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Text File | 1987-05-07 | 23KB | 396 lines

********************** * * * PCBARC Ver 3.1 * * * ********************** **************************************** * Written by : Kenneth Gardner * **************************************** * Copyright (C) 1987 The Crow's Nest * **************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PCBARC Ver 3.1 Introduction The Crow's Nest ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- User Supported Software ----------------------- This program is not Public Domain property and may not be distributed for personal gain under any circumstances. It may freely be copied or distributed thru the Bulletin Boards provided no fee is charged for such distribution. User Supported Software is a way for you to try a program before buying it. Under this type of distribution you are insured that the program meets your requirements. If, after two weeks, you find that PCBARC does suit your needs, you must register your copy. If you do not wish to register then you should cease using the program. Registration is a condition of use. This program is provided on an "as is" basis without warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Should the program prove defective, you assume the entire cost of all necessary repair, servicing, or correction. In no event will the author be liable to you for any damages, including any lost profits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use this program. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PCBARC Ver 3.1 Introduction The Crow's Nest ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PCBARC Features --------------- PCBARC is a program that runs as a door thru the PCBoard Bulletin Board system. It has been tested on version 11.8. PCBARC will allow the BBS user to "exit" thru a door and list or extract the contents of an archived file. This is very useful to a caller, because he no longer has to download a large file when all he needs is the documentation or other file from the archive. This saves the caller both time and money. PCBARC does not require the presense of ARC.EXE or any path utility such as DPATH. I/O redirection is not necessary since the program contains its own communications routines. COM1 and COM2 are supported. Speeds to 2400 baud are guaranteed. PCBTrap, which can be a menace to Multi-User systems, is not needed since the user has no control over the batch file which starts PCBARC. The sysop sees exactly what the caller sees. The program continuously monitors the Carrier Detect line, eliminating the need for Watchdog. The program reads the PCBOARD.SYS file to determine the baud rate and the user's graphics mode. Ansi colors will be used if the caller has graphics turned on. The sysop always has control while a user is inside the Door. The local keyboard operates along with the remote. PCBARC will automatically update an xtract directory listing with the names of the files extracted from archives. The program lists the BBS file directories. The user will not have to try and remember the names of the arcfiles he wishes to list or extract. Extract a single file or all files from an archive. Read a "doc" file from within an archive. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PCBARC Ver 3.1 SET UP The Crow's Nest ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The files included with PCBARC are: ARC -- Batch file to run PCBARC. PCBARC.COM -- PCBARC program. PCBARC.DOC -- This documentation. PCBARCC.EXE -- Configuration program for PCBARC. PCBARC must be run from the "default" directory. In a single user system this is usually \PCB. The program needs to find PCBOARD.SYS and because it can be run in a Multi-User enviornment, it looks in the default directory only for that file. In a multi-user installation you can place PCBARC.COM in your main \PCB directory and if you have a path to that directory the program will run from the default directories of your other nodes. Recommended file placement: Single Node: PCBARC.CNF Place files in PCBOARD PCBARC.COM default directory. PCBARCC.EXE Multi Node: PCBARC.COM Place files in the Node 1 PCBARC.CNF directory. Set a path to this PCBARCC.EXE directory. PCBARC.CNF Place in each default Node directory. Under a single user system, run PCBARCC and configure PCBARC.CNF to your system. Under a multi-user system, first run PCBARCC in the Node 1 directory to configure the Node 1 door. Then, change directories to each of your other Nodes and run PCBARCC from the Node's default directory. If your download paths are the same you can simply copy PCBARC.CNF to each of the Node's default directories. Be sure to set up the configuration to specify where to find your CNAMES file. Under multi-user you may have different conferences for each node so you must give the path name to the correct CNAMES file. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PCBARC Ver 3.1 SETUP The Crow's Nest ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Using PCBArc in private conferences: Running PCBArc in a Private Conference requires no extra effort on your part other than making sure PCBoard knows where to find your doors if you run the conference as a MINI BBS. The program will automatically determine if the user entered the door through a conference. If that is the case, then the program will first search the conference directory for the file listings and if it does not find the xDIR or xDIRG files, it will look in your GEN directory. Then, when a user types in a directory number to list, it will look in the conference directory for the xDIRx file and if it does not find it, it will look in the GEN directory. Since your private directory listings are not kept in the GEN directory, users who are not authorized will not be able to see your private directories. Only the conference directory that belongs to the conference that the user entered the door from will be searched. Any directory listings not found in the conference directory will not be shown to the user unless they can be found in your GEN directory. Since placing private conference directory listings in your GEN directory is not recommended you should have no problems in keeping security if you follow the PCBoard documentation. Of course, as with PCBoard, if the user KNOWS the file name they may view the file or list its contents (if it is included in your search directory). You can rest assured that members of your Writers Conference can not see the files that belong to your Sysops Conference and users who are not a member of either conference can see only the general directory listings. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PCBARC Ver 3.1 SETUP The Crow's Nest ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Add the line "ARC,<password>,<security level>" to your DOORS.DAT file. Change your DOORS and DOORSG files to reflect the addition of a new door. Place ARC (will be renamed to ARC.BAT when a user exits thru the door) in your PCBOARD default directory or for multi-user systems, in the default directory of each of your nodes. Create an \XTRACT directory on your hard disk. If you fail to create this directory (can be any name) the program will not run. This directory can be any name you wish. It is easier to maintain and "clean up" the extracted files if they are in a separate direc- tory. Points to remember: PCBARC.COM can be anywhere as long as there is a path to it. PCBARC.CNF must be in the board's default directory. This is the directory where PCBOARD.DAT and PCBOARD.SYS are kept. There is one "default" directory for each Node. ARC must be in the board's default directory. You can rename this file to anything you wish. Just be sure it is the same name you place in your DOORS.DAT file. Do not use Watchdog or CTTY in the ARC (bat) file. They are not needed. Look at the ARC file and note how PCBARC is called up. For COM1, you would use PCBARC 1. For COM2, use PCBARC 2. To run PCBARC in local mode, type PCBARC ! at the DOS prompt. To disable color while in local mode, type PCBARC ! M ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PCBARC Ver 3.1 ADDENDUM The Crow's Nest ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note that PKARC [SQUAHSED] files are now supported with this release. The program will honor any file locks that may be in force. This is beneficial to multi-user systems and also allows you to set your download files to the Read Only attibute so that optimizing programs can arrange your disk in the best possible maner. PCBArc has been found to NOT RUN RELIABLY on some not so compatible IBM Clones. In order to accomodate PKARC Squashed files, more memory is used in order to decode the squashed files. If you have problems with the program, make sure you have at least 128k of free memory. SPECIAL THANKS At this date (05-07-87), I would like to thank the following people for taking the "plunge" and opening up their BBS to a new Door. Mark Stein Laguna Hills BBS (714)643-3066 Joseph Sheppard The Ledge PCBoard (818)352-3620 Steven Mills WestPenn BBS (412)367-2505 Michael Part The Wicked Scherzo Board (818)509-9704 Mark has been using PCBArc since nearly the beginning. His efforts and his commitment are greatly appreciated. Mark is the person who suggested the "top down" approach of the menu. Michael is a "non-standard" person and he has been comming up with some problems that we "standard" PCBoard sysops do not have. Because of his committment we now have a product that will support private conferences and is a bit more "user friendly"!! Mike is my Pack Rat and if were not for him, there would be no version 3! I am devoted to him deeply for helping out when times got hard. If you ever wanted to meet a true sysop, then talk with Mike. His devotion is hard to belive! As a sysop, you should support these people and their BBS's. They deserve it! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PCBARC Ver 3.1 REGISTRATION The Crow's Nest ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Registered users will receive free updates and product support. To be included in future releases: Status line for the sysop. On line Help. The ability to process the PCBOARD.DAT file and read download paths and board name from there. Callers log updating to show what a user did while in the door. Automatic maintenance to delete previously extracted files and remove their descriptions from the xtract directory listing. Registered users can obtain free updates by calling: The Crow's Nest BBS Node 1 - (714)493-3819 Node 2 - (714)493-9851 24 Hours - 300/1200/2400 Immediate Access - No Verification! PCBARC Program Registration ------------------------------ To: Kenneth Gardner 24242 Porto Fino Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 Name: ____________________________________________________________ Addr: ____________________________________________________________ City: _______________________________ State: ______ Zip: _______ Phone: _________________________ Date: ___________________ Please register me as a legimate owner of PCBARC. I understand that by registering, I am entitled to free updates and product support.