  FBB Packet-radio BBS mini-HOWTO
  Miroslav "Misko" Skoric, YT7MPB, m.skoric@eunet.yu
  v1.8, 17 March 2001

  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

  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.


  Two years ago, after I got my new box, Pentium 166 with 32 MB of RAM
  and VGA color graphics, I switched to a Windows version of FBB (so
  called 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 4.0).


  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.


  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 ...



  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
     <http://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 com­
  plete 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, so 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



  ·  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).



  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-4.0} 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.  roman }


  ·  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-4.0}. 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/Protus4.0, 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 LinFBB for X11 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 suggested me to install some packages that
     looked to me as not too much needed for LinFBB itself - to be run.
     Anyway, I have installed those packages before the installation of
     LinFBB daemon version itself:



             libax25.rpm
             ax25apps.rpm
             ax25tool.rpm



  ·  Now it is the right time to install fbbsrv.rpm package. The archive
     is composed to make its own directories, as "base" directories. The
     last new daemon version to start with, that I managed to find as a
     .rpm package, was 7.01f Release 4 (09. December 1999).



  ·  A file fbb.conf, that serves as the replacement for init.srv, is
     located in the following location: /etc/ax25/fbb.conf



  ·  Unless you are going to install daemon-only system, you should make
     a backup of the existing following 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
     <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 of an older version, then to install a newer version in
  order to get new executables. After that, 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
     <http://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 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 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 a bunch of 'telnet client' computers.



  7.  Further information


  7.1.  Copyright

  Copyright is a source of much and continuous debate on the LDP mailing
  list. For more in depth information please consult the Manifesto at
  the LinuxDoc <http://www.linuxdoc.org/> site. The purpose of having a
  license is to allow appropriate distribution. You can use any license
  that meets the Manifesto. What follows is a boilerplatte license.

  Copyright (c) 2000 by Miroslav "Misko" Skoric, YT7MPB.

  Please freely copy and distribute (sell or give away) this document in
  any format. It is requested that corrections and/or comments be
  forwarded to the document maintainer. You may create a derivative work
  and distribute it provided that you:


  ·  Send your derivative work (in the most suitable format such as
     sgml) to the LDP (Linux Documentation Project) or the like for
     posting on the Internet. If not the LDP, then let the LDP know
     where it is available.

  ·  License the derivative work with this same license or use GPL.
     Include a copyright notice and at least a pointer to the license
     used.

  ·  Give due credit to previous authors and major contributors.


  If you're considering making a derived work other than a translation,
  it's requested that you discuss your plans with the current
  maintainer.


  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 <http://www.linuxdoc.org/> 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
  <http://metalab.unc.edu/LDP/> 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+WinNT,
  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
  <file:///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 <file:///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
  <file:///usr/src/linux/Documentation>.  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
  <http://www.linuxdoc.org/> 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.



