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Newer page: version 2 Last edited on Thursday, October 21, 2004 4:52:54 pm by AristotlePagaltzis
Older page: version 1 Last edited on Friday, June 7, 2002 1:06:33 am by perry Revert
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-  
-  
-  
-FBB Packet-radio BBS mini-HOWTO  
-  
-  
-  
-----  
-  
-!!!FBB Packet-radio BBS mini-HOWTO  
-  
-!!Miroslav "Misko" Skoric, YT7MPB, m.skoric@eunet.yuv1.11, 2001-11-27  
-  
-  
-----  
-''  
-  
-This mini-HOWTO covers the installation and use of  
-the most popular amateur packet-radio BBS software "FBB". That software works under Linux, DOS and Windows operating systems. It serves as a  
-bulletin board system (BBS), a mailbox for  
-personal messages, a database for various texts,  
-documents and binary files, a server for small  
-useful calculations etc. Packet radio is a way of  
-connecting computers via amateur radio stations. ''  
-----  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!1. Introduction  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!2. How to install X11 (Xwindows) version of LinFBB  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!3. How to install LinFBB in addition to existing WinFBB  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!4. How to install Protus password utility  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!5. How to install daemon version of LinFBB  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!6. How to install an "upgrade" to daemon version of LinFBB  
-  
-  
-*6.1 LinFBB v7.02g  
-  
-*6.2 LinFBB v7.03  
-  
-*6.3 LinFBB v7.04  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!7. Further information  
-  
-  
-*7.1 Copyright  
-  
-*7.2 Disclaimer  
-  
-*7.3 News  
-  
-*7.4 Credits  
-  
-*7.5 HOWTO  
-  
-*7.6 Mini-HOWTO  
-  
-*7.7 Local Resources  
-  
-*7.8 Web Pages  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!8. Getting help  
-----  
-  
-!!1. Introduction  
-  
-  
-I have been using FBB amateur radio software since  
-early nineties. It was the time of DOS operating  
-system, so most of us, system administrators (or, so  
-called system operators - sysop's), used various  
-packet radio software for DOS. Versions of FBB  
-packet radio BBS software for DOS, today are  
-known as "DosFBB".  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-I still administer one DosFBB database in the SRV  
-(Amateur Radio Union of Vojvodina, a part of SRJ).  
-It is DosFBB v7.00g23 that runs on a 486DX computer  
-with 16 MB of RAM and Hercules b/w graphics. Since  
-last December, it runs without any re-boot (excepting  
-some power failures). Before that, it was a bit  
-tricky to set up all memory management properly, in  
-order to avoid "frozen" system. Although this server  
-runs under DOS, its "radio clients" don't depend  
-on that. In fact, users of that DosFBB might run  
-their client software under DOS, Windows, Linux  
-or any other operating system that offer amateur  
-packet radio abilities.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-I have also used DosFBB v5.15c at home. Three years  
-ago, when I got my new box, Pentium 166 with 32 MB of  
-RAM and VGA color graphics, I switched to a Windows  
-version of FBB ("WinFBB"). Author of the software, an  
-radio amateur from France, Jean-Paul F6FBB, has made many  
-versions of WinFBB, including 16 bit variant for  
-Windows 3.x and Windows 9x as well as 32 bit variant for  
-Windows NT. I have run both variants until now  
-(at the moment it is 16 bit WinFBB v7.00g25 that runs  
-ok under Windows NT 4.).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-New: Since Spring 2001, I run WinFBB v7.00i  
-(17 March 2001) under Windows 2000 Professional.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-The main  
-difference between DosFBB and WinFBB is that the  
-second one offers you to do other jobs with your  
-computer, while FBB is running as just any other  
-application. Beside that, it is always nice to  
-copy a text from another application (for example,  
-from an Internet email) and to paste it into a  
-packet radio message, or vice versa.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-In the mean time, I upgraded my system to the  
-Celeron 400 MHz with 96 MB of RAM and a big hard  
-disk that has enough room to install Linux and try  
-LinFBB ...  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-New: In July 2001, I added 128 MB of RAM so my  
-home system is very confortable now.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Finally, you should be aware what I want to  
-have here:  
-  
-  
-1. WinFBB when I run Windows.  
-2. LinFBB when I run Linux. It should be an  
-Xwindows application that may be  
-started/stopped similarly to WinFBB.  
-That's why X11 LinFBB package is used.  
-3. LinFBB when I run Linux, but as a daemon  
-that runs in the background. In addition,  
-an interface for a local user (myself)  
-is needed, as well as an interface to  
-monitor the radio chanell.  
-4. All three versions must be capable to  
-use the same configuration files, i.e.  
-to be able, for example, to begin from  
-the exact position where the other  
-version finished its previous session.  
-5. I am not an expert in Linux, so I am  
-only able to install "factory-made"  
-packages for Linux (just like to install  
-self executing software packages under  
-Windows). So, no (re)compilations here :-)  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-----  
-  
-!!2. How to install X11 (Xwindows) version of LinFBB  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*First of all, you should have running Linux  
-with a GUI installed. I am fully satisfied  
-with Gnome GUI but I suppose that KDE will  
-be ok too (or any other GUI available).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Download or copy LinFBB (the main ftp site  
-is  
-ftp.f6fbb.org but there are many mirror  
-sites too). For example, if you get a file  
-like  
-  
-  
-x700e_full.tgz  
-  
-  
-it means that it is X11 version 7.00e and it  
-contains all you need in tgz archive to install  
-the BBS. On the other hand, a name like  
-  
-  
-xd700g_full.tgz  
-  
-  
-means that it is not X11 but daemon version 7.00g  
-and it is also complete to unpack. Further,  
-  
-  
-x700f01.tgz  
-  
-  
-and  
-  
-  
-x700g.tgz  
-  
-  
-are "upgrades" to any previous "full" package.  
-For example, after I have upgraded to x700g.tgz  
-I started to run X11 LinFBB 7.00g (04 August 1998).  
-Btw, X11 versions are not maintained anymore, but  
-I still run it here. It has some bugs but I like it.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Copy the archive file in __/tmp__ directory.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*You have to make a "base" directory where  
-your FBB will be installed. For example you  
-may type: __mkdir /usr/local/fbb__ if you want  
-FBB to be there. You have to be logged as  
-'root' or 'superuser' to install FBB.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Then, you should locate yourself in that  
-directory: __cd /usr/local/fbb__.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Now, you should unpack the archive:  
-__tar xvzf /tmp/x700b25.tgz__ (<-- use the right  
-name of the archive here).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*When you finished unpacking the archive,  
-you may continue installing the software:  
-__./install.sh__ is the command for that. The  
-setup will ask you for the 'base' directory  
-where FBB will be installed. If you chose  
-__/usr/local/fbb__ again, you will be told that  
-such directory already exists and all files  
-will be overwritten. It is ok, so you should  
-answer yes. If everything is ok, you should  
-see on the screen that fbb system  
-directories are created. At the beginning  
-of that procedure, program will ask you for  
-bbs's callsign, name of the city, QTH  
-locator, your name etc. That details will  
-become a part of __/usr/local/fbb/init.srv__  
-file.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*After that, you MUST check this file  
-__again__ manually in order to fix some other  
-details needed (because installation script does  
-not fix all parts within that file).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Well, so far - so good. After you have checked  
-all configuration files, you may start the  
-software: __./xfbb.sh__ (<-- type this within  
-an xterm or something similar). When you  
-start your BBS for the first time, it will ask  
-you to create some files it needs, so you  
-should answer "yes" to the questions.  
-  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-----  
-  
-!!3. How to install LinFBB in addition to existing WinFBB  
-  
-  
-''Notice: Folks, you see, at my place, I have a  
-dual-boot system, consisting of Windows NT and  
-Linux (each of them having their own partition(s)  
-and file system). I wanted to have 'independent'  
-operating systems that won't see each other. So I  
-made two NT's partitions as NTFS partitions and  
-rest of the space used Linux as ext2 partitions.  
-Well, first I have installed WinFBB under NT and X11  
-LinFBB under Linux. Both of them worked, but there  
-was a big "problem": I could not share their  
-system files. You might say: So, what a big deal.  
-But, my FBB's should serve as packet-radio forwarding  
-stations (regardless of which one I boot at the  
-moment), so it was really needed for new LinFBB  
-to "know", for example, the position where WinFBB  
-has stopped the mail exchange last time (and vice  
-versa, of course).''  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*Well, in order to allow both WinFBB under  
-Windows NT and LinFBB under Linux to use  
-some common files, it is needed to put these  
-files in a place where both operating systems can  
-"see". So I do that by re-installing  
-WinFBB onto a FAT (FAT16) partition that is  
-recognized by NT and Linux too. The best way to do  
-that is to install a "fresh" copy of WinFBB on  
-a FAT partition and to copy complete "old"  
-WinFBB from NTFS partition over the fresh  
-installation (whenever you are asked to  
-rewrite existing files, you should answer  
-"yes").  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*When that is finished, you should have a "clone"  
-of the existing old WinFBB, but this time on  
-the FAT partition that is visible from under  
-Linux. Anyway, you should check if the "new"  
-installation is able to run as the "old" one.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*I could also recommend you to check the file  
-tree of WinFBB in order to become more  
-familiar with it. The file tree of LinFBB  
-is a bit different so it is advisable to  
-note various details here and there.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Some files can't be used as they are under ''both''  
-operating systems (without some neccesary  
-changes). That's why some file names should  
-be renamed (or, at least, you should make  
-appropriate copies of some files):  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-init.srv -> init_w.srv  
-forward.sys -> forw_w.sys  
-port.sys -> port_w.sys  
-protect.sys -> prot_w.sys  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-FBB is able to recognize and accept those renamed files.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Make a backup of the actual WinFBB (I do this  
-by copying the whole WinFBB file structure into  
-the other Windows partition that ''won't'' be  
-shared with Linux, like NTFS one). You'll never  
-know when a catastrophe may happen, so as a result,  
-you won't be able to start neither of WinFBB or new  
-LinFBB. As a precaution, the backup might be the  
-easiest way to recover at least the old WinFBB for  
-a while (until you configure your new LinFBB, ok?).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Now, you should restart your machine and boot  
-into Linux. Log on as 'root' or make 'su' from a  
-user's account.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Mount a shared FAT directory (where FBB files are):  
-__mount -t vfat /dev/hda2 /mnt/win__  
-(for example).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Copy LinFBB archive to __/tmp__ directory.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Position yourself to the 'base' directory:  
-__cd /usr/local/fbb__ (for example).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Unpack the archive: __tar xvzf /tmp/filename__.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Start the installation script __./install.sh__  
-and, after asked for the 'base' installation  
-directory, chose __/usr/local/fbb__. It doesn't  
-matter if the program warns you that such  
-directory already exists so existing files  
-will be overwritten (by the way, if you  
-choose a mounted directory shared with NT,  
-many original WinFBB files, located there, would be  
-over-written by LinFBB files, so after returning  
-to Windows, WinFBB might not be functional  
-like before).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Copy __/usr/local/fbb__ to __/mnt/win/fbb__ but do  
-*not* rewrite existing files with the new files  
-having the same names.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Copy __/mnt/win/fbb/init_w.srv__ to  
-__/mnt/win/fbb/init_l.srv__ file.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Edit __/mnt/win/fbb/init_l.srv__ to what is  
-needed for Linux. You may use the existing  
-file __/mnt/win/fbb/init.srv__ as an example.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Copy newly edited __/mnt/win/fbb/init_l.srv__  
-over the __/mnt/win/fbb/init.srv__ (if you do  
-not do that, maybe you wouldn't be able to start LinFBB  
-using __./xfbb.sh__, like me at first).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Copy __/mnt/win/fbb/system/port_w.sys__ to  
-__/mnt/win/fbb/system/port_l.sys__ file.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Edit __/mnt/win/fbb/system/port_l.sys__ to  
-what is needed for Linux and LinFBB. You may use the  
-existing file __/mnt/win/fbb/system/port.sys__  
-as an example.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Edit __/mnt/win/fbb/xfbb.sh__ in order to fix  
-the right path.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Ensure that you are in FBB's main directory:  
-__cd /mnt/win/fbb__ (for example).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Start the script __./xfbb.sh__ to run LinFBB.  
-If everything is ok, your LinFBB under Linux  
-should run with the same configuration as  
-your "old" WinFBB under Windows. From this point,  
-both FBB's should behave very similar (actually,  
-I must admit that WinFBB has much better visual  
-quality than X11 LinFBB, but probably the reasons  
-for that you may find in Windows-vs.-Linux-GUI  
-quality battles). FYI, my actual WinFBB is v7.00g25  
-(05 January 2000) and X11 LinFBB is v7.00g (04 August  
-1998).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Although this combination WinFBB/X11 LinFBB works ok, I  
-have noticed some problems. For example, LinFBB  
-was not able to use amsat forward_to_file routine  
-(located in __/mnt/win/fbb/system/fwd__ directory),  
-because that file was composed like this (for example):  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-A AMSAT  
-*  
-P @  
-*  
-C D:\FBB\SYSTEM\SAT\AMSAT.TXT <-- looks familiar to DOS/Windows only  
-*  
-G AMSAT  
-*  
---------  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-On the other side, LinFBB's amsat.sys (located  
-in __/etc/ax25/fbb/fwd__ directory) has suggested  
-something like this:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-A AMSAT  
-*  
-P @  
-*  
-C /var/ax25/fbb/sat/amsat.txt <-- looks familiar to Linux only  
-*  
-G AMSAT  
-*  
---------  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Well, then I copied LinFBB's amsat.sys  
-into __/mnt/win/fbb/system/fwd__ directory so  
-it could become functional. As a result, I got  
-''two'' amsat.txt files, one of them  
-for each of WinFBB/LinFBB, and of course, both files  
-appeared on different locations: the first one was  
-__/mnt/win/fbb/system/sat/amsat.txt__ and it  
-was filled by WinFBB; the other one was in  
-__/var/ax25/fbb/sat/amsat.txt__ and was filled by  
-LinFBB. I didn't like it that way.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-In order to have only ''one'' result,  
-regardless of FBB version, the newly copied  
-amsat.sys had to be slightly changed:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-A AMSAT  
-*  
-P @  
-*  
-*C /var/ax25/fbb/sat/amsat.txt  
-C /mnt/win/fbb/system/sat/amsat.txt  
-*  
-G AMSAT  
-*  
---------  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-As you can see now, when LinFBB is active, its  
-amsat.sys will not forward into  
-its "native" location of amsat.txt.  
-Instead of that, it will go to the location  
-of the WinFBB's amsat.txt and just  
-add some new materials into it, ok?  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Well, now it's up to you to decide what to do  
-with your growing amsat.txt. An old  
-DosFBB manual says that the 'batch' file  
-(I suppose, the old good APPEL.BAT)  
-should be adopted in order for __SATUPDAT.EXE__  
-can update ''sat'' tracking data and, after  
-that, to erase AMSAT.TXT because it is not  
-needed anymore. Well, I haven't found a way to  
-manage that in both WinFBB and LinFBB. Actually,  
-whenever I perform housekeeping from either of them,  
-it seems that AMSAT.TXT remains intact. Happily,  
-it doesn't grow too much, so it's not a big problem.  
-Any suggestion here?  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-----  
-  
-!!4. How to install Protus password utility  
-  
-  
-''Notice: Well, I have been using Protus  
-connection filters for a long time now. At  
-first, it was version 3.1/1.2 for DosFBB515c  
-and, later, version 3.3 for Dos/WinFBB700.  
-I have found Protus as very useful utility  
-because of its implementation of BBS-to-BBS  
-forwarding protection using MD2 algorythm.  
-One of the reasons I am going to cover Protus  
-in this document is a fact that its author  
-haven't made a manual in english yet. I keep  
-trying to translate the original manuals  
-from spanish into english, but it is a hard  
-process. Any good 'spanish-to-english'  
-translator is welcomed to contact me:  
-m.skoric@eunet.yu.''  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Protus offers several interesting features:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*It can send a presentation message to  
-all users, informing about possibility  
-to make users' access more safe,  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*It can send messages to users who have  
-normal access, informing about utility's  
-existence,  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*It can send messages to users who have no  
-valid access (before disconnecting them),  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*It can send messages to new users who have  
-connected the BBS for the first time, informing  
-them about the password utility.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*It can send messages to users who have entered  
-wrong password (before disconnecting them),  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*It can inform sysop about almost everything  
-related to users' connections (new user on  
-the system, unsuccessful connections etc),  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Messages mentioned above could be translated  
-into various languages and used similarly as various  
-language files that FBB uses,  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Messages mentioned above could be different  
-for different BBS ports,  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Protus could be activated/deactivated at various  
-intervals of time using CRON.SYS system file,  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Passwords could be managed remotely, using an  
-external server, developed by Jose EB5IVB,  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*...  
-  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Well, let's see what should be done in order to  
-implement secure access to the FBB packet  
-radio BBS, using Protus type of, so called, ''c_filter'':  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*Users of Dos/WinFBB versions of Protus  
-already know that it is needed to create a new  
-directory __\FBB\PROTUS__ where several *.PRT  
-files should be placed. In addition, the  
-main C_FILT*.DLL files should be copied  
-into __\FBB\BIN__ as well as a couple of "system",  
-(i.e. config) *.PRT files that are going to be  
-within __\FBB\SYSTEM__ directory.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*After the sysop has copied all files into  
-the proper locations, it is needed to make  
-some configuration. The most important files  
-are two "system" ones: CONFIG.PRT and USERS.PRT  
-that should be carefully adopted to any  
-particular situation. Other *.PRT files will  
-work as they are in original, but they might  
-be translated because they are originated  
-in spanish (those files are just textual  
-information that are sent to users who  
-connect to the BBS). For your information,  
-I usualy don't care much about, because my  
-BBS's are so called "open systems". It means  
-they work quite normal for ''all'' users in the  
-same way as they worked ''before'' implementing Protus.  
-Only a couple of callsigns have password  
-installed and, when connecting, they know  
-what they are doing, so, they don't need  
-any additional info. Your mileage may vary.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*So far - so good. When everything mentioned is  
-done, you have to restart your FBB in order  
-for Protus utility to be activated. In all  
-connections to your BBS (including console),  
-you should see a line like this: __{PROTUS-4.}__  
-just after a line [[FBB-7.00-AB1FHMRX$ ]. It  
-only gives an information that Protus is active on the  
-system. Users of your system who don't have  
-their passwords, connect just normally as before.  
-Users who's callsigns have password implemented,  
-are prompted for password just after their connections.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*The author of Protus, Jesus EB5AGF, has made  
-several working "modes" of its utility. It  
-is possible for users to get various kinds  
-of security: a fixed phrase as a password  
-(similar when you connect to the Internet  
-via telephone line, but this way the phrase  
-can be masqueraded within the longer answer);  
-a changeable answer to the 5 numbers (just  
-like usual FBB sysop's password); a mode  
-that uses automatic answer from user's client  
-packet programs; implementation of MD2 and  
-MD5 algorythms; FBB-to-FBB automatic forward  
-protection etc. FYI, my WinFBB is equipped  
-with 16-bit Protus 4.0 (13. August 1999).  
-There is also a 32-bit module of the same date  
-that would be called from within 32-bit WinFBB  
-(I haven't tested those two).  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*Well, the situation regarding working location  
-of Protus files under LinFBB is somewhat different.  
-I have become familiar to the directory structure  
-that DosFBB and WinFBB versions of Protus have  
-been using, so I considered that it was enough  
-just to copy the same directory structure when  
-I started the installation of Protus under LinFBB.  
-It was wrong. After having pulled out the  
-remaining hair, the things started to work, so,  
-now I am going to tell you what to do.  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*I have already told you that I have  
-been running here both WinFBB under Windows NT  
-and LinFBB under Linux (see also Linux+WinNT  
-mini-HOWTO and Lilo mini-HOWTO). That means  
-all Protus stuff has already been installed in  
-a way WinFBB has required, except ''Linux''  
-executable of ''c_filter'' file. I  
-put that file into __/fbb/bin__ directory and,  
-after the next restart of LinFBB, I got the  
-info mentioned above: {PROTUS-4.}. But the  
-password protection was not likely to work.  
-I was told to make a new directory __/var/ax25/fbb/protus__  
-and put *.prt files there. I ''didn't move'' *.PRT  
-files from __\FBB\PROTUS__ but ''copied'' them into  
-the new location, because I wanted Protus to  
-run further under WinFBB as before. The utility  
-still didn't want to run, unless I copied  
-''also'' *.PRT files from __\FBB\SYSTEM__ to the  
-new location (__/var/ax25/fbb/protus__). After I  
-did that, Protus became fully functional.  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*Well, I suppose, the above info would be  
-useful for those of you who intend to run  
-*both* Windows and Linux FBB's on the same machine.  
-For the majority of LinFBB-only users, it is just  
-important to make __/var/ax25/fbb/protus__  
-where ''all'' *.prt files should be placed. ''Only''  
-c_filter executable should go to __/fbb/bin__  
-and that's it.  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*About FBB-to-FBB protection: *both* partners  
-have to install Protus. Password for the  
-forwarding partner's callsign must be the  
-same at *both* sides of the link. The versions  
-of Protus don't need to be the same (neither  
-the versions of FBB, neither the operating  
-systems, HI!). Anyway, MD5 algorythm will only  
-work if both parties have Protus 4.x and  
-above (I still don't use that, but it is not  
-a problem, because my two boxes, DosFBB/Protus3.3 and  
-WinFBB/LinFBB/Protus4., make all things ok with MD2).  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*One of the interesting features of Protus is to  
-log unsuccessful connections. Due to the  
-''different'' locations of *.prt files here, I have  
-separate logs for WinFBB and LinFBB c_filtering.  
-Those of you who are going to run only one version of  
-FBB, will have ''one'' complete log of connection  
-errors, your users make when they try  
-connecting your BBS.  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*As it was told earlier, if you implemented  
-password protection for only ''some'' of your  
-users (but not for all of them who connect  
-normally) - your system is considered as  
-an "open" one. It means that will be logged  
-only unsuccessful tries to enter the system  
-by "protected" callsigns. But, if you decided  
-that your BBS can be accessed by ''only'' those  
-callsigns who are protected with Protus, it  
-means that your system is the "closed" one.  
-Then, there is no way a user could enter your  
-FBB unless its callsign has given a password  
-within your Protus. Any unauthorized try to  
-connect your BBS is logged.  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*In addition,  
-you may decide to have a "guest" access or  
-a "read-only" as ''default'' for some ports  
-and/or for users who enter the wrong password.  
-Many combinations are possible. You could  
-even password protect your own FBB console!  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*To finish with this topic for now, just to  
-inform you that my X11 LinFBB is equipped  
-with Protus v4.1b7 (15. February 2000). It  
-has some minor bugs, for example, it logs  
-incoming connections with a SSID of -48 if  
-a user doesn't have a SSID at all (of  
-course, a SSID of -0 would be expectible  
-in such case).  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-----  
-  
-!!5. How to install daemon version of LinFBB  
-  
-  
-''Notice: You see, folks, that I keep trying to get  
-as many as possible versions of this great  
-software (Jean-Paul, F6FBB, must be very proud after  
-reading these words now). What I think when mention  
-"as many as possible versions" means that we have  
-learned how to get both WinFBB and X11 LinFBB on  
-the same computer. But, that's not all. There is a  
-variety of daemon versions of LinFBB. In this section  
-we are going to discuss how to *add* a daemon LinFBB  
-to the existing two: X11 LinFBB and WinFBB!''  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*Well, many amateurs have suggested me to install  
-a couple of packages that weren't look to me as  
-too much needed for LinFBB daemon - to be run.  
-Anyway, I installed those packages ''before''  
-the installation of LinFBB itself:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-libax25.rpm  
-ax25apps.rpm  
-ax25tool.rpm  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Now it is the right time to install fbbsrv.rpm  
-package. The archive was composed to make its  
-own directories, as "base" directories. The last new  
-version to start with, that I have managed to find as  
-a .rpm package, was 7.01f Release 4 (09. December  
-1999).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*A file called __fbb.conf__, serving as the  
-replacement for __init.srv__, is placed in the  
-location: __/etc/ax25/fbb.conf__  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*''Unless'' you are going to install daemon-''only''  
-system, you should make a backup of the  
-following existing files:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-dirmes.sys  
-etat.sys  
-heard.bin  
-inf.sys  
-statis.dat  
-tpstat.sys  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Now you have to edit __/etc/ax25/fbb.conf__  
-and change some paths in case you already  
-have X11 LinFBB installed on a ''different''  
-path. Here you have some examples that cover  
-my particular situation...  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Directory of data files, instead of /var/ax25/fbb,  
-should be __/mnt/win/fbb/system__  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Directory of config files, instead of /etc/ax25/fbb,  
-should be __/mnt/win/fbb/system__  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Directory of message files, instead of /var/ax25/fbb/mail,  
-should be __/mnt/win/fbb/mail__  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Directory of compressed files, instead of /var/ax25/fbb/binmail,  
-should be __/mnt/win/fbb/binmail__  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Directory of users, instead of .../home/fbbdos/...,  
-should be ...__/mnt/win/fbb/users__... (case you  
-don't mind that both your WinFBB and LinFBB users handle  
-the same location for users' files)  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Directory of YAPP files, instead of /home/fbbdos/yapp,  
-should be __/mnt/win/fbb/users/yapp__ (the same  
-reason as above)  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Directory of documentation files, instead of  
-/var/ax25/fbb/docs, should be __/mnt/win/fbb/docs__  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Directory of pg programs, instead of /usr/local/pg,  
-should be __/mnt/win/fbb/pg__  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Path and filename for import file, instead of  
-C:\FBB\MAIL.IN should be __/mnt/win/fbb/mail.in__  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Now you have to edit __/usr/sbin/xfbb.sh__  
-and change some paths in case you already  
-have running X11 version of LinFBB on a ''different''  
-path. Here you have an example that cover  
-my particular situation...  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Base directory of XFBB software, instead of  
-/var/ax25/fbb, should be __/mnt/win/fbb__  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*So far - so good. Now it is the time to start  
-LinFBB daemon. The command for that is in the  
-location: __/usr/sbin/xfbb.sh__ and it may  
-be executed within an ''xterm''. If  
-everything is OK, you should get several  
-system messages on your screen, ending with  
-something like:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-xfbbC/X server running ...  
-xfbbd ready and running ...  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Well, daemon itself can't be used to access the  
-BBS so it is needed to activate a ''client''  
-that is __/usr/sbin/xfbbC__. It has a couple  
-of parameters (a callsign/password pairs that are  
-stored in __/fbb/passwd.sys__). Note that xfbbC can  
-also be activated within another ''xterm''.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*If you are like me, you would like to activate one  
-more ''xterm'' with xfbbC in a way to monitor  
-your radio frequency. If you have enough room on  
-your screen, you may place all three ''xterm''  
-windows side by side.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*When you finish your xfbbC console session, it is suitable  
-to use the same ''xterm'' to eventually stop the  
-daemon. First of all, with the command __ps ax__  
-you should locate PIDs of xfbb.sh shell and daemon itself,  
-that you may __kill__ after that.  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-----  
-  
-!!6. How to install an "upgrade" to daemon version of LinFBB  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!6.1 LinFBB v7.02g  
-  
-  
-  
-''Notice: Well, the main trouble I have discovered with 7.01f  
-daemon was the absence of Protus c_filter protection. As I told you  
-before, Protus is a "third-party" product, so it might have  
-some problems with the compatibility to LinFBB itself. Anyway,  
-it is also possible that a daemon version of LinFBB has some  
-special requirements over some "third-party" software.''  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*I also noticed that my version of Protus was ''newer''  
-than the version of daemon LinFBB I had at first. Beside  
-that, some hams, as well as F6FBB himself, have suggested me  
-to upgrade LinFBB. I have also found a "problem" that I am  
-still new in compiling Linux software, so, I'd rather  
-look for pre-compiled packages to install easily.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Jose, HI8GN, has offered daemon LinFBB v7.02g as a  
-.rpm package (18 September 2000). I got it  
-from his site:  
-http://hi8gn.dynip.com/indice.html. But, when I tried  
-to install it ''over'' the previous version 7.01f, it  
-complained about some existing LinFBB files.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Then I had to uninstall the old package, after what  
-some config files remained in their locations, but  
-with new .rpmsave extensions. It was nice,  
-so I could use them later to update my new-installed  
-config files.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Btw, the installation of Jose's package was performed  
-without problems, but the new daemon was not likely to run  
-as I expected, although I tried to configure it as best  
-as I could. Not quite sure, but it looked to me that F6FBB  
-is likely to implement some changes not only to the main  
-executables but to shell files too. So, I have decided to  
-save copies of these new  
-xfbbd and xfbbC executables from 7.02g  
-package (I have made it with adding extensions like  
-.702 to the files). After that, I *uninstalled* the rest  
-of that 7.02 .rpm, in order to install the previous  
-version of LinFBB once again - the version that I was  
-satisfied with.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*So far - so good. The "old" 7.01f version was installed again  
-and tested one more time to be sure it was ok. Then, I just  
-copied the previously saved executables from the new package,  
-over the "old" executables. In a couple of minutes, the new  
-daemon LinFBB v7.02g has come in place and function. Comments...?  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Well, the new daemon is likely to check for some more directories  
-than the older version (mostly regarding 7plus  
-operations). Next, its xfbbC console client looks better  
-than the previous version. But, I still miss  
-xfbbX client, that I have found not functional.  
-I hope it will be fixed soon. Finally, Protus  
-c_filter utility is active too.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*An interesting question might be: is that now a really upgraded  
-LinFBB daemon or not? Actually, I haven't changed the "old"  
-script xfbbd.sh with the new one, because during the  
-first tests with the new 7.02 I was getting lots of error messages.  
-Looks that the directory structure was a bit complicated for me  
-to set properly within the new version of xfbbd.sh.  
-After I returned to xfbbd.sh from 7.01 package, the  
-BBS finally started to be run, though without some functions  
-like over-night maintaining (that one problem I solve in a way  
-to boot the BBS as WinFBB under Windows NT where that task is ok).  
-In addition, there are still some mysterious messages telling  
-that m_filter has not been found or something like that.  
-The next tasks are to solve these issues.  
-  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!6.2 LinFBB v7.03  
-  
-  
-  
-''Notice: As I have said in the previous section,  
-I haven't found an easy way to upgrade FBB's (its main  
-executables), without temporary uninstalling an  
-older version, then to install the new version - in  
-order to get new executables. After that is done, a  
-reverse procedure must be put in place.''  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*Well, it was needed to get 7.03 package (09 December 2000)  
-as an .rpm package from  
-www.f6fbb.org/versions.html,  
-that was suggested by Jean-Paul, F6FBB. Anyway,  
-soon after there appeared several mirror sites,  
-offering 7.03 too.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*If you use ''GnomeRPM'', it is easy to uninstall  
-your actual LinFBB (If you just try to install new  
-.rpm over the existing LinFBB you will get  
-some error messages complaining that you already have  
-FBB installed on the computer). Anyway, after  
-the uninstallation, there you will find some config  
-files as .rpmsave files, so you could use  
-them later again.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Installation of 7.03 package will give you  
-new executables in __/usr/sbin__ directory.  
-Those new executables should be temporary given  
-extensions like .703 (for example).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*So far - so good. Now you should *uninstall* the  
-7.03 package (of course, .703 files won't  
-be unistalled automatically).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Once again, you should *install* the ''last''  
-one version of LinFBB daemon, that works ok with its  
-own xfbb.sh (in my case, that is 7.01f).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*For sure, many of you might find it odd, but  
-now it is the right time for the executables from  
-__/usr/sbin__ (I mean of all fbb executables,  
-except those who were renamed to .703) to get  
-their new extensions (in my case, that is .701).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Well, after that is performed, .703 files  
-should *lose* their previously attached extensions,  
-in order to become usable.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Folks, on that point I usually hold my breath, __cd__  
-to __/usr/sbin__ and type: __xfbb.sh__  
-following with an Enter. If everything is fine, several  
-lines should scroll on the screen, ending with  
-something like:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-xfbbC/X server running ...  
-xfbbd ready and running ...  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*If you don't get something similar on your ''xterm''  
-'window' (or on other appropriate terminal  
-utility), you're out of luck, so you might go  
-thru the procedure once again in order to be  
-sure you did all what was needed to be done :->  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*__/usr/sbin/xfbbC__ is the easiest way to  
-check if your new 7.03 is in the game  
-or not. When I mention xfbbC it is good to let  
-you know, that I kept living in a belief that  
-xfbbC is also useful for regular telnet users  
-(who are also supposed to 'connect' to the BBS via  
-the same computer's console, where LinFBB is  
-running from). But, I have discovered that my  
-users, who were ''not'' declared as sysops,  
-are allowed to read all messages (including all  
-private messages), as well as to have some  
-other sysop's abilities. I did think it was  
-a matter of probably wrong declared security flags.  
-But, it was not.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Recently, I was informed that __xfbbC__  
-is suitable only for sysops, but other users  
-(who also might have local keyboard access)  
-should rather try:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-telnet localhost 6300  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*... where 'localhost' and '6300' may vary from  
-system to system. I was pleasently surprised  
-when discovered that __telnet__ is much more  
-useful for regular users than __xfbbC__.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Folks, I think of making a section about the  
-FBB's system configuration. Until something  
-like that appear on the net, you should know  
-that all of those callsigns who are going to  
-use __xfbbC__ have to be added into  
-your passwd.sys file. And, all of  
-those who are going to __telnet__ into  
-the BBS have to be declared as users with  
-a 'M' flag (modem users). It is up to your  
-security precautions, if either of them will  
-have '''root''' abilities to the Linux box.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*My next issue is to use an old 286/12 MHz box,  
-having 1 MB of RAM and running DOS 5.0 as a  
-'telnet client' computer. That box also has  
-a NIC and I would like to 'connect' to the  
-BBS computer from that 'telnet client' box.  
-Due to my preparation for starting another  
-LinFBB in the local school club, where I  
-should have several old 286 boxes, would  
-be nice to offer more than one kid to  
-'connect' the BBS simultanously, using  
-a bunch of 'telnet client' computers.  
-  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!6.3 LinFBB v7.04  
-  
-  
-  
-''Notice: Maybe I have already told you that I  
-use Red Hat 6.2 at home. That's why I usualy look  
-for .rpm packages that have been made for  
-that Linux distribution. And not only that. I have  
-also tried Red Hat 7.1 but it seemed not to support  
-Xwindows LinFBB 7.00g (04 August 1998). When I saw  
-that, I switched back to Red Hat 6.2.''  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*Well, xfbb-7.04-2.i386.rpm (07 August 2001)  
-have been downloaded from  
-www.f6fbb.org/versions.html  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Folks, this time I decided to install v7.04  
-as a completely "fresh" installation, i.e.  
-without parts of a previous daemon on the disk.  
-It means that I have uninstalled previous  
-daemon version of LinFBB and, in addition,  
-removed all older executables (of course, before  
-the uninstalation, I made the backup of some  
-config files that are not version depending  
-(like /etc/fbb.conf), in order not  
-to edit usual "defaults" again and again :-)  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*The setup procedure has reported some dependency  
-issues. I didn't want to get bored with them  
-so I did install the package once again with  
-"--force" and "--nodeps" options.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*So far - so good. Then I replaced a couple of  
-default files with the saved ones, then mounted  
-WinFBB's FAT partition, made a pray and started  
-LinFBB's daemon. In order to accomplish that, it  
-was a new experience to try HI8GN's  
-script __/usr/sbin/fbb start__ within an  
-''xterm'' to start the thing. Although there  
-was no usual  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-xfbbC/X server running ...  
-xfbbd ready and running ...  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-on the screen, TNC's ''PTT'' lamp showed  
-that a beacon was transmitted.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Then I wanted to use HI8GN's __/usr/sbin/monitor__  
-to see what's going on on the frequency. Although  
-I got something like  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Connecting localhost ... Ok  
-Authentication in progress ... Ok  
-Monitoring channel 0 ...  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-there wasn't any traffic on the screen. In order to really  
-monitor the channel, I had to start another ''xterm''  
-and type:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-telnet localhost 6300  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-and from FBB's prompt enter the gateway, type  
-the "M" command you are familiar with etc. But,  
-interestingly, as soon as I telnet'ed to the  
-BBS, __/usr/sbin/monitor__ window, mentioned  
-above, started  
-to copy whatever was going on the telnet xterm  
-(until that telnet session was closed). I wondered  
-if that was ok or not because I expected to see  
-the traffic passing thru the channel -  
-regardless being connected to the system or  
-not. Any suggestion here?  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Well, then I wanted to use  
-__/usr/sbin/bbs__ in order to connect  
-to the client_console (''xfbbC''). Looks  
-that there was a line in HI8GN's script:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-xfbbC -c -f -h localhost -i [[callsign] -w [[password]  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-with missing ./ (dot+slash) before xfbbC, so the script  
-was not likely to be executed, but reported that a  
-command couldn't be found. Anyway, ''xfbbC V3.01''  
-itself seemed to work Ok. It *is* possible to monitor the  
-channel from here too (using the "M" command under the  
-gateway), but this is also a bad solution because  
-while "Monitor ON", it is not confortable to do  
-anything else. Solutions welcomed!  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Though ''xfbbC'' session can be easily  
-terminated with "B" ("bye") command, a fooled  
-__/usr/sbin/monitor__ can not. Its  
-process have to be found with __ps ax__  
-and then killed.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*At the end of the game, daemon itself should  
-be stopped. HI8GN's script __/usr/sbin/fbb stop__  
-returns:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Shutting down xfbbd: [[OK]  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-but __/usr/sbin/fbb status__  
-reports:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Checking, the FBB daemon  
-xfbbd (pid) is running...  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Looks that __/usr/sbin/fbb stop__ does not terminate  
-daemon *every* time the command is executed, but re-start it  
-(the only difference is the new PID of the process and  
-__ps ax__ also shows this new PID). So, there is  
-a question why it returns that [[OK] when it is  
-obvious that daemon is not stopped, but re-started.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Well, if you are like me, you may also want to experiment  
-with sysop's commands under ''xfbbC'' session.  
-For example, "/R" command (Reboot PC) shuts down  
-''xfbbC'' and __/usr/sbin/fbb status__  
-reports:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Checking, the FBB daemon  
-xfbbd dead but subsys locked  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-while "/A" command (Stop BBS) does the same but returns:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Stop-request accepted, no connection.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-before shutting down ''xfbbC'' itself.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Further tries to re-start either ''xfbbC''  
-or fbbd (using __/usr/sbin/fbb start__) are not  
-successful, unless __/usr/sbin/fbb stop__ is  
-executed in addition:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Shutting down xfbbd: [[FAILED]  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Then __/usr/sbin/fbb status__ reports:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Checking, the FBB daemon  
-xfbbd is stopped  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-so, daemon might be re-started again. Here it is  
-also mysterious why it returns that [[FAILED]  
-when it is obvious that daemon is really  
-stopped.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-There are some other commands: "/K" (Reboot BBS with  
-housekeeping), "/M" (Reboot BBS imediatelly) and  
-"/L" (Reboot BBS, waiting users to disconnect) -  
-all of them with slightly different behaviour.  
-Anyway, those three have something in common: they  
-re-start daemon (with different PIDs, of course).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*  
-  
-*Finally, what I would like to have is to  
-manage housekeeping and other maintaining  
-tasks. 'Till now, that is not accomplished.  
-I suppose that I should make some more  
-customization of system paths. Any suggestion  
-is welcomed.  
-  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-----  
-  
-!!7. Further information  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!7.1 Copyright  
-  
-  
-  
-Copyright (c) 2001 by Miroslav "Misko" Skoric, YT7MPB.  
-  
-  
-Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify  
-this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation  
-License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the  
-Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections,  
-with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover Texts.  
-A copy of the license is available from  
-http://www.fsf.org/licenses/fdl.html.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!7.2 Disclaimer  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Use the information in this document at your own  
-risk. I disavow any potential liability of this  
-document. Use of the concepts, examples, and/or  
-other content of this document is entirely at  
-your own risk.  
-  
-  
-All copyrights are owned by their owners, unless  
-specifically noted otherwise. Use of a term in  
-this document should not be regarded as  
-affecting the validity of any trademark or service  
-mark.  
-  
-  
-Naming of particular products or brands should not  
-be seen as endorsements.  
-  
-  
-You are strongly recommended to take a backup of  
-your system before major installation and backups  
-at regular intervals.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!7.3 News  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-This is not the first release of this mini-HOWTO. I  
-hope to improve it whenever possible. Beside that,  
-there are other documents that may help you to  
-use amateur radio stuff on your computer. You may  
-look for AX.25 (mini-)HOWTO at the same location  
-where you get FBB mini-HOWTO.  
-  
-  
-''This mini-HOWTO would be improved from time  
-to time. If you think that the HOWTO on your  
-Linux installation CD is some out-of-date, you  
-may check for newest release on the Internet. It  
-could be found within the main  
-Linux Documentation Project  
-homepage.''  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!7.4 Credits  
-  
-  
-  
-''This version of mini-HOWTO can thanks to:''  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Jean-Paul Roubelat, F6FBB, the author of FBB.  
-Per Olsen, LA6CU, the author of FBB documentation.  
-Jesus R., EB5AGF, the author of Protus.  
-Jose Marte, HI8GN, the packager of 7.02g package.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Any comments or suggestions can be mailed to my  
-email address:  
-m.skoric@eunet.yu.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!7.5 HOWTO  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-These are intended as the primary starting points to  
-get the background information as well as show you how to solve  
-a specific problem.  
-Some relevant HOWTOs are Bootdisk, Installation, SCSI and UMSDOS.  
-The main site for these is the  
-LDP archive  
-at Metalab (formerly known as Sunsite).  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!7.6 Mini-HOWTO  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-These are the smaller free text relatives to the HOWTOs.  
-Some relevant mini-HOWTOs are  
-Backup-With-MSDOS, Diskless, LILO, Large Disk,  
-Linux+DOS+Win95+OS2, Linux+OS2+DOS, Linux+Win95,  
-Linux+WindowsNT, Linux+NT-Loader, NFS-Root,  
-Win95+Win+Linux, ZIP Drive, FBB packet-radio BBS.  
-You can find these at the same place as the HOWTOs, usually in a sub directory  
-called mini. Note that these are scheduled to be converted into SGML and  
-become proper HOWTOs in the near future.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!7.7 Local Resources  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-In most distributions of Linux there is a document directory installed,  
-have a look in the  
-/usr/doc directory.  
-where most packages store their main documentation and README files etc.  
-Also you will here find the HOWTO archive (  
-/usr/doc/HOWTO)  
-of ready formatted HOWTOs  
-and also the mini-HOWTO archive (  
-/usr/doc/HOWTO/mini)  
-of plain text documents.  
-  
-  
-Many of the configuration files mentioned earlier can be found in the  
-/etc  
-directory. In particular you will want to work with the  
-/etc/fstab  
-file that sets up the mounting of partitions  
-and possibly also  
-/etc/mdtab  
-file that is used for the md system to set up RAID.  
-  
-  
-The kernel source in  
-/usr/src/linux  
-is, of course, the ultimate documentation. In other  
-words, ''use the source, Luke''.  
-It should also be pointed out that the kernel comes not only with  
-source code which is even commented (well, partially at least)  
-but also an informative  
-documentation directory.  
-If you are about to ask any questions about the kernel you should  
-read this first, it will save you and many others a lot of time  
-and possibly embarrassment.  
-  
-  
-Also have a look in your system log file (  
-/var/log/messages)  
-to see what is going on and in particular how the booting went if  
-too much scrolled off your screen. Using tail -f /var/log/messages  
-in a separate window or screen will give you a continuous update of what is  
-going on in your system.  
-  
-  
-You can also take advantage of the  
-/proc  
-file system that is a window into the inner workings of your system.  
-Use cat rather than more to view the files as they are  
-reported as being zero length. Reports are that less works well here.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-!!7.8 Web Pages  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-There is a huge number of informative web pages out there and by their very  
-nature they change quickly so don't be too surprised if these links become  
-quickly outdated.  
-  
-  
-A good starting point is of course the  
-Linux Documentation Project home page,  
-an information central for documentation, project pages and much, much more.  
-  
-  
-Please let me know if you have any other leads that can be of interest.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-----  
-  
-!!8. Getting help  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-In the end you might find yourself unable to solve your problems and need  
-help from someone else. The most efficient way is either to ask someone  
-local or in your nearest Linux user group, search the web for the nearest  
-one.  
-  
-  
-Another possibility is to ask on Usenet News in one of the many, many  
-newsgroups available. The problem is that these have such a high  
-volume and noise (called low signal-to-noise ratio) that your question  
-can easily fall through unanswered.  
-  
-  
-No matter where you ask it is important to ask well or you will not be  
-taken seriously. Saying just ''my disk does not work'' is not going  
-to help you and instead the noise level is increased even further and if  
-you are lucky someone will ask you to clarify.  
-  
-  
-Instead describe your problems in some detail that  
-will enable people to help you. The problem could lie somewhere you did  
-not expect. Therefore you are advised to list up the following information  
-on your system:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-; __Hardware__:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*Processor  
-*  
-  
-*DMA  
-*  
-  
-*IRQ  
-*  
-  
-*Chip set (LX, BX etc)  
-*  
-  
-*Bus (ISA, VESA, PCI etc)  
-*  
-  
-*Expansion cards used (Disk controllers, video, IO etc)  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-; __Software__:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*BIOS (On motherboard and possibly SCSI host adapters)  
-*  
-  
-*LILO, if used  
-*  
-  
-*Linux kernel version as well as possible modifications and patches  
-*  
-  
-*Kernel parameters, if any  
-*  
-  
-*Software that shows the error (with version number or date)  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-; __Peripherals__:  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-*Type of disk drives with manufacturer name, version and type  
-*  
-  
-*Other relevant peripherals connected to the same busses  
-*  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-Remember that booting text is logged to /var/log/messages which can  
-answer most of the questions above. Obviously if the drives fail you might not  
-be able to get the log saved to disk but you can at least scroll back up the  
-screen using the SHIFT and PAGE UP keys. It may also be useful to  
-include part of this in your request for help but do not go overboard, keep  
-it ''brief'' as a complete log file dumped to Usenet News is more than a  
-little annoying .  
-  
-  
-  
-----  
+Describe [HowToFBB ] here.