
   
                                                   The Vulcan Embassy BBS
                                                              version 2.0
                                         Copyright 1990, Timothy M. Garay

   
                                 CONFIG.TXT
                                ============

   
          This is the part of the BBS that makes everything work together 
   and in conjunction with your specific system.  This is where you set 
   all the data paths, the active functions,  the names of the msg bases, 
   your modem responses, the menu key selections, and the file transfer 
   shells and their commands.
          You can get to the config section in one of three ways: 1) by 
   not having a CONFIG.DAT file on the system disk; 2) by pressing F9 
   while in the waitring mode; and 3) by pressing SHIFT-F6 while on-line.
   
   
   [L] - LOAD:
   -----------
          After entering the date/time when first running VE.PRG, the 
   program will attempt to load the CONFIG.DAT file which should be on 
   the system disk A.  If for some reason you do not have the file on the 
   system disk in drive A or you forgot to put in the system disk before 
   entering the time and date then you should make sure that the 
   CONFIG.DAT file is not in Drive A and in the root directory.  Pressing 
    'L' now will load the file over-writing any existing config data 
   currently in memory.
   
   
   [Q] - QUIT:
   -----------
             This will quit the config section and return you to wherever 
   you entered it from.  This will NOT save the data to disk!  Use this 
   only if you are fooling around with the data and don't want to keep it 
   (remember, whenever anyone logs off the BBS the CONFIG.DAT file is re-
   saved to disk.....) or don't need to save it right away for some 
   reason.  (ie. you just loaded it in...)
   
   
   [0] - SAVE:
   -----------
          This will not quit the config section.  This will only save the 
   CONFIG.DAT file to disk.  You should use this before quitting!
   
   
   [1] - MESSAGE BASES:
   --------------------
          Here you set the name of the msg bases, the low and high msg 
   numbers for each base, and how many maximum msgs are to be contained 
   in each base.  Enter the letter of the base you wish to change or 
   press 'Q' to exit from this sub-section.  When you select a msg base 
   you will be prompted for the correct information, if you just enter a 
   [RETURN] then the current information will not be changed and you 
   will be prompted for the next piece of information.  Maximum msg base 
   size in msgs means maximum number of msgs this base will hold.  If you 
   set it to 10 and someone enters msg number 11 then the range will 
   shift to 2-11.  Msg number 11 will be written over top of msg number 
   one in a cyclic fashion.  The total number of actual msgs in this base 
   will never go beyond 10.
   
   
   [2] - PATHS:
   ------------
          Here you set the location (paths) of all the system files.  You 
   will need to set the paths for all the msg bases (you do not need to 
   enter any information for bases you do not plan to use).  You can put 
   these anywhere you want (ie. RAMdisk, floppy, hard drive, and as many 
   folders deep as you want).  You must also enter the paths for all the 
   other data files listed in that sub-menu.  Remember, you are only 
   entering the path and not the whole name, therefore you may enter such 
   as A:\  or F:\DATA\  etc... but DO NOT ENTER like this B:\VE\UD.DAT  
   do not enter the filename!!  Press 'Q' here to exit from this sub-menu.
   
   
   [3] - MIN/MAX BAUD%:
   --------------------
          Here you set the minimum and maximum baud rates that either 
   your modem can handle or that you wish to support.  Entering [RETURN] 
   alone will keep the current information without changing it when asked 
   to enter new information.  If you select a minimum baud rate of 1200 
   and someone connects at 300 baud then they will be told that your BBS 
   does not support that baud rate and they will be logged off.
   
   
   [4] - ACTIVE%:
   --------------
          Here you toggle the various functions available in this program 
   on or off.  Each of the functions are listed along with their status 
   whether being on or off.  When a function is set to off then no one 
   (including the sysop) will be able to access it.  This is obviously 
   useful if you only wish to have 3 msg bases or do not wish to have on-
   line games.  Pressing the accompanying menu choice will toggle the 
   switch on/off.  This works the same for all the bit functions for the 
   password records; pressing the choice toggles the function on/off.
   
   
   [5] - SYSCALL%:
   ---------------
          Here you can set the number of calls to the system.  Pressing 
   [RETURN] alone will keep the current number.
   
   
   [6] - NEW USER LEVEL:
   ---------------------
          Here you toggle the switches to the various functions for what 
   a new user will and will not be able to do.  The bit functions work 
   just like active%.  For functions that are turned off here a first 
   time caller will not be able to access them.  Likewise, those that are 
   turned on a first time caller will be able to access.  New users are 
   always given 20 minutes on the system the first time they call.
   
   
   [7] - UPLOAD/DOWNLOAD:
   ----------------------
          Here is where you set up your file-transfer section, assuming 
   you are going to have one in the first place.  The SEND and RECEIVE 
   FILES options are the filenames of the shell programs (or only one) 
   that will perform that task.  This program has no built-in transfer 
   protocols and you MUST use an outside shell/program to perform these 
   tasks.  A shell program works like ARC.TTP; you run the program and 
   send it a command telling it what you want it to do and it takes over 
   the task, performs it, and returns.  There are many public domain 
   transfer shells available on any major BBS system or network.
          The SEND XMODEM etc.... and RECEIVE XMODEM etc... listings are 
   the commands that will be sent to the above listed transfer shells.  
   Including a '@' symbol in the command text will cause the program to 
   replace that symbol with the filename to be transfered when it sends 
   the command to the shell.  Including a '#' symbol in the command text 
   will cause the program to replace it with the path of the transfer 
   when it sends the command to the shell.  DOWNLOADS PER UPLOAD is the 
   ratio of the number of downloads a user will be allowed for every one 
   upload he makes.  Setting that value to '-1' will deactivate the 
   ratio.  U/D LEVELS are the names of the individual directories/levels.  
   These are not the pathnames!  These are only the names that the user 
   will see (ie. "IBM SOFTWARE" and "ST UTILITIES" etc...).  An example 
   of a SEND SHELL name that you would enter in the top of this sub-menu 
   might be "C:\VE\SEND.TTP"  note that you enter the whole name.  An 
   example of a command you might enter to that shell for xmodem might be 
   "-Xk @" which might tell it to send xmodem 1k blocks.  If the filename 
   is "a:\test.prg" then the command that would actually be sent to the 
   shell would ultimately look like "-Xk a:\test.prg".  Refer to the docs 
   that you got with the shell for the actual commands for your shell.
   
   
   [8] - MENUS:
   ------------
          In MENUS you set the available logon screens (toggled on/off 
   just like active%), the keypresses that will gain access to the 
   various selections, and the modem result codes and the modem answer 
   command.  First decide which logon screens you wish to support and set 
   the welcome screen switches accordingly.  Next you need to create some 
   ASCII menu screens (using any ASCII text editor).  You will need to 
   make a main menu, logoff-file transfer, file transfer, and security 
   section menu  (as explained in SETUP.TXT).  You will then go through 
   the various sections in this sub-menu entering the needed keypress to 
   get to the various areas.  Example, if you want the user to have to 
   press "C" to get to the  msg bases then you would enter "C" in the 
   main menu section of this sub-menu under "msg bases section".  The 
   next thing that you need to do after entering all the keypresses for 
   all the menus is enter the modem result codes.  You will need  your 
   modem's handbook for this one.  You will need to enter the command 
   that this program must send to your modem to get it to answer the phone; 
   for Hayes compatible modems this would be "ATA".  Next you need to 
   enter the results your modem will send back when it is connected at 
   the various baud rates; for hayes compatible modems these would be:
   300 baud connection:  'CONNECT'
   1200 baud connection:  'CONNECT 1200'
   2400 baud connection:  'CONNECT 2400'
   etc....
   
   
   [9] - SYSOP$:
   -------------
          This is simply where you set the name that you want the sysop 
   to go by on the BBS.  This name will not automatically be given sysop 
   access but in all places in the program where the program needs to 
   display the name of the sysop it will use this name.  This is 
   important because this is the name that all feedback will be sent to!
   
   
   [G] - GAMES:
   ------------
          In version 2.0 of The Vulcan Embassy BBS you can now have up to 
   10 different external on-line game programs.  I have written a few and 
   will write more in the near future and hopefully by your support more 
   people (more talented than I in game writing) will come up with more.  
   Here you enter the whole path and filename of the program to run, the 
   title of the program for the users to see, and can activate or 
   deactivate (like in active%) each of the 10 different on-line games.  
   Make sure that the on-line game program is compatible with the VE 
   format for on-line game programs.  See the text file VEGAMES.TXT for a 
   description of the requirements to be compatible with this program.
   
   
   
   
          This is one of the most important parts of the BBS and should 
   be one of the first things you do before running the program.  First 
   of all you should sit down and decide how you want your system to 
   look, how many msg bases you want to have, what in the way of file 
   transfers you want to support, etc.....  Then you should make up some 
   menu screens of your own after looking at the example ones provided 
   from the original VE BBS.  Your own screens are where you can really 
   customize your BBS to your liking!  It is a good idea to make a 
   printout of those screens or write down the menu selections for when 
   you fill out the MENUS section of the config.  I cannot stress enough 
   the importance of making backups of the CONFIG.DAT file!!!!!  It is 
   alot of work getting it setup and maintaining it so you don't want to 
   have to do it very often!  If strange things are happening with the 
   program, especially if it is saying that there has been an error; 
   check the printout of the error, check your config information you may 
   not have entered things correctly.  Make sure that you have entered 
   the correct paths and only the path part of the filenames (see PATHS 
   section except with the UPLOAD/DOWNLOAD section), check the commands 
   for file transfer with the docs you got with the programs.  Also, when 
   you first start up the BBS you should have all the msg base ranges at 
   0-0, the program automatically increments them as necessary; the first 
   msg it will change them to 1-1, the next will be 1-2 etc....
   
   
   
   THE AMBASSADOR
   a.k.a.  TIMOTHY M. GARAY
   
   

