=====( Areafix V1.10 )============================================ Trion areafix Utility. (c) Copyright Paul Spijkerman, '95-'98. All rights reserved. Written escpecially for use with the Trion BBS package. =================================================================== Trion Areafix is a program that lets a User control the echomail sections and tick file sections he is connected to. By writing netmail to the areafix program he can connect sections, disconnect sections and ask a list with the sections he has access to. Features: -Connect or Disconnect echomail and tick (file) sections. -Commands to connect or disconnect 'All' sections or all echomail or all file (tick) sections. -Produce 'short' or 'long' lists of echomail or tick sections. List can be of All sections, echomail sections, file sections, linked or unlinked sections. -Connect or Disconnect all sections temporarily with %Pause and %Resume commands. -Changing the compression methode for mail compression. -Changing the Areafix, Tick or mail and session password. -Echomail sections can be 'locked' with the obligatory flag in the mailareas.cfg so they can't be disconnect. Which is usefull is a BBS has a 'point' section to inform points about changes in access and new services. -Bounce netmail for unknown nodes. A user has to write a netmail to the netmail address of his boss (the netmail number of the net the wants access to) with name Areafix or Filefix in the 'To Name' field and the correct password on the subject line. In the Message itself the user will place the command's he want to send to AreaFix. Areafix will process the message, do the fixes and sends a message back with the changes it has made. What areafix does during fixes is change the mail.cfg so that a nodenumber is added or removed from the list under a section TagName. If there is no Tagname found in the mail.cfg for the section a user wants to connect, it will be added with the nodenumber of this user. Areafix will set the Received flag of the messages it acted on so it knows which netmail it has processed when it is started later. If areafix will receive a message with a wrong password it will send an errormessage back but will no attempt to interpret the message. Note: To be compatible with other program's and to be able to act on replies of messages from areafix Trion Areafix will react on the folowing names (in Upper or lower case): "AreaFix", "AreaMgr", "AreaLink", "EchoMgr", "NewEcho", "Tron AreaFix" and "Trion AreaFix". Available commands are (maybe used in upper and lowercase): %+ALL Connect all available sections %-ALL Disconnect all available sections %LIST Send a list of all available sections with status %LINKED Send a list of all connected sections %UNLINKED Send a list of all disconnected sections %HELP Send a message with help text +AreaTagName Connect section with name "AreaTagName" -AreaTagName Disconnect section with name "AreaTagName" %HELP For this text. %+ALL To Connect all sections for this nodenumber. %-ALL To Disconnect all sections for this nodenumber. %+MSGS To Connect all message sections. %-MSGS To Disconnect all message sections. %+FILES To Connect all file sections. %-FILES To Disconnect all file sections. %PAUSE Put all sections on hold. %RESUME Resume all sections paused before. %COMPRESSION=arc Change compression methode (LHA, LZX, ARJ). %PASSWORD=pass Change Areafix password. %FILEPASSWORD=pass Change Tick password. %ECHOPASSWORD=pass Change echomail and session password. %SHORT Switch to short list mode. %LONG Switch to long list mode. %LIST For a list of all sections for this nodenumber. %MSGS For a list of all message sections. %FILES For a list of all file sections. %LINKED For a list of all connected sections. %UNLINKED For a list of all disconnected sections. TagName To Connect section 'TagName'. +TagName To Connect section 'TagName'. -TagName To Disconnect section 'TagName'. Remote use: =========== Making the connection: ---------------------- Sections can be connected by just putting their name in a message on an empty line. (with or without a leading '+' character. Sections can be disconnected by putting their name on an empty line with a leading '-' in front of them !! Also multiple sections can be connected by using the +ALL, +FILES or +MSGS commands. When Areafix receives A message to connect or disconnect echomail sections it will make changes to the mail.cfg file in the configuration directory. File sections will be changed in the filenet.cfg When an echomail section didn't exist in mail.cfg when a user tried to connect it it will be generated. Note that you have to put comment lines in the mail.cfg on empty lines, because if areafix has to change a line the comments on that line are lost. Lists ----- Areafix has a short and long list mode. The description of a section now can be 79 characters which can scramble the whole list. Also newsgroup names can be very long. The short list is like the list in the previous version. TagName "Description" Connected TagName "Description" Connected The long list puts the description on a separate line Area: TagName Connected Desc: "Description of this echomail message section." Area: TagName Connected Desc: "Description of this echomail message section." Default the program will startup in shortlist mode, unless it was started with the -L flag, then it will produce long lists. But this can be overruled with commands in the fix messages. %SHORT Switch to short list mode. %LONG Switch to long list mode. Pause and Resume: ----------------- Areafix has %PAUSE and %RESUME commands, so a 'user' can temporary disconnect hisself. When a %PAUSE command is received a file with a list of all currently connected sections will be made, and then all sections will be disconnected. When a %RESUME command is received the file with the list will be read and all sections in the list will be connected. The list file will be placed in the trion:users/ directory and will have the 4 numerical fields of a nodenumber in the name separated with points and .fix as extension. If for instance node 14:103/300 would send a %PAUSE command a file called 14.103.300.0.fix would be created. Changing passwords and compression methode: ------------------------------------------- Areafix has options to change the compression methode and mail/session, tick or areafix password. %COMPRESSION=arc Change compression methode (LHA, LZX, ARJ). %ECHOPASSWORD=pass Change echomail and session password. The Compression and Echopassword commands will change the systems.cfg %FILEPASSWORD=pass Change file password. This command will change the filenodes.cfg %PASSWORD=pass Change Areafix password. This command will change the areafix.cfg %COMPRESSION, %ECHOPASSWORD and %FILEPASSWORD are smart(ish) if there was no entry in the configs for the node one will be added. Note that you should NOT end node lines in the systems.cfg with comments because if something in that line is changed the comment is gone. Also the line would change in length. (this note is valid for all cfgs that are changed by programs) So don't use comments like this: 350:1001/0 LHA XXXXXX ;My boss If you want to use comments do it on separate line like this: ;===( Node #1, User so and so )=== 350:1002/100.2 LHA XXXX 350:1002/2 LHA XXXX 350:1002/200 LHA XXXX ;===( Node #2, Yet another user )=== 14:103/300.3 LHA XXXXXX 39:155/300.3 LHA XXXXXX 350:1002/100.3 LHA XXXXXX 55:1100/1111.3 LHA XXXXXX 210:1010/300.3 LHA XXXXXX 606:3150/101.3 LHA XXXXXX ;===( My big boss )=== Fido, Trion, AMY, NLA, AGA, F1 2:283/326 LHA XXXXXX 350:1001/0 LHA XXXXXX 350:1001/1 LHA XXXXXX 350:1001/100 LHA XXXXXX 39:155/0 LHA XXXXXX 39:155/100 LHA XXXXXX 14:103/0 LHA XXXXXX 14:103/1 LHA XXXXXX 14:103/100 LHA XXXXXX 171:109/0 LHA XXXXXX 171:109/1 LHA XXXXXX 171:109/100 LHA XXXXXX 606:3150/0 LHA XXXXXX 606:3150/1 LHA XXXXXX 606:3150/100 LHA XXXXXX Obligatory echomail sections: ----------------------------- You can create echomail message sections that users can't disconnect with Areafix. This is usefull if you have an echomail section to inform your points of all sort of matters around the BBS. If you have such an echo to tell users that you for instance will change the phone number of the BBS, you don't want everybody to disconnect. If you have such a section you can add the "O" flag for "Obligatory" in the mailareas.cfg If a user get's a list with sections it now will say "obligatory" where it says "connected" with normail sections. The section can no longer be disconnected with a command to DISconnect a section of disconnect all sections. (new sysop curse) If a user writes a MESSAGE to areafix all the obligatory sections will be connected if they were not connected before. Use by the sysop: ================= For areafix to process the messages from your points and nodes it has to be started now and then, this could be done in the 'Mail' script with is probably started after mail calls or log offs .. the default mail script will start Areafix after the mail processor was started in Unpack mode and if there was mail in the inbound directory. Start Areafix with the F (fix) command to just process incoming netmail from nodes and points. Areafix has a few other options which are interesting for the sysop. F = fix. (areafix F ) S = send notices. (areafix S ) N = send notice to 1 node. (areafix N NODENUMBER) C = same as N and connect all. (areafix C NODENUMBER) R = same as N and disconnect all. (areafix R NODENUMBER) With the S (send notices) command he can send netmail to all nodes with contains a list of all available sections with their status (connected/disconnected). Note that this options only sends netmail to the points/nodes who have a SEND flag in the areafix.config. The N option does almost the same but for 1 node, this can be usefull when you want to tell a new node that he is connected to the system, and give him a list of the sections which are available to him. The C and R options also send a Notice netmail to a point/node be also connect or disconnect all available sections to this point/node. Note that if areafix is given the command to send notices it will search for the Sysop Name of points and nodes in the pointlist or nodelists, if no name is found the messages will be directed to "Sysop" .. and probably don't attract the attention of the sysop, so keep your nodelist and/or pointlist uptodate when connecting new nodes/points. Note that a (Trion) pointlist has a different format as a nodelist, a pointlist has no hierarchic structure but only lines like: Point,14:103/300.1,BBS_Name,City,Name,Tel_Number,baud,flags Where the "Point," field is fixed but all other fields has to be edited with the information of the node/point. "14:103/300.1" is a demonstration point number and also has to be replaced. You can add all nodes and points that are not in a nodelist to the pointlist, so you can also add the number of your boss and you don't need a nodelist note that you have to use the word "Point" in the first field. If areafix replies to a message it uses the name from the original message, so no pointlist or nodelist is needed in this case. A new user of areafix has to be added to the areafix configuration file (trion:cfg/areafix.cfg). The areafix.cfg has the folowing format: ADDRESSES zz:nnn/nnn.pp zz:nnn/nnn.pp zz:nnn/nnn.pp # GROUPS group_name1 nnn - nnn , nnn - nnn group_name2 nnn - nnn , nnn group_name3 nnn - nnn # NODES NodeNumber1 Password SEND/NOSEND OrigNodeNumber [group(s)] NodeNumber2 Password SEND/NOSEND OrigNodeNumber [group(s)] NodeNumber3 Password SEND/NOSEND OrigNodeNumber [group(s)] # The areafix.cfg exists of four groups, the first group is the Addresses list where you put (all) your netmail addresses. These addresses are used be areafix to check if the netmail to areafix is directed to the correct system. This part of the config can look something like this: ; the adressess which AreaFix needs to check if a message ; is adressed to him. ADDRESSES 14:103/3 ; NLA 14:103/300 39:155/3.0 ; AMY 39:155/300.0 350:1002/0 ; Trion-net 350:1002/1 350:1002/100 55:1100/0 ; DAN 55:1100/1 55:1100/1111 # The second group of lines is the list of echomail group definitions. A group definition is a group name plus the ranges of areanumber who are part of the group. You probably want to make groups for each net you carry and make different ones for points, nodes and donaters for instance. A point probably doesn't have access to sysop sections so he get's fewer sections as a node. The sections of a group are listed as ranges after the groupname, so aaa - bbb , ccc would mean that the group consists of sections aaa until bbb and section ccc. This part of the config can look something like this: ; Defines groups of sections (nets to certain people) ; by lists of ranges of the message sections MAIL GROUPS TRON_SYSOP 51-99 TRON_BETA 50-99 NLA_POINT 100 - 109 , 111 - 115 , 117 - 118 , 120 - 199 NLA_NODE 100 - 109 , 111 - 118 , 120 - 199 NLA_MODERATOR 100 - 109 , 111 - 199 NLA_HUB 100 - 199 # ;END-OFF-MAIL-GROUPS The third group of is the list of file (tick) group definitions. Which works like the mail groups definitions but revers to the ranges in the filenet.cfg Note that the FN_ part means file net and is especially done to see the difference with the mail net names .. but you can use every name you want. FILE GROUPS FN_TRION 100-199 FN_NLA 200-299 FN_AMY 300-399 FN_NUN 400-499 # ;END-OFF-FILE-GROUPS The fourth group of lines is the list of nodes. Each line starts with the nodenumber and is folowed with a number of fields who relate to this nodenumber. The first field is the password the user needs to use in his message so areafix will process them. The second field is a SEND/NOSEND flag which is used when sending notices to determine is this node will receive a notice (see earlier in this doc). The third field is the Origin node number used in netmail areafix will write to this node. The last fields of this line is a list of group names this node has access to. This part of the config can look something like this: ; NodeNumber Password SEND/NOSEND OrigNodeNumber [group(s)] ; Here you config all your points/nodes/hubs/hosts. ; if a node has a SEND flag , a message will be send if AreaFix ; is started in 'send notices' mode. ; OrigNodeNumber is Used as the 'origin node number' in replies ; from areafix. NODES 350:1002/101 PASSWORD SEND 350:1002/1 TRION_BETA FN_TRION 350:1002/102 PASSWORD NOSEND 350:1002/1 TRION_BETA FN_TRION 350:1002/199 PASSWORD SEND 350:1002/1 TRION_BETA # Note that areafix has an (optional) bounce netmail function. If during the scanning of netmail a message which is not meant for your system is found .. and if the destination node number is not in a nodelist of pointlist it while send a netmail back. But only if the system from which the system originates is in a nodelist (or if it is a point.. if the Boss of the point is in a nodelist) .. because else if both nodes are not in a list Areafix is probably going to write a lot of messages to itself (I think).