@DATABASE "socklink.doc" @NODE MAIN "socklink.doc" ============================================================== socklink 1.00 -- links stdio to socket (AmiTCP/IP and AS225r2) Documentation - September 1, 1995 - ============================================================== Copyright (c) 1995 by Sam Yee. All rights reserved. @{" Table Of Contents " Link Table_Of_Contents} @{" Copyright and disclaimer " Link 1.} @{" Introduction " Link 2.} @{" Requirements " Link 3.} @{" Installation " Link 4.} @{" Using socklink " Link 5.} @{" Acknowledgements " Link 6.} @{" Contact Address " Link 7.} @ENDNODE @NODE Table_Of_Contents " Table Of Contents " MAIN@{" socklink.doc " Link MAIN} 1.@{" Copyright and disclaimer " Link 1.} 2.@{" Introduction " Link 2.} 3.@{" Requirements " Link 3.} 4.@{" Installation " Link 4.} 4.1.@{" AmiTCP manual installation " Link 4.1.} 4.2.@{" AS225 manual installation " Link 4.2.} 5.@{" Using socklink " Link 5.} 6.@{" Acknowledgements " Link 6.} 7.@{" Contact Address " Link 7.} @ENDNODE @NODE 1. "Copyright and disclaimer" The program, socklink and its associated files are written and copyrighted by Sam Yee. It may be distributed freely providing the following conditions hold: o Distributors may not charge more than the cost of a diskette used in the distribution of this program. o Distributors may only distribute the unmodified copy of the original program, along with its documentation, and copyright notices intact. o Commercial distribution is only possible with written permission from the author. This program and its documentation are provided "as is". No warranties are made with respect to the accuracy, reliability, performance or operation of this software and information. You are using this program at your own risk. The author is not liable for any damages that may have been caused by using this software. @ENDNODE @NODE 2. "Introduction" socklink basically links the standard input/output (stdio) to a TCP/IP socket connected to a host. It reads data from a socket, writes it to standard output. Conversely, it reads from standard input and writes to the socket. It handles data asynchronously and in both directions simultaneously. No data translation is performed. This "pipe" enables BBS users, who lack Internet access, to use serial device based network clients (such IRC clients) through an Internet-connected Amiga BBS. socklink runs on most modern BBSes capable of standard Command Line Interface (CLI) doors. It supports AmiTCP, AS225r2, and MLINK. @ENDNODE @NODE 3. "Requirements" socklink runs on any Amiga with version 2.04 of the OS, with AmiTCP or AS225r2 installed. The BBS must also (obviously) have two phonelines, one connected to the net, and one for the BBS user. socklink uses about 10K per line, or even less if it's made resident. @ENDNODE @NODE 4. "Installation" The socklink archive contains the following files: Makefile - makefile for socklink.c RawIN.h - header file for rawin.library rawin.library - input/output handling library socklink.c - C source to socklink socklink.doc - socklink documentation in text format socklink.doc.info - icon for above socklink.guide - socklink documentation in AmigaGuide format socklink.guide.info - icon for above socklink_amitcp - AmiTCP version of socklink socklink_as225 - AS225r2 version of socklink socklink_install - Installer script socklink_install.info - icon for the above If you click on the installer script icon it should copy the files to the appropriate places. If you like to install the files manually, you may do the following: @{" AmiTCP manual installation " Link 4.1.} @{" AS225 manual installation " Link 4.2.} @ENDNODE @NODE 4.1. "AmiTCP manual installation" 1> cd ram: 1> lha x dh0: (or whatever the socklink archive is) 1> cd socklink 1> copy rawin.library libs: clone 1> copy socklink_amitcp AmiTCP:bin/socklink clone 1> copy socklink.(doc|guide)#? amitcp:doc/ clone @ENDNODE @NODE 4.2. "AS225 manual installation" 1> cd ram: 1> lha x dh0: (or whatever the socklink archive is) 1> cd socklink 1> copy rawin.library libs: clone 1> copy socklink_as225 Inet:c/socklink clone 1> copy socklink.(doc|guide)#? Inet:docs/ clone If you use MLINK and it's emulating AmiTCP, you should install the AmiTCP version. Otherwise, install the AS225 version. @ENDNODE @NODE 5. "Using socklink" The command line usage for socklink is: socklink [start-delay-seconds] where: is the host you want to connect to, is the port you want to connect to, and [start-delay-seconds] is an optional argument specifying the number of seconds to delay before linking the socket to stdio. This argument is here to give the user enough time to quit their terminal program and load up their net client. Some TCP servers may send data immediately, which would normally not give the client enough time to receive it. e.g., socklink irc-2.mit.edu 6667 socklink is not BBS specific so it should run on most modern BBSes. No BBS specific installation is given here, but the following is a really simple procedure on how to set up socklink on your BBS. - Add socklink as a CLI door to your BBS menu: e.g., "AmiTCP:bin/socklink irc-2.mit.edu 6667" - Make the menu available to the user To start socklink, the user first logs onto the BBS with a normal terminal program. He/she then proceeds to launch socklink program by selecting a menu option. socklink will attempt to connect to the host at a particular port. If a successful connection is made, the user quits the terminal program without dropping carrier and loads up a net client. If the user wishes to quit socklink, they simply quit the net client, reload their terminal program, and press ^C three times. The user can of course drop carrier to disconnect altogether. @ENDNODE @NODE 6. "Acknowledgements" Thank-you's go to... - Dan Fraser (IRC nick: Optic) for the initial idea and testing, - ??? (IRC nick: Azar) for testing, and - Robert Reiswig (IRC nick: RobR) for writing the Installer script. @ENDNODE @NODE 7. "Contact Address" Questions, ideas, comments, bug reports, etc. should go to: Snail Mail: Sam Yee 4595 Nanaimo St. Vancouver, B.C. Canada V5N 5J5 Internet: samy@sfu.ca (until Jan. 1., 1995) samy@res.com (IRC nick: Encoder in channel #amiga) FidoNet: 1:153/765 (Terra Firma BBS (604) 434-3665) @ENDNODE