Newsgroups and TBBS - The Missing Link I've found it. Finally. An inexpensive, reliable, automated, easy to install method for importing and exporting Usenet Newsgroups to/from a TBBS BBS directly from the Internet via IPAD or any other fulltime TCP/IP connection to a standard Internet NNTP news server (or alternately via a standard consumer dialup ISP account offering access to a news server). I'm neither selling this nor advertising it. This is just an excellent solution I want to share with any of you other TBBS Sysops and/or IPAD owners. Background: We'd been successfully using the Planet Connect satellite system and TIGER to provide Usenet Newsgroups to our TBBS BBS for several years prior to getting our own T1 and the IPAD. But with a direct connection from the BBS to the Internet via the IPAD for Telnet in/out and other text-based Internet features we offer to our BBS users, not to mention the fact that Planet Connect long ago ran out of available cycle time to transmit anything near the entire Usenet, we were frustrated by not having a simple, fast, and efficient way to feed newsgroups into TBBS from our Usenet news server via the IPAD/LAN/T1. And of course, we wanted to avoid placing those expensive long-distance UUCP calls to Planet Connect to post outgoing Usenet articles. I'd been looking at all sorts of Windows-based consumer-oriented "clients" which purportedly go out and retrieve Internet stuff as directed on schedule, but none of them could then deliver Internet newsgroups in a format easily "stuffable" into the TBBS message base. It looked like massive custom-programming just to reformat incoming/outgoing Usenet articles. Then I stumbled across this solution. Voila! What Is It? First of all ... it's cheap! We're now importing/exporting newsgroups to/from TBBS for $120.00 total purchase price, no contracts, no service fees, no further expense at all. And you can actually do it for less than that. Still interested? This solution is "KSP-Mail", a complete Usenet Newsgroup and e-mail server software package originally designed for BBSes running on software other than TBBS, and fulltime Internet PPP connections other than the IPAD ... and yes, currently supported by its author! What's more, he's worked with us to adapt it to TBBS and optionally the IPAD, and the end result is frankly awesome. A recently added "plus" to KSP-Mail is an optional "Spam Filter" which can filter unwanted "Spam" advertising messages from your incoming e-mail. We use a similar function provided by the IPAD and thus don't need this option, but it looks like a superb solution to your BBS users' mailboxes filling up with advertising garbage. How does it work? KSP-Mail runs on a separate LAN workstation under DOS. We use the diskless '386 that previously ran our Planet Connect receiver, but KSP-Mail will happily operate on anything from an 8088 on up. It needs nothing much in terms of the computer it runs on, other than a standard IP address and TCP/IP shim (a full-time Internet connection), or alternately, a standard consumer dialup Internet account with a local Internet Service Provider which includes access to a news server. While KSP-Mail was originally designed to work with a direct full-time Internet connection and works most efficiently that way, the author of KSP-Mail has developed alternate methods for using it with a dialup account. (We haven't tried that dialup option, but we understand it does work). Because the IPAD is an excellent e-mail server, we don't use KSP-Mail's SMTP potential, although if you're not using the IPAD for your Internet connection, you may wish to implement that e-mail feature. Essentially, we just use its NNTP news processing functions, and since you purchase and activate each of KSP-Mail's individual features (mail in, mail out, news in, news out, time set, and remote administration) separately to order, this is an incredibly practical way to get the job done. KSP-Mail is easy to install and set up. You basically just follow the .DOC file that comes with it. To use the latest version with TBBS and TIGER, you simply set it up using the information below. From then on, you just watch it periodically access your local or remote news server via your IPAD or other Internet connectivity service, pull down new entries to the specific newsgroups that you want to carry on your BBS and pass them on to TIGER, post outgoing replies/articles to those newsgroups from your BBS users, and log its activities. Rather than have it "pull" articles from your news server, it can alternately be configured to accept "pushed" news. With a fulltime connection, you can also log into it for remote maintenance from anywhere on the Internet. That's it, and it works. Obtaining KSP-Mail: Call the author's BBS at: 415-364-9847. You'll find complete ordering options and instructions there. Or, send e-mail to the author at:dan.lewis@ksp.com. Using KSP-Mail with TBBS/TIGER: As would newsgroup delivery via a satellite system, this implementation requires the TBBS add-in software package called "TIGER". TIGER is the interface between KSP-Mail and the TBBS message base. When properly installed, KSP-Mail automatically imports and exports newsgroup articles and (optionally) e-mail via TIGER. Installation: 1. This installation assumes you are already running TIGER with TBBS. If you're not, procure TIGER from its publisher: eSoft, Inc., and install TIGER as directed by its manual. It also assumes you're using a filltime direct Internet connection, as we do. Use the following TIGER.CFG file (with appropriate adjustments for your own LAN server and workstation drive letters and directory names, as well as other obvious settings unique to your own BBS): FILE: TIGER.CFG SPEED: 15 ORGANIZATION: Community Educational Services Foundation UUCICO: internal 23 MINUTES: 1 HOST: news DOMAIN: @glib.org BOARD: Internet UUCPIN: e:\uuin\ UUCPOUT: e:\uuout\ ENCLOSURE: e:\encl\ LOGFILE: e:\tbbs\logs\tiger.log USERLOG: e:\TBBS\ TOPIC BOARD: List-Servers MAIL LOG: ON UUCPNAME: glib FTPMAIL: tims.ctl LOCALMAIL: no SUPPRESS HEADERS: yes TIME ZONE: -0500 Eastern NO DIAL HOURS: 01:00 01:00 ----------- NOTES ON TIGER.CFG: The above TIGER.CFG file works for us exactly as shown. I've made no changes to it which were not absolutely necessary to switch from Planet Connect to KSP-Mail, thus while some of them may be unnecessary, they work! You may find other settings which work equally well for you, but we haven't tried and cannot comment on any other than these. Although they may appear to be incorrect, "UUCICO" and "NO DIAL HOURS" are purposely configured as shown. With these settings, TIGER "thinks" it is doing UUCP file transfers, but cannot actually make any outgoing calls. Such news and e-mail files are instead "snatched" from TIGER's outgoing directory by KSP-Mail. You may substitute any of your TBBS line numbers in "UUCICO". 2. Purchase at least the following KSP-Mail options (you need pay only for those you order, and you can add remote maintenance and mail in/out if you wish), and install them as directed by the KSP-Mail manual: NEWS IN NEWS OUT TIME SET 3. Configure KSP-Mail using the following WATTCP.CFG file (with appropriate adjustments for your own LAN server and workstation drive letters and directory names and IP addresses). Only those settings used in our basic news in/out installation are shown here. URLs and IP addresses here are, of course, fictitious, and you may need to adapt or add to these settings for your own needs: FILE: WATTCP.CFG ;--[ Configuration file (WATTCP.CFG) for KSP-Mail ]--------------------; hostname=robot domainslist=yourdomain.org netmask=255.255.255.0 my_ip=999.999.999.9 gateway=888.888.888.8 nameserver=777.777.777.7 nameserver=666.666.6.66 nameserver=555.555.55.55 ; ;--[ Configuration parameters to enable/disable processes ]------------------- ; ksp-mail.import_news_process=pulled ;ksp-mail.import_news_process=disabled ; ;ksp-mail.import_mail_process=enabled ksp-mail.import_mail_process=disabled ksp-mail.export_news_process=enabled ;ksp-mail.export_news_process=disabled ; ;ksp-mail.export_mail_process=enabled ksp-mail.export_mail_process=disabled ; ksp-mail.set_clock_process=enabled ; ;ksp-mail.command_shell_process=disabled ; ;--[ Internet Mail Parameters ]----------------------------------------------- ; ; Required: ;ksp-mail.esmtp_server=222.222.222.2 ; Mail-Out (1st) ;ksp-mail.mail_in_directory=e:\uuin ;ksp-mail.mail_out_directory=e:\uuout ;ksp-mail.mail_directory=f:\kspmail\in-out ; Mail-In, Mail-Out ; ; Optional: ; ;ksp-mail.import_mail_command="uuin -s mail" ; Mail-In ;ksp-mail.import_mail_seconds=600 ; Mail-In (dflt=60) ;ksp-mail.import_mail_trigger=on_arrival ; Mail-In ;ksp-mail.export_mail_command="uuout -c 5" ; Mail-Out ;ksp-mail.export_mail_seconds=600 ; Mail-Out (dflt=60) ;ksp-mail.export_mail_trigger=60,c:\pcb\i-email\msgs ; Mail-Out ;ksp-mail.forwarding=enabled ; Mail-In ;ksp-mail.esmtp_greeting="This server now supports ESMTP!" ;ksp-mail.max_message_bytes=100000 ; Mail-In (dflt:none) ;ksp-mail.vrfy_program= ; Mail-In (dflt:none) ;ksp-mail.mailing_list= ; (May be repeated) ;ksp-mail.check_recipients_at= ; (May be repeated) ;ksp-mail.uucp_from_line=disabled ; Mail-In (dflt:enbld) ; ;--[ Usenet News Parameters ]------------------------------------------------- ; ; Required: ; ksp-mail.nntp_server=999.888.77.66 ; News server ksp-mail.nntp_server=999.888.77.55 ; Alternate news server ksp-mail.news_in_directory=e:\uuin\news ksp-mail.news_out_directory=e:\uuout ;ksp-mail.news_directory=f:\kspmail\in-out ; News-In, News-Out ksp-mail.newsgroups=f:\kspmail\newsgrps.lst ; News-In (filespec) ksp-mail.news_hour=0-23 ; News-In ksp-mail.export_news_seconds=60 ; News-Out (dflt=60) ; ; ksp-mail.import_news_command=command /K f:\kspmail\in-news.bat ksp-mail.import_news_trigger=on_arrival ; News-In ksp-mail.export_news_command=command /K e:\robot\robot.bat ;ksp-mail.batch_news=disabled ; News-In ksp-mail.news_filter=glib.org ; News-In ksp-mail.max_article_days=3 ; News-In (Pulled) ;ksp-mail.max_article_bytes=100000 ; News-In (dflt:none) ksp-mail.newnews_timeout=60 ; News-In (Pulled) ; ksp-mail.inbound_data_extension=.D ; TBBS file ksp-mail.inbound_exec_extension=.X ; name extensions ksp-mail.outbound_data_extension=.D ; ksp-mail.outbound_exec_extension=.X ; ksp-mail.outbound_work_extension=.CMD ; ; ;--[ Network Time Server Parameters ]----------------------------------------- ; ; Required: ; ksp-mail.time_server=999.888.77.66 ; Set-Clock ksp-mail.time_server=999.888.77.55 ; Alternate time server ; ; Optional: ; ksp-mail.set_clock_hours=24 ; default is 24 hours ; ;--[ Log File Parameters (Optional) ]----------------------------------------- ; ksp-mail.logging=disabled ; default is enabled ;ksp-mail.log_directory=f:\kspmail\logs ; If logs are desired ;ksp-mail.verbose=log_files ; Level of detail ;ksp-mail.log_days_newsin=1 ; Default is 7 days ;ksp-mail.log_days_mailin=3 ; Default is 7 days ;ksp-mail.log_days_newsout=5 ; Default is 7 days ;ksp-mail.log_days_mailout=7 ; Default is 7 days ;ksp-mail.log_days_setclock=7 ; Default is 7 days ;ksp-mail.log_days_extcmds=7 ; Default is 7 days ; ;--[ Screen Display Parameters (Optional) ]----------------------------------- ; ksp-mail.local_bell=DISABLED ; On error messages ksp-mail.verbose=on_screen ; Level of detail ;ksp-mail.monitor=error ; To window on error ;ksp-mail.monitor=memory ; Stack & heap ;ksp-mail.monitor=speed ; Threads/second ksp-mail.screen_saver_seconds=0 ; Screen saver timeout ; ;--[ Other Parameters (Optional) ]-------------------------------------------- ; ksp-mail.watchdog_seconds=10 : default is 10 secs ; ;ksp-mail.close_timeout=10 ; default is 10 secs ;ksp-mail.client_timeout=200 ; default is 300 secs ;ksp-mail.server_timeout=600 ; default is 300 secs ; ksp-mail.outbound_retry_seconds=60 ; default is 10 mins! ;ksp-mail.outbound_check_seconds=15 ; default is 5 secs ;ksp-mail.share_delay_seconds=30 ; default is 0 seconds ; ;ksp-mail.sequence_file=d:\pcb\uucp\ksp-mail.seq ; Mail-In, News-In ; ;ksp-mail.dont_swap_to=xms ; default is enabled ;ksp-mail.dont_swap_to=ems ; default is enabled ;ksp-mail.dont_swap_to=disk ; default is enabled ; ;ksp-mail.remote_management_password=pswd ; default is no pswd ; ;ksp-mail.ok_filespec=, ; default is 60 secs ;ksp-mail.exit_spec=c:\ksp\ksp-exit.*,5 ; default is 10 secs ; ksp-mail.retrieve_hostnames=disabled ; default is enabled ksp-mail.sitename_alias= ; ----------------------- NOTES ON WATTCP.CFG: As with TIGER.CFG, these settings work for us, but you'll need to substitute your own drive/directory designations and IP numbers. You may find other settings work better for you, but these should get you started. Obviously, you need to define in your IPAD .NAM and .REV DNS files (or other TCP/IP control files) a unique URL and IP address for the machine on which KSP-Mail will run. Note that you can use KSP-Mail's remote maintenance option only if you also run a continuously functioning client such as "in-mail" or pushed news. In an application utilizing an IPAD Internet connection, "in-mail" has no other purpose, thus you may wish to forego remote maintenance if you don't really need it. 4. If you wish, install a batch file to run after KSP-Mail retrieves your news. This one automatically maintains an updated listing of new newsgroups added to the news server you use. We make that list available through our web home page. NOTE: Be sure that your batch file terminates with "exit" as this one does. It is called in the configuration above by "command /K f:\kspmail\in-news.bat", thus you must "exit" that second copy of COMMAND.COM in order to return to KSP-Mail after running this batch process. FILE: IN-NEWS.BAT @echo off rem - IN-NEWS.BAT rem Called by KSPMAIL after each incoming newsgroup session :datetime rem - Create "DATETIME.TXT" to show most recent update rem ------------------------------------------------ e: cd \uuin\news echo >datetime.nws Most recent Usenet News update was: e:\util\timestmp >>datetime.nws :newgrps rem - Update new newsgroups listing rem ----------------------------- rem if not exist f:\kspmail\groups.new goto no-newgps e: cd \ipad\weblite\forms e:\util\timestmp >>newgrps.fmt echo ------------------------------------------->> newgrps.fmt if exist f:\kspmail\groups.srt del f:\kspmail\groups.srt sort f:\kspmail\groups.srt copy newgrps.fmt + f:\kspmail\groups.srt copy newgrps.fmt + newftr.htm newgrps.htm copy f:\kspmail\groups.new f:\kspmail\groups.bak del f:\kspmail\groups.new :no-newgps :return rem - Return to KSP-Mail working directory rem f: cd \kspmail :end exit ------------------ "TIMESTMP" is a simple .EXE utility which generates current time and date for inclusion in a small text file ("datetime.nws") we display on the TBBS newsgroups menu to show the most recent newsgroup update date/time. Substitute any similar utility, or simply delete this function from this batch file. KSP-Mail maintains a file in its home directory called "groups.new" which automatically maintains a listing of all new newsgroups added to your server. The ":newgrps" procedure takes advantage of this handy feature to update a plain-text "Newly Added Newsgroups" file we offer in our web page for the convenience of our subscribers. Note that you can add any additional processes to IN-MAIL.BAT which you may wish to do on a periodic basis. KSP-Mail features a sophisticated internal scheduler which can initiate multiple events simulating a "multi-tasking" environment. Thus, the above parameter ... "ksp-mail.export_news_command=command /K e:\robot\robot.bat" ... periodically runs a batch file which does general housekeeping duties totally unrelated to KSP-MAIL, such as dialing out to contracted news/weather services, printing subscription and information request forms received from IPAD's forms processor, and maintaining/archiving system logs. Again, be sure to terminate any such batch file with "exit" in order to exit the second called copy of COMMAND.COM. OK... That should do it. This information should get you up and running, automatically importing/exporting Usenet news (and optionally e-mail) between TBBS and your Usenet News (and mail) server(s) via IPAD or any other fulltime TCP/IP Internet connection. This file describes the methods we used. You may find ways to significantly improve this interface, and if you do, we hope you'll share them with us, as well as any solutions to problems you've encountered that aren't mentioned here, so we can update this file to reflect those improvements. Should you need information configuring and/or using KSP-Mail itself, please contact the author of that program. You can reach him at his e-mail address: dan.lewis@ksp.com, or via his BBS at: 415-364-9847. The author also runs a KSP-Mail Internet Mailing List. You may wish to ask him to add you to it. Should you need additional information specifically regarding using KSP-Mail with TBBS and the IPAD, I'll be glad to try to expand upon these instructions, limited only by my own experience as detailed here. Jon Larimore Sysop, GLIB Systems Administrator, ZZAPP! Internet Services (jon@zzapp.org)