change to your main WWIV directory and bring up the BBS with the command
    line "BBS /M."  Once the BBS has loaded, enter //BOARDEDIT from the
    Waiting For Caller screen by pressing "B."  At the "SY:" prompt enter your
    system password and then press [Enter].

    You should now be in the //BOARDEDIT utility.  From the menu, select the
    option "I:nsert" to add a new sub.  When prompted with "Insert before
    which sub?," respond with an appropriate value for your system.

    A menu similar to the following should appear:

      A. Name       : Assembly Language Programming
      B. Filename   : 80XXX
      C. Key        : None
      D. Read SL    : 10
      E. Post SL    : 20
      F. Anony      : Real Name
      G. Min. Age   : 0
      H. Max Msgs   : 254
      I. AR         : None!
      J. Net info   :
             Network      Type    Host     Flags
          a) FidoNet     30000   <HERE>
      K. Storage typ: 2
      L. Val network: No
      M. Req ANSI   : No
      N. Disable tag: Yes
      O. Description:

      Which (A-O,Q) ?

    There is only one option in //BOARDEDIT which is somewhat unique to
    FidoNet echoes being imported/exported to/from WWIV - "J". The
    documentation for WWIV explains the procedure for adding new subboards in
    //BOARDEDIT, please refer to it for any option(s) not covered here.

    Option "J. Net info" needs a little explaining. Selecting option "J" from
    the menu will bring up a prompt similar to the following:

      1. WWIVnet
      2. FidoNet
      Q. Quit

      Which network [number]?

    Enter the number that corresponds to the FidoNet position.  In this

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    example, the choice is "2."  You will now see the following prompt:

      What sub type?

    From your printed listing of FidoNet echo directories, enter the fake WWIV
    SubType which corresponds to the sub you are creating.  In this example,
    the SubType would be "30000."  You will now be prompted for the subboard's
    host.

      Will you be hosting the sub?

    Press [Y] to indicate you are hosting the sub.

    After you have completed this subboard entry, select option "Q" to exit to
    the main //BOARDEDIT menu. Repeat the above steps (section 4.2.1) for

    In addition, most FidoNet subs require the use of real names, so you may
    want to be sure that option "F" in BOARDEDIT is identified as Real Name.

    Once you have entered all the FidoNet echoes into //BOARDEDIT, select
    option "Q" to exit the //BOARDEDIT utility.  Now press "Q" to exit WWIV.

    N*.NET Files

    Now that you have successfully entered all of the new FidoNet echoes into
    //BOARDEDIT, you must create a N*.NET file for each of the SubTypes.  The
    only entry that is required in each of these files is your *real* WWIVnet
    node number.

<END WFIDO CUT>

The N*.NET files described just above are the same as if you were hosting a
sub on WWIV-type networks.  They must be named the same as the subtype, in
//BE, preceded by an 'N' and contain your real WWIV-type node, for the
example above:

N30000.NET
1234



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IV.  SQUISH INSTALL

Basically, what Squish does is forward all messages (echomail) that comes from
your hub system to a fictitious point system based on your main Fido address
(youraddress.1).  WFido converts these packets, destined for the fake point,
into WWIV message base format (LOCAL.NET).  WWIV's network software takes them
into the BBS from there.

For outbound echomail, it's pretty much the reverse.  When you post a message
in a Fido echo, WWIV creates an Snnn.NET (where 'nnn' is your WWIV node
number) in your Fidonet network directory.  WFido converts that packet to an
inbound packet for your fake point.  Squish finds the inbound packet and
exports those messages back to your hub and out to the rest of the world.

WFido cares only about your fake point address, but don't be confused.  Your
mailer address should be your correct, assigned Fidonet address.  The *only*
place your fake point will appear is in FIDO1.DAT and the Squish configuration
file.

Here is my SQUISH.CFG (make sure the paths/addresses match yours!)

; Put your real Fidonet address below
Address 1:109/567
NetFile D:\bink\FILE
; AREAS.BBS is an optional file to define echoareas
; We'll define them right here in SQUISH.CFG, so leave this commented.
; AreasBBS D:\bink\squish\Areas.BBS
Compress Compress.Cfg
Routing Route.Cfg
Outbound d:\bink\outbound
LogFile d:\fd\logs\Squish.Log
LogLevel 4
CheckZones
QuietArc
DupeCheck Header
DupeLongHeader
Duplicates 100
KillBlank
MaxAttach 500
; Your hub's node and the packet password he assigns for you
Password 1:109/500@fidonet.org XXXXXXX
Track d:\fd\logs\MsgTrack.Log
; Use ZIP compression for bundles going to these nodes
PACK ZIP 1:109/500 568 584 700
; Don't change this -- ARC is still the Fidonet standard!
DefaultPacker Arc
SaveControlInfo
BusyFlags
TossBadMsgs
BatchUnarc
StripAttributes
Swap
Buffers Large
NetArea NETMAIL D:\bink\MAIL
BadArea BAD_MSGS D:\bink\MSGS
DupeArea DUPES D:\bink\MSGS\DUPE

         Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 9  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26


EchoArea  SYSCHAT109 D:\FD\MSGBASE\SYSOP -p1:109/567 -0 1:109/700 567.1
;                                                    Forward to node(s)
;                                                  Make the area passthru
;                                                (Your Hub and fake point)
;                                          Origin address for echoarea
;                   - Directory for temporary tossing storage
;         - EchoTag (must match echoarea tag from hub)


The routing file is also very important to BinkleyTerm.  You don't want your
echomail and netmail going to just any node in the world, you need to use the
ROUTE.CFG file to tell Squish where to pack mail to so that Binkley will send
it to the correct node.

Send Crash 109/3 21 423 474 493 566 568 584 700 749 900 1100 261/1461 81:125/0
; Send mail to all of these nodes directly, and with a crash status
; You should limit these nodes to local systems, or your long distance bill
; will really add up!
; Note:  Here, and most everywhere else, the zone, net and even the node are
; assumed to be the same as the previous entry.  So, the "21" in the second
; place after "Send Crash" is translated as "1:109/21".
ROUTE CRASH 109/749 728
; Route mail for /728 to /749
ROUTE CRASH 109/700 0 1 41 42 131 629 249 231/ALL
; Route mail to /700 for all of these systems so that I don't call them
; myself.  If you want to route netmail all around the world, you just place
; the node number in here of the node that you are sending netmail to up there
; in that line.

Squish also uses a file called COMPRESS.CFG that doesn't need modification
from the 'out of the box' version unless you don't use PKZIP/PKUNZIP but
instead use Info-ZIP's ZIP/UNZIP utils (they are free, so I had to include
this to keep the free solutions going).


        Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 10  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26


V.  BINKLEY INSTALLATION

BinkleyTerm is the program that actually answers the phone for you and, thus,
is most important.  To run Bink, you must install a FOSSIL driver (BNU and X00
are the most popular) and a Video FOSSIL (if you want Binkley to operate in
color mode).  Installing BinkleyTerm properly will probably be the hardest
part of this installation.

The configuration file and event file are the two files key to Bink's proper
operation.  Without them, it simply won't work.  Here is my BINKLEY.CFG (the
name by default) with some comments added to help you configure yours:

Port      2
; Comport used
Baud      38400
; Maximum locked rate Bink supports is 38.4
Carrier   80
Init      ATZ|
; Modem initialization string.  You should store a good initialization string
; in your modem's NVRAM (AT&W), so it can be restored quickly and easily.
TermInit  ATZ|
Prefix    ATDT
Busy       ATM0H1|
Answer     ATA|
StatusLog    d:\bink\binkley.log
; Log file you want Bink to keep
Downloads    d:\bink\download\
; Where Bink places files you download in TERMINAL MODE
CaptureFile  d:\bink\session.log
LogLevel 1
Gong
AutoBaud
System    UIODR
; BBS Name (free form)
Sysop     Perry Wolf
; Sysop name
Address 1:109/567@fidonet.org
; Default Fidonet address
Boss 1:109/567
; "Boss" address, used only for point systems (you're not a point!)
NetMail   d:\bink\mail\
; Directory for received/pending netmail
NetFile   d:\bink\file\
; Directory for received files, including compressed mail packets
Hold      d:\bink\outbound\
; Directory for outbound files
Domain fidonet.org fidonet nodex 1
Nodelist  d:\bink\qnode
; Where to find your compiled nodelist
Version7
; This tells Binkley that you are using a compiled version of the nodelist in
; Version7 format which is a binary format that QNode compiles for you.
Unattended
; Tells Bink to start up in mailer mode, waiting for calls
BoxType 1
Mark_Kromm
; a default color scheme.. looks kind of cool

        Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 11  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26

; ScreenBlank
; I keep the mailer in another session, and the foreground session is
; always node two, so I don't need any screen saver.
; BlankWait 45
; how long till the screen blanks
Timeout 20
; How long, in seconds, to wait before passing to WWIV after connecting (if
; Bink doesn't find another Fidonet mailer on the other side!)
Banner Welcome to UIODR's Binkley front end
BBSNote Now loading up UIODR - WWIV v4.24a (#50357)
DoingMail Sorry, we're not available right now.  Processing mail only.
EnterBBS Please press your Escape key to go to WWIV, or hold on a few
ExtrnMail 46 N N N
; Triggers a special errorlevel upon receipt of a WWIV network call.
BBS Batch
; Bink's exit errorlevel when a BBS caller is detected.
AfterMail ECHOIN.BAT
; Batch file to process when mail is received.
TaskNumber 1
; Default Bink node (instance) number

Now, the dreaded event file.  I won't write too much about it, as the Bink
docs do a good job of explaining it.  Basically, you add events to make WWIV
network callouts, run nightly external maintenance or make phone calls that
cost money only at certain times.

Event All         00:01 00:01 E1=99 F
; Nightly event
Event Tue|Fri|Sun 00:02 00:02 E1=40 F
; Make my long distance calls, I'm too poor to call every night
Event All         00:02 01:17 E2=88 C B L
; Regular time, nothing special going on
Event All         01:18 01:18 E1=51 F
; Make some WWIV callouts
Event All         01:19 01:31 E2=88 C B L
; More Normal time
Event All         01:32 01:32 E1=56 F
; Dial my UUCP provider and get some newsgroups!
Event All         01:33 04:00 E2=88 C B L
; More normal time
Event All         04:00 05:39 E2=88 M N X
; Mail hour and a half, I make long distance calls now, no users allowed on
; on the BBS, per Fidonet rules.
;
; blah, other stuff is repeated down here.  Read the Binkley docs for more
; information on this stuff
Event All         05:40 05:40 E1=56 F
Event All         05:41 06:03 E2=88 C B L
Event All         06:04 06:04 E1=51 F
Event All         06:05 11:34 E2=88 C B L
Event All         11:35 11:35 E1=56 F
Event All         11:36 11:36 E1=51 F
Event All         11:37 14:03 E2=88 C B L
Event All         14:04 14:04 E1=56 F
Event All         14:05 18:06 E2=88 C B L
Event All         18:07 18:07 E1=51 C B L
Event All         18:08 18:34 E2=88 C B L
Event All         18:34 23:59 E2=88 C B L


        Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 12  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26


VI.  THE NODELIST

Like BBSLIST.* in WWIV-type networks, the Fidonet nodelist contains the phone
numbers and system names of every node in Fidonet (about 35,000 total systems
as of this writing).  QNode is the program that compiles the Fidonet nodelist
into the binary format used by Bink.

Much like the network updates you receive on WWIV-type networks, Fidonet
distributes weekly changes to its nodelist in a file named NODEDIFF.Ann ('nn'
is the last two digits of the Julian date, e.g. NODEDIFF.A08 would be the
nodelist update for 7 January, and would contain changes to NODELIST.001,
which was created on 1 January).

QDiff (distributed in the QNode archive) takes the weekly NODEDIFF and meshes
the changes into the current nodelist.  QDiff will only work if the NODEDIFF
is exactly seven days newer than the current nodelist!

Here is the QNODE.CFG that I use, with comments of course:

Addr 1:109/567.0                ; Your main address
NODELIST NODELIST               ; Name of the nodelist to compile
POINTS POINT.LST                ; File containing your point systems, if any.
Country 1
Compile   Regular               ; (DEFAULT) Asks for Zone:*/*, *:*/0 Entries
Uses Version7                   ; Generate Version7 nodelist (NODEX.DAT)
Uses Hubs
Uses Index
Uses Userlist                   ; Create FIDOUSER.LST or SYSOP.NDX
Keep LastUser                   ; Last entry matching name used (DEFAULT)
Default Cost Domestic 50 50     ; Default processing cost and fee
Default Cost International 250 250
Default Dial Domestic           ; Default dialing substitutions
Default Dial International 011-
Maxbaud 2400|1
FlagBaud  HST 9600|0  MNP 9600|0  V42 9600|0  V42B 9600|0 V34 9600|0 VFC 9600|0
PASSWORD 1:109/568 XXXXX
PASSWORD 1:109/3 XXXXXXX
; Session level passwords (don't confuse with packet password in SQUISH.CFG,
; they may be different!)
Dialcost
; For some people, this is the long part.  You must enter all exchanges local
; to you, so Bink doen't dial 1 and the area code.  Use the format used below.
; Basically, column one is the number in nodelist and column two is what Bink
; should dial.
; In the metro DC area, this translation table is several pages long because
; of the strange local dialing exchange schemes here!
; Nodelist Number;      Bink Dials:    Cost:
1-202-                  202-           00
1-301-421-              421-           00
1-301-476-              476-           00
1-301-549-              549-           00
1-301-570-              612-           00
1-301-612-              612-           00
1-301-774-              774-           00
1-301-854-              854-           00

1-800-     1-800- 00


        Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 13  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26


VII.  THE BATCH FILE



This is the glue of your entire Fidonet (and WWIV) setup.  Within this batch
file, you load the required drivers, run Bink and tell it what to do when it
receives certain types of calls, runs external programs (like QDiff and WWIV
net callouts), and everything else.

Like all DOS batch files, movement is controlled by errorlevels and labels.
If you aren't familiar with how DOS batch files work, you will be before long!
MOST problems result from not keeping this batch file "glued" together.  Grab
a DOS manual and learn about batch language, otherwise you're going to have
problems eventually.

Study this example RUN.BAT to follow its movements.  It might even be usable
for you, with a little editing.  Change the paths to correspond to what you
have on your system, e.g. the paths for the FOSSIL, main BBS directory, etc.
Notice that all additional batch files, which are included below, are executed
with a "CALL" command.  Control of your system never leaves this batch file!

REM Begin RUN.BAT
@echo off

C:\BNU /L2:57600 /F
REM The FOSSIL DRIVER

REM Any environment variables you might need to set, like the WWIV_INSTANCE
SET DSZPORT=2
SET WWIV_INSTANCE=1
SET TWNODE=1
SET ALLFIX=D:\FD\AFIX

cd\bink
VFOS_IBM
REM THE VIDEO FOSSIL

:loop
D:
cd\bink

REM Remove any junk if BBS locked up on last caller
if exist D:\wwiv\stat.001 goto cleanup
if exist D:\wwiv\restore.001 goto cleanup

REM If a NODEDIFF was received, process it
if exist D:\bink\file\nodediff.* goto mailin

REM If a mail packet was received, process it
if exist D:\bink\file\*.pkt goto mailin

REM The main "loop" for the batch file
:frntdoor
d:
cd\bink
bt unattended


        Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 14  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26


REM Binkley exits with BAUD RATE divided by 100 (e.g. 14400/100 = 144) and
REM passes that errorlevel for further processing within this batch file.
REM These GOTO WWIV commands cover all of possible connect speeds.  For
REM errorlevels greater than 255, binkley subtracts 255 from the result, so
REM that accounts for 26400 and above (e.g. 26400/100 - 256 = 8).

REM In addition, you'll see the other errorlevels which correspond to events
REM defined in the event file, such as network calls, external maintenance,
REM terminal program, etc.

if errorlevel 240 goto wwiv
if errorlevel 221 goto wwiv
if errorlevel 216 goto wwiv
if errorlevel 192 goto wwiv
if errorlevel 168 goto wwiv
if errorlevel 144 goto wwiv
if errorlevel 122 goto wwiv
if errorlevel 99 goto daily
if errorlevel 96 goto wwiv
if errorlevel 90 goto terminate
if errorlevel 88 goto mailin
if errorlevel 72 goto wwiv
if errorlevel 56 goto internet
if errorlevel 51 goto localcall
if errorlevel 48 goto wwiv
if errorlevel 46 goto wwivcall
if errorlevel 40 goto longcall
if errorlevel 32 goto wwiv
if errorlevel 24 goto wwiv
if errorlevel 10 goto userbrk
if errorlevel 8 goto WWIV
if errorlevel 1 goto done
if errorlevel 0  goto quit

REM A human BBS caller has been received
:wwiv
call BBSBATCH.BAT
cd\bink
goto loop

REM Process outbound mail for export
:pktout
cd\wwiv
wfidoout
cd\bink\squish
squish in out squash
goto loop

REM Load Terminate, my term program!
:terminate
c:
cd\install
call te.bat
goto loop

REM Force network callouts using NetCall! (a "must have" Fidonet utility!)
:localcall

        Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 15  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26


cd\wwiv
netcall ok all
goto loop

REM Long distance network callouts, again using NetCall!
:longcall
cd\wwiv
netcall 940 6
goto loop

REM Bink detected the "N N N" from an inbound WWIV network call.
REM Remember to change COM2 below to correspond to your comport!
:wwivcall
cd\wwiv
echo NN: >COM2
network.exe
goto mailin

REM Force a UUCP call to my ISP
:internet
cd\fd\gigo
gateway
cd\waffle
uucico -s ffrontierbbs -r5
goto mailin

REM The nightly external event
:daily
cd \wwiv
call daily.bat
goto loop

REM Cleanup any junk files created during WWIV lockups (hey, it happens!)
:cleanup
D:
cd\wwiv
del stat.*
del restore.*
goto loop

REM Toss any echomail received by Bink
:mailin
cd\bink
call echoin.bat
goto frntdoor

REM Did the user hit <Quit>?
:userbrk
exit
goto done

REM If we made it here, something's wrong (modem didn't initialize, maybe?)
:quit
echo Something died - resetting modem
goto defaultbbs

REM Last ditch effort to keep things up, loading WWIV directly without Bink,

        Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 16  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26


REM until you return and see what went wrong!
:defaultbbs
D:
cd\wwiv
BBS
goto done

:done
echo The BBS is down!

REM End of RUN.BAT



        Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 17  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26


ECHOIN.BAT - The batch file that I use to toss my mail.  It works for me, but
I know it could be optimized.

cd\bink
goto loop

:loop

REM Process any UUCP packets, if they exist
if exist d:\fd\gigo\spool\ffrontie\*.x goto internet
goto mailin

:internet
cd\fd\gigo
gateway
goto mailin

:mailin

REM Any online, inter-BBS game files?  Process 'em!
IF EXIST D:\bink\FILE\101*.* CD\WWIV\FE
IF EXIST d:\bink\FILE\101*.* FE PLANETARY

REM Got a nodediff in, process it!
IF EXIST d:\bink\FILE\NODEDIFF.* GOTO XLAX

CD \BINK\SQUISH

REM Toss the mail.
SQ386 IN OUT SQUASH

REM Now change it to WWIV format with the WFido import utility.
CD \WWIV
WFIDOIN

REM CLEANUP is written by Hellfire and cleans up all pending WWIV net data.
REM Cycles through all network directories and processes all pending packets.
REM Essential if you have multiple WWIV-type networks, and works like a charm!
REM There are other ways, but if you don't want to use it, you're on your own!
CLEANUP

REM Any Fido echomail outbound?  Export it with WFido.
WFIDOOUT

REM Toss the outbound mail created by WFido.
CD\BINK\SQUISH
SQ386 IN OUT SQUASH

REM Any files to go toss?  I'm a file hub, so my file tosser is my life!
REM Fidonet fileechos work similarly to echomail, but that's another guide!
IF EXIST d:\bink\FILE\*.TIC GOTO FILEIN
goto DONE


:filein
cd \fd\afix
allfix file announce mgr -nocrc

        Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 18  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26


if not errorlevel 8 goto done
cd\wwiv
UPLDECHO.EXE
REM Frank Reid's program to upload files as they come in.  Sometimes it works,
REM sometimes it locks things up.  Depends on how it feels!
goto done

:xlax
cd \bink\qnode
PKUNPAK d:\bink\file\nodediff.*
qdiff /D /N
copy d:\bink\file\nodediff.* d:\wwiv\dloads\sysop
REM Make a backup copy of it, in case something blows up.
del d:\bink\file\nodediff.*
REM Delete it from here so it won't get stuck in a loop
qnode
REM This part gives everyone a hard time, but here it is - use it wisely!
goto loop

:done
cd\wwiv
cd\fd
echo Done Processing!
goto end

:end


You'll notice the BBSBATCH.BAT called within the main batch file in the :wwiv
label.  BBSBATCH.BAT is created by Binkley when it receives a caller to the
BBS.  Bink passes critical parameters in BBSBATCH.BAT which you, in turn, will
pass to WWIV with this next batch file, SPAWNBBS.BAT.  Here is the one that I
use.

@echo off
cd\wwiv
REM %1=baud rate %5=full result (i.e. LAPM/V.42/etc.)
REM The /s57600 must match your FOSSIL's locked port speed.
REM The /o tells WWIV to process only one call and exit (back to RUN.BAT!)
bbs.exe /b%1 /o /f%5 /s57600


Good job, you read the entire thing before getting started, now, let's get
this party started.

        Fidonet on a Shoestring -  Page 19  Created at - 01/13/96 14:26


Let's do some scenarios here.  Ok, a call comes in, connect 24000.  It's your
hub calling you with some mail.  You get the mail, exit with an errorlevel of
88.  ECHOIN.BAT gets started.  Your mail gets tossed, and you're back at the
WFC screen of Binkley.  Another call, connect 14400.  The person presses
ESCAPE for you, Binkley exits with an errorlevel of 144, and then BBSBATCH.BAT
is created and called.  It calls SPAWNBBS.BAT with the correct parameters that
in turn starts up the BBS.  The person does what they have to do, hangs up,
and you're back at BINKLEY.  Another call, connect 26400, and N N N is sent.
Binkley exits with errorlevel of 46, and NETWORK.EXE is called. Now,
ECHOIN.BAT is called to toss your mail, and you are back at BINKLEY.  You get
tired of this, press ALT-X, and you exit BINKLEY, and are back at your DOS
prompt.  Pretty cool, huh?

---------------------

Great, you're all done!  That wasn't so hard, now was it?  Once you have
things working (or even if you get stuck someplace), you can contact me and
set up a distribution of a TEST echo so that you can test the setup on an
echo, but not having to worry about making big mistakes and getting people mad
at you - in an international echo.  Also, connecting to this echo will give
you a chance to become familiar with subscribing to echos from your hub.  This
TEST echo is distributed to a couple of other WWIV systems around the country,
so it also doubles as a forum to get some help.

Just thought that I would acknowledge my partner in crime in this - Frank
Reid.  He is the one that got me started in all of this Fidonet mess around
Dec. 1994 or so.  I don't know if I should thank him or curse him for it,
since I end up spending so much time working on things that have to do with
Fidonet.  He did some (some, well, I guess it was a lot) editing on this,
clarifying some things, and other things.  His email addresses should be here,
but with a backlog of some 300+ emails in various mailboxes on his board at
the time of writing, I think that I'll spare him the agony (and you, the
wait!).

